Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Thursday
February 12, 1998
Section:
B
The first ever Olympic snowboarding champion lost his medal after testing positive for marijuana. Harley gives his take on the situation.
An experienced infield will help lead the Kansas baseball team this season.
Kansas Baseball
SEE PAGE 3B
SEE PAGE 8B
A Basketball Hero
Page 1
John McLendon is not the most famous Kansas legend, but he broke race barriers on campus in the '30s.
SEE PAGE 6B
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Robertson maintains success
Guard is only Jayhawk to start in every game
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallogher@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas guard Ryan Robertson was 11-0 as the startling point guard last season when Jacque Vaughn was injured. But this season, Robertson has proven that his performance was not a fluke.
Robertson said he had no doubts entering the season about whether he was ready to become the team's starting point guard.
"I wasn't nervous about becoming a starter, but I was anxious about what my new role on the team would be," Robertson said. "I struggled early in the season trying to find that role. But now, I'm a much better player than I was back then."
Robertson ranks second in assists per game in the Big 12 Conference, trailing Oklahoma State's Doug Gottleib. And in the past three games, Robertson has recorded 28 assists to two turnovers.
But perhaps the most significant indication that Robertson has become comfortable with his role is that he has been scoring more during recent games.
Robertson averaged 7.3 points during the first 14 games. He has averaged 9.4 points in the past 15 games and has reached double-digits in seven of those games.
Robertson said the Jayhawks could not afford to put the scoring burden on forwards Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce all the time.
"We can't expect to have Raef and Paul to score 30 points every night," Robertson said. "We have to score more when they have their off nights. If the shots are there, I'll shoot. If not, it's my job to get other people involved in the offense."
Robertson also has proven to be durable during his first season as a starter
He is the only Jayhawk to start all 29 games this season. And he logs more minutes per game, 31, than anyone else on the team.
Because of Robertson's extensive playing time, coach Roy Williams said he had tried to convince Robertson that the season was not as long as it appeared.
"Ryan needs to be conned more than anybody," Williams said. "But the problem is that he's too smart, so I can't con him like I can everyone else."
Kansas guard Ryan Robertson tries to slide past Texas Tech's Rayford Young. Robertson is the only Jawhawk to start every game this season.
Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Basketball prospect not ready for KU commitment
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
High school basketball prospect JaRon Rush, who orally had committed to Kansas on Nov. 19, said Tuesday he was having second thoughts about
becoming a Jayhawk.
Rush, a 6-foot-7 inch forward at the Pembroke Hill Academy in Kansas City, Mo., said some of his concerns stemmed from coach Roy Williams' frequent substitutions during games.
"Roy subs too much for me, but I still might want to go there." Rush said. "I really don't know what I'm going to do.
haven't talked to (Williams) lately, and I talk to UCLA about every two weeks. I'll probably just make a decision when it's time to sign."
If forward Paul Pierce returns to Kansas for his senior year next season, Rush said it would decrease the amount of playing time he would receive. That could push Rush closer to UCLA.
Rush's mother, Glenda Rush, had discouraged him from signing with Kansas during the early signing period. She wanted him to take some time and be sure about the decision.
Besides UCLA, the NBA also remains a possibility for Rush.
Some information was contributed by the Kansas City Star.
Jayhawks lose momentum to Nebraska's free throws
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sports writer
Anna DeForge exploded for 18 of her game-high 29 points during the second half leading the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a 84-69 victory against the Kansas women's basketball team last night in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers outscored the Jayhawks 54-28 during the second half and posted their first win against Kansas since Feb. 14, 1983.
Nebraska moved into a third-place conference tie with the Jayhawks and extended its record this season at Devanev Center to 14-0.
The Jayhawks bolted to a 41-30 halftime lead by shooting 65.5 percent from the field and holding the Cornhuskers to 39 percent shooting. However, Kansas dropped to 36 percent shooting during the second half, while Nebraska improved to 53 percent.
Pride paced the Jayhawks with 20 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Guard Jennifer Jackson scored all 14 of her points during the first half, and center Nakia Sanford contributed 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Kansas held a 47:39 lead with 14:19 left during the second half, when DeForge and Kansas forward Lynn Pride became tangled under the basket. Pride and DeForge exchanged menacing looks and a few choice words before Pride received a technical foul.
Coach Marian Washington, whose team turned the ball over a season-high 26 times, said the game's momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers after the technical foul.
"I think it was the turning point in the game," Washington said. "Everything swung their way after that."
