Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Friday October 17,1997
The World Series begins tomorrow night when the Florida Marlins play host to the Cleveland Indians. It will be on NBC.SEE PAGE 4B
College Football
Section:
Former Kansas defensive end Dana
SEE PAGE 2B
B
Pro Football
Page 1
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Diego Charges 31-3 last night at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City improved its record to 5-2.
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TOP: Sophomore forward Lester Earl waits to get his picture taken during the annual media day in Allen Field-house yesterday. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
BOTTOM: Freshman guard Kenny Gregory shares a laugh with Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams during the men's basketball media day yesterday in Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Back in Business
Stories by Tommy Gallagher
Team holds media day
The Kansas men's basketball team revealed their new uniforms and spoke about the expectations about this season at the team's media day yesterday.
"They made my job so easy, so comfortable the past four years," Williams said. "Replacing those players are about as significant a loss we've ever had. But at the same time, we're excited to get started, and I'm excited to get started."
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said the Jayhawks would have a challenge in replacing three former standouts from last year: Jerod Haase, Scot Pollard and Jacque Vaughn.
Basketball festivities will begin with "Late Night With Roy Williams" at 10:45 tonight, with the first official practice beginning one minute after midnight
The players donned their new uniforms for photos and answered questions about last season and the season that starts tonight.
Admission is free.
Senior forward/center Raef LaFrentz and junior forward Paul Pierce were swamped with
Junior Ryan Robertson was asked whether he could replace Vaughn as the starting point guard. Senior guard Billy Thomas was asked about the man who could
questions about their decisions to stay in college when they passed on an opportunity to play in the NBA.
push him for a start-
ing spot, freshman g u a r d Kenny Gregory.
And sophomore guard Terry Nooner, who was a fan favorite last season and is now a scholarship player, was all smiles.
One constant was that most of the players said they would like to answer the questions on the basketball court.
One con-
LaFrentz said the team was putting their NCAA Tournament loss against Arizona behind them.
"I left the Arizona game in Birmingham, (Ala.)." LaFrentz said. "There's nothing I can do about that now. We have to come back with a new attitude try again this year."
As for leadership, LaFrentz said he would replace the leaders from last season the best way he knew how.
"I'm not a leader like Jacque was," LaFrentz said. "I'm not a floor leader. I lead by example. I try to show them."
As for the newcomers, they can't speak with the media until after the Nov. 3 exhibition game against Australia at Allen Field House.
"Like all freshmen, they come in a little bit shy and not really talkative at first," Robertson said. "But they're getting better and better as the days pass on. I think that once the season rolls around, they'll be ready."
Annual Late Night with Roy to start season
Another season of hoop dreams will begin for the Kansas men's basketball team and its fans at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow at Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks quest for a Final Four appearance and national championship will start with "Late Night With Roy Williams." Doors open at 5 tonight, but no entertainment will begin until 10:45 p.m. when skits performed by men's and women's players and the spirit squad begin.
Admission is free, but people attending are encouraged to bring a can of food. Children 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult for admittance.
Rick Mullen, director of promotions, said spectators have typically filled the field house in years past.
The theme for "Late Night" is "Kansas Basketball: This Is Your Life," which is based on the old TV show, Mullen said. The show will go through past decades as part of the throwback theme and celebration of 100 years of Kansas basketball.
"The last two years we've had to close the door," Mullen said. "This is a very popular event. We don't know when that will happen this year."
Mullen said the players were excited.
"Some of the newcomers have pretty good talent out there," Mullen said. "They enjoy it. Some were at 'Late Night' last year as a recruit. It's their turn to get to try it. It should be a fun evening."
Three high school seniors will attend "Late Night" as part of their official visits to Kansas.
Quentin Richardson, a 6-foot-6 forward from Chicago, is considered by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons to be the No.1 small forward in the country and Joel Pryzbilla, a 7-foot center from Monticello, Minn., is considered to be the No.1 center.
Also, 6-foot-7 forward JaRon Rush from Pembroke Hill in Kansas City, Mo., will attend. Jeff Boschee, a 6-foot-1 guard, from Valley City (N.D.) High School, verbally committed to Kansas in September and will attend "Late Night."
