The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Seeing stars
Sneaker maker Converse Inc. filed for bankruptcy yesterday and plans to close many of its plants in the United States. The 97-year-old company said it envisions shifting production to Asia.
Inside: The men's basketball team moved up one spot in the latest Associated Press poll. SEE PAGE 8A
Inside: The Kansas City Chiefs named Al Saunders as their new offensive coordinator.
SEE PAGE 6A
For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858-or sports@kansan.com
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2001
Kansas senior center Eric Chenwih raises his hands in victory while watching time expire. The Jayhawks defeated Colorado 85-75 last night in Boulder. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
Rocky road to victory in Boulder Buffs left baffled
By Chris Wristen sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
BOULDER Colo. - Killer instinct.
After Eric Chenowith claimed his team was developing just that last week, the No.4 Jayhawks proved it to a national television audience last night in an 85-75 road win against the Buffaloes.
All of the tools were in place for Colorado to get its first home win against Kansas in 10 years. ESPN was there. So were 11,363 fans, the largest crowd to ever witness a basketball game in the Coors Events Center. An added bonus was that the Buffers were ready to play, creating the ultimate war zone environment.
Kansas (16-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big 12 Conference) stormed out to an early 17-8 lead that was fueled by two Jeff Boschee 3-pointers. That's when D.J. Harrison went
nuts, scoring eight points as Colorado (12-7, 2-4) went on a 15-2 run and claimed a 23-19 lead. The Jayhawks got sloppy and turned the ball over eight times in the half. The Buffaloes capitalized and continued to lead. Each time Kansas scored, Colorado had an answer.
"We weren't taking good shots in the first half," coach Roy Williams said. "We worked in down inside more in the second half and Bosche really hit some big three's for us."
Colorado still led 43-40 at halftime.
That's when things got ugly.
with kansas trailing 47-46 with 16:38 remaining, Jose Winston stole a Luke Axell pass and drove in for a layup. Nick Collision was whistled for an intentional foul that sent Winston to the floor, and later to the locker room.
"I just tried to make a play," Collison said. "I got my shoulder into him and my momentum took him down. I told him I was sorry afterward. I was just trying to get the ball."
Regardless, the confrontation ignited a heated exchange of words between Williams and Colorado coach Ricardo Patton and both head coaches were separated by the Colorado assistants.
Play resumed, but the gymnasium didn't cool down any as both teams continually traded baskets. Collison made a lay-in that was answered with a Justin Harbert 3-pointer. Boschee responded with a three of his own, but Harrison quickly drained a 24-footer at the other end.
"Kenny made an unbelievable play to keep the ball alive." Chenwith said. "When I got it I just tried to take it back up."
The Jayhawks kept fighting, though, and the upset-minded Buffaloes began to run out of steam. Kansas clipped away at a seven point Colorado lead with two slashing layups by Kenny Gregory and three baskets by Chenowith, one of which tied the game at 71.
Chenowith's late buckets squeezed the life from the worn-down Buffalofoes,
More information
For last night's box score.
See page 6A
but it was a three-pointer by Kirk Hinrich with 4:49 remaining that put the final arrow through the heart. Kansas built a 78-71 lead and Colorado never got any closer.
"It was a game that was hard-fought by both teams," Williams said. "I don't know how much they had left but we didn't have much left in the tank."
Collison admitted that it wasn't Kansas' best performance of the year, but it was a win he said the team would happily take.
"We weren't playing horribly." Collison said, "but we weren't out there
Collison said, "but we weren't out there pressing. In the second half we tied it up. We just did what we needed to in order to win."
Kansas had five players score in double-digits, led by Bоссеech's 21, thanks in part to five 3-pointers.
The win was Kansas' 23rd straight against Colorado, 11th straight in Boulder
and 100th in the all-time series.
■ Kansas outrebounded Colorado 48-47, led by Gooden's 12 boards. The Jayhawks are 16-0 this season when getting more rebounds than their opponents.
Hinrich's 11 assists give him 30 in the last three games, all Kansas wins.
Tinsley leads Cyclones to wins
By Zac Hunter
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
When the NBA comes calling in June, Iowa State point guard Jamaal Tinsley should be ready.
In Saturday's game against the 'Huskers, Tinsley's passing helped beat Nebraska on the final play of the game. He hit Martin Rancik cutting to the basket, who made the winning layup as time expired.