DeForge hit both free throws, and the Cornhuskers went on a 24-11 run and took a 63-58 lead, their first since leading 5-4 at 17:20 in the first half.
DeForge hit 12 of 14 from the free-throw line and added a game-high 10 rebounds. Forward Jami Kubik shot a career-high 20 points to go along with her eight rebounds.
The Jayhawks, 15-6 overall and 7-4 in Big 12 play,
pulled to within three, 66-63, with 4:50 remaining.
Nebraska, 18-7 overall and 7-4 in Big 12 play,
outscored Kansas 18-6 the rest of the way, and the
Jayhawks missed eight consecutive free throws
during the final four minutes.
"I think we all know what the difference in the game was," Washington said. "They won the game at the free-throw line."
The Cornhuskers connected on 23 of 30 free throws, and the Jawhaws hit just one of 11.
NEBRASKA 84, KANSAS 69
Kansas (15-6)
Johnson 3-5 0-2 6, Sanford 5-7
1-5 11, Pride 10-15 0-0 20, Raymant 3-17 0-0 6, Jackson 1-0 2 14, Pruitt 1-1 0-0 3, Scott 0-0 0 0, Robbins 2-5 0-1 5, White
2-2 0-1 4, Totals 32-65 1-11 69.
Nebraska (18-7)
Kubik, J. 8-15 4-7 20, DeForge
7 16 12 14 29, Gilmore 0-2 0-0
, Schwartz 4-9 2-3 12, Kubik,
N. 4-10 5-6 13, McDill 1-2 0-0
, Thompson 4-5 0-0 8, Williams
0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 23-30
0.
Halftime — Kansas 41, Nebraska 30. 3-point goals — Kansas 4-10 (Jackson 2-3, Prutt 1-1, Robbins 1, Pride 0-1, Raymant 0-3), Nebraska 5-12 (Deforest 3-7, Schwartz 2-3, Kubik J, 0-1, Kubik, N, 0-1).
Fouled Out — Robbins.
Rebounds — Kansas 41 (Pride 9), Nebraska 36 (Deforest 10).
Assists — Kansas 14 (Raymant 6), Nebraska 22 (N. Kubik 8).
Total Fouls — Kansas 22, Nebraska 17. Attendance — 3,201.
Basketball's model guard shows fancy footwork off the court
Robbins appears in video for gospel singer Franklin
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
The basketball court is not the only place where Shandy Robbins' face can be seen on television.
Robbins, a junior reserve guard on the Kansas women's basketball team, also can be spotted dancing in a video that airs on BET.
"An agent saw my friend and I when we were hanging out in L.A. and asked us if we wanted to do any work as extra's," Robbins said. "So they called
The video is for You Are the Only One by Kirk Franklin and God's Property, a gospel music group with a hip-hop feel.
us to be dancers in the back for this video."
"It was fun. I wouldn't mind doing it again," Robbins said. "It was a long process, though. We
Robbins: Dances in video that was filmed last summer
were there from eight in the morning until nine at night doing takes, and it was like 105 degrees that day."
August, before coming back to Lawrence, and she was paid $200. The video began appearing on BET during late September.
"It it was running every day," Robbins said. "But they're not playing it as much any more because the song is getting old."
Robbins did the video in early
Junior center Nakia Sanford, Robbins' roommate, said that Robbins did not gloat about her music-video appearance.
"She said it was something that was fun and that she had enjoyed doing it." Sanford said. "It's not a big deal to her, though."
Robbins describes the group as a large choir with Franklin speaking over the music. She said the lyrics pertained to God and his teachings.
She has done numerous fashion shows and has appeared in a McDonald's commercial.
"The they sing songs that everybody can relate to, especially the younger crowd," Robbins said. "I think they are putting out a good message."
Her part in the video is not her only acting or modeling experience. As a high school freshman, Robbins reached the finals of a model search, which led her to pursue other avenues of modeling.
"I was chosen because I was tall." Robbins said. "It was all of these girls who were over 6-feet tall pushing around this short girl. I don't know what it was supposed to be about, and I
Robbins said that because of her commitment to basketball, she has not done any modeling since coming to Kansas. She has not ruled out the possibility of returning to a career in the modeling field.
never saw it on TV."
"I would like to get into acting or the fashion business, especially designing, in the future," Robbins said.
Although Robbins said she probably would not pursue a modeling career after graduation, she did say it would always hold a spot on her heart.
"I love to do it," Robbins said. "Going on the runway and modeling clothes gives you a real good feeling."