Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Wednesday
October 15, 1997
Section:
B
Page 1
Pro Baseball
The Kansas City Royals may be the only team to switch leagues if this realignment plan passes.
All-Star point guard John Stockton will be sidelined for about eight weeks. Jacque Vaughn is No. 2 on the Jazz depth chart. SEE PAGE 3B
SEE PAGE 4B
College Football
Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel said quarterback John Hessler might not start Saturday against Kansas. The Buffaloes, 2-3, are 0-2 in the Big 12.
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Students aren't on the ball
Basketball coupons not being picked up
By Tommy Gallagher
Associate sports editor
Kansas students have been picking up their coupons for men's basketball games but not with the same anticipation as in years past.
Kristel Thalmann, assistant to the director of tickets, said she was surprised at the slow pace of coupon pickups this week.
"We've had less than 1,000 students stop by the first couple days," Thalmann said.
"Last year, we averaged maybe more than 1,000 students a day. I'm sort of shocked at the pace."
Part of the reason for sluggish returns could be that some students do not know the basketball coupons can be picked up.
Chris Froehlich, Overland Park junior,
said he missed his nickun date yesterday.
"I've always seen the ad for the coupons in the past," he said. "I guess I wasn't ready for it. I was even thinking about it, and I'm usually looking for it."
The basketball coupons include 16 home basketball games at Allen Field House during the regular season.
Students have been able to purchase tickets to individual games since Monday at the ticket office in the field house. Nonstu
dents may start buying tickets beginning next week.
Tickets to games played during the winter break are included in the sports package this season. Last season, the games were excluded because of low attendance figures during the break.
Coupon pickup dates
"There are some conference games during the winter break this year." Thalmann said. "We would never take conference games out of the package."
Today: Last names LQ
Tomorrow: Last names R-Z
Friday: All students
Tickets for two Presseason NIT games at the field house are on sale for $8. The NIT games were not included in the sports package because they are not Kansas-sponsored events.
Students were to redeem their first coupon this week, but not all the tickets for
Coupons can be picked up from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. each day at the ticket booth in Allen Field House.
those games have been printed. Tickets for those games — Australia, Pella Windows AAU, Santa Clara, Rice and Western Kentucky — will be available after 11 a.m. Monday.
Soccer team has shoestring chance
Big 12 tournament window may close after Missouri game
By Harley V. Rattiff sports@kansan.com.
Kansas sportwriter
Regardless of the sport, the two teams' combined 6-18-1 record and the fact that both teams will need significant help to make the postseason, it's a Kansas-Missouri match up, which means it's always important.
The Kansas soccer team travels to Columbia, Mo., today to take on the Tigers at 4 p.m. It will mark the second installment of soccer's version of the "Border Battle."
"It's huge," freshman Colleen Colvin said. "We have to beat Missouri."
The Jayhawks (3-9-1 overall, 1-6 in Big 12 Conference play) should have plenty of incentive. Besides the traditional rivalry, both teams are hanging on to the possibility of making it to the Big 12 postseason tournament in San Antonio.
A loss today would effectively knock either team out of contention.
we've got to win our next three games," Kansas head coach Dan Magner said. "And that starts with beating Missouri."
To get to the Big 12 tournament, Kansas will need some help, however, from Iowa State and Colorado. The Cyclones must lose one of their final two conference games, while the Buffaloes must drop two of their final three conference games.
There will also be the revenge factor.
Kansas goalkeeper Jen Feke slides to grab the ball during soccer practice. The women's soccer team will play Missouri in Columbia tomorrow. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
The Jayhawks find themselves in a situation similar to last season. It was a 3-0 victory at Lawrence that put Missouri in and knocked Kansas out of the Big 12 tournament last season.
Colvin, a freshman, said that the upperclassmen have not forgotten the loss to the Tigers.
"That's all the upperclassman have been talking about," Colvin said. "They told us about last season, and they don't want that to happen again. The team is really pumped."
The Jayhawks, however, will have to overcome the one problem that has hindered them all season: an inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities.
Kansas was once again hampered by blown opportuni ties in a 2-2 tie against Arkansas on Friday. The Jayhawks failed to make the most of several scoring chances in overtime, a source of frustration for coach and players.
"It seemed like we dominated the entire game, but we weren't able to capitalize," Colvin said. "I wasn't very pleased with the tie. We should have won that game."
Magner said that although the shots didn't fall, he was pleased with the team's ball movement.
"It's disappointing," he said. "The positive side, however, is that we are creating the opportunities."
Besides overcoming missed chances, the Jayhawks will be facing another challenge: midweek travel during midterms.
by school, Magner said he saw the game as a chance to take a break.
Although he admitted that his players could be fatigued
"Playing during midterms is difficult," Magner said. "In the future, we will try and schedule differently. On the positive side, the game will provide a place for players to blow off some steam and release some stress."
