University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, November 3. 1987
Sports
7
Returning forwards add prestige to the Big 8 Conference
By DARRIN STINEMAN
Staff writer
For the first time since players wore canvas basketball shoes, the Big Eight Conference is considered possibly the strongest league in basketball. For an explanation of the recent surge, look no further than the players — specifically the outstanding forwards — returning this season.
Leading this elite group is Danny Manning of Kansas, who would have been the first player chosen in this year's NBA draft for a double, according to Coach Lauren Brown.
Last year's leading conference scorer, Missouri's Derrick Chievous, is also back for his senior season after his team won the conference title and the post-season tournament last season. He is rated as the top small forward in the country this
season by the Sporting News after being named second-team All-American by UPI last year.
The Tigers' all-time leading scorer 06.21m-Chisieous personality. His on-the-court tactics, such as "face-checking," his variation of hand-checking, and staring and barking at opposing players earned him the name "the John McEnroe of basketball" from Manning.
Despite those things and his now-famous ritual of wearing a Band-Aid somewhere on his body during each game, Chievous insists he isn't flaky.
"What do you classify as flaky?" he said. "I am the type of player who likes to have fun and enjoy myself. If people say I'm flaky, that's their perception — there's nothing I can do about that."
said he hoped to change the perception of the Big Eight, which he views as an underrated conference.
Perhaps Chievous can't change people's perception of him, but he
"They always pick the top conference because they have television (games)," he said. "If we were like the schools that get on television like the Big 10 and the (Atlantic Coast Conference) or the Big East, people would say, 'The Big Eight is great, wonderful.' And people would see what's going on."
"I think he's a great player and a good leader," said Manning, who won the award the last two years. "He gets the job done for Missouri; he's the player they look to in clos games, and he always comes through for them."
Despite that, Manning, a consensus
All-American last season, is generally regarded as the country's premier player. He was selected pre-season conference player-of-the-year for the third consecutive season in the league's pre-season poll.
Chievous is Manning's pre-season pick as Big Eight Player-of-the-Year.
Aside from Manning and Chevius,
Jeff Grayer of Iowa State was the only player to receive votes. The 6-foot-5 senior was named to the honorable mention All-American team last season.
Grayer, rated as the fifth-best small forward in the nation by the Sporting News, said the reason the Big Eight has great forwards wasn't just a matter having big players with talent.
"I think the reason why we are so good is we really work hard," he said. "Most of us are what you'd call over-achievers. We work hard and get the best out of our abilities."
And the string of the league's
Superforwardws doesn't end with Manning, Chievous and Grayer. Another All-American canidate, last year's Big Eight Newcomer-of-the-Year Harvey Grant, will be back for his senior season at Oklahoma. Grant transferred to Oklahoma after his sophomore year at Independence Community College.
Grant, who averaged 17 points and led the conference with an average of 10 rebounds per game last season, said it was a special challenge when he went up against Manning.
"Defensively, he matches up with me pretty well," said Grant, who is rated as the nation's No. 4 power forward by the Sporting News. "He's '611', and he'll give anybody problems at '611' the way he can move.
"He's been at Kansas four years, and he's proven year in and year out that he can get the job done. The
sports writers pick him player of the year every year in the Big Eight, and that's all good, because he's a great player."
Mitch Richmond of Kansas State could also be included with the league's fab four. At 6'5", Richmond plays guard and forward, and is rated as the nation's No. 12 small forward by the Sporting News. He is a pre-session honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith's and Off The Glass magazines.
"Mitch Richmond is a very good basketball player." Kansas State Coach Lon Kruger said. "I think just now he's beginning to get the national attention and recognition he deserves."
KU football players favor OU to beat NU
The same could be said for the Big Eight Conference.
By CRAIG ANDERSON Staff writer
An image of two freight trains crashing head-on at 95 miles per hour is evoked when one thinks of the Nov. 21 collision between No. 1 ranked Oklahoma and No. 2 ranked Nebraska.
The consensus among Kansas players after Saturday's 71-10 loss to the Sooners was that Oklahoma would be the more likely to survive the clash of the football titans. The Sooners and Huskers have been rated first and second in the Associated Press Top 20 poll every week this season.
"Oklahoma is a whole lot faster," said senior strong safety Marvin Mattox. "Nebraska is much more physical. No question, Oklahoma will win."
Oklahoma's senior tight end Keith Jackson, who on nine receptions has scored four touchdowns and accumulated 272 yards for an average of 30.2 yards per catch, sounded confident about the outcome of the highly taut game.
