SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, October 29, 1992
11
北
Women hope to repeat as Big 8 champs
Coach: this year's keys to success lie in keeping the team injury-free
By David Bartkoski
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas coach Marian Washington said the same thing at yesterday's women's basketball media day as she did at last year's media day: One of the keys to Kansas' success will be to remain injury-free.
The Jayhawks, despite having numerous injuries last year, managed to post a 25-6 record, to win the Big Eight Conference regular season title and advance to the NCAA Championships.
"We're young, but we are talented," she said. "For the seniors' sake. I hope we go further in the NCAA tournament this year."
Washington will be banking on seven returning players and five newcomers to stay healthy and help the Jawhawks renew their Rie Fight title
Kansas' three seniors, guards Shannon Kite, Jo Woitherspoon and Stacy Truitt, were part of last year's squad that lost 75-59 to Southwest Missouri State in the first round of the tournament.
Kite played in all but one contest last year, averaging 4.8 points and 1.2 rebounds a game. She made 39 of 111 three-point shots for the season and at least two three-pointers in 13 games.
The Jayhawks will play Southwest Missouri State twice this year, once at home and once away. Kite is looking forward to playing the Bears again.
"I think everyone will be up for it this year," she said. "Here, it will be the game to see. And it would be just as sweet to beat them in front of their home crowd."
Witherspoon started 17 of 31 games
lst year and corralled a career-high seven rebounds in a Kansas' victory against Iowa State.
Truitt was the leading scorer for last year's Jayhawks, averaging 12.8 points a game. She played on the Big Ten team that went to Canada this summer.
She is one of the most talented players at her position in the nation, Wash-
Sophomore forwards Angela Aycock and Alana Slatter also played basketball for U.S. squads this summer.
Aycock, who scored 10.3 points a game as a freshman, participated with the USA Women's Junior National Team in August. The team took second to Brazil at the qualifying tournament for the Junior World Championships.
Slatter competed with Trotts on the Big Eight Select Team and scored in double figures in three of five games on the tour. Last year, she averaged 5.6 points a game and shot 61 percent from the field.
"I learned how to compensate for my height and use my skills against bigger, stronger girls," she said.
Slatter said that being on the select team helped improve her game.
Kansas' other returners are junior center Lisa Tate and junior guard
Tate played in five games last year but was granted a medical redshirt when she developed a stress fracture in her leg. In 1990-91, she set the Kansas record for blocked shots in a season with 82.
Muncy played in 19 games last year, averaging 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds a game.
One area that Washington said concerned her was the time it would take her team to execute.
A new NCAA rule cut practice time for universities. Kansas has 20 days to prepare for its exhibition game against Czechoslovakia on Nov. 21.
Washington said that the veterans would have to be patient with the newcomers, and the newcomers would have to learn as quickly as possible.
Freshman forward Amelia Holmes and freshmen guards Charisse Sampson and Diana Williams round out the Jawhavas' 12-woman roster.
Junior guard Michelle Leathers and sophomore forward Caryn Shinn will play in a Kansas uniform for the first time.
Leathers played last year for national junior college champion Louisburg Shim, highly touted in high school, sat out last year because she did not meet academic eligibility requirements.
Holmes attended Seaman High School in Topeka and is the only player from Kansas on the team. She finished her high school career as Seaman's all-time leading rebounder and second-leading scorer.
Sampson, who is from Los Angeles,
was considered to be one of the top
high school players in the country last
year. She finished her career with
2,285 points, the seventh-best total
in California history.
Williams was an all-region selection in Georgia last year, averaging 16.9 points and 4.2 assists a game.
She said Kansas had the potential for a great season.
"I want this team to go all the way," she said.
Kansas women's basketball was picked to place second in the Big Ten in a year in a poll of conference coaches.
Big Eight women's basketball preseason coaches poll
Kansas freshman
Charise Sampson
was named
newcomer of the
year.
|  | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | total |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Colorado | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
| Kansas | **2** | **4** | **1** | | | | | **43** |
| Nebraska | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | | | | 38 |
| Oklahoma | | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | | | 29 |
| Oklahoma State | | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 26 |
| Missouri | | | | 2 | 4 | 1 | | 22 |
| Iowa State | | | | | | 5 | 2 | 12 |
| Kansas State | | | | | | 1 | 6 | 8 |
Player of the year
Karen Jennings, Nebraska
Newcomer of the year
Charisse Sampson Kansas
Daron J. Bennett / KANSAN
Kansas coach Marian Washington introduces her team's newcomers, (from left to right) freshmen Charise Sampson of Los Angeles, Dianna Williams of Columbus, Ga., and Amelia Holmes of Topeka at women's basketball media day.
