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SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 23,1996
Kansas State rivalry heats up for Jayhawks
SECTION B
Kansas baseball attempts to secure tournament spot
By Dan Gelston Kansan sportswriter
There isn't a bigger rival for Kansas than Kansas State.
And starting today, there won't be any bigger regular season games than the five these two teams will play this week.
They are the last Big Eight Conference games for both teams and have important ramifications.
Kansas is 20-21 overall, 10-13 and in fourth place in the conference, while Kansas State is 23-17 overall, 7-10 in the conference and tied for fifth place with Iowa State. Of the seven teams in conference, six go to the Big Eight tournament. The last three spots are still up for grabs.
Kansas plays the Wildcats at 7 tonight in Manhattan and at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said the Jayhawks know the importance of these final games.
"There are a lot of teams battling for the same spots," he said. "We all need to win."
Remaining games for Kansas baseball
April
23 at Kansas State
24 KANSAS STATE
26 at Kansas State
27 KANSAS STATE
28 KANSAS STATE
May
4 at Oral Roberts
5 at Oral Roberts
10 CREIGHTON
11 ORAL ROBERTS
12 CREIGHTON
16-19 Big Eight Tournament in Oklahoma City
* ALL CAPS DENOTES HOME GAME
- ALL CAPS DENOTES HOME GAMF
Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have clinched spots.
The Jayhawks won four of their five games against Nebraska last week. Randall said he was encouraged by the way team played in that series.
"We didn't beat ourselves," he said.
"Defensively we're playing much better."
Kansas will start senior pitcher Josh Belovsky tonight and senior Aric Peters tomorrow
Belovsky said the team was prepared for the games.
"I have to go out and pitch like I can. I
"These are big games for the team. We're looking forward to the Big Eight Tourney and how we're playing now, and the better we play will give us a higher seed, and that's what we want."
have to be a force again," he said.
When Randall goes to Manhattan, he will be venturing into familiar territory. He played for K-State during the 1968 and 1969 seasons.
At the end of his sophomore season in 1968, Randall was a fourth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I broke my leg on the last day of the season, so I thought it would be better if I went back to school."
in 1969, Randall led the team with a .394 batting average and was a first team All Big Eight selection.
After that season he was drafted in the second round, again by the Dodgers, and signed with the team. He played for the organization until 1972, when he was traded to the Twins.
Randall finished his career as the Wildcats' second leading hitter of in school history with a .371 average.
He is also one of only four Wildcats ever to be chosen in the first two rounds of the professional draft.
"We had some OK teams. We never achieved a lot," Randall said of his time as a Wildcat.
"I learned a lot because it was Big Fight baseball."
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Kansas second baseman Josh Kliner bobbles the ball. The Jayhawks will take on Kansas State today in Manhattan at 7 p.m. and tomorrow at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium at 7 p.m. Kansas is fourth in the Big Eight Conference.
Sleep, pasta help in relays success
Kansas middle distance runner chronicles relays
By Erin Howerton Special to the Kansan
Brian Flink / KANSAN
Kansas senior middle distance runner Erin Howerton had plenty to write about during her experience in the Columbia Healthcare Kansas Relays.
Wednesday April 17th, 1996
The weather was great compared with previous years. Temperatures were in the mid-80's, and it was sunny. It was great weather to get a tan. Past years were cold and rainy. The only drawback is the gusty winds. I felt sorry for the decathletes running the 400-meter run because they had to run against that wind down the home-stretch. Some of the athletes who weren't competing until Friday or Saturday were getting excited to compete after watching the multievents. My adrenaline got going after I watched a decathlete, sophomore Mark Swain, set a personal record in the high jump of 6 feet, 7 inches. I was a little disappointed with the number of spectators but those who were watchings were very supportive. I asked Kansas decathlete Travis Perret his opinion of the meet. "It's a good
day, little windy, overall I'm doing well in the decathlon," Perret said.
Thursday April 18.1996
The weather was beautiful. I watched the heptathletes and decathletes finish their events. The other schools started arriving for the track meet. Many athletes were doing their pre-meet workouts. Kansas middle-distance runner Amy Cook and I did our distance run and then returned to the meet to help time the 5,000-meter run. That evening we had a traditional pasta dinner with some teammates. Saturday, my race day, is two days away. So tonight I need to go to bed early, because it's the most important night of sleep before I compete.
Fridav April 19th.1996
I was impressed with the crowd when I got to the relays this morning. As I watched the high school athletes, it brought back many memories of my high school career. Watching both the men's and women's sprint medley relays made me very anxious to compete on Saturday. Because I have to run tomorrow, I watched only a few hours of the meet. I knew that too much sun would sap my energy. I did my pre-meet workout that comprised a warm-up run, stretching, strides and a cool-down jog. That evening, I went out to eat with my family at Old Chicago where I ate my usual pasta premeet dinner. (I eat a lot of pasta.) When I returned home, I started getting ready for bed because I had to get up so early. Before I went to sleep, I read over my goals for the
year, and I thought about my race strategy. This weekend I just want to concentrate on my race and not anyone else's. I want to run a pace that's comfortable for me no matter how fast the other competitors are going.
