Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
The Kansas men's tennis team shut out Missouri 7-0 yesterday at the Robinson Center tennis courts.
Pro football
Bills quarterback Jim Kelly defends himself in a libel lawsuit by claiming ignorance.
SEE PAGE 8B
Friday
April 3,1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Big 12 baseball
Baylor, which Kansas will play three times this weekend, is ahead of the pack in conference play.
SEE PAGE 6B
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Commentary
Announcement site snubs fans institution that supported Pierce
In many ways it was a slap in the face, a sort of you're-not-important-enough-forme-to-do-it-the type of message.
Kansas forward, excuse me, former forward Paul Pierce declared himself eligible for the NBA draft last night.
But without showing the institution he played for, or the fans that supported him, or the school that gave him a free education any respect, he made his announcement at his former high school in Los Angeles.
It was odd.
He can spout a lot of reasons for making the decision from so far away. In his
defense, he was in Los Angeles for a banquet
Angeles for a banquet.
But that is no excuse.
The world could have waited for him to return on Monday and announce the decision on campus.
And yes, his family does live in Los Angeles.
But truthfully, the only member of his family he really wanted to be there was his mother. She had
flown to a few games this season. There is no reason she couldn't make one more trip.
Spencer
Duncan
sports@tamsan.com
Maybe he was scared of the response and reaction. Maybe he did not want to answer local reporters' questions. Maybe he got some bad advice. Maybe he just did not care or maybe he thought it was important to do it in his hometown.
You would have thought coach Roy Williams would have advised him better.
When Pierce made his decision, because he was in Los Angles, few actually showed for the event.
Los Angeles radio stations and newspapers did not think it was important enough. The Los Angeles Times, the paper that covered him in high school, did not even send a reporter.
And none of the local media in this area was able to attend, because Pierce did not announce the press conference until less than 24 hours before it happened.
Pierce should have known better.
It was odd. It did not make any sense.
Since last season began, people have waited for this decision and Pierce owed it to the thousands of Kansas fans who wore his shirts, cheered his name and made signs with his on them, to announce his decision in Lawrence.
Not announcing his decision here was disrespectful. It said to Kansas fans that Pierce did not deem the University important enough to make the biggest decision of his life and one that will impact his teammates, at the same place that supported him for three years.
Few would fault Pierce for leaving early. When millions of dollars are just around the corner, you make the turn.
Duncan is a Topeka senior in journalism.
It was a good decision, and no one should fault him for it.
Sure, if he had stayed one more year he would have developed his three point shot, gotten stronger and improved his defense. But after watching Jacque Vaughn and Raef Lafrentz stick around only to get injured, Pierce had to wonder if the same would happen to him.
Besides, the past few seasons Pierce has been on two teams that were arguably the best of the Roy Williams era. Next season was going to be tougher and although Kansas will be in contention for a national title, it is unlikely that there would have been a "Paul and the Miracles."
But it will take a long time for people to forgive you for making your decision more than 1,500 miles away.
So Paul, there shouldn't be any hard feelings.
There was no reason to stick around. You can say he should have finished his education, but let's face it: When you can make $2 million to $3 million a year, an education can be put on hold.
You owed it to the fans to end your college career at the same place you started it.
Pierce leaves early for NBA
Forward expected to be top-five pick
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Kansas fans' chants of "one more year" could barely be heard by former Kansas forward Paul Pierce in Los Angeles.
Pierce said yesterday at Inglewood High School he would forego his senior season at Kansas and would enter the NBA Draft, where he is expected to be a top-five selection in June.
Pierce was in Los Angeles for the John Wooden Award ceremonies tonight with coach Roy Williams and teammate Raef LeFrentz.
NBA, and hopefully this is a good opportunity for me," Pierce told The Associated Press. "I feel like it' my time. I feel like I'm more than ready."
Pierce is the first player in the Williams' era to leave school early for the riches of the NBA.
"It has always been my dream to play in the
Williams, who introduced Pierce at the press conference. said
Pierce: announced NBA plans from high school gym.
March 18 he wanted Pierce to do what felt right for him.
"I don't think there's any question that Paul would be a very high draft pick," Williams said. "The NBA is very interested in him.
"I told him to be as selfish as he can be,"he
said. "I most definitely don't want him thinking he has to stay another year just to help old Rov win a championship."
On Senior Night, Pierce played as if he knew that it was his last game in Allen Field House.
Pierce scored a game-high 31 points against Oklahoma off of 14-for-17 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-3 from behind the three-point line.
He scored 15 points on six consecutive possessions in the second half, shooting 6-for-6 during that stretch. The outburst prompted Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson to walk onto the court and pat him on the behind as Sampson called timeout after the sixth shot.
Pierce said he would like to have made the Final Four, but added he would leave Kansas with no regrets.
