Sports
University Daily Kansan / Friday, February 22, 1991
13
'Hawks sharpen preparation
Team works on consistent play, defense
By S. J. Bailey
<ansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
Tomorrow's match-up between the Kansas basketball team and the Oklahoma Sooners could be the story of two teams trying to find themselves
Kansas Basketball GAME 25
The Jayhawks, 19-5 overall and 8-3 in the Big Eight Conference, have been plagued by inconsistent play during the past four games, which finally caught up with them in Wednesday's 79-71 loss to Colorado. The tied Kansas into a first place tie in the conference with Oklahoma State.
"Basically, we were a game on everybody and now we're not a game on us, we've got to start playing better," Williams said. "I don't care if we're in first or last, we're not playing very well.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said after the game Wednesday that the Jayhawks would have to turn things upside down, but they contention for the Big Eight crown.
KANSAS
JAYHAWKS
Coach: Roy Williams
Record:19-4
"We have stretches where we play really well. But you can't play for 15 minutes a game and expect that to be done." He didn't do the past three or four games." done the past three or four games."
Similarly, the Sooners, 15-11 overall, have struggled of late, dropping their last five games to put them near the bottom of the conference with a league record of 4-7. Their 11 losses equal the most ever in a season since Billy Tubs took over as coach of the Sooners in 1980.
OKLAHOMA
SOONERS
Coach: Billy Tubbs
Record:15-11
PROBABLE STARTERS
Player Ht. PPG RPG
F-Terrence Mullins 6-3 10.4 4.6
F-Kermit Holmes 6-7 16.0 10.2
C-Jeff Webster 6-8 18.7 5.5
G-Brent Price 6-1 17.3 4.0
G-Terry Evans 6-1 12.2 3.3
Player Ht. PPG RPG
F-Alonzo Jamlson 6-6 10.8 6.5
F-Mike Maddox 6-7 7.8 3.2
F-Mark Randall 6-9 15.4 5.6
G-Terry Brown 6-2 17.4 3.6
G-Adonis Jordan 5-11 11.6 2.9
Game Notes: Kansas will play Oklahoma at 1 p.m. to attend Atlen Field House. The Jayhawks lead the series with the Sooners 112-57, with a 57-15 advantage in Lawrence. Oklahoma won the first meeting with Kansas 88-82. The Jayhawks, ranked eighth in the nation in the Associated Press poll, snapped a 10-game winning streak Wednesday when they lost to Colorado. Kansas coach Roy Williams is 1-5 against the Sooners, with his only victory.
Radio: KLZR (105.9 FM), JKHK (90.7 FM)
TV: NBC (Channels 4, 7)
What can Williams do to snap the team out of its recent doldrums?
"I've got to go back and look at what I'm doing preparation-wise, or the kids have to look at what they're doing preparation-wise," Williams said. "One of us has to do better job preparing for it, so being in the little things it takes to win."
One thing the Jayhawks will have to improve upon if they are going to
stop the Sooners is Define the three-point shot. Stevie Wise frustrated the Jayhawks on Wednesday for a loss in possession on his way to a 32-point performance.
"They (Colorado) shot 8-for-12 from the three-point line (in the first half)." Williams said. "We need to get more focused and we've got to do a better job. I am to blame for that." Keno said.
row on Oklahoma's Brent Price, who also is dead from behind the three-point line. Earlier this season, Price points against Loyola Marymount.
Kansas must do a better, jih tomor-
The game, which will be televised nationally on NBC, begins tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 at Allen Field House.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
Coaches poll places teams in conference
The women's team is picked to finish seventh.
A Big Eight Conference coaches poll picked the Kansas mens't track team to finish sixth at the conference indoor championships today and
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said that if the two teams got excited about the meet, they would produce better results.
"Both these teams have so much potential, but they are very young,"
The poll picked last year's women's champions, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, to repeat as champions and the Iowa State Champions, the Iowa State Cyclones.
Manson set the current NCAA conference and school records for the indoor vault with a mark of 18-8.
Kansas swimmers think about future
Kansan sportswriter
Hamped earlier in the season by a slight hungrain string, Manson said he felt like he was back up to 100 percent and was ready to win.
Senior All-American pole vault
Pat Manson, who has already qualified for the NCAA Championship fifth conference gold medal at the nation's college golf medal at the nation's college golf medal.
"I think the K-State women will give Nebraska a run for their money," Schwartz said. "Nebraska is a little beat up right now."
