University Daily Kansan / Thursday, November 12, 1987
9
Sports
Women's basketball team signs recruit
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
When the clock struck 8, Shannon Bloxom didn't wait.
Bloxom, a 5-foot-10 guard from Leavenworth High School, signed a letter of intent yesterday to play women's basketball at the University of Kansas. The signing took place in her high school's cafeteria seconds after m., the opening of the early signing period for basketball recruits.
Bloxom's parents sat on each side of her when she signed. Her sister, her high school coaches and five Leavenworth basketball players were among about a dozen people who looked on.
I wanted to sign as soon as soon as possible day, in the first minutes. 'Blocked signs'
By signing early, Bloxom said she took pressure off the other schools
Bloomx said that over the weekend she called the other schools that she had visited, Southern Illinois and Nebraska. The same school she had decided to attend Kansas.
that were recruiting her and insured that she could concentrate on the court during her senior year without recruiting disractions.
At Kansas, Bloxom will be a shooting guard, a position that may suit her talents well. Last season, she was a 48 percent shooter from the field and hit 72 percent from the free throw line. She led the Pioneers with a 17.9 scoring average. She also averaged 6.0 rebounds a game for Leavenworth, a 12.8 team that lost in the sub-state finals last season.
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said Bloxom's outside shooting ability and academic ability made her a good recruit for the program. But, she said it was too
early to say how much of an impact Bloxom would make on the court next year.
"The way I try to approach my freshmen is, when they come to the University of Kansas, I like them to feel that they have an opportunity to do as much as they can." Washington said. "I try not to push them, because they have things they have to adjust to."
Washington said there was a possibility that Kansas would sign one or two more players during the early signing period, which ends Nov. 18.
"She's got the tools, no question about it. It's just a matter of how quickly she's able to adjust to the strategy and the level of competition."
During her official visit to the Kansas campus, Bloxom said she was impressed with the way the coaching staff cared about its players.
She said she knew as soon as she walked into Allen Field House that she was going to come to Kansas. "I can't explain it. I had been there before for basketball camps, but I never had that feeling before," Bloxom said.
John Bloxom is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and is stationed at Fort Leavenworth. After the school year, he said, he would be transferred, but he didn't know where.
Bloxom's father, John, said he was glad his daughter had chosen Kansan.
"I wanted her to go to KU, but I didn't want to influence her," he said. "She'd come in and say, 'Where do you think I should go?' but I wouldn't tell her."
Shannon Bloxom started for the Leavenworth varsity her sophomore and junior years.
Scott Carpenter/KANSAN
Kansas senior defensive end Teddy Newman ranks second on the Kansas seniors who will play their last game at Memorial Stadium this Saturday football team with 69 tackles, including 12 for losses. Newman is one of 22 against Oklahoma State.
Job gives Newman a look at high rollers
Staff writer
By CRAIG ANDERSON Staff writer
Newman worked last summer as a security guard for a casino and hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada Working security, his job mainly consisted of getting cips for dealers when they ran low. The job did have it's memorable moments, though.
Kansas senior defensive end Teddy Newman has seen movers and shakers on the football field this season such as Oklahoma's Jamelle Holeway and Iowa State's Joe Henderson. Last summer he got quite a different view of some movers and shakers.
"I saw one guy lose 80 or 90 thousand dollars at one table," said the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Las Vegas native. "I know, because I brought all of the money to him. He must have been a real high roller, because he acted like he didn't even care that he had lost so much money."
During the high stakes game, Newman was in charge of the casino's form of crowd control.
"A big crowd started to form around the table because of all the money that was involved," he said. "It was up to me to keep the people away from the table so they wouldn't bother the player."
Newman said he lived in Las Vegas all of his life but had never gambled in the casinos. He said he never really had a desire to.
After Newman graduated from Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, he chose to attend Dixie Junior College in St. George, Utah. During his two years at Dixie, Newman set a national junior college record by recording 28 sacks during his sophomore year.
