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SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1995
SECTION B
"He was honest with me, telling me that I was going to have to work hard every single day to play here."
T. J.Pugh Kansas recruitment Roy Williams'in influence in the recruiting process
New 'Hawks in the nest
T. J. Pugh is one of three freshman recruits who will play for the Jayhawks next year.
Two talents to play at Allen on Saturday
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
Ryan Robertson is one of three freshman recruits who will be playing for the Jayhawks next year. He will be playing with recruit T.J. Pugh in the Converse All-American game this weekend.
Despite a 25-6 record, a Big Eight Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, many Jayhawk fans still weren't satisfied with the men's basketball team
But Kansas fans would be hard pressed to find anything to complain about when looking at the latest Jayhawk recruiting class.
Dick Vitale, ESPN's hyperactive college basketball analyst, already has picked Kansas as a preseason top-five team on the strength of the Jayhawks' recruiting class. Bob Gibbons, who operates a basketball scouting service, has rated Kansas' class as one of the nation's best.
Kansas fans will be able to see two-thirds of the Jayhawks' recruiting class at 8 p.m. tomorrow in Allen Field House. Pugh and Robertson will be playing for the Big 12 Conference team in the Converse All-American game against other college signees on the Nation team. A slam dunk and three-point shooting contest will begin at 7 p.m.
T.J. Pugh • 6-foot-9 • forward Omaha, Neb.
When Pugh was deciding which school to attend, a voice in the back of his head kept telling him to become a Jayhawk. That voice sounded a lot like Kansas coach Roy Williams.
Pugh said that Williams' honesty was a major factor in choosing Kansas.
Doing his best is what Pugh did at Creighton Prep in Omaha. He averaged 26 points and 10 rebounds a game as a senior and was rated as the 47th best player in the nation by Gibbons. He led his team to a 16-10 record as a senior and won the Nebraska Class A state championship as a junior.
"He didn't tell me I was going to become the best player Kansas ever had because that's not going to happen," Pugh said. "He was honest with me, telling me that I was going to have to work hard every single day to play here. And if I did my best, then he was going to give me all he could for all my four years here."
After being the leading scorer at Creighton Prep, Pugh said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing Division I basketball.
He also played in the McDonald's High School All-American game after averaging
After four years at St. Charles West, Robertson finished his career with 2,751 points, 1,170 assists and a Class 4A state title.
"I'm excited about coming in and having to work really hard every day just to get some playing time," he said.
Ryan Robertson • 6-4 • guard
St. Charles, Mo.
"I think in the recruiting process the one thing you're looking for is that coach that you think sticks out as honest or who you think you can trust," Robertson said of Williams. "Everything he told me when he was recruiting me, I believed. That's the kind of man you want as a coach for four years."
Paul Pierce, a Kansas recruit from Los Angeles, is one of the best high school players in the nation. "Coach Williams was the main reason I chose Kansas, and after I made my decision I stood by it," Pierce said.
After all the coaches had finished making their endless recruiting speeches and phone calls, only Kansas and Missouri were left standing in the battle to sign Robertson. He had considered St. Louis and Florida, but in the end, he would be either a Jayhawk or a Tiger. And once again Williams defeated Missouri coach Norm Stewart.
24. 1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10 assists and 2.1 steals a game as a senior. Robertson is only one of four high school players to ever have handed out 1,000 or more assists in their career. Kansas sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn is one of those four.
Robertson said he just wanted to help Kansas win in any way possible.
"I'm just hoping to come in and practice and work hard every day," he said. "And hopefully I'll improve and help this team win Big Eight championships and Final Fours."
Paul Pierce 6-6 forward Los Angeles
As the last Kansas recruit to sign his letter of intent, Pierce also was one of the highest-rated players in the nation. Gibbons rated him the best player in the West, and Vitale called him the best player in the Los Angeles area.
Pierce lived up to those expectations in the McDonald's All-American game.
"My main purpose was to go out there and not embarrass myself because it was on national television," he said.
