Section:
16A
When was the last time Iowa State beat the Kansas men's basketball team twice in a row in Allen Fieldhouse?
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Trivia question
SEE PAGE 15A
Inside: Where are they now? Catch up with former Kansas basketball player Alonzo Jamison.
SEE PAGE 13A
For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
Inside: Charlie Gruber, a senior distance runner on the Kansas track and field team, was named Big 12 Conference male track athlete of the week.
SEE PAGE 15A
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7., 2001
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Reves could hit milestone against Buffs
Kansas sophomore honor Kirk Hinrich eyes Iowa State sharpshooter Jamaal Tinsley as Tinsley brings the ball down the court. After defeating the Jayhawks on Monday night, the Cyclones took control of first place in the Big 12 Conference. Photo by Nick Krua/KANSAN
By Jessie Meyer
sports@kanson.com
Konson sportwriter
Brooke Reves is five points away from joining the 1,000-point club at Kansas, and she will likely take her place in the record book against No. 19 Colorado tonight in Allen Fieldhouse.
"I just think it's an accomplishment and
a goal that I was really aiming to do here at KU," said Reves, a fifth-year senior who transferred to Kansas after playing one season at Wichita State.
The senior forward would become only the 16th Kansas women's basketball player to surpass the 1,000-point mark. Reves would join senior center, Jaclyn
Brooke Reves
Johnson, 11th all-time in Kansas history with 1,229 points. Senior guard Jennifer Jackson is also making a run at 1,000 points, needing just 20 to reach that mark. “It’s an honor to be 20 on that list,” Reves said.
And Kansas is riding a wave of momentum after upending No. 21 Texas on Saturday in Austin, Texas.
"I know that we're very capable, but we've got to be very disciplined," Kansas coach Marian Washington said. "I think all season long if you look at our record, we've been in the hunt. We've just been missing a piece here and a piece there."
The missing pieces, namely rebounding and scoring from the bench, haunted Kansas in the last matchup with Colorado.
But Reves said after the game against Texas, some of those missing pieces were finally coming together.
"I think we're getting into the flow of our offense and we're being more confident," she said. "The more we keep doing that, the more we can win games."
The Buffaloes bring an arsenal of offensive and defensive threats. Sharp shooters Mandy Nightale and Jenny Roulier are capable of lighting it up from behind the three-point arc, and together are shooting about 10 three-pointers per game. In the paint stand Randie Wirt and Britt Hartshorn — 6-foot-plus post players who dominated the boards in the last meeting with Kansas.
Along with focusing on their own strategy in recent weeks, the Jayhawks have worked to succeed one game at a time. In doing so, the 'Hawks are working to improve their record and earn a middle-of-the-pack spot in the Big 12 Tournament.
"I think that we still can get ourselves in a decent position in terms of seeding going into the Big 12," Washington said. "We want to do that and then anything can happen.
"But if we don't have the wins, it's going to need a miracle. We're going to have to do a great job in Kansas City."
Hawk bombers
MEN'S BASKETBALL
'Clones deadly from behind three-point arc
By Zac Hunter
sports@kanson.com
Kansas writerwriter
No. 5 Kansas' 79-77 loss to No. 12 Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night was a perfect example of how long-range superiority can win a game and possibly the conference.
The Jayhawks (18-3, 7-2 Big 12) beat the Cyclones (20-3, 8-2) in almost every statistical category, including field-goal percentage, blocks and rebounds, but lost the game because of Iowa State's deadly outside shooting. Iowa State shot 11-for-17 from behind the three-point arc. The Cyclones lead the Big 12, hitting better than 40 percent.
"They really do present a lot of problems," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "They have the three perimeter players that can all shoot it."
If you can't hit from outside, you can't run with the top flight in the Big 12 Conference.
The game was a microcosm of what has been happening in the Big 12 this season. Big 12 teams have hit 35 percent of their three-pointers, and the top five in the conference are hitting nearly 40 percent of their shots.
But no one on the Kansas team thought the Cyclones would hit nearly 65 percent of its three-point shots. Whether the Jayhawks played zone or man-to-man defense, the Cyclones were able to find open looks.
"We are surprised that they shot as well as they did," senior forward Kenny Gregory said. "At the half we thought they would start missing but they really never did. We had a hand up in most of their shots, but all we can do is give them credit."
