Thursday, September 10, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
h. J
Section B·Page 3
LaFrentz stuck in lockout limbo
By Melinda Weaver Kansan sports reporter
When the Denver Nuggets drafted
Raef LaFrentz as the third pick in the NBA draft, he was excited.
Now,
with the scheduled
start of training
camp Oct. 15.
LaFrentz finds
himself without
a contract
or a job.
Going to the Nugget's seemed like a
Roof LaFrentz: Has signed a few trading-card deals.
good situation to LaFrentz and his agent. He would play a lot of minutes for a team striving to rebuild.
"It is a great situation," said Mike Higinis, LaFenfess's agent. "He has a
chance to come in, play a lot and help the team grow. Dan Issel (Nugget general manager) sees a lot of Raaf in himself."
LaFrentz agreed that he has stepped into a great situation.
"They had a tough year last year, but they seem to be dedicated to rebuilding the team," LaFrentz said. "They seem to be a team on the upswing."
The lockout means that there can be no trades, player signings or contract negotiations between players and team representatives.
LaFrentz had until July 1 to contact the Nuggets before the league imposed a lockout on its players.
The lockout reached a standstill in early August when the owners walked out on the players' proposals.
The owners are arguing for a hard salary cap that eliminates the loopholes in the previous cap. This
w o u l d
remove the
"Larry Bird
exception",
w h i c h
allows teams
to re-sign
their own veterans at any price, no matter how much money they have left under their cap.
With players like the Washington Wizards' Juwan Howard and the Miami Heat's Alonzo Mourning enjoying contracts of $100 million, owners feel that several of the league's teams are on the way to financial ruin.
Negotiations have not progressed since August. A recent Associated Press report predicted the lockout would not be resolved by the start of preseason.
Everyone understands the importance of starting the season on time," Higgins said. "It isn't as prevalent
right now as it will be in a month."
While everyone suffers during a lockout, rookies and free agents without contracts have more worries.
"The lockout hinders all players but particularly the rookies and free agents," said Ellen LaFrentz, Raef's mother. "It keeps them from blending with the team and becoming part of a family."
Though Reef LaFrentz is without a basketball contract now, money is no worry. He recently signed an endorsement deal with And One, a shoe company, and he has signed a few exclusive trading-card deals.
Right now, all he can do is hope the season begins soon.
"Everything is up in the air right now," LaFrentz said. "As a rookie, I don't really know how to prepare. I just try to stay in shape and keep up, so I'll be in decent shape when Denver calls."
KU basketball alumnae score big in leagues
By Melinda Weaver
Kayne sportswriter
The Kansas men's basketball program has a tradition of producing NBA players.
Kansan sportswriter
Greg Ostertag and Danny Manning have made headlines at the professional level.
Less heralded, but just as significant, are the contributions female basketball alumnae are making in the Women's National Basketball League and the American Basketball League.
Tamecka Dixon, Lynette Woodard and Angela Aycock are making their own headlines as professional basketball players.
The WNBA season ended Sept. 1 when the Houston Comets won their second consecutive championship.
The ABL season begins Nov. 5.
Tamecka Dixon
Dixon, guard for the Los Angeles Sparks, had a strong second season after struggling as a rookie.
After being chosen 14th in the WNBA's inaugural draft, Dixon spent the first half of the 1997 season as a starter before being benched.
However, this season Dixon
helped the Sparks improve to 10-13
by averaging 20 points per game.
Dixon led the team in scoring and was the only Sparks player to be named Player of the Week. She also ranked in the top 20 in four WNBA statistical categories: points per game, assists per game, free throw percentage and blocks per game.
Dixon's graduation in 1997 couldn't have come at a better time. Because it coincided with the opening season of the WNBA, she never had to venture overseas to pursue her basketball career.
"I feel very fortunate to be able to play in the United States," Dixon said. "I was fortunate to come out of college and jump right into the league. I never had to play overseas. I have my mom to thank for that. She had me at the right time."
As she had me in the fight time
Lynette Woodard
Woodard, a 1981 Kansas graduate, was not blessed with the same opportunity.
Woodard left as the NCAA's alltime leading scorer with 3,649 points, but she found there were few career options awaiting a female athlete.
She also played with two Olympic teams. She was captain of the 1984 team, which won the gold medal.
Woodard had been in retirement for a year, working as a stockbroker in New York when the WNBA began.
seven seasons overseas.
