Sports
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, November 24.198/
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Lisa Jones/KANSAN
Kansas freshman tailback Frank Hatchett and the rest of the Jayhawk football team played their last game of the season and their last game under coach Bob Valesente. Valesente was fired yesterday by Athletic Director Bob Frederick.
Team has mixed emotions about Valesente's dismissal
By CRAIG ANDERSON Staff writer
Staff writer
The weeks of speculation about the future of Kansas football coach Bob Valesente ended abruptly. Athletic Director Bob Frederick announced at yesterday morning's press conference that Valesente was relieved of his position.
Now, it will be the Kansas players that have to live with Frederick's decision.
Kansas freshman tailback Frank Hatchett was candid about his opinion on yesterday's events.
"I just don't know why they fired him," he said. "Man, you could tell me were improved over last year. You's got to give (Valesente) time."
Kansas, by signing players like Hatchett, was able to land an impressive freshman class of recruits last spring. National recruiting analyst Max Emfinger rated last year's Jayhawk recruits the 34th best group in the nation. Hatchett didn't think Kansas would be able to bring in such a good class this year.
"No one would come if they didn't know who the coach was," he said. "If you were being recruited, would you come? I was looking at Tulsa last year; but they didn't have a coach, so I didn't even consider them. That's what's going to happen this year."
I just don't know why they fired him. Man, you could tell we were improved over last year. You've got to give (Valesente) time.'
Kansas football program headed in the right direction.
Frank Hatchett KU freshman tailback
"The whole attitude had started to change," Flachsbarth said. "We have a lot of young players that are eager to win. I just hope they hire a coach that cares as much about the players as Coach Val did."
"There was a rumor that when (Frederick) took over the job, he didn't think much of Coach Val," he said. "Now that it's happened, we just have to go on and battle through it."
Kansas redshirt freshman center Chip Budde said his teammates will together to work hard through yet another Kansas football coaching change.
"No one cares about us but ourselves," he said. "I don't think
Kansas sophomore wide receiver Quintin Smith said he had heard rumors about Frederick's relationship with Valesete when Frederick took over as athletic director this year.
anyone hates (Frederick), but we don't agree with his decision."
Jayhawk senior defensive tackle Von Lacey questioned Frederick's commitment to the Kansas football program.
"You look at his comment before the K-State game about how when he thought of Kansas, he thought of basketball," he said. "What kind of thing is that to say before probably our biggest game of the year? How can you build when you're hiring and not just hiring people who nothing to say about Rob Frederick."
"He's doing what he thinks is best for the program," he said. "We just have to trust him. We're not here to make those kind of decisions. We can't change it, so why worry about it?"
Kansas junior linebacker Rick Clayton took a more understanding approach to Frederick's actions yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon, Valesente and Frederick met separately with the team.
("Valesente) told us to keep fighting and stay committed," Clayton said. "Frederick told us why it happened and gave us the reasons."
Despite losing the coach that recruited them, Budde said there hadn't been any talk of defections among the players.
Women's season set to open Friday
"I don't think anyone will leave," he said. ("The freshmen) came here to play for Valente, but we'll have to do the best we can."
By ROBERT WHITMAN
"We were trying to identify our quick team and our power team," she said.
The Jayhawks' leading rebounder was a guard, Mesho Stroughter, with seven rebounds in 22 minutes of playing time. Lynn Page, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, had six rebounds in 19 minutes.
"We want our defense to become a lot more intense." Washington said. "We had individuals who rebounded well, but we didn't rebound well as a team, even though we did control the boards."
"Maybe that first game jitter is out, especially for the new players," said Kansas coach Marian Washington. "It's like anything else, it gets easier as the season goes along."
The Kansas women's basketball team's dress rehearsal Saturday night against the Wales National team gave it a chance to work out the jitters and rough edges in its act.
Washington also experimented with different lineups trying to find the right combinations. No one played more than 29 minutes n the game, and all but one of the 11 players who suited up played at least 10 minutes.
The curtain will rise on the Jayhawks' first performance at 8 p.m. Friday against Mississippi Valley State at Allen Field House. The game is one of two in the first half of the Dial Soap Basketball Classic.
The Jayhawks' 93-31 romp over Wales revealed a couple of weak spots. Washington said
The other contest will match Arkansas against Akron at 6 p.m. The winners of Friday's games will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday for the championship, and the losers from Friday will meet a 6 p.m. Saturday.
A combination of power team and quick team started the Wales game: the 6-4 pair of Deborah Richardson and Page, plus senior guards Lisa Dougherty and Strouhter and point guard Lisa Braddy.
Washington said that she would use the quick lineup against Mississippi Valley State, winners of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament last season, but she didn't say which players that would include.
"Right now, I think most of the quick lineup is reflected in the fact that we have the most experience of each day. We have to match up with them."
Part of the way the Jayhawks line up defensively will depend on how they handle Mississippi Valley State's 62 junior center Patricia Hoskins. She was the SWC player-of-the-year last season, averaging 27 points and 17 rebounds a game.
Brown's kickoff return, longest in the NFC this season, came after Washington took a 9-7 lead and gave the Rams the lead for good.
"We're going to try and match up with her and see if one or two defensive assignments can do the job," Washington said. "If that doesn't work, we'll try some other way."
Akron is coming into its first winning season since 1982-83 with its 14-13 mark of last year. Arkansas and Oregon are National Invitational tournament leaders.
