FAST BREAK
Page 2
Jayhawks feature youth movement
University Daily Kansan, November 30.1984
By GREG DAMMAN Sports Writer
Sports Writer
In his first year as KU basketball coach, Larry Brown led the Jayhawks to the Big Eight Conference post-season Tournament Championship, the NCAA tournament and a 22-10 record.
But Brown had inherited a team full of players recruited by former KU coach Ted Owens. Without the trade, his team would have lost the trademark — a fast-breaking team
Brown probably felt like Michelangelo would have felt had he asked to finger paint the Sistine Chapel.
This year, with the addition of six freshmen hand-picked to fit his style of play and three returning starters, he is getting a grip on the paint brush.
The three returning starters from last season are 5-foot-10 sophomore Mark Turgeon, 6-6 junior Calvin Thompson and 7-1 junior Greg Drelling. Also returning are 6-4 junior Ron Kellogg, who was named to the All-Big Eight "bench" team last year, 6-4 Tad Boyle, the only senior on the team and 6-0 sophomore Cedric Hunter, who was academically ineligible during the second semester last season.
MOST NOTABLE AMONG the freshmen is 6-11 Danny Manning, considered by many to be the best freshman in the nation. Besides Manning, the freshmen on the team are 6-4 Milton Newton, 6-8 Mark Pellock, 6-8 Rodney Hull, 5-11 Altonio Campbell, 6-2 Richard "Scooter" Barry. Also returning will be 6-9 Jirn Pelton and 6-4 Chris Piper, who are both redshirt freshmen.
Brown has redshirted Barry for the season and is considering doing the same with Hull. If Hull is redshirted, the Jayhawks will field a team with six freshmen and just one senior. Brown is concerned about the play of his young team in several areas.
"A concern of mine from the beginning has been our hall-court defense, our rebounding, and a tendency to turn the ball over, which young kids do." Brown said. "We've tried to stress blocking out and half-court defense."
THE JAYHAWKS OPENED the season a week ago with a come-from-behind 58-56 victory over Maryland in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage. KU advanced to the finals with a 66-49 victory over
oregon in the second round, before falling to the University of Alabama-Birmingham 50-46. The Jayhawks, ranked 19th in the preseason, are expected to challenge Oklahoma for the Big Eight title.
The Jayhawks' starting lineup in the tournament was composed of Drelling, Turgeon, Boyle, Kellogg and Manning. Brown has mentioned a weight problem and the need to contribute in all areas of the game as reasons for Thompson's absence from the starting lineup.
Hunter started at point guard against China, but Turgeon replaced him in the Great Alaska Shootout. Brown said that Turgeon played well as a starter, but Hunter played well as a starter or off the bench.
MANNING HAS NOT disappointed Jayhawk fans during the early part of the season. He was in double figures in scoring and rebounding in all three of the Jayhawks' games in the Great Alaska Shootout.
"I don't think the season depends on how well he does," Brown said. "There's no doubt in my mind he's going to have a great year and make us a better team."
Manning, Kellogg and Dreiling were named to the Great Alaska Shootout all-tournament team. Kellogg had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game against UAB.
"He's a great shooter, defender and rebounder," Brown said of Kellogg. "I think last year toward the end of the season, he and Calvin were the two most improved players on the team."
Dreiling was ejected from the championship game in the second half after engaging in a fight with a UAB player. Brown said that Dreiling would be "probably the most important player we have in determining how the season is going to be." He also said that Manning's presence would help Dreiling
"A LOT of people won't be able to concentrate on Greg," Brown said. "We've got a lot of unselfish kids who'll recognize him a little more."
Pellock, who sprained his ankle in KU's 91-69 exhibition game victory over the People's Republic of China National team, did not play in the tournament and isn't expected to return for at least two weeks.
Before Pellock's injury, Brown said. "He has the potential to be one of the great rebounders and defenders in the league."
Last year, the Jayhawks switched from Brown's man-to-man defense, to a zone defense similar to the type they had played the year before. Brown said his team would again try to play man-to-man defense.
"We'd like to play man, but that depends on foul trouble and who we're playing," he said. "If you put the ball up, we just go prepare for teams that play zone."
Larry Brown, front, watches the action with assistants Bob Hill, center, and John Collport.
