Thursday, Nov. 21, 1985
Sports
University Daily Kansan
13
News Briefs
Kansas basketball televised tomorrow
Tomorrow night's Kansas- Pepperdine first round Big Apple NIT basketball game in Denver will be televised by the Mizlou sports network, Doug Vance, sports information director, said yesterday.
Broadcast of the game will begin at 10:30 p.m. CST, with the game host likely being joined in progress. The game is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. CST, but it follows a game between Texas-El Paso and Washington
Tomorrow's winners will play at 9 p.m. CST Sunday in Denver. The semi-finals of the Big Apple NIT are Nov. 29 and the finals are Dec. 1 both in New York.
Hard work goes on
The Kansas football team continued to brave the recent cold weather with a one hour, 45 minute workout in Memorial Stadium yesterday in preparation for Saturday's game against Missouri.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 am, in Memorial Stadium. The game will be the Big Eight/Raycom Network game of the week, and can be seen locally on Channels 9 and 27. This will be the Jayhawks' fourth television game of the season. Kansas is 1-2 on television this season.
The Jayhawks continued scrimmaging yesterday in preparation for the Tigers, as they have done all week. Head coach Mike Gottfried said the Jayhawks were going through one of their harder weeks of game preparation.
KU women in Utah
Four members of the women's tennis team will begin play today in the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association indoor qualifier tournament in Provo, Utah.
Tracy Treps, Christine Parr,
Barb Inman and Marie Hibbard
will compete in singles. Treps will
play with Hibbard, and Parr will
pair with Inman for doubles. The
singles winner and runner-up and
the doubles winners will advance
to the national tournament in
Houston in February.
KU's Mike Wolf has qualified already in singles, and Wolf and Michael Center have qualified in doubles for the national tournament.
"This is such a big step for the team," said Treps, who is seeded 12th in the tournament. "If one of us could get there (to the national finals) it would show us that we really do have a good team."
From staff and wire reports
Pless' glamorous KU career nears end
By Frank Hansel
Of the Kansan sports staff
Defensive back Travis Hardy and linebacker Willie Pless, both seniors, combined to bring down Vanderbilt quarterback Mark Wrache against Vanderbilt on
Paul Goodman/KANSAN
"Tackle on the play by Willie Pless."
Those words will echo through Memorial Stadium for the last time when Kansas plays Missouri at 1:30 a.m. Saturday in the final game of the season for both teams.
Pless, who now holds the Big Eight Conference record for career tackles with 618, will finish his collegiate career at Kansas along with 14 other seniors. The seniors include defensive players Travis Hardy, strong safety; defensive end Robert Tucker; and Bill Verchiarella, who plays on special teams.
"Losing players like these is hard when you spend so much time with them," head coach Mike Gottfried said Tuesday. "But like anything else in life you have to move on, and I know they will be successful in whatever they do."
Pless will be finishing out a banner career as a Jayhawk. In addition to his tack record, he has now gone 28 straight games with at least 10 tackles, and has been named one of the 12 finalists for the Lombardi Award, which is awarded annually to the top lineman in the country. Tuesday, Pless was named to the All-Big Eight Academic team.
"I'm just going out and trying to have fun this week," Pless said. "I'm going to relax and just enjoy myself."
Part of Pless' fun is his new appearance — a Mr. T haircut. He said it was something he always wanted to do and this week was the perfect time to do it.
Gottfried said Kansas could never replace a great player like Pless, but he said the Jayhawks had several good linebackers to take over for Pless next year.
Hardy, who is Pless' roommate,
said the four years seemed to fly by.
and he said didn't think his last game would arrive so quickly.
"I wish I could have redshirted my freshman year, so I could play one more year," Hardy said. "But I wouldn't change what I've been through for anything."
This year Hardy has had to start at three different positions in the defensive secondary. He has all three of his career interceptions this season along with 56 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
foundation for a winning football program at Kansas.
He said the senior class had set a
"My freshman year we won two games, my sophomore year we won four games, last year we won five games and I am hopeful that this year we will win six," Hardy said. "This program is just going to get better and better.
