Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Thursday
November 13, 1997
Section:
B
Page 1
College Football
The Nebraska defense is trying to regroup after giving up 38 points to Missouri on Saturday.
Kansas State basketball player Manny Dies pleaded guilty to criminal property damage at a student columnist's residence. SEE PAGE 2B
SEE PAGE 4B
Page 1
Pro Baseball
Seattle Mariner outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award — his first. Griffey led the league with 56 home runs and 147 RBIs.
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A sort of homecoming in Texas
Kansas players focus on family
Freshman running back David Winbush runs past a Texas Christian defender. Winbush is one of 12 Jayhawks from Texas who will be returning to their home state for Saturday's game against Texas. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
By Kelly Cannon
Kansan sportswriter
Homecoming was Nov.1, but for several players on the Kansas football team, their homecoming will be this weekend in Austin, Texas.
Twelve players are from Texas, and for many, the chance to play a last game in front of a "home" crowd is an exciting end to the season. Additionally, if Kansas wins, it will become bowl-eligible.
Cornerback Jason Harris, who is from Fort Worth, said he was looking forward to going home.
"If we win this game, it makes the season worthwhile — the two-a-days, the up-and-down season, the criticism that we've been getting about the offense — this would be iceing on the cake." Harris said.
The game against Texas is the first time the Jayhawks have traveled to Austin. Memorial Stadium at Texas has a capacity of 75,512, potentially the biggest crowd Kansas has played in front of this season.
Harris and punter Dean Royal, who is from McKinney, Texas, said that very little could shake the Jayhawks after playing at Kansas State.
"We learned from K-State just to go out there and treat every game like it's a regular game," Royal said.
"I always take special interest in the teams we play against that recruited me," Winbush said. "A lot of my family will be there to watch me play for the first time since I've been in college. It will be great to be back in Texas and show them what they missed out on."
Harris said, in addition to K-State, playing at Nebraska also was a good preparation for Kansas.
"IIf you've played in front of K-State, I don't think there's a crowd that could bother you anywhere," Harris said. "And, as seniors, we've all played at Nebraska."
Running back David Winbush, from Killeen, Texas, was recruited by Texas and was offered a scholarship to play there.
Tight end Sean McDermott, from Fort Worth, used to live in Austin and has several friends who attend Texas. Winning the final game and becoming bowl-eligible would be a great end to the season, he said.
"it's going to be exciting, I hope we can beat them," McDermott said. "I have a lot of friends that go there, so when I go home, they won't be able to rub it in my face."
All four players said they would have family members in the stands. Harris said he expected to have a large cheering contingency.
"I may have my own section — the Texas, Kansas and the Jason Harris section," he said.
But the biggest thrill about playing at home is the chance to go to a bowl, Royal said.
"I've never been to a bowl game, and I don't think anyone in my family has either," Royal said. "Just the thought of it would drive 'em crazy."
Spirits still high for volleyball
Kansan sportswriter
By Matt Gardner
Kansas sophomore outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht tries to hit a ball past an Oklahoma player. Kansas played Oklahoma on Saturday in Allen Field House. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
After another week of unsuccessful play in the Big 12 Conference, the Kansas volleyball team is hoping to turn things around on the road this weekend.
The Jayhawks dropped matches to Kansas State and Oklahoma and moved their record to 8-19 overall and 1-13 in conference play.
Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise sensed something different on the court after the Kansas State and Oklahoma matches, something she said she hoped would continue in the Jayhawks final three weekends of play.
"They're still fighting, and they haven't given up." Schonewise said. "It's just important that they stay focused and not worry about our record and just about playing well."
Last year, Kansas won four conference matches on its way to a 10-24 overall record. This season, the Jayhawks only win came against Iowa State on Oct. 18.
The Jayhawks have six matches left, including four on the road. This weekend, Kansas will play against nationally ranked Nebraska and Colorado, two teams it lost to Sept. 26 and 27 in Allen Field House.
Trying to better last year's record could be difficult for Kansas.
"We have improved so much on our defense since the last time we played either of those teams," Schonewise said. "We're playing at a higher level and like going to play in Nebraska because of the great crowds they draw there."
Colorado did not waste any time, winning in three games, 15-7, 15-7, and 15-10.
Kansas surprisingly won a game against the Cornhuskers in the previous meeting but lost the match in four games.
The following weekend will take Kansas to Texas with battles against top 25 teams Texas A&M and Texas.
Kansas will close its regular season with home matches against Missouri and Iowa State
on Nov.28 and 29.
This season, Kansas has had the opportunity to play in one of the strongest conferences in the nation.
Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Texas all are nationally ranked, while Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech received votes in last week's poll.
"The conference continues to get stronger and is a lot better than it was last year. We have a lot of quality players in this conference, along with good coaching," Schonewise said.
To remain competitive in the conference, the Jayhawks think they must stay focused and motivated.
"We just need to aim at improving our skills play and keep play
Several Kansas players who struggled through the month of October have turned their play around.
Kahler provided 21 kills combined in the Kansas State and Oklahoma matches, while Albrecht scorched the Wildcats for 19 kills and added eight more against Oklahoma.
ing aggressive defense," sophomore middle blocker Amanda Reves said.
Senior right-side hitter Kendra Kahler and outside-hitter Mary Beth Albrecht have found the form they displayed at the beginning of the season.
