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SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 10. 1995
SECTION B
Men like sassy Haase too
Walk down Jayhawk Boulevard and you may be able to hear it. The Jerod Haase bandwagon is rolling on.
Jerod is all of that and a bag of chips — or is he?
SPORTS EDITOR
The majority of women on this campus think that the sophomore guard on the Kansas basketball team is the hottest thing since miniskirts.
The male students probably don't think of him in the same way.
not that there's anything wrong with that. But that doesn't mean they don't like the gritty guard as well.
The Oklahoma State-Kansas game Sunday in Allen Field House was a perfect example. Posters were made of a Jayhawk player, as they are for every home game. The subject of the poster was Jerod. It was the last poster of the season, and that's when the frenzy started.
All the posters disappeared in a matter of minutes.
Throngs of fanatics, both male and female, were clamoring for the stacks of posters as if they saw an oasis in the middle of a barren desert.
Why? What is the big deal?
There were young teenyboppers, fraternity and sorority students, and even older alumni jostling for position. Some even grabbed handfuls of posters, 30 to 40 at a time.
Let's turn the tables a bit. It is a fallacy that all men hate Jerod because of his high-profile image with Lawrence's female population. The truth is that men admire him as well.
But I think the fact that Haase starts for the No. 2 college basketball team in the nation doesn't hurt his admirability with the women.
Most men understand that. Maybe the only thing that bothers the men on campus is the wonder women get in their eyes when they watch Haase play the game — of basketball, I mean. In only one season, his popularity already has eclipsed that of former guard Rex Walters two years ago. Walters got the nickname "Sexy Rexy" that year.
As one of my female sportswriters on staff informed me, he is cute. Even women who wouldn't die to see Jerod on campus say he is more attractive than the average male. I agree even though I don't make it a practice of rating men — not that there's anything wrong with that.
Curiously, Haase is a shooting guard, the same position Walters played. Maybe it's the position. Maybe it's the dark hair the two share. Or maybe, it's the way Haase's hair gets matted down during the course of the game. I don't know.
Let's even go beyond what Haase does on the court. When I've been in contact with Haase after a game or in a news conference, he seems to be a likable guy. He is someone you wouldn't mind talking to at a bar.
Watching Haase play the game of basketball makes me happy that he is a Jayhawk. He is an unbelievable player, and I can't imagine how good he could be in two years as a senior. He enjoys the game and displays his real feelings on the court, a refreshing change.
If there was any confusion, I like Jerod Haase. He's a good guy and an even better player. However, some women on campus would like to take that admiration a bit further.
Here's where I turn into the heartbreaker. I've got to, I'm a journalist. Reliable sources say that Jerod has a girlfriend, a steady one in California. Sorry. Haase's only response to the attention he receives, "I'm flattered."
But hey, Jerod keeps the comments and popularity in perspective. We should, too.
Tournament Coverage
Check Monday's Kansan for complete coverage of the men's Big Eight tournament and the Selection Sunday show, when the NCAA's 64-team field will be announced.
Sean R. Crosier / KANSAN
Kansas sophomore forward Scot Pollard blocks a shot against Kansas State junior center Tyrone Davis. The Jayhawks play K-State today at 12:10 p.m. in the first round of the Big Eight tournament at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas is 2-0 this season against K-State, but the two games were close until the final minutes.
Big Eight men's tournament
The Big Eight's KEMPER CLASSIC
Warm-up for the 'Big Dance'
Winning may be a mixed blessing for Jayhawks
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas Jayhawks might not want to win the Big Eight Conference tournament, despite being the No.1 seed.
The winner of the conference tournament has lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the past five years. Missouri, in 1989, was the last conference tournament winner to make it past the first round, but the Tigers lost their next game.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said that he did not think it was a coincidence that the winner of the conference tournament often exited the NCAA tournament early.
"I do think there's something to it," he said. "Your kids don't have a chance to come down from the (conference) tournament and get ready to go back. Two of our teams that went to the Final Four lost
Kansas swept the regular-season series against K-State and could lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a win today.
p. m. today at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
The Wildcats postseason could end today with a Jayhawk victory. Only winning the conference tournament and receiving the automatic bid will send the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament.
