Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Tuesday October 12,1999
Section:
Kansas State linebacker Mark Simoneau was named the Big 12's outstanding defensive player for the second week.
SEE PAGE 8A
A
Men's Basketball
Jared Reiner, a recruit Kansas has been eyeing, this weekend visited Iowa for a second time and has said he will sign in November.
KANSAS
TENNIS
SEE PAGE 8A
Page 10
Men's tennis
The Kansas men's tennis team struggled in a tournament in Austin, Texas, but one doubles team still is alive.
SEE PAGE 8A
Contact the Kansan
Sports Desk: (785) 864-4810
Sports Fax: (785) 864-0391
Sports e-mail: sports@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Injured players hoping to return on Saturday
Kansas junior running back David Winbush stumbles to dodge Notre Dame defensive tackle Antwon Jones. Winbush, who has been sidelined due to ankle and knee strains, is expected to return to action this weekend against Texas A&M. Photo by M.J. Daugherty/KANSAN.
Bv Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The season may be falling apart, but the Jayhawks are on the mend.
Kansas lost its fourth game of the season last Saturday and has lost all four by an average of 35 points. A 50-9 loss to Kansas State was the Jayhawks' largest margin of defeat this year, but it didn't happen without a reason.
The list of those injured was seven players long against KState, mostly skill position players. Missing those players hurt Kansas against the Wildcats, but coach Terry Allen is hopeful that most of them will be able to play Saturday against Texas A&M.
"We're looking better with injuries," Allen said yesterday during the Big 12 Conference coaches teleconference.
Running backs David Winbush, who leads the Jayhawks with 274 yards rushing, and Henri Childs, who is second on the team in all-purpose yards, are expected to return against Texas A&M. Childs has been slowed by a bruised toe, while Winbush is recovering from a sprained right knee and ankle.
"I'll be back for A&M for sure." Winbush said last week
sure. Winston said last week.
Tight end Jason Gulley had arthroscopic surgery on his knee three weeks ago, but the swelling in his leg hasn't gone down sufficiently for medical clearance. He will make the trip to Texas A&M, however, and will most likely play.
Among the wide receivers, it's certain that Eric Patterson will play Saturday, but speedy receivers Termaine Fulton and Byron Gasaway are doubtful.
Gasaway broke his jaw during the preseason when he dropped 200 pounds of free weights on it. Last week Allen said that Gasaway might redshift this season if he couldn't play against K-State. He hasn't decided whether to redshift
and it's unlikely he'll play Saturday.
Fulton's injury is more frustrating.
After two games, Fulton led the Jayhawks in receptions, but he hasn't played since he suffered a high right ankle sprain against Cal State Northridge. His injury has kept him out for the last four games, and Allen said yesterday that Fulton also might redshift this season.
"That's a possibility," Allen said. "We'll see if we can get him back this week."
Without Fulton or Gasaway, the 'Hawks are thin at wide receiver. Michael Chandler and Harrison Hill have filled that role as best they could, but Kansas could use more depth during games. Chandler and Hill are pleased about the extra playing time, but are getting worn out.
"Playing that much is a welcome change, but man, I'm tired," Chandler said.
—Edited by Mike Loader
Morning practices get rowers out of bed
sports.kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
By Jason Walker
Leah Masonbrink gets out of bed at six in the morning, and she likes it that way.
"I love being out on the water in the mornings," she said. "It's so awesome to get out and have a good practice."
Masonbrink, Fairway sophomore, is a member of Kansas' club crew team. The team usually practices early in the morning, and while getting up at 6 a.m. isn't always the most popular thing in the world, Masonbrink doesn't mind.
Masonbrink is one of the nearly 60 members of the Jayhawk crew team. Crew has been at Kansas since 1977 and is continuing to grow, said Kevin O'Rourke, Frontenac senior and third-year team member. He said that he thought people were attracted to crew because it keeps them in great shape.
"It's definitely growing throughout the country," he said. "There are a lot of community programs getting started that are bringing crew more into the mainstream."
O'Rourke said that the Jayhawk crew team participates in regattas around the country, usually entering boats of four rowers and eight rowers. Each boat also contains a coxswain, or a person who sits at the front of the boat but doesn't row.
The Kansas crew team practices on the Kaw River on Monday. The team sent a boat to Nationals last year and expects to send more this year. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
See COMPETITION on page 8A
Reves named conference Player of the Week
Middle blocker thanks team for opportunity to win coveted honor
By Melinda Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Kansas writerwriter
a burst of cheers and applause erupted from the Kansas volleyball squad as coach Ray Bechard spoke during practice yesterday.
