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28
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
11A
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2002
Bench shines, has questions
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
By Jessica Scott
jscott@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriters
The word "but" may be wearing out its welcome for the Kansas men's basketball team.
When preseason hype began, this word was usually mingled among the high praises for the Jayhawks, particularly when stating that the Kansas team had the best starting five in the country, but questions surrounded the bench.
Luckily for Roy Williams' sanity, this topic of conversation may be on its last lee.
Williams said the reserves' 14 points against Holy Cross Tuesday night convinced him they were off to a solid start, but little problems still linger.
"Our bench guys can really help us if they don't hurt us," Williams said. "Bryan (Nash's) three seconds, Bryant's illegal screen, Moulaye's (Niang) two turnovers in the lane. Those kind of things do hurt us. You've got to offset that by some good playing."
The Iavhawks did.
Nash did not let his mistakes rattle him and continued to play with abilities not often seen from the junior forward in his first two years as a Jayhawk. Nash tied his career-high with eight tips — including one dunk tip rebound that made it on ESPN's SportsCenter's top 10 highlight reel — and grabbed five rebounds with just one turnover in 16 minutes.
Senior Kirk Hinrich, who is emerging as one of Nash's biggest supporters, said Nash was doing all the right things.
Junior forward Bryant Nash boxes out a couple of Holy Cross players for one of his five rebounds Tuesday. Nash tied his career-high with eight points in 16 minutes of play.
"He's listening to coach and that's going to do nothing but help him," Hinrich said. "He learned how to play in coach Williams' system. He worked on
"Our bench guys can really help us if they don't hurt us,Bryant (Nash's) three seconds Bryant's illegal screen Moulaye's two turnovers in the lane. Those kind of things do hurt us. You've got to offset that by some good playing."
Roy Williams
Kansas basketball coach
his shot and worked on it. Now he's knocking it down."
Williams said that Nash, along with other reserves like junior forward Jeff Graves or freshman guard Jeff Hawkins, would get a chance to shine as long as they remained composed on the court.
"He helped us," said Williams of Nash. "I expect that he's going to be given opportunities to continue doing that, just as well as Jeff Graves. (They) don't have to make big time plays. Guys that come off the bench, I don't expect that. You just have to help us."
Graves, who transferred from Iowa Western Community College, must work on cutting down his fouling tendencies. Williams said. Graves committed three fouls in eight minutes Tuesday.
he said. "He's still got a long way to go, but just about everybody does."
"He fouls way too much in practice,"
"We're still tying to get them in a habit so they don't have to think about it," Hinrich said. "It gets a little tough when there's 16,000 (people) out there."
Hinrich said the starters, who are used to the fast tempo pace of Kansas basketball, would keep working to get the reserves in their frame of mind.
— Edited by Andy Samuelson.
Women's Basketball Washington signs two new players
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Any builder will tell you the first step to erecting a solid structure is laying the foundation.
She and her staff assembled a talented core of youngsters that should give the Jayhawks the base to build a skyscraper, and they have already signed two workers to finish the roof.
Kansas coach Marian Washington could have been a carpenter in another life.
Lauren Ervin, of Inglewood High School in California, and Sharita Smith, of Lincoln High. School in Dallas, have completed the paperwork to join Washington's crew, signing letters of intent last week.
Smith, a 5-foot-8 guard, should complement freshman point guard Erica Hallman, Miss Kentucky Basketball in 2002. Like Hallman, Smith was already nationally known by the time she was a junior. She was named a Street & Smith preseason All-American this season and was tabbed among the 40 best players in the country by two online recruiting services. All Star Girls Report ranked her 37th, and Blue Star picked her 35th.
Her mother, Charva VanZant, said that Smith's greatest addition to the young Jayhawks would be calculated by another measure — victories.
"She's awesome out there on that court," VanZant said. "If their team is in trouble, Sharita knows how to pull it out."
Assuming a leadership role with the Jayhawks should be no problem.
Swimmers prepare for challenge
SEE SIGNEES ON PAGE 16A
By Jeremy Krashin
krashin@kansan.com
kansan sportswriter
The swimming and diving team will face its toughest challenge of the year this weekend at the 2002 Nike Cup Invitational.
Kansas will be the only representative from the Big 12 Conference in the meet, and will face many quality opponents, including the host-school North Carolina, which is ranked 11th in the College Swim Coaches Association of America Dual Meet Poll.
"We are getting out of the Midwest and the Big 12 and seeing a whole new group of competitors," coach Clark Campbell said. "Which makes us better athletes
The Kansas swimming and diving team will be the only representative from the Big 12 in North Carolina as they compete in the 2002 Nike Cup Invitational. The three-day tournament features 10 teams, including hosts UNC, who are ranked 11th in the in College Swim Coaches Association of America.