And guess who is sitting at the top of the Big 12. That's right: Iowa State, which pulled into the top spot with Monday's victory.
new perch. Senior guards Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton combined for 37 points. More importantly, they were 7-of-10 in combined three-point attempts.
Two Cyclones were the main reasons for their team's
Edited bv Sydney Wallace
"They did a remarkable job and Tinsley and Horton were great shooters," senior center Eric Chenowith said. "They killed us."
from three-point range either, hitting 5-of-11 attempts. The 'Hawks are led by sophomore guard Kirk Hinrich, who has torched the nets at a 50 percent clip this season — the top percentage in the conference. It's not iust the top two
But Kansas wasn't slumping
It's not just the top two squads that are shooting the lights out. The top five teams in the Big 12 have outshot the
best five in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference.
No. 3 Duke leads the way in the ACC in three-point percentage and sits in second place in the conference. The No. 8 Florida Gators are hitting nearly 39 percent of their long-range shots and in position to win the SEC title.
— Edited by Joshua Richards
3-POINT COMPARISON
■ BIG 12 FGM FGA AVG ■ ACC AVERAGE ■ SEC AVERAGE ■ INDIVIDUAL BIG 12 LEADERS
1. Iowa State 135 318 .425 1. Duke .406 1. Florida .390 1.Kirk Hinrich, KU .500
2. Kansas 105 261 .402 2. Georgia Tech .394 2. Tennessee .374 2.Cary Cochran, NU .495
Colorado 148 380 .389 3. Maryland .391 3. Louisiana State .373 3.Kelley Newton, OU .495
Oklahoma 159 411 .387 4. NC State .370 4. Mississippi .367 4.Jake Sullivan, ISU .449
Nebraska 118 311 .379 5. Virginia .370 5. Arkansas .364 5.Justin Habert, CU .443
conference Average: .354 Conference avg: .372 Conference avg: .348 15.Jeff Boschese, KU .384
Baseball team names four experienced seniors as captains
By Ryan Malashock
Kansan sportswriter
"The captains were selected because of respect and work ethic," Randall said. "The four guys we have this year are so dependable, and they're going to give it everything they got. I couldn't be prouder of them."
Seniors Pete Smart, John Nelson, Brent Del Chiaro and Dou Dreher were voted team captains by their teammates in the preseason, and Kansas's sixth-year coach Bobby Randall commended the team's selections.
If a team is only as good as its leaders this year's Kansas baseball squad should have no worries.
worth to one of his former teammates.
The Omaha, Neb., native is in his fifth season with Kansas after taking a redshirt as a freshman. Smart was 7-9 last season with a 4.59 ERA and established a Kansas record, making 17 starts. The only returning starter with experience, Smart will play an important role for the Jayhawks in two ways: serving as Kansas' starting pitcher and working with this year's relatively experienced pitching staff. Randall compared Smart's
A rundown of the team's o PETE SMART. Pitcher
It's not often in today's sports world a college athlete will turn down a lucrative professional contract offer, but that's exactly what Nelson did after last season. Nelson was selected in the 39th round in the 2000 draft by the Seattle Mariners, but the senior shortstop decided to return to Kansas.
"He's going to make everyone better," Randall said. "It's like when I was with the Twins, Rod Carew made us all better. We watched him every day, and our pitchers watch Pete the way we used to watch Rod. Our pitchers get better every day following Pete." **JOHN NELSON, Shortstop**
The opportunity to be a leader and take Kansas back to postseason play for the first time since 1996 motivated Nelson to forget about professional baseball — at least for a year.
"I've gone through some hard times here, and this year, my senior year, is real special to me," Nelson said. "It would be incredible to do something that I haven't done here by going to the Big 12 (Conference) Tournament in my last year." The Denton, Texas, native batted .308 last season, while being named honorable mention All-Big 12 for the second consecutive season. Nelson also tied a Kansas record
and led the Big 12 with 42 stolen bases.
**BRENT DEJ CIARIO. Catcher**
With limited pitching experience returning from last season, catcher Brent Del Chiaro's job could be the team's most important. Del Chiaro saw limited action behind the plate last season, starting 32 games, but Randall said he made a leap of improvement in the offseason.
"You're going to see a much different Brent Del Chiaro this year." Randall said. "The improvement that he's made in his hitting is amazing. He was a great catcher last year, but he's improved there, as well."
