SPORTS
WEDNESDAY JUNE 7.1995
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kansas camp keeps hoop dreams alive
PAGE 4B
Michael Schulze / KANSAN
700 girls in town for Washington's summer session
High school girls compete in a scrimmage at Allen Field House during Martian Washington's basketball camp. The camp began Sunday and will end on Friday.
By Dan Gelston Kansan sportswriter
Hundreds of girls have descended upon Lawrence this week with high hopes of becoming basketball stars.
The girls are taking part in the University of Kansas Marian Washington's 21st Annual Jayhawk Basketball Camp. Washington, the Kansas women's basketball coach, places an emphasis on teaching the fundamentals of the game to girls ranging from elementary school age to seniors in high school.
The campers are split into two groups, with girls 13 and older assigned to the "Big 10" and the rest to the "Big 8."
The sections are then broken up into teams that are instructed by some of the finest high school coaches in the area along with former Jayhawks and other players from across the country, Washington said.
One of the players coaching at the camp is Sharon Green, formerly of Howard University.
"We stick to the philosophy Coach Washington wants," Green said. "I teach them the fundamentals: how to run plays and proper offense and defense."
The players learn the game's fundamentals in the morning, going through various stations on the floor of Allen Field House. They spend the afternoon listening to lectures and at night get to show off what they've learned by playing in games.
Derby High School coach Doug Kinley is another instructor at the camp. He coached Wichita Southeast High School to state championships in 1986 and 1987.
"We try to stress the teaching in
the morning so they can use some of what they learned at night," Kinley said. "We want them to see what they can get out of this program in just a day and how they'll be a better player in just a week."
"When these girls leave they will have gained valuable knowledge and be better basketball players," he said. "There is none better around."
The camp was started by Washington not only in an effort to help out aspiring players, but to pump revenue into the women's basketball program.
Washington said that during the first two years, all the money she made from the camp was put directly into women's athletics.
The camp has grown tremendously since its inception. Washington said the camp has gone from barely 60 participants in its first year to more than 700 during the three five-day sessions this year.
Although the numbers have changed, Washington's philosophy hasn't.
"I want to make sure that the philosophy I built this camp on is upheld," she said. "I want the campers to know that we care about them and want to help them and accommodate them in any way."
Washington said she was determined to keep her staff as strong as possible.
"We strive for individual attention, and we want every coach to know every kid," she added.
Lawrence High School coach Gary Hammer, who led his team to the state championship in 1992, is in his third year with the camp.
They both help with instruction, and Woodard is a featured speaker. Woodard does not appear at any other camps and does not accept a fee for her appearance.
It is the appearances by former Kansas standouts Woodard and Angela Aycock that highlight the camp.
"The kids really learn the right way to play," Hammer said. "The girls keep coming back, and that's a tribute to the camp."
"It is so great for these kids to see such exceptional role models as these two, who are not only great ball players but exceptional people as well." Washington said.
Two of those girls are Candice McFieod and Shelly Anderson, who are attending their fourth and sixth consecutive camps, respectively. Both players said they kept coming back not only because of
the knowledge they had gained but because of the friends they had made.
"They teach you something new every year," Anderson said. "We get to participate with players who teach us, and it's a lot of fun."
"We learn new things, meet new people and have lots of fun," McFleod said. "Plus we get to meet famous people like Coach Washington and Lynette Woodard, which is something I don't usually get to do."
Tennis players take the court at NCAA meet
Abaroa won his first two rounds and became the first All-American member of the men's team since 1977. The players who advanced to the third round earned All-American titles.
Senior Nora Koves competed in the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships in Malibu, Calif., and freshman Enrique Abaroa and the doubles team of juniors Mike Isroff and Reid Slattery traveled to the men's NCAA tournament in Athens, Ga.
Kansan staff report
The Jayhawks who qualified for the tournaments did so on the strength of their regular-season results and ranking.
All-American Cox is fourth at NCAA
Abaroa lost in the third round to Chris Pressley of Duke.
Kansan staff report
On Saturday, Kansas senior Michael Cox ended his jayhawk track career with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Knoxville, Tem. Cox's best of 3:40.6 garnered him All-American honors in outdoor track for the first time in his career.
Cox, the Big Eight champion in the 1,500-meter run, is now a fourtime All-American. He finished 21st at nationals in cross country last fall and also earned the honor twice during the indoor track season, qualifying in the mile run in both 1983 and 1984.
"That was probably one of the highest and deepest quality races in the 1,500 we've had for years," Kansas men's track coach Gary Schwartz said. "To end up fourth was a real accomplishment."
Basketball players enjoy new success
By Trine Nygaard
Kansan sportswriter
While most students enjoyed their summer break, Kansas basketball players Angela Aycock and Charisse Sampson were sweating, diving for loose basketballs and being named to America's top amateur teams.
Invited by the Olympic Committee, the players competed with other top athletes for selection to the Jones Cup Team, the World University Team or the Olympic Team.
Sampson is going to Taiwan to play in the Jones Cup while Aycock was chosen to play at the World University Games in Japan later this summer.
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said that she was proud of her players and attributed their success to their own efforts.
Aycock said that she was not surprised that she made the team.
"I hoped the committee had seen how hard I had been working," she said.
Of her tryout experience, Aycock said she thought it would be intimidating to play against other All-Americans.
"But being around them gave me a lot of energy. I wanted to play well and plav hard." she said.
Sampson said it was an honor to play with future Olympians. But compared to previous years, she did not have as much fun. Some of the other players had become selfish, she said.
"I had to work hard on being loud and showing that I was free when they did not throw the ball to me," Sampson said.
Both have great expectations for their teams and their own goals for what they hope to take home.
Aycock's future includes a professional basketball career in Europe, while Sampson said that participating now would help her prepare for next season.
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