For the women, four high school basketball prospects will attend, including Selena Scott of Austin, Texas. She verbally committed to sign a national letter of intent with Kansas on Monday.
Kansas football searching for first road victory
Kansas running back Eric Mam breaks past a Missouri defender on his wav to a touchdown. Photo by StevePuppe
By Kelly Cannon kcannon@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas football team is searching for its first victory on the road. The Jayhawks will travel to Boulder, Colo., this weekend and take on a beleaguered Buffalo squad.
Kansas, 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, will be playing a night game on the road for the third time this season. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Network. Kansas coach Terry Allen said that, despite the Buffalo's difficulties, Colorado was a high-quality team.
Colorado, 23, 0-2 Big 12 Conference, fall out of the national rankings for the first time since the final rankings of the 1988 season.
"We have to go back to ground zero and dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in," Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel said.
"Colorado is an exceptional team that is not hitting on all cylinders." Allen said. "But you know they're a good football team. You don't want to be their get well week."
Allen said many of Colorado's problems stemmed from the play of its offense.
"They're struggling in the offensive line," Allen said. "When the offense is struggling, that's where it at."
Allen attempted to shore up some of Kansas' offensive woes earlier this week by moving defensive tackle Dan Dercer to offensive left tackle. Michael Lies will continue to start at left tackle for Kansas. Dercer is second on the depth chart.
"We are an average offensive football
Two Kansas' assistant coaches, Dick Moseley and Walt Klinker, have Colorado connections. Moseley coached at Colorado in 1979-81 and Klinker played there in 1969-61.
"They're all big for us right now." Allen said. "Every win we can get is big. I know it would put a lot of smiles on peoples faces, and it would make Coach Klinker happy."
team," Allen said. "We just try and do our best with those individuals."
Outside linebacker Ron Warner, who holds Kansas' single-season sack record and leads the NCAA with 10.5, said he would rather win than get sacks.
"For me to get those, I help my team to win," Warner said. "We can win on defense, but the offense needs to give us a couple of touchdowns. If they give us a couple touchdowns, we can't lose."
Altitude may be a factor Saturday. Boulder is located northwest of Denver and at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Outside linebacker Pat Brown said the altitude was a problem for him.
"That has a big effect on me," Brown said. "Freshman year, when we went up there and won, my best friend was the oxygen tank. I was right there on the sideline. I have asthma problems as well, and it affected me big time."
Brown said Colorado's team this year reminded him of Kansas' last season.
"Like last year, we had all the talent in the world but the chemistry wasn't there," he said. "Something within wasn't clicking, and I think that's what's going on with them right now."
Kickoff for the game is set for 6 p.m.
with the Jayhawks. In October of that year, Tunstall was suspended for violations of team and departmental policies. Coach Roy Williams never reinstated him.
ST. LOUIS — Former Kansas basketball player Sean Tunstall, part of the 1991 Jayhawk team that went to the Final Four, was shot and killed yesterday in a parking lot of a recreation center.
Tunstall, 28, a reserve guard on the Jayhawk team that also was that year's Big Eight co-champion, was shot just before 5 p.m., St. Louis police said.
The Associated Press
Former Jayhawk killed by gunfire in St. Louis
Kansas later lost to Duke in the national championship game, which was Tunstall's last game
No arrests had been made yesterday evening, and police were releasing no other information.
Another person was shot in the arm. Police declined to identify that victim, but said he was at a St. Louis hospital in serious but stable condition.
Tunstall lettered in the 1991 season, averaging 5.7 points a game. In the Southeast Regional semifinals he scored 15 points against Indiana, and 11 points against Arkansas in the regional final.
Williams said in 1922 that Tunstall had not achieved the required 2.0 grade point average to be eligible to play.
In March 1998, Tunstall pleaded guilty to one count of selling cocaine, and received a three-in-10-year sentence.
He played basketball for Vashon High in St. Louis. He played one year for Kansas.
Tunstall was recruited in 1988 by Larry Brown and played under Brown and Roy Williams. He was one of the top 65 basketball recruits in the country, averaging 18.5 points, 7 assists and 5 steals per game in high school.
Orlando Johnson, a friend of Tunstall's, told KMOV-TV that Tunstall still had a future as a basketball player.
Kansas sport information director Dean Buchan said Williams was not available for comment late yesterday.