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1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002
Time to rebound for Hawks
Team trying to end season's rough start with victory tonight
By Jessica Scott
jscott@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
This is unfamiliar territory for the Kansas men's basketball program.
Bryant Nash, junior forward, gets fouled by a UNC Greensoro Spartan. The Jayhawks will play the Central Missouri State Mules tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.
Eric Braem/Kansan
A losing streak?
Tonight, the Jayhawks will try to break their two game losing streak when Central Missouri State comes to town.
For the first time in 15 years, Kansas (2-2) starts the season with an even .500 winning percentage after losses to North Carolina and Florida in the preseason NIT. Coach Roy Williams, who said he was embarrassed by how his team played last week, is keeping things in perspective, and most importantly, not panicking.
"It's not like we've fallen off the top of the bridge and it's not like we've forgotten how to play basketball," Williams said. "You go around the country and pick out some schedules and give us some of those schedules, we'd be 4-0 right now and everybody would be fat and happy."
The Mules (4-0) arrive with an unblemished record, although their wins against Monmouth, Westminster, Midwestern State and St. Mary's don't exactly compare to Kansas' losses against No.12 North Carolina and No.8 Florida. Still, Williams said after what his team experienced in New York, there's no way it would look past Central Missouri State and its talented coach Kim Anderson.
"Kim's coming in here with a good club." Williams said. "You know, they're 4-0 and won a tournament on the road, and I don't care what level or where you are, winning on the road is not easy."
Sophomore guard Michael Lee, who could increase his playing time while
SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 6B
Hinrich benched with back injury
By Jessica Tims
jimts@kansan.com
Kansan associate sports editor
It has been 108 games since Kansas basketball fans have seen a game that did not star Kirk Hinrich. Tonight will mark the first time since becoming a Jayhawk that the senior guard will sit idle on the Kansas bench.
Hinrich's absence from the court will give him time to rest his back after it was strained during the Preseason NIT in New York City last week.
"He can play Wednesday night, but I think it would be silly to try to play him," Williams said. "I told the team Sunday that he wasn't going to play. There wasn't going to be any of this we'll-check-with-him-in-warm-ups Wednesday night."
Despite the pain in his back, which first plagued him during Wednesday's game against North Carolina, Hinrich played in Kansas' last game Friday
against Florida.
Williams said his decision to play Hinrich depended on the player's performance in pregame warm-ups and his determination to play.
"That's probably a mistake on my part." he said. "There's no question that if I had to do it over again I wouldn't have done it."
"For us to play well, we're definitely a lot better with him. For our team, it's more important that he gets healthy. I don't know what the doctors are saying, but if there's a situation where he needs to rest then he needs to rest and get it done now," Collison said.
Hinrich has not participated in practice since returning from New York City, Williams said.
"He's getting a lot of treatment," he
Forward Nick Collison, who has played all 108 games with Hinrich, said although the absence of his fellow senior would impact the team, his health was the number one concern.
"We're definitely a lot better with him. For our team, it's more important that he gets healthy."
Nick Collison Kansas Forward
"I know he was doing a lot of things yesterday for his back during the course of practice. He came out on the court at the very end and was shooting free throws, that's all."
said. "I think he's either been in the swimming pool or going to the swimming pool.
Williams said it had not yet been decided if Hinrich would play in Saturday's game against Oregon in Portland. He said that decision will be made tomorrow or Friday.
— Edited by Katie Teske
Eric Braem/Kansan
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Kirk Hinrich, senior guard, will watch the Jayhawks play from the bench tonight in the men's basketball game against Central Missouri State because of back injuries. Tonight will be Hinrich's first time sitting out since he has played for Kansas. Hinrich has not been practicing with the team since it returned from New York City.
Andy Samuelson asamuelson@kansan.com
No need for fans to go nuts
For all the Chicken Little basketball fans of this University, rest assured that the sky has not fallen — it's just sagging a bit over Allen Fieldhouse right now.
