INSIDE: Cardinals' McGwire plans to retire. SEE PAGE 7A. INSIDE: Despite pounding Kansas, Texas slips in BCS rankings. SEE PAGE 7A.
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10A
SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact Jay Krall or Sarah Warren at (785) 364-2911 or sports@kensan.com
Commentary
Doug Pacey Columnist sportsakan.san.com
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2001
Washington won't just walk away
Marian Washington's skin is so clear and wrinkle-free you'd never guess she's in her early 50s or has coached women's basketball at Kansas for 29 years.
But she might want to stash away a jar or two of Clinique facial cream in her office because she could age a whole lot this year.
whole lot this year.
A year after the Jayhawks finished 12-
17, this season's team is full of question
marks. Kansas needs to find a legitimate
rebounder and get offensive production
from its guards. If those holes aren't
filled, Washington might have her worst
record since she was 7-17 after her second
season at Kansas in 1974-75.
That has some people whispering that the game has passed her by, that she's lost her recruiting touch and that it's about time she retired.
it's about her.
All of that's absurd, but if she didn't
show up for her 30th season, no one
could blame her.
After all, she's done just about all there is to do in women's basketball.
Win any conference titles? Seven of them. Been to the NCAA tournament? Eleven times, actually. Won a national championship? Not as a coach, but as a player, her 1969 West Chester State team won the Women's National Invitation Tournament (there was no NCAA tournament at the time).
Recognized in her field by peers? Too many times to fit onto this page, but here's a short list: two-time Black Coaches Association Coach of the Year, two-time Big Eight Coach of the Year, the only two-time president of Black Coaches Association (a 3,000member organization that is 98 percent male), assistant on the 1996 Olympic women's basketball team, two-time Olympic selection committee member and Giant Steps Award recipient for contributions to women's athletics.
With all those accomplishments and the women's basketball program in a downturn, now seems to be as good a time as any to retire. But Washington doesn't want to hear any of that, and she's curious why everyone wants to know her future plans.
"Why is everybody asking me when I'm going to retire?" she said last week. "I don't know when it will be, but when I stop enjoying coaching and am not able to recruit effectively, it will be time."
it will be time.
Break out the long-term contract, Al Bohl, because she might never leave Kansas. She has coached the Jayhawks for 29 years, and there's no way she'll wake up one morning and say, "Hey, I don't like basketball anymore."
As for recruiting, she signed six newcomers to this season's team and says next year's class, which might be one of the best in the Big 12, could turn the Jayhawks in the right — and familiar — direction again.
That is why Washington will stick around. Kansas women's basketball is Marian Washington, and she is Kansas women's basketball. No way will she walk away from the program when it needs her more than ever before.
"I'm not going to leave before I turn things around," she said with an emphatic shake of her head. "But I'm not going to be like some football coaches and do it until I will 70."
No one who knows a thing about Kansas women's basketball expects her to do anything less. But you know, even if she did coach for two more decades, she'd still have better skin than any football coach I've ever seen.
Pacey is lssaquah, Wash., senior in journalism
Tourney-bound
Hawks to play in their first NCAA tournament ever on Thursday
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
Cheers from the Kansas soccer team echoed through the eighth-floor press box at Memorial Stadium yesterday as the Jayhawks' berth in the NCAA tournament was announced.
Kansas (13-6 overall) is slated to take on Brigham Young University (13-6-1) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Lincoln, Neb. The contest will be the first game ever between the two schools.
Before the 2 p.m. selection show, freshman goalkeeper Meghan Miller left a note on a marker board that seemed to represent the emotions of the entire team.
between the two schools. The Kansas players watched and hoped yesterday afternoon. They were gathered around a big-screen television, as the 64-team NCAA tournament field was slowly being unveiled via satellite.
"I'm going to puke. If anyone wants to join me, I'll be in the third stall on the
earning the good news, a relieved
Upon hearing the good news, a relieved
Miller walked back to the marker board
and wrote "I MOK NOW!!!"
Just 15 minutes into the selection show, the Jayhawks were announced as earning an at-large bid.
The berth marks the first time the Jayhawks have ever been selected for the NCAA tournament. After an opening round upset to Missouri in the Big 12 Conference tournament, senior forward Natalie Hoogveld said she had doubts about her career continuing.
"After the loss against Missouri, I was kind of scared that it would be over," she said. "It's kind of like another chance to prove ourselves. Hopefully, we can come up big and make big things happen for the program."
left,"she wrote.
the program.
After a record-setting 13-6 season,
coach Mark Francis said a first-round
victory would be a bonus.
victory we won. "We've never won a postseason game before," Francis said. "I think that would be a goal we'll set for this weekend."
For a Kansas squad that had never finished above .500, Francis was able to work his magic and turn yet another program around. Before coming to Kansas, Francis served as coach at South Alabama. He acquired a depleted Jaguar roster and finished 2-17 in 1996. One year later, he was celebrating a Big South Conference title, finishing the season 18-3-1. The 16-win turnaround is a NCAA Division I-A record.
