University Daily Kansan / Thursday. April 13, 1989
Sports
11
Lions coach praises recruit Barry Sanders
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Okla. — Detroit Lions coach Wayne Fontes said Wednesday that Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders was better than he thought and was a rare player that comes along only once in a while.
Fontes, Atlanta Faleons Coach Mariam Campbell and Kansas City Chiefs Coach Marty Schotenheimer were among representatives of eight high school teams in the match Sanders during a 45-minute game at Oklahoma State University
Sanders, a true junior, won a special exemption from the National Football League last week to allow him to play in league's college draft on April 13.
"If the draft was today, I'd take Barry Sanders." Fontea said after the workout and a private meeting with the running back.
"Every time he would do something, all the other coaches and scouts were looking our direction and I just looked back as if to say No chance. Gays! "This is our guy, a rare white." He just once in a while," Fontes said.
Fontes said Sanders, who rushed for 2,628 yards and scored 39 touchdowns last season, had an excellent workout.
Sanders ran the 40-yard dash in
4.39 and 4.43 and showed the coaches
his leaping ability with a vertical
jump of 41½ inches.
"We're serious about him or we wouldn't have been here. Anybody who saw his workout would be serious about him."
Recruit decides to come to KU as walk on
Lack of guards cited as reason for picking KU
by Mike Considine Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's basketball team did not sign any players yesterday, the first day of the spring national letter of intent signing period, but it did add one non-scholarship player to its 1989-90 roster.
Todd Alexander of McPhrison High School gave Kansas coach Roy Williams an oral commitment last night to attend Kansas as a non-scholarship player, McPhrison coach Mike Henson said.
"Todd is really excited about it," Henson said. "It is important enough for him to play at KU that he wants to play and to play himself into a scholarship."
Kansas signed guard Adonis Jordan of Reserva, Calif., to a national letter of intent, which bundles a player o his college choice, in November. He is expected to program an offer two additional scholarships during the spring period.
Because of sanctions related to the NCAA probation imposed in October, Kansas can have no more than 12 men's basketball players on scholarships. The would encourage players to walk on and play without a scholarship
Williams was out of town yesterday and could not be reached for comment on Alexander's commitment.
The 6-foot-4, 175-pound off guard said he told Jayhawk assistant coach
Lady Jayhawks sign 2 top players
Special to the Kansan
The Kansas women's basketball team took steps toward making this year's recruiting class as good as the last by signing two top players yesterday on the first day of Intent signings. Letter of Intent signifying period.
Last year's recruiting class was ranked 19th in the country, according to Dick Vitale's Basketball
bv Molly Reid
Jo Witerspoon of Inglewood, Calif., and Sandra deBruin originally of Holland, confirmed that they would join early signers Misti Benault of Oka, and Shaun of Ek Horn in Iowa, in this year's校销活动.
"We feel like last year we had a fine recruiting class," Kansas coach Marian Washington said. "It was a major step because we had a number of fine women rather than just one. Then, to come out with another strong class is going to be super."
Witherspoon, a 5-foot-8 all-state point guard, averaged 17 points, 10 assists and five steals a game in her senior season, leading her team to the state championship. Witherspoon's Morningside High School team was ranked number two in the nation by USA Today.
"I'm coming to Kansas," she said, "I like the area; but most of all, I feel comfortable with Coach Washington. It was everything, the school's academics, the players and the coaches."
Withereds turned down opportunities to attend Auburn, Tennessee, Southern Cal and Long Beach State. Both Tennessee and Auburn played in this year's NCAA tournament.
Yearbook.
The Jayhawks were looking for the kind of point-guard quickness Witherspoon had to offer, Washington said. She also said the Jayhawks were in need of more height.
At 6-2. deBruin will trv to
strengthen Kansas' inside game.
Averaging 18.9 points and 11.4 rebounds a game in her sophomore year, she was the all-time leading scorer at Southwestern Community College and CAREC into the NCAJ Tournament two times.
"She is great, a fantastic coach," deBruin said. "I think she can teach me everything I need to know."
Kevin Stallings Tuesday night that he had decided to attend Kansas.
