Sports
University Daily Kansan
9
Thursday, March 6, 1986
Luck has played part in injury-free season
By Matt Tidwell
Sports writer
In building their 28-3 record, the Kansas Jayhawks have managed to go through the entire regular season free of what has been a big blow to some other good teams — serious injuries
But the team needed only to see North Carolina on television last weekend, with starters Steve Hale and Warren Martin out with injuries, to be reminded of what an injury can do to a top-ranked team.
Apart from nagging minor injuries such as the pulled stomach muscle that is hampering Ron Kellogg and Greg Dregdling's flus last week, the Jayhawks have been free of injury.
"It's been great for us," Dreiling said yesterday. "We depend a lot on our first six or seven players so it becomes even more important to stay away from injuries."
Men's Basketball
One man responsible for keeping the No. 2 team in the country healthy is Dave Lucey, Kansas assistant trainer Lucey said a combination of factors had allowed Kansas to stay healthy.
Lucey said Kellogg's pulled muscle was the most severe of this season's ailments, but he said he expected the problem to clear up soon.
Kansas head coach Larry Brown said he thought luck played a big role.
'Jayhawk Shuffle' gets mixed player reaction
"We've got good athletes." Lucey said. "They're highly skilled, but we've also been very lucky. All of our injuries have been minor."
Kellogg missed Tuesday's workout in Kansas City, Mo., but got further treatment and practiced yesterday afternoon.
By Frank Ybarre
Staff writer
The reaction of some of the KU basketball players whose names are mentioned in a rap song about the team varies from support of the playing of the song to worries about possible NCAA violations.
Mike Kirsch, co-owner of Gammons, 1601 W. 23rd St., wrote the song called the "Jayhawk Shuffle" two weeks ago. Last week, after asking the Athletic Department to check into possible violations of National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, Kirsch got a letter from Gary Hunter, assistant athletic director, asking him to quit playing the song.
The NCAA rule also states that a university must take some affirmative action to stop the use of the names.
*According to NCAA officials, the song violates NCAA rules because it uses the players' names for commercial gain. The names of all five starters and some reserves are mentioned in the song.*
But Rick Evrard, director of legislative services for the NCAA, said the players were not free from possible rules violations just because the Athletic Department had written the letter.
Kansas guard Mark Turgeon, who is mentioned in the song, said yesterday that he had heard the song on the radio and thought it was a good idea.
"I can't see the NCAA penalizing us for the playing of the song," he said.
Kirsch should stop playing the song.
"I think if he really loved KU sports he might quit playing it because we might get in trouble," he said.
But Turgeon said he thought
Turgeon said he understood that the NCAA had to have some rules for what happens with transfers.
"They have to draw the line somewhere," he said.
Before each season the players are informed about the rules regarding promotion, Turgeon said, but they have heard nothing from the department about the song.
Ron Kellogg, Kansas forward, said he had heard parts of the song and the story.
The NCAA, Kellogg said, had gotten a little carried away with its interpretation of the rules.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," he said.
Kellogg said he wasn't worried about the players getting in any trouble with the NCAA because of the song.
But Danny Manning, Kansas forward, said he wasn't so sure.
"I hope we don't lose our eligibility." he said.
Greg Drreiling, Kansas center, said he thought the NCAA was being unfair to Kirsch when it recommended that the department take some action.
He said he wasn't worried about the action, taking action against any of the players.
"I'm not worried," he said. "The school will take whatever means are necessary to protect us."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Danny Manning, the multitalented Jayhawk sophomore, was the unanimous selection by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters as Associated Press Big Eight player of the year.
Manning is Big Eight's top player
The Associated Press
This is the third straight season that player-of-the-year honors have been voted unanimously. In the past two seasons, every vote went to Oklahoma All-American Wayman Tisdale, who opted to forgo his senior season and now plays for Indianapolis in the National Basketball Association.
Manning's selection will come as no surprise to rival Big Eight coaches, who said last month that if they were starting a team from scratch, Kansas '6-foot-11 star would be the first player they would choose.
"I think he's the best player in the country," Larry Brown, Kansas coach, says of the slick ball-handler. "I've felt that way all along."
When told that Kansas has a great player who stands 6-11, basketball fans might assume they were hearing about an under-the-basket specialist — someone who rarely ventures outside the paint.
But Manning is much more. He has
the quickness and ball-handling touch of a guard and a feathery jump shot from the 13- to 16-foot range.
There is, quite simply, nothing he cannot do on a basketball court. In 14 conference games he has averaged 20 points on a balanced Jayhawk squad that has tied a school record with 28 victories and pocketed the school's first conference title in eight years. He is also among the Big Eight leaders in steals, blocked shots and rebounds.
