Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
P
Monday, August 17, 1998
Kansas men have big shoes to fill
Difficult schedule team replacements to challenge 'Hawks
By Erin Thompson
Kansan sportswriter
Ten years ago, Roy Williams entered his first year. Upon his arrival he was greeted with the formidable task of rebuilding the previous year's national champions. He had to replace Danny Manning, the national player of the year, as well as a strong senior class. To top it off, the program was on probation.
This season, Williams faces similar challenges. He had one of his most successful seasons last year, and he must attempt to replace several key players.
"Last year, we had the luxury of Rae (LaFrentz) or Paul (Pierce) getting the key bucket or rebound," Williams said. "For us to be successful, everyone on the roster is going to have to contribute."
Last season, the 100th year of Kansas basketball, the Jayhawks finished with a 35-4 record and tied the school record for most victories in a season. They won their second-straight Big 12 Conference championship and their fourth-straight
conference title.
The Jayhawks' recent dominance is highlighted by its home-court advantage at Allen Fieldhouse. They have not lost a game at home since February of 1994 and enter the 1998-99 season with a 60-game home-court winning streak — the longest current streak in Division I. None of the current players on the roster ever have lost a game at home.
After dominating opponents for most of
the regular season,
the Jayhawks' run
came to an abrupt end
with a loss to Rhode
Island in the second
round of the NCAA
tournament.
This season,
Williams must fill the
void left by two All-
Americans
— LaFrentz and Pierce
as well as a prolific three-point shooter and a capable reserve guard.
Williams: Has six returning with starting experience.
Pierce and LaFrentz were first-round NBA draft picks. LaFrentz going to the Denver Nuggets and Pierce to the Boston Celtics. Billy Thomas left Kansas with a school-record 289 three-point shots. Reserve guard C.B. McGrath left after serving four years as a reliable backup.
"It would be silly to think that any team
could replace two players like Raef and Paul," Williams said. "Obviously, we will miss their scoring and rebounding, but we will also miss their leadership and experience."
The Jayhawks head into the 1998-99 season without the preseason year, that has surrounded them in other years, but two senior starters return and the addition of a talented bunch of newcomers will help.
Seniors Ryan Robertson and T.J. Pugh will provide leadership for the young team. Robertson, who is entering his second year as the starting point guard, is the Jayhawks' leading returning scorer with 8.3 points per game and recently was nominated as a preseason candidate for the Wooden All-American team.
Pugh, who has a strong defensive game, returns at forward and is expected to add more of an offensive threat to his game this season.
Sophomore center Eric Chenowith will be a capable replacement for LaFrentz in the paint. Last season, Chenowith averaged 5.9 points a game, 4.9 rebounds a game and set a school freshman record with 62 blocked shots. Chenowith spent the last part of the summer playing in Europe on a Big 12 All-Star basketball team.
Four other Jayhawks return with starting experience.
Kansas men's basketball 1998-99 season
Nov. 7 California All-Stars 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 10 Australia 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 13 Gonzaga 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 16 Pennsylvania 6:05 p.m.
Nov. 21 Fort Hays State 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 27 UNLV 6:35 p.m.
Dec. 1 Kentucky 8:35 p.m.
Dec. 5 Pepperdine 4:00 p.m.
Dec. 8 Iowa 8:35 p.m.
Dec. 12 Southern Cal 7:05 p.m.
Dec. 17 DePaul 8:35 p.m.
Dec. 19 Illinois 3:05 p.m.
Dec. 23 St. Louis 8:35 p.m.
Jan. 2 Texas A&M 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 6 Baylor 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 9 Iowa State 8:05 p.m.
Jan. 11 Missouri 8:35 p.m.
Jan. 16 Massachusetts 12:05 p.m.
Jan. 18 Texas 8:35 p.m.
Jan. 24 Missouri 1:05 p.m.
Jan. 27 Nebraska 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 30 Colorado 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 1 Kansas State 8:35 p.m.
Feb. 7 Colorado 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 Nebraska 8:05 p.m.
Feb. 13 Texas Tech 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 17 Kansas State 8:05 p.m.
Feb. 20 Oklahoma 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 22 Oklahoma State 8:35 p.m.
Feb. 28 Iowa State 1:05 p.m.
LASON
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Philadelphia,
Lawrence
Springfield, Mass. Tip-Off Classic
Chicago, Ill. Great Eight
Anaheim, Calif. John Wooden
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Kansas City, Mo.
St. Louis, Mo.
Lawrence
Waco, Texas Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Columbia, Mo. Big 12
Amherst, Mass.
Lawrence Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Lincoln, Neb. Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Manhattan Big 12
Boulder, Colo. Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Lubbock, Texas Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Norman, Okla. Big 12
Lawrence Big 12
Ames, Iowa Big 12
Kansas City, Mo.