Kansan sportswriter
Rv Rick Honish
By Rick C. Honish
One of the worst feelings senior Jennifer Carani said she has had as a Kansas swimmer was seeing coach Gary Kempp pacing the
he said. "It is hard to predict."
Track
"I had a phenomenal technical session at a competition in Nevada last week and a jump of 17 feet, 6 inches," he said.
Carani and fellow senior Jenner Reynolds said the family-like togetherness of the team and training would also be missed.
deck, arms folded and head shaking, as she swam a race.
"I probably won't miss getting up at 5:30 in the morning," Reynolds said.
But these seniors have some unfinished business to attend before they finish their swimming lessons. They said they would take care of it.
"When he's doing that, you know you are not doing
"I have been getting sentimental about everything from childhood swimming to now," she said.
Carani said she soon learned to breath in the direction opposite of Kempf if her race was going poorly.
well" the freestyler said.
Times like those and others are what Carami said she would miss when her career as a Jayhawk summer concludes this semester.
Reynolds said she had a new perspective on swimming this year.
"I had struggled with the backstoke a little, so coach Kempt suggested I swim the mile." she said. "Most people start with distances and go down, but I went on. The shorthair was nervous."
Reynolds said she hoped to move to either coast after she graduated with an advertising degree.
"My first goal at the Big Eight meet is for our team to win." he said. "Individually, I would consider a good umbrella to be 18-4 or 18-8."
last year's meet and don't want to have those same feelings," she said. "The meet is at home this year, also, and that helps."
"My freshman and sophomore
years we beat Nebraska (a
Big Eight meet!), Carani said.
But last year when we lost it was
terrible because everyone expected
us to win. We could have won,
but I don't want to go through that again.
Reynolds
said she didn't
think the team
would lose this
year we are
have a lot of
classmates who
remember
Sam Froese, with the fourth-best Big Eight time this season in the 5,000-meter run, and Helena Hafstrom, with the second-best time in the 800-meter run, are expected to stand out for Kansas.
Manson said he thought many Big Eight schools had not noticed some of the marks made by the younger athletes on the team.
Cariani plans to graduate in two years with a degree in education. She said that even though this was her last semester with the Jay's, she'd been feeling that she someday would be involved in swimming again.
"Something tells me that I will be teaching somewhere and they will ask me to coach," she said. "I could see that happened."
Team seeks to boost intensity
Kansan sportswriter
Bv Mark Spencer
Kansas women's tennis coach Michael Center doesn't want to just win this weekend.
"If we can beat someone badly,
then we need to beat them badly."
Center said. "When it comes to the
individual match, you have individual match counts as a point."
The Jayhawks are looking to improve their intensity against Illinois-Chicago at 5:30 today and Southwest Missouri State at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Alvamar Tennis and Swim Club.
Center said Kansas was sluggish in its victory against Texas-San Antonio last week when the Jayhawks dropped several first sets.
"When we step onto the court, we need to present ourselves in more of a championship manner," he said. "That means playing hard from beginning to end and not just trying to turn it on at the end."
The Jayhawks competed better the next day against last year's NCAA semifinal Texas. Center said the team's offense should carry over this weekend.
Mindy Pelz practices her serve at Alvamar Tennis and Swim Club.
Kansas junior Page Goins, winner of two single matches and two doubles matches with senior Mindy Pelz last week, endured the Jayhawks' performance against Texas-San Antonio was on their minds.
"I really don't know a whole lot about either of these teams," he said. "We're just going to go out and try to come from the last time we played."
The Texas match, even though we lost, should give the team a little bit of confidence to know we can com- with anyone in the country." he said
The Jayhawks do not know what to expect from their opponents this season.
"We played well against Texas, so hopefully that will carry us through," he said.
Kansas senior Stacey Stotts said he would like to be excused to play the first home match.
"We have some tough matches over spring break that could get us ranked," she said. "Everyone is ready to play."
The Jayhawks need to start playing well to get ready for the business part of their schedule. Stats said
"We should do well and win, but they will be tough," she said. "We can't slack off against anyone."
Sports briefs Jackson's hip injury puts baseball on hold
KANAS S CITY. Mo. — Bo Jackson's football injury has put the two-sport star on the sidelines for at least a month with the Kansas City Rovals.
Jackson, who sustained a 'hip injury in the Los Angeles Raiders' playoff victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, was charged with failing to train said the injury was serious.
"These tests show a greater amount of damage done to the hip joint as well as the soft tissue," Swartz said.
"He's not in the mild-injury category," team trainer Nick Swartz said yesterday.
