Sports
Thursday, Feb. 20, 1986
University Daily Kansan
13
Dreiling lives up to early expectations
Kansas center Greg Dreiling has shown so much improvement over the last two years that he is now considered a first-round draft choice in the upcoming National Basketball Association draft.
By Matt Tidwell
Sports writer
It would have been easy for Greg Dreiling to throw his hands in the air and give up two years ago, in the middle of his first season at Kansas.
Everyone expected Dreiling, KU's 7-foot-1 center, to come in and, as he puts it, "set this place on the map."
It didn't happen. Instead, what everyone saw was a mediocre athlete who couldn't run or move well. He seemed as lost out on the court as he was in his new coach Larry Brown's system.
"I started struggling," Deiling said. "There were lots of times when I was missing some shots and the fans were a little impatient. It bothered me a little."
Fans start to complain. Occasionally, boos would filter their way down to the court within range of Dreiling.
It hurt.
Greg Dreiling, the player compared to Patrick Ewing in high school, was getting booed.
"He heard that," Brown said, "and I'm sure it bothered him. He's a sensitive kid. But it never stopped him from trying and working hard."
Dreiling would go home and explain to his new wife, Kelly, that people should just wait, it was coming.
"Everyone doubted him for a long time and that really bothered Greg," Kelly said. "But he was just really, really patient and it's paying off now."
The people close to Dreling often use words like patience and hard work to describe his improvement.
"My problems were mostly little things that would be corrected once I became a better athlete," Deleling said. "That was the problem. I had the potential to be a great athlete but I wasn't yet."
"I was slower and I needed to improve and get myself into better condition. I needed to strengthen the weak areas of my body. I wasn't a finished product."
Brown, who inherited Dreiling, a Wichita native, from outgoing coach Ted Owens, said the biggest struggle for Dreiling was to live up to the high expectations of Kansas fans.
"The second problem was that I came in," Brown said, "and the style of play that I'm accustomed to was foreign to him and maybe not fair to him. But I noticed from
"He would get frustrated in some of the early games here but he's matured a lot since then. He's really helped in that respect."
the very beginning his willingness to work and his desire to improve.
Last season, Dreiling improved his performance by nearly four points and two rebounds a game. At the end of the season, he was named the Jayhawks' most valuable player by his teammates.
Since his improvement, Kelly said. Greg's outlook has changed.
"He talks about basketball in a much more positive way," she said.
Brown said he would miss Dreiling and called him a player who had done a lot for the program. He added that much of the success Kansas is enjoying now can be traced directly to the dramatic improvement in Dreiling's game.
Fellow senior Jayhawk Calvin Thompson said, "You can't win without a good big man."
Drelling is respectful much more these days by the fans, his coaches and players.
"The thing he has to be concerned with is not being satisfied." Thompson said. "He has to keep getting better and he's doing that every day — he's jumping a lot higher and he's running better."
Along the way, he's also gained new respect from a group who once thought he had peaked in high school — the pro scouts.
"He'll be a good pro," Brown said. "He'll be a first-round pick too, I think. I know he will. He wants it and he's not afraid to work hard. Everybody who's seen him play marvels at his progress."
Pete Newell, 1960 Olympic goldmedal basketball球 and now a Golden State Warriors' NBA scout, said he's impressed. Newell will travel to Norman, Okl., to see Dreiling for the second time this year Feb. 24.
"I came to Lawrence his first year and met Greg personally and got a chance to see his development at that time," Newell said. "To see where he is now, I'm amazed at his improvement."
"His coaches have done an excellent job bringing him along. I think he'll go in the first round because he does a number of things the NBA wants to see in its centers. His fundamentals are
good, he's developed the outlet pass very well and he does a good job holding the ball in traffic. His hands are as good as any center
I've seen this year."
Dreiling doesn't understate his desire to play in the NBA.
"It's definitely important to me," Dreiling said. "I feel confident that my best years are ahead of me and I think it will be a time when I can concentrate only on basketball."
A pro career also would please Dreiling's biggest fans - Kelly and 2-year-old daughter Jill. While many players may not always realize their off-the-court responsibilities, Dreiling is reminded of them every day.
"They stabilize me," he said.
