THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19.1992
SECTION B
INSIDE THIS SECTION
Many Jayhawk football fans have taken the time to watch some of the team's early practices this fall.
Most are optimistic about the teams' prospects for the 1992 season and even predict upsets against some of the perennial Big Eight Conference contenders.
Please see story, Page 4.
Former North Carolina basketball player Matt Doherty was named as Kansas' restricted-earnings coach on May 5.
He was recruited by Kansas coach Roy Williams while Williams was an assistant at North Carolina Doherty's hiring continues a long relationship between the North Carolina and Kansas basketball programs.
Please see story, Page 5.
Kansas kicker and punter Dan Eichloff was talented enough last year to rank third nationally in field goals made and 12th in punting.
This season he was named to the Playboy preseason All-America team and considered for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicker Award.
But what he really wants to experience is the joys of postseason play with the entire Jayhawk team.
Please see story, Page 7.
Kansas coach Glen Mason has put together what he thinks is his strongest recruiting class since he arrived at Kansas.
Despite the quality of the class, Mason does not expect any of the new recruits to jump into start roles.
The largest recruit is Scott Whittaker of Alto Loma, Calif. The 6-foot-6 recruit tipped the scales at 300 pounds.
Please see story, Page 9.
As the fall schedule begins, and the 1993 season approaches, many of the ingredients that made the 1992 Kansas softball team the most successful in team history will be missing. Among the missing are Camille Spitaleri, the first three-time All-American in team history. But Kansas coach Kalum Haack said the team's pitching will still be strong with the return of pitcher Stephani Williams.
Please see story, Page 10.
At age 33, John McEnroe knows his professional tennis career is coming to an end, but he is not sure when.
McEnroe is tired of all the traveling and practicing.
With three children at home, he's more concerned with being a good father than a great tennis player.
The question for McEnroe is not whether he can still play, but whether he still wants to compete.
Please see story, Page 10.
Kansas continues rise in football prominence
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A photograph on Glen Mason's office wall speaks volumes about the football revolution at hand in Kansas.
a wide-angle shot of the stadium during the 1990 Kansas-Kansas State game is striking for one reason.
There is a crowd.
"The stadium is packed," said Mason, who arrived in 1988 to take charge of a Kansas program that couldn't give tickets away. "The Hill is filled. A few short years ago, people were embarrassed to say they were at a Kansas-Kansas State game."
Big crowds and winning records may seem like modest achievements to anyone
who takes their football outside the Sunflower State. But when Mason's Kansas team went 6-5 last year and Bid Snyder's K-State squad finished 7-4, it was the first time since 1933 both had posted winning records in the same season.
It's no wonder basketball has been so popular throughout the state. After Kansas lost to Kent State and K-State lost handily to Army on the same Saturday in 1987, somebody sent Mason a newspaper clipping.
"It said the answer to Kansas football was abolish it," Mason said. "The apathy had set in, and probably a certain defense mechanism. Things have changed now."
Crossing swords during intense recruiting battles keeps the state rivalry extreme.
ly competitive for Mason and Snyder. But at the same time, a shared experience has given the two men a keen appreciation for each other.
"My first two years here, the annual game between Kansas and Kansas State was a laughing matter among most people," Mason said. "To be frank with you, I presented it. Telt bad for the players, for ours and for theirs. They were good, hard-working kids trying to get an education and trying to overcome all their critics and create something."
Mason knew there was more than the school's reputation on the line when he
I was the 33rd coach in about 10 years of football at that time. Mason said. "I fua-
ured that out real quick. They fire guys around here every three years. I'd better get something going right now."
The same alumni groups that once offered Snyder and Mason nothing but encouragement now ask questions tinged with impatience.
"We've got to remember who we are," Mason said. "We can't forget where we came from. We're just about 30 seconds out of the gutter. Thirty seconds out, you can be right back in in 30 seconds.
"People talk about how the Big Eight has changed, with the traditional powers no longer able to dominate the lesser programs anymore. Well, if there are no easy wins for Oklahoma and Nebraska, there as sure heck are no easy wins for Kansas."
Scott J. Anderson / KANSAN
'Hawks may be bowl material
Kansas Quarterback Chile Hilleary (far left) scrambles to avoid a defensive lineman. The Kansas Football team was practicing Monday afternoon at the practice fields west of Hoglund-Mupin Stadium. The quarterbacks practiced pass plays and patterns.
Kansas optimistic for'92 season
By Chris McCann
Special to the Kansan
Coming off of its best season since 1981, the Jayhawk football team will try to build on last year's success and propel itself into a bowl for the first time in more than 10 years.
This season the Jayhawks will take on seven teams that had winning records last year, five of which went to bowl games.
"We're very optimistic," Coach Glen Mason said. "We have a large number of starters right now."
The Jayhawks return 39 lettermen from last year's 5-5 squad, although the team lost tailback Tony Sands, wide receiver Kenny Drayton and offensive tackle Chris Perez.
A team must have at least six victories against Division I-A teams, which all of Kansas' opponents are, to get invited to a bowl game. But because most bowls pick their participants before the end of the regular season, teams aspiring to bowls need to have won six games before the last game of the season.
This year's season opener at Oregon State will provide Kansas a chance to play against one of the few remaining wishbone offences in the nation. Last season the Beavers finished last in the PAC-10 and had a 1-10
The next week, Kansas will play host to Ball State from the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals were 6-5 last year and averaged more than six conference victories in each of the last four seasons. Senior Corey Croom rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season as the featured back in Ball State's Information.
record, but they ended the season by defeating intratestrade rival Oregon.
