Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Sports Trivia
Sports Trivia What bit of baseball history occurred on October 1, 1961?
Sports
Inside: The Colorado basketball team lost its only center because of a fractured left hand yesterday.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Jury selection began yesterday for the murder trial of ex-Carolina Panther Rae Carruth.
SEE PAGE 2B
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24. 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Becky Owens, Lenexa freshman, concentrates as she lofts a disc over the outstretched hands of opposing defenders who try to bat the frisbee off-course. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Bettys face tough fall schedule
Women's Ultimate Frisbee Team seeks seasoned opponents
By Michael Sudhalter
Kansan sportswriter
sports@kansan.com
The Bettys decided to throw themselves into the fire during the fall season of ultimate frisbee.
To improve their team, the Kansas Women's Ultimate Frisbee Team, commonly known as the Bettys, have scheduled older, top-notch club teams in the Kansas City area. The Bettys will compete exclusively against collegiate teams during the spring season.
While the team was not victorious in any of its contests against their noncollegiate opponents, many of the players came through the experience with a positive attitude.
"We played some of the best women's teams," said Olivia Stockman, St. Louis senior. "And we
have learned a lot from them."
The team's positive attitude could explain why women who join the Ultimate Frisbee Club stick with it.
with it.
Laura Ismert, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore, said she enjoyed the camaraderie and enjoyment of being a member of the Bettys.
"The road trips are really fun," Ismert said. "And we get experience by going against good teams."
Team captain Ale Arbors, Olathe senior who is competing on the Bettys for the third year, said she also enjoyed the team spirit of Ultimate Frisbee.
A former cross country runner at Johnson County Community College, Arbors never played a team sport before joining the Betts.
"I love the team aspect of the sport," said Arbors, who plans to compete with a club team in the Kansas City area after graduation.
See ULTIMATE on page 3B
Arbors said that team members had shown more commitment this year.
"Our numbers are about the same, but now we have 14 or 15 girls showing up to every practice," Arbors said.
Kelly Kneib, Lawrence resident and former Beaty team member, dodges defender Laura Imst and launches an arching pass to a teammate during practice. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Kansas' new mantra pays dividends
By Jason Frenchuk
sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportwriter
Long before luxury suites, artificial turf and the lure of big-money bowl games, there was a Kansas football team that could relate to this year's group.
The 2000 Jayhawks have rolled back the clock to '84 - 1894, that is—the last time Kansas played a six-game schedule like the one it is in the midst of now.
This year, of course, Kansas has 11 games slated on its schedule, but coach Terry Allen implemented the six-game mantra after the Jayhawks started the season 2-3. With six games remaining, in need of four more wins to reach the postseason, Allen thought a change was needed. Kansas, 4-3.
has won its last two games — at Missouri and against Colorado since starting over.
"It was something we felt we had to do in order to turn the season around." Allen said.
So Kansas toughened up. It practiced more. No longer have the Jayhawks gone through the motions. You could have sworn they were going to eliminate water breaks from practice and all take salt tablets instead.
They went old-school.
Saturday's 23-15 win against Colorado was a perfect example. Players who were expected to fill one role have used other opportunities to help out.
Running back David Winbush continued playing, even when he suffered from stomach distress because of a pain reliever he
"It is always nice to win on homecoming and to be part of two consecutive wins. We are getting
it going and heading back in the right direction."
Terry Allen
Kliff football team
could maintain formations that require a bulky blocker.
When senior running back Moran Norris left in the first quarter with an injured ankle, the Jayhawks used tight end David Hurst in some formations so they
took.
KU football coach
Detensive back Jamarel Bryant has struggled to find time in Kansas' vastly improved secondary this year, but the junior college transfer blocked a Colorado extra-point attempt that held Colorado's lead to six points late in the first quarter.
Senior quarterback Dylan Smith, who said he did not think he was throwing the ball well, basically ignored the forward pass in the second half. Smith instead used his mobility to gain 84 yards rushing, throwing for only 152.
"I felt like we played for the first time a complete football game." Allen said. "It is always nice to win on homecoming and to be part of two consecutive wins. We
are getting it going and heading back in the right direction."
Flashing back to 106 years ago, the 1894 Jayhawks and coach Hector Cowan started with a win and a tie, before finishing 2-3-1. There are a couple of similarities between that group and this year's Kansas team.
Both teams defeated Missouri.
In 1894, it was in the season finale.
Ten days ago, it marked the beginning of Kansas' new season.
The old Jayhawks lost at Nebraska. 12-6. After Saturday's 1 p.m. game against Texas Tech, Kansas will prepare for its next opponent — Nebraska.
More than a century later, Cowan's legacy continues, and the six-game schedule lives on.
- Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Heavily recruited forward chooses Stanford
Childress says school's proximity to his family influenced his decision
Bv Michael Rigg
Kansan sportswriter
After months of flirting with the Kansas Jayhawks, Josh Childress finally decided yesterday that there was no place like home.
