Sports
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, April 3, 1990
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Mason prepares team for 1990 season
By Molly Reid
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas football coach Glen Mason said that he could not predict the future of the 1990 fall season. He said his practice but that he was pleased.
Coach says team is improving
"We can't worry about the future," he said. "We have to worry about now. We have got a lot of guys doing well. We have had a good spring practice to date. It's important to do well today, but it is more important how you do tomorrow.
Football
"I always try to judge improvement, and we're improved right now."
Mason said he had not made any big changes in player positions, workouts or offensive and defensive formations, although spring practice was an opportunity for experimentation.
"We always do a couple new things, new sets or a new blitz or some things like that," he said. "And we will continue to."
"They don't have a choice," he said. "They've done a good job out here. They're taking double the snaps. You worry about them getting worn out."
Defensive tackle David Gordon is skipping spring practice to recover from a shoulder injury that occurred last fall. Gordon cannot compete because the injury still restricts his running ability.
Mason said that a lack of depth was plagging the Jayhawks- but that the squad was handling the extra work well.
Junior guard Smith Holland and freshman linebacker Robert Mitchell, who have knee injuries, have been suiting up for practice but are unable to participate in any hitting drills.
Curtis Moore, Kansas senior linebacker, does a conditioning drill during yesterday's practice.
“It’s depressing,” he said. “I’m learning, but it’s hard. I just know what to do bookwise, but when I get done, it plays, it’s going to take a while.”
Mitchell said watching from the sidelines was frustrating.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound outside linebacker said he was confident in
his ability to bounce back in the fall, although starting players generally were determined in the spring practice.
"I'm pretty sure I'll come back and start," he said. "Like Coach Mason said, 'Everyone here is happy. I just good to me — a lot of intensity.'"
"We're really short on the offensive line. Not having Smith Holland is hurting us because the guys we've got are down to the bare minimum." Mason said. "Gordon doesn't show up as bad because we have the numbers, but I don't want to minimize them not being there because we need every player we've got out here.
Mason said he was counting on healthy athletes in the fall.
"We only have two freshman offensive linemen, so we have to get Smith Holland back healthy. And Lance Snyder is out banged up right now, so we have to get him back healthy. They'll be back."
'They've done a good job out here. They're taking double the snaps. You worry about them getting worn out.'
— Glen Mason Kansas football coach
Sophomore Chip Hilleary, who has taken on the role of quarterback, said despite the lack of depth in the offensive line, the players were becoming comfortable as a unit.
"We look to each other," he said.
"We've actually got a pretty experienced front line. There are only two tackles and nobody behind them, but it's early. Since the spring is for learning, it doesn't bother me now."
Hilleary said the current success of the spring practice could be attributed to the team's attitude.
"The enthusiism we have right now is one notch higher than last year," he said. "I guess in spring ball, most of the time you see teams just wanting to get through it and winning, treating it like it's game time all the time. That's a good contribution right now."
Golf team runner-up in tourney
By a Kansan reporter
After 27 holes of the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in Norman, Okla., the Kansas women's golf team was in a strong second place yesterday.
The Jayhawks shot a 488, leading third-place North Texas by nine strokes.
Women's golf
Big Eight Conference rival Oklahoma, playing host to the tournament on its home course, The Trails Golf Club, led the 12-tem team field. The Sooners shot a 473 and were 15 strokes ahead of the Jayhawks.
Another conference tee, Kanea
State, shot a 548. The Wildcats are
in last place and trailed Western
Kentucky by eight strokes.
Three Oklahoma players topped the individual leader board. Ellen Mielke was the leader, shooting a 116. Tina Trimble at 117 and Beth Brown at 118 were in second and third places.
Kansas sophomore Laura Martin was five strokes off the individual lead. Martin shot a 121 and was tied with Rebecca Sims from Troy, A&M.
No other Jayhawks were in the top 10.
SUSIE MAXWELL BERNING CLASSIC At The Trails Golf Club, Norman, Okla.
