Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Trivia question
Name the two NFL teams that originally drafted Super Bowl quarterbacks Kerry Collins and Trent Dilfer. See page 2B.
Inside: Bob Stoops announced he would remain the coach of the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. SEE PAGE 6B
SEE PAGE 6B
Inside: The Kansas women's basketball team broke a four-game slide on Saturday against Kansas State.
SEE PAGE 4B
For comments, contact Shawn Hutchison or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Basketball a life's love for Jackson
By Jessie Meyer
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Jennifer Jackson drove the lane Saturday as Kansas State defenders collapsed into the paint. The ball left her fingertips, headed toward the rim and Jackson came crashing to the ground as the referee's whistle screamed from the baseline.
The senior point guard peered up from the ground, and as the ball dropped through the net, she thrust her fists into the air in celebration.
It wasn't the game-winning basket. It didn't break any records — that came later when Jackson set a new career point total — but it was a moment of desire meeting success.
"For me to maintain that passion,
that's what I'm here for," Jackson said.
"That's what I've worked so hard for."
But it hasn't been easy for Jackson to maintain that intensity this season. Before defeating K-State on Saturday, 78-67, Kansas
had lost six of its seven previous games and was enduring a fourgame losing streak — a streak the team hadn't seen since the 1992-93 season.
"Basketball's been a dream of mine since I was little." Jackson said. "And we go on this four-game losing streak, and I had never lost that much in my life. I was so discouraged."
"I love it so much," Jackson said of basketball. "I think that what's we all have to get back to to play well for the rest of the season."
Discouraged, but not at all ready to throw in the towel. Jackson said she talked to her mom, who reminded Jackson of how important the game was to her. It was a game, after all, her mom told her — a game that Jackson had always loved, a game that was supposed to be fun.
Jackson had a lot of fun Saturday. She led the 'Hawks with a career high of 23 points and sparked a defensive fire that had been intermittent at best in the previous 13
More information For more information on women's basketball. See page 4A
games this season.
"It been a long time since I've been that open," Jackson said. "I think, for whatever reason, I was a little more active today. I was able to move and get to the open spot."
"This might have been one of her best games," Washington said. "She's really good off the dribble and they left her wide open. She's trying to get back for us. We need her."
The 5-foot-10 point guard, who has averaged 7.2 points per game this season and needs 115 points to break 1,000 for her career, is not
Coach Marian Washington relies on Jackson, who has started every game this season and 105 of 106 games she's played in as a Jayhawk, to be the floor leader and to make things happen.
supposed to be a scorer. But because the Wildcats pinned seniors Jaclyn Johnson and Brooke Reves in a zone defense, Jackson was able to step up into the seams and make something happen.
"I think my role on this team is pretty clear as far as Coach and I are concerned," Jackson said. "I'm supposed to be the leader out on the floor, and for me to do that, I've got to be making sure all of my players are doing what they're supposed to do, and I've got to get the ball to the open player."
"For us to come out my senior year and have a disappointing start, I think that's extremely hard for all of us, especially the seniors," Jackson said. "But we still have a lot of games left. We have a chance to turn this around."
With her energy and passion,
Jackson set the tempo for the run-
and-gun game Kansas played
Saturday, leading the Jayhawks to
their first victory in five games.
Kansas guard Jennifer Jackson drives in for a basket against K-State. Jackson scored 23 points in Saturday's game. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
- Edited by Jason McKee
Kansas finds success on road
Early victories give confidence to Javhawks
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
As one of only two unbeaten teams in Big 12 Conference play, the Kansas men's basketball team isn't chalking up another conference title just yet.
At 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, coach Roy Williams said his players understand that there are still 14 more games to play.
"All of our kids understand that it is still so, so early that we shouldn't even be looking in terms like that," Williams said. "It feels good to get two games and to get them on the road, but we do realize that it is still so early."
They also realize that the other undefeated team in conference play is Missouri. The Tigers edged No. 23 Iowa State, 112-109, in four overtimes on Saturday. The Jayhawks' first date with Missouri (12-3, 3-0) is Monday, Jan. 29, in Columbia, Mo., and Kansas has four games before that. Therefore, Williams said his team knew the conference standings could change quickly.
