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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2006
PAGE 1B
PROFILE
WHEN YOU SAY BUD,YOU'VE SAID IT ALL
Jared Gah/KANSAM
Bud Stallworth, former Kansas basketball star turned budget manager, sits behind his desk shortly after arriving to work Tuesday morning at the Design and Construction Management offices of Carruth-O'Leary Hall. Stallworth oversees the budgets for improvements and repairs across campus.
BY MIKE MOSTAFFA
mmostaffa@kansan.com ■ KANSAN STAFF WRITER
From jazz to basketball to school to charity Kansas legend Bud Stallworth's done it all
It has been 35 years since Bud Stallworth sent Allen Fieldhouse fans into a frenzy by scoring 50 points against Missouri in arguably the greatest individual performance in Kansas basketball history. Yet even today, Stallworth still gets a cheer from the crowd.
But the applause he receives these days is for his charity work rather than his athletic accomplishments. For Stallworth, chairman of Tuesday's Rock Man Celebrity Golf Classic, knowing the money raised from the event will help children with special needs is more satisfying than any standing ovation.
"I've had many blessings in my life," he said. "And now I'm in a position where I can make a difference."
Stallworth, whose number 15 jersey hangs from the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse, is driven to lend a helping hand to others because he knows what a difference it can make. His journey to KU basketball immortality did not begin on the basketball court, but rather in the makeshift band room of his segregated Alabama public school. The talented trumpet player received scholarship money allowing him to attend a music camp in Lawrence, where he would ultimately fulfill his hardwood destiny. After helping the 1971 basketball team achieve unparalleled success, the Alabama gunslinger shot through the Kansas record books in 1972, scoring more points in conference play than any other player in KU history and coming within two points of tying Wilt Chamberlain's school record for points scored in a game.
Contributed photo
Stallworth, who at 6-foot-5 had the ball-handling ability of a point guard, was drafted in the first round in both ABA and NBA drafts, but a car accident in 1972 cut his promising career short.
SEE STALLWORTH ON PAGE 4B
Bud Stallworth, right, drives past a Kansas City Kings player at the Louisiana Superdome. He played for the New Orleans Jazz from 1975 to 1977.
BASEBALL
'Hawks fighting for spot in NCAA tournament
Coach Rich Price, left,
congratulates freshman catcher Justin Elrich, right,
after his two-run home run in the eighth inning against Kansas State on April 23 in Manhattan.
Kansas has six games left before the Big 12 Championship.
Kansan file photo
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Jayhawks got an un-
The Jayhawk expected day of rest after Wednesday's baseball game against Missouri State was canceled because of weather, but it might have been more hurtful than helpful.
Price
Wednesday's match-up was the last opportunity Kansas had to pick up a quality victory on the road. A victory against Missouri State would have helped make up for last weekend's sweep by No. 4 Texas — losses that make Kansas' chances of getting a bid into the NCAA tournament less certain. The Jayhawks are down to their last six games before the
Kansas coach Ritch Price said he was determined to advance the Jayhawks into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.
Big 12 Tournament.
"I'm going to give, hopefully, my best motivational speech of the year about how important the next two weeks are," Price said before Tuesday's practice.
Kansas has fallen to the No. 7 spot in the Big 12 standings. It barely made the Big 12 Tournament, which only takes the top eight teams.
Kansas must now rely on its strength of schedule, a measure based on the difficulty of teams played, which is reflected in the Ratings Percentage Index. Kansas currently has the No. 38 RPI ranking, according to www.boydsworld.com.
SEE TOURNAMENT ON PAGE 2B
SOFTBALL
Pitcher named player of year
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BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN SNORER SWITWRIER
Settlemier
Add another award to the long
Audiotherlist of honors compiled this season by Serena Settlemier in her record-breaking senior campaign.
The league's coaches named Settlemier the Big 12 Player of the Year
Wednesday afternoon in a ceremony in Oklahoma City. It marked the first time in program history that a Jayhawk received the honor. She was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career.
"This is a huge accomplishment," Settlemier said following the ceremony. "I think it's a turning point in my career. It shows I've overcome a lot of adversity."
Settlemier was drafted earlier in the year by the National Pro-Fast-pitch League's Texas Thunder, a Houston-based softball team.
The Kelso, Wash., native has set numerous single-season and program records in her final season. Her 21 home runs, 59 RBI and 123 total bases are a Kansas single-season record. Settlemier's six grand slams this season are believed by the Kansas Athletics Department to lead the nation, although no official stats for grand slams are kept. She also leads all Kansas batters with her .331 batting average, including a .295 average in Big 12 play. For her career, she leads the school with 43 home runs and 115 RBI.
Settlemier has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice and USA Softball Co-National Player of the Week once during the season.
"I think it'll give people higher expectations to reach," Settlemier said.
Settlemier has also been one of the Big 12's most consistent pitchers. She boasts a 1.21 ERA, including a 0.83 ERA in conference play and has a 16-6 record on the season, the best mark of her career.
Clutch hits in key situations have been the hallmark of Settlemier's senior season. In the past month, she has hit two of her career's most memorable home runs. She hit her fifth grand slam of the season. The hit vaulted Kansas over Missouri in the fifth inning of a game at Arrocha Ballpark. Weeks later she smacked a pitch over the left field fence against Wichita State. The hit was Kansas' first of the game and lifted the team to a 2-1, come-from-behind victory.
Settlemier said she thought the award would bring more attention to the Kansas softball program.
Postseason Award Notes:
Junior pitcher Kassie Humphreys was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Despite her 14-16 record, she has been among the conference's top pitchers this season. She has a 1.31 ERA, and holds her opponents to a 155 batting average while striking out nearly eight batters per game.
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Edited by Timon Veach
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