SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 14, 1992
9
B
Men's basketball team sweats it out early
Later first practice allows Jayhawks more time for physical conditioning
By David Dorsey
Kansan sportswriter
The pounding of Greg Ostertag's size 18 shoes could be heard 100 yards away Monday at Memorial Stadium as the big man sprinted across the turf.
Ostertag, a 7-foot-2 sophomore center on the Kansas men's basketball team, worked out with the rest of the basketball team as the Jayhawks entered the third week of their conditioning program.
The team is getting in shape before the first day of basketball practice on Nov.1.
Last year at this time, the Jayhawks had only one day until the first practice. Now they have two weeks.
The change is because of a new NCAA rule that moved the first practice from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1. Teams still are allowed to condition together three times a week under the supervision of one coach.
"Right now I wish we could start practice next week," said senior point guard Adonis Jordan. "I think the reason for the new rule is for the guys to get better in school. We can get ahead in classes with that extra two weeks. And then once you start practicing you got a month and a half until the end of the semester. It helps out a lot
"When they get to
the in-season program, they'll be in better condition than they were before."
Asst. strength and conditioning coach
academically."
Bill Maxwell, assistant strength and conditioning coach, said the team began lifting weights the week after Labor Day for an hour and a half three days a week. Beginning Oct. 1, the team cut its weightlifting program to 45 minutes, three days a week.
On Mondays, the team goes to Memorial Stadium, where it runs a half mile followed by at least 10 short-runs and soriots. Maxwell said.
"When they get to the in-season program, they'll be in better condition than they were before," Maxwell said. "The quality of the workouts this year
is better than at this time last year.
They are finishing the sprints a lot stronger and are making the times they are supposed to make."
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the team runs in Allen Field House, where it does more sprinting as well as agility and footwork drills. First-year assistant coach Matt Doherty has been monitoring the workouts.
Newcomer Darrin Hancock, a junior transfer from Garden City Community College, said he had to adjust to the Jayhawks' conditioning program.
Jordan said the newcomers on the team were adjusting to the program.
"Some guys are a little slow because they don't know what they're getting into," Jordan said. "The older guys, the juniors and seniors, we try to help them out and push them a little."
"It's a little similar to what we had," Hancock said of the college's conditioning program. "But here it's harder because there's a lot more running involved. The first three days of it were kind of hard because I didn't know what to expect."
The Jawahaws will continue the current program until the first practice on Nov. 1. The team's first game is Nov. 19 against Marathon Oil at Allen Field House.
During pre-practice conditioning , Patrick Richey, Richard Scott and Adonis Jordan run on the track at Memorial Stadium.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Jayhawks to face improved Mizzou
By David Dorsey
Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's volleyball team faces the Missouri Tigers tonight in Columbia, Mo.
The Jahawks, now 15-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big Eight Conference, have reached a turning point in the season with conference play getting underway, said Frankie Albitz, Kansas volleyball coach.
"Missouri is a lot better this year, and I think they feel we're one of the teams that they can beat in the Big Eight," she said. "We'll have to be ready for them."
"The Big Eight race is getting closer and closer all the time. The closer we all get, the harder it is to tell who will finish where, but we still have a chance to finish in the top three."
The Tigers are led by Yvette Buhlh,
who leads the conference with 34 service
acees and leads her team with 235
kills so far this season.
The Tigers are 12-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
The Jaywhaks head to Columbia after a week off from competition. The team is coming off a 3-0 loss to Nebraska.
"The fact that we had a week off to rest helped out a lot," said senior middle blocker Kim DeHoff. "Things are going really well.
"We don't know right now where we
really stand in the Big Eight. No one has played a lot of games. We're halfway through the season, but we're not even halfway through the Big Eight. It should be interesting."
Abitz said that her team had been improving throughout the season.
"Our offence is not quite as good as I would like it but we've had improvement with our passing," Albizt said. "Blocking is a real difficult skill that we always have to work with, but right now things are starting to settle in.
"As for individuals I think that Jenny Larson has shown a lot of improvement. I've had her playing two positions all year, and she's started for us the last two matches. She's done a good job and she might start against Missouri."
Larson, a freshman outside hitter and middle blocker, said she had to adjust to the college game.
"I think it took a while for me to learn the system," Larson said. "For me, it's the mental part of the game that's important. If I concentrate more, I feel that I can be more competitive."
Tonight will be the 37th meeting between the Jayhawks and Tigers. Missouri leads the series 20-16. Kansas won both matches last year 3-0.
The Jahawks return home a week from today against Oklahoma.
Patrick Tompkins / KANSAN
Practicing her jump serve, Shelby Lard, Gardner, Kan, junior, prepared for tonight's volleyball match against Missouri yesterday in Robinson Center.
Court says Missouri had right to suspend player
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court yesterday said Missouri was within its rights to suspend basketball player Jamal Coleman for a semester after he pleaded guilty to stealing in a bookstore refund scam.
The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the suspension was not "outrageous," and it lifted a judge's order that had blocked it.
Because of the injunction, Coleman was allowed to finish playing his last season with
Wally Bley, Coleman's attorney in Columbia, said he was disappointed with yesterday's ruling but noted that it no longer affected Coleman.
"Our purpose was to allow Jamal to continue his education and complete his senior year of basketball," Bley said. "If he had been able to complete his final semester and continue playing basketball, he never would have signed a CBA contract."
Coleman, who did not graduate, signed several weeks ago with Rochester, a Minnesota team in the Continental Basketball Association.
Kelly Mescher, an attorney for Missouri, said the university was simply happy to be backed up on the matter.
"We didn't care if he played basketball," she said. "It was a question whether the university could take care of its own student disciplinary matters."
"Ourpurpose was to allow Jamal to continue his education..."
