Section:
B
Which of these pieces of equipment does not figure in men's gymnastic competition horse, vault, balance beam or parallel bars?
Trivia question
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
SEE PAGE 2B
Inside: The Emporia State men's basketball team lost all but four players from last season and hopes to survive against the Jayhawks tomorrow.
SEE PAGE 3B
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 2000
Inside: The volleyball team hopes to beat Baylor tomorrow in Lawrence.
ERIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
SEE PAGE 6B
Norris on quest to find himself
By Jason Franchuk sports@kansan.com Kansan writerwriter
The posters, pictures and promise that accompanied Kansas senior running back Moran Norris' leap to star status last year were nice, but a teammate worried it would go to some people's heads.
Senior quarterback Dylan Smith said he had no fear of Norris becoming star-struck and complacent. But he knew that Norris' emerging popularity would give this year's opponents something to think about.
After sitting on the bench or blocking his first two seasons, Norris became a bonafide running back and was heralded by one analyst as potentially the top fullback prospect going into the NFL draft following this season. But as the publicity surrounded Norris, college defenses figured they would follow.
This season, amid all the hyperbole, Norris admittedly has been lost. Here's the milk-carton description:
Born: 6-16-78
Height: 6-2. Weight: 245
Height of 0.25m Note: Able to plow through defenses and bench press various compact cars.
Last seen: On Kansas sideline last
"I was hurt and I was depressed. It was tough to stand on the sideline, knowing that I could help the team if I was healthy."
Moran Norris senior running back
Saturday in 45-39 loss to Texas Tech. By his own admission, this year has been disappointing for Norris.
After a variety of injuries depleted Kansas' backfield last year, Norris was asked to take some handoffs. The experiment worked. He averaged nearly 80 yards rushing during the last seven games, including at least one touchdown in the final six out of seven. He started nine games, rushing 107 times for 547 yards.
Kansas coach Terry Allen had plans for his new running back this year tgat were as big as Norris' legs. Last year, Norris got his chance because small, quick senior running back David Winbush was sporadically injured. This year, Allen figured he had two different styles of runners.
"There's a time and place for both," Allen said.
This year has been a role reversal.
This year has been a rote reversal. Winbush has stayed healthy, carrying the ball 126 times for 588 yards. Norris led the team in carries the second game of the year against Alabama Birmingham (24 for 84) and again against K-State with (14 for 45). Either Winbush or Smith have rushed the most in Kansas' other seven games.
"It's not what I expected," Norris said. "I expected a lot more of myself. But they know my moves."
Norris might be a senior, but he's really in his second year as a running back after converting from a tight end and full-time blocker. And this season teams have had a better idea how to stop him.
Norris had four carries against Colorado two weeks ago, leaving the game in the first quarter with a sprained ankle which also kept him sidelined in last Saturday's loss. Missing that game hurt the most for Norris: Kansas was 4-3, and a win would have helped its goal of six wins and bowl-eligibility.
"I was hurt and I was depressed," he said. "It was tough to stand on the sideline, knowing that I could help the team if I was healthy."
See NORRIS on page 4B
Woodard awarded 'dream' induction into Kansas City Walk of Stars
By Zac Hunter
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
No one embodies Kansas women's basketball more than former player and assistant coach Lynette Woodard.
Today she will be honored with induction into the Kansas City Walk of Stars at the Gem Theater in Kansas City, Mo. Woodard is being inducted along with former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas and former Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Royals player Bo Jackson.
She was obviously taken aback by the award.
"This is something that you always dream
Luck had nothing to do with it.
or and you wonder how you get so lucky," Woodard said.
Woodard was a four-time All-American while at Kansas, and was a two-time academic All-American. She was selected to two United States basketball Olympic teams (1980, '84), was a member of the Harlem
Woodard: first woman vated on to the Walk of Stars
played in the WNBA 16 years after she graduated from Kansas.
"We are so thrilled about Lynette's success," said Kansas coach Marian Washington. "Lynette is one of the most brilliant sports figures to come out of this area. It is exciting that she is the first woman to be inducted."
She helped lead the United States to the gold medal in the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles, but was unable to play in the '80 Moscow games because of the American boycott.
The Walk of Stars is not the only time Woodard has been the first woman to break through an all-male barrier. She is the only woman to have her jersey retired in Allen Fieldhouse.
The reason her No. 31 is hanging from the Fieldhouse rafters is simple: she owned women's basketball from 1978-81.
Voters across the Kansas City area chose all three inductees - the 10th group to receive the honor.
Making Woodard's induction even more special is the fact she is the first woman voted on to the Walk of Stars.
Woodard scored an incredible 3,649 points in her career with the Jayhawks, along with 1,714 rebounds and 522 steals in 139 games.
Sophamore guard Kirk Hinrich reaches to sink the ball in Wednesday's exhibition game against the California All-Stars. He will likely start tomorrow against Emporia State. Photo by Christine Neff/KANSAT
woodard proved she was the most dominant player the Big 12 Conference has ever seen by being named the Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980s, despite playing only two years in that decade.
— Edited by Clav McCuiston
'Hawks hope to fine-tune against Hornets tomorrow
By Michael Rigg sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
- Edited by Clay McCuistion
Following a Wednesday roasting of the California All-Stars in their exhibition opener, the Jayhawks will finish the exhibition season when they aim to smoke Emporia State at 8 tomorrow night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas knows its recipe for success means attention to details.
