Section:
B
Trivia question
The University Daily Kansan
How many NCAA Tournament titles has Jerry "the Shark" Tarkanian won? See page 2B.
Sports
Inside: Inside: Speculation abounds that Bobby Knight will be the next coach of Texas Tech.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Despite success, Indiana coach Mike Davis faces an uncertain future.
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2001
For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.co
SEE PAGE 4B
Sports Columnist
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Michael Rigg
sports@kansan.com
'Hawk fans find scapegoats to explain cutting of two teams
This is the first column I've ever written about men's swimming. Or men's tennis, for that matter.
There's a reason for that — nobody cares.
Riggs is a Greenwood Village, Colo., junior in broadcast news.
At least nobody cared until last week, when Bob Frederick, athletics director, announced the two sports would be cut starting next season. Now the two programs that couldn't get any love for years suddenly have tons of support from students, alumni — even former athletics director Monte Johnson.
It's not that I'm against supporting these guys. I just think there's a time and place for support, and now is just too little, too late. Where were the fans when the men's swimming team played host to Iowa State a few weeks back, when the Jayhawks swam in front of friends and family? And where was the alumni support for a much-needed new tennis facility? Where was Monte Johnson then?
That's the problem with fans at Kansas — they only care when they have to. The rest of the time they're just fair-weather hoops junkies waiting for the next time Jeff Boschee changes his haircut or Roy Williams flings his jacket into the crowd.
Granted, we cheer for what may possibly be the cheapest athletics department in the nation. SuperTarget soccer field is perhaps the biggest joke since that one about the chicken crossing the road. We didn't have the Kansas Relays outdoor track event for two years because, well, Kansas didn't have an outdoor track. The softball diamond is an abomination, and Robinson Natatorium became obsolete before disco died. And until two seasons ago, the concourse at Memorial Stadium was dirt and the press box was a glorified trailer home.
But who could blame them? After all, when a problem arises, too many people look to blame everybody but the person staring back at them in the mirror.
But that doesn't mean Jayhawk athletics should be treated with a never-ending supply of apathy. If Kansas fans had shown they cared before now, then the athletics department may never have had to make the cut.
It's not entirely Frederick's fault. It's not Terry Allen's. It’s yours. The blame for the slicing of those sports from the budget should lie squarely on the shoulders of Jayhawk fans past and present.
And you'll have a harder time telling me that those two sports wouldn't be around if both teams were playing in front of more than an intimate gathering each home meet. Home field advantage? Those two squads never heard of such a thing. Too often, more fans would be on hand to cheer the visitors.
It takes just $600,000 per year to keep the two sports running. And you'll have a hard time convincing me that, with all the alumni the two sports produced, those two sports couldn't be almost entirely self-sufficient.
rans are quick to blame Frederick, who probably should shoulder at least some of the blame — but not all of it. They also blamed the state of college athletics, Title IX, and just about everything else they could get their hands on.
I'm sure he's surprised people noticed, considering most Jayhawk fans probably didn't even know both programs existed until the cuts.
When it came down to making the cut, Frederick had to take into account the fan base of all the Kansas sports. All women's sports were off limits because of Title IX. Should he cut track? Too much history. Baseball? Too much money, especially considering the new Hoglund Ballpark. Football? A lot of people at this school probably wish, but we all know that this isn't a viable option. So he was left having to cut tennis and swimming.
Williams demands unity from team
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
Kanson sportwriter
It's safe to say that No. 12 Kansas is pretty fired up heading into Friday's NCAA Tournament first round game against Cal-State Northridge.
There's just one problem. Are the Jayhawks fired up about playing the Matadors, or are they fired up at each other?
Coach Roy Williams isn't sure, but he's seen a little bit of both during the last couple of days. Regardless, he said the tensions he saw displayed on the court between some of his players during Saturday's 62-57 loss to Oklahoma had better stop. And fast.
"There was some talking going on out on the court that I've never seen in one of my teams, and we will never see again," Williams said. "The easiest way to make it stop is to have a commitment that it will stop, and it better stop. There was something that happened after the game, and it had better stop right there."
Williams wouldn't expand on any details about what happened after the game, but said he had a team meeting on Sunday that alleviated the problems. Williams said his Jayhawks (24-6) were ready to move forward.
Senior forward Kenny Gregory said after the game that some members of the team had displayed "selfishness," which may have contributed to the team's poor shooting in the second half.
Sophomore forward Nick
Senior center Eric Chenowith said he thought the team meeting was productive, but like Williams and Collison, he would not clarify who or what was involved in the tensions. Chenowith said the state of the team was fine.
"In tough games this year people don't do what they need to do to execute," Collison said. "We need to step up in these situations if we want to make a run in the tournament."
Collison said such poor execution was hurting the team, but he did not indicate if it was a cause for the team's internal tensions during the weekend.
"We had a good meeting," Chenowith said. "There were some things that needed to be addressed, and they were. In my four years this is the closest team I have played on — we all hang out together and really get along really well. Right now, we need to concentrate and just worry about winning."
Part of that focus comes in the form of good preparation. Williams said there would be plenty of work put in during the next few days as the Jayhawks prepare to play Northridge.
"We are going to have three great practices," Williams said. "If it's not, there are some people who are going to want to transfer on Thursday morning."
AIA Tournament notes
Kansas forward Bryant
Nash suffered a knee injury in
practice yesterday and may be
out for the year. Williams said
Nash would have an MRI today.