The Jayhawks enter the game 22-4 overall and 11-3 in the conference. The Wildcats are 12-14 and 3-11.
Williams said the automatic bid would be an incentive for low-seeded teams.
"I think for the teams that know they've got to win in the tournament to make it to the NCAAs, it's more of
But don't think that Williams doesn't care if the No. 2 Jayhawks lose this weekend.
on a Saturday. The year we won the Big Eight tournament we lost the very next Saturday."
Kansas will try to beat Kansas State's tail in the first game of the conference tournament at 12:10
"I'm never going to go out there and say it's OK to lose," he said. "It ain't OK to lose. If we're going to play the sucker, we're going to try to beat your tail."
coach standing up on a soapbox preaching, "This is our last chance," he said. "Teams that have been very successful during the regular season know that conference tournaments are something to raise money and let the alumni have a few beers and have a good time at night."
Although the Jayhawks probably won't drink any beers, they could have a good time if they defeat the Wildcats — which is
easier said than done.
Neither of Kansas' victories against K-State was safe until the Jayhawks made late runs to pull away.
"They've got to have a little confidence in how they play this third game, in that their style of play gives us problems," Williams said. "We've got to make sure that we don't get too cocky about the fact that we won both games because it wasn't exactly a blow-out in either situation."
Kansas baseball warms up for Hawkeyes' visit
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
A good weather forecast matched with a solid week of practice has the Kansas baseball team excited about its three-game home series against Iowa.
The Jayhawks and Hawkeyes meet at 3 p.m. today at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. Clear skies and temperatures in the 50s are expected for the afternoon. Two straight days of sunshine have both brightened up the Jayhawks' spirits and have given them the desire to get back on the field.
"The worst is behind us now." Kansas sophomore outfielder Isaac Byrd said. "Coach has been giving us a lot of good lectures now and has been getting on us a little bit. I think we can go against Iowa and hopefully take the series."
the team had experienced a good week of practice despite the fact that he had spent all its time inside Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
Kansas currently is mired in a fourgame losing streak and has a record of 2-9. The Jayhawks are hitting just 1.72 and have averaged only 3.5 runs a game over the skid.
"We're just anxious to get out and see about the adjustment we made," he said.
So far, the Jayhawks and Hawkeyes are headed in different directions.
Kansas coach Dave Bingham said
Iowa stands at 3-0, thanks to a three-game win of Missouri last weekend in Columbia, Mo., to open its season.
The Hawkeyes' opening series impressed Bingham because the team had held all of its practices indoors.
"Iowa won three against Missouri right out of the field house," he said. "They should be a very competitive team."
Kansas junior pitcher Jamie Splitter-foil said he respected the
Hawkeyes based on how they had looked in the past.
"They're a pretty good club," he said. "We played them my freshman year and split a doubleheader."
Splittorff (0-3) is scheduled to start today's game for the Jayhawks, followed by junior Clay Baird (1-2) tomorrow and freshman Ryan Van Glider on Sunday.
Pitching steadily has been improving for Kansas in recent weeks. The Jayhawks' earned run average has fallen from 9.36 after the opening series to a more respectable 5.68.
Sean R. Crosier/KANSAN
Kansas sophomore second baseman Joe Demarco throws out freshman outfielder Eric Vann during a recent intrasquid scrimmage.
Splittorff's last appearance came Sunday in a loss against Northwestern, a game in which the right-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in six innings. Baird has not pitched since Feb. 28 at Southwest Missouri State, when he allowed two runs on one hit in one inning of relief.
Van Gilder, a walk-on from Watertown, S.D., will make his second start of the season on Sunday. The right-hander pitched 52/3 innings in a loss against Southwest Missouri State.
Seniors Alex King and Josh Igou, who have been sidelined with injuries, are close to returning to action, Bingham said. King sprained his wrist against Rice on Feb. 25, and Igou has been out since Feb. 19
with a pulled hamstring
"Josh looks about ready," Bingham said. "King is better than we thought he would be and may face their left-hander on Sunday."