Section B·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, January 12. 1998
TIME MAGAZINE'S "MAN OF THE YEAR"
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Call 864-Show for more info. Jan. 13 General Pub
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Wilt Chamberlain returning for ceremony to retire jersey
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
The man who once scored 100 points in an NBA game will return to Lawrence on Saturday to have
Chamberlain: the Kansas legend who played in 1956-58 will return to campus Saturday.
numerous scoring and rebounding records at Kansas that appear to be untouchable.
Chamberlain's No. 13 jersey was unofficially retired a few years ago, but his banner never was hung in Allen Field House because he had not returned for an appearance.
topic of conversation since well before the Jan. 5 announcement that he would return.
Chamberlain considered returning in February 1993, but he had schedule conflicts. Manning could not return until December 1992 because of conflicts with his NBA schedule.
Kansas began retiring jerseys during the 1991-92 season in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Kansas basketball, and every living player whose jersey was retired showed up that season except Chamberlain and Danny Manning.
Chamberlain has not returned to Lawrence since 1975, and his unexplained absence had been a hot
One rumor said that he was bitter about a triple-overtime loss to North Carolina in the 1957 NCAA championship game. Another rumor claimed that he was angered by the racial segregation that was prevalent in Lawrence at the time.
In a recent interview on radio station KLWN's "Sport-2-Sport" program, Chamberlain said he had no ill feelings toward Kansas and that those rumors were false.
"That is totally ridiculous." Chamberlain said. "I have never been bitter at the University of Kansas for anything. I would be a Jayhawk again tomorrow if it was possible. The times were quite different then than they are now."
Chamberlain's return was spurred by Bob Billings, a guard for Kansas in the Chamberlain years who is now president of Alvamar Golf Club. Billings also was Chamberlain's closest teammate partly because he was his roommate on road trips.
Billings said that Chamberlain had discussed plans to return for several years, but with all the publicity surrounding this season, perhaps the time had finally come.
"Wilt has been talking about this for five or six years now," Billings said. "But it just didn't work with the scheduling. With the publicity about the 100th anniversary of Kansas basketball, with all the players and coaches coming back in February, I think that might have piqued his interest."
Chamberlain will not return Feb. 8 for the 100th anniversary weekend and grand reunion because of a prior commitment to the NBA AllStar weekend, Billings said. Regardless, Chamberlain will have
WILT'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Consensus All-American in 1957 and 1958
All-Big Seven selection in 1957 and 1958
Most outstanding player of the 1957 NCAA Tournament
Owns Kansas single-game scoring (52), rebounding (36), field goals made (20) and free throws made (18) records.
Owns Kansas career scoring and rebounding records with 29.9 points and 18.9 rebounds per game.
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Had 52 points and 31 rebounds in his varsity debut Dec. 3, 1956, as Kansas defeated North western.
Set an NBA-record on March 2,
1962, when he scored 100 points
in a game for the Philadelphia Warriors.
his special day almost 40 years after leaving Kansas.
Jerry Waugh, now the Kansas women's golf coach, served as an assistant basketball coach for the Jayhawks from 1957-1960. He said Chamberlain may have wanted to rekindle some of the old friendships that helped make his college years memorable.
"As you get older, you begin to reflect on some things that were important at one point in your life," Waugh said. "Once you leave college and carve out another life, you don't have time to reflect back on those things."
"But maturity and aging bring you back, and he might want to renew some of the old friendships and ties that he had forgotten about," he said.
Youthful team sweeps competition
Kansan sportswriter
By Angela Johnson
The Kansas track and field team opened its indoor season Saturday at the Kansas Invitational in Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
Freshman Scott Russell shattered the school record in the 35-pound weight throw. Russell threw a distance of 63 feet, 2 inches on his final attempt, breaking Bill Penny's 1970 record of 59 feet, 3 inches.
"I had three faults in my first three throws, and in my final throw I told myself to relax and just go for it," Russell said. "I was a little nervous because it was my first collegiate meet, but I plan on throwing better."
