JAYHAWK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Basketball
Inside Sports today
Big 12 standings and statistical leaders. Billy Thomas leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage and Paul Pierce is third in scoring. SEE PAGE 6B
Yesterday's game - Kansas vs. Texas
KANSAS TEXAS
10-3, 5-8,1-3
UNRANKED UNRANKED
WWW.JHAWKBBALL.COM
SECTION B, PAGE 1
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1998
Soccer team exports coaches
Two assistants pursue foreign opportunities
By Erin Thompson Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas soccer team lost two assistant coaches during winter break, both of whom plan to pursue opportunities in other countries.
Assistant coach Kris Zeits will leave for Nagano, Japan, on Friday to work as a Japanese interpreter at the Winter Olympics. She will work for a television company that provides the big screens for all the Olympic venues, said head coach Dan Magner.
After her seven-week stint as an interpreter, Zeits plans to continue working for the television company.
At Kansas, Zeits specialized in coaching goalkeepers. Before coming to Kansas, she played four years professionally in Japan, where she became fluent in Japanese.
Assistant coach Lisa Unsworth left Dec. 18 for Calgary, Canada.
Leitis: Will be an interpreter at the Winter Olympics.
where she hopes to find a teaching job or to coach soccer at the national level.
Unsworth played five years, 1988-92, at the University of Calgary in Alberta and competed internationally with the Canadian National team for a year.
"She is looking at coaching for a provincial team, which is comparable to a state team here," Magner said. "She would be coaching the best players in her province."
Unsworth was at Kansas for only one season and handled several aspects of the team, including onfield coaching, individual and team coaching
public relations, scheduling and camp involvement.
Both coaches provided good leadership and would be missed by the players, said team captain Jackie Dowell.
"It's unfortunate that they are leaving
because they are great coaches and great people as vell," Dowell said. "We all understand they have to pursue other things and I'm sure the University will find other good people."
Magner said assistant coaches in all sports tend to have a high turnover rate.
"Coaching can be a very transient job," Magner said. "People either use it as a stepping stone to move on to other things or they test it out and find out it is not just two hours of coaching a week. It is 80 hours of flying and recruiting."
Last spring the soccer team lost its head coach, Lori Walker, and an assistant coach. Losing more assistive coaches less than a year later makes it hard for the team to build for next year. Dowell said.
Concessions drain pockets of sports fans
"Getting new coaches throws a little curve ball, but our program is all about development and changes," she said.
You had to feel sorry for the woman
You had to be tolerant for the woman.
She was thirsty and wanted some water.
Not that yellow Kansas stuff, but an import. Something in a bottle.
She pulled a crinkled $1 bill from her purse and began to rub it so the wrinkles would disappear and the vending machine would accept it.
After about five minutes of rubbing, she sauntered to the Naya bottled water vending machine and inserted her dollar.
It was Saturday night at a Kansas basketball game, and the machine had been shut off.
You could see a tear form in the left corner of her right eye. All that rubbing and nothing to show for it.
She still needed water, so she turned to the concession stand on her right.
The stand had bottled water just like the machine.
So she took her dollar and walked to the concession stand.
"I'll have one bottled water please," she said.
Spencer Duncan sports@kansan.com
"That'll be $2," the man at the counter replied.
The woman shrieked, "Two dollars!!! Are you crazy. It's just water."
The man looked her in the eyes and, with a shrug, said, "That's what it cost."
In the vending machine, the same bottle of water was just 85 cents.
Eighty-five cents at the vending machine,
$2 at the concession stand. Same size, same company, same stuff.
Steve Vormehr, President of MidAmerica Concessions, the group that operates concessions at athletic events, said he had a reason for the higher price.
"Prices are based on what we have to make to pay rent." Vormehr said. "You sell a product at a price that will help keep you running."
Kansas guard Suzi Raymont goes for a lay-up. Raymont corresed 15 points and helped bring the Javahays back to a 76-71 victory against the Texas Longhorns. Corresponded by Steve Paukney/KANSAN
And for those who don't want to pay $2 for the water, Vormeh offered this advice.
"There is a drinking fountain at the end of the Field House," he said.
And why not just leave the vending machines on?
Field House goers see a vending machine sticker that reads 85 cents and then turn to the concession marquee that charges much more for water. People are being ripped off, and some know it.
When Coca-Cola and the University signed their exclusive contract last summer, they agreed that Coca-Cola would turn off the vending machines during basketball games.
"Coca-Cola operates the vending machines not us." Vormehr said.
Great for MidAmerica Concession, bad for everyone else. Patrons are being asked to pay too much for bottled water and are being slapped in the face.
Vormehr said MidAmerica had received complaints about the cost. But he also said prices wouldn't fall and sales were fine.
Kansas ropes 'Horns
What's worse: The fact that people are being blatantly robbed, or the fact that they accept that they are being blatantly robbed?
Maybe someday people will wise up and stop buying the stuff.
Until then, that'll be $2.
KANSAS 76. TEXAS 71
NACADE
Pride 4-13 11-13 19, Johnson 4-6 6-8 14,
Sanford 5-13 1-14 11, Raymant 6-14 2-12 15,
Jackson 5-13 1-2 7, Prutt 0-1 1-2 1, Scott 0-
0-0, Robbins 2-6 1-2 5, White 0-4 4-6 4.
Totals 24-64 2-37 96.
KANSAS (103-22)
TEXAS (5-8, 1-3)
Smith 5-10 6-1 7-6, E. Brown 3-8 0-1 6, A.
