6B
SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14,2007
Sweet victory
Andres Leighton/ASSOCIATED PRESS
West Indies' Chris Gayle, above, jumps on top of his teammates Corey Collymore and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, partially seen, as Marion Samuels, left, and Dwayne Smith join the celebrations after defeating Pakistan by 54 runs in the Cricket World Cup group D in Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday.
NHL
Penguins stay in Pittsburgh
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH — Stars Sidney Crosby, Egent Malink and Jordan Staal give the Penguins a bright future. Now, the youngsters will develop in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins and government officials ended months of difficult negotiations, agreeing to a $290 million arena deal that ensures the team will stay in Pittsburgh.
Keys to the agreement included the government waiving up-front money from the team, the Penguins receiving about $10 million compensation for delays, and the sides agreeing to share responsibility for cost overruns.
"Well, this is a great day for hockey," co-owner Mario Lemieux said Tuesday. "I'm glad that I'm
here today announcing a deal with the city, the county and the state, to stay here for 30 years. That was my goal and I'm glad we finally achieved it.
"We would like to enjoy what's coming with this young team," Lemieux said, adding that the extra arena revenue will help the team spend more in an effort to retain Crosby, the league's leading scorer, rookies Malkin and Staal, and other core players.
The Penguins will continue to play at 46-year-old Mellon Arena and hope to begin play in the new arena sometime during the 2009-10 season. President Ken Sawyer said it's possible the arena will not be ready for the start of that season.
Gow. Ed Rendell said the negotiations were more complicated than
those to finance four new baseball and football stadiums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in recent years because other cities were bidding for the team to move.
"With the other four stadium deals (Pirates, Steelers, Phillies, Eagles) none of those teams had an open competitor that was trying to take the team," Rendell said. "Here we had Kansas City making a very good, some might say terrific, offer and we had to respond."
As a result, the Penguins will not pay $8.5 million up front for the arena, as government officials first proposed, Rendell said. Instead, the team will receive $10 million to compensate for delays, property purchased near the arena, and to help with marketing.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON REVIEW
Senior guard Shaquina Mosley spark a lake each season run. The Jayhawks finished 4-12 in the Big 12 conference after starting the conference season 0-9.
Yet another uphill battle
Jayhawks look for answers in freshman class.
BY ASHER FUSCO
the departure of 2006 Allied ten-
nancees Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallam left Kansas with unanswered
questions heading into this season.
As Kansas (11-20, 4-12) played its first few non-conference games, the focus was squarely on the incoming freshman, one of the program's recruiting classes. Guard Kelly Kohn and forward Sade Morris were the freshmen who made the most immediate impact.
Kohn began the season in the starting lineup and asserted herself as a force on the offensive end. Kohn showed the versatility to create opportunities for her teammates as a point guard or to score as the teams shooting guard. Kohn averaged 10 points per game in nonconference play, tallying a career-high 23 against Northern Illinois.
Morris also started the season in the starting lineup and jumped out to a quick start in the scoring column. Morris scored 14 points at Creighton and notched a career-high 15 against Northern Illinois.
As many freshmen do. Kohn and Morris seemed to hit a wall once conference play began. During a four-game stretch in January and February, Kohn averaged six points per game on 7-for-32 shooting. This same period of time saw Morris relegated to the bench because of tentative and erratic offensive play. She averaged four points per game and only played six minutes per game.
The struggles of Kohn and Morris coincided with the low point of the team as a whole. After losing at Texas A&M on Feb 3, Kansas was 0-9 in conference play and hidden in the cellar of the Big 12 Conference standings. Although many of the team's losses occurred in close, hard-fought games, the possibility of not winning a single game during the conference season was brought up in almost any conversation about the Jayhawks.
Luckily for Kansas, Henrickson found some secret weapons hidden at the end of the bench. The unlikely contributors were senior guards Shaquna Mosley and Sharita Smith.
"At the beginning of the season, we were struggling," freshman forward Danielle McCray said. "We knew it was going to be our time sometimes."
Mosley, the former junior College Player of the Year, transferred to
Kansas before her junior season. Through the first season and a half of her tenure as a Jayhawk. Mosley was never able to turn his exceptional talent into consistently strong performances. This winter, something changed.
The 5-foot-6 guard suddenly transformed into a vocal leader and played
well enough to earn All- Big 12 Second Team honors. In Big 12 regular season games, Moisey averaged 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
"A lot of people asked me if I regretted coming here last
"I think we're headed in the right direction.I think we were able to build some momentum down the stretch."
of parts working in unison, Kansas became a finely tuned defensive machine. The Jayhawks won five of their final nine games and managed to escape the bottom of the standings and upset a NCAA tournament-bound Oklahoma State team in the first round of the conference tournament.
BONNIE HENRICKSON Women's basketball coach
Smith, the team's long holdover from coach Marian Washington's era, began the season as a seldom-used reserve used to bolster the Jayhawk defense. By mid-January, she had forced her way into the starting line-up where she showcased her airtight defense and leadership skills.
When Mosley and Smith sparked the team, it seemed to energize Kohn and the other freshmen. With all
Smith's contributions rarely showed up on the stat sheet, but she shut down nearly every opponent she guarded and gained notoriety around the conference as a relentless competitor.
season," Mosley said. "I don't regret it one bit. It's only going to make me a better person."
"I think were headed in the right direction." Henrickson said. "I think we were able to build some momentum down the stretch."
With the departure of Mosley and Smith, many questions surround the Jayhawks
Will freshman forward Danielle McCray fulfill her All Big 12 potential? Will Henrickson be able to recruit a capable post player? Will Kohn fine-tune his jump shot enough to one day become the Big 12 scoring leader?
More than likely there will be a whole new set of questions with every passing month. If the past is any indication, the answers could be found in some unexpected places.
Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch
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