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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Commentary
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2001
Michael
Rigg
Columnist
sportskansan.com
Celebrating this season without a hero
Happy Holidays, everybody.
Mine won't be as happy this year. That's because while I'm celebrating at home in Denver, half my family will be in Alabama, celebrating Christmas with my stepsister, whose husband just couldn't make it this year.
It won't be as happy because, at roughly the same time I'm giving my last gift and sitting down to dinner, my hero will be half a world away, taking aim at another "strategic military target."
For the past four years, I've struggled with the topic of my last column ever in the Kansan. I thought about doing something on myself, but that wouldn't be appropriate. After all, there are more important things to worry about, and there are certainly better people in this world.
Scott Ward never played sports — at least not professionally. He was a quarterback in high school — in Vail, Colo., of all places — where he set records throwing to a high school teammate named Jeff Campbell. Campbell would go on to play in the National Football League. Scott chose more important things.
When it came to his college choice, Scott took the road less traveled — the United States Air Force Academy. While at the Air Force, Scott lived the ideal cadet life. He studied hard and earned his degree. He played a little lacrosse. And, when he was ready, he married my stepsister at the Academy's chapel and was officially welcomed into the family.
After graduation, he got ready for life after the Air Force. He had some regular duties — he even went to Kuwait a few times to "keep the peace" — but he never had to do anything during a war. That changed on Sept. 11.
Scott was one of the first in line to fight in Afghanistan. He left last Friday, and neither 1—nor anybody else in the family—has heard much from him since.
He lives in a tent with eight other guys and eats those dehydrated packages of food that make the Wescoe Terrace salad bar sound appetizing. There is a bathroom in his camp, but it's more than 100 feet from his tent, and the path in between is lined with scorpions.
We do know he's tired. He's flying four times as much as he usually does, on missions that he's not allowed to talk about. It's windy over there, and he said the wind could make the flying that much harder.
I check the Internet and news wires hourly for news from Afghanistan. I heard last week about American casualties, and I waited by my phone for bad news.
It didn't ring, and no news is good news at this point.
Scott never lost that quarterback mentality. He's the kind of guy who — even if he didn't have John Elway's arm or body — had his swagger. The kind of swagger that a gun-slinging quarterback has when he's down by 12 in the fourth quarter and knows he's got the other team right where he wants them.
So these holidays, Scott will be using that swagger to keep our country safe.
Meanwhile. I'll be at home, celebrating with half my family, pondering my future without the Kansan, and praying for no news.
Rigg is a Greenwood Village, Colo. senior in broadcast news.
One more note — A special thanks to my parents, my roommates, my friends, Tim Bush, Chris Wristen and Leah Kraft for everything they've done for me.
'Hawks roll on the road
Slow tempo doesn't keep Jayhawks from dominating Princeton in the second half
By Ryan Malashock Kansan sportswriter
PRINCETON, N.J. — Princeton vainly attempted to lull No. 4 Kansas into a slow, half-court oriented game last night. But that's not Kansas' style of play, and the Jayhawks proved it by controlling the tempo on both ends of the court in their 78-62 victory before a small but raucous sellout-crowd of 6,854 at Jadwin Gym.
Princeton held Kansas to a season-low 59 shots, but Kansas' offense quick
ened the pace of the game by capitalizing on fast-break opportunities whenever they were available. The Jayhawks frustrated the Tigers on the other end of the court, playing sound man-to-man defense.
The Jayhawks forced 20 turnovers. Kansas prevented the Tigers from converting on a backdoor cut, Princeton's marquee play, until nine minutes remained in the game.
"Defensively, we looked as good as we've been all year, except for the last part of the first half," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "They play a tough style of offense, with their backdoor looks, but we were doing some really nice things."
Princeton coach John Thompson said Kansas' defensive pressure wreaked
havoc on the usually efficient Princeton offense.
"They really pressure the ball and they come after you," Thompson said. "They are the kind of team that can switch against anything, and their big guys can guard small guys."
Kansas junior forward Nick Collisor led the way for Kansas with 19 points freshman guard Aaron Miles scored a career-high 15 points and junior guard Kirk Hinrich totaled 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Collison, Miles, Hinrich and junior forward Drew Gooden, who scored 15 points and snatched seven rebounds, sparked a 15-5 Kansas run in the game's first five minutes.
The Jayhawks took a commanding 31-12 lead with seven minutes to go in the
first half and appeared to be well on their way to a blowout victory. But the Tigers cut the lead to 35-29 at the half by going on a 17-4 streak, which ended with Tiger guard Ed Persia's three-pointer as time expired.
A visibly upset Williams expressed his displeasure to the Jayhawks as they headed to the locker room at halftime, and they responded. Kansas scored the first 10 points of the second half, six of them on Collison dunks. The Jayhawks' lead did not dip below double digits for the remainder of the contest.
"Coming out of the half, the key was to take care of the ball, and we did," Miles said. "We got careless and made some mistakes at the end of the first half."
Fall season has share of low, highlights
Contact Malashock at 864-4858
By Brent Briggeman
Kansan sportswriter
The fall sports season came to close without fanfare, but with expectations of future success.
The football team had its worst season in 10 years, but welcomed a new coach who has promised to bring the team to top of the Big 12 Conference. The cross country team continued to improve in coach Stanley Redwine's third season as the women notched their highest finish in conference history.
The highlight of the fall sea.
The highlight of the la son was provided by the soccer team, which qualified for its first- ever NCAA Tournament.