Tabbed as the preseason Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, he has kept the No. 17 Cyclones (15-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12) in the upper half of the conference, and was named the player of the week for his performances against Nebraska and Colorado.
Although Tinsley might not be worried about much, opposing coaches
"I told him to go in." Tinsley said. "I knew that it was good. The refs saw it and said it counted, and I wasn't worried at all."
have to worry about him all the time. In an 84-68 pounding of Colorado on Jan. 16, Tinsley was more than the Buffaloes could handle.
Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy said that anytime the Cyclones have an offensive drought, they always look for Tinsley to break them out of the slump
when he wasn't dicing up the Colorado defense for 16 points and nine assists. Tinsley was crashing the boards, something he does very well. He had six rebounds against the Buffaloes, which is above his season average of 3.8.
After losing two straight conference games on the road, Iowa State is back on track after the wins against Colorado and Nebraska, and are looking for its next win against Baylor on Thursday. But this is not the guaranteed victory as it used to be. The Bears (13-3, 2-3) are sixth in the Big 12, and have almost eclipsed last season's win total of 14.
"To learn how to win games is important," said Iowa State forward Paul Shirley. "Especially when it's a team that has lost historically like Baylor has in the last couple years."
If the Cyclones are going to hold serve at home they will have to do it on the defensive end. Baylor seniors Terry Black and DeMarcus Minor are combining to average nearly 30 points, leading the Bears offense, which is averaging 74 points.
But Iowa State has a simple way to defend Bavlor.
"It's harder to shoot when they are moving." Shirley said.
And when opposing players aren't getting open shots, it lets Eustachy work on his other points of emphasis.
Eustachy said two of the most important stats for him are opponents field goal percentage and Iowa State's
BIG 12 STANDINGS
Team Conference Overall
Kansas 5-0 16-1
Texas 4-1 15-3
Oklahoma 4-1 12-3
Missouri 3-1 12-5
Iowa State 3-2 15-3
Baylor 2-3 13-3
Kansas State 2-3 8-8
Texas Tech 2-3 8-8
Colorado 2-4 12-7
Oklahoma State 1-3 13-4
Nebraska 1-3 8-9
Texas A&M 0-5 6-11
rebounding totals. Although the rebounding might need some work, the Cyclones have kept their last two opponents to less than 70 points. However, Eustachy said the Cyclones had some work to do before they are back in the upper echelon of the conference.
"We're not where we hope to be in about a month," Eustachy said.
Crimson Girls prove dancing is a sport
By Brandon Stinnett sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
For many years, a debate has swirled around whether dancing should be considered a sport. But the answer's simple if you ask Cathy Jarzemkoski, coach of the Kansas dance team, the Crimson Girls.
"I think it's a sport." Jarzemkoski said. "There is training and there is an ultimate goal to achieve in national competitions."
Recently, the Crimson Girls have done a lot of training. In fact, the squad spent six to eight hours each day during winter break preparing for the College Cheerleading and Dance Nationals on Jan. 11-14 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Just being selected to compete was an honor for the team. The Crimson Girls received an invitation based on their performance in a videotaped dance routine that was critiqued by a panel of judges.
The Kansas Crimson Girls dance team placed 12th at the College Cheerleading and Dance Nationals Jan. 11 to 14 at Disney World in Orlando, Flg. Contributed photo
Jarzemkoski is quick to point out that her girls logged more practice hours during break than the men's basketball team. And the hard work paid off. The Crimson Girls, one of 16 teams chosen from a pool of 30 to compete in the finals of the national competition, finished 12th.
While placing high at nationals was important, the Crimson Girls' captain, Alissa Criger, said bonding as a team and getting to know other dancers from across the country were their top priorities.
Criger, a junior from Omaha, Neb., said competing has been a challenge this year because the team lacks experience. With the exception of three juniors, the Crimson Girls are comprised of all freshman and sophomores. Still, Criger was impressed with their performance.
Funding from the University covered much of the trip's cost, but the team also did fund-rais
"We would have liked to have done better, but I think we did well," she said. "I think the highlight of the trip for me was getting to know the girls better."
It was Criger's third appearance at the national competition. Last year, the team placed ninth after another 12th-place finish in 1999.
"It was great," Criger said. "We had so much fun. I was so proud of the girls."