Viechiarella also said the senior group had helped start a winning program. But it was going to take time, and eventually people would see all the hard work pay off, he said.
Sept. 14. The two, along with other Kansas seniors, will play their last game with the Jahawks against Missouri at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Vechiarella, who is listed as a wide receiver, has been limited to special teams play this season. He said he had to make the most out of any opportunity presented to him. Vechiarella has made four tackles on the special teams this season.
Tucker, a junior college transfer from Los Angeles City College, chose Kansas over Illinois and several
"It's a sad feeling because my football career will be coming to an end, and I know I'll start missing it," Veechiarella said.
schools in California.
Tucker was converted from tight end to defensive end when he arrived at Kansas last season. Gottfried said the team was in trouble at defensive end and Tucker was the most likely candidate for the job.
Tucker has 31 tackles and two quarterback sacks to his credit this season, and he, along with the rest of the seniors, will have one last chance to leave their mark on Kansas football history.
Four sign in early period
By Frank Hansel
Of the Kansan sports staff
The Kansas men's basketball team ended the early signing period by receiving two more letters of intent, Kansas head coach Larry Brown said yesterday.
The Jayhawks signed Robert Coyne, a 6-foot-8 center from Denver West High School, who had orally committed to Kansas last week. Also signing was 6-9 forward Mark Randall from Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Calif.
Randall averaged 23.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 4.2 steals a game last season. He was selected first team all-state last year off a team that finished 15-10 and was eliminated in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
orado. Cherry Creek assistant coach Tom Weston said Randall played center last season but would be moved to forward this year.
He is listed as one of the top 30 players in the nation and one of the top five small forwards. Randall was selected high honorable mention and All-Denver Metro by Street and Smith magazine.
"I know people like to compare him to Bobby Jones, and the comparison is favorable," Weston said. "He handles the ball extremely well and we'll even have him bring the ball up against the press. He has a quick first step and is an excellent shooter from 15 feet."
Randall chose Kansas over Duke. Arizona and Col-
Coyne averaged 23 points and nine rebounds a game last season, and was named all-league and all-state. He was also named by Street and Smith to the honorable mention team.
West High School head coach Bob Caton said Coyne could play well both inside and outside, but he needed to improve his defense and rebounding.
Kansas had four scholarships to offer and the two signings brought the early signing period total to four. Last week the Jayhawks signed Keith Harris, a 6-4 forward from Santa Monica, Calif., High School and Jeff Gueildner, a 6-5½ guard-forward from Charleston, Ill., High School.
Yanks' Mattingly named AL's MVP
United Press International
NEW YORK — Don Mattingly, of the New York Yankees, a slugging first baseman who had a season reminiscent of past Yankee greats such as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, yesterday was named the American League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Mattingly, 24, led the AL in five offensive categories. He received 23 first-place votes and 367 points from 28 members of the BBWAA.
two from each AL city, and beat
three baselman George Brett of the
Kansas City Royals for baseball's
most coveted individual honor.
Brett received five first-place votes and 274 points.
Playing in 159 games, Mattingly led the major leagues in RBI (145) and doubles (48), and topped the AL in total bases (370), gamewinning BRI (21) and extra base hits (86). He also was second in the AL in hits (211), slugging percentage (.567) and multiple-hit games (86).
Steve Mingle/KANSAT
In addition, he batted .324.
Anthony Rothman, Chicago freshman, hits an underspin backhand. Rothman was playing tennis yesterday on the courts behind Robinson Center.
Take a spin
UPI picks Jayhawks No.4
United Press International
NEW YORK — Michigan, with center Roy Tarpley the deluxe model on its basketball assembly line, yesterday was named the preseason No.1 college team by the UPI Board of Coaches.
The Wolverines went 26-4 last season and return all five starters plus a recruiting class deemed one of the best anywhere. Tarpley, a 6-foot-11 senior, has recovered from knee surgery and may be the best center in the country.
The 42 coaches on the UPI Board awarded Michigan 19 first-place votes for $586 points in a close decision over Georgia Tech. The Yellow
No. 3 went to North Carolina with 9 first-place votes and 529 points. No. 4 was Kansas with 368 points while No. 5 fell to Duke with 1 first-place vote with 385 points.
