Tuesday, November 17, 1998 The University Daily Kansan Section B·Page 3 ONFERENCE Preseason Basketbal BIG Tigers crave glory away from home Basketball team's weak road record fails to shake optimism of coach,team By Brandon Krisztal Kansan sportswriter The Missouri men's basketball team has a good chance of curing its road woes from a year ago. The Tigers lost all 10 road games last season, including the eight conference games, en route to a 17-15 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Big 12 play. Missouri coach Norm Stewart, in his 32nd year as the head man for the Tigers, is optimistic about his team's chances. "We don't need to start off the Big 12 shooting ourselves in the foot," he said. "We have a great ball club, and we're going to have a great year. I hope we're one of the ball clubs up on top at the end of the season. I think we have a chance to do that. I feel that we have a shot." The Tigers are returning three starters and seven letterman, but they will have to fill the void left by the graduation of their two top scorers, Kelly Thames (14.8 points per game) and Tyron Lee (11.6 points per game). A large portion of the scoring should come from shooting guard John Woods and small forward Albert White. Woods earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors last season with 11.4 points per game, which was the third highest on the team. As one of the team's two seniors, Woods will be expected to increase his point production and his leadership on the court. Woods, like Stewart, is looking forward to the 1988-1999 season. will just continue to stick to my game, and hopefully that will carry over to good things." "Coming in from junior college, I had to make an adjustment." Woods said. "The main thing I learned was patience. This year, I hope to continue what I did last year: Knock the open three down, and do things I don't normally do. I White led the Tigers with 22 points Friday in their season-opening 87-46 victory against Jackson In the middle, the Tigers are anchored by their other senior, center Monte Hardge. Hardge increased his scoring and rebounding Stewart: Optimistic about Tigers' season on the court. last year, averaging seven points and 5.5 boards a game, and earned a spot on the Big 12's All-Improved team. Hardge, who has returned from several injuries throughout his career in Columbia, Mo., is going into his final season with the same philosophy he always has had. "I'm not taking this season any different than any other year," he said. "I have the same purpose every time I go out to play. My goal is to get to the national tournament and win the national championship. I know this is my last chance that I have to do this, but I don't come out any more determined than my three other seasons." Also returning are guards Jeff Hafer and Brian Grawer. Hafer saw playing time on the wing last year, averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Crawler earned the starting point guard job in mid-December last year. He led the Tigers in three-point shooting percentage with 45.6 percent. Missouri has one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. The class is highlighted by Parade All-American Keyon Dooling. Dooling has been outstanding in preseason workouts, and he should challenge Grawer for the starting point guard spot. Mizzou women look to turn losing tide By Sam Mellinger Kansan sportswriter Missouri women's basketball will have a different look this season. Joann Rutherford had been the head coach at Missouri since 1976, but after two straight 3-13 seasons in the Big 12 Conference, it was time for a change. Enter Cindy Stein, whose coaching record gives Tiger fans hope. Stein had spent the last three seasons at Emporia State, taking the Hornets from a 12-14 record her first year to 33-straight victories and the NCAA Division II championship last year. "You'll see an exciting brand of basketball, we'll push the ball up the floor every chance we get. Our best five or six players, that's what they do best. The rest of them will have to hop on board." Cindy Stein Missouri women's head coach Stein's teams were known for their up-tempo style and even set the Division II record by scoring 122 points against Shippensburg State last year. "It's kind of a player's dream," said junior Julie Helm, last year's leading scoreer. "It's good because half the time you can beat the other team down the floor." The Tigers scored just 67 points per game last season, a number Stein is confident will increase this season. "You'll see an exciting brand of basketball," Stein said. "We'll push the ball up the floor every chance we get. Our best five or six players, that's what they do best. The rest of them will have to hop on board." Those five or six players are led by Helm and forward Kesha Bonds, last year's top two scorers. Helm's 19.9 scoring average was second in the conference. She broke the 20-point mark in 16 of the team's 27 games. "I want the leadership role." Helm said, "I'm not going to belittle my teammates because I'm not that kind of person, and I think they respect me for that." Bonds averaged 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average was tops in the league. "When you have two great players, you have to make sure they get a lot of touches," Stein said. "But I don't like to hide players offensively. I want all five players on the court to be active." The transition will not be easy for Missouri. All the players were recruited by Rutherford to play her more conservative offensive and defensive styles. Now, the Tigers must adjust to a more rapid pace. "I think I'll enjoy it, but I've never played it before," Bondsaid. "In high school and my first three years here, it was a slower game." Stein knows it will take her team at least a few years to make the change. Stein said the timetable would depend on her success in recruiting players capable of running her system. fanning her system. Stein's record at Emporia State shows that she is capable of turning a program around in a short time, but many doubt how much success Missouri will have this season. The Tigers were picked last in the Big 12 in both the pre-season coaches' and media poll. "That's motivating," Helm said. "We don't like to be picked 12th, but that just comes from how we finished last year and the coaching change." Missouri's first game will be Nov. 19 against Bradley in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers play Kansas on Jan. 13 in Lawrence and on Feb. 7 in Columbia. Clemson enters Top 25; Kansas retains position The Associated Press CLEMSON, S.C. — Armed with an opening victory against a little-known oppo nent, Clemson became the lone newcomer to The Associated Press Top 25 yesterday. The Tigers jumped into the No. 24 spot after beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 83-59 Friday night. "We probably won't pay a lot of attention to it at this point in time," first-year Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. If he wasn't paying attention, others were. During a midmorning phone call, Shyatt was interrupted by Clemson President Constantine Curris. "He called with his congratulations," the coach said. "So that's pretty nice." The top eight, led by Duke, held their preseason places in the first poll of the regular season. The Blue Devils (1-0) received 42 first-place votes from the national media panel, and their 1,738 points were 41 more than Connec ticut (1-0), which was No.1 on 18 ballots. Stanford (1-0) was third with 10 first- place votes and 1,637 points, while defending national champion Kentucky, which opens its season today, had the other first-place vote and 1,507 points. Michigan State, Maryland, Temple and Kansas remained at Nes. 5 through 8, followed by Utah and North Carolina, which both moved up one spot from the preseason poll. It has been a dreary 1998 for Clemson's signature sports. The Tigers started last year fifth in the country, but by the time the season ended "Being placed in any poll is, hopefully, a positive happening for the university, and it can stimulate everyone." Larry Shyatt Clemson coach last spring, they were 18-14 and first-round NCAA losers to Western Michigan. Then a month later, coach Rick Barnes took off for Texas and Shyatt, his former assistant who was coaching at Wyoming, was given the Tigers' head job. With Clemson's football team, 2-8, finishing its worst season in 23 years, no wonder Shyyt got the presidential treatment. "Being placed in any poll is, hopefully, a positive happening for the university, and it can stimulate everyone," Shyatt said. The Tigers faced Stetson last night and Western Carolina on Thursday. In the Second 10, UCLA moved up a spot to No. 11, while Arizona, which beat then-No. 9 Tennessee in its opener, jumped from 18th to 12th. Oklahoma State was 13th and was followed in the Top 20 by Washington, Purdue, Xavier, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arkansas and New Mexico. The last five teams in the poll were Indiana, Syracuse, Massachusetts, Clemson and Rhode Island. Clemson replaced Texas Christian (2-1), which lost to Rhode Island 89-87. Tennessee (1-1) dropped from ninth to 18th after the 73-72 loss to Arizona in the BCA Classic at Albuquerque, N.M. 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