University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, February 23, 1988 Sports 11 Losing half the team makes volleyball recruiting crucial By Tom Stinson Kansan staff writer Losing half a team to graduation would be a nightmare for most coaches, but Kansas volleyball coach Frankie Albitz is easing the pain with this year's recruiting class. Seven of her 13 players graduate this spring, leaving a big hole for the third-year coach to fill. Albitz, though, already has signed two newcomers and received five verbal commitments. Kansas has signed Adrian Powell of Clayton, Mo., and Kris Kleinschmidt of Praire Village since the Feb. 10 signage date. Powell attended Clayton High School and has played three years of Junior Olympic volleyball, which Albizt said was important for gaining experience. Junior Olympic players compete year-round. Kleinschmidt attended Bishop Miege High School. She was a Kansas All-State selection in 1987, but Albizt said she was recruited mainly for her athletic ability. In high school Kleinschmidt played volleyball, softball, soccer and basketball. "Adrian is mentaly intense and determined to play well," Albizt said. She was also dying to come to Kaiser. Kris is simply a great athlete. Albitz said that three high school players from Kansas, Illinois and Washington had said they would attend Kansas, as well as a Kansas junior college player and possibly an Olympic handball player. The players receive a letter of intent through the mail due to the volleyball program's lack of finances. Kansas needs to receive the other five players' letters of intent by Wednesday, two weeks after the signing date. Albitz said. "We will be young next year," Albitz said. "Some of these newcomers are going to have to step in. They're all very competitive, and we could use all of them at some time in the year. They're going to have to make an impact." Kansas had eight scholarships available, but Albizt said that two instate scholarships were combined to make an additional out-of-state one. Of the returning six players, four are on scholarship and two are walkons. "I go after the student first," Albizt said. "You're better off with those types. I like kids who want to be here. It helps in the long run. Albitz said that when recruiting, her emphasis was on a student-oriented, conscientious player. This type of student fits her coaching philosophy better. "It'll take awhile for so many new newcomers to catch on, but our future looks optimistic. I think they'll do all they can for the volleyball program. I excited to see them mature and adjust." HAINES CITY, Fla. — If pitcher Floyd Bannister does well in the first half of the season, the Kansas City Royals will have reason to be optimistic. That's because Bannister, a left-hander, has a tendency to sail in the second半分. Bannister aims for hot first half The Associated Press Frank Funk, Royals pitching coach, also coached Bannier in his early years with the Seattle Mariners. He said Bannier had an early season tendency to try to overpower everybody. "Then as the season progresses, he gets tired. He doesn't have the great fastball, but he throws to spots better," Funk said. Last season with the Chicago White Sox, Bannister had a 4-8 record and an earned-run average of 4.58 going into the All-Star Game. After the All-Star break, he was 12-3 with a 2.62 ERA. In 1983, he was 3-9 at All-Star time. In the second half, he went 13-1. It was no coincidence that the White Sox won the American League West, 20 games ahead of the second-place Royals. At 32, Bannister has lost a few miles per hour off a fastball that blazed in the mid-90s after he emerged from Arizona State 12 years ago. Now he has maturity, know-how, a good curve and slider and a very effective change-up. "Last year, by our judgment and observation, he became a different and more effective pitcher," Royals General Manager John Schuerholz said. "I asked him about that, and he had he developed a very effective change-up, a (Charlie) Leibrandt-type of change-up . . . Bannister's change-up was honed to perfection last season and was a factor in the Royals' decision to trade four young pitchers for him. Bannister said he was "comfortable with the pitch, and I am able to do some things with it, make it move different ways. The whole thing is confidence . . ." Using the change-up, Bannister said, "Will take a lot less energy out of my arm, allow me to finish more ballgames and to make those big pitches and get that big out when I need it." Another factor in the trade for Bannister was that Schuerholz decided