Sports
Kylian
Coming Monday
The Kansan will have extensive coverage of Saturday's men's basketball game against Iowa State.
The University Daily Kansan
10A
Friday, January 30, 2004
Woodard named interim coach
Kansas assistant coach says she's ready to take charge,but won't change game plan
Jonathan Kealing
jkealing@kansan.com
Kansas Sportwriter
For 31 years and 915 consecutive games, one coach has proviled the sidelines by the Kansas women's basketball team. On Saturday, the clock resets.
With long-time head coach Marian Washington taking a medical leave of
absence, Kansas athletics director Lew Perkins named Kansas graduate and assistant coach Lynette Woodard as interim head coach.
Woodard played four seasons at Kansas and between 1978 to 1981, was named Kodak All-American four times.
Woodard
American four times and an Academic
All-American two times. After leaving Kansas, Woodard played in various professional leagues around the globe, including the Women's National Basketball Association.
While playing at the collegiate level, Woodard set a variety of records and still holds eight.
She holds school records for points, field goals, field goal attempts, rebounds, free throws made, free throws attempted,
steals and games played. Woodard has scored more points, 3,649, and made more field goals, 1,572, than any player in college women's basketball history.
With yesterday's announcement, the player who has played the most games at Kansas will step in for the coach who has coached the most games at Kansas.
SEE WOODARD ON PAGE 7A
"This is not the way I wanted to
Years of teaching
Kansan File Photos
Marian Washington 31 years of Jayhawk basketball:
1973-1974 Washington registers a winning season in her first year at Kansas. Washington also founds the women's track and field team.
1976-1977 Lynette Woodard signs with Kansas. Woodard, the interim head coach, was regarded by many as the nation's No.1 prospect.
Women's basketball coach Marian Washington has instructed players during two eras. Washington took a medical leave for two to three weeks.
1978-1979 Washington leads the Kansas women to their first Big Eight title. Woodard was named a Kodak All-American for the second straight year.
1979-1980 Washington's Second consecutive Big Eight title. Woodard receives her third All-Americans and was named to the 1980 Olympic team.
1986-1987 Kansas wins its fourth Big Eight title, and takes the team to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
1991-1992 Kansas wins its fifth Big Eight title. She is also named coach of the year by the Black Coaches Association, the Big Eight Conference and the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
1993-1994 Kansas defeats No. 4 Colorado in front of 13,532 fans and catapults the team to a No. 6 ranking, the highest ranking the team has ever held.
1995-1996 Kansas wins its last Big Eight title, and goes to the NCAA tournament. Washington pilots the team to the Sweet Sixteen, as far as the team has ever gone. She is named Coach of the Year again, and selected to be an assistant coach of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team.
1996-1997 Washington wins her first Big 12 Conference championship.
1997-1998 Kansas goes to seventh of nine straight NCAA tournaments, and brings the team to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time.
1998-1999 Washington wins her 500th career game. Woodard returns to the team as an assistant coach.
2002-2003 Washington registers her 550th career victory. She is honored by the Black Coaches Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jan. 29, 2004 Washington announces that she is taking a leave of absence. Woodard is named interim coach.
Source: 2003-2004 Kansas Women's Basketball Media Guide.
KANSAS
Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name Height PPG
G 11 Aaron Miles 6-1 10.4
G 5 Keith Langford 6-4 17.0
F 15 J.R. Giddens 6-5 9.8
F 42 Jeff Graves 6-9 15.5
F 23 Wayne Simien 6-9 15.7
Top Reserves
G 25 Michael Lee 6-11 7.0
F 44 David Padgett 6-11 7.0
G 1 Jeff Hawkins 5-11 3.0
G 2 Omar Wilkes 6-4 2.5
IOWASTATE
Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name Height PPG
G 0 Jake Sullivan 6-1 14.1
G 1 Curtis Stinson 6-2 14.1
G 11 Will Blalock 5-11 9.3
F 4 Jackson Vroman 6-10 13.2
C 51 Jared Homan 6-9 12.7
G 50 Marcus Jefferson 6-5 6.3
F 22 Damion Staple 6-8 5.2
F 33 Mark Boll 6-4 2.5
G 3 John Neal 6-4 2.5
Top Reserves
Basketball analysis
Improvements key for Iowa State game
By Ryan Greene
greene@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Despite two key conference victories since last Thursday's 69-68 loss to Richmond, there are still some lingering effects of the loss the Jayhawks will attempt to erase this weekend before they compete with the Cyclones.
Two main factors that led to the upset loss at home were struggles at the free throw line and a failure to close out an opponent late in the game.
Finding answers to both problems will be key if the Jayhawks (13-3 overall, 5-0 Big 12 Conference) want to succeed in a hostile Big 12 environment tomorrow at Iowa State (12-4, 3-2).
In the second half of Wednesday's 78-70 victory at Kansas State, the Jayhawks ballooned an 11-point halftime lead up to 21 points. However, the Wildcats' ability to out-rebound the Jayhawks' 45-33 and get 25 second-chance points allowed them to cut the deficit into single digits.
"Every road win in the conference is big, and we've got three of them right now," freshman forward J.R. Giddens said. "We're playing pretty good, I just hope we can go out there and keep fighting."
digits
The Wildcats did not have any signifi
Sophomore forward Christian Moody was able to contribute with seven key minutes and freshman forward David Padgett's 23 minutes were the most he'd played since returning from his foot injury.
cant size advantage against the Jayhawks, but Kansas' big men once again found themselves in foul trouble. Starting forwards Wayne Simien and Jeff Graves were both in foul trouble for most of the second half, but men's basketball coach Bill Self now has some extra safety valves heading to Ames, Iowa.
The two combined for 10 points and seven rebounds. Foul trouble could once again be an issue for the Jayhawks, as the Cyclones have plenty of men who can drive to the basket and draw contact.
Wednesday also marked the fifth consecutive game that the Jayhawks have shot below 65-percent from the free-throw line. Junior guards Aaron Miles and Keith Langford made numerous trips to the free throw-line against Richmond. They each missed a pair at the line in the game's final three minutes, but came up big in the second half against the Wildcats. Langford went five-for-five from the line, and Miles was six-for-11.
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 7A
Junior Wayne Simien tried to get by K-State defense Wednesday night in Manhattan. Simien finished the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds. The Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 78-70. This was the Jayhawks 28th straight victory over K-State.
15
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPOFTS@KANSAN.COM
I
Y.