Johnny Orr, Iowa State coach,
said. "He makes the players around him better players, and that is the ultimate mark of greatness."
There has been only one mild criticism of Manning. And Brown says it has been greatly exaggerated.
Some say the soft-spoken youngster lacks aggressiveness. Brown himself was quoted at the beginning of the year as saying he wanted Manning to be more assertive. But it's not as if his sophomore star is sleep out there. Brown saves.
"A lot of people have commented about his not being assertive," Brown said. "I think they misintepreted what I tried to say. I wouldn't want Danny to be any other way than he is — unselfish. He's had a phenomenal year."
Kellogg focuses mind on basketball
By Matt Tidwell
Sports writer
This season, nobody has accused Ron Kellogg of having a wandering mind when he's out on the basketball court.
Kellogg and his teammates say the time is past when he would think about things other than basketball in the heat of a game.
"I think Ron has always been a great player." Kansas center Greg Dreilring said yesterday, "but before this season, a lot of people thought Ron was off in his own little world or something. It's obvious to all of us that he's much more into the game now."
From talking with Kellog, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, it would be tough to tell he ever had a problem focusing on basketball.
After the Jayhawks' last home game Saturday, a 90-70 win over Iowa State, Kellogg was the first to cut down the nets and triumphantly wore one of them draped around his neck.
Bryan Graves/KANSAN
Kansas forward Ron Kellogg is the eighth-leading Kansas scorer with 1,398 points. Depending on his performance in the remaining games, he could finish as high as fifth or sixth on the all-time Kansas scoring list.
Kellogg said his biggest hope is that the Jayhawks have more nets to attack.
"It's been an enjoyable season and I hope it gets a lot more enjoyable," Kellogg said. "There's a possibility we could win nine more games and all of the seniors want that very badly. You couldn't ask for anything better."
Kellogg has racked up a long list of accomplishments since coming to Kellogg.
He is eighth on the all-time Kansas scoring list. He has 1,398 points and could finish as high as fifth or sixth.
He has averaged in double figures for two consecutive years. Last season, he led the team with an average of 17.6 points a game. This season, Kellogg is the team's second-leading scorer averaging more than 16.7 points a game.
Also this season, Kellogg was named to United Press International's first team All-Big Eight squad and is also a member of the Associated Press' second team All-Big Eight roster.
Kansas coach Larry Brown said that on many other teams, Kellogg could have built up even more impressive scoring totals than he has at Kansas.
"If he were on some other teams I'm sure he would score a lot more." Brown said. "But I'm not sure scoring is what's most important to him.
average. Kellogg has improved other aspects of his game. This year he is second on the team in assists with 98.
In addition to his big scoring
"I've been making勇 assists that
"Kellogg said, "and I've
helped my team."
Kellogg said it's his role as a senior and co-captain that means the most to him.
Swimmers get trim for meet
"I try to be a team leader and go
out there and make sure we stay in control," he said. "It makes me want to perform well."
Kellogg has been mentioned as a possible NBA draft pick after his collegiate career is finished. He said he would like to continue playing but doesn't let those thoughts intrude on what he is focusing on now — going as far as possible with the Jayhawks.
By Dawn O'Malley
And the closer it gets, the shorter the hair on the heads of the men swimmers becomes.
In anticipation of the meet, it begins today and continues through Saturday at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb., members of the men's swim team have shaved their heads to reduce friction against the water.
The Big Eight swimming championship is getting close.
Although the men's swim team is rowdy and outgoing during the season, Gary Kempf, head swim coach, said the team had gone from unruly to uncontrollable in anticipation of the meet.
"I went through all the same things," Kempf said. "It is a special way of preparation.
"It takes a special breed to walk around without hair."
Terrv Burkart/KANSAN
Swimming
Although some opt to get a haircut from a barber shop, most swimmers have enough faith in their teammates to allow them to cut their hair.
The hair slowly has begun to disappear. By the time the starter's gun is shot, most of the KU men swimmers will be completely bald.
Chuck Jones and other members of the KU men's swim team shaved their heads to reduce friction against the water. The men's and women's teams are competing at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb., for the Big Eight championships.
Not only do the swimmers snip the hair on their head, but they also shave off body hair.
There are progressive stages in removing the hair, Allan Chaney, men's swim team member, said.
Dave Strah, team member, is no stranger to shaving his head. Although he's only a freshman, he is one of three other times for important races.
"It feels like you go a lot farther and faster." Chaney said.