it was time to go for the bundle now. Schuerholz looked at veterans George Brett, Frank White and Wilie Wilson and noted that there was "abbreviated time to maximize their ability." In other words, they are getting old. When looking for a replacement for the traded Danny Jackson in the rotation, he opted for the veteran Bannister and sent the four young pitchers, including John Davis and Melido Perez, to the White Sox. Bannister has never won 20 games in a season. Twice he won 16, including last season. His career record is 117-128. But Royals veterans know all about Bannister. His career record against them is 15-7. "I told somebody the other day that we'd pick up two wins a year because we didn't to have face Floyd," said Royals manager John Wathan. "Last year we lost to the Twins by two games, so maybe that will make the difference." Jayhawks scrambling for NCAA tourney bid The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Saturday's loss to Duke may turn out to be one of the most damaging setbacks Kansas will experience during the long, brilliant career of Danny Manning. Only time will tell. The problem is that Kansas is "on the bubble." The Jayhawks are among the tangle of teams massed on the lower end of Division I respectability — the 15 or so thirsting for the last three or four NCAA Tournament berths. The Jayhawks stand 17-9 after the 74-70 loss to the Blue Devils, who won despite Manning's game-high 31 points and 12 rebounds. Kansas pulls into the back stretch of the Big Eight Conference race with trips to No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 15 Missouri, a span that Kansas coach Larry Brown has dubbed "the Death March." But his team's sputtering style may not deny Manning player-of-the-year honors. The 6-10 senior, an All-American as a junior, is about to become the Big Eight's all-time high scorer. But when the NCAA selection committee begins its meetings March 11 in Kansas City, Mo., the Jayhawks are not likely to get any special privileges just because they have Danny Manning. "Could a team's having the player of the year be a factor in getting an at-large invitation? I don't think it's ever happened," said Tom Jernstedt, NCAA assistant executive director. "I don't think additional consideration could be given to any team due to any individual player. We consider team records for selections, not individual records." The NCAA committee breaks down records into "good" and "bad" victories and losses. Kansas' Dec. 7 victory at home over Appalachian State is likely to be judged a bad one. And the Jayhawks probably will get no credit for a Jan. 16 home defeat of Hampton, a Division II school. The Jayhawks are badly in need of a good victory and are not out of the tournament picture. An upset at Oklahoma would be at least as impressive as beating Duke at home. This win will help win the Big Eight's post-season tournament for the conference's automatic NCAA bid. If Manning does win player-of-the-year without getting to the NCAA Tourney, he would be the first to do so since Louisiana State's Pete Maravich in 1970. One Big Eight team with no worries about getting an NCAA bid is Oklahoma. The fourth-ranked Sooners, 9-1 in the conference, raised their overall record to 24-2 Saturday with a 120-100 pounding of New Mexico. No. 50 played Oklahoma State in Columbus Sunday, and beat the Cowboys 92-70. Nebraska treated its home crowd Sunday to a 75-67 victory over Colorado. Kansas State had the weekend off and plays host to Northern Illinois tenth. Beating New Mexico gave the Sooners their 10th straight victory and eleventh time in 12 home games that they have exceeded 100 points. Center Stacey King, one of the Big Eight's brightest stories this year, scored 31 points, had eight reboundes and three blocked shots. Ironically, King almost signed with New Mexico before opting for Oklahoma. "It was a tough game to prepare for and I'm sure New Mexico had the same problem since we were both out of conference," said Oklahoma Coach Billy Tubs. "It was kind of an unusual feeling." Derrick Chievous scored 21 points to lead Missouri past Oklahoma State. Cowbies head coach Leonard Hamilton got a double technical foul in the first half and was ejected early in the second half after official Jim Bain assessed a technical on a Cowboy assistant. Derrick Vick scored 19 points to lead three Nebraska players in double figures as the Huskers took control and never trailed after the 12-minute mark. Colorado's Scott Wilkie led all scorers with 24 points. MEN'S BIG EIGHT STAND-
ConferenceOverall
WLPct.WLPct.
