Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Wednesday October 29,1997
Jenny Hellman scales a rock-climbing wall. Rock climbing is one of the fastest-growing club sports on campus. SEE PAGE 3B
Pro Golf
Section:
Tiger Woods is expected to win the PGA's Player of the Year award instead of Hale Irwin.
SEE PAGE 4B
Pro Basketball
B
The NBA announced that two female officials have been hired for the 1997- 98 season, which begins Friday.
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SEE PAGE 6B
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Last attempt at predictions for columnist
This is the last time I will make predictions about sports.
In two previous columns, I have predicted the college football season and the Major League Baseball playoffs. I wrote that Colorado was the second-best college football team in the nation and Florida would lose to San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs.
Obviously, I shouldn't move to Las Vegas and wager my life savings to pay for medical school. Nevertheless, I am going to give my top five college basketball teams in hopes of redeeming myself.
Top Five:
1. Arizona: This is going to be an unpopular pick in these parts, but Arizona deserves to have the target on its chest this year. The Wildcats return their top eight players, and if they can
keep them academically eligible, the Wildcats have a shot of repeating as champions.
Scott Corcoran
sports@kansan.com
2. Kansas: The Jayhawks will be more athletic this year and should be much more potent on offense. Newcomers Lester Earl and Kenny Gregory will complement All-Americans Raf LaFrance
and Paul Pierce. This may be coach Roy Williams' year to win his first national championship.
3. Duke: The Blue Devils have a recruiting class that matches the Fab Five of Michigan in the early 1990s. The freshmen, along with sharpshooter Trajan Langdon, should lead Duke to the ACC championship. But don't be surprised if the Blue Devils' inexperience fails them and they bow out early in the NCAA Tournament.
4. North Carolina: College basketball lost a great man this fall when Dean Smith retired. The Tar Heels would have had a good shot at the national championship if Smith would have stayed for one more season. Despite losing its leader, North Carolina should be stacked with four starters including returning All-American Antwon Jamison.
5. Purdue: This is a wild-card pick.
The Boilermakers gave Kansas trouble last year in the NCAA Tournament and return most of that team.
Gene Keady is a great coach and will lead Purdue to another Big 10 title.
With my track record, it would probably be a bad idea (and illegal) to run out to place any bets based on my predictions. Just keep the predictions in mind as the season unfolds, and if you think that your predictions are better, send me e-mail at sports@kansan.com.
Corcoran is a Topeka senior in biology.
Home comes to Terry Allen
Iowa State contest reunites coaches
By Kelly Cannon kcannon@kansan.com Kansan swordwriter
The irony of Saturday's homecoming game against Iowa State is thick for Kansas football coach Terry Allen.
When the Cyclones take the field against the Jayhawks, Allen will face his high school track coach and longtime friend, Iowa State football coach Dan McCarney.
"That's the irony of the situation," Allen said. "We were two kids who grew up in the heart and soul of Big 10 country and bled (Iowa) black and gold. He played three years and lettered at Iowa. But both of us ended up coaching in the Big 12."
McCarney and Allen both were born at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. When Allen was in high school at Iowa City West High School, McCarney was a student coach for Allen's track team.
"Mac and I go back a long way," Allen said.
Allen ran the 100-meter dash and threw the shot put. Allen said he worked with McCarney also.
"He is four years older than me," Allen said. "When he was in school at Iowa and I was in high school, we worked together on the Johnson County (Iowa) secondary roads system. It was a 'get the athletes a job' place."
Allen said he and McCarney filled holes in the road.
"We would walk along, filling in holes with dirt and talk football." Allen said.
Allen, former head coach at Northern Iowa, has faced Iowa State four times in his career and is 2-2 overall. Last year was the only time Alice faced an Iowa
State team coached by McCarney, a game the Cyclones won 42-23. McCarney said he had great respect for Allen.
"I have been a fan of Terry Allen for years," McCarnay said. "We grew up together in Iowa City, and I've followed his career as he's followed mine."
Allen's teams have typically been strong offensively, while McCarney's have excelled on the defensive side of the ball. However, both coaches have been having difficulties in their specialties this season.
"Dan came as a defensive person to his Iowa State job, and he has been struggling," Allen said. "I came here as an offensive coach, and we're struggling."
Allen said that despite his team's struggles, he thought the football situation was better at Kansas.
"We're better off at Kansas than they are at Iowa State," Allen said. "They are totally dominated in the state of Iowa by Iowa. This is a better job than the Iowa State job because of the tradition here and the potential here."
In addition to Allen, Kansas assistant coaches Mark Farley, Bill Salmon and Chris Klieman are all Iowa natives. Allen and assistants Farley, Salmon, Klieman, Michael Garrison, Dick Moseley, Ardell Wiegandt, Walt Klinker and Del Wight are all former coaches at Northern Iowa.
Zac Wegner will be Kansas' starting quarterback for the fourth week in a row. Previous starter Matt Johner injured the small finger on his throwing hand against Oklahoma.
"He (Wegner) is a guy you could build your team around," Allen said. "This is a real opportunity to see what Zac can do. The numbers don't reflect, but they'll show through Saturday."
