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SPORTS
23
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN—WEEKLY SUMMER EDITION
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
www.kansan.com
New plan pressed on fans
Seating scheme moves hoops fans around Fieldhouse
By Joe Burke
jburke@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
University of Kansas basketball has been a hot topic of discussion in Lawrence all spring and summer, but not just because of anticipation for next year's action on the court.
The Kansas University Athletic Corporation's new priority seating point system for basketball season ticket holders has been one of the most talked about changes in recent Kansas basketball history.
After a long process, the plan was finally put into place during the spring semester and will relocate the faculty.
staff and students.
As part of the final plan, University of Kansas students traded away some seats in sections 7,18 and 18a, which are located behind the Kansas bench all the way up to the last row, for all the seats in sections A, C, L and N. That means students now occupy all of the sections behind each basket, which puts more students closer to the court.
Though the new plan allocates fewer seats to students, it is designed to meet student demand, and will provide a new revenue source for student facilities.
After examining last season's student attendance figures, The Athletic Department bought some upper level student seats that aren't expected to be utilized by students this season. The Athletic Department gave the money from the seats to the students for them to use however they decided. However, if student demand surpasses expectations, those upper level seats will be
made available to students once again.
"Throughout this process we were very careful not to mess with student seating," said Jim Marchiony, associate athletic director. "The students make the atmosphere."
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said he agreed students were the ones that made games in the Fieldhouse so great.
"I think as long as the students keep coming to the games the atmosphere will always be great in the Fieldhouse," Self said.
Recent Kansas graduates will now have an opportunity that was unavailable in the past to get season tickets to basketball games, Marchiony said.
The new system outlines what a person must donate to sit in certain sections. Marchiony said that the Athletic Department didn't set the prices for the tickets, but the market did.
SEE PLAN ON PAGE 24
KU golfer driving for the pros
By Joe Burke jburke@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
OAs many college students wind down their college careers they start putting together a resume. University of Kansas golfer Kevin Ward began building his resume this past spring and has continued to add to it this summer.
Kansan File Photo
Kevin Ward started college as a red-shirt freshman at Wichita State, but has become a standout player on the Kansas golf team.
After earning his first collegiate victory at the Louisiana Classics Invitational he continued his success this summer winning two of his first four summer tournaments, including the Kansas Association Fourball and the Missouri Amateur.
Men's golf coach Ross Randall said Ward's newfound success was because he had become a smarter player.
"Kevin has become a more mature player over the past season," Randall said. "He had to get used to winning and because of that he is now finding a lot of success."
After two up and down seasons, the Leawood senior has started playing the best golf of his career.
The daily grind of golf is something Ward has battled his entire career. It has taught him that playing hard all of the time is a necessity for someone who wants to play in every tournament.
"Golf is a sport that continually challenges an athlete to play his best all of the time," Ward said. "It is an individual sport that does not allow for many mistakes.
After arriving in Lawrence, he found out the hard way that college golf does
Ward began his college career by taking a red shirt at Wichita State University before transferring to Kansas.
not forgive someone who just goes through the motions.
Assistant coach Roy Edwards had seen the changes in Ward over the past three seasons and said not getting the chance to play a lot his first two seasons helped to improve his game.
SEE GOLFER ON PAGE 25
sports commentary
Fred A. Davis III
editor@kansan.com
Looking for another ban? Try to forget 1997 hoops
Lawrence's smoking ban went into effect last Thursday, upsetting both bar patrons and owners. I don't mind, but it urged me to 'start' a ban. So in the spirit of civil obedience, I propose a ban for Jayhawk basketball fans that prohibits them from comparing the 2004-05 squad to the 1996-97 team that finished 34-2.
If expectations were the only thing connecting these two teams, then my ban is useless. Naturally, that isn't the case, and upon further examination, the alarming resemblance between both teams feels like something out of a Twilight Zone episode.
Let's begin by comparing the starting lineups. The 1996-97 team — we'll call them 'RoyW' — returned five starters who accounted for 71 percent of the offense for a team that went 29-5 the year before.
Expectations for this year's team are no different — national championship or bust. That is almost always the case for Kansas hoops, but this year's expectations seem realistic, similar to 1996.
The 1996-97 group will forever be known as one of the biggest disappointments in Kansas basketball history. What makes the team so unforgivable, besides not winning the title, is how they were clearly the best team in college basketball that year and have nothing to show for it. People were expecting big things from the Jayhawks that year. Really big things.
Much like its smoking counterpart, my ban is aimed to clear a fan's focus for the upcoming season, and prevent any second-hand depression that resonates when thinking about Kansas getting smoked out of the 1997 tournament.
SEE DAVIS ON PAGE 25