Del Chiao spent the past summer playing for the Michigan Monarchs, a summer league composed of other college players, in Monroe, Mich. He helped lead the Monarchs to a fourth-place finish in the National Baseball Congress World Series.
The Oakley, Calif., native said the position of team captain needed to be taken with the utmost seriousness.
"It shows that my teammates respect me, and look up to me and expect me to lead this team." Del Chiareau said. "It means a great deal to me." DOUG DREHER Outfielder
Doug Dreher is the ultimate team player. During his first three season at Kansas, the Hays native showed the ability to contribute at five different positions. Last season Dreher saw action at all three outfield spots, second base and third base. Dreher wouldn't have it any other way.
Senior captains are from left: shortstop John Nelson, pitcher Pete Smart, outfielder Doug Dreher and catcher Brent Del Chiaro. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
"Playing different positions keeps things
See CAPTAINS on page 15A
Guest columnist
Andy Taylor
sports@kansan.com
Plane crash stirs memory for alumnus
I thought about Will Hancock last Saturday.
As I paid my $3 to purchase a program at the Kansas-Kansas State game in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 27, I remembered my good friend from my college days.
Will and I were among the "brethren" in a scholarship hall at the University of Kansas 10 years ago. Of the 50 guys in our hall, only four were journalism majors. Will and I were among the foursome.
His interest was sports journalism. At the University, where basketball is treated like a religion, any aspiring sports journalist has to be a phenomenal writer and information collector. Will had a knack for sniffing out a good sports story while crunching numbers and statistics into tightly packed box scores.
He was two years older than me, and as I was just getting started in the School of Journalism he already had worked on the Kansan and had earned a prestigious job working at the sports information office.
He knew all the Kansas coaches and players, and he always told stories at dinner about his conversations with Roy Williams.
Will's father was the director of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, so Will had the chance to travel to arenas and fieldhouses in all corners of the nation, where he met top players and coaches in that elite tournament. Will's girlfriend at the time wore the "Baby Jay" mascot costume at all football and basketball games.
During my time at the University, I developed a love for photography. In my scrapbook are dozens of pictures from college. In many of those pictures was Will Hancock, who could always be seen reading the sports page from a daily newspaper, or holding a Wiffle Ball bat, or playing an exhausting game of ultimate frisbee.
Because Will and I both aspired to be sports journalists, we had something in common. And because he lived just three doors away from my tiny room, he was a person whom I saw and visited often.
Will graduated the same day as my older brother. As the thousands of robe-clad seniors marched down Mount Oread during commencement ceremonies, I grabbed my camera and snapped several photos of my brother and several of my senior friends, including my pal Will.
Being from a small town in Montgomery County and being intrigued with Will's connections and aspirations, I definitely was impressed with him.
When Will left college, he took a job at a university in Indiana. I only communicated with him once while he was there, and he said he wanted to come back to the Midwest — perhaps to work in the sports information office at a major university.
That was the last time I talked to Will Hancock. Imagine my surprise a few years ago when, while watching an Oklahoma State men's basketball game on television, I saw Will Hancock sitting behind the Cowboys' team bench. I discovered that Will worked in the sports information office at Oklahoma State.
More than one year ago, I was browsing Oklahoma State's web site, trying to locate Will's e-mail address. I got distracted by other things and delayed e-mailing my college friend.
I thought about Will as I sat in Allen Fieldhouse, looking through a sports program and reading about Big 12 Conference schools. "Wonder what he's up to these days at Oklahoma State?" I thought. "Might want to lot him an e-mail soon to see how he's doing."
As I returned home late Saturday from the Kansas-K-State game, I was shocked to hear the first news reports about an Oklahoma State airplane that had crashed on the snow-swept prairie of Colorado. At the time, I didn't even connect Will Hancock with the tragedy. It wasn't until Oklahoma State's sports information director Steve Buzzard made the tearful announcement naming Will one of the 10 fatalities that I remembered my friend.
Devastated and shocked, I immediately went to my hallway closet, blew the dust off my college scrapbook and began thumbing through the pictures of college days from one decade ago.
Captured on film were scenes of happy (and ornery) memories, and Will Hancock's familiar face was found in many of those pictures.
Taylor is editor of The Montgomery County Chronicle in Caney, and is a 1993 graduate of the University of Kansas.
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