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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 66601-3585
Kansan
Periods of clouds and sunshine, with snow possible
Thursday
March 19, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 108 No. 124
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Vol.108·No.124
Sports today
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Kansas men's basketball head coach Roy Williams reflected on the team's accomplishments yesterday at his final press conference of the season.
SEE PAGE 1B
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The strength to succeed
The story of Marian Washington: her struggles, her triumphs and one surprising season
story by mike harrity ● sports@kansan.com
There are better places to play basketball than the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum in Omaha, Neb.
Its darkened recesses are visible only when the glow of the lights reflects off the concrete floor surrounding the court and the fiberglass affixed to the wooden wall behind one of the goals — a remnant of the town's minor league hockey team that played here.
On this day, there is a psychics' convention across the hallway from the court where the Kansas women's basketball team is playing Creighton.
This is the first game of Marian Washington's 25th season as coach at Kansas.
Minutes before tipoff, the locker room is in learning mode. Assistant coach Maggie Mahood is finishing her instructions on how to stop each Creighton starter. When she's finished, all eyes focus on Washington.
"Whether we're winning or losing — I don't care if it's going great or going ugly — you must outwork them," Washington says, pounding her clenched fist like a piston.
The intensity of her firm, deliberate voice sends a cleansing wave of sureness throughout the musty room. Washington knows she must show her team that she believes.
And when she talks, there is no hint that Washington is running on five hours' sleep. This is one of many nights that she will be lucky to get four or five hours of sleep.
After losing three senior starters, she had a tough time searching for 10 games on this year's schedule that this team could win. But she doesn't tell her players that.
After 24 years, she's getting used to it.
"I just find myself lying in bed, going over what could have been done better," she says later. Washington always is thinking of what can be done to make her team better.
She points to the dry erase board, reciting the quoted message written boldly in red.
"In life and in this game," Washington says, "success does not come to you — you must go get it!"
it is clear that this game means as much to Washington as her first game at Kansas did. That was 715 games ago, when her team beat Claremore (Okla).
Junior College by 10 points.
The locker-room talk is finished, and the team huddles for a prayer. Washington invites everyone to join in the circle of clasped hands.
Back then, a younger Marian Washington trudged around campus, sticking fliers on anything that had a thumbtack and cork, triving to recruit players.
Once the "Amen" is said in unison, everyone places a hand in the middle of the group. Washington waits, then she calmly places her left hand on bottom and her right on top. This is her team. They are as much a part of her as she is of them.
The team members shout, "Jayhawks!" and pour out of the locker room.
Washington stays for a moment, alone. searching her mind, her heart, her Lord, for guidance to mold this young team into a winner.
She takes a deep breath and walks out to the court, knowing this is where she belongs.
Toughing it out
in the conference room just off Athletics Director Bob Frederick's office, painted portraits of past athletics directors line the wall.
The legends of Kansas are here: Phog Allen and Dutch Lonborg, who, combined, reigned over Kansas athletics for 31 years.
Then there is Marian Washington.
"A lot of people that walk in here ask me why she's up there," Frederick said. "Not too many people know that she was the women's athletics director in the 70s."
With the passing of Title IX in 1972, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in sports at schools receiving federal funds, women's sports demanded more attention. They didn't always get it.
Not too many people know how hard those years were for Washington.
Washington inherited a program in 1973 that had played 69 games, 32 of which it had lost, since it started in 1968.
See WASHINGTON on page 8A
Legislators get cookies, cards from students
By Brandon Copley
bcopley@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
About 20 University of Kansas students handed out cookies frosted in KU colors to state legislators yesterday, hoping the goodies might win a little more support for the crimson and blue.
The students handed out about 300 postcards signed by KU students urging legislators to support technology funding, health insurance for graduate teaching assistants and increased scholarship money for state universities.
The Student Legislative Awareness Board also set up refreshment tables in the Capitol on the second floor rotunda beneath the statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Samantha Bowman, SLAB director, said the students visited Topeka to make sure legislators kept KU issues in mind.
Yesterday was the third and final student lobby day of this legislative session.
