Sports
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, March 4. 1987
14
13
Race for Big 8 title is wide open
By ROB KNAPP
Staff writer
With a week to prepare for the Big Eight Tournament, Kansas coach Larry Brown and the other Big Eight coaches have had time to rest and make a few predictions.
No one seems ready to pick a winner, though. This year's field appears to be one of the most balanced in the tournament's 11-year history as a postseason event. The tournament begins Friday in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., with four first-round games.
"Missouri is playing well," he said.
"Winning the league was a tremendous accomplishment.
"I don't think you can count on any team having an easy time." Brown said.
"Oklahoma is still dangerous. Anybody can win it."
Coaches in the league Monday
could only say that the tournament
could not forc e them.
"There are really a lot of good teams in our league." Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs said. "It appears to me to be wide-open."
Kansas limped home to a 9-5 conference record and a second place tie
with Oklahoma in the final Big Eight standings. The Jayhawks lost four of their last six conference games, including losses in the final week of the season at Colorado and Nebraska.
The Jayhawks have been slowed by injuries to starting point guard Cedric Hunter and freshman Keith Harris, and Brown said he hoped the season and the tournament would afford Kansas some healing time.
Kansas will defend its Big Eight
tournament title in surroundings both familiar and favorable. The Jayhawks have won eight games in a row at Kemper, including a 74-60 beating of North Carolina State in only appearance there this season.
"It not going to hurt us." Brown
"I think coaches take too much
stock."
"It's not a situation I'm disapp-
pared in. I'm glad we are playing there."
Speculation among the coaches
extended to how many Big Eight teams would make the field of 64 invited to the NCAA tournament. The teams correspond, sent five teams, its most correspond.
"The conference has proven that it's better than it was last year, and we got five in last year." Brown said. He said he thought Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma had already locked down spots.
Nicole Sauzek, associate sports editor, contributed information to this story.
Big Eight champs waiting for NCAAs
By DAVID BOYCE
Staff writer
After winning the Big Eight Tournament on Monday night, the Kansas women's basketball team spent yesterday relaxing and watching films of the game and post-game interviews in Allen Field House.
Women's Basketball
Laughter could be heard when Coach Marian Washington made a remark about supposed injuries Kansas State players suffered in the game.
After Kansas' 85-51 victory, K-State forward Carlina Thomas and point guard Susan Green were on crutches. Thomas suffered a sprained ankle and Green a bruised shin.
!!" bet they will be healed if they get
the Tournament bid, "Washington
gang."
Washington said she thought it was unfortunate that K-State coach Matilda Mossman made comments about the Jayhawks' physical play.
The victory gives Kansas its first ever bid to the 40-team NCAA Tournament, which starts March 11. The victory tournament will be announced Sunday.
"Thomas and (Sue) Leiding are very physical players," she said. And when I think of the game K-State played against Oklahoma, and TCU was on the floor fighting, I am amused with Matilda's comments."
Kansas could play two games in Allen Field House, because the first and second-round tournament games were played of the participating teams' campuses.
The regions will be played in Fayetteville, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Montrose, La.; and Los Angeles. The seasons will be played in Austin, Texas.
KU coaches and players will be back in front of the television waiting to hear about the seedings.
"I am anxious to see who we are matched against," Washington said.
"Usually the Big Eight team has been matched against one of the top teams in the country, which has not yet won." The team to gain the respect it should get.
Last year, Missouri, the Big Eight Tournament winner, had to face Texas in the second round and was knocked out on to win the national championship.
"If we play Texas with the kind of defense we did against K-State, we will stay in the game, at least for awhile." Washington said.
Washington said she was hoping to round by in this year's tournaments.
"When you win the Big Eight Tournament, you expect to get a bye," she said.
The first-round games pit the last needed teams against each other.
Although this is Kansas' first NCAA Tournament appearance, the Jayhawks have participated in three other postseason tournaments and have won the Big Eight Tournament three previous times.
From 1979-81, Kansas went to AIAW Tournament three straight years behind the play of Lynette Woodard.
Washington said the AIAW, which is the governing body of women's collegiate sports, was just as important a tournament as the NCAA was now.
Although the first-round games are only eight days away, Washington's thoughts were more on the way the team had turned around since being 11-12 after a Feb. 7 loss to Oklahoma State.
"The players gained confidence in themselves and with other players on the team," she said. "They were no afraid of fire of attack. They were ready to put everything on the line and be able to leave the court and feel good."
Washington said the team made its turnaround with an overtime victory on the road against Missouri Feb. 11. Kansas is 7-0 since that game.
Darrel Matthews, San Leandro, Calif., senior, drives the ball to left field during batting practice. The Kansas baseball team worked out yesterday at Quigley Field.