Jackson 2-3 1-1 5, Wallace 1-6 8-10 10, Lummus
5-9 0-1 3, M. Brown 0-9 0, T. Brown
TEXAS (5-8, 1-3)
Halftime —Texas 41, Kansas 26, 3-point goals —Kansas 1-11 (Rayman 1, Pride 0, Prutt 0-1, Robbins 0-3) Texas 3-9 (Lummus 3-6, Wallace 0-2, E. Brown 0-1). Fouled out—E. Brown, A. Jackson, Wallace. Rebounds —Kansas 44 (Sandford 10), Texas 31 (Smith 10), Assists —Kansas 12 (Johnson, Jackson 4), Texas 15 (E. Brown, Wallace 4). Total fouls —Kansas 21, Texas 30, A -650.
2-3, 0-0, 4, Vivertec 6-7 0-10 12, Balley 0-2 5-6
Totals 24 48 20 25 71.
by Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan Sportswriter
Forward Lynn Pride cashed in on 11 of 13 free throws in the second half and scored 15 points after the half. Forward Jaclyn Johnson also supplied 12 second-half points and tied the game at 67 with 1:45 remaining on a crucial 3-point play.
The Kansas women's basketball team mustered a 23-6 run in the last 3:52 of play to overcome a 20 point second-half deficit and beat the Texas Longhorns 76-71 last night in Allen Field House.
Jayhawks try sweep of Texas tonight
"It was a tremendous game and a tremendous win," Coach Marion Washington said. "You have to give that young club a lot of credit. They did not give up and they kept working at it."
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Johnson, a freshman, said that she wanted to provide her teammates with the spark they needed.
Washington also attributed the comeback to a switch in the Longhorns' defense.
"In the second half I told myself to suck it up and play," she said. "I didn't want to lose."
Despite hitting only 4 of 13 shots from the field, Pride led the Jayhawks in scoring with 19 points, including 9 in the final 3 minutes of the game.
Pride said that she had not intended to take over the game down the stretch but that it just happened.
"We went into the 51 zone defense and it slowed them down a bit," Washington said. "Then we decided to extend it and pressure them full-court, and it gave us a shot at getting back in the ball game."
"Me and Jaclyn were real intense. We really wanted to win this game," Pride said. "We just had a lot of confidence when the ball was in our hands."
With 10 minutes to play in the second half, the Jayhawks trailed 58-38. Washington used a pressing defense in an attempt to set back in the game.
Desp.'s the team's overall youth — there are two freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup — it displayed a calm confidence that allowed them to complete such a substantial comeback.
"They were very tentative, and when they went to a zone we found some opportunities," Washington said. "Jaclyn gave us a spark. She drove it to the basket and got some easy buckets."
"A person shouldn't be judged by their class," Johnson said. "In the end, it's all about heart and determination."
Washington said that her team had not had a full day off since Dec. 30.
"The team will get a very deserving day off tomorrow and then get ready for Columbia." Washington said.
When Kansas plays at Texas A&M tonight, it will try to complete a Texas two-step and remain undefeated in Big 12 Conference play.
Texas A&M coach Tony Barone said the Jayhawks' post play without All-America forward Raef LaFrentz has been nothing short of spectacular.
The No. 3 Jayhawks crushed Texas 102-72 on Saturday in Austin, Texas, and they now will face a team that has lost four straight games.
Forward Lester Earl and center Eric Chenowith have been filling the void for Kansas.
"I think the thing that jumps out at me is: 'Who was the key to the team last year?' Barone said. "Well, it was Raef LaFrentz. They lose Raef LaFrentz, and they really haven't skipped a beat."
Also missing inside has been forward T.J. Pugh, who is expected to play tonight for the first time since Dec. 13. He was forced to the sidelines with a stress fracture on his right foot.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said that both players have shown vast improvement since returning to Kansas after the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii.
Earl has started the last six games at forward and averages 10.7 points and 8.5 rebounds. Chenowith has started the last seven games and averages 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots.
After returning from Hawaii, Williams made Earl and Chenowith watch a highlight tape of Richard Scott, a 6-foot-7-inch forward at Kansas from 1991-94. Williams considers Scott the best post player in Kansas history.
"Both Lester and Eric particularly understand that they have to produce for us," Williams said. "It's not just, 'Well, I can do any thing, play four or five minutes and Raef will take care of it.' That is why I really like what those two are doing."
Earl said the tape helped him become a more effective offensive player.
I'm posting up a lot stronger and working a lot harder in the post, so the tape helped me tremendously." Earl said. "Everyone can score on a team, and this is a great ball club. It's just a matter of whose number is going to get called on any night."
While the Jayhawks' depth has compensated for numerous injuries, Texas A&M has not had that luxury.
Aggie forward Calvin Davis, who averages 15 points and 7.4 rebounds, probably will not start against Kansas because of a pulled muscle in his lower back. He played just 11 minutes in a loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
However, many Aggie fans might not notice. Texas A&M has had an average of 2,716 spectators at its nine home games.
The Starting Lineup
KANSAS
JAYHAWKS
19-2 overall, 3-0 Big 12
G RYAN ROBERTSON 6-5 Jr.
G BELLE LEMMING 6-4 Sr.
F PAUL PIERCE 6-7 Jr.
F LEFTON FARL 6-9 Sr.
C ERIC CHENOWITH 7-0 Fr.
TEXAS A&M
AGGIES
6-7 overall, 0-3 Big 12
STEVE HOUSTON 6-1 So.
G JERRY BROWN 6-8 So
F SHANNE JONES 6-5 Jr.
A ARDEN JACK 6-8 So
LARRY THOMPSON 6-9 Sr.
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