Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
The countdown to the NCAA tournament begins. Only eight days until the madness is in full swing.
SEE PAGE 6B
Women's Basketball
Coverage from the Big 12 women's basketball tournament, which tipped off yesterday.
SEE PAGE 5B
Wednesday
March 4, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Haase signs off
After singing his book for the past several months, Jerod Haase now has his sights set on the NBA.
SEE PAGE 3B
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A king gets his crown
Kansas center Raef LaFrentz is all smiles while returning to the bench in a recent game. LaFrentz was named Big 12 player of the year yesterday. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
LaFrentz named top dog of Big 12; Pierce receives second-highest votes
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
For the second consecutive season, Kansas forward Raef LaFrentz has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.
LaFrentz said after yesterday's announcement that he deserved the honor despite the fact that he missed six conference games and nine overall with a broken right hand.
"I'm flattered and honored, and I think I deserve it," LaFrentz told The Associated Press. "But I wasn't expecting to be the Big 12 player of the year. There are several deserving players, and I thought voters would probably take into account the absence in conference games."
LaFrentz received 16 votes, followed by teammate Paul Pierce with four, Texas Tech guard Cory Carr with three and Oklahoma guard Corey Brewer with one. The voting was done by a 24-member media panel.
Pierce said last week that he would be disappointed if he lost in the voting but that he would be supportive of LaFrentz.
"I'd be upset if I'm not the player of the year," Pierce said. "That's one of the goals I had at the start of the season, but that is not for me to decide. But yeah, I would be happy if Raef gets it."
LaFrentz, who averages 20.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, could make history if he maintains his current pace during the postseason.
He could become the first Jayhawk since Wilt Chamberlain in 1957-58 to average more than 20
points and 10 rebounds. And no Jayhawk has averaged a double-double in 27 years.
LaFrentz is the No. 2 scorer in Kansas history, and he trails Danny Manning by just 69 for the rebounding record.
But he already is in the Kansas record book. LaFrentz was part of a senior class that finished 58-0 in Allen Field House in its four-year career. The Jayhawks now have a 60-game, home-court winning streak, the longest in the nation.
Despite the team's success, LaFrentz said this season had been difficult for him.
"It's been a challenging season mentally and physically, fighting through the injury," LaFrentz said. "There was a lot of adversity personally. It's been a tough year, but it's also been a lot of fun."
- Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer won the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, drawing 17 votes. Texas' Chris Mihm gathered six votes, and his teammate Luke Axtell received one.
Fizer averaged 15 points and nearly seven rebounds per game for the Cyclones this season. He became the first McDonald's All-American to ever play at Iowa State.
Oklahoma State guard Doug Gottlieb was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in a close race. He received eight votes, followed by six each for Fizer and Kenny Price of Colorado.
Others receiving votes included Axtell, Lester Earl of Kansas and Michael Johnson of Oklahoma.
Gottlieb helped the Cowboys improve from a dismal 15-loss season last year to a 21-5 mark and a top 25 ranking this year.
Creighton throws Jayhawks a nasty curve
By John Blakely Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team's bats cooled off against Creighton yesterday.
After averaging more than 10 runs per game last weekend at Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks lost 7-4 at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Creighton pitcher Brian Matzenbacher, who came into the game with a 13.50 earned run average, shut down Kansas (4-6), and allowed just two runs in seven innings while picking up his first win of the season.
Kansas head coach Bobby Randall said his team had been overconfident early in the game after beating the traditionally powerful Cowboys.
"We came in thinking. 'We won in Still
water, so now we could just show up and beat anybody." Randall said. "We made miscues and errors in the first couple of innings. I'm not pleased about the game."
Chad Shuster started for the Jayhawks, allowing five runs in four innings. Creighton (5-5) scored three times in the first inning off Shuster and an unprepared Kansas team.
"Pregame preparation is the biggest thing for a young team like ours," Randall said. "I fault myself today because I didn't pay enough attention before the game."
Two usually prolific hitters, second baseman Andy Juday and catcher Josh Dimmick, each had just one hit in four at bats.
"We were just timid early, we made mistakes and got down on ourselves," Dimmick said. "I can't really blame the younger players because our experienced players didn't do anything until late in the game either."
The Jayhawks trailed 7-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but then their bats came alive. Dimmick slammed a two-run single and Andy Juday scored from third on a balk.
"We took control of the game in the last three innings, but by then it was too late," Randall said.
Freshman shortstop John Nelson pounded three hits to raise his batting average to .355.
son said. "I just kept pushing myself and I hit the ball hard today."
After Kansas scored three runs in the eighth, Creighton inserted Drue Council, who struck out three batters in two innings and did not allow a run.
"I fight harder when we get behind," Nelner of last night's Baylor-Kansas State game.
Pitcher Eric Bettis was a bright spot for Kansas, allowing just one run in three innings.
