2B • THEUNIVERSITYDAILYKANSAN
KANSAS BASKETBALL
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4,2002
COACH ROY WILLIAMS
15th Year --- 388-93 (.807)
Hired at Kansas: July 8, 1988
First Game:
November 25, 1988 — Kansas
94, Alaska-Anchorage 81 (at
Great Alaska Shootout)
Record
Record
Seasons At Kansas:
388-93 (.807) 14 Seasons
Record
Seasons Overall:
388-93 (.807) 14 Seasons
Coaching Experience:
1973-78: Swannanoa (N.C.)
Owen High School
1978-88: North Carolina,
Assistant Coach
1988-Present: Kansas, Head
Coach
International
Experience:
1993: USA Under 22 Head Coach
1992: USA Olympic Development Team
1991: World University Games,
Assistant
1989: Big Eight Select Team,
Head Coach
Birthdate: August 1, 1950
Birthplace: Spruce Pine, N.C.
Wife: Wanda
Children: Scott, 25; Kimberly, 23
Hobby: Golf
Education:
North Carolina, B.A. Education,
'72
North Carolina, M.A.T.,
Education, '73
Playing Experience: Freshman North Carolina,1968-69
Ranking in Big 12 poll surprises Williams; unanswered questions mar new lineup
Coach won't comment on transfer's status
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
DALLAS—Kansas coach Roy Williams has told anyone who would listen how shocked he was when the Big 12 Conference coaches picked the Jayhawks first in their preseason poll.
He may have found his most incredulous audience Thursday.
"He's always surprised by that. You know that," Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins joked at the conference's media day. "And every year we do it to him."
Williams said Kansas had too many unanswered questions to merit the designation. One of the biggest question marks is junior college transfer Jeff Graves. Listed at 6-foot-9,275 pounds in the Kansas media guide, Graves has not passed the running tests required for Jayhawk players. Williams said at a press conference two weeks ago. He reiterated that Graves had not made the team Thursday, but declined further comment.
If Williams decides not to use Graves, the Jayhawks will turn to
freshman Moulaye Niang, 6-10, 215 pounds, or senior Bryant Nash, 6-6, 205 pounds, to fill the vacant forward position.
With the identity of his sixth man still in doubt, Williams said he would have picked deeper teams, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, ahead of the Jayhawks.
For some coaches, high expectations early in the season are a nightmare. At one point last season Missouri was 9-0 and ranked second in the nation. The pressure of the national spotlight proved to be too great for the Tigers. They finished the season with a 24-12 record and dropped out of the polls. Missouri coach Quin Snyder said Williams might be trying to save his team from a similar fate.
"I reflected on that myself actually, with us last year, and me trying to talk people out of liking us as much as they did," Snyder said. "We let other stuff, external stuff come into our locker room last year. You know, it's not malicious, but you have to actively work to shut that stuff out. That may be what coach Williams is doing."
The Jayhawks were clearly the coaches' favorite. They were
NEW ROYBOYS
Jeff Graves - #42
Junior
Forward
Height: 6-foot-9inches
Weight: 275 pounds
Hometown: Lee's Summit, Mo.
Christian Moody - #34
Freshman
Forward
**Height:** 6-foot-7-inches
**Weight:** 205 pounds
**Hometown:** Asheville, N.C.
Moulaye Niang - #55
Freshman
Forward
**Height:** 6-foot-10-inches
**Weight:** 215 pounds
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
Stephen Vinson - #20
Freshman
Guard
**Height:** 6-foot-2inches
**Weight:** 185 pounds
**Hometown:** Lawrence, Kan.
picked first on 7 of 12 ballots. Second-place Oklahoma (three) and Texas (two) were the only other teams to receive first place votes.
Kansas' starting five have too much talent to pass over, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. But he expects his Sooners to challenge them at the end of the season.
"I would pick Kansas," "Sampson said. "That's what I picked, of
JeffJacobsen/KUAC
Despite being ranked first in the Big 12 preseason poll, Kansas coach Roy Williams says the team has too many unanswered questions.
course you can't pick yourself. No, I picked Kansas because I think they have two NBA first rounders in the starting lineup.
Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich are definitely NBA players."
— Edited by Nicole Roché
Familiar faces to appear at All-Stars game tonight
Former Jayhawk Colorado alum to join Kansas on the floor
By Jessica Scott
jscott@kansan.com
Kansan sportswinter
But tonight, the Kansas men's basketball team wants to get more out of its 7:05 p.m. exhibition game against the EA Sports All-Stars than sloppy play.
