CHECK MONDAY'S KANSAN FOR RESULTS FROM THIS WEEKEND'S BASKETBALL GAMES.
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Commentary
Doug Pacey Columnist sportskansan.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2001
And KU's go-to guy will be...
People in Lawrence are thinking about football,not basketball.Kansas is playing No.4 Arizona tomorrow,and all anyone wants to talk about is the coaching search.
Al Bohl's got us all thinking football now, but how long will that last? Maybe a long time, if the Kansas athletics director hires the right man.
Here's a list of coaches who are thought to be considered: Alabama's Dennis Franchione, Fresno State's Pat Hill, former Ohio State coach John Cooper, Kansas State assistant Phil Bennett, Oklahoma assistants Mike Stoops and Mark Mangino, Michigan State assistant Bill Miller, former Oklahoma coach and Louisiana State assistant Gary Gibbs, South Carolina assistant Charlie Strong, South Florida's Jim Leavitt, Western Michigan's Gary Darnell, Marshall's Bob Pruett and Kansas' interim coach Tom Hayes.
Let's work through it. Cross Hill off because it's too obvious a selection.
That's a long list. Too long, actually You can bet half of those 13 people aren't on Bohl's short list right now.
It won't be Cooper because Bohl wants a young guy with gumption. Bennett is more interested in the vacant Southern Methodist position
he's got family in Dallas.
Stoops has said he didn't want the job, and it was not likely he would be hired anyway. If Stoops were hired he might have the team winning in two years, but he would be gone in three. Bohl does not want to go through this process again that soon.
We're down to nine now and that's still too many. We can cut Darnell because his team slipped to 5-6 this year. Gibbs won't get the job because Bohl can't hire a Big Eight retread. It's not going to be Miller because he doesn't have name recognition — something Kansas needs — in this part of the country. Forget about Leavitt, who has done an impressive job starting South Florida's program from scratch, because, like Miller, he isn't a known commodity.
Despite player approval, Hayes won't get the job. On paper he's as good a candidate as any, but there's no chance anyone associated with Terry Allen will get this job.
Mangino, Sutogu
Franchione is the sexy pick. He's from Kansas and is in his first year at Alabama after turning around a moribund Texas Christian program in four years. It would take $1 million for Kansas to buy him out of his contract.
That leaves us with Franchione,
Mangino, Strong and Pruett.
Mangino, who spent time at Kansas State before going to Oklahoma, is a name that people know and would get excited about. Strong has learned under one of the best in college football, Lou Holtz. At South Carolina, Strong coordinated the sixth-best scoring defense in the country this year.
country the team is 10-1 this year, and he's 58-9 in five years at Marshall, a member of the Mid-American Conference.
ference.
Any of those four would be a good fit. A handful of people know who the front-runners are. The rest of will have to wait and might find out who the new football coach—and Athletics Department savior—will be at halftime of the Kansas-Wake Forest basketball game Tuesday night. The national media will already be here for the basketball game.
ready be here for the basketball game How ironic.
Pacey is an Issaquah, Wash., senior in journalism.
Kansas guard Kirk Hinrich looks for an entry pass as Pittsburg State guard Kurtis Howey defends. Hinrich's task tomorrow will be a more formidable one as the 6-foot-3 forward faces either 6-8 junior Luke Walton or 6-9 junior Rick Anderson of the No. 3 Arizona Wildcats at Tucson.
Challenge on the road
Jayhawks hope to halt Arizona's three-game winning streak
By Ryan Malashock Kansan sportswriter
The game to be played on Dec. 1 didn't exactly strike fear into Drew Gooden when the junior forward first analyzed this season's Kansas basketball schedule.
Gooden knew the Jayhawks would travel to Arizona for their first true road test of the season. But the Wildcats were unranked at the time and searching for a way to replace four missing starters.
Now three weeks into the season, Arizona has unexpectedly shocked Gooden and the rest of the college basketball world by sprinting out to a 3-0 record and jumping to No.4 in The Associated Press Poll.
No. 8 Kansas and Arizona will battle at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in McKale Center in Tucson. The Jayhawks will look to
end Arizona's three-game winning streak in which the Wildcats have faced three ranked teams away from home and defeated them all.
"They play with a lot of toughness and a lot of heart," Gooden said. "It says a lot about their team if they could not be ranked in the Top 25 and three weeks into the season they're ranked third (in the ESPN/USA Today poll) in the nation."
With opening-season victories against ranked teams Maryland, Florida and Texas, coach Lute Olson's Wildcats have solidified their place as one of the top five teams in the country. Gooden said he hoped a victory tomorrow would do the same for Kansas.
would do the same.
"This game is a big test for us," Gooden said. "We lost our first game to Ball State, and that was tough. I think that is a game to redeem ourselves and see where we stand in the polls. It's a big-time game for us."
this year following its national runner-up finish last season. But the Wildcats lost starters Gilbert Arenas, Loren Woods, Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright to graduation and early-entry into the NBA draft.
waiton of 0-3 jumps.
"Rebounding will be a big thing," said Kansas freshman Keith Langford. "It's a big thing every game. We just need to box out. A lot of times when a guy that's taller sees a 6-4 guy guarding him, he'll try to jump over his back."
Starting point guard junior Jason Gardner leads an Arizona attack that features three players 6-foot-8 or taller. Kansas' short, three-guard lineup will be tested for the first time tomorrow. Kansas junior guard Kirk Hinrich is 6-3 and the third tallest starter for Kansas. He will start the game guarding either 6-8 junior Luke Walton or 6-9 junior Rick Anderson.
Arizona had high expectations for
The game will be televised on channels 5 and 13.