Childress, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lakewood, Calif., gave his verbal commitment to Stanford because, in part, of the school's proximity to his family.
of the school J. My family is very happy that I am staying home." Childress told Insider's Report.
But Childress' decision also had to do with the fact that he thought Stanford
had more to offer him than Kansas.
had more to offer him than Kansas. "It was a really difficult decision," Childress told Foxsports.com. "It wasn't one particular thing that swayed my decision. I just had the gut feeling that Stanford was the best place for me."
"I just wanted to take as much time as I needed to make the right decision," Childress said. "I'm the one who's going to be there for the next four years, and I needed to make the right choice."
Childress averaged 22 points per game last season for Mayfair High. He said the decision to turn down the Jayhawks proved to be a difficult one, especially because of Kansas coach Roy Williams.
Childress visited Stanford Sept. 28, then attended Late Night with Roy Williams Oct. 13. Childress said he needed the time since Late Night to come to a decision.
"It was hard to turn down Kansas. Childress said. "Coach Williams is a
"It was hard to turn down Kansas, Coach Williams is a classy person and is a great coach. I wish I could play for both schools."
- Lakewood, Calif., high school senior
Josh Childress
classy person and is a great coach. I wish I could play for both schools."
Childress' commitment to Stanford leaves the Kansas recruiting class in disarray. With the commitment of recruit Chuck Hayes to Kentucky, the Jayhawks are left scrambling for a scoring forward.
Williams could hold off until the spring to go after a wing player, or he
could examine some other options that have presented themselves.
One of those options is Keith Langford, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Crowley, Texas. Langford committed to Mississippi in June but informed the Rebels' coaches last week that he would not honor that commitment.
Now, Langford will decide between Kansas, Oklahoma and Baylor — all schools that recruited him before his commitment to the Rebels. Fastbreak Recruiting reported yesterday that Langford would make a visit to Kansas Friday, Nov. 3.
Lerry House — a 6-foot-4 forward from Colby Community College — also visited Kansas at the beginning of October, but the Jayhawks didn't make him a scholarship offer.
But both Langford and House are considered "plan B" recruits, and plan B now is in effect because plan A is heading to Stanford.
Edited by Casey Franklin
Sports Editor
Melinda Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Team won't find its way to any bowl this season
I don't exactly subscribe to this new theory that calling the last six games of the season "a new season" is going to get the Kansas football team into a bowl game.
Seem unbelievable? OK, maybe, but not as unbelievable as the 'Hawks winning two or three of their next four and finding themselves in a bowl game.
And this coming from the person who thinks the Dallas Cowboys are going to finish 12-4, cruising to a Super Bowl victory in what is probably quarterback Troy Aikman's last season.
So that leaves our inspired football team with the challenge of beating two of three teams: Texas Tech, Texas and Iowa State.
We can automatically count out the Nebraska game. It'll take more than a new season, even more than a new decade, to beat the Cornhuskers in Lincoln.
When Kansas can do that, then I'll be impressed.
Iowa State.
Two weeks ago, Jayhawk hopes rose in unison as Nebraska pummeled Texas Tech in Lubbock. However, any thoughts that these dejected Red Raiders would become a walk in the park were quickly dismissed when they lost to Kansas State by only five points in Manhattan.
The Jayhawks are still flying from beating Colorado, the most exhilarating win of this season's roller-coaster ride, but the Texas Tech game isn't one I'd put a lot of money on.
As if the Texas Tech game won't be bad enough, after the Jayhawks return from a certain horrible loss to Nebraska, they must face Texas, a team that has had its ups and downs but just defeated Missouri 46-12.
Major Applewhite, who set a school record for touchdown passes against Missouri, will give the Kansas defense more fits than Colorado's inexperienced Craig Ochs, and that's before the defenders factor in running back Hodges Mitchell, who added 151 rushing yards in the Missouri drubbing.
For the final game of the season, the Jayhawks take to the road (immediately all fans start groaning at just the thought of this football team on the road) to face Iowa State. The Cyclones' only losses have come to conference powerhouses Nebraska and Texas A&M. Factor in Kansas road success, and you have yourself another loss.
Now, I do admire what coach Terry Allen has done with the team. With a few simple mind games, Allen has transformed a beleaguered 2-3 team into an enthusiastic 4-3 group that looks like a team in the bowl hunt. The atmosphere at Memorial Stadium is different, and the attitude of these players alone has won them ballgames.
However, an improved attitude cannot eliminate all the mistakes that have shown to be a problem in big games.
Just calling the final six games a separate season from the first six does not change the fact that this is the same team that had so many humilating special teams errors against Southern Methodist and turned the ball over seven times against Oklahoma.
I would love to see the Kansas football team prove me wrong and make a Bowl appearance before I graduate.
Maybe they will hang this column in the locker room, and the words printed in it, not just the gorgeous mug shot, will provide them with inspiration to demolish at least two of their next opponents.
Unfortunately, I just don't think it's going to happen.
C
Weiner is an Arlington, Ks., mentor in journalism and in the sports editor.
---