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SPORTS
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WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2002
Williams ready for beloved UNC
Eric Breem/Kansan
Sophomore forward Wayne Simien eyes the hoop in the men's basketball team's game versus UNC-Greensboro. The Jayhawks will travel to New York for the NIT over Thanksgiving break.
Preseason NIT battle pits Jayhawks against Williams' alma mater
By Jessica Scott jscott@kansan.com kansan sportswriter
The program he idolizes, a school he loves and the game he breathes all will merge together tomorrow in New York City.
It's all part of Roy Williams' life.
Kansas will play North Carolina in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. The Tar Heels — who almost lured Williams right out of Lawrence nearly three years ago — have close ties to the Jayhawk coach. A North Carolina native, Williams worked under his mentor Dean Smith on the North Carolina coaching staff, and today the Tar Heels are coached by former Kansas assistant Matt Doherty.
"I don't think anybody loves that basketball program like I love it," Williams said. "It's not just Matt Doherty — it's North Carolina. Tar Heel born, Tar Heel bred, Tar Heel dead."
But Kansas was too good a place to leave behind. Williams kept the entire country in suspense when he wrestled with taking the head coaching position after coach Smith retired. Now, he must face the team that he once dreamed of playing for, and this time it is coached by a man that Williams taught.
But, Williams said, he had never regretted his decision to stay.
"I'm in Kansas, I'm a Jayhawk. That
ain't gonna change. I love that," he
said. "I've tried to really not look back and really tried to focus on the Kansas people being happy that I stayed here. It was not an easy decision."
However, it was a decision that opened up a head-coaching door for Doherty, who echoes Williams' mixed emotions about playing a close friend.
"He's like a big brother to me," Doherty said. "You don't like to play against someone you care about, because someone is going to lose. And sometimes when you win those games you feel worse than you do if you lose because you feel bad for the other person. But once the ball goes up, it's going to be Carolina's players against Kansas' players."
That's how the Jayhawks feel going into tomorrow night's matchup. Sophomore Keith Langford, who scored a career-high 24 points in Friday's victory against the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, said this game was just another day on the job for his team and his coach.
"He doesn't want to get caught up in the North Carolina/Kansas thing," Langford said. "To me, North Carolina is just another opponent."
Langford's teammate Wayne Simien said he feels a bit differently
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 6B
1320 KLWN OR 810 WHB
The Preseason NIT games will be broadcast on both ESPN and ESPN Radio.
Kansas's semifinal game against the North Carolina Tar heels will be broadcast at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The championship game will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Jayhawks head for California sunshine
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Erica Hallman, freshman guard, drives down the court against the University of Texas-Eli Paso Miners. The Jayhawks will travel to southern California to face the Cal State-Fullerton Titans tomorrow and the San Diego Toreros on Saturday.
Women's basketball team plays two teams in tournament escapes freezing Kansas weather
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.con
Kansan sportswriter
temperatures in Lawrence are supposed to drop below freezing every night of the Thanksgiving break, but staying warm won't be a problem for the Kansas women's basketball team. The Jayhawks (1-0) are headed for the gentle climate of southern California.
The trip won't be all vacation for Kansas, as the team will play two games against West Coast Conference opponents. The Jayhawks face the Cal State-Fullerton Titans at 4 p.m. tomorrow and San Diego Toreros at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
The games will be Kansas's first since beating the University of Texas-El Paso in its season opener Sunday. Kansas coach Marian Washington said the 63-60 victory and following trip would give the Jayhawks an opportunity to build momentum.
"As young as they are, they're going to be a very fine team in the future," Washington said. "So we're going to go to California and try to get a couple more."
The game was also on the minds of Washington's
players shortly after the game. Freshman forward Crystal Kemp said she was looking forward to visiting California, but she said she didn't want to be away from her family for Thanksgiving.
"I won't get to be with my family, that's the only thing," she said. "But I have a new family now."
Any homesickness the players might feel should be softened by the Jayhawks' pleasant surroundings. The team will spend the holiday in the 70-degree weather of San Diego, and Kemp said she wanted to visit Sea World.
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras never mentioned Sea World, but she is still thrilled to be traveling to the West Coast. She thinks Mother Nature might be looking forward to seeing the Jayhawks in the Sunshine State as well.
Kansas will be seeking its first victories against both programs. The Jayhawks have never met San Diego, and Cal State-Fullerton holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.