Kansan file photo
SEE SWIMMING ON PAGE 16A
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan swimmer
The Nebraska volleyball team extended its Big 12 Conference winning streak to 67 games last night with a 3-0 sweep (30-22, 30-25, 30-15) of Kansas at NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.
The No. 5 Cornhuskers (25-1 overall, 17-0 Big 12) have swept the Jayhawks (18-8,9-8) in nine straight meetings.
"We competed well for 80 percent of the match, especially in games one and two," said Kansas coach Ray Bechard. "I was a bit disappointed in game three, but that's what happens when a very physical
team like Nebraska wears you down."
Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, did not play against the Cornhuskers because of shin splints. Bechard said she was questionable for Saturday's 7 p.m. match against No. 19 Missouri at the Horeisi Family Athletic Center.
Junior outside hitter Sarah Rome led the team with 12 kills and eight digs. Senior Kylie Thomas, a native of Sutherland, Neb., and sophomore middle blocker Ashley Michaels each had eight kills.
Sophomore Ashley Michaels
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 16A
Football woes should be solved by next season's weak foes
Although the Kansas football program wallows at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference, coach Mark Mangino may lead the team to prominence by following his mentor's lead.
Mangino started his Division I coaching career as an assistant at Kansas State Under Bill Snyder. Mangino spent eight years on Snyder's staff and saw the Wildcats transform from a cellar dweller to a top conference team by recruiting junior college standouts and scheduling non-conference cupcakes.
Mangino has said he wouldn't fill his team with junior college transfers. Fortunately for the future of Jayhawk football, he 2003 Kansas schedule does feature a new patsies. Assuming Mangino can recruit three or four players to start on offense and the same number on defense, Kansas could even reach bowl conition next year.
First will be Northwestern on Aug. 30.
The Wildcats are 3-8 this year with a home game against Illinois (4-7) on Saturday. They defeated Duke (2-9) by just five points and Navy (1-9) by just nine.
The Jayhawks will face Wyoming on Sept. 13 in Laramie, Wyo. The Cowboys will be in a similar situation to this year's Jayhawks because they will have a first-year coach after Vic Koenning was fired Monday. They are 2-9 with a game left against Mountain West Conference foe New Mexico (6-5). Wyoming is in the bottom two of eight teams in 16 of 28 conference statistics, bringing up the rear in total defense and scoring defense. Chalk up
Northwestern is last or next-to-last in the Big 10 Conference in 14 of 28 statistical categories, including last in scoring offense, scoring defense and total defense. With the Wildcats being the season opener at home, this should be a victory and a strong beginning to Mangino's second year at Kansas.
Levi Chronister lechronister@kansan.com
another victory and a 2-0 start for the Jayhawks.
Kansas will continue its trek through the Mountain West against San Diego State next week when they travel to San Diego. The Aztecs are 5-8 with a game against 8-3 Air Force on Saturday. San Diego State has an unbalanced offense, leading the conference in passing but finishing last in rushing. Even with Kansas' troubles against the pass this year, the Jayhawks should have momentum in this game and roll to their first 3-0 start since 1997, Terry Allen's first season.
As if it were a stepchild of the Mountain West, Kansas has a rematch against another conference foe in Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept. 27. This time, the game will be in Memorial Stadium and the Rebels won't have mobile quarterback Jason Thomas, who totaled 218 yards and accounted for two touchdowns against Kansas as a senior. With revenge on their minds, the Jayhawks will top the Rebels and end their non conference season 4-0.
As usual, the Big 12 portion of the Kansas schedule will prove difficult. Missouri will be the first conference opponent, visiting Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4. After the way the Tigers ran over the Jayhawks this year, one would hope Kansas could pick up a victory next season. Playing the optimist card, count on Kansas being 5-0 after mauling Missouri and paying retribution for quarterback Bill Whittemore's season-ending knee injury with three games left this season.
Kansas' other Big 12 opponents are Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The only game that KU could win is against Oklahoma State on Nov. 15 in Stillwater, Okla., considering the Jayhawks were embarrassed by the Cowboys last weekend and Oklahoma State is the only team which will finish close to .500.
This would leave Kansas just one victory shy of a bowl game. Baylor visits Lawrence on Oct. 18, which should be another revenge victory because of this year's embarrassing defeat to the Bears in Waco, Texas.
Even if Kansas can pick up just two conference victories, a 6-16 record would be one of the biggest and quickest turn-arounds in college football history. It may be a reach, but it's certainly within the Jayhawks' grasp.
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journal-
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