Oklahoma91.900241.923
K-State71.700152.682
Missouri64.600176.739
Kansas64.600176.754
Nebraska46.4001313.500
Iowa St.37.300171.654
Okla. St.37.3001212.500
Colorado82.800617.261
More time in classroom means less time on court for top scorer By Keith Stroker Lisa Dougherty Kansan sports writer Dougherty is working to get a BA degree in human biology in May. She has taken classes three of four summers while at the University because her basketball commitments are time-consuming. Playing time has dwindled for Lisa Dougherty. The Kansas 5-foot-7 senior forward from Leavenworth had no choice but to favor classes over basketball practice. "I am working on getting accepted to the KU physical therapy school in Kansas City in the fall," Dougherty said. "The classes I'm taking were not offered at any other time. I have some regrets because it has affected my game somewhat. It was a choice I had to make, but not one I enjoyed making." Dougherty, a starter for most of the season, has led the Jayhawks in scoring. She scored her 1,000th point on January 7. Tigers on Jan. 13 in Lawrence With 1,077 points and 213 assists in her career, Dougherty is only the second player in Kansas history to score 1,000 points and make 200 assists in a career. Lynette Woodward was the first, with 3,649 points and 502 assists. Kansas coach Marian Washington said that despite the problem this situation presented, academics came first. "Lisa is a very person to me and one I want to help out however I can," Washington said. "She has been working overtime on her shooting skills and doing a fine job, despite the situation." Washington said that an overlap of classes with basketball practice was something she wanted her players to avoid in the future. Washington said that she regretted having to cut back on Dougherty's playing time but that she had no other choice. If accepted to physical therapy school, Dougherty needs just two weeks of rest. She said the master's degree was new to the program this year. Billionaire Trump reneges on Patriots sale Former USFL team owner is warv of team's $104 million debt, source says The Associated Press "Despite the love Donald Trump has for New England and his fondness for the Sullivan family, Mr. Trump has decided not to pursue the purchase of the New England Patriots at this time," a spokesman for Trump said Sunday night. NEW YORK — Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump apparently was afraid of taking a huge financial losses and has abruptly backed out of the bidding for the New England Patriots. The spokesman, who asked that his name not be revealed, said Trump did not wish to discuss immediately the reasons for his decision not to buy the NFL team. Trump was scheduled to be in Atlantic City, N.J., yesterday. But the Boston Globe yesterday quoted an unidentified source close to Trump as saying that the real estate deal would be the deal would be prudent financially. "Donald had his numbers people look at the Patriots deal over the weekend and they told him this was one of the worst financial messes Trump's accountants told him that between the team and Sullivan Stadium, the team's home in Foxboro, Mass., there was $104 million in debt and that the team could lose as much as $10 million this season, the source said. According to the Globe, Trump told friends that if the Patriots went into bankruptcy or could be purchased at a more reasonable price in the future, he would be interested. they have ever seen," the source said. "He really would like to have a team in the NFL, but this situation has been difficult, so he just didn't want to deal with it." The announcement that Trump was backing out came as a surprise to Patriots general manager Patrick McCain, who said he was by telephone at his home in Newton. Trump entered the tangled negotiations for the Patriots Feb. 17 when he met with representatives of the team's ownership, the family of William H. Sullivan, and a Philadelphia group headed by Fran Murray that has gone to court in an attempt to take control of the team. Mass. "It's the first I've heard of it," Sullivan said, adding that there had been no plans to meet with Trump yesterday and that there were no alternative plans in the event of a breakdown in negotiations. The broken deal also brought into question a lawsuit by the Philadelphia group and apparently cleared the way for the sale of Sullivan Stadium, which has been scheduled for auction Tuesday in the absence of a prior sale agreement. Trump, 41, was the owner of the New Jersey Generals in the defunct USFL and the spearhead of a $1.69 billion antitrust against the NFL. The USFL eventually was awarded $3 in damages, and it disbanded, although the case is under appeal. Any agreement would have been subject to the approval of NFL owners, some of whom were hostile toward Trump. But