Hickson to return
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Kansas State running back Eric Hickson was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA yesterday because he had to sit out two seasons. Hickson currently is ranked in sixth place on K-state's all-time leading rushers list.
Royals win opener
The Kansas City Royals made a statement on opening day by shutting down Baltimore 4-1.
Wednesday
April 1, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 4B
NCAA Championship
Let the debate begin: was this year's NCAA Tournament—featuring the "Comeback 'Cats"—the best ever?
WWW.KANSAN.COM/NEWS/SPORTS
SEE PAGE 3B
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Kansas men's list of recruits snipped short
Enrique Abaroa reaches for the ball during a match against Oklahoma earlier this year at Alvamar. Abaroa will be called on today when Kansas plays Tulsa at Robinson. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas spottwriter
Kansan sportswriter
The talent pool of basketball prospects appears to be thinning for the Kansas men's basketball team only one week from the start of the late sising period.
Kevin Houston, a 6-foot 5-small forward from Seward County Community College in Liberal, said he scratched the Jayhawks from his short list of schools on Sunday.
Houston said yesterday that there seemed to be a lack of interest from Kansas coaches.
"They haven't called me since last week, so there must not be any interest." Houston said. "If they had been interested in me, they would have put the head coach on the phone just like every other school had done. So now I'm looking elsewhere."
Houston said that Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia and Miami (Fla.) remained options. He expects to make a decision in early May.
Crider: Has given the Jayhawks an oral agreement.
Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons considered Houston to be the top option to replace Jayhawk forward Paul Pierce if the All-American decides to enter the NBA draft. Pierce might decide as early as this week
The Jayhawks have
one scholarship available, but another two could be used if Pierce turns pro and the one-year scholarship given to former walk on Terry Nooner is not renewed next season.
But some prospects might be wavering from Kansas as next week approaches.
The Jayhawks already have signed Jeff Boschee, a 6-1 point guard from Valley City (N.D.) High School, and has received an oral commitment from John Crider, a 64 shooting guard from Horton (Kan.) High School.
Rashard Lewis, a 6-10 forward/ center from Alief (Texas) Elig High School, has narrowed his list to Kansas and Florida State. But Gibbons reported that Lewis was 90 percent sure he would enter the NBA Draft.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he hoped to sign two more players in the late signing period, which starts April 8 and lasts for one month.
Brandon Dean, a 6-1 point guard from Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe, La., has scheduled visits for Florida State and Arkansas, but not for Kansas. Dean said that he wanted to visit Kansas and that he hoped to choose a school by mid-April.
Williams wanted another guard to bolster a backcourt that will lose Ryan Robertson, Jelani Janisse and Chris Martin after next season.
Kansas guard Billy Thomas will be one of 64 players hoping to draw the attention of NBA scouts at the 46th annual Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament.
The tournament begins tonight and ends Saturday. Some of the top players will be invited to the Nike Desert Classic on April 7-11 in Phoenix.
Thomas' team will play its first game at 8 p.m. tomorrow. His teammates include Jeff Sheppard of Kentucky, Shammond Williams of North Carolina and Aaron Hutchins of Marquette.
Big 12 Conference players attending the tournament include Kelley Thames (Missouri), Brett Robisch (Oklahoma State), Corey Brewer and Evan Wiley (Oklahoma).
Jayhawks courting victory Tennis teams winning on the road
By Erin Thompson Kansan sportswriter
Riding high on a bevy of important wins, the Kansas men's and women's tennis teams will look to extend their winning streaks this afternoon.
The men will face No. 37 Tulsa today and Missouri tomorrow at the Robinson tennis courts.
The men fared well during the spring break showing at the Big 10 Blue Gray National Collegiate Tennis Classic, where the Jayhawks advanced to the semifinals after knocking off 16th-ranked Auburn in the first round.
"We're getting better," said Kansas men's head coach Mark Riley. "We still haven't played with a whole team. But we're finding ways to win. Different guys have stepped up."
Enrique Abaroa, the No. 1 singles player, injured his back early in the season but returned during spring break. He lost four matches and had to pull out of the match against Nevada-Las Vegas on Friday. Riley said Abaroa was questionable for tomorrow's match.
The Jayhawks are expecting a tough match from Tulsa and are looking to continue to play well, Riley said.
Missouri should not be as big of a challenge as Tulsa. Riley said it would allow some of the players who have not played as much to gain experience.
The improvements the Jayhawks have made in doubles play aided in the wins. In all three matches they won, the Jayhawks won the doubles point.
Another important factor in the improvements is that players are beginning to take charge where they weren't before. Riley said.
"We're not standing around waiting to win," he said. "Each person is taking responsibility for themselves."
The Jayhawks defeated No. 14 Pepperdine and No. 22 Southern California last weekend.
The women's tennis team will try to continue its five-match winning streak when it travels to Kansas State today.
"It's tough to go on the
road and play," Kansas women's coach Roland Thornqvist said. "The conditions were not conducive to tennis. It was very windy, and we did a good job of keeping our heads. We competed as well as I've ever seen this team compete."
Against K-State, the Jayhawks will see some new challenges. The Wildcats have three new players playing at the No. 2, 3, and 4 singles spots and should provide competition for the Jayhawks, Thorngvist said.
"We're going to have to play well to come out of Manhattan with a win," he said.
"We're pretty confident," he said. "We just have to be careful not to get overconfident. We're going to be in each match we play from here on out, so we have to take care of the little things at practice. But this team does a good job of staying focused."
