KEMP DENIAL
Seattle Supersonics teammates are standing by Shawn Kemp, calling NBC Sports commentator Peter Vescsey's report that the All-Star forward has a drinking problem an outrageous lie.
Vescsey, during NBC's coverage of the New York-Miami game Saturday, said Kemp divulged he had a problem with alcohol at a players-only meeting called by Gary Payton after a game against Dallas on April 5.
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Citing unidentified sources, Vecsey said Kemp.
was to meet with a union official on Sunday to talk about the issue.
Kemp vehemently denied Vecsey's report.
Kemp was yanked from the starting lineup for four games.
SOFTBALL TEAM TO TAKE ON SHOCKERS
The No. 23 KANSAS SOFTBALL TEAM (27-14) will take on the Wichita State Shockers (11-22) in Wichita.
The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Kansas defeated the Shockers 7-1 Saturday at Jayhawk Field in Lawrence. Kansas has won 10 of its last 12 games.
MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1997
SMITH SIGNING
Defensive end NEIL SMITH, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, signed with the Denver Broncos yesterday.
Eugene Parker, agent for the former Kansas City Chiefs star, agreed to a contract with the Broncos last week. But he said Smith hadn't indicated whether he would sign the one-year, incentive-laden deal.
Smith was allowed to become a free agent
after a subpar season.
1996. After visiting with several teams, including Denver, Smith met with Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer last week and was told Kansas City could not fit him under its salary cap.
SECTION B
Iverson dominates games in quest for rookie award
CLEVELAND — He was a blur, as usual. Allen lversion was running here and there, flipping in no-look shots high off the glass, measuring and releasing and swishing another three-pointer.
The message was the same each time: Mine. The Rookie of the Year Award is mine.
A whirlwind week of dominant scoring
started with 44 points in Michael Jordan's building and ended with 50 in Cleveland, the city where Jordan once scored his career high of 69.
In becoming the only rookie to score at least 40 points in four
Allen Iverson
straight games, iverson made his case for Rookie of the Year, an honor that once appeared out of his reach
Why? Supposedly because Iverson talks too much, is not respectful, needs to be taught a lesson about humility in this league.
At the NBA's 50th All-Star game in Cleveland in February, Iverson was cast as the cocky ringleader of the league's new band of troublemakers — "knuckleheads," as they were called by veterans like Karl Malone.
Minnesota player pleads not guilty to assault charges
resolved in court, is to appear again on May 14
on May 14.
MINNEAPOLIS — Courtney James, a starter on Minnesota's Final Four basketball team, pleaded not guilty yesterday after a domestic assault charge filed after he allegedly hit his girlfriend.
James, who has been suspended from the team until the case is
James, 20, a sophomore, is accused of hitting his girlfriend in the face with a telephone book.
GOLDEN GOPKERS
then throwing her to the floor and covering her face to keep her quiet. He was arrested at the woman's duplex Saturday in Minneapolis.
He was released from the Hennepin County Jail later Saturday after posting $1,200 bail.
According to police reports, James had threatened to throw a brick through the window if his girlfriend didn't let him into the house. The woman told police the 6-foot-8, 270-pound James picked up a telephone book and slapped her across the face with it as soon as he had entered. She also said he placed his hand over her nose and mouth so she couldn't scream or breathe.
Featherweight champion defends title for fourth time
OSAKA, Japan — Daniel Zaragoza of Mexico retained his WBC junior featherweight title yesterday with a unanimous 12-round decision against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi of Japan.
There were no knockdowns as the 39-year-old champion defended the title for the fourth time since he won it from Hector Acero of the Dominican Republic on Nov. 5, 1995.
Zaragoza took command of the fight in the second round after a flurry of right jabs with straight lefts to Tatsuyoshi's face and body.
Zaragoza was cut on the head in the fifth round, but he continued to attack the challenger, looting him with hard lefts.
In the last two rounds, Tatsuyoshi, a former WBC bantamweight champion, attacked with hard lefts, but Zaraagewithstood the barrage.
It was Zaragoza's 55th victory, including 27 knockouts, against seven defeats and three draws. Tatsuyoshi is 13-4-1.
The Associated Press
Kansas signs two players
Basketball team rebounds lineup
By Bill Petulla Kansan sportswriter
towering recruits.
The game is part of the Jayhawk seniors" "Barnstorming" tour across Kansas.
Despite losing five seniors from this season's 34-2 Kansas men's basketball team, the Jayhawks won't have anyone looking down on them next season, thanks to the signing of two
Yesterday, school officials confirmed that Jeff Carey, a 6-foot-11 center from Camdenton High School in Missouri, announced that he would attend Kansas in the fall. Carey visited Kansas last Friday with his parents.
"We thought it was important to make Lawrence and Allen Field House a part of the tour," Vaughn said.
Carey's 6-foot-11, 240-pound frame will be combined with fellow future Jayhawk Eric Chenowith, 7-foot-1, to give Kansas size underneath.
nois, St. Louis, Missouri and Iowa. Caress' father, Ray Bob Carey, was a basketball standout at Missouri.
Last season, Carey averaged 19.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, leading his team to a 18-9 record.
which consists of Jerod Haase (sitting out with an injury), Scot Pollard, Jacque Vaughn, B.J. Williams, Steve Ransom and Joel Branstrom.
Camdenton coach Skip Brock said Carey had been trying to bulk up in anticipation of Division I competition.
Kansas also will benefit from Carey's accomplishments off the basketball court. The recruit has a 4.0 grade point average and scored a 26 on the ACT.
"The areas he's trying to emphasize are his physical strengths because in the Big 12.
