8BTHE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006
SWIMMING & DIVING
Pool closes after storm
Lisa Linovac/KANSAN
Swimmers divers move practice
The pool in Robinson Gym is empty after steam melted pipes beneath the pool. The pool will remain closed for the remainder of the semester.
BY BETTY KASPAR
bkaspar@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
The April 23 hail storm caused big problems at Robinson Gymnasium. Steam pipes that serviced the main pool melted, which forced the pool to close until repairs could be completed.
Bernie Kish, director of facilities at Robinson, said the repairs have been time consuming, but he hoped the pool would be reopened by May 15, but could be as late or later than May 19.
The power went out in the gvm during the hailstorm.
When power was restored, valves that usually keep steam from going back into the pipes failed.
The steam re-entered the pipes, causing them to melt, which created a leak underneath the pool.
The system was installed in 1965 and used the pipes to control pool temperature.
The new valves for the steam system will be installed after repairs to the pipes are completed.
Kish was concerned about the effect the closing would have on swimming and diving camp, which begins May 29.
Although the lap pool remains open, the divers have been practicing at Lawrence Free State High School, because the lap pool is not deep enough for a diving board.
Swimmers have been practicing in the lap pool.
But junior Lisa Tilson, swimmer and University Daily Kansan correspondent, said the pool was too small for the 25-plus people on the swim team.
"We have a lot more individualized training with two pools and right now we are all in one pool."
Lisa Tilson Swim team member
Tilson said the team was swimming the same amount of yardage as they would with two pools,but that the practices
were less effective.
"It is putting a damper on what we can do trainingwise."
"We have a lot more individualized training with two pools and right now we are all cramped in one pool," she said.
Open swim times have not been affected by the closing of the main pool.
The costs for repairs were being covered by the University.
—Edited by Cynthia Hernandez
NBA
Nuggets address issues
Impudence injury plagues teammates
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
AP SPORTS WRITER
DENVER — The Denver Nuggets have a lengthy list of pressing matters to address in the offseason, and the most important is finding another shooter to complement rising star Carmelo Anthony.
"How about four?" coach George Karl cracked. "Can we get a big man who can make a shot? Can we get a true shooter on a three-point line? Maybe a scorer and a shooter? A penetrator?"
The Nuggets have plenty of time to ponder their moves now that they've made an early exit from the playoffs for the third straight year.
Hev. might as well dream big.
A season filled with injuries, inconsistency and insubordination has left Karl contemplating his future in coaching. General manager Kiki Vandewheghe is also unsure about his future in Denver with his contract set to expire Aug. 1.
So, it might very well be somebody else's mess to clean up.
There's no urgency to get a new personnel man in place because the Nuggets don't own a first-round pick in the June 28 draft. But they do have six players who are set to become free agents and Anthony is eligible for a contract extension for upward of $80 million.
First, the Nuggets are going to have to figure out what to do with forward Kenyon Martin, whose tirade during the playoffs over his lack of playing time led to his suspension and could result in his ticket out of town.
The Nuggets' fatal flaw was poor shooting, especially in the playoffs.
Karl said the club went for defense last summer and again at the trade deadline, acquiring Reggie Evans and Ruben Patterson instead of another shooter.
The newcomers helped Denver clinch its first division title in 18 years but the Nuggets couldn't overcome their lack of scoring from the perimeter in their first-round thumping by the Los Angeles Clippers.
"We had a chance to pick up Ronald Murray and we decided to go with the energy guys," Karl said. "It was very, very hard watching your team basically be controlled because you couldn't make shots."
Still, Karl insisted that losing to the Clippers wasn't anything to be ashamed of.
"They have seven guys on that team that can get 30 on any night," he said. "How many guys on our team if we leave them in the gym all day can get 30?"
With so many injuries, it was difficult for Karl to put together a cohesive lineup, and that meant chemistry never developed.
"We need to have guys in there who are committed to doing things the right way, not bickering and fighting among each other, not worry about whose team it is, who takes the majority of the shots," Marcus Camby said. "The common goal should be to go out there and win. For the most part of the season we were very selfish in that aspect."
Anthony agreed and suggested he wanted to sit down with management this offseason to go over players who could come in and help the Nuggets get better: "I don't want to be like Kevin Garnett and take eight years to get out of the first round."
Karl said he understood their frustration.
"I don't want to point fingers or blame anybody, but I got
"The dysfunction
The dysfunction always gets the attention. The crazy always gets the magnifying glass."
George Karl Denver Nuggets coach
back into the game to get back into the gym, to get back with a basketball family," he said. "And this year's family was a little dysfunctional."
Never before had Karl dealt with so many injuries, the most costly being the loss of forward Nene, who went down in the season opener with a knee injury that sideline him all year.
"I think it took a pillar of our foundation away." Karl said.
Karl said fans will ultimately look at the divisional banner that will hang in the Pepsi Center and appreciate what the team accomplished this year, when
Anthony took a major step toward superstardom and gritty players such as Eduardo Najera and Francisco Elson played beyond expectations.
All that was overshadowed by the problems that plagued the team, from injuries to infighting, from front-office uncertainties to locker room turmoil.
"The dysfunction always gets the attention," Karl said. "The crazy always gets the magnifying glass.
"You had chaos above and on the team. You had it all over the place. Coming in and getting an energy in this team was an art."
Ultimately, Karl said, he was simply proud of his team for its perseverance.
"I would definitely say there's more magic to this team than mystery," Karl said. "Now we have to solve the mysteries."