"Bettis has good arm action and movement on the ball," catcher Josh Dimmick said. "He made batters swing at his pitches today."
Kansas must regroup against Hastings College at 3 p.m. today at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. The game will be broadcast on KJHK 90.7.
Kansas women get ready for Big 12 games
By Kevin C. Wilson Kansan sportswriter
The second season begins tonight for the Kansas women's basketball team.
The Jayhawks, who earned a first-round bye and No. 3 seed, will play at 8:20 tonight at Municipal Auditorium and will face the win-
The players practiced in Lawrence yesterday afternoon, boarded the bus for Kansas City and scouted their possible opponents last night.
Kansas women's head coach Marian Washington said that she was eager for her young team to experience the intensity of a tournament setting.
"I want them to get a feel for the
Senior Koya Scott, juniors Suzi Raymant and Nakia Sanford, and sophomore Lynn Pride are the only Jayhawks with postseason experience. Raymant said that they would have to take a leadership role to help the younger players cope with the added pressure.
environment." Washington said.
"The four of us need to make sure that everyone is focused for every game, Raymant said. "Each game is important. If we lose, we're out."
Kansas, 19-7 overall and 11-5 in Big 12 play, can expect a pressing, tenacious defense and a whole-hearted effort from whichever team they face, Washington said.
"This kind of tournament is an endurance race." Washington said. "To play three straight games is very challenging, especially if you don't have a deen team."
Washington said that the first- round bye was helpful to her young team in the do-or-die format of the conference tournament.
Marian Washington Women's head basketball coach
"This kind of tournament is an endurance race. To play three straight games is very challenging, especially if you don't have a deep team."
"Both teams gave us problems with their press, and we are working in practice on handling it better," Washington said. "Right now we are going to focus on our own defense and then fine tune our preparation when we find out who we face."
Women's head basketball coach
Washington said the Jayhawks would not be satisfied with less than a tournament championship.
"We've got to keep shooting for high goals," Washington said. "If we do that, hopefully we can put ourselves in the position to have a shot at winning the title."
Kansas guard Kaya Scott dives for a lose ball against Missouri while Jennifer Jackson looks on. Photo by Geo Krieger/KANSAN
Commentary
Psychic knee aches in March basketball's time for madness
It's funny how it happens
But that twinge which always seems to coincide with the arrival of March soon
becomes a growing noticeable pain
At first, it is only a twinge - a slight discomfort that leaves me with a bit of a limp.
Every year, just as the waning days of winter begin to roll into those breezy spring afternoons, mybum left knee starts to act up.
It gets worse.
Today, the ache is almost unbearable. I hobbled as I attempted to walk up the stairs behind Wescoe Hall.
By this weekend, my bum joint will be nothing more than a swollen, throbbing nub of basketball love.
Harley
Ratliff
sports@kansan.com
I know what it means.
I know what my knee is trying to tell me. I know what it means.
Any class.
Trust me: The madness is here, and I'm heading home.
All class.
March Madness — better known on campuses across the nation as the allinclusive excuse to miss class.
Like an old man who can predict an oncoming storm with the crick in his neck, my knee is as accurate a basketball weather vane as you'll find.
It is the one time of year that serious students and slackers alike can and will drop everything to catch Duke pummei Radford — at 11:30 on a Thursday morning.
Students will flock from the world of academia to spend the day with basketball professors Pat O'Brien, Billy Packer and Jim Nantz.
Not to mention a case of Corona.
They will drop their books on the spot to make sure they don't miss that last-second shot or incredible miracle upset.
"Attendance is terrible on the Thursdays and Fridays of the tournament," Paul Johnson, my political science professor, told me. "I think that the student has to decide whether there is any risk to their grade."
Most of us think about that risk.
Then we all head to the nearest sports bar.
Some things just don't stop for school. And the NCAA tournament happens to be one of those things. Either you take advantage now, or you miss out until next season.
I've often missed some of the tournament's most memorable moments while in class. My freshman year at Kansas, I missed Princeton's stunning victory against defending champions UCLA.
The reason. I was taking a biology test.
Did I regret missing the Tigers make his tort? You getcha.
Did I pass the test? Hell no.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating delinquency. I just think that you should do what your conscience tells you.
If that means missing that Biology lab to get your roundball fix, so be it.
Now of course, I won't be missing class because of the NCAA tournament.
School is too important, and my grades are too critical.
With midterms coming up, I need all the information that I can get my grubby little hands on.
But should Professor Johnson wonder why I wasn't diligently scribbling down notes at his 11 a.m. Thursday lecture, I will tell him the truth.
I was at home studying histograms and icing down that crazy, psychic, trick knee of mine.
When your hum knee acts up, you have make sure it gets plenty of rest.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll turn on one of those basketball games.
It's funny how that happens.
Ratiff is an Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.