Eric Chenowith fights for control of the ball during Friday's game against Kansas State. Team members said they were also struggling with internal issues during last weekend's Big 12 tournament. Photo by Christina Neff /KANSAN
Edited by Megan Phelps
Team cuts called premature
Big 12 coaches say there were other options to consider
By Michelle Ward
writer@kansan.com
staff writer
Michael Center earned a Big Eight Championship in singles for the Kansas men's tennis team in 1985 while proudly wearing the crimson and blue.
His feelings of pride turned to moroseness last week after the University's decision to terminate the men's tennis team.
Center, who is now the coach of the Texas men's tennis team, is one of several Big 12 Conference coaches sounding off about the dismissal of the men's tennis and swimming teams at Kansas. These two longstanding programs received the blow because of a ballooning athletic budget, but conference coaches have wondered about the remedy for the situation.
"It is a tragic day for our sport, the Big 12 and for the University of Kansas," said Center, who played for Kansas from 1982 to 1986. "It put a black eye on our conference. The Big 12 is regarded as a premiere athletic conference, and if it can drop a sport with 4.5 scholarships, then I guess
"It put a black eye on our conference."
Michael Center
Texas men's tennis coach
anyone can. It must be understood that KU was still very competitive in our conference. With the talent they have, they are capable of competing with everyone in the Big 12."
Bob Frederick, athletics director, said the cuts were made as a part of an overall plan to counteract upcoming budget deficits. Frederick contacted all University coaches six to eight weeks before the announcement about budgetary concerns. The University faced a proposed $688,000 for the upcoming year and $2.1 million during the next five years. Frederick said.
After an intense study of financial data, Frederick said the University created a three-step plan to increase revenues and decrease expenditures. This included
donor seating for large benefactors at Allen Fieldhouse, the discontinuation of men's tennis and swimming and cuts in the operating budget. This will allow the athletics department to break even during the next five years, Frederick said.
While the budget will increase from $23 to $28 million during the next five years, the athletics department will use the income to keep up with inflation in three areas — scholarships, operational costs and salaries, Frederick said.
"We have added a million dollars in scholarships over the last three years just to keep up with increases in tuition and housing." he said.
Raised in Newton in a family of avid Jayhawk fans, Trip Hedrick, the Iowa State swimming coach, said he wondered if all alternatives were fully considered before Kansas dropped its programs. With a similar budgetary situation occurring at Iowa State in 1994, the president of the university commissioned a phone survey. Hedrick said the president found overwhelming student support for Olympic
"With the axe falling so fast at
With the axe falling so fast at KU it doesn't seem possible that all avenues were explored to the fullest, and that in itself is very damaging to the reputation of KU"
Trip Hedrick Iowa State swimming coach
sports, including the acceptance of higher student activity fees.
"We had a hard fight, but found positive solutions before losing any programs because all avenues were explored," Hedrick said. "With the axe falling so fast at KU, it doesn't seem possible that all avenues were explored to the fullest, and that in itself is very damaging to the reputation of KU."
See CUTS on page 3B
'Hawks hard work still not paying off
By Ryan Malashock sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Kansas baseball coach Bobby Randall loves everything about his team this season. He loves its work ethic, its personality and its determination.
Case in point: Despite being given the day off yesterday, several members of the team showed up for extra batting practice in preparation for this week's nonconference series with Illinois-Chicago. The first game of the three-game series between the Jayhawks and Flames is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Hoglund Ballpark.
"Look at these guys — these guys want to be great baseball players." Randall said. "There's probably 100 different places that these guys could be right now, but they're here working and trying to get better. How
could you not like coaching guys like that?"
But so far in Big 12 Conference play, Kansas' hard work hasn't translated into victories.
The Jayhawks (8-9) sit in 10th place in the Big 12 with a record of 2-7 after losing their third consecutive conference series last weekend at Missouri.
Kansas suffered possibly its most heartbreaking loss of the season Sunday, losing 1-0 to the Tigers.
Kansas junior pitcher Justin Wilcher gave up only one run in seven innings for the second consecutive start, but he took the loss both times. Wilcher said that Sunday's game was tough, but that he concentrated only on shutting down his opponents and not worrying about how much run-support he received.
"I just need to stick with my game plan and keep throwing up
zeroes on the board," Wilcher said after the loss to Missouri. "I never got a sense of urgency in the game."
Randall said the nonconference series with Illinois-Chicago was coming at a perfect time. He said this week would give the team a chance to get its bats back on track and overcome its past.
Junior pitcher Grant Williams delivers to the plate. The Jayhawks take an illinois-
Junior at 3 p.m. today at Holland Ballpark. Photo by Justin Schmidt/KANSAN
Kansas is hitting just .273 as a team this year after hitting .285 last season.
"Last weekend hurt, but we'll remember how bad it hurted," Randall said. "It was a quiet bus ride home. Everyone on this team wants to win."
Kansas junior Jeff Davis (0-0,
6.14 ERA, 7.11 UP) will start on the
mound today against the
Flames. Davis limited Southwest
Illinois-Chicago brings a 3-12 record into today's game, but owns victories against Big Ten schools Indiana and Northwestern. Northwestern defeated the Jayhawks 5-4 earlier this season.
Missouri State to two runs on five hits in four innings in Kansas' 11-4 loss on Wednesday. — Edited by Leita Schultes
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