"We used to cruise down The Strip, but we never stopped and went into any other city."
"We just had a really good defense," he said. "We blitzed a lot, and our defensives back never gave the quarterbacks time to throw. That made it easy for me to get sacks."
Newman described the number of major colleges that wanted him after junior college as "handfuls and handfuls." The facilities and beautiful campus were factors that made him decide to come to Kansas, he said.
During his two seasons at Kansas, Newman has become one of the team's most consistent performers. This year, he has recorded 69 tackles, including 12 for losses. Newman also has recovered a fumble and caused another.
In what is maybe a bigger accomplishment for a Kansas defensive lineman, Newman has avoided injuries for most of the season. Other Jayhawks haven't been so fortunate. At one point this season, the team's
"I've been very fortunate not to be hurt this year," he said. "Injuries have hurt all parts of the team this season."
Newman said he was confident that Kansas could have been much more successful if it had been able to avoid the rash of injuries.
top four defensive tackles were unable to play because of injuries.
"I'm positive that we could have won at least two or three more games," he said. "We have some good talent on this team."
With the end of Newman's college career fast approaching, he said there still was much that he and his 21 other senior teammates had to prove as the Jayhawks close out their season.
"We want to go out of here on a high note," he said. "We have to pull together like we've never done before. It can be done."
Hayes hired to coach women's tennis team
By a Kansan reporter
Te Kansas athletic department announced yesterday that Eric Hayes has been hired as coach of the KU women's tennis team effective Jan. 1.
Scott Perelman, who has coached the men's and women's tennis teams the last five years, will become director of tennis and will remain the men's tennis coach upon Hayes' arrival.
Perelman said he became impressed with Heyes by observing him at tournaments Kansas and Clemson were playing in.
Perelman has been seeking a women's coach about three months to help ease his load of recruiting and traveling with both the men's and women's teams.
"He was the guy I've kind of been seeking out all along." Perelman said of Hayes. "I tried to get him to come here two or three times, but the timing wasn't right for him. I'm basically totally impressed with the guy."
"He's had experience as a player, and he's had experience within the Clemson program," Perelman said. "I've seen him take some of the top Clemson players around tournaments that gave me a chance to get idea about his playing ability, he is. Clemson has had a great tradition for turning out tennis coaches."
Hayes played college tennis at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., and has been a coach at Clemson for a year and a half.
Perelman he thought the move would improve both the men's and women's teams.
"It's good to have a person that's going to concentrate on women's tennis at the University of Kansas 24 hours a day," he said. "Knowing that you have a good coach and you have a good recruiter and he's putting in that kind of effort can't help but improve the program."
Perelman said he would remain involved in the women's program but not to the extent he had been in the past.
The Associated Press
Red Sox's Clemens takes AL Cy Young
NEW YORK — Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox became the first American League pitcher in more than a decade to win two straight Cy Young awards, capturing the 1987 trophy yesterday despite being a spring training holdout and having a 4-6 start. Now he says he can aim for the record books.
"It's an individual award. It gives me something to shoot for, something that no one has done before — winning a third time in a row." Clemens said at a Houston news conference. "I beat the jinx. Now, I guess I have to do it again."
Clemens, who lives in Katy, Texas,
had 25 strikeouts in 281 $_{3}$ innings
this year. He received 21 of 28 first-
place votes and 124 points in balloting
by a panel of Baseball Writers
Association of America members.
Jimmy Key of Toronto, 17-8 with a league-leading earned-run average of 2,76, had four first-place votes and 64 points to finish a distant second. Dave Stewart of Oakland, at 20-13 the only other 20-game winner in the AL, was third with two first-place votes and 32 points.
"At the end of the year, I was very confident and very strong." Clemens said. "I think I may have been better than I did at the end of 1988."
Clemens, who had the league's third-best ERA of 2.97, was the only pitcher in either league whose name appeared on each ballot. Steve Bedrosian, the Philadelphia Phillies reliever, won the National League Cy Young award in a close battle with Rick Sutcliffe of Chicago and Rick Reuschel of San Francisco.
