Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Thursday
March 19, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Kansas Softball
Four Texas basketball players are considering leaving the team because of their dissatisfaction with coach Tom Penders.
The team begins a weekend tournament today in Sacramento, Calif.
SEE PAGE 2B
College Basketball
The Rhode Island Rams have been smothered with media attention since knocking No.1 seed Kansas.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Jayhawk women flying high
The KU women's basketball team receives cheers and applause at a pep rally in Allen Field House. The team was met by more than 50 fans, the KU band and some KU cheerleaders, Wednesday. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
Sweet 16 game Arkansas await team in Oakland
By Kevin C. Wilson Kansan sportswriter
How sweet it is.
How sweet it is.
The Kansas women's basketball team left at 2 p.m. yesterday from Allen Field House to go to Oakland, Calif., to prepare for its second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the last three seasons.
seasons. The Jayhawks, seeded No. 5 in the West Region, will face ninth-seeded Arkansas at about 13:00 p.m. Saturday.
Kansas coach Marian Washington said at a noon press conference yesterday that she was excited and that her young team already had surpassed expectations.
The Jayhawks will try to achieve even more when they take on Arkansas.
The Jayhawks, 23-8, began preparing to make history Tuesday morning.
Kansas never has advanced past the Sweet 16 and will have to beat an athletic Razorback team to do so. Guard Jennifer Jackson said that the team had set high goals all year and that it would not stop now.
"After the season, we sat down and set our goal at winning the Big 12 Tournament, but we fell one game short," Jackson said. "Next, we set our goal at making the Sweet 16, then making history."
Physically, they did not center Nakia Sanford said the early morning practice usually would have been difficult, but not yesterday.
"We practiced at 6 a.m. because of the cramped schedule." Washington said. "They did a relatively good job. Physically, they did a great job."
"I got up at 5 a.m. with no problem," Sanford said. "I'm just really excited"
Washington said she was glad her team was going to be in Oakland for a few days before the game.
'I wanted them to get adjusted, especially to the time difference." Washington said. "The game is set for a late start. TV dictates a lot of that."
"I think that they are playing with their heart and soul. They are going to go to Oakland and give their best, and that's all we can ask of them.
Marion Washington Kansas women's basketball coach
Washington said that no matter what time the game began, her team would be ready.
The game will start 30 minutes after the Florida vs. Duke game, which will begin at 9 p.m. CST.
"I just think that they are really determined women, and I think that they are playing with their heart and soul," Washington said. "They are going to go to Oakland and give their best, and that's all we can ask of them."
Cheerleaders and band members play during a rally for the Women's basketball team. The basket- ball team left for Oakland California last night, and will play Arkansas in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
Kansas guard to challenge familiar faces
Jackson: Has never regretted choice to play with Jayhawks
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
It might have happened.
Jackson, a Tuscaloosa, Ala., native, said she had considered attending Arkansas — the Jayhawks' opponent in the Sweet 16 — when she was in high school.
Freshman guard Jennifer Jackson could have been an Arkansas Razorback.
"Arkansas was one of my top-five choices," Jackson said. "But after my campus visit at Kansas, I knew this was the right place for me. I've never regretted it."
Neither have the big team. Jackson has been the team's starting point guard in every game this season and averages nine points per game. She leads the Jayhawks in assists (three per game) and ranks second on the team in steals (two per game).
Neither have the Jayhawks.
back. It might have happened.
Jackson also has improved her play in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 12.5 points per game, including a team-high 15 points against Iowa in the second round. The guard shot 58.8 percent from the field during the weekend and averaged a team-leading 36.5 minutes.
"They wanted to win and that made all the difference in the world," Sanford said. "From the start, Jennifer has gone out and given us 100 percent."
agete a team leading accreditation
Center Nakla Sanford credits. Jack
Jackson will look to continue her stellar postseason play against a familiar face, Arkansas guard Christy Smith.
son and her fellow freshman class members with being prepared to play for Kansas.
"I've been a fan of Smith. She's a great point guard who runs her team well," Jackson said.
Smith leads the Razorbacks in assists (4.9) and steals (1.8), ranks
Jackson said she did not see any weaknesses in Smith's game.
"She's really quick, a great free-throw shooter and a smart player." Jackson said. "She doesn't make mistakes, and she is a hard-nosed, tenacious defender."