Sophomore guard Kenny Gregory showed promise as a freshman and averaged 7.1 points a game and will compete for the starting shooting guard position.
Nick Bradford, a junior swingman, can play a variety of positions and will play small forward and shooting guard throughout the season.
Junior Lester Earl is recovering from knee surgery during the summer after making a strong debut. Earl will add athleticism to the squad this year with strong inside play.
The Jayhawks have added five new faces to the team. Redshirt freshman Jeff Carey and junior college transfer Ashante Johnson will give the frontcourt a lift.
Three freshman guard will add depth to the team "McDonald's All-American Jeff Boschee, Marlon London from Broadview, Ill.. and John Crider from Horton.
Once again, Kansas will face a tough regular-season schedule that features a match-up with defending NCAA champion Kentucky at the Great Eight in Chicago, a trip to the Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass., and a game at the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim. Calif.
"I think this is an extremely difficult schedule, one that will certainly challenge our players," Williams said. "I guess we'll wait and see at the end of the season how intelligent or how dumb the head coach was for agreeing to play the schedule."
Practice tips off on Oct. 15 with Late Night and the regular season begins Nov. 13 when the Jayhawks face Gonzaga at home.
Kristi Elliott / KANSAN
Women's basketball team has high hopes for season
By Sam Mellinger
Kansan Sports Writer
Virtually the entire University of Kansas women's basketball team will return this year after one of the most successful seasons in school history.
The Jayhawks finished 23-9 and made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament before falling to Arkansas.
Mar. 4-7 Big 12 Tournament
Returning for coach Marian Wash.
Washington:
Returns to an experienced team.
ington's 26th season at Kansas are the team's top eight scorers and top seven rebounders.
"We've been together, and we all feel comfortable playing with each other," said senior Nakia Sanford, the team's second-leading rebounder last year. "Everybody knows their roles, and we know what to expect."
Coach Marian Washington signed freshmen Katie Hannon, Selena Scott, Dameyia Stepney, Kristin Geoffroy and Dalchon Brown.
Pam De Costa also returns to KU this year, replacing assistant coach Tim Eatman, who now is the coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago. De Costa coached at Kansas from 1993 to 1996 before going to Oklahoma.
"She is an exceptional communicator and is able to relate well to the student- athletes." Washington said.
KU's top returners include junior Lynn Pride (14.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg), senior Suzi Raymant (14.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 42 percent three-pointers), sophomore Jaclyn Johnson (9.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg), sophomore Jennifer Jackson (9.0 ppg), senior Shandy Robbins (7.2 ppg, 40 percent three-pointers), and Sanford (6.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg).
this is probably the deepest we've been since I've been here."
"We'll be really deep, especially in the post," Sanford said. "Talent-wise,
With almost everybody back, expectations are as high as ever.
"That's what we want. It sets a standard," Sanford said. "A lot of schools, they just want to get into the NCAA tournament, and that's enough for them. Well, now it's gotten to the point that that's what's expected and anything less than that will be a disappointment."
If overconfidence ever becomes a problem, the team can remember its game against Texas last season. The Jayhawks were down 20 points midway through the second half before coming back for a 76-71 win.
"That was a reality check for us," Sanford said. "We had so much talent you start to think 'well, I'm good,' and you think you don't have to work as hard. But on any given night anything can happen, so you have to work hard all the time. If we would have played like that the whole game we would never been down 20."
The Jayhawks probably will not have too many such lapses with Washington's presence at the sideline.
"She can just look at you," Sanford said. "Kind of like your mom or dad, like you know you already messed up. Her intensity, and she's so focused in our games, it makes us stay focused."
So almost everything is in place: experience, depth, scoring and defense. However, when asked to make a prediction, Sanford quickly knocks on wood.
"I don't want to say anything," she said.
But, the look in her eyes shows that she knows what this team can do.
"This is my senior year," she said. "I was part of the first Sweet 16 team, the last Big Eight champion, the first Big 12 champion and the last Sweet 16 team. I've done a lot of things that have never been done before. I feel like already I'm part of history, and I'd like to go out doing something else that's never been done."
Kansas women's tentative basketball schedule Fall 1998
Nov. 4 Exhibition
Nov. 15 North Carolina
Nov. 27 Austin Peav
Dec. 4 Maryland Eastern Shore
Dec. 1 Arkansas State
Dec. 4 Maryland Eastern Shore
2 p.m. West Lafayette, Ind. Tip-Off Classic
TRA
Level 1/Level 2
5 p.m. Los Angeles, Calif. John Wooden
7 p.m. Lawrence
Dec. 19 Tennessee-Marten
7 p.m. Jonesboro, Ariz.
6 p.m. Lawrence 2 p.m. Lawrence
The rest of the women's basketball schedule has not been r
3 p.m. Seattle,
Kristi Elliott / KANSAN
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