The last American League pitcher to win consecutive Cy Youngs was Jim Palmer of the Biltmore Orioles in 1975-76. Denny McLain won the AL Cy Young in 1968 and shared it with Biltimore's Mike Cuellar the following year.
Clemens became only the third American League pitcher to win a Cy Young for a team placed as low as fifth. Dean Chance with the 1964 California Angels and Gaylord Perry with the 1972 Cleveland Indians also won the award with fifth-place teams.
Following Stewart in the balloting were Doyle Alexander of Detroit, 8 points; Mark Langston of Seattle, 7; Ted Higuera of Milwaukee and Frank Viola of Minnesota, 5 each; Jeff Reardon of Minnesota, 4, and Jack Morris of Detroit, 3.
Alexander, 9-0 since an Aug. 12 trade that sent him from Atlanta to Detroit, had the other first-place vote.
Clemens said he was stuck in Houston traffic when he got the call saving he had won the Cv Young.
"It was a good call this year because it was a little bit more of an anticipation," Clemens said. "Last year, I just waited around to find out how much I won by. This year, it was going to be a little closer. I think I did all right."
"I won't say I'm surprised," Clemens said. "The only thing is that I felt that if I didn't win it, it should have gone to Frank Viola, because he did the most for his team."
Clemens drove up to his home in a black Porsche with the license plate "Super K" and "MVP 1986" etched into the bumper. He said he had taken his 1986 Cy Young trophy to be cleaned "for good luck."
Balloting is done by a panel comprised of two BBWAA members from each league city. They are asked to name their top three candidates with five points awarded for a first-place vote, three for second and one for third.
Clemens, the major league's dominant pitcher in 1966 with a 24-4 record, 24.48 ERA and 238 strikeouts, won a World Series victory to repeat as the Cy Young winner.
After holding out the entire exhibition season in a salary dispute, he rejoined the Red Sox a week before the season started. He started 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA in his first 13 appearances going into mid-June.
Many felt he would not be the overpowering pitcher he was in 1986, when he started 14-0 and set a major-league record with 20 strikeouts in a game against Seattle.
He proved them wrong. Starting with a 4-0 shutout at Cleveland on June 17, Clemens won on a spree. He scored 29 goals in 2,664 ERA in his final 23 startings.
Frey named to post in Cubs front office
The Associated Press
CHICAGO - Jim Frey, fired 17 months ago as the field manager of the Chicago Cubs, yesterday was handed the reins to run the team's entire organization.
Frey, who managed the Cubs to the National League East title in 1984, was appointed executive vice president and director of baseball operations by John Madigan, vice president of Tribune Co., which owns the team.
Frey, 56, was not away from the organization very long. Last year he turned down general manager and field manager jobs with the Minnesota Twins to become a radio color commentator for the Cubs.
The move came almost two weeks after Dallas Green resigned as general manager. Ironically, it was Green who had hired Frey as field manager in 1984 and fired him in June of 1986.
Madigan, calling the choice "a strong one," said "Jim Frey was the only candidate."
"When I left Baltimore last evening," Frey said jokingly, "I didn't know if the job was as manager or in the front office, so I brought along
Frey, who makes his home in Baltimore, said he and Madigan met for several hours Tuesday night before reaching a decision.
my nice suit."
Frey said he has about 22 names on the list, and when asked whether the list would include Don Zimmer, Joe Torre, Billy Williams and Pat Corrales, he said all were under consideration.
Frey said he was comfortable with his contract, but he would not reveal terms or length.
Frey's first important assignment will be to name a field manager and he left the field wide open.
"I've thought about it; I gave it some thought when Mr. Madigan first talked to me," said Frey. "I deserve some time to prepare a list."
Later, Frey was asked about John Vukovich, who, like Zimmer, is a close friend and was one of his coaches when he managed the Cubs.
"I plan to contact and talk to Vuke," said Frey, "although I read somewhere he intended to stay with Philadelphia."