Kansas defeated Tulsa last year, but the Golden Hurricane won the last seven games of the season, eventually winning the Freedom Bowl. This year's game at Tulsa will be a grudge match for the Golden Hurricane.
After Tulsa, the 'Hawks will have only five days to prepare for the Thursday night televised game against California. The Bears, whose Russell White is a top contender for the Heisman Trophy, are one of the strongest teams in the nation. After winning the Citrus Bowl last year, Cal is expected to match or improve on the success of 1991.
Kansas will start conference play after a week's rest with an Oct. 10 match in Lawrence against Kansas State. The 'Hawks lost to the Wildcats last year.
After a 3-7-1 season last year, the Iowa State Cyclones are opting for a new offensive scheme. When the Jayhawks travel to
Ames, they will be seeing an option offense that at times will feature three backs. This game should be a tune-up for the 'Hawks before the meat of the Big Eight schedule.
Kansas will try to win against Oklahoma for the first time since the Frank Steuer-leed Jayhawks upset the Sooners in Lawrence in 1984. A strong Sooner offensive team, led by junior quarterback Cale Gundy, will roll into Lawrence on Oct. 24.
The next week, the Jayhaws should get a break when Oklahoma State shows up in Lawrence. Oklahoma State went 1-10 last year and has undergone a major shakeup.
In possibly the season's toughest game, the Jayhawks must travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, an all-around solid team with apparent weaknesses.
The Jayhawks will get no rest the next week as the Colorado Golden Buffaloes make their assault on the plains. Boasting the Big Eight's best defense, Colorado will be looking for a big victory to impress the bowl scouts, as will Kansas.
For the regular season finale, the Hawks will swing down on Columbia, Mo., and try to round out the season with a victory. The Missouri Tigers have had a tough time in recent years, but the rivals are always up for this border war.
Jayhawks to depend on defense
By Chris McCann
Special to the Kansan
The Kansas football team enters the 1992 season with two preseason All-Americans and a defense that has been given national recognition. The Sporting News called KU's defensive line the seventh-best in college football.
"I don't know how you can be good at this level unless you are good at defense," Coach Glen Mason said. "The improvement we made a year ago was remarkable. If we can make that same improvement in our offense in one year we will really be good."
Kansas' front line looks to be an imposing one. Coach Glen Mason plans to use a four-man front again this year. Seniors Dana Stubblefield and Gilbert Brown will be lining up on the inside. Senior Kyle Moore and junior Guy Howard will be at the end spots.
An experienced front line hopes to force many Big Eight teams into more of a passing offense. Playboy named Stubblefield a preseason All-American. Brown was tabbed as the sixth best defensive tackle in the nation and one of the ten most underrated players in the nation by The Sporting News.
Behind the line, a solid linebacker corps will be in action. Led by senior Hassan Bailey, this is a quick and strong unit with depth. Joining Bailey will be sophomores Steve Harvey in the middle and Don Davis on the opposite side.
This year's linebackers have good speed and the experience they lacked last year. Mason said.
Mason said he expected Bailey, Stubblefield and Brown to provide the experience needed to stop opposing offenses.
Kansas' defensive secondary lost four players from last year's squad, and the team is banking on a young group of players to provide adequate pass defense.
Junior Robert Vaughn is the most experienced cornerback. Sophores Gerald McBurrows and Marlin Blakey will bring talent and speed to the corners.
Last season the Jayhawks finished 25-10 and were third in the conference, behind Nebraska and Colorado.
Despite seniors' departure, spikers still strong
By David Dorsey
five seniors departed from last season's squad, but the 1992 Kansas women's volleyball team has a solid nucleus of returning players to build around and should remain competitive in conference play, Coach Frankie Albizt said.
Kansan sportswriter
Albitz, last year's Big Eight Coach of the Year, said her expectations were high for the team, even with the loss of key veteran players.
Last season, Julie Woodruff averaged 12 assists a game and finished with 1,526 for the season. She was
selected to the All-Conference First Team. Also gone are Adrian Powell, Kris Kleinschmidt and Lisa Seigle, all of whom were honorable mention All-Conference last year.
"I think we've brought in some good players, and I'm hoping that the kids that are still here can keep it going." Albitz said.
Albizt said that the starting lineup was still uncertain, with the exception of one player.
"Cymdee Kanabel is a starter in my mind right now," Albizt said. "We have some depth, and when you have that, you're not as certain about a starting lineup."
Last season, the Jayhaws finished 25-10 and were third in the conference, behind Nebraska and Colorado. Albizt said she expected similar, if not better, results this year.
Other notable players on this year's team include Julie Larkin and Kim Delhoff, the squad's only seniors, and junior Shelly Lard, who is the returning assist leader from last season. Albiz, who is entering her eight season at Kansas, said that her Coach of the Year award last year was a surprise and an honor for her. The recipient of the award is picked by fellow conference coaches.
The team will resume two-a-day practices for the remainder of this week. The first match is Sept. 1 at Wichita State.
"I was really surprised because we only took third place," Albizt said. "I felt really good about it. I felt we were doing a lot with a little, and maybe the other coaches gave it to me on that."
The first home match will be at the Jayhawk Classic, which begins Sept. 4. In addition to Kansas, the Classic will draw to Robinson Center teams from Wisconsin-Green Bay, Southern Illinois, Utah and Akron.
Justin Knupu / KANSAN
Tracie Walt prepares for the 1992 season.