Section:
B
Sports
The University Daily Kansan
Today in sports
Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was three outs from a no-hitter in a 8-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night.
Inside: The Kansas women's soccer team looks to bounce back from a loss to Northwestern.
SEE PAGE 2B
Inside: Kansas track athlete Scott Russell barely missed making the Canadian olympic team in the javelin.
SEE PAGE 3B
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORT
Same old Roy
Momentous announcement changes little for Williams
Bv Michael Riaa
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
If the summer of 2000 proved anything about Roy Williams, it was that he is a well-respected man, a hard working recruiter, and — perhaps, above all — dangerous flirt.
Exactly two months ago today — June 30, to be exact — Williams announced he was considering taking the head coaching job at North Carolina. Five days later, he announced he was staying at Kansas. So what changed because of the announcement? Absolutely nothing, according to Williams.
Has he received any financial compensation for his loyalty? No. New parking space? Certainly not. Even the recruits have yet to be banging down Williams' door, as the Jayhawks have only one oral commitment for next season.
"It was a very hectic summer to say the least," he said. "It didn't get off to the best start. It was a very relieved feeling to get that over with. Then, after that, I got out on the road and stayed there until Aug. 1."
Basically, it's just been an average summer: two months of 24-hour recruiting and an occasional vacation. "I just caught my breath," Williams said last week, chuckling in front of the small gathering of reporters in his office. The last time Williams met with the media, he was a sleepless, weary man, finishing up a week that he called the most stressful of his life.
Williams recruited like a credit card representative on Wescoe Beach, calling recruits every night and visiting various summer camps. When Williams announced his intentions to stay, people closely associated with the program — such as former players and Bob Frederick, athletics director — seemed to feel that the nation's top recruits would practically fall into the Jayhawks' laps.
Not so, insisted Williams.
"Bob Frederick made a statement that I probably would not have made, and that's that we would take recruiting to a new level." Williams said. "It's not
going to happen. We've never lost a prospect because of the rumors about North Carolina. It's just a question that I've had to answer. It's eliminated one question, and it's eliminated something the other coaches have used against us."
Then, with a long breath, Williams explained his recruits' mindsets.
"The Kansas people — the people who love Kansas basketball — thought that we could rise to that level. The people in the coaching profession — Bill Snyder; John Wooden, Pete Newell — dropped me a note that would say good things. But prospects don't understand that. They think, 'Coach Williams was recruiting me before for Kansas, and now he's still recruiting me for Kansas, and I'm glad I don't have to think about him leaving.'"
However, Williams said not every coach's reaction to his staying was completely positive.
"The reception of the coaches themselves is strange because they say, 'That's really something, you must feel good about yourself,'" he said. "Then the next response is, 'Are you crazy? North Carolina is an easier place to recruit, an easier way to the Final Four and the national championship.'"
While the results of Williams' staying haven't been felt in the influence of future Jayhawks, it has helped motivate his current players.
"We've had this extra kick, and it's all because of Coach staying," said sophomore forward Nick Collison. "You know, I was just like everyone else — not knowing whether he was staying."
While the summer has been spent trying to fill his five scholarship spots for next season, Williams did get in some vacation. On Aug. 3, Williams headed to Hawaii for a Nike Camp. Upon his return from the islands, he and wife Wanda drove their daughter Kimberly back to — where else? — North Carolina. Then Williams kept up his Tar-Heel-themed summer when he helped coach at Michael Jordan's basketball camp in Las Vegas.
See WILLIAMS on page 3B
Transfers confident they can replace big scorers
Bv Zac Hunter
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Since its double-overtime loss to Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament last season, the Hawks have undergone nearly a complete overhaul.
The Kansas women's basketball team is going to have a new look this season.
When the team takes the floor for its first exhibition game against the Basketball Travelers on Nov. 8, there will be six new players on the roster, half of whom come from community colleges.
KC Hilgenkamp, Dalcon Brown and Fernanda Bosi — three junior college transfers — will join the Jayhawk women's basketball team with expectations of filling holes left by graduates. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Junior guards Fernanda Bosi and KC Hilgenkamp will add depth to the backcourt that was depleted by the loss of versatile players like Lynn Pride and Suzi Raymant, who combined to average nearly 28 points per game.
Bosi will definitely help fill the vacancy left by Raymant beyond the three-point arch. Raymant led the team in both three-point attempts and percentage, hitting 41 percent of her 103 attempts.
Bosi said her best attributes as a player were her ability to play defense, penetrate and dish the ball off, and shooting from the outside.
A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Bosi played for the Brazil Junior National Team and played at Western Nebraska Junior College, where she averaged 15 points and 16 rebounds per game.
Hilgenkamp will be called on to be more of a combination guard and will be filling in at both the point and shooting guard positions.
One problem all junior college transfers face is the increased talent at the Division I level, but Hilgenkamp, a Hutchinson Community College transfer, said she was not worried about the change.
"She just really brings versatility," coach Marian Washington said. "She can help us bring the ball up the floor and she is a great shooter."
Apparently, Washington was not the only coach to think highly of Hilgenkamp. Her talents were sought out by Penn State, North Carolina and Auburn.
"KC is one of the finest junior college players that came out this past year." Washington said.
But she also said that there was nothing she could do but put for maximum effort and that everything else would take care of itself.
Junior center Dalchon Brown was signed by Kansas out of high school but spent the last two years at Independence Community College because of academic reasons.
While two of the players will be manning the perimeter, the third will be banging down on the blocks.
Washington said it was very important to bring Brown in this year because there was some uncertainty regarding the health of
some players on the front line.