The two-day tournament will conclude with 27 holes today.
Women First ground
TEAM SORNING — 1. Oklahoma 473; 2. Kansas 488; 3. North Texas 497; 4. Lamar 508; 5. Texas A&M 499; 6. Baylor 507; 7. New Mexico 508; 8. Texas Tech 515; 9. Wichita State 518; 10. Wyoming 539; 11. Kentucky 540; 12. Kansas State 548.
Monday's results
Individuals
1. Ellen Mielke, Oklahoma, 116. 2. Tina Trink, Oklahoma, 117. 3. tie, Beth Brown, Oklahoma, Kelly Myers, Wyoming, 118. 5. Candy Morgan, North Texas, 120. 6. tie, Laura Martin, Kansas, 121. 7. tie, Kate Beaver, CeCe Garbage, Lamar; Eshee Ebeer, Lamar; Kristin Parker, Baylor; Cathy Stevens, Oklahoma, 122.
Kansas results
12, tie, Donna Lowen; Laura Myers, 123;
16, Sherri Atchison, 124; 41, Shelly Tripp
lett, 133.
KU is on upswing Opening series split pleases Bingham
By Brent Maycock
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas baseball coach Dave Bingham is pleased with the outcome of the Jayhawks' first Big Eight Conference series of the season, but he is not satisfied.
Kansas split four games during the weekend with Nebraska, sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday and losing two games of a doubleheader on Sunday.
Kansas baseball
Freshman pitcher John Wuycheck will get his first start of the season when Kansas plays Washburn at 7 tonight at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
"In our last six trips to Lincoln, we've gone 3-21," Bingham said. "Getting two wins is obviously progress, but I was a little disappointed because we had hoped to get another one on Sunday. But they definitely outplayed us."
Bingham said the biggest difference between the Jayhawks' performance Saturday compared to Saturday was their ability to score runs.
Kansas scored four in Saturday's first game and three in the second game. But the Jayhawks only scored two runs in two games Sunday.
"We found a way to manufacture runs on Saturday and we didn't do that on Sunday," Bingham said. "I was very disappointed with our hitting against their pitching. Their pitching is not as strong as ours and we should have been able to score more runs off them."
Kansas, which entered the Nebraska series batting 272, managed to hit .406.
“Our problems continue to revolve around our hitting.” Bingham said. It doesn’t matter if it’s the starters or the end, the realistically beating the ball that well.
"Basketball is different because you can be great one day and terrible the next," he said. "There is no real reason for it. It's just something you
Left fielder Mark Humrel said the Jayhawks' inconsistency would be something they would have to work through.
have to work out."
Standing tall amid the Jayhawk hitting woes has been the pitching.
"Our pitching staff has done a
much better job than we did,
kids have developed." Bindun said.
Despite having good pitching, Bingham would like the offense to provide support as the Jayhawks heart of their conference schedule.
Kansas' next Big Eight games will be this weekend when Kansas State comes to Lawrence for a four-game series. The surprising Wildcats are coming off a four-game sweep of Oklahoma during the weekend.
"I think everybody was shocked because nobody anticipated they would win four against Oklahoma," Bingham said. "I don't care who you are playing, to win four games against any team is very difficult, let alone a team the tailor of OU."
"Even from the beginning, I saw it was going to be an even conference," he said. "You use to always figure that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would take two spots and the rest of the conference had to fight for the remaining two. But now there are three spots up for grabs."
The Sooners, who tied for first in the Big Eight last season, are now at the bottom of the conference with a 1-4 record.
Bingham said that the Big Eight would be more balanced this year, making the four spots for the postseason tournament even harder to come by.
"I think the days of one team being able to beat another team anytime, anywhere are over. Oklahoma State is the best team years, but those days are finished."
"In the past, I've taken the attitude of win, win, win," he said, "and right now I need to do the best thing for our team."
Bingham said he planned to use some of his reserves against Washburn so his starters can get some rest.
