Sports
The University Daily Kansan
Court considers NFL draft case Former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett has filed an emergency appeal which, if granted, would allow him to participate in the draft, contrary to NFL policy. PAGE 3B
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Scholarship regulation on verge of repeal
By Joe Bant
jbant@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A rule that would prevent Kansas from recruiting more than one additional player this offseason is on the verge of being repealed.
In an offseason that has been full of transfers, the focus of the Kansas men's basketball team has been on attracting late recruits.
Prospects Malik Hairston, Alex Galindo and C.J Giles are all still looking at the University for next season, but even if they all decided they wanted to don Kansas blues and whites, the University could only take
The so-called five-and-eight rule which limits schools to offering five scholarships in one year and eight over a two year period — even if they are under the total scholarship limit of 13 — could soon be eliminated.
The NCAA's Division I Management Council voted unanimously on Monday to get rid of the rule.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
"We've discovered the five-and eight rule has a lot of unintended
Only the decision of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors remains before the change officially takes place. The board will discuss the issue on April 29th.
conse-
one of them because of the NCAA's five and eight rule.
quences."
Robert Hemenway Chancellor
Chancellor R robert Hemenway is chairman of that board.
"We've discovered the five and-eight rule
has a lot of unintended consequences," Hemenway said. "The criticisms of the rule are legitimate."
Hemenway said the rule originated to keep athletes from transferring too much.
Myles Brand, NCAA president, explaining the management council's position, said the rule had served a purpose in its time but that academic reforms would be better suited for encouraging the retention of student-athletes.
He said the five-and-eight rule unnecessarily punished schools whose athletes transferred or left for non-academic reasons.
New academic reforms would change this by punishing only the schools that lost athletes because they didn't succeed academically.
— Edited by Robert Perkins
He said he supported looking at the issue from every angle to determine an appropriate course of action. Whatever the board decides, he said, it will likely be implemented immediately.
Hemenway agreed that this could be a positive change.
"There are many programs where students are in good academic standing and are good, productive members of their teams, but they just don't get enough playing time and want to transfer." Hemenway said.
Hemenway said that the rules change would likely be too late to have much benefit for the University next year, since the signing deadline for recruits is just a few weeks away.
transfer. He said the five-and-eight rule wasn't intended to hurt schools in that kind of situation.
The University is at 10 scholarships right now, three spots below the max, but it is only one below the two-year limit of eight, awarding four scholarships last year and three already for next year.
next year. Consequently, the University could have two extra scholarships if the rule is repealed.
Coach Ritch Price ejected in ninth after tough call
By Shana Kucera
skucera@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
A controversial call in the bottom of the ninth inning cost Kansas its first season sweep of Wichita State since 2000.
Kansas entered the ninth ahead 5-4. With one out and two runners on base, Wichita State's Drew Mottiff hit a ball deep to left field that looked to be a game-ending homerun. Junior left-fielder Andy Scholl caught the ball
against the wall and the Jayhawks were then just one out away from the sweep.
sweet.
The Shocker's next batter,
Brandon Green, hit a ground ball to Ryan Baty, who tossed the ball to freshman pitcher
Sean Land as he collided with Green. The umpire ruled Green safe on what would have been the game-ending out. The call allowed Wichita State to tie the game at 5-5 and drew coach Ritch Price out of the dugout. After a heated argument, Price was ejected from the game.
Price
Freshman pitcher Sean Land retired the rest of Wichita State's batters in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
innings. The Jayhawks were held scoreless in the top half of the 10th. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Wichita State's Joe Muich hit a walk off home run over the left field wall to end the game.
A promising start
A promising start
In just his second start of the season, junior pitcher Ken Livesey went 5.1 innings, striking out seven and allowing four runs. After a shaky start, Livesey settled down to strikeout four in the first two innings. He then retired nine consecutive Shocker batters and left Kansas with the lead.
Sophomore infielders Matt Baty and Ritchie Price led off the first inning with base hits. Senior infielder Ryan Baty then drove in his younger brother with a single to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Wichita State answered in the bottom of the first with two runs on two walks and a base hit by first baseman Logan Sorensen.
Logan Sorensen.
The Jayhawks scored again, bringing the lead to 3-2. Sophomore shortstop Ritchie Price was hit by a pitch and Matt Baty drove a double into the outfield. Both runners scored off of senior outfielder Matt Tribble's two-run single.
Livesey held WSU scoreless in the
FOOTBALL
Charles Gordon, sophomore cornerback, carried the ball during the spring scrimmage last Sunday. The game concluded in a blue team, made up of first string players, defeated the white team 26-0.