Brown, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., was rated the number one player in the state coming out of high school and was a preseason junior college All-American last year.
If the returning players stay healthy, Brown may not play many minutes, but she said she wasn't very concerned with that.
I'm just coming in to play and do the best I can," she said.
Edited by John Audiehelm
Sports Columnist
Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
12-minute run tests endurance for basketball
it's just 44 days until Late Night with Roy Williams, so I have to get ready for basketball.
Walk on tryouts are just around the corner, and I have to be prepared. Sure, I'm just 5-feet 8-inches tall, but height isn't everything. I also know which basketball weaknesses I can try to improve over the next six weeks: shooting, passing, dribbling, putting on my uniform.
While my skills may be lacking — slightly — I am pretty quick, I play with heart, and I have excelled at cheering for the Jayhawks since I was born, so I make a great addition beyond the end of the bench. I can jump up and down, yell and scream, and make cool posters to offer support.
While my heart gives me an edge, my greatest ability is the 12-minute run.
The men's basketball team ran it last Thursday. Now it was my turn.
Coach Williams said if you could run at least six-and-a-half laps on the Memorial Stadium track in 12 minutes, then you were in decent shape to play Division I college basketball.
Since birth I've dreamt of playing for the Jayhawks, of running onto the Allen Fieldhouse floor in front of 16,300 screaming fans.
So, I braved the 100-plus degree temperatures and took the challenge yesterday. I ran the 12-minute run.
I donned my old high school basketball practice shorts to get me in the "trying out for the basketball team" mood, strapped on my sneakers and took off.
The first three laps came easy; I just found my pace and settled into cruise control. Then the ungody heat set in D. dagbit, was it hot. Boy, was I a moron for attempting this. I'd consider it all worthwhile, though, if I made the team.
My friends, I'm pleased to inform you today that the dream is still alive. I am a contender. I ran six and seven-eighths laps.
I nearly died, but I made it. I've survived the endurance cut at this point. I haven't been kicked off the Make-the-Basketball-Team Island — vet.
jean, junior guard John Crider ran circles around me with his eight and one-third laps. So did sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich. Heck, even senior center Eric Chenowith kicked my tail by running seven and one-quarter laps. But freshman forward Bryant Nash should be hearing my footstans because he barely broke seven.
While everyone who ran did beat me, I still believe I am a competitor. I know I've got a chance.
I ran more laps than freshman guard Mario Kinsey, who would compete with me for playing time. Of course, he couldn't do the run because he is in the middle of football season right now and was at football practice. But regardless, I did run more laps than someone on the team roster.
I also won't be able to walk for the next week.
That said, my conditioning may be just a little behind the guys on the roster, but I've still got a few weeks to catch up. How hard can it be? Just trade a few pints for some pounds; a few late nights for some long jogs. If I do that, then I should be caught up in no time.
Now, if I could just acquire some basketball talent during the next few weeks.
Wristen is a Leawood senior in journalism.
Sidelined Smith returns as football team practices in evening to avoid heat
By Jason Franchuk
Kansas sports writer
sports@kansas.com
By Jason Franchuk
As Dylen Smith sat on the field stretching prior to yesterday evening's practice, it seemed that all of a sudden, he transformed into MacGyer.
After leaving practice early Saturday and Monday because of fun-like symptoms, Kansas' senior quarterback returned and participated in the entire two-hour practice at Memorial Stadium. As Smith stretched, he slipped a hulitewarm sports drink. The tape placed on his knee just before drills started was typical procedure for him, and it proved he was going to stay for a while.
surely you remember the cult TV hero who could get out of any jam with a few household items. For Smith, they were a sports drink and tape.
"As practice went along, I got my energy back," Smith said.
Smith was one of a handful of players who have been sidelined because of either dehydration or flu-like symptoms during the recent heat surge. Smith left practice Monday after a brief appearance when he vomited on the field, and coach Terry Allen grew more concerned with Smith's status for Saturday's season opener at Southern Methodist. After losing only two or three pounds, Smith said he was feeling a lot better after more rest.
"The doctors did a good job on me," Smith said. It also helped that yesterday's practice was moved from 3:30 to 6:45 p.m. under the lights at the stadium. Just as practice started, shade enveloped the field, creating slightly cooler temperatures. Allen said he did not
like having his team getting home at 9 p.m., but there was no alternative until a cool spell hits. The Jayhawks will practice at the same time today.
"Unless you can give me that kind of weather at 3 p.m." Allen said about the evening practice.
pil...
Under the circumstances, Smith's performance pleased Allen. Smith did not go full-speed, but instead relied on a few breaths here and there to delay fatigue. Backup Zach Dyer will continue to prepare just in case, but Allen was happy with Smith's sudden progress.
"He got out there a bit today and that was good." Allen said. "I'm confident we'll be able to increase the (repetitions) through the week."
Along with Smith, third-stirring sophomore quarterback Jonas Weatherbie also practiced. He too missed
Not everybody was so lucky. Junior wide receiver Harrison Hill continues to battle chronic dehydration problems. He visited a specialist in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, and Allen said that Hill would not play for at least the first game. Sophomore wide receiver Byron Gessaway, who is still healing an ankle injury, and senior wide receiver Eric Patterson will take his place. Briefly.
Monday's practice because of flu-like symptoms.
Kansas senior punter Joey Pelfanio has been named one of 32 punters on the pre-season Ray Gay Award watch list. The award goes to college football's best punter. Pelfanio is one of three Big 12 Conference punters on the list for the award named after the 13-year (1973-83) NFL punter.
Edited by J. R. Mondoza