Vukovich was expected to be
Kentucky scores in recruiting war
See FREY, p. 10, col. 1
The Associated Press
Chris Mills, a 6-foot-7 basketball star from Los Angeles' Fairfax High School, signed a national letter of intent with the University of Kentucky yesterday, the first day of a week-long signing period.
Mills, who averaged 26.2 points per game last season as Fairfax ended the season 26-1 and won the city championship, said his favorable impression of Wildcats Coach Eddie Sutton and the opportunity to play guard were the main reasons for attending the Southeastern Conference school.
Two other Kentucky recruits — 6-10 center Shawn Kemp of Elkhard, Ind., and 6-2 Sean Woods of Indianapolis — also signed yesterday.
One man who did sign yesterday was Christian Laetner of Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y. Laetner, who averaged 21.4 points and 17 rebounds last season, chose Duke over fellow Atlantic Coast Conference schools
One of the players who did not make an announcement is 6-9 Alonzo Mourning of Chesapeake, Va., who is considered one of the best shot blockers in many years. Mourning had said he would like to make his intention known during the first signing period rather than wait for the next one in April.
Brown says rumors hurt recruiting
By.a Kansan reporter
Kansas basketball coach Larry Brown had no new recruits to announce at a brief news conference yesterday at Allen Field House, which coincided with the beginning of the national letter of intent signing period for high school and junior college players.
Brown said some recruits Kansas was trying to sign had been scared off by rumors spread by students that he was leaving the University.
're all signing with Kentucky and Syracuse. Every kid I'm involved with, they hear I'm leaving.
"I don't know if we're going to sign anyone." Brown said. "They-
"I expected that the first couple of years, but it's been more pronounced this year."
Throughout the spring and summer, rumors persisted that Brown would become the coach of the team. The team also surfaced before the 1985-86 season.
"It's ironic that the kids are being told that by coaches that haven't been at their institutions as long as I've been here," said Brown, who is beginning his fifth year at Kansas.
Virginia and North Carolina.
Indiana, the defending national
Other ACC schools signing players yesterday were Wake Forest, which got 6-8 forward Chris King of Newton Grove, N.C., among three signees; Clemson, which signed 6-4 David Young of Greenville, S.C.; and Virginia, which signed AA Player of the Year Bryant SMITH, a 6-4 forward who led Brunswick County to a 27-0 record last season while averaging 25 points, 1 rebounds and three blocked shots.
champions who were Mill's second choice, signed three players including 6-8 Matt Nover of Chesterton, Ind. Indiana Coach Bob Knight described Nover as a player in the mold of Tom Abernethy, Tedit Kithel and Steve Eyl, all forwards who played on Knight's more successful teams.
The Hoosiers also signed 6-9 Eric Anderson of Chicago and 6-6 John White of Dodge City, Kan., Junior College.
Louisville signed four players - 6-6 swingman Dervin Webb of Indianapolis, 6-7 forward Cornelius Holden of Los Angeles, 6-5 guard Everick Sullivan of Simpsonville, S.C., and 6-6 forward Mike Case of Pendleton Heights High School near Anderson, Ind.
Chucky Sproiling of Denver's Manual High School, who also had been recruited by Kansas, will be going across the country to play college basketball. He signed with St. John's University of the Big East Conference. The 6-4 Sproiling, who led the state in scoring at 30.4 last season — including 74 points in one game — said Redmen Coach Lou Carneseca and the quality of play in the conference were his reasons for chosing the New York school.
Ohio State Coach Gary Williams kept some high school players in the state, counting three native Buckeyes among his four new players.
Signing with Ohio State were 6-0 point guard Mark Baker of Dayton Dunbar, the defending big school state champions, 6-1 Bill Robinson of Canton McKinley and 6-8 Steve Hall of Haviland Wayne Trace. Chris Jent, a 6-2 product of Sparta, N.J., also signed with Ohio State after considering Pittsburgh and Villanova.