File Photo
By CHRIS LAZZARINO
Snorts Writer
Few starters back on women's team
Sports Writer
The team has one senior, one junior, two sophomores and eight freshmen on the roster. Although the team lacks experience, it doesn't lack talent, head coach Marian Washington said.
This year's women's basketball team has one major obstacle to overcome — inexperience.
"We are very young, but we have a lot of very fine athletes," Washington said. "I believe we have taken another strong step in rebuilding the foundation. The future looks very bright."
That foundation has already helped the present look pretty bright, however, KU tapped Vanderbilt, the 12th-ranked team in the nation, on Saturday at the Oil Capital Classic in Tulsa, Okla., which was good for the tournament championship.
The Jayhawks beat the Commodores 65-61, following an 84-77 overtime victory over Oral Robers University the day before. Junior Vickie Adkins and freshman Kelly Jennings were named the finalists. Adkins was named the tournament's most valuable player.
KU is a young team this year because seven letter winners from last year's team are not returning, but only two, Angie Snider and Cindy Platt, used up their eligibility.
Adkins, a 6-foot-1 co-captain, is the only returning starter and one of only four returning letter winners. Adkins was named to the Kodak All-Region team. Last year was the seventh team in a row that a KU player had earned that season. He also rebounded in the conference and was named All-Big Eight by the conference coaches.
Barbara Adkins, a junior last year, will not return this fall because of a family tragedy. Juniors Ann Schell, Marilyn Jenkins and Valerie Quarles chose not to play basketball this year and sophomore Rena Page transferred to a junior college.
One of the players who will try to take up some of the slack is the team's only senior, Mary Myers. Myers, a co-captain, is in her fifth year at KU.
"At this point, my role is basically to be able to be a leader and carry out the things handed down from coach." Myrs said.
Others who have seen action are Evette Ott, a 5-foot-7 sophomore who is recovering from knee surgery, Toni Webb, a 5-foot-8 Sophomore, Sheri Stoecker, a freshman guard who was redshirted last year.
Stecker started the first game of the season last year, but injured her left knee in the second half of the game. She came back to practice after winter break, but she re-injured her knee and underwent surgery in January.
Although Vickie Adkins led the league in rebounding last year, it was an area that Washington wanted to improve. She helped the cause by signing Jennings, a 6-foot-5 center from Topeka and Jackie Martin, a 5-foot-11 forward from Dublin, Ga.
The rest of the freshmen are:
Bente Dahl, a 5-foot-10 forward from Norway; Lisa Dougherty,
a 5-foot-8 forward-guard from Leavenworth; Regan Miller,
a 5-foot-10 forward from Paola;
Sandy Shaw, a 6-foot-1 forward from Topeka and Mesho Stroughter, a 5-foot-9 guard from East St. Louis, Ill.
A major change this year in women's collegiate basketball is a switch to a smaller ball, something that she had advocated fg years.
"It is going to help in overall ball control," Washington said. "The execution of skills will be improved and shooting may improve. Women have always had a fine touch, but now it will be easier to control off the dribble."
The women will open their home schedule with the Lady Jayhawk Dial Classic today and tomorrow. The teams that will be in the tournament with Kansas are Louisiana Tech, Southwest Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin State University.
Dial sponsors Dial Classic tournaments around the country, but the one at Allen Field House will be one of the best. Washington said
"There is no question ours will be one of the top two Dial Classies in the country," Washington said. "We have had the tournament longer than anyone else. We are proud that we are part of it."
GOOD LUCK, JAYHAWKS
in the 1984-85 season
Left to right: First row—Cedric Hunter, Chad Wintz, Mark Turgeon; Altonio Campbell, Richard Barry and Tad Boyle. Second row—Tom Butler, John Calipari, Ed Manning, Larry Brown, Bob Hill, R.C. Buford and Craig Hershiser. Back row—Milton Newton, Calvin Thompson, Rodney Hull, Mark Pellock, Danny Manning, Greg Dreiling, Jim Pelton, Chris Piper, Ron Kellogg, Jeff Johnson and Kurt Unruh.
Left to right: First row—Evette Ott and Lisa Dougherty. Second row—Toni Webb, Mary Myers, Mesho Stroughter and Sherri Stoecker. Third row—Sandy Shaw, Bente Dahl, Vickie Adkins, Kelly Jennings, Jackie Martin and Regan Miller.
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