Manning named Big 8's top player
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Danny Munn,
ready to become the top scorer in
the history of Kansas basketball,
has been named for the second con-
secutive season The Associated Press
Big Eight player of the year.
The 6-foot-11 junior was the choice of all but two voters on a panel of media observers who regularly cover the conference. By an even bigger selection, Oklahoma's Harvey Grant as Big Eight newcomer of the year.
Drawing one vote for player of the year were Jeff Grayer of Iowa State and Derrick Chievous of regular season champion Missouri.
While adapting to the loss of three seniors from last year's Final Four quad, Manning averaged 23.1 points and 9.5 rebounds in leading the Jayhawks to a runner-up tie in the conference with Oklahoma.
Brian Carr of Nebraska said, "If you need a bucket or a big play, you can use a bucket."
"Manning does so much for his team, contributing in every aspect of the game," Matt Bullard of Colorado said. "And if you need points in a hurry, he's the kind of player you'd want to look for."
Manning is No. 1 not only with writers and coaches, but other players as well. In a push of Big Eight wrestlers, he was everybody's first choice.
"It's been an adjustment for him," Brown said. "When you consider we lost Archie Marshall to an injury, we lost, in effect, four starters off last year's team. So it put a lot of responsibility on Danny, and he's handled it really well."
"They're great players, and that's why I'm so thrilled for Danny." Kansas coach Larry Brown said. "Grayer had a tremendous year. Derrick Chievous has had a phenominal year. But those kids should not feel slighted, because there just aren't many players in the country who would be player of the year if Danny was in their conference."
"He has the ability to make the people around him better players." Oklahoma State coach Leonard Hamilton said, "by the way he runs the floor, the way he passes and handles the ball, and the shots he makes. Overall, he can do more for his team than any other player."
Often described as a 6-2 guard in a 6-11 body, he was his team's biggest scorer in all but five games, handed out 58 assists and blocked 35 shots. No third-year player in the country has matched his 788 career rebounds, and he is one of only four juniors with more than 1,700 points.
Manning goes into the Big Eight's postseason tournament this week with 1,443 career points. Catching Clyde Lovellette's school record of 52 could be only a matter of two more games, but he has aaviered almost 29 points.
"He has tremendous basketball skills," Iowa State coach Johnny Orr said. "There are so many things he does so well."
He was selected newcomer of the year on all but one ballot. Missouri's Nathan Buntin drew the other vote.
The 6-9 Grant did even better than Manning's average of 9.5 rebounds. He finished the regular season with 10 a game to lead the conference in his first season since transferring from junior college by way of Clemson University. Grant averaged also almost 17 points.
See MANNING, p. 14, col. 4
Danny Manning
The Associated Press All-Big Eight Team
Here are the first team, second team and honorable mention selections on the 1986-87 Associated Press all-Big Eight basketball team as chosen by a panel of media observers who regularly cover the conference;
First Team
*Danny Manning, Jr. 6-11, 220 Kansas
*Derrick Chievous, Jr. 6-19, 170 Missouri
Jeff Grayer, Jr. 6-15, 195 Iowa State
Norris Coleman, Jr. 6-8, 210 Kansas
Tim McCallister, Sr. - 6/3, 185 Oklahoma * timanious choice
Cedric Hunter, Sr., 8-10, 180 Kansas
Mitch Richmond, Jr., 6-5, 225 Kansas
Harvey Grant, Jr., 6-9, 200 Oklahoma
Darryl Schaffer, Sr., 6-5, 215 Oklahoma
Tom Schaffer, Sr., 6-7, 210 Iowa State
Honorable Mention
Matt Bullard, Colorado; Brian Carr
Nebraska; Scott Wilke, Colorado; Ray
Alford, Oklahoma State; Lynn Hardy,
Missouri; Nathan Bainin, Missouri.
UPI All-Big Eight Team
Danny Manning, Jr. 6-11, 220 Kansas
Derrick Chievove, Jr. 6-7, 190 Missouri
Tim McCallister, Sr. 6-3, 185 Oklahoma
Jeff Grayer, Jr. 6-5, 195 Iowa State
Norris Coleman, Jr. 6-8, 210 Kansas
The all-conference team was selected through a poll of sportwriters and sportscasters throughout the six-state Big Eight area. [1]
Second Team
Cedric Hunter, Sr., 6-10, 180 Kansas
Harvey Grant, Jr., 6-9, 200 Oklahoma
Darryn Kelly, Sr., 6-5, 215 Oklahoma
Mitch Richmond, Jr., 6-5, 225 Kansas
Brian Carr, Sr., 6-0, 165 Nebraska
Honorable Mention
Ray Aelford, Oklahoma State; Matt Bullard, Colorado; Nathan Bunting, Missouri; Jay Davis, Oklahoma State; Lynn Hardy, Missouri; Tom Schafer, Iowa State; William Scott, Kansas State; Scott Wilke, Colorado.