See Howerton, Page 4
Tickets for break games sold separately
Four basketball games not included in this year's students' season passes
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
But when they check off the $85 all-sports package this year, they can't automatically get the men's basketball tickets for the four games during Thanksgiving or winter break. Starting next season, students must purchase those tickets separately for $3 a piece.
Students at the University of Kansas can get many things on their options forms — a bus pass, an SUA movie card, an all-arts package.
"The image of the program that we want to project is one of tremendous support," said Pat Warren, special assistant to athletics. "Not enough students were attending the games during the break to justify those empty seats."
Omitting the break tickets became policy because of the low student attendance during the breaks. In the last two seasons, only one of eight break games has had more than 1,000 students.
Students will still have the first opportunity to buy tickets for the games. From Sept. 16 until Oct. 11, they can purchase any or all of the single-game tickets. Any student can buy these tickets, even if
Lester Earl, one of the top high school basketball prospects in the nation, is expected to sign a national letter of intent today to play for Louisiana State.
Jayhawks lose top prospect to LSU
A television station in Baton Rouge, La., where Earl lives, reported yesterday that a news conference had been scheduled for today.
Kansan staff report
North Garrett, editor of Dick Vitale's College
Then at "Late Night with Roy Williams," the portion of the student ticket allotment that remains will be made available to the public, said Lynne Mixson, Kansas athletic director of promotions. Students can still buy the $3 tickets after Oct. 11 but with no guarantee of availability.
they do not purchase an all-sports package.
Basketball magazine, said that he expected Earl to announce that he had chosen LSU. Earl has been at the middle of a three-way recruiting battle between LSU, Kansas and Tulane.
Earl, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward, has been called one of the finest physical specimens to come out of high school in 1966. He was rumored to be the only basketball recruit pursued by Kansas this year. It is now likely that Kansas will retain their final scholarship for next year.
"I think the ones that want to come will still be able to," Mixson said. "Student support is phenomenal, and we want to preserve that."
In an effort to do just that, break tickets will be available not only at the Allen Field House ticket office but also on Wescoe Beach. Mixson also said that any conference games or games against national powerhouses, such as Indiana or UCLA, scheduled during a break from classes would still
be included in the all-sports package.
The tentative 1996 break game schedule does not include any such games. The four games not included in the all-sports package are San Diego on Dec. 1, North Carolina State on Dec. 21, George Washington during the week of Dec. 25 and Brown on Jan. 2.
And the total price for all men's basketball and football tickets still is below most other schools. If students bought all four break game tickets, their total cost to attend all the home games next season will be $97.
Of eight comparable packages at other universities, Florida is the only one with a lower cost at $70. Kansas State ($140), Missouri ($144), Michigan ($162) and Iowa ($165) all rank higher.
Kansas football sends most players since 1986 selection
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
Banks, a Kansas senior offensive lineman, hadn't been picked yet when ESPN switched its coverage of the last two rounds of the NFL draft to ESPN2 on Sunday.
Chris Banks started to get a little worried.
For Banks, who was watching the draft at his sister's home in Plattesville, Mo., there was one problem.
"We didn't have ESPN2, so I didn't really know what was
Chris Banks
going on until I got the call," Banks said.
That call came from the Denver Broncos with the 226th pick over-
enth and final round.
"My whole goal was to get this over with, and now that it is, I can go on." Banks said.
Dorlan Braw
drafted in the NFL draft over the weekend. Defensive back Dorian Brew, offensive tackle Rod Jones and running back L.T. Levine all had their first NFL tickets punched.
This year marks the first time four Kansas players have been drafted since 1986.
"I was saying all last week that they were my top choice," Brew said.
Brew was the first Jayhawk taken when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 9th pick in the third round Saturday. Brew said he was thrilled with the selection.
The Dolphins have been in the spotlight this off-season, because of their new head coach, Jimmy Johnson.
"He asked me, 'Are you ready to be a Dolphin?' Brew said.
When Miami representative Bob Acklef called Brew to tell him he would be a Dolphin, the phone was soon passed to Brew's famous new coach for some first words.
"I'm relieved," Brew said. "Saturday was one of the longer days of my life."
As he prepares to leave for the Miami mini-camp Thursday, Brew said he was ready for the anxiety surrounding draft day to subside.
Like 'Banks, both Levine and Jones also were drafted in the seventh round. Jones went to
According to Denver director of college scouting Jerry Frei, the Broncos took Banks and Levine after
Cincinnati with the 219th pick and Levine was taken 235th by Denver.
Rod Jones
hearing of them from Denver offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, father of Kansas secondary coach David Gibbs.
"He was watching films on
Kansas, and this guy (Banks) kept jumping into the picture," Frei said.
"We thought early on that he was too small, but he a l w a y s seemed to get the job done."
L. T. Levine
Frei said Levine's toughness in recovering from two stress fractures was what made him an attractive pick to the Broncos.
"He must be a pretty tough young man, because he played all year with that," Frei said.
Quarterback Mark Williams and punter Darrin Simmons were the only other Jayhawks who were considered to have a shot at being drafted.
Neither of them were, and both are expected to be invited to a team's training camp as free agents.
Brew said he was extremely proud to be a part of the largest group of Kansas draftees since 1986.
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"I'm excited for everybody," Brew said. "I was pulling for them."