But the Jayhawks must get past Washburn before they can concentrate on Kansas Stafe.
NCAA
Continued from p. 1
the start
"I told the kids it was going to come down to the last shot of the game, and I just hope that we take it." Tarkanian said.
But it never was really close.
UUUu pressed the first points and
never trailed.
The Rebels literally stole the title from Duke, which was making its
eighth Final Four appearance. The Blue Devils went home again without a trophy, extending the longest streak of Final Four futility.
UNLV broke the tournament record for steals in a game with 16, eclipsing the mark set by Duke in the 1986 championship game and matched by Oklahoma in the 1988 title game.
And until last night, the largest margin of victory in an NCAA championship game was 23 points, when UCLA beat North Carolina 78-55 in 1968.
The Rebels also set a record for most points scored in a tournament with 571, just better than their regular-season average of 92.3.
For Tarkanian, getting the trophy
No.1 singles player Hamers will compete today against Missouri.
But no court could stop the Rebels last night.
capped a long battle with the NCAA, which several years ago ordered the school to suspend him for violations. He went to court for an injunction, and the case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the NCAA.
KU hopes to roll over MU in Big Eight opener
Sports briefs
KSU PICKS ALTMAN: Marshall basketball coach Dana Altman said yesterday he had resigned to become basketball coach at Kansas State, where he was an assistant for three years.
Altman will be formally introduced today as the coach in Manhattan.
HAMILTON NAMED MIAMI COACH: Oklahoma State's Leonard Hamilton was named yesterday to a tail coach at the University of Miami.
The 41-year-old Hamilton succeeds Bill Foster, who in 1985 resurrected the program after a 15-year hiatus.
By Paul Augen
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas tennis
A Kansas men's tennis victory against Missouri simply would not satisfy Kansas coach Scott Perelman.
In the Jayhawks' Big Eight Conference opener at noon today in Columbia, Perelman predicted without question that Kansas would shut out winless Missouri.
"We will beat Missouri 9-6." Perelman said. "It will happen. That is not arrogance. It is just the state of our program versus the state of their program."
The Jayhawk women's tennis team also plays Missouri, 4-7, at noon. The women have won three straight matches and are 1-0 in the Big Eight after defeating Kansas State on Wednesday.
The men's team is 8-8 after an 8-1 victory against Wichita State. The Jayhawks finished third in the conference last year behind Nebraska and champion Oklahoma State. Kansas won Big Eight eight titles in 1987 and 1988.
Missouri, 0-11, finished last in the conference last season. In this case, last means seventh. There are only seven teams in the conference because K-State does not have a men's tennis team.
However, the Tiger program has
"I've been looking forward to this when our Big Eight season ended a year ago," Perelman said of Kansas' conference opener today. "To me, the way we ended the season last year was unacceptable."
"Wins and losses are great, but it is your total number of points that matters," Center said. "We now have five points after our 5-4 victory over Kansas State. Each individual match is significant."
"Missouri was one of the dominant teams in the conference," he said. "I feel sorry for them in a lot of ways. They are the ones who are in way over their heads."
During the Big Eight season, each individual match victory counts as one point for the winning team. Going into the Big Eight Championships, at the end of April, the teams will be ranked by points accumulated in conference play. Those rankings are combined with the standings from the Big Eight meet to determine the conference champion.
been hurting in recent years. Perelman said Missouri did not have scholarships available and was poorly financed.
Both John Falbo and Eveline Hammers, the No. 1 players on the Kansas teams, will be defending the singles won at last year's Big Fight meet.
Kansas coach Michael Center said the women's team would strive to accumulate individual points each time it plaved.
The women's team finished third in the conference last season. Although Center is in his first year as coach, he is familiar with the capabilities of the Jayhawks' conference opponents.
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"I haven't seen these teams myself, but I'm very familiar with the level of play in the conference," he said. "I have scouted and looked at lots of results, so I have a pretty good feel of what to expert."