Regardless, No. 5 Kansas is riding a six-game winning streak and just knocked off No. 22 Oklahoma, 69-11, on Saturday on the road after fighting off a second-half run by the Sooners (12-3, 1-2). Sophomore forward Nick Collison said the victory was a confidence builder for the team and helped dispel some demons from last year's road woes. The Jayhawks lost four conference road games by an average of 19 points per game last year, making the road victory against the ranked Sooners even more satisfying.
"It wasn't one of the prettiest games we've played, but to pull out a win after they made a run at us says for us for pulling out the win." Collison said.
Williams said there were a lot of positives that his team could take from Saturday's game heading into their next game at 8
More Information
See page 3A
For more information about the men's basketball team, See page 34
p.m. tomorrow against Nebraska (8:7, 1-1).
For starters, junior guard Jeff Boschie broke out of his season-long slump from three-point range by hitting four of eight attempts from downtown. A career 37 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Boschie made just five of his last 31 attempts since Nov. 27. He said his long range success was a definite confidence builder.
Williams also said he was pleased with his team's rebounding effort against the Sooners. Senior center Eric Chenowith grabbed 15 rebounds and senior forward Kenny Gregory had a career high of 13 in the win. Williams hopes to see a repeat performance tomorrow when his big men battle Nebraska senior center Kimani Friend.
"I tried to get my feet set," Bosche said. "I had been hopping on every shot. I still did it on one or two shots, but hopefully, I made some strides to get out of the slump."
Williams said that his Jayhawks were looking forward to their first home game since Dec. 16 and that they would need the home crowd's support to maintain their position atop the Big 12.
"We realize the building doesn't win games," Williams said. "It's the people inside that building that give you support, and that's what helps us in those games."
Kansas basketball notes
■ Kansas' victory against Oklahoma was its sixth straight against the Sooners. Oklahoma has not defeated Kansas since the Big 12 was formed in 1996.
Oklahoma's Johnnie Gilbert blocked five shots in the first half, tying for the most blocks by a Kansas opponent in a half in the Roy Williams era. Ohio State's Ken Johnson had five blocks in the first half of Kansas' 69-68 win on Dec. 23.
Led by Boschee's sharp-shooting, Kansas hit six of 13 three-point attempts. The Sooners were just as dangerous from long range, hitting eight-of-20 threes. That marked the fifth time this season that an opponent has hit better than 35 percent against Kansas on three-pointers.
- Edited by Jason McKee
Track coach pleased with team's performance
By Michael Sudhalter
Kansan sportswriter
"It was our first meet after the Christmas break, and I thought we competed hard as a team," coach Stanley Redwine said. "As a team, our conditioning isn't where I would like to see it, but we just need to get back to business and start training again."
The Kansas track team got back into the swing of things Saturday with its first meet since early December at the Missouri Southern Invitational in Joplin, Mo.
Unlike some other winter sports, the track team doesn't hold formal practices during the winter break.
hampered their workouts," said Redwine.
"The athletes have personal workouts over the break, and for some of them, the weather
"We had a few athletes that had great days for us," Redwine said, "We are excited about Scott Russell's automatic NCAA berth in the weight throw. Ryan Speers, Charlie Gruber, Jabari Wamble and Jennifer Foster all came up for us today."
Russell, a senior All American, won the weight throw event by 18 inches, an effort that solidified his position at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Russell threw 72 in the weight throw, which helped him become Big 12 men's track athlete of the week. He also placed third in the shot put with a 53-foot throw. Junior Ryan Speers won the
Redwine said he was pleased with the efforts of several members of the men's team, which was ranked No. 22 in the National Collegiate Trackwine poll during the open meet.
Wamble won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.05 seconds and ran in the 4x400 meter relay team that won the event. Senior Charlie Gruber, another All American, won the mile event in 4:08.57 and competed along with Wamble on the 4x400 relay team.
shot put event with a 61 inch throw and finished second behind Russell in the weight throw competition.
Other winners for the Jayhawks included senior Andy Tate (8:30.13) in the 3,000-meter run , junior Brent Behrens (15:05.68) in the 5,000-meter run and senior Eric Patterson in the 60-meter high hurdles (8.09).
In the women's competition, junior Jennifer Foster had second place finishes in the shot put (45-10 3/4) and weight throw (50-2). Other strong performances were turned in by senior All-American Andrea Branson, who finished
third in the pole vault with an 11-9 3/4. The 4x400 meter relay team placed second behind Arkansas with a time of 400.54.