He announced that senior middle blocker Amanda Reves had been named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for Oct. 4-10 — the second time in two years that she had earned the honor.
"In my history as a coach, what I
have seen is that the Big 12 Player of the Week goes to someone who has played well on a team that wins both of its games during the week," Bechard said. "I was congratulating the team for having someone selected. We play for the team first, and individual honors come from that."
Last week, Reves averaged nearly five kills, more than two digs and a block per game while leading the Jayhawks to a 3-1 win against Oklahoma on Wednesday and a 3-0 win versus Baylor Saturday.
Despite her excellent play last week,
Reves remained humble about her
"She led in a great attack and block percentage, and she's one of the top diggers for her size," Bechard said. "She plays a very competitive game and comes to the front."
award.
"It's a very special honor, especially considering all the good players in the Big 12. "Reves said. "This is entirely to the team. It takes two wins to even be qualified for the award, so I wouldn't have gotten it if we hadn't won. It is our group effort that wins us matches."
Revets' effort this season has been a major factor in the
Amanda Reves: Led volleyball team in two wins last week
improved play of the Jayhawks.
Kansas' four conference wins this season are close to the Jayhawks'
record for most conference wins in a season. The 1991 team holds the record with six wins.
"Every match is special for the seniors because we have had very few Big 12 wins in the past," Reves said. "This season is the first time we have beaten several Big 12 teams."
Saturday's win against Baylor was the Jayhawks' first win against the Bears since 1985, when Kansas was in the Big 8 and Baylor was in the Southwest Conference.
Kansas' next Big 12 match up will be 7 p.m. Wednesday when the team will travel to Manhattan to play No.13 Kansas State.
Edited by Matt James
Bizarre season in NFL has been exciting for fans
Welcome to the Bizarro NFL.
The evidence is both gruesome and remarkable.
The teams look normal, but something isn't quite right. It's as though during the off-season some mad NFL scientist attempted a cloning experiment that misfired, horribly disfiguring the genetic makeup of the league.
Last year, the Broncos, Falcons and Vikings put together dominating seasons unheard of in league history. During the regular season they lost a combined five games. This year they already have more than doubled that number, and each team is in the cellar of its respective division.
The Broncos' fall,
though astonishing, is somewhat understandable given John Elway's retirement. The Falcons and Vikings, however, were expected to once again be the class of the NFC. What happened?
Round up the usual suspects — injuries and adjustments.
The Falcons were walking on eggshells last year with often.
Derek Prater
sports columnist
sports@kansan.com
injured quarterback Chris Chandler. With some spit and snot, Chandler held together long enough to lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl. This year, however, he's already missing games.
More importantly, so is workhorse running back Jamal Anderson. No passing game plus no running game equals no return to the plavoffs.
The Vikings aren't missing any of the weapons that made them the most prolific offense in NFL history last year. What they are missing is the element of surprise. Teams around the league took notice of the Falcons' strategy that stalled the Vikings in the NFC title game last year. They are taking away the deep pass to Randy Moss and making the Vikings move down the field methodically. Randall Cunningham may have found God, but patience is a virtue for which he is still searching.
The strangeness of this season actually started even before preseason camp, when Barry Sanders indirectly said he would retire before playing with the hapless Lions. Sanders was just a ho-hum (for him) season away from breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record. Stranger still, the Lions have played better without Barry than they did last year with him.
The rest of last year's best individual success stories have had sequels cancelled by injuries.
Just look at the running back trilogy. Last year — Terrel Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns; Jamal Anderson rushed for 1,846 yards and 16 touchdowns; Jacksonville rookie Fred Taylor rushed for 1,223 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. This year Davis and Anderson are out for the year because of injuries, and Taylor — although not out for the year — is missing games because of a hamstring injury.
Just because the Bizzaro NFL is strange and different doesn't mean that it's not fun anymore.
What is the best thing about the Bizarro NFL? The St. Louis Rams.
Coming off nine straight losing seasons, the Rams are the only undefeated team left and are putting up points as though they're playing in the Arena Football League. That may be because quarterback Kurt Warner spent three years there before coming to the big show and dominating.
Warner has thrown 14 touchdown passes in his first four games. Last year, the Rams had 12 touchdown passes all season.
The Rams have overpowered the Falcons and the 49ers, both playoff teams last year, and have outscored opponents 142-47.
Despite the Rams' early success, they won't be the Bizarro NFL champions. The strange mutation will fade during the playoffs, and superman Brett Favre will lead the Packers to a Super Bowl victory against the Jaguars.
Prater is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
4
4
.