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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
1B
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Levi Chronister
lchronister@kansan.com
Media guide provides fans with laughs
After two embarrassing losses by the men's basketball team last week in the Preseason NIT Tournament, Kansas fans need a good laugh and a positive look at the Jayhawks.
One place to receive both necessities is the team's media guide. As many college students are too poor and/or intelligent to spend $23.99 at a store such as Jayhawk Spirit or even $15 at games for a men's basketball media guide, here's a look at some of the most interesting and amusing comments by Jayhawks in the guide.
Nick Collison was the first player profiled and said his favorite food was a Snickers ice cream bar. That's appropriate considering that Collison always satisfies on the court and can be counted on for 18 points and 10 rebounds nearly every game.
Point guard Aaron Miles also has an appropriate favorite food — Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. As floor general, Miles is the captain of the team and performs well at crunch time, leading the team late in games as well as he does in the first half.
More intriguing is Kirk Hinrich's choice of dinner companion. The senior guard said that if he could have dinner with anyone in the world that he would choose former WWF star Chyna. Can you just imagine Hinrich sitting down to dine with the "Ninth Wonder of the World?" Would you want to be a fly on the wall for that conversation? Other than the admiration of many adoring and desiring fans, I can't imagine what they'd have in common to talk about.
Another appropriate choice is Bryant Nash's favorite television show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? The junior swinger has shown increased improvisational skills this year, being able to score both inside and outside. Nash also said he modeled his game after Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady, another talented inside-outside player. If Nash can learn from both TV and the NBA, he could be a major force off the bench.
Wayne Simien shows his down-to-earth side with some of his choices as favorites. The sophomore from Leavenworth lists fishing as his favorite nonbasketball hobby and Table Rock Lake as his favorite vacation spot. The Kansas native has an unassuming, Midwestern style that fits in nicely with the teamwork and unselfishness stressed by coach Roy Williams.
Two more of the obvious comments in the guide come from Jeff Graves. The transfer from Iowa Western Community College came to Kansas overweight and out of shape, sparking Williams' ire. He may have been in better condition if grilled cheese weren't his favorite food and lounging weren't his favorite hobby other than basketball. Those two answers may go a long way in showing why Graves was in Williams' doghouse for so long.
Freshman walk-on Christian Moody became a Jayhawk with the aide of Williams' high school mentor, Buddy Baldwin. Kansas is an appropriate choice for Moody as his favorite non-basketball pro athlete — Phil Mickelson — and his favorite non-basketball pro team — the Atlanta Braves — are both known for not being able to win the big one.
My favorite comment comes from Stephen Vinson. The 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound white freshman walk-on from Lawrence High said Shaquille O'Neal would be the actor to portray him in the movie of his life. Thanks for the laughs, Steve. We all need a few after last week
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.
Stuck in second gear
John Nowak/Kansan
Kirk Rinrich waits out the final minutes of the NIT consolation game.
By Jessica Scott jsckson.kansan.com kansan sportswriter
NEW YORK — Don't expect to see members of the Kansas men's basketball team wearing "I Love New York" T-shirts around campus today.
The No. 2 team in the nation returned to Kansas this weekend a little battered from its Thanksgiving trip after dropping two straight games in the Preseason NIT Tournament. The Jayhawks' 2-2 record marks their worst start since the 1987-88 season.
In Friday night's consolation game, No. 7 Florida outplayed Kansas for all but a short time late in the second half. By the time the Jayhawks finally showed a flicker of life, the hole they were climbing out of was too deep, and Kansas lost its second game of the year, 83-73.
Friday's defeat was coach Roy Williams' second career Preseason NIT loss, but he said he was pleased the team improved from its semifinal loss to eventual champion North Carolina.
"I really do believe that we competed, especially the last 14, 15 minutes of the game." Williams said. "The kids competed, got into it emotionally and played with some passion. We weren't into it emotionally Wednesday night, and I don't know why."
In the first half, it looked as if the Jayhawks were trying to re-enact Wednesday night's loss to the Tar Heels. From the opening tip until halftime, the
Additional Preseason NIT coverage inside on pages 2B & 3B
"We weren't into it emotionally Wednesday night, and I don't know why."
Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach
Gators dominated every facet of the game and led the entire 20 minutes.
Defensive laziness hurt the Jayhawks. The starters repeatedly got beat to the goal, allowing Florida's Matt Bonner and Matt Walsh to each reach double digits by halftime. With just under nine minutes remaining, Kansas already was in the double bonus thanks to Florida's fouling problems, but the Jayhawks hurt themselves by hitting only 10-of-20 foul shots.
Senior Nick Collison, who had two points at the break, said his struggles came every time he caught the ball.
"They played a zone and when I got the ball, I wasn't making quick enough decisions," he said. "I was trying to do too much."