Jackson was examined earlier this week by Royals' team physician Steve Joyce. Swartz said swelling in his shoulder occurred the damage in earlier tests.
Blades coach creates intermission tradition
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dou Sootaert, coach of the Kansas City Blades hockey team, created a stir when he said he was burying can on the ice during a game.
And the Blades promotions department knew a golden opportunity when it saw one.
Ten fans will be allowed to toss the same 30-gallon metal container thrown by the coach. The fan who throws it the longest distance wins 10 free tickets to the final regular season game March 31.
So, during the second-period intermission of tonight's game there will be a "Garbage Cane Toss."
Soetaert is credited with 42 feet for his diageograph of Japan.
From The Associated Press
Lady 'Hawks try for four in a row
By Lana Smith
Kansan sportswriter
"We should have beat them here," sophomore guard Stacy Truitt said. "We've been more patient, and we're better at handling the ball."
Improvements in the Kansas women's basketball team's defense could help them do tomorrow what the Lady Jayhawks say they should have done Jan. 30 — beat Kansas State.
Kansas coach Marian Washington said the Jayhawks had had the opportunity to win the K-State match, but a blown layup and missed free throws near the end of the game caused a 74-73 Jayhawk defeat.
"It was an outstanding basketball game," Washington said. "It was a tough game for either team to lose, and I had to be extremely ready with opportunity to win, we will be able to."
The next chance will arrive tomorrow in Manhattan, but Washington said a victory there would be difficult.
"They'll be very, very high," Washington said. "They're going to be ready."
Kansas assistant coach Mitch Shea said that some of K-State's readiness was based on the fact that the Lady Warriors won their team playing their last home game.
Shea said the game would not be a walk in the park for the Lady 'Cats, even with their depth and experience.
The Lady 'Cats lost to Oklahoma State 79-61 Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla. It was their third consecutive victory over Alabama overall and 7-6 in the conference.
Kansas is going to Manhattan with a three-game winning streak, a 16-9 record overall and a 7-6 record in the Big Eight Conference.
"They'll have to be aware of Lisa Tate," Shea said. "They have to be concerned with her increased play. It will be one of the most exciting games."
"They have good experience in (Nadira) Hazim, both (Mary Jo and Diana) Millerers and their inside player (Kristie) Bahner." Washington said. "We'll have to play a strong defense and do a good job against Miller. We can't afford to let Hazim penetrate."
Washington said that despite the fact K-State had lost these games, they were still a powerful team. But the Jawhays did not — experience
Tate, Kansas' sophomore center,
scored 11 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots against Colorado at Allen Field House.
Kansas junior forward Tanya Bonham said she was confident in the Jayhacks' ability to overpower K-State's edge of experience.
"We beat them at home last year," Bonham said. "There's no reason why we can't do it again."
Probable Starters for Women's Basketball
Kansas Pos. HT. PPG RPG
Terrilyn Johnson F 5-11 9.5 8.9
Tanya Bonham F 5-8 6.1 1.8
Marthea McCloud C 5-10 5.8 5.6
Stacy Truitt G 5-8 9.9 3.9
Kay Kay Hart G 5-7 9.0 3.0
Kansas State
Diana Miller F 5-10 19.0 5.8
Kristie Bahner F 5-11 8.5 7.0
Jennifer Grebing C 6-2 4.8 4.6
Mary Jo Miller G 5-5 9.6 2.3
Nadira Hazim G 5-7 18.3 5.7
Melissa Unterberg/KANSAN
Palmer considers return to majors
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Jim Palmer has "pretty much" decided to accept an offer to attend spring training with the Baltimore Orioles and embark on a comeback a year after being into baseball's Hall of Fame.
Palmer, 45, in Atlanta yesterday plugging a new hosiery line for Jockey International, said he would make a definite decision later that day after further discussions with his agent, Ron Shapiro.
“It’s not the money,” he said. “It’s a very insignificant offer. There are some incentives, but it’s less than I am.” And I didn’t make much at that time.
"We just need to talk about stuff," said Palmer, who was elusive about why he would attempt a comeback after last pitching in 1984.
Palmer, who won 268 games in 19 seasons with the Orioles, sounded
Palmer added that the contract was conditional on making the club. "Nothing is guaranteed," he said.
like a man on a mission.
"I've been throwing since Dec. 17 and my arm feels terrific. I’ve spent two months doing something, and it would be real difficult not to do it."
The Orioles confirmed Wednesday that Palmer was invited to spring training.