Philip Meiring / Special to the KANSAN
After senior defensive tackle Dan Stubblefield (71) recoveries an Oklahoma fumble, sophomore linebackers Steve Harvey (52) and Don Doussie (39) celebrate. Kansas is concentrating on playing Oklahoma State Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Kansas says Oklahoma St. should not be overlooked
By David Dorsey Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas football team had an impressive 31-7 victory against Kansas State on Oct. 10, but then gave up 40 unanswered points to Iowa State the next week.
The Jayhawks came back for the 50-47 victory, but senior defensive tackle and team co-captain Dana Stubblefield said that his team might have been thinking more about the Oklahoma Sooners than the Cyclones.
"I think we overlooked them a little bit," Stubblefield said. "We watched film of them, and we knew they weren't getting across the line of scrimmage. We knew they weren't some of the things that the veteran teams would be doing against us."
After an impressive 27-10 victory against Oklahoma last weekend, Stubblefield said he didn't expect to win the same mistaken twice.
"That's one of the biggest things we're working on this week," he said. "We're making sure that a lot of the guys don't overlook Oklahoma State like we did Iowa State. The coaches are doing a good job so that we don't do that."
Kansas coach Glen Mason said he explained to his team the importance of focusing on this Saturday's game, and not
next Saturday's game against Nebraska.
"I'm not going to overlook them," Mason said about Oklahoma State. "I just told the team, Look, last time we had a big win against Kansas State, look what we did the next week." We just had a big win against Oklahoma, and if we play the same way we did against Iowa State, we're going to get beat.
"We're addressing the problem. We have to play awfully well against Oklahoma State."
Reith Lonekeer, senior offensive lineman, said that if the team was to overlook anyone, it would have been Oklahoma, which was 1-0-1 in the Big Eight Conference before last weekend's game.
"If anybody thinks we're going to overlook Oklahoma State, they're mistaken," Loneker said. "How are you going to overlook a team that's 4-3 and 2-0 in the Big Eight Conference? It's'vebond me."
Loneker said that this season the team had a new attitude, which showed in the way it played.
"A lot of the difference is that last year we expected to win," Loneker said. "This year we demand to win."
The Kansas players are not the only ones in danger of looking past this week's opponent for the next.
Ticket sales for this week
Sports Illustrated
The No. 18 Kansas football team is featured on page 40 of Nov. 2, issue of Sports illustrated.
The article focuses on how Kansas traditionally loses big against Oklahoma, and how last Saturday's victory against the Sooners has
helped change people's view of Kansas football
The issue hits the newsstands today.
KANSAN
end's game have been the slowest for any home game so far this season, which has given the ticket office cause for concern.
Two special price options are being offered this weekend. Any student can purchase tickets for $5, as can any Kansas faculty or staff member. Tickets for seats in the south end zone bleachers also can be purchased for $5.
"I just like to get a lot of people there," said Bernie Kish, director of ticket operations and sales. "I think it's going to be a heil of a game, and a lot of people don't realize the Oklahoma State, at 4-3, is a good ball team.
"I think that the student fans were a factor in the Oklahoma game, and we'd like to keep it that way against Oklahoma State."
1992 SOCIAL WORK CAREER FAIR
Learn about a career and educational opportunities in Social Work. Check your fit for a life in human services
Friday, October 30,
1:30 p.m.
Kansas Union
a life in human services.
The RAVEN Book Store
Announce a Fiction Reading by
THOMAS FOX AVERILL
Featured author in Cottonwood 47 (due October 29)
at the KELLAS GALLERY, 7 East 7th
Friday October 30 7:30 p.m.
Averil's fiction and his WHAT KANSAS MEANS TO ME are available at The Raven Book Store. Check their shelves for books by other Lawrence and Kansas writers. It's not too early for making that Christmas gift list.
Booksigning to follow the reading
avid Cronenberg and William S. Burroughs invite you to lunch.
Showing:
Exterminate all rational thought.
Tues., Wed., Thurs. Oct. 27-29 at 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 31 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Woodruff Auditorium, Level 8 Kansas Union
Tickets: $2.50 at the Information Counter Level 4
ENJOY MOVIES ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH SUAL