The Jayhawks came out rejuvenated after halftime as guards Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Miles sank back-to-back three pointers within the first minute. The energy continued to build for Kansas when sophomore Wayne Simien made two consecutive dunks. But as quickly as the Jayhawks scored, Florida's Justin Hamilton and Anthony Roberson poured in a combined 11 points in just more than one minute of play.
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 6B
Women sweep California foes
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The women's basketball players were a long way from their dorm rooms during Thanksgiving break, but that didn't keep them from making themselves at home.
The Jayhawks (3-0) defeated Cal State Fullerton (1-2) and San Diego (2-1) during their five-day visit to California. After winning just five games last season, Kansas is off to its best start since the 1999-2000 team began the season 5-0.
Against the Cal State-Fullerton Titans on Wednesday, sophomore forward Blair Waltz was nearly perfect. She made
all four of her free throw attempts, both of her three-point shots and was 7-9 from the field, for a career-high 20 points.
Spurred by Waltz's 13 first-half points, the Jayhawks opened a 12-point lead early in the opening stanza. Cal State-Fullerton battled back and trailed by just six with four seconds left before halftime. Freshmen guard Erica Hallman squashed any hope of a Titans comeback when she drilled a half-court three pointer at the buzzer to send the Jayhawks into the break with a 32-23 advantage. She finished the day with nine points.
After contributing just two points and one rebound during the first 20 minutes.
Three days later, the Jayhawks held San Diego to the same score while winning 59-56. The Jayhawks trailed 29-27 at the half despite a 14 -point effort by sophomore Aquanita Burras. Burras, who is tied for Kansas's leading scorer with Kemp at 15 points per game, finished the contest with a game-high 16 points.
freshmen forward Crystal Kemp caught fire in the second half. She scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in Kansas' 66-56 victory.
Holding true to the pattern set in the Cal State-Fullerton game, another Jayhawk took control of the second half. Tamara Ransburg scored 13 points and hauled down 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes.The 6-foot-4 freshman center
notched her first double double at Kansas, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds. As if that wasn't enough, she recorded six of the Jayhawks' '13 blocked shots — second highest team total for a single-game in school history.
Ransburg also hit the final free throw of the game. The score capped a 9-2 Jayhawk run that gave them the final, three point margin of victory.
Kansas will face the next threat to its unblemished record when it meets Texas Southern in the first round of the KU Classic at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. It will meet either Western Michigan or Western Illinois on Saturday.
-Edited by Matt Norton
Volleyball left out of NCAA tourney
By Jason Hwang
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sports swimmer
Despite setting a school record for the most conference wins in a season and ending the regular season tied for the highest conference winning percentage, the Kansas volleyball squad fell short of being in the 64-team NCAA tournament.
Sophomores Abbie Jacobson and Jill Dorsey react as the NCAA volleyball tournament brackets are announced. The Jayhawks failed to secure a spot in this year's 64-team tournament.
"It's disappointing. I'm real proud of my team," senior defensive specialist Jennifer Kraft said. "We did really well this season and took huge strides as a program. That's something that the future of the program can look forward to."
Coach Ray Bechard said in the past, the top six teams in the Big 12 Conference have always been selected for the tournament. He said he and the players were confident the team would be selected after Saturday's win over Colorado, which gave Kansas 10 conference wins and placed them sixth in the conference.
"We were hoping to trust the history of the Big 12 Conference. In the beginning we knew that the ultimate goal was
John Nowak/Kansan
to make the NCAA tournament," Bechard said. "It didn't work out. But I don't think that takes away from anything these young ladies have accomplished."
Bechard said tough losses at home to Texas A&M and Missouri might have left the team a couple wins shy of what it needed to enter the tournament. He said he thought the nonconference opponents would be competitive and help the team strengthen its schedule, along with playing in the Big 12 Conference. But Bechard said those opponents did do as well as expected.
Before the NCAA bracket was announced, Bechard told the team that two Jayhawks received individual awards in the Big 12. Kraft was named the Big 12 defensive specialist of the year. Freshman Josiane Lima was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and honorable mention on the All Big 12 team.
Bechard said both players deserved their awards. He said there was no question the defensive specialist award would go to Kraft. "That's a position that requires energy, enthusiasm, and tremendous fortitude," he said.
"Josi as newcomer of the year makes as big of an impact on any programs as any new player on any program," Bechard said.
Kraft said she was surprised that the end of her volleyball competitive career came to an end so quickly. She said she hoped that next year's senior class could carry the team to further success.
"We're looking forward to next year. We got some good new talent coming in and got a lot of great players returning with a little more experience," Bechard said. "The future looks bright. We'll make the adjustments and a year later, we'll be back here with a little better results."
— Edited by Nicole Roché