4B • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY.NOVEMBER 20,2002
John Nowak/Kansan
Sophomore forward Wayne Simien guards Patrick Whearty of Holy Cross. The Jayhawks defeated the Crusaders 81-57 last night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Basketball
CONTINUED FROM 1B
served as a wake up call," Hinrich said. "We kind of had an idea of what the game was going to be like."
In the next four minutes, Hinrich took control of his team. He nailed two free throws, dove for a loose ball, hit a jumper in the lane and drew a charge while Langford followed his lead. The sophomore finished a fast break, snatched a rebound and drew
another charge for the 'Hawks. The 12-0 run to close out the half gave Kansas a 39-20 lead.
"They were kind of back on their heels," said sophomore Keith Langford. "We were giving good pressure. Our defense definitely played a key in the run."
Kansas (1-0) pulled away in the second half by giving a highlightreel worthy performance around the rim. A monstrous slam by Nash in the first half — possibly his best ever in a game — kept the rims rattling until he did it again after the break, this time off a Hin-
rich assist in the lane. Nash contributed eight points and five rebounds off the bench, and even surprised his coach a bit.
"Kirk particularly has been politicizing for Bryant to get more opportunities," Williams said. "He keeps telling me about all these slam dunk follows and I'd never seen any of them till this year."
Hinrich, who finished with 13 points, claims Nash's talent is extraordinary, although slow to emerge.
"B Nash, he's the hardest guy
The Crusaders (0-1) switched to zone defense late in the second half, but Kansas quickly figured out how to get to the basket. Junior Jeff Graves hit a bank shot in the lane, followed by a Langford basket while hanging in the air. He said his team was not bothered by this type of defense.
I've ever had to box out," Hinrich said. "He's so athletic. He is the best offensive rebounder I've ever seen."
Kansas will face UNC Greensboro at 6:00 Friday for the quarterfinal Preseason NIT game.
Monteral Expos may play 10 games in Puerto Rico
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas — The Montreal Expos would open their new part-time home in Puerto Rico on April 11 against the New York Mets under plans to be presented to baseball owners on Wednesday.
While the proposal still hasn't been finalized, baseball officials are discussing having the Expos play 10 games in April at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium against the Mets (April 11-14), Atlanta (April 15-17) and Cincinnati (April 18-20), several baseball officials said Tuesday on the condition they not be identified.
In addition, possible games in San Juan include the interleague series against the World Series champion Anaheim Angels (June 3-5) and a matchup with Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs (Sept. 9-11).
Negotiations are ongoing between the commissioner's office and the players' association, and it still hasn't been decided whether the Expos will make three trips or two to Puerto Rico, where they would play up to 20 of their 81 home games.
"It doesn't affect me where we play," Expos manager Frank
robinson said Tuesday after agreeing to come back for a second season in Montreal. "It will be great to play in front of the people down there. They're great fans. I spent nine years down there managing in winter ball."
San Juan was the host for its first regular-season game in 2001, the season opener between Texas and Toronto.
The Expos, who became the first franchise outside the United States, have been at or near the bottom in attendance in recent years at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Jeffrey Loria sold the team to the other 29 clubs before the 2002 season when he purchased the Florida Marlins, and the team is operated by the commissioner's office, which wants to cut losses.
Montreal drew just 812,000 fans to its home games this year, and baseball isn't ready to decide on a permanent move. The games in San Juan are seen as a method to increase revenue.
Baseball officials hope to have a permanent solution for 2004, and probably will hold a bidding process. Charlotte, N.C., Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., are among the possible contenders.