Tuesday, November 24, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
K-State men confident in potential
By Kevin C. Wilson Associate sports editor
With so many quality teams and without a clear-cut favorite in the Big 12 this season, the
conference appears to be up for grabs. And Kansas State men's basketball coach Tom Asbury wants a piece of the action.
"This could be possibly the most open year in the league, at least in my five years," Asbury said. "This year we're pretty laden with experience in our upper classmen. Our goals are to get into the postseason every year whether it's the NIT or the NCAA Final Four."
Asbury: Hopeful about K-State's chances this season.
The Wildcats return four starters from a team that finished the regular season with a 17-12 record and qualified for the NIT. In all, K-State welcomes back 10 letter winners and 82 percent of last season's scoring.
Highlighting this year's Wildcats team will
be preseason all-conference forward Manny Dies. The 6-9 senior led Kansas State in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (7.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.7 percent) last season and said he was optimistic about the Wildcats' chances this year.
"I feel good going into this season about our potential," Dies said. "I think we're going to have a very solid season with our senior and recruiting classes. We just have to make sure K-State's a dominant team in the league this year. It's a good year for any team to win the conference title."
Dies will be joined in the starting lineup by senior center Shawn Rhodes who averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season. Rhodes was a member of the 1998 Big 12 All-Star team that toured Europe last August, and he said he hoped to use that experience to improve his game.
"I need to step it up this year and be more of a presence on the court," Rhodes said. "When guys are keying on Manny, our go-to guy, other guys like myself need to step up and hit shots when we need to."
Rhodes said there should be more than enough players ready to fill that need.
"We have six seniors this year, which gives us a lot of experience from top to bottom," Rhodes said. "We're the deepest we've been since I've been here. We are at least two-deep at every position."
Not any more.
A key member of the Wildcats' basketball team has been lost for the season. On Nov. 9, junior guard Duane Davis, who started 19 games and averaged 7.2 points last season, was dismissed from the team by coach Asbury for disciplinary reasons.
Senior guard Ayome May, who averaged 7.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, also left the team on Nov. 2 because of an intestinal condition, but he has since returned
Despite the depleted roster, Kansas State has opened the season at 3-0 and Asbury is hoping that his team will be ready when the conference begins. Asbury said there was a formula to follow for success in the Big 12.
"It is really important for you to win nearly all of your home games," he said. "Then you need to steal at least two or three minimum on the road, to get into the top three or four in the league to ensure yourself a bid in the NCAA tournament."
Wildcat women put stock in 6-6 center
Junior college transfer grabs coaches' eyes allows team's top scorer to try forward slot
By Sam Mellinger Kansan sportswriter
Kansas State junior Olga Firsova is making a big impression among Big 12 women's basketball coaches.
Firsova is a 6-6 junior college transfer originally from Kiev, Ukraine, and she led Weatherford (Texas) College to the NJCAA Final Four last year. She also played on the Ukrainian National Team.
"I told my girls," said Baylor coach Sonja Hogg, "we're going to have to put rockets in our shoes when we play against her."
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly, who recruited seven newcomers 6-0 or taller, also has taken notice of Firsova.
"Isn't that the way it goes?" he said. "We get all excited because we get someone 6-2, 6-3, and K-State gets someone 6-4."
The coaches also voted Firsova the conference's preseason newcomer of the year. She is expected to fill some of the scoring void left with the departure of Brit Jacobson, one of two Wildcats to average double figure points last season.
When Firsova signed out of Weatherford, it not only gave the Wildcats a second-team NJCAA All-American with international playing experience, it gave the team the big body it needed to allow 6-1 Angie Finkes to move from center to her more natural power forward position.
coach Deb Patterson. "Last year, she was playing against centers. Now those undersized matchups begin to be even-sized matchups, or she might even have a size advantage now."
"It changes the entire game for Angie Finkes," said third-year
Playing out of her natural position last year, Finkes led K-State with 13.9 points per game and added 5.5 rebounds per game.
The transition to power forward is suiting Finkes just fine
"It's been awesome," she said. "It was tough last year being double-teamed and having defenses kind of focus on you, but there's not much you can do about that. That should change now."