Pierce did more than not embarrass himself, scoring 28 points in the game. The only player to ever score more was a player named Michael Jordan, who scored 30.
At Inglewood High School, Pierce produced the same kind of numbers. He averaged 24.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and four assists a game as a senior.
Averages like that attracted many schools. But in the end, Pierce chose Kansas instead of UCLA, despite the two teams' different finishes in the NCAA tournament.
"Coach Williams was the main reason I chose Kansas, and after I made my decision I stood by it," he said.
Pierce said he expected to have an impact when he joined the Jayhawks next year.
"I think I can provide that extra spark with my versatility and ability to finish on the break," he said.
Kansas baseball team needs wins in Missouri series
Kansas is in danger of dropping into last place in the conference standings and missing the Big Eight tournament if Mizzou sweeps this weekend's series.
By Tom Erickson Kansan sportswriter
Five members of the Kansas baseball team will be heading home today when the Jayhawks open a three-game weekend series at Missouri.
The Jayhawks from the Show Me State are senior Brent Wilhelm from Independence, juniors Clay Baird from Carthage and Jamie Splittorff from Blue Springs, and sophomores Robert Garola from High Ridge and Isaac Byrd from St. Louis.
Both Splittorff and Wilhelm will see some familiar faces who now play for the Tigers. Missouri outfielder Ryan Fry played against the two Jayhawks while he was at Blue Springs South High School. Tiger pitcher Jerry Vanzell was a teammate of Splittorff's at Blue Springs High.
did now.
"It was really big for me in my first year," he said. "Back then I was nervous for any game. It's not a big deal now, but it was sure then."
Splittorff said pitching in his home state meant more as a freshman than it
Wilhelm admitted that games against the Tigers always had been important.
"It gets me fired up," the third baseman said. "They really recruited me out of high school. I've done well against them but haven't had an extra good series."
Kansas will be looking for that good series this weekend. The Jayhawks are in sixth place in the Big Eight Conference with a 6-14 record, and Missouri is in seventh with a 3-13 conference mark.
A three-game sweep by the Tigers would put Kansas in the cellar and in danger of missing the Big Eight tournament. Because Colorado does not have a baseball program, only the top six teams in the conference advance to postseason play.
With a 15-28 overall record, the Jayhawks are beginning to realize that winning the Big Eight tournament is the only way to earn a third consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
"We pretty much have to win every chance we get," Wilhelm said. "We'll have to beat these guys to get to the Big Eight tournament. Winning the tournament is something we can do if we get there."
Kansas also has struggled on the road this season. A 16-11 loss to Kansas State on Wednesday in Manhattan dropped the Javahaws' road record to 3-19.
The team has lost eight consecutive games on the road, with its last win coming on March 26 against Oklahoma in Norman.
Splittorff, who watched as Kansas let an 8-10 lead over K-State disappear on Wednesday, said costly mistakes needed to be eliminated. The Jayhawks committed five errors in the loss to the
Wildcats.
Wilhelm agreed.
"We just need to go out and play better baseball," Splittorff said. "We just don't do anything to win."
"I feel all right," he said. "Hopefully, everything will be working with five days of rest."
"The offense has been swinging well lately, but we haven't done much else," he said. "There haven't been too many positives in what we have done this year."
Kansas and Missouri will meet at 7 tonight at Simmons Field in Columbia, Mo., followed by a 2 p.m. game tomorrow and the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Starting tonight's contest is Splittorff, followed most likely in the rotation by Baird tomorrow and Garola on Sunday. Splittorff said he would be physically ready to pitch because of an extra day of rest.
Top Kansas batters and pitchers
Name AVG. HR RBI
Alex King .323 1 21
Joe DeMarco .316 1 20
Isaac Byrd .303 2 18
Brent Wilhelm .302 6 33
Craig Stewart .300 0 1
Name W L ERA SO
Jamie Splittorff 3 5 5.06 55
Dan Rude 3 2 5.36 28
Robert Keens 2 3 6.09 23