Jackson is familiar with the 6-foot-1 Arkansas forward Karyn Karlin as well.
third on the team in scoring (11.2)
and connects on 83.5 percent of her
shots from the free-throw line.
well.
Jackson played against Karlin, the Razorbacks' leading scorer (15.5) and rebounder (5.7), at a tournament in Spokane, Wash.
Williams reflects on past, looks to future
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Kansas coach Roy Williams reflected on his team's accomplishments this year and contemplated the future yesterday at his final press conference of the season.
Williams said a huge part of the team's 80-75 loss to Rhode Island in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday was the Rams' quick, slashing guards.
"The thing that we were concerned about all year long was the two quick guards," Williams said. "We knew that would be a problem for us. It was a bad match-up for us, and I knew that when I saw Rhode Island play. But I still thought we would win."
But Kansas lost, and Williams again sought solace from those who know him best. He
Williams: Had been worried by match up with Rhode Island
"I talked to P.J. Carlesimo, who said it could be a lot worse." Williams said, alluding to the incident in which Latrell Sprewell tried to choke Carlesimo.
talked to his mentors. Dean Smith, former North Carolina coach; Bill Guthridge, North Carolina coach; and P.J. Carlesimo, Golden State Warriors coach.
Williams reminded everyone of the season's successes — on and off the court.
The Jayhawks extended their school record, home-court winning streak to 60 games. They tied school records for games played and won in a season. And they went 69-6 in the last two seasons, just one win shy of an NCAA record for wins during a two-year period.
And remember all the events surrounding Kansas' 100 years of basketball commemoration — Wilt Chamberlain's return for his jersey retirement ceremony Jan. 17 and the Jayhawks' grand reunion the weekend of Feb. 8.
The seniors won 123 games in their collegiate career, more than any class in Kansas history. And they became the first class not to lose a home game in their careers.
Thomas said Sunday that not reaching the Final Four in his college career would not tarnish his experiences from the past four years.
the week of Feb. 24.
Seniors Raef LaFrentz, Billy Thomas and C.B. McGrath shattered some long-standing school records during their careers.
"We had a good run, but we just weren't lucky in the NCAA Tournament," Thomas said. "But what we accomplished in our four years, no one can take that away from us."
The 100th season of Kansas basketball was one to remember for Williams, who said he would not take a third trip to the Final Four for granted.
Finally I thought I'm maddest about is in my first five years here, we went to the Final Four twice," Williams said. "I probably didn't allow myself to enjoy it as much as I should have because I thought I was going to do that a lot. So next time, I'm going to enjoy the heck of it."
Razorbacks root through Jayhawk relief pitchers
By John Blakely Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team (8-7) bobbled through a 12-7 loss to nationally ranked Arkansas (16-4) yesterday at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Magnus Stadium had just eight hits and committed five errors, while the pitchers allowed nine earned runs.
"We really didn't do anything well today," pitcher Chad Shuster said. "We might have panicked a bit after we got behind late in the game."
Kansas relief pitcher lit a fire and then three gasoline on it. Six different hurriers allowed nine runs during the final four innings after starting pitcher Brian Schriner left the game with a 6-3 lead.
"We lost our nerve on the mound in a tough game," said Bobby Randall, Kansas coach. "I kept changing pitchers to try to hold the score down late, but nobody was throwing well."
Randall said he was impressed with Schriner's pitching.
Schmerber said, "We didn't play the greatest defense behind him, and you have to remember that he's a freshman," Randall said. "He lost his concentration a bit but only gave up three runs."
The Jayhawks scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Designated hitter Les Walrond and right fielder Cliff Bryson each hit two-run singles in the fifth inning.
"I think we got scared at the end of the game," Randall said. "We tried too hard.
"Iliked the way our offense came alive in the middle of the game," Randall said. But, Randall said, he was concerned with the lack of offense after the sixth inning.
Arkansas pitcher Greg Gilleland, the winning pitcher, struck out seven batters without allowing a base runner in the final three and two-thirds innings.
It wasn't like it was Christy Mathewson out there striking us out."
Third baseman Sparky Wilhelm committed three of the team's five errors.
"We didn't have a good day defensively, but a single day doesn't define a player or a team," Randall said.
Randall said he was happy to play outdoors but the outcome of the game was more important.
"We need to get games in, but it does us no good to lose," Randall said. "We found out that we're still immature, but we also know we're not a bad baseball team."