"I'm not just playing out there for myself, I'm also playing for Jill and Kelly. They give me incentive
on those days when things are going rough."
One of Dreiling's roughest days was his first national television appearance his first year at Kansas against Houston and Akeem Olahwon.
And on national television next month, Dreiling would like to let the whole nation in on his success story with an appearance by Kansas at the Final Four.
"My goal would be to have 37 wins at the end of the year, which would put us on top of everything," Deplring said.
"And I want to be a leader on the team that gets that far. I want to have people recognize my contribution in getting us there."
NU upsets Sooners; 'Hawks clinch tie
The Associated Press
Nebraska a 66-44 upset victory over 10th-ranked Oklahoma in college
LINCOLN, Neb. — Brian Carr scored 18 points, including a 10-foot "tummer with four seconds left, to give
The Sooners loss combined with Kansas' 79-74 win over Colorado clinched a tie for the Big Eight Conference championship for the Jayhawks. Kansas is three games ahead in the loss column over Oklahoma and Iowa State with three games remaining.
Oklahoma had a chance to tie the game after Carr's final basket but couldn't get a shot off before the final buzzer.
Nebraska led 43-33 early in the second half, but the Sooners rallied after Cornhusker Bernard Day picked up his fourth foul and left the
game with 16:47 left.
A basket by Harvey Marshall gave Nebraska a 64-61 lead with 2:29 left, but three straight points by Oklahoma's Darryl Kennedy tied the game with 28 seconds left.
Oklahoma took its first lead of the game, 53-52, on a three-point play by David Johnson with 7:18 left.
The Cornhuskers then held the ball until Carr drove into the lane and hit
Kennedy led Oklahoma with 22 points. Tim McAlister added 17 and Johnson 15 for the Sooners, who fell to 23-4 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
Day and Anthony Bailous each added 12 points for the Cornhuskers, who raised their record to 16-8 overall and 6-5 in the Big Eight.
Kansas St. 78, Oklahoma St. 73
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Norris Joe-
man scored 30 points and Joe-
man scored 30 points.
Wright added 23 a Kansas State pulled away from pesky Oklahoma State to win 78-73 last night in a Big Eight basketball game.
Oklahoma State, 13-11 and 4-7, was led by Roshon Patton's 18 points and Terry Faggins' 17. Alan Bannister added 14 points and Jones had 13. Virginia 69. North Carolina State
ben Mitchell scored 10 points for Kansas State, which moved to 16-10 overall and 4-7 in the Big Eight.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va — Senior center older Polleny score a career-high 27 points last night to lead Virginia to a 69-60 victory over 17th-ranked North Carolina State in Atlantic Coast playoff game.
The Cavaliers, 17-7 overall, 6-5 in the ACC, also got 12 points from Andrew Kennedy.
DURHAM, N.C. — Mark Alarie scored 18 points last night to lead No. 2 Duke to its 10th straight victory, 104-82 over Miami of Florida.
Duke, 26-2, also got 16 points apiece from Johnny Dawkins and David Henderson.
The Wolfpack, 17-9 overall, 6-6 in the conference, was paced by Chris Washburn with 18 points and Nate
Miami, 12-12 in its first intercollegiate basketball season since 1971, was led by freshman forward Dennis Burns' game-high 29 points, the highest total by a Hurricane player this season. Georgia Tech 59. Wake Forest 49.
rgia Tech 59. Wake Forest 49
McMilan with 12. Ernie Myers and Bennie Bolton added 10 points each. Duke 104, Miami 82
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Duane Ferrell scored 14 points and Mark Price hit 12, including the first eight of the second half, to lead No. 5 Georgia Tech to a 59-49 victory over Wake Forest in Atlantic Coast Conference basketball last night.
Jayhawks survive scare by Colorado
United Press International
BOULDER, Colo. — Forward Ron Kellogg converted four free throws and a dunk in the final 45 seconds to give third-ranked Kansas a 79-74 Big Eight victory over Colorado last night.
"That last 45 seconds took forever," Kansas head coach Larry Brown said. "I thought we had the game won and I look up and Torrin Williams throws in a 25-footer. They came back and fouled and have a chance to win the ballgame."