The Kansas men's basketball seniors will play a mystery all-star team consisting of former college players at 7 p.m. May 5 at Allen Field House. Tickets went on sale yesterday to watch the Jayhawk squad,
he's going to go up against some big bodies," Brock said.
Tickets cost $5 and are on sale at the Kansas ticket office in the east lobby at Allen Field House.
Players flip positions during spring practice
Coach's philosophy forces football team to rearrange lineup
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
Some players on the Kansas football team have switched positions during spring practice, forcing them to learn new offensive and defensive schemes at an accelerated pace.
Kansas football coach Terry Allen said position switches would be made to field the best team possible.
"The philosophy behind moving people is to get your best 22 players on the football field," Allen said. "We try to get the players into a position where they have a chance to physically help the team or where they can provide depth at other positions. You can be fifth here on the depth chart, or you can be second and possibly first there on the depth chart. You make the call."
Kansas wide receiver Curtese Poole, who will be a freshman this season, was a quarterback as a redshirted freshman last season. Poole said he switched when he saw how thin the wide-receiver corps was going to be this season without former standout Isaac Byrd.
Wide receiver Curtese Poole, who will be a KU freshman, leaps above the defensive coverage. Kansas' first scrimage was Sunday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Eric B. Howell / KANSAN
Poole said that playing quarterback had helped make the transition easier because the positions interacted.
"I'm just getting all the basics down, but I think I'm getting those the more and more I go," Poole said. "The transition was easier because, playing quarterback, you know what you want your receivers to do."
Although Bowles was recruited to Kansas as a running back, he switched to defensive back as a freshman during the 1995 season. He stayed in the secondary last season but returned to running back when Allen came to Kansas.
Running back Mitch Bowles, who will be a junior, has had an easier transition than Poole.
Offensive guard Shawn Vang, who will be a junior, suffered a severe knee sprain and will miss the rest of spring practice. Vang's injury, along with the transfers of two other offensive linemen, has forced Allen to move defensive linemen into the offensive line.
Poole and Bowles are among the many players who have found new positions to fill a team need.
"Whether you want to play or not depends on the player having the right attitude," Bowles said. "We all have to get used to it. All these changes are made in the best interest of the team and for the player because we'll become a better team."
Terrence Floyd, who will be a sopho
Bowles said switching positions was much easier if the player embraced the move.
more, was a defensive tackle but now will be an offensive guard. He played more than half of the team's 61-play scrimmage on Sunday.
Also moving across the line of scrimage is Kevin Harris, who will be a sophomore. Harris went from defensive tackle to offensive guard.
Tim Bowers, who will be a sophomore, switched from defensive back to linebacker. Quincy Roe, who will be a freshman, went from defensive back to wide receiver.
come. A lack of depth on the offensive line and at wide receiver concern Allen this spring and could become a larger worry if injuries plague the Jayhawks.
Allen said more changes would
"Coming out of high school, you have your mind set on one position that you want to play, and that's what you are," Poole said. "But when I got here, it was all about winning and being a team more so in college than in high school. So wherever I can fit in, that's what I want to do."
Despite the changes, Poole said the team could only get better.
Jayhawks row over competition in Topeka
Kansan staff report
Kansas also won the Lightweight Eight Race by 19.8 seconds against Tulsa and captured the Lightweight Four by 11.3 seconds against Minnesota.
In the Novice Eight Race, Kansas' A-boat won with a time of 8:23.7. The time was more than 11 seconds better than the time of second-place Kansas State, which had defeated Kansas the week before.
The Jayhawks also took the Varsity Four Race 11 seconds ahead of Drake and won the Novice Four Race by 16 seconds against Creighton.
Kansas rowing coach Rob Catloth said he was proud to see his team compete well.
The competition at Lake Shawnee began after two days of postponement because of rain and cold weather.
The Kansas women's rowing team dominated its competition last weekend.
The Jayhawks swept all six women's events beginning with the Varsity Eight Race. Kansas won the race with a time of 8:04.4, four seconds better than second place Drake
The Jayhawks were victorious in every event at the Great Plains Rowing Championships in Topeka.
Great Plains Regatta
Team Results
1. Kansas
2. Kansas State Men's Club
3. Wichita State Men and Women's club
4. Kansas State
"I've been
Varsity Eight
1. Kansas A 8:04.4
2. Drake 8:08.9
3. Kansas State 8:25.9
4. Tulsa 8:42.9
5. KU Crew 8:48.2
6. Kansas B 8:59.5
Lightweight Eight
1. Kansas 8:46.1
2. Tulsa 9:05.9
3. KU Crew 9:43.9
Varsity Four
1. Kansas A 8:48.2
2. Drake A 8:59.3
3. Minnesota 9:22.7
4. Kansas State 9:32.5
5. Drake B 9:41.6
6. Creighton 10:28.1
1. Kansas A 8:23.7
2. Kansas State A 8:34.4
3. Kansas B 8:39.8
4. Kansas State B 8:43.2
5. Minnesota 9:04.2
6. Creighton 9:11.9
Lightweight Four
Novice Eight
1. Kansas 9:09.5
2. Minnesota 9:20.8
3. Creighton 9:43.9
4. Tulsa 9:22.5
5. KU Crew 9:54.5
Novice Four
1. Kansas A 8:04.4
2. Drake A 8:59.3
3. Minnesota 9:22.7
4. Kansas State 9:32.5
5. Drake B 9:41.6
6. Creighton 10:28.1
waiting for this to happen, and we finally broke through," Catloth said. "I've been trying to build a program that was the strongest in the area, and I think we made a big step in that direction."
The rowing team will compete in the Midwest Rowing Championships on April 26.