Chenault, a 6-2 player who signed in November, averaged 20.6 points and 8.1 rebounds a game at El Reno High School. Kite, 5-8, also signed early, averaged 53 points a game.
Alexander said he narrowed his list of colleges to Kansas, Southwest Missouri State and Kansas State. The only school that offered a scholarship was Southwest Missouri State, he said.
One Kansas hopeful has who not made a decision yet is all-state forward Stacy Truitt of Port Gibson Miss. Miss Gibbon High School from Bollom said he was unsure when Truitt would make her decision.
She shares Witherspoon's enthusiasm about working with Washington.
"I had really kind of made up my mind, but I was waiting to hear from K-State." Alexander said. "I realized that Kansas was going to be my best
One reason for choosing Kansas over Kansas State was that the Wildcats were expected to sign three or four guards. Alexander said.
offer. Southwest Missouri State wanted me to make a decision so they could set on with their recruiting."
"Todd's real hesitation with K-State was that they had a tremendous number of guards returning," said Jason Ebert. "We were forced Steve Hiemsen. 'If you look at Kansas. (jeff) Guelner and (Kevin)
Pritchard will be seniors next year.
All they would have left are (soph-
more Sean) Tumellant and Jordan."
The opportunity to play in the Big Eight Conference was a big factor in his decision, Alexander said. He said Kansas and Kansas State were his teams, but he had no preference between the two when he was growing up.
"I've always wanted to play in the
Big Eight and I thought I had a better chance of playing sooner at Kansas," Alexander said.
Alexander averaged 16 points, five rebounds and four assists per game this year.
Alexander said Williams had promised him a scholarship for the 1990-91 season, or sooner if one becomes available.
"He played the point for us all year and has good guard skills." Henson said. "He has a guard's mentality he is totally unselfish. We had other kids who could scio. It was more important for him to run the team."
"It is not too much of a loss," he said. "It's just one year, which too bad I didn't want that to influen ce me. It's really a life-limiting decision."
Another player who was reported to be considering playing for the Jayhawks as a walk-on was Jason Rivers, a Battalion County College University.
The former Lawrence High School graduate averaged 15 points and seven rebounds a game this year. Thompson made 50 percent of his three-point field goals and 80 percent of his free throws.
Barton County coach Randy Smithson could not confirm a published report that Williams had asked the 6-7 forward to attend Kansas as a walk-on. The coach said he also could not confirm that Thompson would delay announcing his college choice until he visited Kansas.
Thompson yesterday signed a letter of intent to play at Washington State. The Associated Press reported.
Fighter made it his business to be a one-of-a-kind champ
The Associated Press
Sugar Ray Robinson was a fighter — from his dancing feet to his flashfists to his psyche.
An inquest was held, and the coroner asked, "Mr. Robinson, were you trying to hurt him?"
Jimmy Doyle died at dawn after being knocked out in the eight round in a bid to win the wetterweight title from Robinson in Cleveland in 1947.
Two months later, Robinson fought Flash Sebastian in a non-title bout in New York.
Robinson replied, "It's my business to get him in trouble."
In the first round, Sebastian rattled Robinson with a left hook to the head.
"They had to take him out on a stretcher."
"Ray came right back with a left book and knocked him colder than a mackerel," Teddy Brenner, a long-time matchmaker, said yesterday.
Ray Robinson got countless opponents in trouble and made countless others look foolish.
Yesterday, Robinson died at 67, his claim as being the best ever, always an arruable claim, still legitimate.
He was the Sugar Man, flashy both in and out of the ring. He was tabbed the "best fighter pound-for-pound in the world" before he retired in 1965 at age 44, a quarter-century after his first pro fight.
Robinson won the wetterweight championship and held it until he won the middleweight title for the first time in 1956, then LaMotta in the 13th round in 1951.
His record was 175-19-6 with 110 knockouts.
"I don't know anybody better at his craft that he was," said Archie Moore. the former light weight heavyweight was even longer than Robinson's
"He was a stylist. He never copied anything off anybody. Generations of fighters have copied his style, including Muhammad Ali."
"He was hard to fight," said Gene Fuller, who was a middleweight archival of Robinson's. "He was fast, quick and smart."