"I heard that it might be raining, but when Kansas comes in, the sun might come out for us," she said.
The games against Kansas will be the third of the season for the Titans and Toreros. Cal State-Fullerton played the University of New Mexico in a game late last night. Results were unavailable at press time. San Diego will play Denver University tonight.
— Edited by Melissa Shuman
Eric Braem/Xansan
Senior libero Jennifer Kraft serves against Missouri. The volleyball team will play No. 22 Kansas State Wednesday and Colorado Saturday.
'Hawks seek to secure postseason appearance
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team's hopes of postseason play could come down to its final two matches.
The Jayhawks (18-9 overall, 9-9 Big 12 Conference) play their final two matches of the season during Thanksgiving break. They play their final road match against No. 22 Kansas State (19-7, 15-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Ahearn Fieldhouse in Manhattan. Kansas has lost four of its last five matches, including a five-game match against No. 19 Missouri on Saturday at home.
Wednesday's game will be the Jayhawks' third straight against ranked opponents. Kansas has never beaten Kansas State since 1994. In the last five meetings, the Wildcats won by a 3-0 sweep, including an Oct. 16th loss in Lawrence.
"We respect K-State. They're a great team," said senior Jaime Morningstar. "We know we just need to prepare ourselves and take care of our side of the court. They are a good home team. We have to accept that and overcome that."
The Wildcats, who had a 13-match winning streak snapped by Texas on Saturday, are second in opponent hitting percentage and first in digs in the Big 12. Junior libero Laura Downey-Wallace leads the Big 12 in digs with an 5.48 aver
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 3B
Winning: a dream come true after nightmare season
The Jayhawks went 5-25 overall and 0-16 in the Big 12 Conference, with their final victory coming Dec. 29 against Morgan State. Kansas was the first team to go winless in the Big 12 and broke the team record for fewest conference wins in a season — five, in both the 1988-89 and 2000-01 seasons.
Last season must have been a nightmare for coach Marian Washington and the Kansas women's basketball team.
If Sunday's home opener against the University of Texas-El Paso was any indication, though, last season may soon be an afterthought.
With just more than three minutes left, the Jayhawks went on an 8-2 run that closed out a 63-60 victory against the Miners. Kansas had just one come-from-behind victory last year, a 62-61
decision against Alabama State when senior Selena Scott stole the ball with 10 seconds left and made a layup for the victory.
Freshman point guard Erica Hallman, who was Miss Kentucky Basketball as a high school senior, led the Jayhawks late against the Miners and should continue to do so. She looked a little tentative after missing the exhibition season with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, but when Hallman gets used to leading the offense and handling in-game pressure, she should be the best point guard Washington has coached since Tamecka Dixon, who now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA.
With the poise already shown by this year's young squad, the Jayhawks may have more comebacks than Michael Jordan or fashion trends.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Levi Chronister lehonister@kansan.com
Hallman averaged 21.1 points her final year of high school, but that average should come down as she looks to pass more.
Hallman will have plenty of options when she does pass, first and foremost being forward Crystal Kemp. The Topeka High graduate averaged 21.7 points and 11.4 rebounds her senior year and did nearly as well in her college debut, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds
Kemp did struggle against the Miners' zone defense in the second half — going scoreless for nearly 10 minutes — but is a physical inside force who nicely compliments Hallman's outside game.
against UTEP.
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras provides another youthful spark of energy. Burras, a transfer from Central Arizona Community College, scored 13 points in the season opener. The best
Speaking of inside-outside play, freshman Tamara Ransburg provides a well-rounded attack for Kansas. At 6-foot-4, Ransburg is listed as a forward/center and can certainly match up against taller players, blocking two shots on the baseline against UTEP. She has the speed, agility and shooting touch to play on the wing as well, providing a versatile weapon for Washington.
penetrater on the court, she can score in the paint or outside the lane, hitting a variety of layups and mid-range jumpers against the Miners.
With sophomore Blair Waltz rounding out the starters, Kansas has a youthful top five that is a vast improvement over last year's team. Freshmen Nichelle Roberts, Sereeta Jones and Ebony Haliburton, and sophomore Brandi McGinest give Washington talented options off the bench for when the starters need a rest.
Kansas may never erase the 2001-02 season from anyone's mind, but the young Jayhawks under Washington's wing this year are well on their way to creating new, more pleasant memories.
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.