Exhibition games often a heavy breathing, shorts-grabbing and brick-making extravaganza are a time for teams to slowly begin assembling its pieces.
"We'll see how they're going to react in front of 16,300 and then get a little bit better idea on how certain combinations play together," coach Roy Williams said.
Williams said he believed the first game was more important this year because of the question marks he saw when looking down his bench.
But, Williams will also see
"I think [Jordan]'ll get a great reception. Then we're going to try to run his ol' legs to death. Once you get over 30 it's hard to run up and down as much as we're going to try and make him."
Roy Williams Kansas basketball coach
something familiar on the opponent's bench.
Former Kansas guard Adonis Jordan is a member of the EA Sports traveling exhibition team along with D.J. Harrison, a Colorado alum and nemesis of last year's Jayhawk squad. Williams said he looked forward to seeing at least one of the two players again.
"I think he'll get a great reception," Williams said about Jordan. "Then we're going to try to run his ol' legs to death. Once you get over 30 it's hard to run up and
down as much as we're going to try and make him."
And Harrison?
"I don't think he'll get quite the reception that Adonis does." Williams said.
Although this exhibition game is a glorified scrimmage and means nothing to Kansas' winloss record, one wouldn't know it by the fans' reaction, as Allen Fieldhouse is expected to reach capacity. Senior Nick Collison said he could feel the fan excitement as the season began.
"A lot of times we go to football games and hear a lot of fan telling us they can't wait until Late Night or until basketball starts." Collison said. "We have had success and people like to support successful teams. I think there are a lot of people excited about the season. I know we are."
While the fans already have dreams of March, Williams said he had only one simple goal for tonight's game.
"We are going to use Monday night as a dress rehearsal to see where we stand," he said.
Edited by Chris Wintering
MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Date Day Opponent
Nov. 4 Monday EA Sports All-Stars
Nov.12 Tuesday Washburn
Nov.19 Tuesday Holy Cross*
Nov.22 Friday UNC Greensboro or Wagner
Nov.27-29 Wed.-Friday Preseason NIT
Dec.4 Wednesday Central Missouri State
Dec.7 Saturday Oregon
Dec.11 Wednesday Tulsa
Dec.14 Saturday Emporia State
Dec.21 Saturday UCLA
Dec.28 Saturday California^
Jan.2 Thursday UNC-Asheville
Jan.4 Saturday UMKC (Feist Shootout)
Jan.6 Monday Iowa State
Jan.11 Saturday Nebraska
Jan.15 Wednesday Wyoming
Jan.18 Saturday Kansas State
Jan.22 Wednesday Colorado
Jan.25 Saturday Arizona
Jan.27 Monday Texas
Feb.1 Saturday Nebraska
Feb.3 Monday Missouri
Feb.8 Saturday Kansas State
Feb.11 Tuesday Baylor
Feb.16 Sunday Iowa State
Feb.19 Wednesday Colorado
Feb.23 Sunday Oklahoma
Feb.26 Wednesday Texas A&M
March 1 Saturday Oklahoma State
March 3 Monday Texas Tech
March 9 Sunday Missouri
March 13-16 Thurs.-Sun. Big 12 Tournament
Location TV Time
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN2 6:00 p.m.
New York, N.Y. ESPN2 TBA
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Portland, Ore. CBS 2:30 p.m.
Tula, Okla. JTV 7:00 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Lawrence CBS 4:00 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. ABC 2:30 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. JTV 2:00 p.m.
Ames, Iowa ESPN 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN+ 12:45 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN2 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 7:00 p.m.
Boulder, Colo. ESPN+ 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence CBS 12:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN 8:00 p.m.
Lincoln, Neb. ESPN 1:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN 8:00 p.m.
Manhattan, Kan. ESPN+ 12:45 p.m.
Waco, Texas ESPN+ 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence ESPN+ 12:00 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 6:30 p.m.
Norman, Okla. CBS 3:00 p.m.
Lawrence JTV 6:30 p.m.
Lawrence ABC 12:00 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas ESPN 8:00 p.m.
Columbia, Mo. CBS 1:00 p.m.
Dallas, Texas ESPN+/ESPN TBA
Time
- = Presesason NIT
^ = Pete Newell Challenge
J-TV = Jayhawk Television Network
ESPN+ = ESPN Regional/Big 12 TV
TWO-FERS
2-10" PIZZAS
2-TOPPINGS (on coch)
2-DRINKS
$10.25
THREE-FERS
3-10" PIZZAS
1-TOPPING
3-DRINKS
$13.25
LARGE-FERS
2-14" PIZZAS
1-TOPPING (on each)
4-DRINKS
$16.00
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