2B Friday, April 1, 1988/University Daily Kansan
THE FINAL FOUR
KU's road to Final Four filled with surprising twists
By Keith Stroker
Kansan sportswriter
Long before Danny Manning's senior season began, it was touted as the Year of the Jayhawk. A Final Four appearance in Kansas City, Mo., and a national championship were definite possibilities.
After a 71-58 victory over Kansas State in Sunday's Midwest Regional Championship basketball game, those projections for Kansas had become reality. What was not expected what the Jayhawks had to endure this season in order to make it there.
hike, began in the summer, when Kansas forward Chris Piper pulled a groin muscle that would hamper his play for the entire season. Surgery that would have ended the season for Piper was required to completely heal the injury. Piper, a fifth-year senior, did not have the option to redshirt, so he decided to play despite the pain.
despite the pain.
On Oct. 5, 6-foot-7 junior college
transfer Joe Young was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA. Young was recruited by Kansas coach Larry Brown to help improve the Jayhawks' rebounding.
Despite these things, Kansas fans remained optimistic.
Steve Randall, Kansas City, Mo,
sophomore, said he expected good
things to happen before the season
began.
began.
"We began like we did in 86, with a lot of people believing we could make it to the Final Four," he said. "But, as bad things continued to happen, it looked as if we weren't going to make it there. It was tough going for awhile."
awning:
Practice began Oct. 15 with the annual Late Night With Larry Brown. That day, Brown decided to redshirt 6-10 senior forward Sean Alvarado to allow him to concentrate on studies and improve on strength and conditioning.
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sramming his right knee in practice. He had slight cartilage damage repaired and missed the first four games of the season.
These things occurred before the season began, but what KU fans did not realize was that the worst was yet to come.
On Nov. 27, 27-8 sophomore forward Mark Randall decided to seek a medical redshift for surgery to realign his jaw and correct a breathing problem. Randall underwent surgery Jan. 4. He had been expected to help Manning with inside scoring and rebounding.
With 11:34 remaining in the first half, scenes from the 1986 Final Four
For the next month, Kansas played good basketball, including a 74-67 victory on Dec. 19 at North Carolina State. The Jayhawks had an 8-2 record on Dec. 30, when they played St John's in the championship game of the ECAC Holiday Festival Tournament in New York City's Madison Square Garden.
flashed before the eyes of Kansas fans when 6-7 forward Archie Marshall collapsed to the floor, grasping his left knee in pain. Marshall had to redshift the previous season because of an injury he suffered to his right knee against Duke in Dallas, and Kansas fans could only hope that this injury was not as serious.
Tears showed on Brown's face as Marshall was helped from the floor of the Garden, and soon after, Kansas fans had to accept the fact that Marshall was finished for the season.
The problems continued for Kansas when 6-10 starting center Marvin Branch was declared academically ineligible Jan. 13. What followed was a stretch of a season the likes of which Kansas fans had not seen in quite some time.
Before the Iowa State game on Jan. 13, Kansas had an 11-3 record. On Feb. 3, after a 73-65 loss to Oklahoma, the Jayhawks' record was 12-8. They had lost five of their last six games, including four in a row, and to top it
off, their 55-game home court winning streak was snapped by Kansas State.
Kansas played Colorado on Feb. 6 in Allen Field House. The Jayhawks found themselves trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, leaving fans wondering what could go wrong next.
Bob Bussell, Newtown, Conn. senior, is a broadcast major who works for KJHK FM 91, the KU student radio station. He was broadcasting the Colorado game and said he saw that the upper sections of the field house were not full like they normally were.
not really well.
"It looked as if the fans had become fair-weather fans," he said. "When things go bad for a team, fans just don't seem to care as much. It also makes it tougher to broadcast. It is really hard to remain enthusiastic when the team is playing poorly."
Kurt Allemeire, Moline, Ill., sophmore, agreed with Bussell and said he was not sure how the team would
perform in postseason play
"I really didn't expect us to do well in the NCAs because of all the problems this season," he said. "It was really disappointing when Archie and Marvin went down, and I wasn't sure how our season would end up."
Rob Wales, Rumford Center,
Maine, sophomore, said a key for
a team to be able to overcome its
problems was loyal fan support.
"My most vivid memory was when I saw some of the alumni leaving before the end of the K-State and Oklahoma games," he said. "The students stayed until the bitter end of those games, which is how true fans should be, whether the team is winning or losing."
Paul Seviy, Topeka senior, said that as the season progressed, things seemed to get worse for the Jayhawks.
"Things seemed great in the begin
See STRUGGLE, p. 7B, col. 1
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