Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Yes, it's still illegal to put money into NCAA tournament pools. But the internet offers some lawful alternatives.
SEE PAGE 12A
Monday
March 9,1998
Kansas softball
The team spent a rough weekend at Fresno State, losing three of four in the Bulldog Invitational.
KANSAS TENNIS
Section:
Men's & Women's Tennis
SEE PAGE 13A
A
Page 16
The Kansas tennis teams played a total of five matches this weekend and won four.
SEE PAGE 13A
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Slamming home a shining career
Small-town guy, big-time star
Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.con
Kansas sportwriter
Small Town, U.S.A.
Small Town.
A man hand crafts wooden Jayhawks and sells them to the townspeople. Those Jayhawks stand in front lawns and dangle in the windows of homes and stores across town.
People at the coffeehouse talk about last night's game, about how Kansas won yet again. They know the names of every Kansas player. They know who led the team in scoring and what records were broken or extended.
The city represents the dreams of every starry-eyed kid who wanted to hit the big time, who wanted to beat the odds. The people of Monona have a hometown hero, and they proudly remind their visitors of his small-town heritage.
the town is not Lawrence or any other city in Kansas for that matter. This is Monona, Iowa. Population: 2,000.
This is the story of an all-American kid. He was never too big to be humble and never too small not to be noticed.
Growing tall
This is the story of Raef LaFrentz.
LaFrentz never was a small child.
he, he stood at 6-foot-3-
inches. In the 10th grade, he was 6-foot-
9-inches. And by the time LaFrentz
reached the 11th
grade, he had
sprouted to 6-foot-11 inches his height today.
The first time Eric Dettbarn, boys' basketball coach at MFL-Mar Mac High School in Iowa, saw a Frentz, he was a 5-foot-11-
LaFrentz, he was a 5-foot-11-inch sixth-grader.
In time, Dettbarn, 33, said he knew when to stop challenging LaFrentz to one-on-one basketball games.
"We used to play one-on-one all the time, and once I beat him when he was in the eighth grade," Dettbarn said. "I haven't played him since then. He always wanted a rematch. But I have one up on him and that will never change."
Linda McFarlane, who has lived in Monona since 1984, said LaFrentz often played at a basketball court in the town park.
"He would go over there and shoot hoops just like the rest of the kids." McFarlane said. "They would play pick-up games and Raef was just like anyone
else. He was really just one of the boys." Maybe as a person, but not as a basketball player.
LaFrentz dominated opponents during his high school years, partly because no team could muster a center taller than 6-foot-4-inches.
He carried MFL-Mar Mac to the Class 2A state playoffs for the first time in school history during his junior season in 1993. In the sub-state game, LaFrentz led MFL-Mar Mac to victory against No.1 Aplington-Parkersburg, which had won 72 consecutive games.
LaFrentz also led his school to the state playoffs the following year, when he averaged 34.5 points, 16.3 rebounds and six blocked shots per game while hitting 74 percent of his shots.
"We had a solid team overall, but Raef really was the focus," Dettbarn said. "He had an incredible career here. But we knew there would be pressure on him to stay around a while longer."
LaFrentz was swamped with letters and phone calls from coaches across the country his senior season.
Becoming a Jayhawk
He was visited by assistant coaches representing Kansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri, Arizona, Kentucky, Indiana and Seton Hall, among others. Some lowans felt strongly that LaFrentz should stay in-state and attend Iowa, but he didn't listen.
LaFrentz said he always thought he would become a Jayhawk, although a weekend visit by LaFrentz to the University of Iowa made Kansas coach Roy Williams nervous about where the Jayhawks stood.
"I called him that Sunday night after he had visited Iowa, and he didn't want to talk to me," Williams said. "That was the lowest ever in recruiting for Roy Williams, and yet everything worked out fine. It is funny because, in recruiting, almost every day you think you lost a guy."
LaFrentz maintained that he never meant to make Williams lose any sleep by not answering phone calls. He just wanted to select a school without any outside interference, he said.
"I just had a fun visit to Iowa, and I knew, as any coach who was recruiting me would do, that he would try and undermine every positive thing from that experience," LaFrentz said.
"I just wanted to sit on it, think about it and make the right choice for me. In the back of my head, I knew that I was going to be a Jayhawk," he said.
Outside pressure continued to mount, but LaFrentz never blinked. He signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas. After the announcement, the people of Monona did not hesitate to back his decision, but he was criticized in other parts of the state.
"Those people weren't concerned about Raef at all." Dettbarn said. "They were concerned only about themselves. We would have supported him no matter where he went. If they cared about Raef, they would have had no problem with him doing what's in his best interest."
From a rookie to an All-American
LaFrentz had an impressive showing his first couple seasons as a Jayhawk.
He was one of two players to start every game his freshman season. And as a sophomore, LaFrentz led the team in scoring and was named a first team All-Big Eight Conference selection.
That sophomore season, he was joined by a couple of friends — his parents, Ron and Ellen — who moved to Lawrence.
Ron had worked as the industrial arts teacher and assistant basketball coach at MFL-Mar Mac while Ellen served as a substitute teacher. When Ron retired in 1995, they moved to Lawrence and rented former Kansas guard Rex Walters' condominium with plans of moving back to Monona after LaFrentz was drafted into the NBA.
But even as he pushed forward at Kansas, interest in LaFrentz's exploits flourished back in Monona.
McFarlane writes a weekly column in the Monona Billboard, which is just three doors down from the LaFrentz home, updating its readers about LaFrentz's performances.