Wally Bley
Attorney for Missouri's Jamal Coleman
Coleman was suspended from the team after his arrest in April 1991, served 10 days in jail and paid nearly $700 in restitution to the bookstore.
The school's Student Conduct Committee subsequently voted to suspend Coleman from school for the second semester, although it didn't suspend the other two students, who had pleaded guilty to felony charges.
The dispute stemmed from Coleman's arrest and guilty plea last year to a misdeemer charge of stealing $688 in the scam at the University Bookstore. Coleman, his girlfriend and another woman, both bookstore employees, admitted to receiving cash in exchange for phony merchandise receipts between January and April 1991.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Blue Jays, A's hope pitching choices prove successful in race for pennant
The Associated Press
TORONTO — It's a problem that pops up every postseason. When making pitching plans, do you use a three-man rotation or four?
"I wouldn't want to use it as an excuse at this point," said Cone, who had not started on three days' rest all season. "My arm felt different out there, but it feels differently every day. That's the starting pitcher's dilemma, and he has to deal with it."
The Toronto Blue Jays chose three for the American League playoffs and went with Jack Morris, Done Cone and Juan Guzman. The first time around, it looked pretty good.
But now, after watching Morris and Cone get pounded in their second turns, the decision seems shaky.
The Oakland A's went with a four-man rotation of Dave Stewart, Mike Moore, Ron Darling and Bob Welch. Working with the usual four days' rest, they all pitched pretty well, with the best effort being Stewart's complete-game victory in Game 5 Monday.
Stewart, given one more day to rest than his Toronto opponents, kept the Athletics alive in the series. Oakland trails 3-2 going into Game 6 today.
Guzman is scheduled to start on three days' rest. Moore will work with four days between starts.
"I always have my good stuff," Guzman said. "I could pitch on two days' rest. It's no problem."
That's what the Blue Jays thought about Morris and Cone, too.
Morris did it with no trouble last October, winning twice for Minnesota against Toronto in the playoffs and going on to become the World Series MVP.
This year, he pitched on three days' rest only once during the regular season, doing it in late September and earning his 20th victory.
In but Game 4, he was out of it right away. Morris was tagged for five runs on five hits and five walks in only 3 1-13 innings, and luckily wound up with no a-decision.
Morris went nine innings in Game 1 of these playoffs, gave up six hits and gave his team a chance to win. He allowed three homers and absorbed a 4-3 loss.
"Both guys coming back didn't pitch as good," said Jimmy Key, who was bumped from Toronto's rotation. "It's something management is going to have to look at."
Blue Jay's manager Cito Gaston admitted that he was worried about the sudden turnaround in his starters, although there isn't a lot he can do about it now. His only option would be to start Todd Stottlemyre in place of Guzman.
Morris has won his last seven decisions on three days' rest. Cone was 6-2 with a 1.74 ERA on three days until Monday's debacle.
Cone, who shut out Oakland for eight innings in Game 2, was ripped for six runs on six hits and two walks in four innings.
"I wish I knew why," he said. "If I did, I'd do something about it. I can't really answer that."
NATIONAL
The Pittsburgh Pirates smashed the Atlanta Braves 13-4 last night in Game 6 of the NL playoffs. The Braves lead the series 3-2. Game 7 at 7:26 tonight will decide whether the Braves will go to the World Series for the second consecutive time.
AMERICAN
The AL playoffs move back to Toronto for Game 6 as the Blue Jays face the Oakland Athletics. Oakland trails Toronto 3-2 in the series. The game starts at 2:07 p.m. today as the Blue Jays' Juan Guzman takes on Mike Moore and the Athletics.
Pirates win, force seventh NL game
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Tim Wakefield and the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't knockle under to the Atlanta Braves and the win-or-go-home pressure.
The rookie baffled the Braves again with his dicing, dancing knuckleball last night in a 13-4 victory that forced a seventh game in the National League playoffs.
Only one team in major-league playoff history has rallied from a 3-1 deficit by winning the final two games on the road: Kansas City in 1985 against Toronto. The Blue Jays' manager? Bobby Cox.
"Most people expected it to go seven games; I just wish it was over by now," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
The Pirates tied the record for most runs in a playoff game. Barry Bonds honored to start the second inning and by the time the Pirates stopped eight runs later, the series was tied at three games apiece.
or winning the game." We were in an oxygen tent for a couple of days," manager Jim Leyland said. "We HAD to win that game."
was two active games. Pittsburgh, which seemed destined for a third consecutive playoff failure, will try for another record in Game 7: the first NL team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win the playoffs. They'll also try to do what the Braves did to them last year, rallying from 3-2 down by winning the final two games on the road.
1866.
Here's another number to ponder: in 12 of the last 13 playoff series, the team that won the penalite game also won the series.
own the game.
Tonight, John Smoltz, who's already beaten
Pittsburgh twice, will oppose Doug
Drakeb, who's lost his last three starts but
hasn't had a four-game losing streak since
1089
"Two of the best pitchers in baseball will decide it now, but I'd have rather lost this way than lose 2-1 on a bloop hit in the 10th," Cox said.
Atlanta has a statue of a knuckleballer outside its stadium, and the way he's pitching, Wakefield may find one waiting for him back in Pittsburgh.
Wakefield, who allowed nine hits, is 10-1 since being called up July 31 and 2-0 in the series, and 3-0 overall against Atlanta.
"To me, it was just a great honor to pitch this game," Wakefield said. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I didn't want to blow it."
The Knuckleball kid has beaten Braves 20 game winner Tom Glavine twice, a remarkable feat considering he was in the minors when Glavine started the All-Star game July 14 in San Diego.
If they don't win today, the Braves' second consecutive World Series will be gone. The Pirates can advance to the World Series for the first time since 1979, when they came from 3-1 down to beat Baltimore.