Tuesday, April 8, 1986
Sports
University Daily Kansan
9
Bushwacked
Eric Lynch. Wilton, Conn. freshman, goes out of his way to catch the ball while playing lacrosse. Lynch played yesterday in front of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house.
Coach gets serious about academics
Ronnie Caldwell and Marvin Mattox are two KU football players who missed spring football and the annual Blue and White game Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
By Jerry Ryan
Special to the Kansan
But they weren't held out because of injuries.
"I was held out because of my low GPA," said Mattox, a strong safety, yesterday. "Coach Valesente wants me ready to play ball in the fall without having to worry about academics."
Caldwell, a wide receiver, asked to be held out of spring football to allow himself more time to work at his grades.
"I could see my grades were hurting, so I talked to Coach Val and told him I needed more time to study," he said.
The experiences of Caldwell and Mattox demonstrate the new nonsense approach to academics instilled by new head coach Bob Valesente. They also reflect a much different approach to solve the eligibility crisis that surfaced each fall during the regime of former coach Mike Gottfried.
"We realized that we cannot afford nor do we want another year of problems with the football team," said Richard Lee, assistant athletic director for academic support.
"There is a more concerted effort to ensure that our student athletes achieve success," he said.
Revamping the football program's approach to academics was one of Valesente's first priorities after taking as head coach in November.
Not only did he beep up the Athletic Department's emphasis on academics but he also sought and received new support from KU faculty.
Valesete's new program calls for mandatory study halls with tutors on hand to assist those in need, a corps of faculty members to advise athletes during enrollment, a new four-step process for dropping a class and progress reports to monitor class attendance and standing.
Football
Valesente inherited a program in academic disarray: Two years ago, 11 players were declared academically ineligible. Last fall, four players were declared academically ineligible. The prosecution to the point of a lawsuit opposed to the University by the athletes.
"With the problems that plagued the football team, we are making a real effort to make sure that problem doesn't happen again," said Lee.
Those athletes with a borderline grade point average who are showing signs of needed help with study skills are required to attend a mandatory study hall four nights a week.
"Study hall shouldn't be viewed as a punishment," Lee said. "It is a way of showing them that there is a certain amount of time that they must spend studying to achieve success," he said.
Lee said two tutors worked in the study hall each night.
"One is very strong in a math background to help in math, economics and statistics. Another individual is very strong in English and reading and helps out in those various fields." he said.
Also, a core of faculty members has been organized to assist in the advising process. Athletes are provided with a list of classes required for a certain degree as well as a list of those already completed. This group
of advisers is headed by Norman Yetman, professor of American Studies and Sociology.
"There has been a vast improvement from last year," Yetman said. This year, "virtually all of the athletes saw advisers."
Along with this new group of advisers, Valesente instituted a new procedure for dropping classes to ensure an athlete would not fall below the minimum 24 hours required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for completion in a year or making progress toward a degree.
Yetman said the system didn't allow an athlete to drop a class without going through the proper channels.
The process calls for obtaining approval from Lee, then Tina Sohn, the administrative assistant to Lee, the player's position manager and the player's position coach.
But in order for all of this to work successfully, a system of monitoring was installed to keep a watchful eye on the program.
"We are doing a much better job of informing the advisers and faculty members of what is expected of them for academic achievements as well as receipt of scholarship funding," said Lee.
These progress reports evaluate each student athlete's performance in the classroom as well as attendance.
"Based on my experiences, they are comparable to other first progress reports," Lee said. "The majority of the progress reports showed that the kids were attending class."
He said the Athletic Department had sent out two progress reports so fa
The efforts by Valesent seem to be well received by both the athletes
and the faculty.
"The faculty have felt good about calling us about particular dates concerning exams and dates of sporting events," Lee said. "The faculty have called not only this office but coaches also to offer their assistance in any way they can."
Athletes thought the program would be successful and received it well.
"The team is really happy with what Coach Val is doing," said John Brehm, wide receiver and punter. "He is upgrading our academic system to its highest potential."
Caldwell said, "He'd rather have you come to him and be straightforward and tell him you're in trouble. I like being able to be straight with him about my grades."