"Some people who had never cared about basketball before never miss the Jayhawks on TV," McFarlane said. "People around here keep up with their basketball. They never miss a game."
And while LaFrentz strived to improve his game each off-season, he still made time to visit old friends in Monona.
He played basketball in the same gym where he had practiced during his high school years. And during the summer he worked as a lifeguard at the same swimming pool where he had worked as a teenager.
"The kids would all rush to the pool when he was there," McFarlane said. "They'd misbehave just to see what he'd do. But they knew Kraef wouldn't do any-
See LAFRENTZ on page 144
Commentary
Pierce simply too much for Sooners
After watching the Jayhawks dismantle my Sooners in the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship.
I've come to one,very clear conclusion:
Harley Rattifl
sports@kansan.com
In fact,
maybe too
much.
In the span of two weeks, I've witnessed Pierce not once, but twice stick a knife in the heart of a
conclusion
I've seen just about enough of this Paul Pierce fella.
Two weeks ago, my roommate and I watched in horror as the 6-7 junior forward turned the second half of the Kansas-Oklahoma game into his personal playground.
feisty Oklahoma squad.
With the Jayhawks clinging to a desperate five-point lead, Pierce singlehanded polished off the Sooners with a dizzying spectrum of shots They seemed to come from nowhere — or better yet, everywhere.
Maybe it was a 22-foot rainbow three-pointer.
Sometimes, it was a mid-range jummer.
Too often it was simply a thunderousunk.
It didn't matter where Pierce shot, they all seemed to go in — and Oklahoma went down.
The Sooners seemed to have an answer for everything that night — except Pierce. The All-American candidate wound up with 31 points, making an incredible 14 of 17 shots.
They finished the season by frustrating the league's leading scorer, Cory Carr, in a thrashing of Texas Tech. In the Big 12 Tournament, the Sooners had stifled the Missouri offense in the first round, and held Texas's leading scorer, Kris Clack, to a measly two points in the second. Paul Pierce wasn't supposed to be a problem.
Round Two was supposed to be a different story. The Sooners had been playing their best defense all year.
In an ugly, physical first half Sunday, Pierce was the Jayhawks' constant — slicing, leaning, and twisting his way to eight points.
He was.
Pierce continued to work his magic in the second half, ripping the Sooners with soft jumper, after silky soft jumper. Raef might have been voted the league's Most Valuable Player, but it was Pierce — who finished with 26 — who steamrolled the Jayhawks' way through the Big 12 tournament.
Each game, it looked as if the Sooners were poised to pull the miracle upset, and each game, Pierce made sure it didn't happen.
He has it all; size, strength, speed, a nice shooting touch, and a great feel for the game. He is easily one of the most exciting players in college basketball. I could watch him abuse defenders all night long.
In the process, he broke the heart of quite a few Sooner fans — including myself.
I just hope that next season, when Pierce is using that nifty, little head fake to jumpstart one of his patented drives to the basket, it's not against the Sooners.
Don't get me wrong, I love Pierce's game.
It's against the Clippers.
Ratliff is a Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.
Kansas crushes Illinois-Chicago
Game 3 canceled; Bettis, Philbrick pitch first shutout
By John Blakely Wilson Kanson sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team slammed Illinois-Chicago 16-5 and 12-0 in a doubleheader Friday before rain washed away the final two games of the series, which were scheduled for Saturday and yesterday.
Head coach Bobby Randall said his 7-6 team had started to play to his expectations against a solid Illinois-Chicago squad.
"They were much better than the other teams we've blown out," Randall said. "We pitched well and played great defense, and those two things win games."
Kansas's pitching continues to develop with experience. Junior Les Walrond held Illinois-Chicago to three runs in six innings while picking up the win in the first game. Walrond did not allow a walk. Kansas pitchers surrendered just four bases-on-balls throughout the weekend.
"Our pitchers are just throwing strikes," catcher Josh Dimmick said. "That takes pressure off the fielders and the pitchers because every hit doesn't mean runs are going to score."
Rusty Philbrick started and Eric Bettis closed the second game on Friday, the first Kansas shutout since Feb. 25, 1997. Philbrick picked up his first win of the season, striking out seven batters while allowing just one hit in six innings, and relief pitcher Bettis earned the save.
"Rusty threw with great velocity and command, and Bettis was also effective," Randall said. "I told them to really take pleasure in having big outings for us."
Shortstop John Nelson had five hits and batted in four runs, and
"I felt much more in rhythm, even in the unbelievably cold weather." Bryson said.
Outfielder Cliff Bryson, who has been in a slump, hit a home run in the first game and drove in three runs in the series.
Dimmick led the offense with five hits this weekend, including a home run in the second game. Dimmick drove in seven runs in the series and is the team leader with 18 RBI this season.
first baseman Randy Case had five hits and batted in three runs.
Dimmick, who is on pace to drive in more than 80 runs, was the first baseman this weekend because of Randy Case's sore back. Case had back surgery in the off season and is less than 100 percent.
"I don't mind playing first base at all; I can't catch every day," Dimmick said. "It's a day off on my legs in the middle of a long season, and I can concentrate more on swinging the bat."
Kansas is scheduled to play at Missouri on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the long-range weather outlook calls for rain and possibly snow. The possibility of rain also may force the team to practice at Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
"Weather will be a factor for the next few weeks." Randall said. "Unfortunately, we'll probably be inside for the next week, at least."
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