Like many great fighters, Robinson stayed too long in the ring, and many of his defeats came in his late 40s. But he never embarrassed himself.
Greaves was holding his own — maybe even holding an edge — until the eighth round, when Sugar Ray was the real Sugar Ray again for about 45 seconds, and it was all over for Greaves.
One night in Pittsburgh in 1961, Robinson was boxing Wifre Gleaves of Canada. Greaves, like many of Robinson's late-career opponents, would have had to pay to see Sugar Ray in his prime.
There was the fight in which, with blood streaming from a cut over an eye, he regained the middleweight andandy Turpin in the 10th round in 1951.
Robinson contributed many dramatic moments to boxing lore.
There was the night in 1952 when he built a huge lead over Joey Maxim in
There was the middleweight title victory in a savage fight with LaMotta — Robinson's fifth victory in six fights with the Bronx Bull.
a bid to win the light heavyweight championship, then collapsed from the heat after 13 rounds.
And there was his second fight in 1957 with Fuller, who had mauled him badly in winning the title.
"His best punch was the one he hit you with," Fullmer once said.
in the fifth round. Robinson landed a perfect left hook to the jaw that so short-circuited Fuller that he remembered being knocked down.
Robinson's reign as welterweight champion from 1946 until 1953 lacked the drama of his middleweight campaigns because he so dominated the division. He never lost to a welterweight.
Robinson's last wetterweight title defense was against Charlie Fusarik in 1950.
The fight was for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, and Robinson, the hane of many a promoter's existency need to fight for $5,000 and expenses.
Robinson, however, couldn't make the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. But it was for a good cause, and certain arrangements were made.
Robinson weighed in alone, and his weight was announced at 147. It also seemed that he agreed to give the fans their money's worth against Fusari, a good fighter, but one who is in way too deep against Robinson.
Robinson won a 15-round decision, and somebody wrote: "Robinson is the best carrier since Mother Dionne (nine) — or was it Typhoid Mary?"
Women's softball team to play doubleheader against Tarkio
Coach to focus on strong defensive play for today's games
by Laurie Whitten Kansan sportswriter
"Karla had made this incredible catch that I didn't see. She stretched out and dove for the ball that was way out of her reach. She had three catches that day that were like that. Without her outstanding defensive play, we wouldn't have won the game."
Haas said he hoped the Jayhawks' defensive play would be inducted in today's doubleheader against Tarkio college, which will be played at 3 p.m. today at Jayhawk Field, south of Anchatz Sports Pavilion.
Kansas center fielder Karla Kalan's defensive play surprised softball coach Kalum Haack during a game, upset of ninth rank Creighton.
"One of the Creighton girls had slammed a ball towards center field, and I was sure it was going all the way to the fence." Haack said. "I was watching the girl to me if she'd miss a base. Then the next thing I know, Karla Kalin is rolling on the ground, holding the ball in her hand.
"We're going to have to come out against them like we did against Creighton; that is, relaxed and happy about playing. I think there will always be some things that happen in everything that happens on the field to be second nature to the girls. They see a play, talk about it, then react.
Although Haack has never seen Tarkio play, he said the team was ranked ninth in the NAIA division and probably would be tough.
"We have not played Tarkio since I've been here as coach, and I haven't heard much about them," he added. "We've had some teammates. I team expect to be solid."
"But they have steadily improved since the first of the season. Hopefully, they will peak in the middle of the conference, right where I want to go."
Kansas, 23-17, last played Tarkio,
25-2, in 1980, when the Jayhawks
defeated the Owls 6-1 in Lawrence.
Kansas is tied for third in the Big Eight with Missouri with a 2-2 record. The Jayhawks lost two games to
Brazier, who had a 20-19 record in 1988, pitched in 46 games and had nine shutouts last year. She also earned a Kansas single-season record for striking out 139 batters. This season, Brazier is 16-11.
Missouri and won two against Oklahoma last weekend Leading the conference is Okahoma State with a 1-0 record and a 2-11 overall record.
"Roanna is a true competitor. No matter how she's feeling, she does as good job," Haack said. "She has great control over the ball, and you don't see her walk that many batters. You can't do it play good defenses behind her."