Woodard played two seasons with the Harlem Globe Trotters, a season with an all-male team and
She came out of retirement to join the league.
"it's been lots of fun," Woodard said. "I have the opportunity to play the game I've loved for so long in the United States."
Following a season playing for the Cleveland Rockers, the Detroit Shock selected Woodard in the February 1998 expansion draft.
While only playing 13 minutes a game, she averaged three points and two rebounds. She was awarded the 1998 Pioneer Award, which is given to players, coaches and others who contribute to the growth of women's basketball.
Woodard attributed her success to her experience at the University of Kansas, especially the influence of coach Marian Washington.
"She's the greatest coach in the country," Woodard said. "She understands the players because she's been there. She knows how to get you motivated and help you
grow not only as a basketball player but also as a person. She's the very best."
Angela Avcock
Aycock, a 1995 Kansas graduate, has achieved professional success in the American Basketball League. The Seattle Reign drafted her in 1966 before the league's inaugural season.
Aycock became the starting guard in January 1997. Her three point field goal percentage of .404 ranked eighth in the ABL last season.
Aycock described her time at Kansas as great but said nothing could have prepared her for playing in a professional league.
"The professional game is a lot more physical and more demanding physically and mentally," Aycock said. "I'm playing against some of the best players in the world."
Like Woodard, Aycock spent a year playing overseas and is glad to see professional opportunities open up in the United States.
"I'm happy that we have these leagues," Aycock said. "To me, it's not worth it to play overseas. I'd rather be over here. The quality of players is top of the line."
Commentary
Bad calls, bad fans make winning tough
I have a bone to pick with the referees of the Kansas and Oklahoma State football game last Saturday, and with the so-called "fans" who were and were not in the game.
Tony Pacheco
attendance.
First things first; the referees were terrible.
Football is a fast and difficult game to officiate. However, when they blow two calls critical to the outcome of the game, the officials are
Blown call No. 1: Oklahoma State linebacker Troy West, after intercepting an errant pass from Zac Wegner, clearly fumbled before crossing the goal line. The refs ruled it a touchdown.
Can you guess who recovered? You nailed it. Kansas.
not doing their job.
Blown call No. 2: Cowboys quarterback Tony Lindsay lost the ball when a Jayhawk defender spun him around causing him to fumble the ball forward.
However, the officials saw it as an incomplete pass.
Can you guess who recovered? We have a winner, Kansas.
Why not let the refs re-evaluate a call they may have made incorrectly?
When the video board is up next year, the referees, as well as the fans in attendance, will see their mistakes.
But, replay evaluation will never happen because a college football game is already four hours long and the NCAA doesn't want to make it five.
It wasn't entirely the referees fault. Part of the blame should be placed on the Jayhawks special teams.
Two muffed kickoff returns resulted in touchbacks. Seems
harmless, but the second muffed kickoff happened with 2:05 remaining in the game.
The hawks needed a good return to set up a game-winning drive. It also took 10 seconds off the clock.
In addition to those mistakes, a bad decision to not field a punt allowed a 40-yard punt to balloon into a 78-yard bomb. Instead of field position near midfield, the Jayhawk offense had to start at its own 11 yard line.
These are beginning-of-the-year mistakes, and I still believe the 'Hawks will go to a bowl this year, but a win this Saturday in Columbia is a must.
I have a new name for my pain, and it is fair-weather fans. Something Kansas has a surplus of.
Where was everyone Saturday?
There was absolutely no reason not to attend. Admission was free!
Embarrassing moment numero uno: The heat was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the 120 degree temperatures the players felt on the field.
I'm really proud of the people who came and stayed the whole game.
However, the crowd looked so thin, a friend who worked for ABC said they chose to use a black backdrop to shoot the commentators before the game instead of the crowd.
Embarrassing moment numero dos: Jayhawk fans make a mass exodus; the sequel, took place during halftime.
It was a sequel to '95 when Nebraska routed the Jayhawks, approximately 3/4 of the stadium left midway through the third quarter of a nationally televised game, leaving only Cornhuskers fans in the stadium.
Now that I have no friends left,
I'll leave you with an additional two-cents worth: go to the games,
stay the entire game and get off your hands.
Pacheco is an Liberal senior in journalism.
Kansan is introducing
Terrific Tuesdays Fabulous Fridays
Now when you run a classified ad for five or more days, receive two extra days
when you place the ad between 3:30 and 5:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays. 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall 864.4358