Fridav. October 12.1973
University Daily Kansan
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Basketball Team Founds Hopes on Better Spirit
By JIM SHELDON Kanaan Sports Writer
Attitude, depth, maturity, fast breaking, rebounding and balanced scoring are the key terms being used in University of Kansas basketball circles this fall.
Although last year's team made popular such terms as inconsistency and frustration on its way to an 8-18 record, KU players and coaches are entering this season with renewed optimism. The 'Hawks start practice Monday.
...unlike the biggest thing going for us this year that we are attitude," said co-captain Jamie Stern.
"I MORE EAGER for this season than any since," he said, "head coach Ted Todd."
Both Owens and his players said they thought emotional factors would make the team more effective.
KIVISTO SAID THAT the competition for starting positions would improve the team's attitude and also give the Jayhawks more depth. Owens and Kivisto both said that the new recruits would help the team and contribute to the improved attitude.
Among the leading freshman recruits are 2-foot-8 pivot men, Donnie Voe Moro, Chicago, Ill. and Norm Cook, Lincoln, Ill. Both were considered among the top prospects to come out of Illinois high school basketball last year.
toger Morningstar, Olney III, junior. is another welcome newcomer. He transferred to KU from Ohney Junior College and will be the top junior college players in the nation.
TEAMING WITH THESE new men are seven lettermen from last year's team. Captains Kivisto and Dave Taynor, Betalto, ili senior, return at guard along with Dennis Krause and Jake Caledonia, who led KU scorers in three of the last five games last year.
The Hawks have also returned with their leading scorer from last year, 5-60th-8 junior Rick Suttle from East Carolina, and most importantly as a per cent per last year, mostly as a pivot. Mattle may be moved to forward this year and he said that he had worked on his ball handling in anticipation of the game.
Along with Suttle in the forecourt are two
lettermen with less than a full year's experience. Danny Knight, 6-foot-10 Hutchinson junior, and Nino Samuel, 6-foot-5 Salina sophomore, joined the team last season after the National College basketball revision revised its academic requirements.
OTHER RETURNEES in the forecourt are letterman Tommy Smith, a 6-foot-4 junior from Kewanee, III., and Drew Roers, Kirkwood, Mo. sophomore.
There are only two seniors on the team, Kivisto and Taynor, but KU will be more senior this year. Owens, Owens attributed many of his team's mistakes last year to inexperience, citing that KU often had a lineup of one junior, three sophomores, and a freshman
BUT THE 'HAWKS' must be not relying solely on such intangibles as attitude and maturity. The team has made some basic changes in their style of play. Included in these changes, Owens said, would be that rarity of last year, the fast break.
"At times last year we didn't know how to handle ourselves," said Greenlee. "But now we do."
"You need rebounding, good shooting and good ball handling to run effectively," Owens explained. "I think we have these abilities."
To make their running game even more effective, Owens said that KU would return to the single post offense that they used early last year. Owens claimed that this offense would enable the team to utilize its quickness.
"I believe we will have better movement with the single post, simply because we have the people who can move, especially the young players," Owens remarked.
"I believe we are quick enough and big enough to rebound, if we hustle."
OWENS ALSO SAID that the team could produce the necessary rebounding to win.
Owens who has been criticized for being too conservative in his coaching, said that while KU had been a "wild run and shoot team," it had run in the past. He said that the coach had to fit his strategy to meet his players abilities, and what was he
planned to do this year.
The Jayhawks face one of the nation's toughest schedules, including Kentucky, NCAA tournament semifinal Indiana and Alabama, where they are expected. Notre Dame as well as the Big Eight teams.
Owens said that the conference would again be tough defensively, but that the 30 second clock had opened up the play somewhat.
From Page Eight
out what Goffi said. A at Kansas open meet in Salina over Labor Day weekend seven out of eight KU men reached the quarter-finals, followed by teammate Canil for the championship.
Howard said the team's biggest weakness at this point is in doubles play. This is due to the short time the doubles teams have bad to work out together, he said.
Despite this, Howard said he thought KU should definitely finish in the upper division of the Big Eight Conference, which begins competition, the first of March.
The University of Oklahoma has won the conference tennis championship the last
The team travelled to Boulder, Colo., Sept. 21-22 where they took second in a school meet. After defeating the University of Colorado, who finished second in Big Ten playoffs the year, the KU naters lost 6-3 to West Texas State, ranked 19th in the national last year.
Howard, in his second year as head tennis coach at KU, said that proper facilities, financial support and a good schedule were needed for students needed to build a strong program.
Tennis . . .
The financial support for the team now comes mainly from outside sources, notably Sheldon Coleman Sr. of Wichita. However, Howard said, to keep this outside support, the KU athletic department would have to lend a hand in financing the team.
Howard has scheduled matches with Arkansas, Alabama, Southern Illinois, Tennessee and Mississippi State to improve the rankings of these schools have strong tennis traditions.
The final ingredient, Howard said, is hard work. Vann agreed.
Vann, Tompkins and Waltz were underelected in singles play at Colorado. KU lost to Memphis 7-5, but the Cincinnati team won 6-1.
"We have the potential and ability. It just depends on how the bad players want to do."
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