The whole package has one simple goal.
"We need to increase the number of football players who graduate," said Lee. "Those are the ones who go back and sell the program to new recruits."
"I think Richard and the various faculty members have done an outstanding job in trying to improve the academic program for our student athletes," he said.
Lee said this in turn would lead to a better program down the road.
"Eventually, I would like to win the award given by the NCAA for graduating the most seniors," he said.
The University of Virginia won the award last year.
Team handball course is a first at Robinson
Bv Karen Harvey
Special to the Kansar
The enthusiasm of a 1976 Iraqi Olympian resulted in team handball becoming a course at Kansas. The 1986 fall semester course, 108 Team Handball, will be offered Tuesdays from days 11-30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Baha Hamil, 35, a 1974 Iraqi Olympic team handball player and now a KU civil engineering graduate student, was playing basketball at Robinson Center last spring when he saw a team handball court marked oh a basketball floor.
'Team handball is played in an area without walls that is similar to an indoor soccer area. Hamil contacted the Health Physical Education and Recreation department and asked to teach the game to a class.
According to Hamil, there is an un-
observed talent in KU team
"There were a lot of people who wanted to have a class," said Hamil recently. "Finding team handball at the University and trying to get it through the program is a challenge for me and I love a challenge."
'It needs somebody to find them,
and I'm going to do everything in my
power to find these talents and help
them.' he said.
Hamil is teaching team handball to physical education majors as part of a HPER 210 course called &A Basketball, Team Handball and Softball. He said students in the course did not like the game at first.
"As far as I know, the Americans like to be pushing around and pushed around, so they really liked it after we knew how to handle the ball," he said.
Scott Thompson, Overland Park sophomore, said the only thing he disliked about the game was that he didn't get to play it more.
"I liked it because it combines a lot of different sports I've played," said Thompson.
Team handball combines elements of soccer, basketball, hockey and water polo. Both teams have six court players and one goalie. The game involves running, jumping, catching and throwing. It is played on an area larger than a basketball
court and has goal areas on both ends. Playing time consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute intermission.
Hamil began playing team handball when he was 16 in intermediate school in Iraq where it was part of the curriculum.
"Schools play it, the Iraqi team plays it and the Army plays it. It's a national game." Hamil said.
Hamil was elected to play school teams nationally and internationally. After that he was drafted into the army. During his first year in the army he was elected to play for his country.
"I was in the armys for four years, and for four years I practiced every single day."
The Iraq Olympic team joined the Arab bacl which boycotted the 1976 Olympics because of Israeli Olympic participation.
"It's a goal for everybody to join the Olympic team when they're at their top level," he said. "You can't really reach that point twice in a lifetime. I reached that, I worked very hard for it and I was disappointed when they pulled out."
"From my view as an Arab I should support all the Arabs. A lot of them are really suffering and I'm talking about those people."
Athletics is an important part of Hamil's life. He spends his spare time at Robinson Center where he also coaches the boys and peaches, squash and martial arts.
"Sometimes I go from 2 p.m. and I
get back until about 10:30
Ruth."
"It reminds me of what I used to do and what I used to love in my career when I was a young gentleman," he said. "It really gives me great comfort when I see other people listening to what I've told them to do."
Hamil said playing team handball now reminded him of when he was younger.
"It's a very fast game. It needs a lot of talent, and you don't have to be tall like the basketball players."
Hamil has several goals for the future of team handball at Kansas.
"I want to get some of the players from KU to be on the team that goes to the Olympics."
Baha Hami. Bashra, Iraq, graduate student, jumps in a handball practice game. Hamil, a 1976 Iraqi Olympic team handball player, will be teaching a team handball class in the fall.
Marshall gets ready for rehab
Sports writer
By Matt Tidwell Sports write
Kansas assistant basketball coach Alvin Gentry said yesterday that doctors tentatively had scheduled Marshall to be released today. The 6-foot-6 Tulsa University torturedorious knee surgery Wednesday to correct a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Archie Marshall, the Kansas basketball forward who learned last week that he will miss next season with a knee injury, may leave Lawrence Memorial Hospital today.