Jayhawks finishing in the top five in their respective events were junior Shanetta March (200-meter dash); senior Amanda Reves (800 meters); freshman Laura Laviole (mile); sophomore Eve Lambord and junior Courtney Deustch (3,000 meter); freshman Paige Higgins (5,000 meter); sophomore Sarah Schrader and freshman Emily Hess (high jump).
The Jayhawks travel to Columbia, Mo., for the Missouri Invitational on Friday.
Redwine said the next few meets should be beneficial to both the men's and women's teams.
"Our goal is to do our very best at the Big 12 and NC'AA'. Redwine said.
Michael Rigg
Sports Columnist
— Edited by Amanda Hay
sports@kansan.com
It's time to peel yourself away from those Playstations and set your alarms for earlier than noon. It's time to get back to class — you know, the place you go when you're not on vacation.
'Hawks ranking repeats history means nothing
So as we dig ourselves out of those buttgrooves on our couches, force ourselves to bathe and head back to Mount Oread for another joyful semester of class, we should reflect on the basketball season to date. In case you've been living under a rock instead of on top of a La-Z-Boy this past break, Kansas is 13-1 and ranked fifth in the nation. This means absolutely nothing.
You see, the Jayhawks have been down this road before — they were ranked eighth in the nation at this same point last year—and ended up the season with a 24-10 belly flop and another early NCAA Tournament ouster. As the season reaches its halfway point, let's give out some awards for the past few months of effort.
Biggest Win: Believe it or not, many observers expected Kansas to go into Oklahoma last weekend and do one of those road-game flops that they had become known for during the past two seasons. The Sooners are a much more physical team than the Jayhawks, and more physical teams have been the Achilles' heel of Kansas. Still, the Jayhawks forced Oklahoma to shoot just 31.9 percent from the floor and hold off Oklahoma. 69-61. In a situation where they failed last season, the Jayhawks flourished instead.
Worst Kept Secret of the First Half: The transfer of junior guard John Crider. Crider was held out of the Jayhawks' exhibition game against Emporia State, only fueling the rumors that he would transfer. But Williams refused to acknowledge that there was anything to the rumors. Williams said he just "chose not to play him," while Crider refused to speak to the media. Apparently, Williams chose not to play Crider for the entire remainder of the semester (granted), he was hampered by an injury), but Williams tried his best to avoid speaking about Crider. And guess what? Crider transferred to Washburn last week.
Biggest Embarrassment: Kansas' home non-conference schedule. Coach Roy Williams must have felt like punishing his big-butted crowd by scheduling basketball juggernauts North Dakota, Washburn, Illinois State, Boise State and Middle Tennessee State for a five-game pre-holiday homestand. The play was as bad as the opponents, and, as a result, the Jayhawks looked like the worst prepared team in NCAA history when they traveled to Wake Forest at the conclusion of the homestand and were drilled, 84-53.
Box Score Line of the First Half: In the second half against Washburn, sophomore forward Nick Collison played one minute, committed three personal fouls and had one turnover. Must have been the tough Ichabod defense.
Player Most In Need of a Haircut:
Junior guard Jeff Boschee. Although Boschee led the Jayhawks with 16 points at Oklahoma, the former bald Boschee's shooting has been erratic at best this season. He has hit only 19 of 66 three pointers this season and has done nothing to prove that his hairstyle has meant improved results.
Most Underrated: Senior center Eric Chenowith. It's funny how Kansas' most maligned player can also be its most under-rated, but it's been true this season. Although Chenowith has yet to find his long-lost consistency on offense, he has been dominant both on the glass and on the defensive end of the court. He leads the team with 94 boards per game and has stuffed 23 shots this season. In fact, the key to how far Kansas will go in March lies directly with the big fella. If Chenowith performs like he did against the Demon Deacons — one point and five rebounds — the Jayhawks will once again go home early from the big dance.
As for what the remainder of the season will bring, that's anyone's guess. But this team is better than last season, and, if the Jayhawks keep playing the way they are, they should advance past the second round of the tournament.
But exactly how much further? That depends on Chenowith.
Meg is a Greenwood Village, Colo., junior in broadcasting.
.