Freshman thrives on grades, gridiron
By Kelly Cannon
Brandon Wier, a redshirt freshman on the Kansas football team, has that distinction. On Friday Wier was declared the National Football Foundation's 1997 high school scholar-athlete for the Midwest region.
kcannon@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Not all students play a sport in high school. Fewer students earn a 4.0 grade point average. Even fewer do both.
"What a great honor." Kansas football coach Terry Allen said. "We're just extremely proud of him and that honor."
Wier graduated from Olathe North High School in May with a 4.0 GPA. He was valedictorian of his class. In addition to excelling
in the classroom, Wier, a three-year starter for Olathe North, led his team to an undefeated season and a Kansas 6A state championship his senior year.
"When it comes down to the line, I always found
Wier: Recognized for academic, athletic achievement.
time for both," Wier said. "You hear school is supposed to come before sports, but it seems like sports came a little before school. I was lucky that I found time for both."
Wier's high school coach, Gene Wier, is also his father. Wier said coaching his son was a special experience.
In high school, Wier was a wide receiver, free safety and emergency quarterback. He plays defensive back at Kansas.
"It was wonderful," he said. "I wish everyone could have it."
Studying never was a problem for Brandon Wier, his father said
"I never had to say a word," he said. "He has always been responsible. It was very unusual. He didn't get it from me."
During his studies at Olathe North, Wier was recruited by former Kansas coach Glen Mason.
Wier made a recruiting trip to
Minnesota after Mason accepted that head coaching job but chose Kansas in the end.
"It's close to home." Wier said. "I've always been a Jayhawk fan. Mason did recruit me, and he went to Minnesota. But the only reason I liked Mason was because he was at Kansas. I've always wanted to come here. Who it's for is not really my concern."
When Allen came to Kansas, he offered Wiley a scholarship.
"We didn't want to lose him." Allen said. "We've been really pleased with him as far as the athletic ability he has demonstrated. And I didn't want to lose a Kansas kid with that type of academic promise and the success he had as a football player."
"I'd like to have 20 guys like him," Allen said. "I'd like to have 50 guys like him."
Wier said he planned to study business and eventually wanted to attend law school. His shortterm goal, however, is to be an academic All-American. Kansas football has had only seven academic All-Americans, none since 1995.
"I would like to balance both," Wier said. "I think academic AllAmerican is great. When you balance them both, you can get further along than if you just a 4.0 student or you excel in football. The NCAA makes nice rewards for those who can balance both."
Allen said Wier was a good plover to have.
Texas star may join Jayhawks
Kansan staff report
The Kansas women's basketball team may have gained another recruit for next season.
She said she anticipated similar success at Kansas.
Selena Scott, Austin, Texas, verbally committed to sign a national letter of intent for Kansas, the "Austin American-Statesman" reported Monday.
Last season, Scott averaged 18.3 points and 5.5 steals, leading her high school team, St. Michael's, to the Texas Christian Interscholastic League state championship. This was the third time the St. Michael's Crusaders have gone to the TCIIL state championship tournament since Scott began there as a freshman
The Jayhawks begin the season with the point guard position filled by freshman Jennifer Jackson and redshirt freshman Casey Pruitt.
"I expect to play) no less than 20 minutes per game," Scott told the "American-Statesman." "They want me to run the point and play two guard when we're small."
NCAA rules forbid coaches from talking about specific recruits until they sign, but Washington has said that she was excited about some potential newcomers.
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington has said that having two such young players at the point guard position presented a challenge for this season.
"This recruiting class will be one of the best ever." she said.
Scott selected Kansas over Arkansas, Memphis, Texas A&M. Stephen F. Austin University, Kansas State and Baylor.
Tennis players served losses at tournament
The early signing period for basket ball begins Nov. 10.
Kansan staff report
Kansas junior Luis Uribe was eliminated from the Reebek/TAI All-American Tournament yesterday in Austin, Texas, when he lost in the semifinals of prequalifying play to Thomas Bohun of California-Irvine.
Uribe's defeat came a day after he won three matches to advance to the semifinals. He defeated Baylor's Joey Michalsky 8-5, Vanderbilt's Peter Blach 8-5 and Oregon's Guillermo Carter 8-2, 6-2.
In doubles play, the duo of junior Trent Tucker and sophomore Kenny Powell won twice yesterday to advance to the quarterfinals before they lost to the California-Polytechnic pair of Chris Margary and Tony Piccua 8-3.
Tucker won his first match in singles play against California-Santa Barbara's Peter Webb 8-5 on Monday. He then lost to Idaho's Jorge Aldrete 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. The defeat snapped Tucker's five-match win streak.
Also in qualifying doubles action, Jayhawks Uribe and freshman Ed Dus lost their first match of the season. Andrew Irving and Steven Patek of Texas defeated them 9-8. Dus and Uribe had won their first three doubles matches of the season last week end in the Hurricane Invitational.
Qualifying rounds for both doubles and singles play are scheduled for today, but Kansas will not have any representatives during these rounds of play.
4
However, senior All-Americans No. 18 Enrique Abaroa and No. 31 Xavier Avila will participate in the main draw, which begins tomorrow for both singles and doubles competitions.