"They will probably let him out in the next day," Gentry said. "They're kind of shooting for tomorrow."
Marshall suffered the injury in the second half of Kansas' season-ending loss to Duke in the national semifinals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in Dallas on March 29.
Gentry said Marshall was upset when he was first told of the seriousness of the injury.
"His emotional state has really picked up," Gentry said. "He was really down at first, but now he realizes that it will just take a lot of hard work on his part."
Doctors estimated that Marshall's injury would require a full year of rehabilitation before he could resume playing basketball.
Marshall averaged 6.6 points and 3.5 rebounds for Kansas this past season and probably would have challenged for a starting position next year. Marshall is expected to be redshirted.
"That is really all we can do in a situation like this one," Gentry said. "It's just going to take a lot of time for him to get back."
Gentry said Marshall was recovering normally and there had been no change in the prognosis.
Dreiling and Thompson to play in Aloha Classic
United Press International
HONOLULU — Calvin Thompson, Kansas guard, and center Drew Greeling headline a group of participants in the Alaqua Classic.
The tournament, which features eight players on teams representing the East, South, Midwest and West, opens Thursday on the island of Maui and Hawaii with the final two nights being played in Honolulu.
Skill Scars, All-America guard from Michigan State, will join Thompson and Dreiling on the Midwest squad. Three more Big Ten players — Brad Sellers of Ohio State, Efrem Winters of Illinois and John Shasky of Minnesota also are on the team.
Billy Thompson and Milt Wagner, both of Louisville's NCAA championship team, are teamed with Rafael Addison of Syracuse, Steve Mitchell of Alabam-Birmingham, Harold Pressley of Villanova, Maurice Martin of St. John's University, Richard Richmond and Kevin Duckworth of Eastern Illinois to the East team.
The South consists of John Salley of Georgia Tech, Baskerville Holmes of Memphis State, Buck Johnson of Alabama, Anthony Watson of San Diego State, Otis Smith of Jacksonville, Alvin Franklin of Houston, Dennis Rodman of Southeastern Oklahoma
Coaches ready to reap benefits of recruiting
The West team will feature guard Anthony Bowie of Oklahoma.
'Hawks need to replace Adkins
Tomorrow is the day Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington has been anticipating since the end of the season.
By Dawn O'Malley Sports writer
It is the day when some high school and junior college women basketball players will have a chance to official-team commit to commit themselves to play for Kent.
Washington has been in the coaching and recruiting business for 13 years. As in previous years, she has traveled across the country looking for basketball players who will strengthen her program.
"Some stand out," Washington said yesterday. "They are so talented, there is no question about it. There is a city cycle tour that there is a real good group of kids, but
Women's Basketball
the big players are next year."
Kansas needs swimmers, divers
It is not uncommon for a coach to search for athletes as far as a year in advance. As soon as a coach signs one athlete, she begins scouting for next year, Washington said.
"You always want the athlete," she said. "You want the good athlete, and getting size and the athlete is what you hope for. I do look for the athlete who has skills. She is a worker who puts it on the line for us, so attitude is important."
Washington said her approach to next year's season would emphasize quickness, pressure defense and outside shooting.
By Dawn O'Malley
Sports writer
"Number one, when I recruit I look to the best attorney. There is always room."
Gary Kempf, Kansas head swim coach, has traveled across the country in search of swimmers who will enhance his program.
Kempf Kempf will find out tomorrow whether his efforts were fruitful when some high school swimmers meet with intent to swim for Kansas next year.
Although he is not restricted to recruiting in the Midwest, Kempf said he encouraged Midwest swimmers to attend Kansas.
"It is always a tense moment," Kemp said of the first day of signing. "You've got to have good athletes if you are going to get better.
Swimming
Kempf said he hoped to sign five or six women and two or four men tomorrow.
The men's program recently finished second in the Big Eight Championships, but Kempf said the team needed improvement in the breaststroke, individual medley and sprint freestyle.
Barry Susterke, head diveing coach,
said he had had a difficult time recruiting top-notch divers because
the diving program has been dominated by the swimming
program.
"Kansas has never been known by its diving program," Susterka said. "It has been overshadowed and overpowered by great swimming."
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