Basketball
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Look in tomorrow's edition of the University Daily Kansan for a special section covering 100 years of Kansas basketball.
Big 12 Basketball
Kansas continues to lead the Big 12, a conference many are calling weak this season.
SEE PAGE 8A
Tuesday
February 3, 1998
Section:
A
Page 10
Big 12 Football
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne will leave his post when the recruiting period ends tomorrow.
SEE PAGE 8A
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Pollard struggles to adjust to role
Former Kansas center Scot Pollard celebrates with Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams on the sidelines of a Kansas game. Pollard now
Former Kansas standout backup for Detroit Pistons has yet to find his niche
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Scot Pollard saw a dream come true when he was a first-round selection in the NBA draft last summer. That dream soon turned into a daily struggle.
Pollard, the No. 19 overall draft pick selected by the Detroit Pistons, has been on the injured-record list with a strained groin muscle since Jan. 16. There is no timetable for a possible return to the active roster.
The injury is one thing that is making the transition from Kansas to the NBA difficult for Pollard.
"Everyone has a picture, an image, of what it would be like in the NBA," Pollard said. "Life in the NBA is not as glamourous as some people may think. This is a job, and I work seven days a week."
So far, Pollard's season has been filled with peaks and valleys.
The Pistons travel in style, using a private jet, which eliminates some of the possible pitfalls of a routine flight, such as checking baggage, waiting in line and delays. But Pollard said he hated the monotony that accompanied road games and an NBA player's routine schedule.
plays as a backup for the Detroit Pistons. He said that playing in the NBA is a far cry from playing at Kansas. Photo by Steve Prupe/KANSAN
His best game may have been Nov. 28 when former Pistons coach Doug Collins locked to Pollard for defensive support against perennial all-star Patrick Ewing. Pollard held Ewing to 3-for-11 shooting during the second half, and the Pistons rallied to win.
After the game, Collins credited Pollard as being the deciding factor in the win. Despite the effort against Ewing, his role on the team has remained limited.
"With Scot inside, he's not going to be used to bang against guys that are as big, strong and quick as the guys he will play against," said Alvin Gentry, who was named head coach of the Pistons yesterday.
Pollard had averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12 games before the injury. He recorded career-highs with eight points and six rebounds in a 102-71 win against the Golden State Warriors last November.
Pollard said he planned to talk with teammates from last season's team this weekend, when he will return to Lawrence for Kansas' 100 years of basketball celebration.
Those numbers are far from the 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds Pollard averaged during his four years at Kansas. He said it has been tough waiting to play.
Though eager to return to Kansas, Pollard said he was more eager to return to the court.
"You don't know if you'll get into the game, and you don't necessarily get to play because someone got injured." Pollard said. "That's hard coming from a place like Kansas, where you know your role, and you know when you're going to play. That's been tough."
Pollard talked with Kansas forward RaeFlaFrentz last week about LaFrentz's return from a broken right hand and about the Jayhawks' progress this season. He talked with Utah guard Jacque Vaughn, his four-year college roommate and the best man at his wedding last May, before the Pistons played the Jazz two weeks ago.
He said he kept in touch with some of his former teammates, though not as much as he had honed.
Pollard said a three-year deal with the Pistons, averaging $750,000 per year. He and his wife, Mindy, bought a
house in Birmingham, Mich., a suburb of Detroit.
Pollard has maintained an optimistic outlook in his rookie season.
"I still get paid on the first and the 15th, so I have to like that," he said. "There's a lot more work in the NBA than what people think, but my worst day is probably better than most people's very best day, so I have nothing to complain about."
Just for kicks!
Josh Weber, Shawnee senior, performs kicking drills with Shawn Boyd, Kansas City, Kan., junior. Both are members of the KTU Tae Won Do club. The club is open to students and staff and meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Photo by Ciaran Waters/KANSAN
Kansas looks to top Big 12
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Although the NCAA Tournament is more than one month away, some Jayhawk fans already are beginning to speculate about Kansas' postseason plans.
But Kansas coach Roy Williams said yesterday that he did not care to speculate about when or where the Jayhawks may play in the postseason.
"I've never been one of those people who looked at the schedule to see where our possible losses could happen," Williams said. "I've never filled out the brackets to see who would go where and have done all of that. I've always said that I don't care where we go so long as it's warm."
The No. 3 Javahays are 24-3 overall and 8-1 in the Big 12 Conference. They are one game ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners, whom Kansas will play Feb. 23 in Allen Field House.
The Sooners still are within reach of the Big 12 title without forward Eduardo Najera, who has a stress fracture in his foot.
Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said that preparing for the Jayhawks as opposed to another conference foe was beyond comparison.