Remaining focused could be the largest obstacle for the Jayhawks during the remainder of the season, Thornovist said.
Kris Sell, Moorestown, N.J., junior, returns a shot during a practice at Alvamar Tennis and Swim Club, 4120 Parkway Park. The women's tennis team today will travel to Manhattan to battle Kansas State. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Kansas golfers course to top-10 finishes
Men's team defeats champ Texas A&M
By Jason Pearce
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's golf team played on the road in two tournaments during spring break.
The team finished eighth out of 22 teams in Santa Barbara, Calif., and took second out of 14 teams in Laredo. Texas.
Sophomores Ryan Vermeer and Brad Davis finished the tournament in a tie for fourth place with a score of 218, 10 shots behind tournament champion Ryan Palmer of Texas A&M.
Kansas finished with a three-round total of 882 Sunday at the Border Olympics at the Laredo Country Club, just two strokes behind tournament champion Baylor.
The Jayhawks beat defending champion
and host Texas A&M, which placed third. Fourth-ranked Arkansas placed sixth for the tournament.
The top-10 finish is the seventh in nine events this season for Vermeer and the third in eight events for Davis.
Senior Brad Barnett tied for 10th place with his score of 223. The finish was Barnett's second top 10 of the season and of his career.
Junior Ryan Zug tied for 20th with his score of 227. It was his first top-25 finish of the season.
Kansas' best player, Chris Thompson.
ended his streak of top-10 finishes at eight by firing rounds of 77-77-76 and finished with his highest output of the season at 230. Thompson, who is ranked No. 5 nationally, tied for 30th.
Freshman Andy Stewart tied for 71st place after rounds of 79-76-83 and a total of 238.
Kansas finished eight with its two round score of 605 at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate tournament in Santa Barbara, eight strokes behind third place Pacific. Pacific is coached by former
Kansas assistant golf coach Ted Ballmer.
Kansas freshman Andy Stewart tied for 56th after rounds of 76-17 and a total of 154. Sophomore Brad Davis and senior Brad Barnett tied for 73rd with a total of 156. Junior Ryan Zug finished with a score of 158.
Kansas assistant golf coach Ted Bailner. California State-Stanislas and New Mexico State shared the team championship with scores of 591.
Kansas State was the only other Big 12 team in the tournament. The Wildcats finished in 17th place with a score of 617.
Individually, Kansas was led by Thompson and Vermeer, who tied for sixth after shooting 72-75 for a total of 147.
The Jayhawks will compete next in the Western intercollegiate tournament April 7-8 in Santa Cruz, Calif.
Commentary
Commentary Basketball fans search for sports in lieu of NCAA tourney games
Two nights ago, as I watched the NCAA championship game come to a close, I suddenly was overcome by a terrible sense of dread.
Things seemed normal. Nothing was really out of place. But still, something was not right. I immediately went down the list of things that always seem to induce that sickening feeling in the back of my throat.
At first, I could not put my finger on what was wrong.
My wallet was still in back pocket, and my car keys were not locked in my running car. That was good.
I scavenged through my backpack and found my checkbook as well as all my school notes. That also was good.
Finally, I looked down at my hands.
Yes, I still had all 10 of my fingers. (Hey, listen, maybe you don't chronically worry about having all your fingers, but I do, so back off.)
Harley Ratliff sports.kansan.com
And then suddenly,
it happens, goormy sellers basketball
I have two choices: find a suitable substitute or seek immediate therapy.
The NBA. This is the closest thing that I could find to college basketball. I mean, they basically are playing the same game.
This, I think, could be the cure for my college basketball blues.
Well, because therapy could be expensive, I'm thinking that the suitable substitute route is the way to go ... let's examine the candidates:
But really, who am I kidding?
Except for about two weeks in June, I would rather have my eyes riddled with needles than watch an entire NBA game. Just try to sit through a game from start to finish. If you can, you are a better person than I.
Professional basketball has been, and always will be, a vastly inferior product to its college counterpart.
That brings us to...
Major League Soccer. I love soccer. I could watch it all day. Really. But, even I cannot get excited about the mighty MLS. The only thing more boring than Americanized soccer is...
Major League Baseball.
But — and no offense to Kansas baseball coach Bobby Randall —baseball just does not do it for me. The pitching is mediocre. The players are overpaid. The owners are greedy. And it seems that every team either plays on AstroTurf or in a dome. Baseball is five months that I have to kill until football season starts.
I know that it is America's pastime. I know that it has a long and storied history. I appreciate its historical significance.
On the bright side, however, baseball does appear to be picking up steam since the 1994 strike debacle. Last year delivered a great World Series and a semi-exciting regular season. I'm going to give baseball another chance this year, but make no mistake. college basketball it ain't.
Weird.I know.
NASCAR. During the last two years, I have lived with a kid that lives and breathes car racing.
I will not be watching much NASCAR this spring, but if you want to impress your friends with car-racing knowledge (and God knows why they would be impressed with car-racing knowledge), throw around the term "four acrest."
Trust me, you will sound like you know what you're talking about — even if you don't.
The NHL. I still choose to live in the delusional world where only kids from Minnesota like to watch hockey.
I don't, so on to the next sport.
Okay, so I am starting to run out of suitable substitutes. But, I think that I still can overcome the lack of college basketball.
My plan: take in as much spring football as possible and, with a little financial support, plenty of therapy.
Rattif is a Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.