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HIC 4
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 6601-3585
Kansan
Monday
March 16, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 108 • No. 121
WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
By Chris Horton
(USPS 650-640)
The look on coach Roy William's face told the whole story.
Visibly fatigued, Williams and the Jayhawks met a warm reception last night at Allen Field House. The team was greeted by about 300 fans after its 80-75 second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Rhode Island. Williams held back tears while he spoke of his second-tournament hopes.
It's hard to express the pain and hurt you have,
because it means so much to you, he said.
Seniors C.B. C.Mehrath, Billy Thomas and Raef
Lubertz also book tablets addressing the crowd
"We had a good season and accomplished a lot of things," McGrath said. "We wish we could have gone further."
LaFrentz emphasized that, despite the loss, the team had learned a lot during the 35-4 season.
"You've got to take the good with the bad, and we've
hated or good. He said.
At bars throughout Lawrence, stunned Kansas fans
dealt with the bad.
Scott Martz, Lawrence resident, was at Harbour Lights, 1031 Massachusetts St.. when the game ended.
"When it happened, people came in and started pounding shots," Martz said. "Everyone was drowning their sorrows."
Kansas fans at the reception showed unwavering support for the Jayhawks, and an optimistic view of the future.
An improvement next season is inevitable, said Paul
ottettenbush, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore.
"I'm sure Roy can cook something up and we'll go all the way." Gottesben said.
Although supportive fans struggled to hold back tears, the most affected person of the evening clearly was coach Williams.
"I'm not intelligent enough to say the words that need to be said," Williams said before leading the team off the field house floor. "But please, understand
Commentary
Chill spreads through campus
6:05 p.m. — An icey wind whips down Jayhawk Boulevard.
The street is empty, the sky is gray and the ground is wet.
Funny, you think to yourself. "What about that early gimpse of spring warmth we experienced in Lawrence this year?"
Remember? It was sunny and warm the whole month of
February. And life was good for
Kansas men's basketball teams,
But then came the blizzard,
March 8. The game
the NCAA released its tournament
brackets.
it sure got cold that day. A dark, miserable winter storm set in, covering the University with snow, drifts and ice.
Eric Weslander
But now, it is cold and bleak once again on Jayhawk Boulevard. Kansas has just lost
12:52 p.m. — Dr. Forest C. "Phog" Allen stands in front of Allen Field House, looking down as fans danced wals past him and into the field house. Their cheeks are flushed, and they are hurting to get out of the fgled night. The father of basketball coaching, as the plaque at his home, has inscribed that he is braver than they are.
1. Will you be able to keep your books in the library?
8. 35 p.m. — About 300 fans have assembled in the stands.
Many have not bothered to take off their winter coats.
This is a different Allen Field House—empty, silent and gloomy. There is no pop band, no cordfetti, and no joy. The place seems, well, cold.
And it almost seems as though the fans are holdfires together in the stands to keep warm.
9. 15 p.m. — Howard Hill, the Allen Field House announcer, is leading an impromptu crisis management session with the fans, asking their questions such as "Has anyone here ever been through some tough times?"
"Anyone else have a memory? A fun time they'd like to share?" Hill asks the crowd.
The fans share memories from the season. Coach Williams dancing on the ladder after cutting down the Big 12 Tournament nets. Lester Earl blocking a dunk during a game against Oklahoma.
9:25 p.m. — A big green bus rumbles down James Nais-
smith Drive, a cloud of exhaust trailing behind it. It pulls up to the south end of the fieldhouse.
Roy Williams is the first off of the bus, two pieces of luggage in hand. The players follow one by one and gather inside the door.
The fans make as much noise as 300 fans can make and the players slowly file onto the floor.
9:40 p.m. The stands are completely empty, and the bed house is silent
They assemble at center court, fighting back tears as the fans voice their appreciation for a great season that ended too soon. The players say a few quick words, then sum and leave.
it reminds you how hard all of this is on the players and coaches. Fans live woociously through the team's actions and accomplishments, but when it comes down to it, the players and coaches are the ones who hurt the most.
Not one of them exhibits even a crack of a smile.
And outside, as the fans shuffle back to their cars and the team shuffles back to Jayhawker Towers, that icey wind is still blowing.
Top left: Christine Harris, Prairie Village graduate student, holds up her sign at Allen Field House. Harris came to support the KU men's basketball team Sunday night, when it returned to Lawrence after losing its second-round game against the Rhode Island Rams. Photo by Awauful, Anthony Prirazio (KANSAN)
top middle: A group of young KU basketball fans hold up their sign at Allen Field House. The fans show their support to the Joy-hawks who returned to Lawrence Sunday night. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza / KANSAN
Above: A dejected Lester Earl slumps on the locker room floor following the Jayhawk's loss against Rhode Island yesterday. Earl scores eight points and grabbed six rebounds in the losing effort. Photo by Steve Paulen / KANSAN
Cornell Pewaweyd (third from left), NASA c-co-sponsor, performs a special song with Haskell students, as protesters picket Rock Chalk Revue Friday night. Pewaweyd was specifically asked by an elder to assist the students in the performance of a song they did not know thoroughly. Photo by Jay Shepard/KANSAN.
Protests continue at Rock Chalk Revue
By Marc Sheforgen
msheforgen@kansan.com
Knison staff writer
Bv Marc Sheforgen
Protesters continued to lobby in front of the Lied Center Friday and Saturday nights, objecting to Rock Chalk Revue's opening skit. "Don't Drink the Water."
Friday night's protest included an estimated 200 people and about 100 protested Saturday evening.
The protest, which began on Thursday, the Revue's opening night, continued because protesters wanted to show their displeasure to everyone who was going to see the show, said Elyse Towey, Native American Student Association president.
"We wanted to have our presence there so they would know we were serious about
Rock Chalk Revue
The revue presented awards to the top shows, performers, and songs.
See page 3A
"don't Drink the Water," performed by Alpha Delta Pi and Lambda Chi Alpha, was set in a jungle with a tribal theme. Protesters considered the skit's material to be offensive because it portrayed indigenous people as primitive and made lewd sexual
being offended." Towey said. "The support was there, not just from Native Americans but from the community and KU faculty, so we were willing to go out all three nights."
See STUDENTS on page 3A
Cheer up!
Suzi Raymond, Lynn Pride and the rest of the Kansas women's basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixte
teen yesterday by beating Iowa 6-58 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa
It is the first time in school history that the women's team has outlasted the men's team in NCAA Tournament play. The Jayhawks will face No. 16 seed Harvard this weekend in Oakland, Calif.
See page 1B