Kansas Roanna Brazier, who leads the conference with 36 hits, seven double, and 23 runs scored, is scheduled to pitch the first game
The Cowboys are the No.1 team in the nation, according to the April 4 NCAA poll.
Brazier also is tied for first in the conference in home runs with Iowa State's Jenny Condon.
Safe!
Southwest Missouri State third baseman Brent Bartlett slides safely into second base as Jayhawks second baseman Steve Dowling backhands the ball. The Jayhawks won their fifth consecutive game, defeating the Bears 6-3 yesterday at Hoguld-Maupin Stadium.
JAYHAWKS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT
The Kansas baseball team overcame a three-run detainment yesterday at Westbury Stadium, defeating defeat Southwest Missouri State 6-3.
The Jayhawks, 20-17, won the game on a bases loaded ground out by junior third baseman Lance Leitner in the eighth inning. Left fielder Dan Benninjgolf followed with a two-run single.
The Beurs, 21,7, took a 3.0 lead in the top of the sixth inning on a double by third baseman Brent Bartlett and an KBI single by left fielder Mark
Kansas right fielder Jeff Mentel, who was named Collegiate Baseball Magazine Player of the Week, hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap to 3.2. Junior Mark Hummel led off the seventh inning with a pinch-hit home run which tied the score at 3.3.
Benningham had two hits in two at-bats for the Jayhawks, and freshman Mark Moore also contributed two hits.
Sophomore Curtis Shaw (3-1) pitched the last two innings for the win south Missouri State senior bowling (2-2) was charged with the loss.
Sports Briefs
The Jayhawks have won five consecutive games and 15 of their last 20.
OLSON REMAINS AT ARIZONA!
Lute Olson, though heavily wooed by Kentucky, decided to remain as basketball coach at the University of Arizona yesterday after the regents mandated performance incentives that could add
Olson and his Bobbi issued a statement saying Tueson "is truly home to us" and that he "would like me to stay with my coaching career" at Arizona.
nearly $70,000 to his annual pay check.
In announcing that Olson would stay, school president Henry Koffler said that Arizona's basketball success heavily on the 34-year old coach.
Arizona was ranked No.1 for one of the season but lost in the NCAA West Regional semifinals after reaching the Final Four in 1988.
The regents approved a base salary of $10,000 and a series of incentive bonuses which, if all achieved in a given year, would be worth about $40,000. Under his current contract, the base pay is believed to be $80,000.
Kentucky, looking to replace Eddie Sutton, who resigned after the season, reportedly offered a package worth at least $800,000.
His total earnings package is estimated at $400.00 to $500.00. The overall package includes income from radio and television appearances, a shoe contract, conducting a clinic and other activities.
HUMPREY GOES PRO: Bobby Humphrey, saying the pressure was “getting a little mind-boggling”, announced yesterday that he was giving up his final season at Alabama for the NFL supplemental draft in July.
The all-time leading Alabama running back said he had no preference
which team he played for, "just as long as the team pays money."
Humphrey said his decision came after "a lot of advice — some telling me to stay and some telling me to go, but I made it myself because I have o live with it. It was totally my secession."
Turing pro, he said, "gives me an opportunity to do something I haven't done since I was raised — to take care of me and my family."
Although he suffered a foot injury last fall, the Alabama running back said his doctors had given him permission to run at full speed.
Although he said he had "a lot of sadness" about banging his Alabama career. I feel the opportunity is going to grab at it, and I'm going to grab at it.
K-STATE SIGNS GUARD: Jean Dourilleur, a 6-foot-5 guard from Miami Dade High Community Collegiate. He played basketball for Kansas State
He is the Wildcats' first signe of the spring period, which began yesterday and lasts until April 19.
Duroillene, who pronounces his name as if he were spelled like Delaware, averaged 21.3 points per game this past season, hitting 85.8 percent shots. Dade North 49.7 his two seasons there, including 28.1 his first year.
In the early signing period last November, Kansas State signed J.R. Rider, a 6-6 guard from Encinal High School in Alameda, Calif.