Jackets were No. 2 with 12 first-place votes and 556 points.
Georgia Tech features playmaker Mark Price and 7-0 John Salley, North Carolina has center Brad Daugherty and is exceptionally deep, Kansas is powered by Danny Manning on a bruising frontline. Duke boasts an outstanding backcourt with All-American Johnny Dawkins.
The merits of the teams will be tested early when the two meet Nov. 30 in the Hall of Fame game at Springfield, Mass.
UPI Top 20
First place votes and last year's records in parentheses. (Total points based on 15 points for first place, 14 for second, etc.):
| | |
| :--- | :--- |
| Michigan (18-6) | 586 |
| Georgia Tech (12) (7-18) | 556 |
| North Carolina (9) (7-19) | 529 |
| Kansas (8-6) | 398 |
| Texas (8-6) | 398 |
| Syracuse (22-9) | 398 |
| Illinois (26-9) | 330 |
| Georgetown (19-3) | 294 |
| Louisiana State (19-10) | 247 |
| Utah (22-11) | 247 |
| Auburn (22-12) | 206 |
| Kentucky (1) (18-13) | 159 |
| Notre Dame (21-9) | 163 |
| Iowa (10-11) | 143 |
| (tie) N.C. State (21-10) | 85 |
| Alabama-Birmingham (25-9) | 59 |
| Washington (22-10) | 51 |
| Nevada Las Vegas (24-9) | 50 |
| Delaware (19-10) | 48 |
| UCLA (21-12) | 47 |
Injury discrepancy apparent
This is the last in a series appearing this week dealing with injuries suffered in intramural athletics.
By Matt Tidwell Of the Kansan sports staff
Recreation Services received 18 reports of injury - serious and minor - from its estimated 11,000 athletes during the 1984-85 school year.
But intramural chairmen from some Kansas living groups have said that the number of reported injuries was not representative of the number of actual injuries occurring on intramural fields.
They say that many more athletes are injured in intramural sports but do not report their injuries to Rec Services.
"I would say we had at least five injuries from all the sports in our house alone last year," said Richard Hayes, Wilmette, Ill., senior and intramural chairman for the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Hayes said that none of the five were reported to Ree Services.
Hayes, and other intramural officials from various living groups, said that Rec Services either didn't notify them that injuries could be reported or they simply wanted to take care of injuries themselves.
men's and one women's living groups, all five intramural chairmen gave estimates as to the number of athletes from their group who were injured in intramural sports during the last school year.
In a random sampling of four
"There are probably houses that have had that many injuries in a year," said Randy Bryson, Overland Park sophomore and member of Delta Chi.
"But those are reported injuries and we never report our injuries. We think there is no reason to report them. There are people in our house who are just as qualified to handle the situation as Ree Services."
The total was 20
Although no figures were available for last year, Raydon Robel, K-State's Recreation Services director, said that there were 106 reported injuries at K-State during the 1983-84 intramural season.
The discrepancy between reported and actual injuries becomes even more apparent after looking at the situation in Kansas State, which has an intramural system comparable in size to KU.
"We keep a very close watch on injuries," said Robel. "I would say that we catch the majority of them."
Mary Chappell, KU Rec Services director, said that game officials were instructed to notify the field
supervisor if they suspected an athlete had been injured. Supervisors, who are trained in first aid, then are responsible for looking after the injured athlete and officially reporting the injury.
Chappell said that athletes were urged to report their injuries but that many simply don't want to be attended to. She also said that the majority of Rec Services injuries were minor and not always easy to spot by officials.
"I'm sure there are some (unreported injuries)." she said. "Sometimes injuries are hidden and you don't realize you've been hurt until you get home. Also, some people just don't like to be attended to. They take an 'i' can take care of myself attitude' but we try to watch that very closely."
Chappell said that team managers were instructed in manager's meetings and Rec Services literature to report injuries.
Still, some participants remain unaware of the policy.
"I was injured last year and I can say that nobody at our house is aware that the University has a policy as far as reporting injuries. They never notify us," Hayes said.
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