The following is a roundup of the fall sports seasons. Football
Since the beginning of the fall semester, the Kansas football team had as many head coaches as it had wins.
Still, despite the
3-8 record — the worst in Lawrence since 1988 — the program saw renewed excitement when Mark Mangino was named as the school's 35th football coach on Dec. 4. The former Oklahoma offensive coordinator inherited a wounded
program that surrendered the fifth most yards in school history and scored less than any offense in the Bia 12
Freshman quarterback Mario Kinsev and
sophomore running back Reggie Duncan were suspended for the season opener after being charged by the Douglas County District Attorney in connection with a purse theft June 8 in front
of Bailey Hall.
But although both provided lows in the ..
Texas Tech.
Kansas season.
they also provided someone of the few highlights. Duncan ran for 227 yards and Kinseyled a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter as Kansas earned a road upset at
at Colorado, the third longest in school history and the longest ever at Folsom Field. Beck finished the season with 14 field goals in 20 attempts, including nine of 12 on kicks longer
Freshman kicker Johnny Beck provided another highlight as he kicked a 59-ward field goal
than 40 yards. Cross Country
Both the men's and women 's cross country
teams failed to live up to their season goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships when the men finished ninth and the women placed eighth at the Midwest Regional.
The injury bug plagued Kansas all year, especially at the regional meet when two men
and one woman were slowed by ailments.
The women grabbed their highest finish since joining the Big 12 Conference. The women, who finished 11th last year, improved to eighth at the Big 12 Meet on Oct. 27 in Norman, Okla.
The highlight of the men's season came when the team placed fifth out of 28 teams at the Chili Pepper
Cross Country Festival, which was hosted by the University of Arkansas.
Soccer
The best season in Kansas women's soccer history was rewarded with one of 36 at-large bids to the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament.
Kansas dropped its tournament opener 1-0 to BYU, but the loss didn't take away from a season that started strong and never wavered.
Kansas won the San Diego State Invitational Title as it stormed to a nents with a 38-5 record over best-ever 3-1 start. the past four seasons
Wins against Texas Tech and Colorado propelled Kansas to its record ninth win with four games remaining in the regular season.
The emotional highpoint of the season came in a 2-0 home win against Missouri in the regular-season finale. The win was Francis' first against the Tigers and guaranteed the Jayhawks a fourth-place conference finish.
The Kansas volleyball team continued its pattern for the fifth year in a row — dominate early, then
The team finished with a 13-7 record,the best in school history. Volleyball
struggle in the Big 12 Conference.
The Jayhawks started the season hot, setting a school record by winning their first 10 games. In the process, they captured titles at the Charlotte Invitational and their own Hampton Inn Jayhawk Classic.
While Kansas has dominated nonconference oppo-
ents with a 56-9 record over the past four seasons, they have struggled against Big 12 competition, posting a 25-55 mark during the same span.
The trend continued this fall, as Kansas earned a 6-14 conference season.
One highlight of the year came when Kansas broke a three-game losing skid and upset Missouri on the road at the Hearnes Center.
Kansas also
SEE ROUNDUP PAGE 6A
Mangino keeps two assistants from Allen's staff
By Jeff Denton Kansan sportswriter
A graduate assistant at Ohio State and two assistant coaches from this year's Kansas team have accepted offers to join Jayhawk football coach Mark Mangino's new coaching staff, The Topeka Capital- reported.
Brandon Blaney, who worked at Oklahoma with Mangino as a graduate assistant during the 2002 season, spent this year in the same role at Ohio State. The Topeka Capital-Journal said Blaney had already left Columbus, Ohio to join Mangino's staff.
According to The Topeka Capital Journal and the Lawrence-Journal World, Mangino will retain Travis Jones and Clint Bowen as assistant coaches. They were both assistants on Terry Allen's staff this season.
Jones, Kansas defensive line coach, came to Kansas last spring from Appalachian State in North Carolina as one of Jayhawks' seven new assistant coaches. Jones handled the recruiting chores at Appalachian State. He played defensive line at Georgia and served as one of its team captains in 1994.
The Lawrence Journal-World said another coach, Pat Henderson, defensive backs coach at Southern Methodist, had also been hired by Mangino. Henderson played defensive end at Kansas for one season in 1973.
Bowen, who has been an administrative assistant at Kansas, coached Kansas' special teams last season. He played defensive back at Kansas and led the team in tackles in 1992, the last time Kansas played in a bowl game.
Al Bohl, Kansas athletics director, said
Mangino has been on the road recruiting during the past several days.
Notes:
last week that Kansas had designated $1 million for Mangino's new coaching staff.
Mangino has been doing what he has a reputation for doing best during the past few days - recruiting.
Jon Kirby of MOKANfootball.com, who evaluates high school football talent in Kansas and Missouri and follows national recruits for both schools, said the hiring of Mangino had made a big splash in the Kansas City area.
"He's pretty polished, one of the best around," Kirby said. "He gets kids because they feel like they know him."
Kirby said Kansas' attraction for potential recruits had skyrocketed because of Mangino's name.
Brandon Blaney will work with Mangino as a graduate assistant. He was a graduate assistant last season at Ohio State.
Travis Jones will return for his second year as Kansas' defensive line coach
"It's still in the early stages, but kids are
Mangino's coaching hires
Clint Bowen will return as Kansas' special team coach.
definitely going to give Kansas a chance because of what Mangino did at Oklahoma and K-State. He comes in and turns things around. He'll do that at Kansas," Kirby said.
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