Swimmers feel a slick, tingling sensation when their bodies glide
Strah, who recently bleached his hair blond, said he always did
"You don't want to shave too soon," Chaney said. "You don't want to get rid of too much of the feeling."
Tri-captain Chris McCool said it was a ritual for the freshman swimmers to shave their heads. However, they are not pressured to shave off their hair if they do not want to.
Last year, the Jayhawks lost the Big Eight title to Nebraska, a title the
"It's going to come off anyway," Strah said. "So why not?"
something weird to his hair before he shaved it off.
Kansas swimmer Marcie Herrold is the defending women's champion in the 200-yard and 400 individual medleys and the 1,650 freestyle.
Kansas swimmer Chuck Jones will try to defend his title in the 1,650 freestyle. He won the event last year at the championships.
Jayhawks had won for 10 consecutive seasons.
'Hawks head south unbeaten
Kansas begins annual trip through Texas with 5-0 record
By Jim Suhr
Sports writer
The Kansas baseball team, undefeated this season at 5-0 and off to its best start since 1981, will begin its annual spring trek across Texas today when the team faces Baylor in a doubleheader in Waco.
After playing the Bears, Kansas travels to San Antonio for its next five games, including a double-header tomorrow against Schreiner College and single games against North Dakota State and St. Mary's on Saturday.
Defensively, pitches John Heeney and Curt Befort each pitched complete games for Kansas in the William Jewell doubleheader, helping the Jayhawk pitching staff to a 3.75 earned run average in 36 innings this season. Kansas finished last in the Big Eight last year with a 8.81 ERA.
From San Antonio, the Jayhawks travel to Edinburg for the Pan American Citrus Tournament, where they will play single games against Arkansas State on Sunday, Oklahoma on Monday, Central Michigan and Pan American on Tuesday, Arkansas
Baseball
Pattin said the Jayhawks needed to get off to a good start this season to boost their confidence in time for the waltz across Texas.
"I couldn't be more pleased with our start," Pattin said. "We're getting good run production and
State on Wednesday, Baylor on Thursday and Arkansas State again on Thursday.
Kansas head baseball coach Marty Pattin said the team was anxious to begin the spring trip.
"Our kids are looking forward to going to Texas," Pattin said. "They know they're going to meet some tough teams and they're looking forward to the challenge."
The good run production is led by shortstop Gary Lang with a .533 batting average. Lang is followed by catcher Darrel Matthews with a .438 average and seven runs batted in and first baseman John Byrn with a .389 average, two home runs and 9 RBIs.
we're getting great pitching considering it's so early in the season."
Jayhawks to play in 2 tournaments
By Jim Suhr
Sports writer
The seventh-ranked Kansas softball team will put its 3-0 record on the line today in its first game of the annual Road Runner Invitational in Las Cruces, N. M.
It is one of two tournments the Jayhawks will compete in during spring break.
"It's got a little bit of everything," head coach Bob Stanciff said Tuesday, referring to the 18-team Road Runner tournament, which features several nationally ranked teams, including No. 2 Nebraska, No. 15 Arizona State, No. 16 Utah State and No. 17 Oklahoma.
Softball
"We can't use those games for anything except practice sessions," he said. "Scoring as many runs as we did allowed us to practice base running and other skills."
Stancliff said that although the Jayhawks scored 70 runs in their first three games this season, he was unable to make a fair assessment of where his team stood compared to other National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I schools, including those his team would face in the tournaments.
Kansas' 31-0 season-opening win Friday over Johnson County Community College marked the first game in Stanciff's 11 years at Kansas that the Jayhawks had played before spring break.
"We have an experienced team returning from last season." Stanclift said. "That would have helped us even if we would have been confined indoors."
Stancliff, who needs nine more wins to give him 300 in his nine-year head coaching career at Kansas, said this season's unusually warm Kansas winter had given his team four weeks of outdoor practice and three games to prepare for the tournament.
Two members of the team, Jill Williams and Reenie Powell, will not make the trip for Kansas, Williams, a starting outfielder, must recover from a stress fracture to one of her legs, and Powell, a starting pitcher, will rest because of tendinitis problems.
Powell's absence, Stanclift said, has left an otherwise deep Kansas team thin at the pitching position with two pitchers.
After the tournament, the Jayhawks will remain in Las Cruces for five games. Kansas will play Arizona State and Western Michigan on Sunday, a double-header against Central Michigan on Monday and New Mexico State on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Jayhawks will travel to Norman, OKla., to compete in the Oklahoma Invitational, a tournament that includes five more top-20 teams.
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