SPORTS NIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1996
Women's game needs greater media coverage
PAGE 7A
At a University where men's basketball is worshipped, it shouldn't be surprising that Charisse Sampson went unnoticed last week.
It's sad, because Sampson deserves attention right now.
Sampson will be part of KU history as the first woman to be in the inaugural draft for the women's American Basketball League. She was
taken in the 10th round by New England.
The 10-team ABL is the newest professional women's basketball league in the United States and will be trying to succeed where other leagues have failed.
Sampson clearly recognizes the significance of her accomplishment.
"I'm excited to get a chance to keep playing basketball," she said. "This league gives women the first chance to play professional basketball in the United States instead of having to go overseas to play. This is goo"
overseas to play. This is good for women's sports."
But few others seem to care.
On Thursday morning, the news that Sampson was drafted was buried in the back of the local paper. It was no longer than a paragraph. In fact, the entire draft itself got little national attention.
You can blame that on television, Sampson said.
We can blame that or the other. Bumpstones say, "You hardly ever see women's basketball on television," Sampson said. "But when you do, people seem to enjoy it. If there were more women's games on T.V., then I think people would be more excited and take notice. Hopefully, this league will put women's basketball on television, and people will pay more attention."
Players in the ABL will not have it easy. Being drafted in the ABL does not come with the guarantees of being drafted in the NBA.
Woman's basketball is not as revered as men's basketball and probably never will be. However, the athletes taken in last week's draft deserve more attention then they are getting.
Many of the players who will be taken in today's NBA draft are guaranteed to make at least $200,000 a year; the league's minimum salary. Sampson will be playing for less than $50,000 a year. Even players such as Rebecca Lobo and Cheryl Swoopes, who have made names for themselves, will make only a little more than $50,000.
The opportunities for women athletes to earn more are limited. Endorsement deals for women athletes are few and far between.
And there is also no other league that a player can enter if she is cut from one of the ABL teams. There is no CBA for women.
The league will have to fight to do well.
It wouldn't be surprising if the ABL goes belly-up in three years. However, the league deserves a chance and hopefully it will do well. Women's basketball can be just as exciting as men's, it only needs the opportunity to prove it.
Women won't put on a dunkfest, the favorite game of today's NBA players, but it is basketball at its purest and greatest.
Many women have a sharper outside shot and can pass better then most men in today's college ranks because they can't rely on dunking.
Everyone who has the opportunity this winter should see an ABL game. Those who do will be rewarded by seeing athletes who play because they love basketball, not because they are being overpaid.
These women want the same opportunity that male athletes have had for decades - to make a career out of playing a game.
I'll be keeping my eye out for Sampson's first Nike commercial.
Basketball camp focuses on fun
Olympics keep Washington from attending camp
Ryan Hasler/ KANSAN
By Spencer Duncan Kansan staff writer
Anyone who stops by the 22nd annual Marian Washington Basketball Camp this week will have a hard time finding Washington. That's because she isn't there.
Washington, head coach of the Kansas women's basketball team, is working in Colorado as an assistant coach for the women's Olympic team.
Although Washington's absence has caused some disappointment, most campers understand why Washington is gone.
"She's gone because of the Olympic team and that is a good reason," said Brandi Wright, a camper from Olathe. "She is doing something that is sort of important."
Chris Hester, coach at the Marian Washington Basketball Camp, shows prospective players how to handle the ball on Monday at Allen Field House.
Renee Brown, former Kansas assistant coach, said although Washington is not around, she left an experienced group of coaches to run the camp.
"We have coaches from all over the place," Brown said, "We have a coach from Oklahoma, one from Iowa, a few that have won state championships and others from around Kansas. We have a great group of people here who have spent their lives coaching. They love to work this camp and that is part of what makes this camp good."
One of the experienced coaches is former KU basketball player and Globetrotter Lynette Woodard.
Woodard was an All-American from 1978 to 1981.
"Lynette is great," Brown said. "She works really well with the kids, and
the kids love her."
During the five-day camp, the girls focus on learning basic basketball skills.
Wright said, "They work us pretty hard. It's fun, and the coaches are great, but they also make sure that we can play better basketball."
Brown said that the goal of the camp
is make the girls better basketball players and to have fun while playing the sport.
"We want these kids to have a basic idea of the fundamentals of basketball," Brown said. "We just try to make them better players. Of course, we also want them to have fun."
passing, shooting and playing defense.
Then in the afternoon campers listen to a guest speaker and participate in scrimmages.
In the morning, the campers practice
Candice McField, a camper from Kansas City, said, "This is my fifth year, I come here every year. It's fun, and I learn how to play basketball."
New softball coach announced
Former All-American returns to alma mater
By Matt Woodruff
Kansan sportswriter
Tracey Bunge, a member of the Jayhawk Athletics Hall of Fame, will return to her alma mater as the new softball coach. She replaces interim coach, Gayle Luedke.
"We are thrilled to have such a fine student-athlete and All-American like Tracey leading our program," said Bob Frederick, athletics director. "She is a product of the Kansas softball tradition, and we look forward to her continuing that success as our head coach."
Bunge looks forward to taking control of a team that some feel had trouble playing as well as they were capable of the last two seasons.
players to play up to their potential due to so many changes taking place."
"I've been told by other coaches that there is a lot of talent on the team," said Bunge. "I think it has been hard for the
She acknowledges there will be a transition period, but thinks her background with the Kansas softball program will help.
"The past few years I've kept in touch with the other Kansas coaches, and I've been talking to some of the players," she said. "Obviously, I have some inside info since I played at Kansas. I think the transition will be a lot smoother than it would if I was unfamiliar with the program."
Bunge thinks that the team can accomplish a lot in a short period of time.
"I think our first goal is to maximize our abilities. One of my goals is to get the team back to the College World Series. Whether or not we can do that this year is hard to say, but there are certainly a lot of good things to build on."
Bunge looks forward to the challenge that the Big 12 Conference presents.
She said the competition in the Mid American Conference was good, but it didn't compare to the Big 12.
"Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are very strong, Missouri is usually a top 25
"I think our first goal is to maximize our abilities. One of my goals is to get the team back to the College World Series."
Tracey Bunge KU softball coach
team, Nebraska is coming back strong and Texas A&M has won two championships," she said. "It's a tough conference from top to bottom, and I look forward to competing."
softball coach at Ohio.
Bunge spent the last three years as the
She coached the team to three consecutive winning seasons, including its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1995, earning her the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year award.
Prior to her arrival at Ohio, Bunge worked two years as an assistant coach at Yale.
In 1992, Yale struggled to a 12-26 record. The next season, Bunge's work as recruiting coordinator helped the Bulldogs earn a 31-12 record, an Ivy League title, and a third place finish in the ECAC Tournament.
From 1987 to 1991, Bunge worked in the Big Eight Conference as an assistant coach at Iowa State.
In her five seasons at Ames, the team posted a 133-116-1 record, and its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
At Kansas, Bunge was a standout pitcher and designated hitter from 1983-86.
She was a two-time Academic All-Big Eight selection, set five school records and was named first team All-American as a senior.
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