Ron Warner, Jamie Harris and J.J. Johnson will play against Iowa State. All three were suspended for the Nebraska game for breaking the team's code of conduct.
Kansas football coach Terry Allen looks up toward the lights with Nebraska's Tom Osborne during the power outage. The outage happened because of a blown transformer during the second quarter of Saturday's game. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Nooner enjoys scholarship status
Sophomore guard had a successful season as walk-on
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Associate sports editor
Sophomore guard Terry Nooner had a moment to remember this summer, one that will stay with him during his days at Kansas and beyond.
On June 17, Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams was a guest speaker at Children's Mercy Hospital's basketball camp in Kansas City, Mo., where Nooner was working as a counselor.
Williams announced that Nooner would be awarded a scholarship for the 1997-98 season.
"I talked to Coach after the season was over, and he said that he wouldn't know for sure about the scholarship until the beginning of August," Nooner said. "That announcement came as a shock."
Terry Nooner:
Awarded a basketball scholarship.
Williams asked the children if they thought Nooner had done a good job and then asked them whether he deserved a scholarship. After the children answered yes to both questions,
"She said that was the happiest birthday she's had in her life." Nooner said. "When I told her, she started screaming. She was extremely happy because that saved her a lot of money, too."
The announcement coincided with the 40th birthday of Nooner's mother. Nooner said his call to his mother at work gave her a tremendous birthday surprise.
Nooner attended the walk-on tryouts last year and was the only person selected for a two-week tryout with the basketball team.
"We always look for height,but he played well at the tryouts and then in practice."
Nooner made the final roster and became a fan favorite last assistant basketball coach season.
ssistant
Assistant coach Matt Doherty, who coordinates the walk-on tryouts, said the 6-foot guard was the best player during the tryouts.
"We always look for height, but he played well at the tryouts and then in practice." Doherty said.
A product of Raytown (Mo.) High School, Nooner dreamed of playing for the Jayhawks. He said he turned down
numerous scholarship offers from smaller schools for a chance to play for the University of Kansas.
"I didn't think I'd feel comfortable with myself if I didn't pursue my dream, and that was to play basketball here at Kansas," Nooner said. "I had remembered Danny Manning leading Kansas to a national championship in 1988, and that was a big inspiration for me growing up. That was a big reason why I chose to walk-on here."
With a scholarship and one year of collegiate basketball experience, Nooner said he was eager for the season to start.
The Jayhawks will play Australia in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Monday in Allen Field House.
Nooner doesn't expect his scholarship status to cause a drop in support among the student body section at home basketball games.
"I don't think that I lose any of my fan support because I'm scholarship," Nooner said. "At least I hope not."
Jennifer Keith, Kansas City, Kan., senior, auditions to sing the national anthem at men's basketball games. Keith auditioned Monday. Photo by Tara Bradley/KANSAN
Students seek singing spots
By Monica Hodes sports@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
Auditions held for national-anthem slots at basketball games
More than 16,000 pairs of eyes scrutinize you as you step up to the microphone. You hear the band begin to play and pray that your voice won't crack.
Belleve it or not, for five University of Kansas students this is a dream, not a nightmare.The students auditioned to sing the national anthem at basketball games this season.
Auditions for vocalists were held Monday night in Murphy Hall. Tom Stidham, assistant band director and the director of basketball bands, and others from the band department judged the auditions.
In the past, one person was chosen to sing for the men's games and one for the women's games. Last year, however, four vocalists performed for all the games. Stidham said it had been difficult to narrow it down to four last year, and he expected the same challenge this year.
"There are some very good singers here at KU, and we have a hard choice to make," Stidham said.
At the auditions, the singers were given a starting pitch. They sang the national anthem and the alma mater without musical backup.
"We have them sing it a cappella so we
Stidham said the thrill in singing the national anthem at KU basketball games was the large, enthusiastic audience.
can listen to their pitch," said Stidham. Stidham said he was looking for someone who could sing in front of a crowd.
"I actually got to experience a little of what the players feel when all the fans are cheering for them," Keith said.
"This is more people than they would get to sing for in lots of opera productions." Stidham said.
"We have to look for someone who is going to have the proper presence and be able to stand in front of that many people and sing accurately with the style we're looking for," he said.
Jennifer Keith, Kansas City, Kan. senior, auditioned Monday. She sang at five games last season and said that performing for the crowd was a rush.
15 Jayhawk runners make all-conference
Kansas cross country members selected for the Big 12 Conference Academic All-Conference Teams:
First Team
First team
Senior Stephanie Clark
Sophomore Brian Jenkins
Specialized in R
Senior Lynn LoPresh
Junior Marsha Neal
Sophomore Lydia Oelschlaeger
Sophomore Drew Ryan
Senior Brian Schultz
Sophomore Cynthia Smith
Junior Lewis Theobald Honorable Mention
Junior Lewis Theobald
Freshman Ricardo Amezcua
Junior John Elcock Senior Jerry Pullin
Sophomore Joanna Scollon
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