10
SPORTS
Friday, September 18, 1992
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1
Volleyball to compete in Chicago this weekend
Kansan sportswriter
By David Dorsey
The Kansas volleyball team plays today in the University of Illinois-Chicago Tournament. The team left yesterday for Chicago and will play its first match of the tournament against Illinois-Chicago at 5:30 p.m. today and then will play Florida International at 8 tonight.
Tomorrow there are two semifinal games and a consolation game, followed by the championship game. Valparaiso University, Loyola University-Chicago and Nichols State are also competing.
Kansas coach Frankie Albitz said she was concerned about how her team would play on the road. This is the Jayhawks' first road trip since they lost to Wichita State in the season opener Sept. 1.
"I'm concerned about the team's focusing because we're traveling," Albitz said. "I'm not worried about who we're playing right now."
Although the tournament ends tomorrow, the Jayhawks play a regular season match against Northern Illinois Sunday afternoon. Albizt said that Northern Illinois was one of the better teams the Jayhawks would face this season.
"Northern Illinois is good," she said. "I'm just glad we have the opportunity to play them."
Barb Bella, Oak Forest, Ill. junior, will be close to home this weekend.
Daron J. Bennett / KANSAN
"I'm excited," she said. "My sister is coming in. I know a lot of our opponents, too, from playing against them previously."
Bella said that fatigue would not be a factor playing Northern Illinois after playing in a tournament.
"I think it will be easier." Bella said. "It's a lot easier to get in the flow of things and to just keep playing. I think we're doing real well. It's finally coming together."
The Jayhawks record is 7-2, and they are coming off a 12 game winning streak after taking first place in last week.
Jenny Larson, freshman outside hitter, said that second and first place finishes in consecutive weeks motivated the team. The Jayhawks took second place in the Jayhawk Classic Tournament on Sept. 5.
"It was a big confidence builder," Larson said. "We've got a lot more confidence coming into this tournament. Practices have really been intense this week, and everyone's ready to play."
Volleyball and softball tournament schedule
TONIGHT: Volleyball
5:30p. m, Kansas vs. Illinois-Chicag
b.p. m, Kansas vs. Florida-International
TOMORROW: Softball
3 p.m. Kansas vs. Northern Iowa
2 p.m. Nebraska-Omaha
Nuggets' Walter Davis retires
DENVER — Walter Davis, one of the best pure shooters ever to play basketball, announced his retirement yesterday after 15 NBA seasons.
The Associated Press
Davis, 38, ended his career as the No. 18 scorer in NBA history with 19,521 points in 1,033 regular-season games — an average of 18.9 points a game. The NBA's rookie of the year in 1978, Davis played in six All-Star games.
Davis, who played 11 years for Phoenix but finished his career in Denver, will remain in Denver as the Nuggets' "community ambassador."
"I'm looking forward to my retirement and being a part of the Nuggets organization in the future, and making my home in Denver," Davis said.
Davis, picked fifth by Phoenix in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft out of North Carolina, was signed by the Nuggets as an unrestricted free agent in July 1988. He played 3-1/2 seasons in Denver spending part of the 1990-
In that job, he will oversee youth clinics, aid in fund-raising and assist the coaching staff in tutoring young players. He also will join the Nuggets' broadcast team as a analyst on televised games.
His career shooting percentage was .511, outstanding for a player who took many of his shots from the outside. He averaged 24.2 points on 52.6 percent shooting in 1977-78, his rookie season, and made more than 56 percent of his shots the next two years while averaging 23.6 and 21.5 points for the Suns.
91 season in Portland.
"Growing up, I never imagined I could compete at the level of the NBA," he said. "Eventually, when I was drafted in the first round, I had a goal of playing 10 years, and I made it to 15.
"Id like to be remembered just as being a good person. I think my father would like for me to be remembered as an unselfish player. That's something he always emphasized.
"I feel I've accomplished some things. I think I reached my full potential my rookie year. I did some things people thought I'd never do."
Asked to list his accomplishments, he said, "Getting drafted in the first round. Playing in my first All-Star game. Playing against Julius Erving, John Havlicek and Rick Barry, who were the best forwards in the game at that time."
Ask if he is hated to be elected to the RNA's Hall of Fame, the 6-foot-tee
6 Davies said, "I really haven't thought about that at all. My family and my brothers talk about it more than I do. I have never missed a lot of a person if it doesn't happen."
If he had any regrets, Davis said, it was never earning a championship ring.
"That would have been nice," he said. "I had competed for a championship at every other level. I was on the team that won an Olympic gold medal in Montreal (in 1976), and at North Carolina we reached the NCAA finals (losing to Marquette)."
He had a shot with Portland in 1991, but the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals.
Nuggets coach Dan Issel said he'll always remember Davis' trademark jump shot.
"His shot was technically perfect," Issel said. "There are not that many preunits in the game anymore."
Nuggets general manager Bernie Bickerstaff called Davis "a class individual. We're glad to keep him as part of the organization."
Softball team faces first tournament; hopes to gain leadership, experience
Team president Tim Leiweke said Davis was "the perfect guy to represent the Nuggets in the Denver community."
Bv David Dorsev
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas softball team will play in its first tournament of the fall season this weekend.
Its first game is against Northern Iowa at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Jayhawk Field behind Oliver Hall.
Coach Kalum Haack said that the fall season gave the team a chance to see where it stood for the spring.
"We use this to give us some experience, especially for our young kids," Haack said. "They'll have a little bit better opportunity to understand what to expect, and what it's going to be like in game situations."
"I feel confident that this team can go a long way," he said. "If we get the breaks, and we come together like we have the potential to, I think we have another shot at going to the World Series."
Haack said the team should do well this season, despite losing four seniors last season, including former first team All-American Camille Spitaleri.
Shanna Cole, a senior outfielder, said the team would have to find new leaders this season.
"We have to look for leadership and experience from other people now," Cole said. "Somebody or several people have to step up. This fall should show us where we're at and how much work we have to do."
Cole might be the leader the team needs. She had a 323 batting average last spring to Spiitaleri. She is the returning leader in runs batted-in.
Junior Stephani Williams, the team's leading pitcher last season.
returns this fall. She posted a 30-6 record in the spring and had a 59 earned run average. Williams said the team was young but had potential.
"We can do as well as we did last year," she said, "but we really have to work on putting it all together."
Williams said that the lineup was still uncertain, but that sophonores Lora Richardson and Joy Herrera, who were reserves last year, had been playing well in practice and were expected to start.
Haack said that this fall was important to give the players more experience, especially in the newly vacant third base and shortstop positions.
"For me this fall season is really vital because whether we win or lose, it's a chance for us to experiment with some things," he said.
BEALITERACYVOLUNTEER
Literacy tutor training workshop Saturday, September 19, 1992 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Ecumenical Christian Ministries corner of 12th & Oread Across the street from Yellow Sub (Bring your own lunch) Sponsored by: Students Tutoring for Literacy, partially funded by Student Senate For more info. call 842-0706
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