Williams' 25-foot cut the Kansas lead to 75-74 with under 30 seconds to play. But two free throws by Kansas forward Calvin Thompson and a dunk by Kellogg gave the Jayhawks their 25th win of the year.
Forward Danny Manning led the Jayhawks with 25 points, including 17 in the second half. Kellogg finished with 20 points. Kansas is now 25-3 overall and 10-1 in the conference.
Guard Michael Lee scored 22 points to pace the Buffaloes, 8-16 and 0-11. Center Randy Downs added 16 and forward Matt Bullard had 14.
"We were fortunate to win." Kansas head coach Larry Brown said after the game. "They were much better prepared than we were. They did not look like a team with an 0-10 conference record."
Kansas scored the first six points and led Colorado by as many as 12 early on. Bullard hit a jumper with 59 seconds to play to put Colorado up 72-71. Kellogg then went on a six-point scoring spree and Thompson contributed his two free throws to lift Kansas.
Men's Basketball
Kansas 79,Colorado 74
Williams 0.12, Bittard 0.22, Witk 0.14, Wile 0.24, Oe 0.14, Lue 0.24, Lye 0.25, Down 0.16, Koumani 0.04
Wait, the numbers in the image are:
Williams 0.12, Bittard 0.22, Witk 0.14, Wile 0.24, Oe 0.14, Lue 0.24, Lye 0.25, Down 0.16, Koumani 0.04
Manning 10 6-5 25, Kelogg 8-6 20, Drewling 3-4 10, Hunt 4-0 27, Thompson 4-4 11, Paper 0-9 29, Marshall 1-2 4, Turgor 0-0 0, Totals 29 21 25.7, Colorado (74)
1, 2-4 L, 2-2 B, 7-2 D, 8-2 L,
2 Penix 6,000 Totals 10,104 74 -
2 Penix 6,000 Totals 10,104 74 -
Bullard, Reid, Rebounda,
Bullard, 30 (Manning 12), Colorado
(Bullard, Damon) 8, Assists-Kansas 15 (Hunter,
Kellogg 5), Colorado 22 (Reid. 7)
Colorado lead coach Tom Apten. Attendance
6,974
Buffs use late rally to subdue 'Hawks
By a Kansan sports writer
Tracy Tripp scored a game-high 23 points and Crystal Ford added 13, leading Colorado to a 77-68 victory over Kansas last night at Boulder.
The loss, the second of the season to Colorado, dropped the Jayhawks to 15-9 overall and 6-5 in the Big Eight, two games behind Oklahoma, the conference leader. Colorado improved its record to 16-8 and 6-5.
Evette Ott, who led four Jayhawks in double figures with 20 points, picked up one assist and became the fourth women's player in Kansas history to hand out 100 assists in a season.
Vickie Adkins, Kelly Jennings and Lisa Dougherty added 18, 12 and 11 points respectively for Kansas.
Colorado jumped out in front early at 16-6 before Adkins hit two of her 16 first-half points to tie the score at 13 apiece. Colorado, which later rebuilt the lead to as many as 10 points, led
Women's Basketball
35-30 at halftime
Kansas rallied and chipped away at the lead in the second half before tying the score at 54 apiece with 8:56 left. The Jayhawks took their biggest lead of the game at 58-55. Both teams exchanged the lead before Colorado stormed back, taking its biggest lead of the game at 77-66 with 14 seconds remaining.
Saturday, Kansas will return to the field house to face Kansas State, 14-10 and 5-6.
Colorado 77, Kansas 68
F-40 5-13, Tripp 9-6-23, Banks 3-2-3, Hollower 2-0, Turner 4-0, Turner 4-1, Moore 0-4, Carson 7-0, DeWitte 0-0-0, Hulstrom 0-0-0, Lampson 0-1-2
Totals 29 18 29 77
Akisne 6-18, 8-14, Duchyman 3-5-8, 11-11, Jennings 2-5-12
8-12, 9-2-20, Webb 1-1, Marsh 1-2, Mouthrood
0-2, Shaw 0-0, Miller 0-0, Toluski 26-16, 22-
18, Cox 14-16, Hancock 18-16, Kellner 18-16,
Cordon 20, Faber out—nose
United Press International
Georgia to seek retrial
Bowers, in a one-paragraph statement, said the motion for a new trial would be filed by Monday with U.S. District Court Judge Horace Ward, who presided during the case.
ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers said yesterday that he will seek a new trial in the Kanemp case. Kemp, a former Georgia instructor, received a $2.5 million award in the first trial, in which she said she was fired for protesting favored treatment to athletes.
During the six-week trial that ended last week, Kemp successfully argued that her right to free speech was violated when she was fired by the university for protesting the favored academic treatment of athletes.
The jury of six, ruling against defendants Leroy Ervin and Virginia Trottier, awarded Kemp $80,00 in back pay, $200,00 for mental stress, $1.5 million in punitive damages from Trottier and $800,00 in damages
from Ervin. Trotter is vice president for academic affairs and Ervin is director of the university's remedial studies program.
The decision to appeal the Kemp verdict was reached at the request of the defendants, with approval of the Board of Regents and Gov. Joe Frank Harris, Bowers said.
Bowers made it clear the state was appealing the entire verdict — not just the monetary award but also the jury's decision that Kemp's constitutional right of free speech was violated by Ervin and Trotter.
"If the motion for a new trial is unsuccessful or if the case is not otherwise disposed of, the case will be appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals," he said.
Kemp maintained that her rights were violated by her demotion as English studies coordinator and her later dismissal because she spoke out against the favored treatment of athletes and the children of university contributors.
Wilfredo Lee/KANSAN
Jayhawk guard Evette Ott has become only the fourth woman Jayhawk to record 100 assists in a season. She got her 100th assist last night against Colorado.
Ott passes her way into record books
Guard is only fourth woman Jayhawk to get at least 100 assists in a season
By Dawn O'Malley
Last night, Kansas point guard Evette Ott accomplished what only three other KU women basketball players have done before — recorded 100 assists in a season.
Sports writer
Her name will be etched in the record books with Lynette Woodard, Cheryl Burnett and Mary Myers.
Ot picked up her 100th assisia against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Jayhawks' 77-68 loss last night at Boulder. It was Ott's only assist of the game.
In addition to collecting assists at a record-setting pace, Ott has been scoring more lately. Last night she led Kansas with 20 points, Saturday, Ott collected 18 points against Nebraska. In the past three games, she has scored 51 points. She is now averaging seven points and four assists a game.
"I was shooting for 100 in the season," Ott said. "I didn't realize I was so close. It is hard for a point guard to score, with assists a point guard can do more than others."
In the three years she has played
with Kansas, Ott has matured into a team leader.
"She has a big role to play to keep us mentally in the game," said Jackie Martin, Kansas forward. "She's a leader in directing us."
To aid her through the season and school, Ott has found strength through religion. Although she is not of a particular religious denomination, she believes that it is what is in her heart that matters.
"It will go to any church that is teaching and preaching from the Bible," Ott said, "but I don't want to get caught up in perverted teachings."
Ott said her faith has helped her through some rough times.
During her freshman season, Ott suffered a knee injury that required surgery. She now wears a brace to support her right knee in practice and in games. But Ott believes her injury was a part of God's plan.
"It helps me when we have lost, when I am tired or when something goes wrong." Ott said. "I can look to the Lord. There is nothing I cannot do if I stay calm and leave it up to him; let his will be done. I am not alone."
Family: Parents, Alexander and Izolla Ott.
Class and major: Junior in exercise physiology.
Age: 20
Evette Ott
Hometown: Flint, Mich.
Background: Earned All-City, All-State and All-League honors during her senior year of high school. Was named Saginaw Valley All-Conference co-MVP. Named an alternate National Sports Festival East Squad. Played in 26 games last season and shot 75 percent from the free-throw line.
The assist record is not the only goal that Ott has accomplished this year.
"My goal when I became an upperclassman was to treat the
"I knew I was going to be all right." Ott said.
freshmen differently, which is why we are so close," Ott said. "There is not a class superiority. We respect each other."
It is here at Kansas that Ott has found contentment.
"I am a born-again Christian," she said. "Somewhere I was searching for that joy and peace. I wanted it and I found it here. I want to do all I can for the Lord, for people to see Christ through me."