"There's no secret to it," Francis said. "You bring in good players, you organize them, you get them all on the same page and you'll be successful. We were able to bring in some good players, and the returning players were hungry to be successful after the last couple of years. The attitude of the team was something I look for.
"We step onto the field every game this year knowing if we play good,we have the opportunity to win. I don't see it being any different on Thursday."
The winner of Thursday's game will take on the winner of Nebraska vs. Boston College on Saturday in Lincoln.
Contact Wood at 864-4858
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAURIE SIKS
Kansas aims for improvement
Coach may experiment with lineup in team's last exhibition game
By Ryan Malashock Kansan sportswriter
NCAA Division II Fort Hays State may not present the Kansas men's basketball team with a challenge tonight, but the Tigers could help the Jayhawks improve. And improvement is all Kansas coach Roy Williams is looking for at this point.
for at this point. "I'm looking for more of 5-on-5 execution, whether it's offensively with set plays or defensively, and everybody getting into the same defense," Williams said, "We're just trying to get more game-like situations and be able to do what we're supposed to do."
Guard Kirk Hinrich soars past the defender on his way to the hoop. The junior helped the team win its exhibition game Wednesday night against the EA Sports All-Stars. The Jayhawks will take on the Fort Hays State Tigers at 7 tonight in Allen Fieldhouse.
Tenight's game will tip off at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. This will be Kansas' final exhibition game before opening the season Monday in the Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii.
he said the coach. The freshman Aaron Miles was the third guard starting alongside junior Kirk Hinrich and senior Jeff Boschee. But freshman forward Wayne Simien outshined all newcomers with 25 points and eight rebounds.
The Jayhawks defeated the EA Sports All-Stars 98-77 on Wednesday, which began the exhibition season. Williams used a three-guard lineup that night, but he said he could experiment tonight.
Though still confident with the three-guard look, Williams said Simien's performance may lead to a three-forward lineup. Simien could see playing time with juniors Drew Gooden and Nick Collison. Gooden would move to the small forward position with Simien and Collison patrolling the middle.
"We've done a little bit of both in practice," Williams said. "I don't think we did a single play the other night in the game. I'm trying not to confuse the freshmen too much right now. We have done that in practice, and I wouldn't be surprised if we did it again."
The three-guard lineup could hamper Kansas' rebounding ability, but the Jayhawks passed their first rebounding test against EA Sports. Kansas out rebounded EA Sports 43-36 despite playing three players 6-foot-4 or shorter for most of the game.
"I think we need to keep working on rebounding," Collison said. "The guards are definitely going to have to rebound more, but if we all work on boxing out, we'll be fine." Note:
Former Tennessee men's basketball coach Jerry Green was Williams' guest at practice yesterday and will watch Kansas' game tonight. Williams has a current or former coach visit Lawrence almost every preseason to observe the
team and give feedback.
team and give lessons "He's going to watch practice,watch the exhibition game and watch practice again on Wednesday." Williams said. "I'll try to have him come up with a scouting report of our team and what he thinks we do well, what we do poorly and what he would do to try and beat us."
Contact Malashock at 864-4858
Hayes proud of freshman linebacker's adjustment
By Jeff Denton
Kansan sportswriter
Banks Floodman had no time to get nervous Saturday.
With time running out in the first quarter of Kansas' 59-0 blowout loss to No. 5 Texas, Marcus Rogers, the Jayhawks senior co-captain and starting middle linebacker, got tangled up in a pile while making a tackle. While several players bounced up from the turf, Rogers lay on the field in pain. His left ankle was sprained so severely he had to be helped off the field. Rogers would not return.
Banks Floodman
His backup, Floodman, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound freshman from Wichita, was forced into duty. There was no time to react to Rogers' injury. The freshman would have to take over for the
to play.
"Coach Barr always tells us that you are one play away from being a starter or playing." Floodman said after the game.
"I hate the situation of Marcus Rogers going out like this, but I had to go out there and do my job."
senior. Linebackers coach Johnny Barr had encouraged Floodman to be ready to play.
there and do my job. Floodman has been a regular on the Kansas special teams this season, but he has seen only limited action in the middle linebacker spot because of Rogers' dominance and experience. The senior, who has started every game for the Jayhawks since the beginning of 2000, leads the team with 96 tackles and is tied for first in the Big 12 Conference with 12 tackles per game.
But Floodman flourished in Roger's spot. The true freshman covered sideline to sideline to record a team-high 11
SEE FLOODMAN PAGE 9A
NCAA BASKETBALL
24 Oklahoma 66
Central Connecticut
NBA
44
Golden State 86
Memphis 79
NBA
Utah 105
Orlando 98
NFL
Baltimore
Baltimore 16
Tennessee 10
1