It's nothing a blowout victory tonight against Central Missouri State wouldn't start to set straight or wins against No. 7 Oregon this Saturday and No. 19 Tulsa on Dec. 11 wouldn't all but solve for fanatical Kansas basketball lovers.
Yes, the Jayhawks looked more confused last week against North Carolina than if bowling balls had bonked their noggins, let alone acorns like in that famous nursery rhyme.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said it was the most embarrassed he's ever been. Then his team followed its futile effort against the Tar Heels with 20 minutes of flat play against Florida before a second half surge fell short against the then seventh-ranked Gators.
And, what's it all mean?
Nothing!
OK, yeah, it was the first time in Williams' 15-year career that his Jayhawks have lost back-to-back games in November.
And sure, no Kansas team had lost by 10 points in consecutive contests since the 1982-83 season. Heck, at least half of this campus wasn't born when those two tragedies occurred under coach Ted Owens.
But when all is said — mostly in Internet chat rooms, newspapers, radio and television — and done, it's two losses in the first month of the season.
It's not the end of the world.
Worst case scenario: the Jayhawks suffer back-to-back losses every month of this season and still qualify for the tournament easily.
What Kansas fan wouldn't trade two November losses for five wins in March and a glorious victory in April.
If every game is a measuring stick, then Kansas failed last week — measurably.
But.
"College basketball, the good thing is you get to play," Williams said.
And Roy is right, playing seems to be the main solution to the Jayhawks' problems. They need time to find out who and what this year's team is all about.
This isn't last year's Final Four team, and maybe the Jayhawks were trying to emulate that squad too much.
"We haven't found ourselves as a team yet," said senior Nick Collison. "We kind of feel like if things aren't going well, we have to break it off and do something different. Last year we were so comfortable with what we had, we'd keep playing through it and eventually we'd win.
"That's something we just don't have
SEE SAMUELSON PAGE 6B
Men's soccer deserves recognition as a varsity team
When I first took the position as the clubs sportswriter for The University Daily Kansas, I approached the task with conflicting feelings. I have always felt there was almost a stigma attached to club sports.
Men's club soccer this semester should prove to everyone on campus that club sports can succeed at high levels of competition and talent. They are club, but that does not mean they are any less deserving of coverage and attention for their accomplishments.
It's a club sport, not a varsity sport. The common thought attached to such a title implies for some that it is a substandard level of athletics.
Last week, the team lost to eventual national club champion Weber State 2-1, sending KU home from the tournament in Bakersfield, Calif. Despite the loss, the team's players should be coming home with their heads high for the season they had and the admirable fashion in which they represented the University.
One of my first stories evolved from an irate phone call to the Kansan from Cedric Sunray, a first year graduate student on the team. Because its practice field at Shenk Complex was closed for renovations, the team tried practicing at the SuperTarget Field, where the women's varsity soccer team plays.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
The Athletics Department turned
Steve Vockrodt svockrodt@kansan.com
down its request to play its at the field, and the team looked elsewhere. The rest of Lawrence was no more hospitable to the team, especially at Holcom Sport Complex where it was kicked off in favor of a junior varsity high school team.
"When you get bumped from a field for
Inclement weather in Austin. Texas
a J.V. soccer team, that is when you have, hit rock bottom." Surnay said.
However, the team did not hit anywhere near rock bottom in terms of onfield performance. From the onset of the season, KU dominated league opponents and rivals, including an early season 4-0 victory over Kansas State and a later 10-0 defeat of Pittsburg State.
The team continued to improve under the tutelage of head coach Matt McCune, and Lawrence finally began to embrace the team and contributions from individuals and businesses helped pay for the team's trip to the regional tournament to qualify for national championships.
prevented the completion of the regional tournament, but based on the strong consistent performance of KU throughout the season, a committee elected to send KU to the national tournament.
By this time, even the department, brought the team out at halftime of a KU football game to recognize its trin.
Although the team fell short of its goal of winning the national championship, its effort and performance was not diminished.
Congratulations, KU men's soccer, on a fine season.
Vockrodt is a Denver junior in journalism and political science.