Jarzemkoski said the Crimson Girls' success stems from extensive time devoted to training. But the stringent practice schedule really takes its toll.
Jarzemkoski said the rigorous training schedule endured by each team member proves that they are athletes and not just girls participating in an activity, as people often say.
ers, such as playing host to dance clinics and selling team posters to raise extra money.
"It's really hard since they don't get to have much of a Christmas break like most kids," Jarzemkoski said. "They don't get to go home like most students do. It really tests their dedication."
"It's always been, 'Are they athletes, or are they not?' she said. "With the practice they went through before the competition, it's definitely an art and a sport," she said.
Criger didn't used to consider dancing or cheerleading to be sports, but after serving as a Crimson Girl, she changed her mind. One look at the moves performed by cheerleaders at the competition is enough to convince anyone, she said.
"I think it's a sport," Criger
said. "I had never thought cheerleaders were athletes. But with the practice and watching them in action, you can't say it's not a sport when you see people throw other people 50 feet up in the air."
In addition to competitions, the Crismon Girls perform at various community events in Lawrence. But their number on priority is
dancing during Kansas basketball games.
Criser said performing in Allen Fieldhouse in front of more than 16,000 fans is an experience like no other.
"It's unreal," she said. "It just gives me goose bumps because it's so rich in tradition."
Sports Columnist
Michael T.
Rigg
sports@kansan.com
Collison's physical play a turning point for Jayhawks
BOULDER, Colo. — With a hard foul on a clean breakaway, Nick Collison sent a message to the sellout crowd, the national television audience and the rest of the Big 12 Conference — Kansas is not going to be pushed around anymore.
There were several turning points in last night's 85-75 nail-biting victory against Colorado in the Coors Events Center. But Collison perhaps turned the season around with his physical play in the second half.
Buffalo guard Jose Winston stole the ball and headed toward the Kansas basket for the easy bucket. But Collison was intent on not letting him score, and, in his attempt to block the shot, knocked Winston to the floor and was whistled for an intentional foul.
The ensuing free-throw and basket stretched the Colorado lead to 51-46 with 16 minutes to go in the half. Colorado fans, of course, thought the foul was the dirtiest thing in Colorado since Bill Romanowski's last game. Collison said he was going for the ball — I agree (just check the replay) — and said he apologized to Winston afterwards.
But strangely enough, the deceptively dirty-looking foul could become the turning point for a Kansas team that all the sudden looks like a legitimate Final Four contender. The Buffalo lead slowly dwindled down after the Collison hack, and the Jayhawks outscored Colorado 39-24 for the rest of the contest.
Just six weeks ago, the Jayhawks were more than happy to be pushed around on the road. Wake Forest beat up Kansas like a schoolyard bully searching for lunch money, and the Jayhawks let the bullies do whatever they wanted, resulting in an 84-53 los-
Colorado entered last night's game with a similar mentality. After all, this was Kansas, and for the past two seasons, the Javahaws folded on the road.
In the first half, the Buffaloes banged with the Jayhawks, matching rebounds with a team that towered above them. Once again, the Jayhawks were playing patches on the road, getting wiped out by a team that, talent-wise, shouldn't even be in the same building as Kansas.
But with Collison's foul, the Jayhawks added something to their arsenal that they so sorely lacked against Wake Forest — a killer instinct.
After Collison's foul and the ensuing screaming match between Colorado coach Ricardo Patton and Kansas coach Roy Williams, the Jayhawks had their hands around the Buffaloes' throats and were finally able to sueze down.
Colorado ran on emotion for a little bit after the foul, keeping the slim lead.
But the Jayhawks had the mentality of cold-blooded killers, and when sophomore guard Kirk Hinrich nailed a three-pointer and gave the Jayhawks the lead with just under five minutes to go, Colorado knew that Kansas was ready to finish what Collison had started.
Amazingly, the stone-faced Jayhawks knew they would find a way to win, unlike on Tobacco Road where they found every way possible to lose.
"We never had a doubt that this game was ours," said Collison, who will probably now be as hated in Boulder as Rick Neuheisl.
"We knew we would win," Hinrich said.
And armed with the confidence and the killer instinct that the Jayhawks exhibited last night after Collison's foul, this team may not lose for a very, very long time.
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Ring is a Greenwood Village, Colo. Junior in Broadcast News.
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