No. 8 Owls advance in Atlantic 10
PHILADELPHIA - Nate Blackwell scored 25 points last night leading No. 8 Tempel to an 84-68 victory over St. Joseph's in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.
United Press International
Temple, the regular-season champion, will host West Virginia, the winner of last night's semifinal against Rhode Island, 89-58. The winner of tomorrow night's championship game advances to the NCAA Tournament.
Top Twenty
Texas governor says he knew about payments to SMU players
Blackwell, the Owls' floor leader all season, scored 11 straight points in the second half as Temple built a 59-4 lead to a 68-50 advantage with 7-17 to play, capping a 19-5 Temple run.
Lone Star sanctions
Tim Perry scored a career high 24 points and Mike Vreeswyk added 15 for Temple, 30-3. St Joseph's, 16-13, received 19 points from James Flint, 14 from Greg Mullue and 12 from Rodney Blake. St. Joseph's cut Temple's lead to 49-45 on a free throw by Flint with 13:48 left.
United Press International
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Bill Clements said yesterday that the Southern Methodist University Board of Governors was aware of payments being made to football players while in college and the CAA probation in 1985 and decided to honor the commitments until they could be phased out.
Clements, an SMU alumnus who resigned as chairman of the board when he was re-elected last November, said the board was aware of the illicit payments that brought on last week's
Near the end of a regularly scheduled news conference at the Capitol, Clements was asked, "In August 1985, were you aware of written contracts that SMU gave football players, saying they would continue making payments to them, and did you decide to honor them?"
NCAA suspension of the Mustangs' 1987 football season, but it stopped short of immediately moving to halt the payments.
"These matters were all considered by the Board of Governors and the administration at SMU," the governor responded. "There was a decision made that we phase out and eliminate
in due course all of the arrangements that had been made in the recruitment of certain athletes at SNU that we would return to a university based on faculty and that we gave pledge to the NCAA.
"We also had a commitment from the athletic director and Coach (Bobby) Collins that they would abide by that decision, that we would return to an absolute clean program at SMU. So, yes, we did."
Because of continued cash payments to SMU football players, the NCAA last week canceled the 1987 SMU season and imposed severe restrictions that will limit the school's ability to play in the next decade. The NCAA cited continued illegal payments to players through 1986.
Clements said he was unaware of any written contracts governing the illegal payments to players and emphasized he never was involved
in recruiting
"I'm not sure there is any such thing as a written contract. I never saw such a contract. I have never paid a player 5 cents and never made a profit in the politics. I've never done that," the governor said.
Texas Tech is latest football program hit by NCAA probation
United Press International
LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas Tech football program yesterday was placed on probation for one year and stripped of three scholarships for violations that included giving at least one recruit money and ostrich-skin boots.
The Red Raiders' scholarships were cut from 25 to 22 for the 1988-89 academic year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Committee on Infractions said in a statement that they were the probation. There were no sanctions involving television appearances or postseason play.
The NCAA cited 15 infractions including charges that an assistant football coach provided a recruit's mother with "at least $200 in cash and groceries" and gave a recruit ostrich-skin boots, a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., and a Texas Tech sweatsuit.
At an afternoon news conference, Texas Tech officials said they would not appeal the summons.
"We apologize for the infractions," said Lauro Cavazos, Texas Tech president. "Today is a very black day in athletics at Texas Tech, and we will make sure that I will never happen again."
The infractions, which included a series of "violations of the NCAA ethical conduct legislation," occurred while Jerry Moore was the head football coach at Texas Tech. Moore was
"The committee has imposed a one-year probationary period in order to encourage the institution to examine and establish adequate procedures for the monitoring of recruiting practices. (NCA statement.) In addition, the reduction of grants-in-aid part, is in recognition of the recruiting advantage gained by virtue of the violations found by the committee."
fired after the 1985 season.
Tech is the third SWC school under NCAA sanctions. There have also been allegations of
The Texas Tech ruling comes in the wake of recruiting problems at other Southwest Conference schools, including the suspension of football for one year at Southern Methodist.
improperities in the football programs of three
of the other six SWC schools.
Texas Christian is on probation for providing cash payments to players from an illegal slush fund set up by boosters.
The University of Houston also is under NCAA investigation, and it was revealed Monday that former University of Houston head coach Bill Yeoman told investigators that he routinely gave football players and their parents small amounts of money.
Media reports also have alleged illegal payments and inducements were made to players at Texas A&M and the University of Texas.