"I really think there is no question that we will win," Jackson said. "But there are probably more Nebraska that have their doubts."
Jayhawk senior defensive end Eldridge Avery played against
Oklahoma's speed and Nebraska's strength came up over and again in discussions of the game that will most likely decide who goes to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. The victor probably will play in the national championship, possibly against the Miami Hurricanes, who are ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll. Miami and Syracuse are the only other Division 1-A teams besides Oklahoma and Nebraska that are undefeated and untied.
"Nebraska's offensive line came off the ball a lot harder than Oklahoma's did," said senior defensive end Teddy Newman. The game was hitting pretty hard, though. I'd give the edge to the Sooners."
former high school teammate and now Oklahoma quarterback Jamelle Holleyway, and gives the Huskers a chance to beat the Sooners. Avery and Holleyway played together at Banning High School in Carson, Cal.
"If (Nebraska) can shut down the wishbone they could win," Avery said. "It'll be a tough game for both sides."
Mattox was especially impressed with Holieway, who rushed for 68 yards on 10 carries and scored a touchdown. For the season, Holieway has rushed for 786 yards in the first eight games, a pace that would make him the first quarterback in Oklahoma history to rush for over 1,000 yards. The only pass Holieway completed was a 58-yard touchdown to tight end Keith Jackson.
"People underestimate (Holieway) because he's small, but he's a tough, strong runner," Mattox said of the 5-foot-11, 180 pound Holieway. "He runs low to the ground and is hard to tackle. He can put a hurt on you."
Kansas senior offensive tackle Jim Davis said he had no idea who would win the Oklahoma-Nebrasburg game, a delusional what kind of game it would be.
"It will be a high scoring game, I know that," he said. "Oklahoma's defense wasn't as strong as it had been in the past few years."
This season Oklahoma is averaging 52 points a game, and Nebraska is scoring almost 44 points a game. On the defensive side, Nebraska has given up only one touchdown in its last four games. Oklahoma has surrendered four touchdowns in its first eight games.
Tony Vourax/KANSAN
"There's no question that they're the two finest teams in the nation this year," said Kansas State coach Stan Parrish, whose team was pummeled 59-10 by Oklahoma and 56-3 by Nebraska. "They both simply awesome. Something's gotta give when they play each other," said Parrish.
Kansas and K-State will play Saturday in a game which has less significance than the coming Oklahoma-Nebraska match. K-State has a 13-game losing streak that spans the last two seasons. The
ringleaders of a Sooner defense that has given up only four touchdowns in eight games this season and will soon face its biggest rival, Nebraska.
last game the Wildcats won was their 29-12 victory over the Jayhawks last season. Kansas has lost 14 of its last 15 games over the past two seasons.
Oklahoma players thought K-
State would beat Kansas in the coming Sunflower struggle in Manhattan. Jackson said K-State would probably win because its team was stronger and played harder than Kansas. Sooners
defensive end Darrel Reed had the same opinion of the game.
"I think K-State will beat KU because they have a tougher defense and the game will be played in Manhattan," he said.
Sports club task force discusses funds
Bv ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
Members of the sports club task force yesterday engaged in a philosophical discussion on money. In particular, they discussed where the money for sports clubs should be kept and how much outside influence should be used on how it is spent.
Student body president Jason Krakow, a member of the task force, said that he wanted as few restrictions as possible on the way sports clubs spent their money.
"It's a philosophical issue, how much flexibility do we allow them (sports clubs) to make their own decisions and how much do we say, 'You have to do it this way,' " he said.
According to proposed guidelines drafted by the recreation services staff, sports clubs would be required to submit a financial statement to the club coordinator on the first day of every month.
All sports clubs would be required to use all funds for the enhancement of the club. The sports club coordinator could require an audit of a sports club to prove that club funds are being used properly.
Student body vice president Stephanie Quincy, a
member of the task force, said requiring a monthly account of sports club funds was not necessary, since the Senate does not follow how money is spent once it is allocated.
She suggested that biannual reports would be sufficient and that any money the Senate thought was spent improperly could be dealt with when the sports club asked for funding the next year.
The Student Senate proposal said that sports club money from all sources, including Student Senate funding, membership dues, fund raisers, or grants. It is in a university account in the commctrler's office.
Gordon Kratz, sports club coordinator, said the monthly report was not an attempt to tell sports clubs how to spend their money.
Wayne Osness, chairman of health, physical education and recreation, said the monthly report was a method to identify clubs that would not spend money in the best interests of the club.
The recreation services staff didn't make a proposal about where money should be kept, but Kratz said sports clubs should be allowed to keep the money wherever they wanted.