Russell easily beat the rest of the competition. Adam Beltran of University of Missouri-Kansas City, placed second with a distance of 51
feet,3 inches.
The Jayhawks swept the competition in most individual events.
Junior heptathlete Candy Mason dominated three of her four events. She placed first in the pole vault, high jump and 55-meter hurdles.
"I had a personal best in hurdles and pole vault, so it's a good start for this season." Mason said.
"It was good to see them for the first time in real competition, and to see who stayed in shape over Christmas break." he said.
Head Coach Gary Schwartz said he was pleased with the team's level of fitness.
"We have better balance than past years," Schwartz said. "We're young and sometimes we'll be
Schwartz said the team showed promise for this year, even though there were 53 freshmen.
inconsistent, but I'm very pleased with the overall attitude of this team."
Senior runner Lynn LoPresti carried her success from her cross country season, winning the mile run with a time of 5-minutes, 25 seconds.
"It's where I want to start," she said. "It's the first speed race I'd done since cross country. I felt well-rested after break."
"The turns are tighter, and it kind of feels like you're going faster," LoPresti said.
She said minor adjustments had to be made with the smaller track. On the Anschutz track seven laps equal one mile, instead of the usual four.
The Jayhawks take a break this weekend, then head to Columbia, Mo., for the Missouri Invitational.
FROM THE SPORTS FRONT...
Continued from page 1B
Field House.
Players peak with career pinnacles
Guard C.B. McGrath said the lack of post players has changed the way the team practices.
"We've been practicing without them for so long that we've sort of gotten used to it," McGrath said. "But if people keep getting injured, that's tough. It's definitely weird not seeing anybody post up there."
Helping a thinned frontcourt is forward Lester Earl, who made his debut Dec. 20 against Texas Christian. He recorded five points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. Earl has started the last six games and has averaged 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds.
In the first few games without LaFrentz at the Rainbow Classic, Pierce and Thomas had career
Pierce recorded a career-high 34 points in a second-round win against Vanderbilt. He averaged 27.6 points for the three-game tournament.
performances.
Thomas had a career-high 27 points in a first-round win against Ohio State, and he recorded his first double-double with 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Vanderbilt. Thomas also had a career-high six assists in that game.
Pierce and Thomas were selected to the all-tournament team. The Jayhawks lost the championship game to Hawaii, 76-65.
Thoma, became the most prolific three-point shooter in Kansas history on Dec. 13, surpassing Terry Brown by making his 201st three-point field goal. Thomas
Most recently, center Eric Chenowith broke the Kansas freshman blocked-shot record. He had four blocked shots against Colorado, surpassing the record set by Danny Manning and Greg Oostert. Chenowith has 40 blocks this season.
"I'm more relieved that it's out of the way because sometimes it was in the back of my head," Chenowith said. "I would go home and talk to Dad, and he would say, 'You're five away. You're four away.'
"I just want to go out there and play," he said. "If I get blocks, I get blocks. I think I was suffering from analysis paralysis."
now has 239 in his career.
Chenowith said he was pleased to have broken the record because the chase had altered his concentration on the court.
Jayhawks fill field house with energy
1
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They stomped their feet on the bleachers, made noise during Nebraska's free throw attempts and yelled at the referees. The screams of hundreds of adolescents and their parents filled the field house with every made Kansas shot or missed Nebraska shot.
With 2:16 remaining and Kansas leading by four.
forward Jaclyn Johnson put back an offensive rebound, was fouled and hit the free throw. The lead was seven, and after a barrage of missed three pointers by Nebraska, the game was out of reach.
As the clock ran down, guard Shandy Robbins twirled a towel on the sidelines, exhorting the fans to make a little more noise.
It was no crowd of 16,300, but Allen Field House was indeed filled with noise, enthusiasm and support for the Jayhawks.
Westlander is a Floyds Knobs, Ind., junior in journalism.