Cornerback shines on field
Once a wide receiver, Gordon now key part of Mangino's defensive plans
By Kevin Flaherty
CONTINUED ON PAGE BP
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan senior sportswriter
After the spring game ended, Mark Mangino talked to a group of reporters who had just seen Charles Gordon intercept three passes.
intercept three passes.
The Kansas football coach had told reporters all spring practice that Gordon would likely switch from offense to defense and back again all the way through summer two-a-days. After watching Gordon on Sunday afternoon though, even Mangino had his doubts.
Gordon provides the Jayhawks with a playmaker at the cornerback spot they have lacked since Dorian Brew. Brew was a first team All-Big Eight selection in 1995.
"It's going to be pretty tough to move him to offense, isn't it," Mangino said.
Now, it will be.
a first team in Big Lg High.
While Gordon has that potential, he won't be wholly wasted on defense. Gordon will still return punts, and Mangino said he should play about 10
"It's a different kind of
thrill to really hit somebody."
Charles Gordon Sophomore cornerback
While 5-foot-11, 165 pounds is small for a wide receiver, it isn't unusual for cornerbacks to be that size.
plays on offense.
And despite his stature, Gordon loves to hit people.
So how does Gordon project as a cornerback?
loves to "Man, it's exciting," Gordon said. "It's a different kind of thrill to really hit somebody."
Just ask Oklahoma State. In last year's game, Gordon drilled quarterback Josh Fields for a sack early in the game, and
Amanda Kim Stairrott/Kensar
Charles Gordon, sophomore comeback, ran downfield with the ball with 6:30 left in the third quarter of the spring scrimmage last Sunday. Gordon ran a total of 76 yards.
later laid out a wide receiver.
SEE GORDON ON PAGE 8A
Storm ends game two in Arkansas
By Jonathan Kealing
jkealeng@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
It was another long one for the Kansas softball team.
Kansas softball team The softball team won both games of a double-header against SEC team Arkansas today at the Lady 'Back Yard in Fayetteville, Ark. Game one was a 5-4 Kansas victory in 10 innings. The game lasted about three hours. Game two ended in 5.2 innings because of a storm. The second game lasted nearly two hours with a score of 1-0.
Kansas improved its record to 27- 23-1 while Arkansas fell to 16-35 on the season.
"We somehow found a way to get both of them," Kansas coach Tracy Bunge said.
Bunge Arkansas struck first in game one, with right fielder Rachel LeMaster singling on a bunt. Center fielder Candice Swan doubled to right field, allowing LeMaster to reach third.
allowing Basketball Catcher Shana Easley then hit into a fielder's choice, reaching first, but LeMaster got caught in a run-down between home plate and third base. Pitcher Heather Schlichtman then singled down the right field line.
Swan was able to come home with Easey advancing to third. Kansas senior pitcher Kara Pierce then caused third baseman Kallie Foglesong to ground out to Kansas senior third baseman Sandy, Smith. Arkansas would score two more runs before Kansas could get runs on the board.
"We fell behind 3-0 after five innings," Bunge said. "And all of the sudden we came alive in the sixth inning."
The sixth inning started with a double by Kansas sophomore catcher Mel Torres. Sophomore shortstop Destiny Frankenstein then came to the plate and cranked a two-run homer to right-center field. Kansas closed the gap to one.
closed the gap to Kansas was able to score one in the top of the seventh inning on another home run. Sophomore second baseman Jessica Moppin sent one flying over the left-field fence. Arkansas was unable to score in the bottom of the seventh which led to extra innings. Neither team
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE RA
KANSAS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Manning hitting the road
Ever since former Kansas assistant Norm Roberts left for St. John's, Kansas has had a hole in its recruiting team.
Now, former Jayhawk Danny Manning will be able to fill that void.
Manning, who led Kansas to a national title in 1988, has been certified by the NCAA to recruit for the Jayhawks.
Manning
Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed Manning's role to The Lawrence Journal-World yesterday.
The paper also reported that Self had more than 50 applicants to replace Roberts on the Kansas staff.
Still recruiting
There's been no word on who Kansas might sign this off-season, but it
Vitale on Padgett
is thought that Kansas' top target is still 6-foot-6 swingman Malik Hairston. Among others thought to be in Self's sights is 6-11 Seattle native C.J. Giles, who is expected to be released from his letter of intent to Miami, and 6-6 guard/forward Alex Galindo.
You can still spot David Padgett on Kansas' campus for a few more weeks, but it seems like everyone—including ESPN's Dick Vitale—is questioning the
"For the life of me, I can't figure this out," Vitale writes. "He's a starting center on an Elite Eight team and he's worried about developing as a player?"
6-foot-11 center's decision to leave Lawrence.
Padgett
Henry C. Jackson
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPORTS@KANSAN.COM
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