"We'll have to prepare for Kansas unlike any other opponent this season," Sampson said. "But if you're talking about one of the other 10 conference schools, we'd prepare for them just the same. I'm not trying to disrespect anybody because the Big 12 features well-coached, tough teams."
Although Kansas and Oklahoma appear to have their NCAA Tournament bids lined up, the same cannot be said of their Big 12 colleagues.
Baylor is 10-9 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12, but that is good enough for sole possession of third place in the conference. The Bears were 5-0 in the Big 12 before losing their last four games.
Then comes the traffic jam. Five teams — Oklahoma State, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas Tech — are all tied for fourth with 4-4 conference records.
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said he expected the pack to stay close together for the rest of the season.
"Kansas is on a different level." Sutton said. "I'm not sure there's a lot of difference among these other basketball teams. Oklahoma has broken away a little, but I think it's just (a matter of) players well on that particular night."
Student applications for tickets to the tournament are available in until 5 p.m. Feb. 13 in Allen Field House. There is a limit of one ticket per student.
At the very best, the Big 12 appears to be a two-team race midway through the regular season. Already Kansas fans have begun making plans for the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas and winless Texas A&M round out the Big 12 standings.
AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 1, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pvs
1. Duke (54) 20-1 1,734 1
2. N. Carolina (16) 21-1 1,693 2
3. Kansas 24-3 1,571 5
4. Arizona 19-3 1,569 6
5. Utah 18-1 1,397 3
6. UCLA 17-1 1,327 8
7. Connecticut 19-3 1,257 9
8. Kentucky 19-3 1,241 7
9. Stanford 18-2 1,190 4
10. Purdue 19-4 1,184 10
11. Princeton 16-1 1,051 11
12. New Mexico 16-3 938 14
13. S. Carolina 16-3 929 13
14. Arkansas 18-3 868 15
15. W. Virginia 18-3 647 17
16. Michigan St. 15-4 597 22
17. Mississippi 14-4 549 12
18. Michigan 16-6 525 19
19. Syracuse 17-4 504 20
20. Cincinnati 16-4 476 18
21. Xavier 14-5 237 24
22. G. Washington 18-3 220 —
23. Massachusetts 16-5 217 —
24. Iowa 15-6 193 16
25. Maryland 13-7 142 23
Others receiving votes: Texas Christian 122, Rhode Island 117, Indiana 98, Ball St. 26, Florida St. 24, Illinois 19, Ill-Chicago 11, Saint Louis 10, Washington 10, Oldahoma 9, Hawaii 8, Tennessee 8, Clemson 5, Call, of Charleston 4, Clemson 3, LSU 2, Miami 1, John St. 3, Florida 2, Arizona St. 1, Auburn 1, iana 1, Marquette 1, Utah St. 1, Vanderbilt 1, W. Michigan 1.
USA Today/ESPN
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 1, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pts 1
1. Duke (23) 20-1 742 1
2. N. Carolina (7) 22-1 727 2
3. Kansas 24-3 678 4
4. Arizona 19-3 666 3
5. Utah 18-1 616 3
6. UCLA 17-3 569 9
7. Connecticut 19-3 564 8
8. Burdue 19-4 514 10
9. Kentucky 19-3 509 7
10. Stanford 18-2 467 5
11. Princeton 16-1 462 11
12. New Mexico 16-3 420 13
13. S. Carolina 16-3 398 14
14. Arkansas 18-3 349 15
15. W. Virginia 18-3 278 19
16. Mississippi 14-4 276 12
17. Syracuse 17-4 270 18
18. Michigan 231 231 17
19. Michigan St. 15-4 190 25
20. Cincinnati 16-4 183 20
21. Iowa 15-6 144 16
22. Xavier 15-6 113 22
23. Rhode Island 14-5 85 21
24. Massachusetts 16-5 65 —
25. G. Washington 18-3 60 —
Others receiving votes: Indiana 56, Maryland 31, Florida State 14, Pacific 10, Detroit Mercy 8, St. John's 8, Illinois 7, Texas Christian 6, Oldhamia State 5, Ball State 4, Hawaii 4, Dayton 4, Illinois-Chicago 3, Murray State 3, Clemson 2, Illinois-Chicago 4, Oldhamia 2, Western Michigan 2, Iona 1, Southwest Texas State 1, Saint Louis 1, Utah State 1
About half of the club's members are women, and the club is financed partially by KU Recreation Services.
Correction:
A story in yesterday's Kansas incorrectly reported that the Kansas Crew Club is all-male and does not receive any money from the University.
E-mail information
With the 100 year anniversary of Kansas basketball just around the corner, the Kansan is curious about what fans think. Compile our list of the tro
five players, teams and games in Jayhawk history and e-mail us at sports@kansas.com
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