"We still have a lot of season left to play," Schonewise said. "Last week was a bright spot for us and we just need to build on that."
High school player signs with DePaul
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Associate sports editor
The Jayhawks missed another high school prospect yterday as 6-foot-5-inch guard/forward Quentin Richard signed a national letter of intent with DePaul
Richardson, from Whitney Young High School in Chicag
Williams: Will have a press conference at 2 p.m. today.
and narrowed his finalists to Kansas and DePaul before selecting a school.
"I am very grateful to all of the universities that extended their great hospitality and opened their homes and families to me," Richardson said at a press conference yesterday. "This was not an easy decision, but I feel that this is best for me. That school is DePaul."
With Richardson's announcement, the Blue Demons have assembled a recruiting class that some recruiting analysts have compared to Michigan's Fab Five of 1991. That class featured current NBA players Juwan Howard, Chris Webber and Jalen Rose.
said that DePaul easily possessed the nation's the top recruiting class.
ESPN recruiting analyst Clark Francis
"Not only would this would be one of the top five recruiting classes in the 15 years we've been ranking recruiting classes, but this would be a team that has been transformed from 3-23 into a potential Final Four team in a year's time." Francis said.
The Blue Demons have commitments from five players ranked among the country's top 25 prospects. One of those players was forward Bobby Simmons, a high school teammate, forward, of Richardson.
While DePaul has been scooping premier players, the Jayhawks have been scooped on several occasions leading up to the early signing period.
The Jayhawks received an oral commitment from Jeff Boschee in September, but his commitment has not been confirmed. An official announcement could come from Kansas coach Roy Williams at a 2 p.m. press conference today.
Boschee is a 6-foot-1-inch point guard from Valley City, N.D.
Kansas was unable to land center Joel Pryzbilla (Minnesota) or forward Michael Miller (Florida), and forward Doug Wrenn is expected to commit to either Minnesota or Georgia Tech in the next week. Each player made an official visit to Kansas during the semester.
JaRon Rush and Tayshaun Prince still are considering Kansas, though both might wait until the late signing period in April to commit.
Rush, who has narrowed his choices to Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA, is a 6-foot-6-inch forward from Pembroke Hill Academy in Kansas City, Mo. Prince, who is looking at Kansas, Kentucky UCLA and Georgetown, is a 6-foot-8-inch forward from Dominguez High School in Compton. Calif.
Heisman hype hardly heard while hopefuls finish season
Never has there been a more dull, boring and downright dreary Heisman Trophy race.
The fans don't seem to care. The pundits, who usually spend the better part of the day.
season stuffing Heisman hype down your throat, appear uninterested. And most important, none of the contenders, or should I say pretenders, seem deserving.
Even the enigmatic Beano Cook, the ESPN college-football analyst who has spent the better part of his career championing Heisman candidates, sounds surprisingly indifferent.
Harley
Rattail
sports@kansan.com
So why is this year's Heisman race so lackluster? The candidates.
There simply has not been that one player who has risen above the masses.
Tennessee's Peyton Manning was supposed to be that player.
The Volunteers' All-American quarterback has the famous name, the cannon arm and puts up the big numbers. Heck, he even graduated from college in three years. He is a model citizen and is sure to be the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. So what is not to like?
Well, Manning has one small problem. Every year against Florida, his arm turns to rubber. Too many of his passes are caught by guys in blue and orange, and his team always loses. If he could have beaten Florida just once, the Downtown Athletic Club would have called off the race and handed him the trophy months ago.
But before I lay into Manning too much, lets remember he is not alone when it comes to candidates who have added to the Heisman monotony.
Wisconsin's sophomore running back Ron Dayne, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards as a freshman, was supposed to step up should Manning falter. Nagging injuries, poor performances in televised games and an inexperienced offensive line have dashed Dayne's Heisman hopes.
Dayne still has one chance: a big game this weekend against No. 1 Michigan. If he rushes for more than 200 yards, and the Badgers pull off the upset, Dayne could get back into the race. But don't count on it.
Woodson is the best defensive player on the nation's best defense. He is big, fast, blankets receivers on defense and dazzles defensive backs on offense.
Speaking of Michigan, the Wolverines have their own candidate in cornerback/receiver Charles Woodson.
So what is Woodson's problem?
He primarily plays defense, which is a sure-fire way not to win the Heisman. And any other year Woodson probably would not be mentioned for the award.
Several other players have put themselves in the race but have been unable to sustain consistent campaigns.
Iowa's Tavian Banks burst out of the gates with some big games but has not kept pace as the Hawkeyes have derailed.
Texas' Ricky Williams may be the nation's best running back, but his team is 3-6 and is coming apart at the seams. And Marshall's Randy Moss, who is blessed maybe with more talent than any other player, is saddled with having to play small-college competition.
Gino Torretta, Miami's 1992 Heisman winner, had more flare than these guys.
So, what do all these Heisman pretenders add up to? At the risk of redundancy, the most dull, boring and downright dreary Heisman race in recent memory. Absolute malaise, baby.
But since someone has to win the big bronze statue, I'd like to see it go to Nebraska's Scott Frost.
No one has played better or more inspired than Frost under such enormous pressure. Don't worry, he is not going to win. He doesn't have the hype.
But really, who cares?
Ratliff is a Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.