And it should change into a dangerous one-two punch that would complement the three-point shooting of sophomore shooting guard Kim Woodlee and the penetration of freshman point guard Essence Perry, who Patterson said would develop
into one of the most exciting players in the Big 12.
Patterson said she hoped the inside game of Firsova and Finkes could work well with the outside threat of Perry and Woodlee. The combination has worked modestly well in the team's first two games.
In a 63-62 loss to Ohio State, Finkes scored 12 points, and Firsova managed just two in nine minutes off the bench. The big numbers came in the team's second game, a 102-68 win against Eastern Kentucky. Finkes led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Firsova added 18 and 10 in more action.
"To have Olga down there takes the pressure off," Finkes said. "People can't ignore her. Olga down there will open everything up."
K-State plays Kansas Jan. 31 in Lawrence and in the team's season finale Feb. 27 in Manhattan.
Commentary
'Hawks' 4-7 season doesn't make grade
The football season came to an ugly end on Saturday.
This means that it's time to evaluate the second half of the season and distribute the final grades. As before, I'll look at the rushing and passing offense, followed by the rushing and passing defense and end with special teams.
Excluding the K-State and Nebraska games, the rushing offense has made big strides since the midterm on the legs of sophomore running back David Winbush. In the games against Iowa State, Colorado and North Texas the offensive line helped Winbush run for 497 yards on only 77 carries.
However, including the K-State and Nebraska games, the running game was even worse than in the first half of the season. Against the Wildcats and Cornhuskers, the Jayhawks managed only 102 yards combined and only 3 yards on 33 carries against K-State. Based on Winbush's improvement and his phenomenal performance against Colorado, Kansas' grade has slightly improved.
minterm grade: C. Final grade: C.
Since the midway point in the season, the 'Hawks passing game has been nonexistent. Their 103 yards per game average is not an improvement. After the Baylor game, quarterback Zac Wegner was second in the league in passing; now the team has dropped to sixth.
Although the passing numbers haven't been better, quarterback Jay Alexander has filled in capably for injured Wegner. Alexander's play has been solid and mistake free. He threw only two interceptions as a starter. Receiver Termaine Fulton's 20 yard per catch average has established him as a legitimate deep threat. Harrison Hill also was a key contributor — he finished with a team high 33 receptions. Fulton and Hill give fans a lot to be excited about for next year.
Midterm grade: B- Final grade: C. The painful-to-watch run defense – where should I begin? Midway through the season this unit was ranked dead last in yards per game allowed. To no one’s surprise, it still is. Only difference is, the defense is giving up 20 yards more a game. Sure, Nebraska’s
running game is dominating, but its 466-yard performance was ridiculous. All year long this has been a problem, and it was never fixed. Not much else to say.
Midterm grade: D. Final grade: F.
there's not much reason to pass. However, this unit has played solid all year. At the midterm, it only was giving up 149 yards a game, now the pass defense is only one yard worse. The pass defense has intercepted
Tony
Pacheco
sports@kansan.com
the ball 11 times and only has allowed seven passing touchdowns. After injuries to starting defensive backs Muhammad Abdul-Rahim, Jamie Harris and safety Chad Coellner, there were some promising performances from younger players.
Midterm grade: A. Final grade: A.
Special teams have made improvements during the year in every phase except one: punting. Punter Matt Tyler failed to help the Jahwayks win field position battles. While averaging only 5.6 yards per punt on Saturday against Iowa State, he all but forced Coach Terry Allen to go for a first down on fourth-and-one from Kansas' 36-yard line late in the third quarter. The attempt failed. The Cyclones took the ball and kicked a field goal. That kick turned out to be the game winner.
Midterm grade; C+. Final grade; D+
Although the 4-7 record doesn't show it, this Kansas team was an improvement from last year's 5-6 squad. If the Jayhawks could have won the games in which they were leading in the fourth quarter, they would be in the top 25 and on their way to a bowl game. But that didn't happen. The phrase which has become all to familiar to me is the one I'll end with: There's always next year.
Pacheco is an Olathe senior in English.
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