SPORTS
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The University Daily KANSAN
February 22.1984 Page 16
Kansas hoping to tighten Big Eight race
By GREG DAMMAN Sports Writer
The Kansas Jayhawks will face eighth-ranked Oklahoma tonight in Allen Field House in an attempt to reach the Big Eight Conference championship.
The game is set to tip-off at 8:10 p.m. and will be regionally televised. Yesterday, for the game, 1,300 tickets remained for the game.
The league-leading Sooners, led by All-American Wayman Tisdale, are 9-1 in the conference after winning their ninth straight Big Eight game against Colorado Saturday night. The Sooners beat their Big Eight opener at Iowa State.
The Jayhawks, coming off important road victories against Missouri and Nebraska, are 7-3 in the conference and in second place. However, Kansas
assistant coach Ed Manning said the Jyhawhee play last week had changed the team's performance.
"Now I think it's going all the way down to the wire." Manning said. "Everyone is jelling and playing together."
PART OF THE reason for the Jayhawks' success on the road has been the late-season emergence of Ron Kellogg and Calvin Thompson. But Manning is quick to point out that the entire team played well in the two road games.
"Everyone came off the bench and played well." Manning said. "I think the kids know they can win on the road now. At first they had some doubts."
Besides the play off the bench, Kansas has received consistent scoring and rebounding from seniors Carl Henry and Kelly Knight. Henry was named Big Eight Player of the Week, for the second time this season, for his
performances against Missouri and Nebraska.
Henry is averaging 16.6 points and 57.4 rebounds a game and is shooting 57.4 percent from the field. Knight is averaging 10.8 points a game and is leading the Jayhawks in rebounding, pulling down 6.9 rebounds a game.
REBOUNDING IS ONE area that Manning said the Jayhawks have been trying to improve on.
"We need to go after the ball each and every time, both on the offensive and defensive boards," Manning said. "In football, we're going to have to rebound well."
Kansas was out-rebounds against Missouri, 42-24, despite having a taller lineup. Tisdale shows the Sooners in rebounding at 10.2 rebounds a game.
A 6-foot-9 sophomore, Tisdale is first in the Big Eight in scoring with an average of 27.4 points a game. He scored 28 points in the Sooners 103-84
victory over the Jayhawks earlier in the season.
TISDALE WILL START at center for the Sooners. Six-foot-8 freshman David Johnson and 6-6 senior Calvin Pierce will start at forwards. Jan Pannell, a senior, and Shawn Clark, a 6-3 sophomore, will start at the guard positions.
Another player who could be a factor for the Sooners is freshman guard Tim McCalister. He scored 27 points in the first KU-OU game this year.
Kansas has held opponents below 50 percent field goal shooting in all but four games this season. The Jayhawks lost all four of those games. One of those was the Oklahoma game, in which the Sooners shot 59.6 percent.
Oklahala and Kansas are the only Big Eight teams without a conference at home. The Jayhawks are 12-1 in Home House, leaving only to Kentucky.
KU women will battle for finish in top four
By PHIL ELLENBECKER Sports Writer
Sports Writer
The Kansas women's basketball team, 10-12 overall, faces the Oklahoma Sooners tonight in Allen Field House in a game that could have a large bearing on who plays when post-season action starts.
The top four teams in the conference play at home in the opening round of the Big Eight Post-Season Tournament. Both the Jayhawks and Sooners are entrenched in the battle for one of those top four spots.
With four conference games left for each team, Kansas is third in the conference with a 6-4 record. Missouri and Kansas State hold the
top two spots with 9-1 and 8-2 records, respectively.
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska are right behind Kansas in the conference with 5-15 records. Colorado and Iowa State bring up the rear with 2-8 and 0-10 records, respectively.
THE SOONERS, 17-6 overall,
defeated the Jayhawks 87-84 at
Norman, Okla., earlier this season.
A five-minute scoring drought by
the Jayhawks in the first half of the
game sealed their fate.
Jayhawk center Vickie Adkins tied a career high with 32 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
Adkins ranks second in conference games in scoring with 19.9 points a game and first in rebounding with 12.3 boards a game.