Contact Malashock at 864-4858
Arizona's strong start a surprise
By Ali Brox Kansan sportswriter
All three games were away from home.
Unranked in the preseason polls, the Arizona men's basketball team rose to No.4 in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll after beating nationally ranked opponents Maryland, Florida and Texas.
When Kansas travels to Arizona tomorrow, it will be the Wildcats' fourth straight game against a ranked opponent and the eighth straight dating back to last season — but their first game at home.
Arizona's difficult schedule is not surprising because of the program's winning history. But the Wildcats' perfect record so far this season has been a surprise, considering the team had lost four starters.
Arizona coach Lute Wilson and Kansas coach Roy Williams have discussed this, Williams said.
"They are a very, very good basketball team, and yet Lute himself says they've already surprised him with what they've accomplished here," Williams said.
Arizona returns only one starter from last season's national championship runner-up team. Junior guard Jason Gardner started in last year's championship game and has evolved into the leader of this year's very young team.
"I've mentioned before I don't think we've had a point guard put together three games in succession against quality opponents like Jason has," Olson said. "We've had great guards in this program, but when you look at the shooting percentage, the shots he's hit and the leadership he has had to display on the court with so many young guys, Jason has been fantastic."
Gardner averaged 24.7 points, five assists and 4.7 rebounds in the Wildcats first three victories and was named the Pac-10 player of the week.
Juniors Luke Walton and Rick Anderson and freshmen Salim Stoudamire and Isaiah Fox join Gardner in the starting line-up. The freshmen are crucial to the team's success, but they have the benefit of experienced players around them.
"That has probably been the biggest surprise, is how our young guys have responded at Texas and Madison Square Garden," Olson said. "I'll say the big reason for that is the leadership of the juniors."
Contact Brox at 864-4858
Women shooting for rebound at home
By Jessica Scor*
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team hopes to end its worst season start in more than a decade this weekend.
Kansas will work on improving at 7:05 tonight against Alabama State (1-0), a team it is facing for the first time. In Alabama's last game, six players reached double digits. The Jayhawks, who have held opponents to 36.5 percent from the field in the first five games, may have to alter their defensive plans.
"Offensively, we need to be more aggressive," Washington said. "Aggression is something we will need to improve on."
The Jayhawks (2-3) hope to take advantage of their home court as they play in the 2001 Holiday Inn Jayhawk Classic at Allen Fieldhouse this weekend. Kansas will try to find the win column and stop the skid that is the team's worst start since the 1983-84 season when it began 2-5.
Since 1996, the Jayhawks have won four of the last five Classics. Kansas coach Marian Washington understands that her team must fire power on offense.
"Defense has to be something we strengthen," Washington said. "We may have to play more zone. That has been our main defensive stay."
Depending on the outcome of their first game, the Jayhawks could play either Oregon (2-3) or St. John's (1-4) in tomorrow's game. Kansas has overall records of 2-0
slowly coming together. "The problem with our rotation is that you need eight players, and we are still so young." Washington said. "We've got somewhat of a rotation in place, but we need some more consistency."
Through five games, seniors have dominated for the Jayhawks. Guard Selena Scott leads Kansas in scoring per game with 13.6 and was named to the San Juan Shootout all-tournament team as she averaged 17.7 points in the three-day tournament. Guard/forward K.C. Hilgenkamp is second in scoring with 11 points per game and first in assists with 3.2 per game. Center Kristin Geoffroy has a team-best 54.9 field goal percentage and leads Kansas in blocks with five per game. Nikki White, who shares time with Geoffroy and has started the last two games, averages 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
against Oregon and 1-0 against St. John's. Washington said that her rotation was slowly coming together.
"I don't think it's always going to be the same people who have all the points and all the rebounds," Geoffroy said. "We're going to see various versions of it throughout the season."
Contact Scott at 864-4858
Coach pursuit focuses on great recruiters
"There won't be a coach that we entertain that won't be a great recruiter," Bohl said. "And we're starting to get a clearer picture of what we want."
The first-year Kansas athletics director said the Jayhawks' next football coach would thrive at luring talent.
week, but his wife mentioned that her husband was satisfied with his job at Nebraska.
Al Bohl has not said who he wants, but he has said what he wants.
By Jeff Denton Kansan sportswriter
Bohl has assembled a 16-person panel to assist him in landing the coach who will attempt to free the Jayhawks from college football mediocrity. Kansas has not had a winning season since 1995.
Names linked to the job have been swirling around Lawrence for weeks since interim coach Tom Hayes replaced Terry Allen, who was fired Nov. 4. Turner Gill, the quarterbacks coach for No. 6 Nebraska, is the latest coach to have severed ties with the search. Gill joined former Ohio State coach John Cooper and Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops as being eliminated from the search.
The Kansas City Star reported Wednesday that Gill had no interest in the vacancy. He was on the road recruiting for Nebraska earlier this
While three names have dropped off the search list, two new candidates have surfaced: Mark Mangino, the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, and Charlie Strong, the defensive coordinator at South Carolina.
Mangino was a Kansas State assistant coach for eight seasons before joining Bob Stoops' Sooners staff in 1999. Mangino helped develop Josh Heupel, the ex-Sooners quarterback who was the centerpiece of last year's national championship team.
Strong directs the No. 6 defense in the country. He has had stints with Florida and Mississippi in the Southeastern Conference. According to The Star, Strong already has interviewed with California and Vanderbilt about their coaching vacancies.
But of the eight Division I football teams that have yet to name a permanent coach, Bohl said he thought that Kansas was as attractive to prospective coaches as any in the field.
"The reason so many good people are involved in the search is that we have the ingredients to produce a very successful football program," he said
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Contact Denton at 864-4858
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