"Being in the Final Four always was a dream of mine growing up, and I was unable to fulfill that dream," Pierce said. "But I feel like I had a great college career and won a lot
of games."
Pierce, a 6-foot-7 swingman, averaged 20.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season. He shot 51 percent from the field and scored in double figures in 51 consecutive games.
Pierce earned first team All-American honors last month and was the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Conference Tournament the past two seasons. He led the Jayhawks in scoring in the 10 of the past 11 postseason games.
Forward T.J. Pugh, who came to Kansas with Pierce three years ago, said he could not fault the logic behind the decision.
"I agree with what he did," Pugh said. "I think you definitely have to support him. I don't think I could find anybody who would tell me that they wouldn't take a job like that with a year left in college if they got offered a position."
Pierce's mother, Lorraine Hosey, had said she hoped Pierce would stay at Kansas and graduate before entering the NBA. He assured his mother he eventually would earn a college degree.
Freshman phenomenon leads team in batting
By John Blakely Wilson Kansan sportswriter
Freshman shortstop John Nelson rocketed a line-drive fast ball 400 feet deep into the pine trees beyond the left-center-field fence at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium to lead-off a Kansas victory against Baker on Wednesday. His thin, 6-foot-1 body jogged around the bases with his head down — without ego.
Nelson has played the game for the Jay-
hawks all season at a high level without
attitude. Nelson is a star athlete
playing without shaking fists
or a slow trots out to the
field.
"I look to the
"I look to the older players to
show me how
to play," Nelson
said. "I just try to focus on
every pitch and play as hard as
I possibly can without worrying
about anything else."
Nelson was recruited last spring to follow in the footsteps of 1998 Big 12 Conference batting champion Joe DeMarco. Nelson has eclipsed all expectations both at the plate and in the field. He leads the team in batting average at .389, is tied for third on the team with three home runs and has driven in 20 runs with just five errors in the field.
"Joe hit 429 last year, and John's only hitting a little under. 400. We expect more out of him," head coach Bobby Randall joked. "Really, we've given him the lead-off spot in the order because he has been on base consistently. That has led to us scoring a lot of
runs."
Nelson was drafted in the 40th round of the 1997 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and according to Randall, would have gone higher if not for a recurring ligament problem in his thumb throughout high school. The injury limited his at bats throughout his junior and senior seasons and finally required surgery last winter.
("Assistant coach) Mike Bard knew about John and knew he was talented but had been slowed by injuries." Randall said. "Obviously, if he was drafted a lot of people knew about him, but I also don't think anyone knew he would play this well."
Several tradition-rich schools also recruited Nelson out of high school in Denton, Texas, but he signed with Kansas with an eye on the future. Also on Nelson's list were 1997 NCAA Tournament qualifiers and Big 12 opponents Texas and Baylor.
"All of the coaches here really showed that
All of the coaches here really smoothed that they cared and that they are good. God, please make it mild. "I also didn't want to sit on the bench. You only get better by playing."
Nelson has played beyond his years, both at the plate and on the field. He combines average range in the middle infield with an unusually strong arm.
"I've never had the quickest feet, but I'm pretty confident in my ability to throw the ball," Nelson said. "I've become a much better hitter by learning from the coaches on how to hit to all fields."
The Jayhawks travel to Waco, Texas, this weekend to play the Baylor Bears in a three-game Big 12 series. Baylor (26-7-1 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12) is ranked as high as ninth nationally in several different polls.
Spring practice spent getting reacquainted
The second day of spring practice was much like the first for the Kansas football team.
Coach Terry Allen said players ran through non-contact drills and became reacquainted with one another on another beautiful day.
"Since we're practicing without the pads on, we're mainly working on our assignments," Allen said. "We're relearning what we already know and installing some new stuff."
Running backs scurried through holes during mock offensive plays, and quarterbacks Zac Wegner and Akili Roberson fired spirals to wideouts and connected with tight ends on timing patterns.
The lineman plodded in the trenches and the defensive backs reviewed cover drills as the Jayhawks prepared for Allen's second season at Kansas.
Allen said this weekend would offer a slight
change of pace, when about 200 Kansas high school football coaches will attend the Jayhawks' practice.
The coaches' clinic is scheduled for today and tomorrow with a full-pads practice highlighting the weekend. Although the players will not be tackling tomorrow, it will be the first chance for the Jayhawks to strap on all of their pads and prepare for their first scrimmage April 11.
Allen said until then the Jayhawks would focus on the basics.
"There will be no position changes this week because we can't tell that much until we get the pads on," Allen said. "Right now we're just learning content."
-Kevin C. Wilson
Kansas running back Mitch Bowles breaks through the line during spring drills. Kansas opens the season on September 5 against Illinois State. Photo by Roger Nomer/KANSAN
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