Inside Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Sports Mrs. Dalloway leaves the Kansan movie critic waiting for action instead of overextended monologues. SEE PAGE 12B Kansas softball The Kansas softball team will square off against Nebraska and Iowa State this weekend. SEE PAGE 3B Kansas track Friday April 17, 1998 Section: B Page 1 The Kansas track and field team will split up this weekend to compete in California and Arkansas. SEE PAGE 2B WWW.KANSAN.COM/NEWS/SPORTS Contact the Kansan Sports Desk: (785) 864-4810 Sports Fax: (785) 864-5261 Sports e-mail: sportsokansan.com Sports Forum: sftforum@kansan.com Kansas chasing Wichita State legend QUARTER DOG DAY. Today is "Quarter Dog Day" at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. The baseball team will take on Missouri at 7 p.m. Hot dogs are 25 cents, and there is no admission fee for students. The team also will play Missouri at 2 p.m. tomorrow and 1 p.m. Sunday. By John Blakely Wilson Kansan sportswriter The Kansas baseball team led 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning against No. 9 Wichita State on Wednesday night in Wichita. Wichita State left fielder Casey Davis's game-winning single assured the Shockers' (29-3) deliverance and taught the Jayhawks (17-20) a cruel lesson in tradition — the kind of tradition that separates great programs from average programs. Wichita State's state flows from 20 consecutive 40-win seasons and a 1989 National Championship since head coach Gene Stephenson revived the program in 1978. Major League players such as Joe Carter, Mike Lansing and Darrene Dreifort have starred during the years in Shocker uniforms. In contrast, Kansas has just two 40- win seasons in 107 years of baseball. "We convince our players they'll win," Stephenson said. "Even when we play poorly, like against Kansas Wednesday night, we'll come back and win. We never give up and that's the difference." When Stephenson arrived at Wichita State in 1977, he found nothing. No team, no field, no equipment, no tradition. The birth of Shocker tradition Eck Stadium-Tyler Field has become a symbol of Stephenson's success at Wichita State. It began as a vacant lot but now holds nearly 6,000 fans with its trademark Astroturf infield and grass outfield. It also boasts the largest on-campus scoreboard in the country and a press box with four broadcast booths, a game operations booth and a writer's booth. Stephenson was able to build the ballpark through gifts from wealthy Wichita residents. "Everything we have built — the stadium, the fans and the tradition — has been piecemealed together," Stephenson said. "Our first field was basically a softball park. We played in the College World Series championship game four years after we got here even though we didn't have bleachers for our field." Stephenson knew he needed something unique to separate his program from others when recruiting. He installed the Astroturf infield in 1981 and used it to bring in players. "If you surround yourself with people who believe in what you're trying to do and you have talent yourself, the sky is the limit," Stephenson said. "We used our belief in ourselves to sell this program to players." Women's tennis must overcome Texas schools to win Big 12 "Most of our Major Leaguers weren't even drafted out of high school. Guys like Mike Lansing, Pat See RENOVATION on page 3B KANSAS TENNIS By Erin Thompson Kansan sportswriter Kansas coach Roland Thornqvist said the trip to Texas would provide tough matches. The state of Texas holds the last remaining obstacles in the women's tennis team's quest for an undefeated season in the Big 12 Conference. The Jayhawks will travel to College Station, Texas, tomorrow to face No. 36 Texas A&M and to Austin, Texas, on Sunday to face the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns. The Aggies are coming off a loss to Texas on Wednesday and will celebrate senior day at the team's last home match. The Jayhawks defeated Texas A&M 6-3 last year in Lawrence. "I know that both A&M and Texas have circled the match against Kansas early in the season," he said. "It's A&M's last Big 12 match. They're going to be ready to play." "Last year, the match went down to the wire," Tronqvist said. "It's always tough to play at College Station. They have a good crowd and are always a little crowdy." Texas coach Jeff Moore said the crowd at College Station always provided a tough atmosphere for his teams as well. "The Aggies are always tough for us, regardless of the circumstances," he said. "Our players coped with the windy conditions and a rowdy crowd (on Wednesday) to close out their matches in impressive fashion." Texas has won 92 straight conference matches and has not lost a match since April 2, 1991, when the team lost to Texas Christian. If the Longhorns defeat Baylor and Texas Tech tomorrow, the Jayhawks will be the last team for Texas to defeat for a seventh-straight undefeated conference season. The Jayhawks will seek revenge for two sweeps by the Longhorns last season. Texas defeated Kansas 9-0 during the regular season and 5-0 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. "The Longhorns are beating everyone soundly." Trornqvist said. "I'm sure they see Kansas as their last obstacle in another conference sweep." "We've closed the gap since last year, there's no question." Thonqvist said. "But we're going to play at their home. We're going to have to be ready to play." Thorngvist said he expected it to be a close match. The Jayhawks defeated William and Mary, which defeated the Longhorns, and Texas defeated Duke, which defeated Kansas. "She had a good practice and looked really good," Thorngvist said. "We're certainly optimistic, and she should play at least one match." Kansas should have the service of its top single players player again this weekend. Senior Kylie Hunt has missed the past four matches with an inflamed lung but is expected to return for at least one match this weekend. Hunt practiced yesterday for an hour and 40 minutes with teammate Kris Sell and served for the first time since she was ill. Seniors, Paul Pierce honored at banquet By Tommy Gallagher tgallagher@kansan.com Kansas sportwriter Former Kansas forward Paul Pierce returned to Lawrence on Wednesday to attend the team's annual banquet and reminisce with teammates. By 8 a.m. today, he and his mother will be on a flight back to California. Pierce, who announced two weeks ago that he would enter the NBA Draft, said he was nervous about how the Lawrence fans would respond. "I wanted to get away and spend some time "Paul has followed his dream, which was to play in the NBA," McGrath said. "My dream was to play at Kansas. And I know that if I had a chance to forego my senior season at Topeka West to play at Kansas, I would have