This is the fifth year Dial has sponsored this tournament at Kansas. Dial is sponsoring seven other similar tournaments around the country in November and December.
Dial provides awards for the first and second place teams, the all-tournament team and most valuable player, Washington said.
Kick return helps Rams beat 'Skins
Dial also gives money to the tournaments to defer expenses of the tournament and travel costs of the teams.
Williams, given the starting job after a successful relief appearance after Schroeder last week, completed 24 of 46 passes and ran for a touchdown. But he was sacked four times, and his first-quarter fumble was returned 35 yards for a touchdown by Mike Wilcher.
The Associated Press
The Redskins were betrayed by their special teams. In addition to being stung by Brown's fourth career kickoff-return touchdown, Washington allowed a punt block that set up a 1-yard scoring run by White that enabled the Rams to take a 23-9 second-quarter lead.
WASHINGTON — Ron Brown returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and caught a 26-yard scoring pass from Jim Everett as the Los Angeles Rams held off a late Washington threat for a 30-26 NFL victory over the Redskins last night.
Despite getting 308 passing yards from Williams, Washington fell to 7-3 and remained two games ahead of Dallas in the NFC East
Brown's touchdown catch, with 3:38 left in the third quarter, gave the Rams a 30-19 lead, but Doug Williams' second touchdown pass to Art Monk cut the gap to 30-26 four seconds into the fourth quarter. The Redskins moved to the Rams' 14-yard line inside the last minute, but, with the game on the line, an end zone interception by LeRoy Irvin
The Rams, 3-7, also got 112 yards and a touchdown from NFL rushing leader Charles White in notching their second straight victory. It was the Rams' first regular-season triumph over the Redskins since 1969.
ended the threat with 24 seconds left
Roll in charge of football team
By CRAIG ANDERSON
Kansas strength coach Brad Roll is temporarily in charge of the Kansas football team until a new coach is named. Kansas Athletic Director Bob Frederick named Roll as the team supervisor yesterday.
Roll, who came to Kansas in mid-August to replace last year's strength coach Ed Bielik, will be in charge of the team until a new head coach is named. Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick will take coaching applications until Dec. 7 and then name a new coach as soon as possible.
"Everything has happened so fast, it will take a little time to figure it all out," Roll said. "We're going to try to make the transition as smooth as we
can "
The upcoming Thanksgiving break, he said, would be good for the athletes to think about their futures as players at the University of Kansas.
"Thanksgiving break will give them time to reflect on their own team and personal goals," he said. "He's that, it's back to work on Monday."
Kansas freshman Frank Hatchett said yesterday's events would cause him to do some soul-searching.
"I'm going to go into a room and sit down and talk to myself," he said.
"Upset is not the word for (the way I feel)."
Keeping the team together amidst all the uncertainty that awaits the Jayhawks players will be Roll's biggest task for the time being
"We're all men about this deal," he said. "I've just got to go on, and so do the players. I think the feeling right now is one of shock or sadness. Many of the players are confused because this is the first time they've ever been through anything like this. We've all got to go on."
Although Roll had to plan for the future, he did look back and reflect on what former Kansas coach Bob Valesente meant to him.
"I owe him everything." Roll said of Valesente. "He stands for everything that is good in college football. I've never been around a coach with as much class as a person or a coach. Every day I'm around him, he shows more class."
Strength coach Brad Roll will be in charge of the Kansas football team until a new coach is named. Date Furksen/Special to the KANSA
KU wants more than a suntan in Hawaii
By DARRIN STINEMAN Staff writer
Last year, the Kansas Jayhawks trip to Hawaii was anything but a day at the beach. They lost to Pittsburgh and Ohio State in their first two games at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu last year before salvaging a victory with a one-point overtime triumph over Hawaii.
At the Hawaiian Airlines Invitational basketball tournament this weekend in Maui, Hawaii, Kansas hopes to come away with more than a nice tan.
Kansas coach Larry Brown said that he was leaving the golf clubs and the Hawaiian shirts at home this year.
"Last year, I let them go over there and have a good time, but I didn't think having a good tue was the reason we didn't play well." Brown said. "I just don't think we were a very good ballcalt at that time."
Junior guard Scooter Barry agreed that the site of the tournament wasn't the Jayhawks' biggest problem last year.
"I just don't think we were mentally prepared last year," he said. "And I think that's something Coach Brown is wary of, and he's not going to let that happen again."
The Jayhawks' first game will be at 3:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday against the host team, Chinamide. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Chaminade, an NAIA team, has earned the reputation of being a giant-killer by defeating teams such as Louisville and Virginia in past tournaments.
"I'm troubled by (the) Hawaii (tournament) because usually the host team picks a dog team to play, and Chinamide picked us." Brown said. "That kinda rattles me a little bit. I hope it's because they hope they can get on TV with the game and not because they don't think we're very good."
The Kansas-Charinade winner will play the winner of the Iowa-Stanford game, which will be televised on ESPN at 6 p.m. CST on Friday. The winners will play each other at 3 p.m. CST on Saturday.
Brown said that the tentative startling lineup included forwards Danny Manning and Archie Marshall, ceilings, center back Kevin Prichard and Lincoln Minor.
Pritchard said that Kansas would have to be as wary of the officials as of its opponents.
"We know when we go there it's going to be seven-on-five or eight-on-five, depending on how many referees there are," he said. "That's how it was last year."
The tournament field includes Kansas, Chaminade, Iowa, Stanford, Baylor, Illinois, Nebraska and Villanova.