KU's Kellogg finds playing time is a lot more fun
Kansas guard Ron Kellogg is beginning to feel comfortable in Larry Brown's system after a rocky start. The 6-foot-5 guard has scored 22 points in KU's past two victories, and will be wanting to help upset Oklahoma tonight in Allen Field House. Tip-off is set for 8:10.
All Ron Kellogg ever wanted to do was play ball. But earlier this season, that was not so easy for the former high school All-American from Omaha, who is now a coach at a college having trouble fitting into Larry Brown's system.
No matter how hard each one tried to help the other, the results on the court were often chaotic. And none of the players was having a tougher time than Kellogg.
Kellogg saw teammate and friend Kerry Boagni leave the squad and the Jayhawks struggle through
JEFF CRAVENS
Sports Editor
one early part of their schedule. He did not play in the Sugar Bowl tournament. Kellogg often played out of control, not knowing when to shoot and when to pass.
The strange thing about it was that Kellogg was the first people thought would fit into Bryan's design.
"HE WANTED TO PLAY so badly that he came out tight and was always worrying about what I was thinking," Brown said. "But I knew the ability was always there."
Kellogg admits he had difficulty fitting into Brown's team concept. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing or what his role on the team was.
out of me." Kellogg said. "I guess by sitting on the bench you learn a lot."
'It was kind of hard to figure out what he wanted
Sitting on the bench became a familiar position for Kellogg. At New Orleans, that was all he did. He was a member of the Nets' first Big Ten team.
"The assistant coaches told me not to get myself down and to hang in there, because there was still a long time left in the season." he said. "It hurt me at first, but I didn't give up. It made me work that much harder in practice because I did want to play and help the team."
Brown never gave up on Kellogg. After the New Orleans tournament, he put the team through several days of two-a-day practices. During that time Kellogg moved himself.
SO KELLOGG SLOWLY BEGAN to see his playing time increase, and with it, his confidence.
"It depends on the time the coach gives you," Kellogg said. "If he gives you a little time, you can't just go out and get in the flow. But the more time you play, the more relaxed you play."
He still struggled somewhat during the conference season, turning the ball over and shooting a low pass against Washington.
Then Kellogg helped KU to its first conference road victory of the season against Nebraska, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. He committed three goals and two assists. It was in front of a crowd full of family and friends.
"I was more relaxed — I didn't let anything bother me. I just worried about playing ball," Kellogg said. "I knew my family would be there, and I wanted to play well for them and I wanted to play well for the team. When you put both of them together, you don't have any choice but to play ball."
A few encouraging words from Brown also helped Kellogg relax.
"He told me not to worry about him, but to just go
And Kellogg did indeed begin to play ball.
out and play ball, and that's what I did," Kellogg said.
And Kellogg did indeed begin to play ball.
AGAINST MISSOURI, Kellogg hit four of six shots and scored 10 points in 21 minutes and did not commit a turnover. With each game, the tension that used to control Kellogg's body becomes less and less.
Brown has seen the improvement and traces it back to the departure of Boagni.
"I think Kerry leaving was a positive thing for him," Brown said. "He and Kerry were good friends, but Ronnie needed to play and he got that chance after Kerry left."
"Athletically, people thought that sophomore class would fit in with my style, but mentally, the whole class played as individuals. They were concentrating on their performance. If one of them takes a bad shot, they support him."
After a season and a half of playing sporadic basketball, the Jayhawks are back on track, and they are ready to go.
THE TEAM IS MORE together, and we are starting to believe in each other and learn each other's roles. Kellogg said. "We're so much like a family now and that helps a lot. Coach Brown has had a lot to do with that because he knows what it takes to win."
Things have finally seemed to turn around for Kellogg, but he did have doubts at one time whether he would be successful.
"I'm sure that is on a lot of players' minds when they come out of high school — whether they chose the right school or not," he said. "I had doubts at first. If things are going good, then a player will be happy, but if things are going bad, then he has to deal with it."
Right now, things are going well for Kellogg. He's having fun just playing ball.
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"Waiting for the weekend"
7 - 9
Free keg!
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Be there the 24th!
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8-11
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Don't forget... "Something Special" Coming to the Hatter Friday, March 2nd
Everyone: $ 75^{\circ} $ shots
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