done the same." similar option. Thomas jokingly questioned why he earned Most Improved Player honors. "I wanted to get away and spend some time by myself." "This is the second time I've won this award." Thomas said. "I mean, come McGrath, a Topeka native, said in the past he would have made the same decision Pierce made had he been given a by myself," Pierce said. "It was already difficult for me to make the decision to turn pro. But it would have been harder for me to see the same people every day. I didn't know how the fans' reaction would be." Pierce and the seniors all spoke at the banquet, mostly thanking coaches, family, friends and fans. Paul Pierce Former Kansas forward Fans applauded Pierce, who shared the Most Valuable Player award with forward Raef LaFrentz. Pierce said he and his brothers have sifted through potential sports agents for the past two weeks and expect to select one to represent him by Sunday. Jayhawk fans also said goodbye to three seniors — LaFrentz, Billy Thomas and C.B. McGrath — who finished their careers with a 58-0 record in Allen Field House. on. Was I really that bad? I know I couldn't have been that bad." LaFrentz did not deliver as many jabs and punch lines as his teammates, warning the crowd that he had to go to the bathroom. Prospect Marlon London, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from St. Joseph's High School in Chicago, attended the banquet. Williams said the Jayhawks could sign another letter-of-intent sometime soon, possibly today. London said he would sign with Kansas while in Lawrence, if he enjoyed his visit. Williams also said the Jayhawks could have another prospect, likely 6-foot-9 small forward Ashante Johnson from Canada (Calif.). Junior College, visit campus fairly soon. Johnson, who averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds last season, could add depth to the small forward position, where the Jayhawks have only Nick Bradford. Last night, Kansas fans celebrated the Jayhawks' accomplishments from last season. Now they can look ahead toward the future. Farmer Kansas forward Paul Pierce and coach Roy Williams laugh during his speech last night at a banquet in honor of the KU basketball team at Allen Field House. Pierce was called up by Williams during the senior speeches despite his junior status. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN Basketball banquet postseason awards Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen Most Valuable Player Award Rael LaFrentz and Paul Pierce Dutch Lonborg Free Throw Percentage Award Rael LaFrentz and Paul Pierce Cedric Hunter/Jacque Vaughn Assists Award Ryan Robertson Ted Owens Defensive Player Award T.J. Puh Bill Bridges Rebounding Award and Dick Harp Field Goal Percentage Award Kael Laemitz Ken Koenigs Academic Award C.B. McGrath, Ryan Robertson, T.J. Pugh All rights reserved *not all awards are listed Depth, ability to help receivers catch up By Kevin C. Wilson Kansan sportswriter "It's an area that will be vastly improved," Allen said. "We have some players coming back who gained experience and confidence from last year, and we'll also have some new faces." The Jayhawks return 11 of the team's top 12 pass receivers from last year's team and will add a highly-rated freshmen to form a potent receiving core for next fall. An area of instability last season on the Kansas football team, the wide receiver position will be overflowing with qualified personnel next fall. Coach Terry Allen said that he was optimistic about next season's receiver position. One of those players who gained invaluable experience last year was junior Michael Chandler. "We can all catch the ball." Chandler said. "With only two or three of us on the field at once, there will be some tough competition. Chandler, the team's leading pass catcher from last year (21 receptions, 311 yards), said that he was looking forward to the challenge of earning a spot in the rotation. Looking to reenter the competition this fall will be sophomore John Gordon, who showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman by snaring 16 passes. But he was held out of competition in 1997 because of a cardiomyopathy and sleep annea. Allen: Confident that receiving corps will be improved Although he is not able to participate in spring practice, Gordon is expected to be ready at the beginning of next season, coach Terry Allen said. [1] "He has yet to get official clearance, but he is making progress," Allen said. "John has experience in this league, which will help." Also expected to be in full health for the start of next season is redshirt freshman Harrison Hill. The young receiver missed most of last season after suffering a season-ending leg injury in the second game, but said that he expects to recover for the fall. "I'm hoping to be back for the spring game, but I'm still experiencing pain." Hill dence." said. "I should be 100 percent by the fall." Hill also has high expectations for next year's receiving squad as a whole. "If everybody is healthy, we should have some awesome receivers," Hill said. "We will have speed, hands, and experience. It should be exciting." When the word "exciting" is used in regard to the Ivakhawk With the influx of new talent and the return of Gordon, Fulton said that he was looking forward to playing in a more diverse offense this season. receivers, the name Termaine Fulton immediately comes to mind "He has a lot of physical ability," Allen said. "By playing as a true freshman, Termaine gained a lot of maturity and confi- Allen said that he expected nothing but improvement from his second-year receiver. The sophomore receiver accumulated 10 receptions for 302 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns. His big-play ability resulted in touchdown catches of 46, 60 and 77 yards, although he was consistently the Javahaws' only deep threat. "It gives us a variety of weapons," Fulton said. "We won't be forced to look to one certain player all the time because we will have a lot of different people who can get the job done." Other Jayhawks looking to contribute next season include two sophomores who have prior pass-catching experience: Tanner Hancock (11 receptions, 166 yards) and Eric Patterson (9 receptions, 93 vards). One of the players hoping to get a shot at some playing time next season is still in high school. Byron Gasaway, a 6-foot-4, 180 lb receiver from Grandview, Mo., will provide the Jayhawks with the big target that they lacked last season—he is the only wide receiver taller than 6'1". He has been clocked at 4.29 in the 40-vard dash. With all of the talent and experience at wide receiver that the Jayhawks will enjoy next year, Allen is looking for great things or at least an improvement. "We want to turn a liability into an ability." Allen said.