The Jayhawks, ranked No. 1 in yesterday's Big 12 media poll, want to emphasize the "little things" that could prove to be the difference in March. Little things such as offensive sets and in-bounds plays. Little things like deciding on a starting lineup.
Following Kansas' game against the All-Stars on Wednesday, coach Roy Williams admitted his team needed more stringent attention to detail — particularly on offense.
"We've got a few set things in, and a couple of times we did a good job with the execution of those and got good shots," he said. "Yet we had one out of bounds play that we ran three times in a row and didn't get it right. As a matter of fact, Kenny Gregory messed it up twice, and he's only been doing the same play for three years."
Against the All-Stars, Gregory,
junior guard Jeff Boschee, sophomore
guard Kirk Hinrich, sophomore for-
ward Drew Gooden and senior center
Eric Chenwit started the game.
"As you can see, we started five different guys in the second half, so nobody has been chosen," Williams said. "I really do not have any method I'm going to use to choose a starting lineup, I'm just going to wait and see. One of the factors is definitely going to be the defensive grades for the game. I might start the guys with the best defensive grades."
To start the second half, Gregory and Gooden sat down while junior forward Luke Axteell and sophomore forward Nick Collison got the nod.
But Williams insisted it was defense — not offense — that would decide the starting lineup for tomorrow night's game against the Hornets. But as for the regular season, he said he still had no idea who would start.
"I thought Kirk worked awfully hard out there," he said. "Without looking at the tape, I'm sure Kirk graded positively."
Still, Williams insisted his starting lineup was unimportant -- especially considering the practice-like atmosphere of these exhibition games.
Williams said it could be totally different tomorrow.
But Williams all but confirmed that Hinrich's spot in the starting five was just about sewn up.
"As I told the guys, who starts is completely immaterial," he said. "You
can't find any basketball people who say it's important. Most of the time, those seven guys are going to be about equal in minutes played."
And those seven will have plenty to work on tomorrow night. Following Wednesday's game, Williams said that his team must improve defensively.
"Two things that worry me a great deal was allowing them to shoot 29 free throws, which usually means you're going to lose the game," he said. "And we've got to do a better job of getting to the basketball and defending their three point shooters than we did."
Senior center Eric Chenowith said fans could look for that improvement tomorrow — despite exhibition games'
relative lack of importance.
"It's not hard to get up for these games," he said. "No. 1, coach is watching you, so he's going to get on you. Second of all, you're playing in front of 16,000 people, so they see it, too. We just want to improve every day, and I think we've improved."
Improvement will be key, because the Jayhawks' next contest will be against UCLA at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the official start of the season.
Whether Kansas starts off the season cooking or if the team fails to rise could depend on how well they pay attention to detail against Emporia State.
- Edited by Clay McCuistion
NFL selection of Super Bowl sites remains short on kicks
Jacksonville, Detroit, Houston.
No, these aren't the names of the three most boring cities in the United States.
You got it: snore cities.
No — wait — yes these are the names of the three most boring cities in the United States and they're also the names of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Super Bowl cities that were announced Wednesday.
Now, I'm not trying to be judgmental. OK, yes I am.
The Super Bowl is supposed to be the highlight of the football season, pitting the two best teams against each other in a game that hails the winner and forgets about the loser two hours later. So in order to draw a large crowd, the owners need to pick an exciting city.
First, there's Jacksonville.
So what were they thinking with these latest selections? Seems as though they hit their heads on the same pole that prompted Jeff Carey to shave his head at Late Night with Roy Williams.
It's in Florida, so it has good weather, has good-looking people, is close to Disney World and has a nice backdrop for any scandal that could come out of the post-Super Bowl parties.
While a seaside view may be romantic, seasickness and stinky fish are the first things that come to mind.
On the downside, Jacksonville is so tiny population-wise that the city will dock at least 10 cruise ships near Alltel Stadium on the St. John's River to provide the necessary hotel rooms to accommodate an expected large crowd.
Wayne Weaver, the owner of the Jaguars, said this Super Bowl selection made Jacksonville a first-tier city. If that's true, then Milli Vanilli was robbed of its Grammy — not too likely.
Jacksonville beat out Miami, which has played host to eight Super Bowls, in a closely contested race for the 2005 game. Will Smith and I will both take Miami instead of J-town any day.
After the sleeper in north Florida, football fans get to travel to Detroit.
football fans get to the Detroit is getting its second Super Bowl — the 1962 game was played at the suburban Pontiac Silverdome.
The 2006 game will be at a new downtown stadium, the domed 65,000-seat Ford Field.
The NFL raised some concerns about Detroit's ability to meet the requirement for 17,500 hotel rooms within an hour's drive of the stadium. How about the ability to entertain those brave souls? Have cheese-eating or car-making contests? Sounds like a party to me.
Now here's the hippest city in the trio, and that's sad. Houston.
Houston first played host to the Super Bowl in 1974 at Rice Stadium, and that's basically the highlight of its existence since Warren Moon left.
I've never been there, but I've heard the city is uglier than a Kansas State cheerleader.
We all know Texas is an abination that should have seceded years ago. Why torment Super Bowl-goers to the halftime show and Houston?
If I had to pick the next three sites, these three would not be on the top of my list.
Try these instead: New York, a town that honors bat-throwing Roger Clemens; Los Angeles, a city more phoney than the Bears' passing game; and Walla Walla, Washington, because I just like the way it sounds.
So don't book any airline tickets for me to fly to the future sites...I think I have to wash my hair that day.
Kaschabe is a Flossmoor, M.I., senior in Journalism.
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