several, including Art Modell of Cleveland, public said they would not block a deal. The sale price for the Patriots reportedly is $78 million. Robert Popeo, lawyer for the Murray-John Charlton group suing to buy the Patriots, and Joel Kozol, lawyer for the Sullivans, met in court earlier this month in a dispute over the purchase rights to the club. That suit was put on hold when Trump entered the negotions. The Murray-Charlton group began lending the Sullivans what turned out to be $21 million over a 13-month period, dating back to December 1986, in return for an exclusive option to purchase the Patriots for $63 million. Murray tried to complete the deal last December, but the Sulivans allegedly refused to forward his application for ownership to the NFL for final approval. Popeo earlier received a restraining order that prevented the Sullivan family from selling the team to anyone else or filing for bankruptcy until the court heard a claim by Murray's group that it was the rightful owner. Kozol had moved to lift the restraining order and block the takeover. Popeo last week argued that because the Sullivans had defaulted on a payment of $1.2 million to Murray, his client had a claim to Sullivan's full ownership of Patriots stock. But after the meeting last week, a Superior Court judge put off further hearings on the suit at the request of both sides. Negotiations were to continue, with a status conference scheduled for tomorrow. However, Tauro said at the time he might reconsider if Kozol could provide documentation that an agreement had been reached with Trump to buy the team and the stadium by 11 a.m. today — the scheduled time of the auction. Friday, U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro in Boston refused to block today's scheduled auction of Sullivan Stadium. The Connecticut Bank and Trust Co., a $2 million stadium creditor, has called for sale of the structure to the highest bidder. Kidde Inc., a diversified firm in Saddle Rock, N.J., sought a temporary injunction from Tauro to block the sale of the stadium. Top four in AP poll stay same The Associated Press Led by Temple, the top four teams in the Associated Press college basketball poll remained the same yesterday, and Georgia Tech was ranked for the first time since the preseason ratings. Temple improved its record Sunday to 22-1, when it defeated then-No. 5 North Carolina 83-66 at North Carolina. The Owls received 44 firstplace votes and 1,231 points from the nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to remain the No. 1 team for the third consecutive week Purdue, 22-2, held second with 10 first-place votes and 1,155 points after Big Ten Conference victories over then-No. 13 Iowa and Indiana. Arizona, 25-2, remained third, with three first-place votes and 1,114 points, four more than No. 4 Oklahoma, which got five first-place votes after improving its record to 24-2. Duke, which received the final first-place vote, improved one place to fifth with 1,001 points. The Blue Devils, 20-3, defeated Virginia and Kansas last week, the second game going into overtime. Michigan, Nevada-Las Vegas, bounded out the Tom Torn for the week. Pittsburgh, 19-3, jumped two places to sixth, receiving 930 points after the East Conference victories and then-No. 18 Georgetown. The Wolverines, 21-4, were 10th last week, but jumped to seventh with 831 points. Nevada-Las Vegas, 23-3, also improved three places as it received 754 points, six more than North Carolina, 20-4, which defeated Maryland and Wake Forest before suffering the non-conference loss to Temple. Syracuse, 20-6, rounded out the Top Ten with 671 points, just two more than Brigham Young, which led the Second Ten after being seventh last week. The Cougars, 21-2, were involved in two two-point games last week, an overtime loss to San Diego State and a victory at Hawaii. Following Brigham Young in the Second Ten were Kentucky, Iowa, Bradley, Missouri, Wyoming, Vanderbilt, North Carolina State, Loyola, Calif., and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech, 19-6, was 18th in the preseason rankings, but dropped out in the first regular-season poll and didn't return until this week as No. 20. The Yellowjackets, who beat Maryland and North Carolina State ast week, join fellow Atlantic Coast Conference members Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State in the poll. The Big Ten is next with three ranked teams. The Top Twenty By the Associated Press 1. Temple 22-1 2. Purdue 22-2 3. Arizona 25-2 4. Oklahoma 24-2 5. Duke 20-3 6. Pittsburgh 19-3 7. Michigan 21-4 8. Nev. Las Vegas 23-3 9. North Carolina 20-4 10. Syracuse 20-6 11. Brigham Young 21-2 12. Kentucky 18-5 13. Iowa 18-7 14. Bradley 19-4 15. Missouri 17-6 16. Wyoming 20-5 17. Vanderbilt 17-6 18. N. Carolina St. 18-6 19. Loyola 22-3 20. Georgia Tech 19-6