"We're not stepping in and requiring approval for what they want to spend," he said.
The proposed guidelines also require that equipment owned by the club must be insured against loss or damage so that future club members will be able to use it.
Quincy said that she would recommend that club property be insured, but she doesn't want it required.
Other proposed guidelines discussed at the meeting were: who could be a member of a sports club, who could be a sports club coach, who could be a sports club adviser and the methods for reserving facilities through recreation services.
Coaches of sports clubs would be selected by the club, as they are now. But Kratz said that sports clubs would be required to submit the name, background, experience and references of the coach or coaches they hired. "They would pick who they wanted and then tell us and get a quick OK," he said.
Sports club advisers would have to be a faculty or staff member at the University. No graduate teaching assistants would be allowed under the proposed guidelines.
The proposed guidelines would restrict membership in sports clubs to currently enrolled students, faculty and staff, spouses and youth dependents.
Flyers' Brown given 15-game suspension
NEW YORK — The NHL suspended Philadelphia's Dave Brown for 15 games yesterday for cross-checking New York Ranger Tomas Sandstrom in the face during a game. It equaled the second-longest suspension in league history for a player alteration.
The Associated Press
Boston's Eddie Shore was suspended for 16 games in 1933 for hitting Ace Bailey of Toronto. Wiff Paienta of the Colorado Rockies was suspended for 15 games in 1978 for swinging his stick at Detroit's Dennis Polonich.
Brian O'Neill, executive vice president of the NHL, said Brown deliberately attacked Sandstrom in the Oct. 26 game. Sandstrom, a right wing, suffered a concussion and was hospitalized overnight.
nothing apparent to provoke Brown, the Flyers player came from behind and moved several feet to reach Sandstrom before delivering the blow," O'Neill said. "He had time to consider his actions."
O'Neill also noted that it was the second time in eight months that the Flyers' right wing had attacked Sandstrom during a game. Brown received a five-game suspension for high-sticking Sandstrom on March 17.
"Although Sandstrom had done
Rangers General Manager Phil Esposito said the late penalty was to be a fine.
"I am extremely disappointed by the length of the suspension and feel it was not severe enough given the facts." he said.
The suspension will include the Flyers' next 13 games and their games against the Rangers.
Cornerback Granderson leaves KU football team
Kansas junior cornerback Johnny Grandson, who started the first two games of the season, has quit the Jawahawk football team.
By a Kansan reporter
Granderson missed four games this season because of torn knee ligaments he suffered against Kent State, he recovered and was listed as a second-team cornerback before the Oklahoma game.
Granderson didn't play against the Sooners,however.
Granderson's departure and an ankle injury to starting freshman cornerback Michael Page leaves the Kansas secondary hurting for depth as it has for most of the season.
Ruzek's field goals rally Dallas over Giants
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas — Roger Ruzek's three field goals in the final 4:11 rallied the Dallas Cowboys to a 33-24 victory last night over the New York Giants, severely damaging the playoff chances of the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Cowboys improved their record to 4-3. The Giants dropped to 1-6. Washington leads the NFC East with a 6-1 record.
Ruzek kicked field gols of 49, 40 and 35 yards and Ed "Tot Tail"
Ruzek's four field goals in the fourth quarter tied a record set by Garo Yepremian of Detroit in 1966 and Curt Knight of Washington in 1970.
Jones, a defensive end, tipped two passes in the fourth quarter that the Cowboys turned into interceptions.
Ruzek's first field goal of the final quarter, a 34-yarder with 11:38 left, was followed by a 49-yarder with 4:11 left. Rush's second half, a 33-yarder with 46 seconds to play.
the 90 yards it secures to play
The fickle Dallas fans proved a big
threat.
Simms' two second-half touchdowns to Lionel Manuel. who was
factor in rattling the Giants, who lost to the Cowboys 16-14 in September. New York has lost five of its last six games against Dallas.
Giants quarterback Phil Simms was carried off the field with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee with 2:38 to play after a high-tackle by Jim Jeffcoat and Jones. The Giants said that the injury was not considered serious. Jeff Rutledge finished the game.
wearing a cast on his broken left thumb, gave the Giants a 24-14 lead.
But with 9:35 to play, Jeffcoat took a deflected pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 24. Jones tipped the ball just like he did in 1985 against the Giants and Simms. Jeffcoat ran that tipped pass 65 yards for a touchdown.
Manuel, who broke his thumb early in the season, caught scoring passes of 50 and 33 yards after Dallas had built a 14-10 halftime lead.