"We're over here showing them we are interested and we're paying attention," Bowman said.
Subcommittees in both the House and Senate have completed work on University budget proposals, endorsing technology funding for which the state would contribute $2 for every $1 generated by a $1-per-credit-hour fee increase.
"As a general rule, health care is our main concern."
Mark Horowitz GTA Coalition president
Both subcommittees rejected the University's request for money to pay for GTA health insurance benefits. A state health board has ruled that the University must provide health insurance to GTAs, but legislators do not want the state to pay for the University's employer contribution.
Mark Horowitz, Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition president, met with several legislators yesterday. He said most research universities had benefit packages for GTAs, and the University needed a similar package if it wanted to attract top-quality research and teaching assistants.
"A lot of people, like myself, haven't had health insurance for six or seven years because they're still in school and they can't afford it," he said. "So as a general rule, health care is our main concern."
Today, the House will vote on the plan to reform higher education by replacing the Board of Regents with a new governing body, which would coordinate curriculum among universities, community colleges and vocational-technical schools.
Korb Maxwell, SLAB member, is an intern for the House Select Committee on Higher Education, which drafted the plan.
He said he supported the reform plan because it meant more money for students and because it would make it easier for students to transfer credit hours from community colleges.
"I'm the coordination function would help a lot of students who transfer to KU from a community college," he said. "It would save them time and help them get their money's worth out of community college."
Tiny fan
Nicole Collier, Lawrence,
resident, waits to see the KU
women's basketball team appear at the "sweet sixteen send off" pep rally. The three-year-old has been attending basketball games at Allen Field House with her parents since she was a newborn.
Collier did not want to miss the rally on Wednesday.
Photo by Augustus Anthony
Piazza/KANSAN
Fans still flock for KU apparel
Jayhawk gear sells despite loss to Rams
By Jeremy M. Doherty
jdoherty@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The men's basketball team's loss to Rhode Island in the NCAA tournament has not wounded the sales of University of Kansas-related apparel, Lawrence merchants say.
Representatives from several sporting goods stores said they had experienced an increase in the sales of KU shirts and hats.
Chad Wilkerson, Jayhawk Spirit manager, 935 Massachusetts St., said Sunday's defeat was followed by a Monday morning influx of customers, despite the poor weather.
"I thought we were going to be dead, but we were still understaffed this week," Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson said the tournament loss would not cause profit damage.
"We sell a lot of other college and generic stuff." he said. "But it does tamper with
"I thought we were going to be dead, but we were still understaffed this week."
Chad Wilkerson Manager of Jayhawk Spirit
our business somewhat, even though the kids are still coming in and buying."
**buggy said he did not expect to suffer from an overstocking of KU apparel.**
dil buggy, Jayhawk Bookstore owner, 1420 Crescent Rd., said the bookstore's sales were down, similar to business during the off-season. However, he said business usually increased toward the end of the season.
"We had orders pending on more merchandise, depending on whether the Jayhawks made it to the tournament.
whether or not they made it to the Final Four and whether or not they made it to the national championships," he said.
As we get into tournament time, there's a stronger influx of customers coming in," Muggy said. "Prospective customers, especially those on a tight budget, tend to wait until tournament time to purchase merchandise."
Despite the Kansas loss, items in stock are continuing to sell. Muggy said.
we do have Big 12 championship and tournament shirts," Muggy said. "That's an accomplishment that bears carrying those shirts for a while."
Ryan Shadel, Sportcenter manager, 840 Massachusetts St., said the customers had not been ignoring the store this week.
"Even in the off-season, we still sell a lot of KU stuff, especially to people visiting from out of state," he said. "The fans are so loyal that the KU basketball stuff just keeps on selling."
Shadel said KU apparel made up nearly 40 percent of his total sales.
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"The KU hat outsells any hat we have," he said.
The continued fascination with Jayhawk merchandise is surprising to Shadel, whose business has been in operation for one year.
"January and February are normally slow months, but this year, it has just been awesome," he said. "The increase of the traffic flow has been tremendous. The economy is good, and people have a lot of money."
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