Sports
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, November 16, 1989
11
'Hawks soar 109-83 in NIT first round
By Dan Perkins
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas Jayhawks opened the 1989-90 regular season last night in an impressive fashion with a 109-83 shelling of the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers.
Alabama-Birmingham guard Barry Bearden is stripped of the ball.
The victory moves Kansas into the second round of the Dodge National Invitation Tournament. Kansas will play at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow against second-ranked Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The game will be televised on ESPN.
"Our guys played well," Coach Roy Williams said. "What can you say? I just stood over there and clapped most of the night."
The Jayhawks proved the two exhibition routs were not flukes by racing to a 59-30 halftime lead against the Blazers.
"I think our kids felt they hadn't played as well as they wanted to and hadn't had the intensity," Williams said. "They made the decision tonight to play for 40 minutes, and we really got off to a good start."
Kansas got off to a good start and lent on rolling.
The 109 points were the most points by a Jayhawks team in an opener since the 1977-78 season-opening win against Central Missouri State, 121-65.
"We showed some potential tonight," said senior guard Kevin Pritchard. "We showed we can play with some good teams. UAB is a good team."
Kansas neutralized the Blazers size advantage with aggressive defense and held the Blazers to just 40 percent first-ball shooting.
aggressive defense that created a lot of shots for us," said junior forward Mark Randall.
percent first half we played a tough,
The Jayahaws used the shots well. Kansas hit 10 of its first 11 shots and was never threatened by the Blazers after gaining an 18-2 lead on a jumper by freshman guard Adonis Jordan with 14:40 remaining in the first half.
"I was kind of nervous at first," Jordan said after the game. "But I told myself not to worry about the crowd."
Jordan and Pritchard combined in the first half for 7-for-7 shooting and 20 points. As a team, Kansas was 22-for-32 shooting in the first half for 68.8 percent.
"I just want to come in little by little and contribute as much as I can," Jordan said. Jordan, after being held scoreless in the two exhibition games, scored seven points.
Pritchard scored a team-high 22 points and now trails former Kansas center Greg Dreiling by one point for 12th place on the all-time Kansas scoring list with 1,208 points.
"If I can throw in a couple of three's, I'm happy." Pritchard said before passing the credit to his teammates.
One of his teammates he gave credit to was senior guard Jeff Gueldner who scored a career-high 15 points, but more importantly for the Jayhawks, he held the Blazers leading scorer, junior guard/forward Andy Kennedy, to just five points. Kennedy had scored 60 points in two exhibition victories.
"Guelden is about as solid a defensive player as I've ever played with," Pritchard said. "He compare him with Chris Piper. He doesn't get
the credit, but you're not going to get easy shots on him."
Williams was pleased with the way all three guards played in the game.
"Kevin got us started off well, Adonis gave us a really nice lift when he came in and Jeff Guelder played a fantastic game for us." Williams said.
Maddox tied a careerer high with 21 points while Calloway and Randall scored 12 and 11 points respectively. Calloway also added seven assists and two steals.
KU storms Blazers; Jordan's 'good start' shows Kansas' depth
By Paula Parrish
Kansan sportswriter
Susultutions came early in the game and with positive results. Pritchard played a total of 13 minutes in the first half, scoring 13 points and shooting five for five from the field, including a three-pointer. He also had one rebound and one assist.
The scenario was the same, but freshman guard Adonis Jordan changed the storyline this year with his performance in Kansas' 109-83 rcmp over Alabama-Birmingham last night at Allen Field House.
Jordan, substituting throughout the game for Pritchard, played for seven minutes, scored seven points and shot four for four from the field, and like Pritcharo had one three pointer, one rebound and one assist.
last night at the game. Kansas stormed to an 18-2 lead in the first 5 minutes of the game with an attack led by a solid nucleus of veteran players. But unlike last year, when depth was lacking, Kansas was able to continue the intensity of its attack. The Jayhawks fell back on a young bench led by the scrappy 5-foot-11 Jordan.
"Adonis is going to be a great point guard before he leaves," said senior guard Kevin Pritchard. "He doesn't remind me of me at all. He's a better than I was at the same time."
And coming from the player who scored a team high 22 points for the night, that means a lot.
NEW YORK — Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals won his second Cy Young Award in four years yesterday, beating Oakland's Dave Stewart with ease.
The Associated Press
"I wanted to get of it to a good start," Jordan said. "In the two
KC's Saberhagen wins 2nd Cy Young Award
state in Missouri Class 4A after averaging 18.1 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior last season.
"Kevin got us started off well and Adonis gave us a really nice lift when he came in for Kevin," Williams said. "(Kevin) had the most minutes on the team last year, and then he got sick. I want to keep Kevin healthy and give some time to the rest of the team. Jordan is going to be a good basketball player for us."
Coach Roy Williams was also pleased with the performances of Pritchard and Jordan.
exhibition games, I didn't play as well as Adonis Jordan can play. But Coach Williams showed a confidence in me today by playing me, even though I didn't play well or score in the first two exhibition games."
Richey, who chose Kansas over Missouri, was second-team all-
Although he played six more minutes in the second half, he failed to score again but managed two more assists.
"I think I'm better defensively than offensive," Jordan said. "I take pride in my defense. And if we have a good defense, the offense is going to come."
Saberhagen, a 25-year-old right-hander who went 23-6, got 27 of 28 first-place votes from a panel of the Baseball Writers Association of America and one second for 138
Stewart, the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, got the other first-place vote, 24 seconds and three thirds for 80 points. Mike Moore, his teammate on the World Series champion Oakland Athletics, was third with 10 points.
Saberhagen, who won the Cy Young in 1885, led the majors in victories, earned-run average (2.16), winning percentage (.793).
points.
Williams, who made a promise on Oct. 10 to not eat dessert until the Jayhawks had signed two recruits, ended his fast yesterday.
"It's a lot more depth than we've ever had since I've been at KU," said senior guard Jeff Gueldner, who scored third highest for the team with 15 points and had six rebounds.
rucney was listed by Bob Gibbon's all-Star Sports as the 62nd rated high school player in the nation. He was also an honorable mention all-American candidate by Street and Smith.
Pritchard, who scored nine more points and ended the game with eight of eight from the line and eight of ten from the field, including another three pointer, was optimistic about Jordan.
Missouri player signs
. "They're new and still having some difficulties." Pritchard said. "But I think we can be a good ball club."
Pat Richey, a 6-foot-8 guard from Lee's Summit High School,
Mo. signed his national letter-of-
portent to play with the Jayhawks
most recent season.
Richey is the second player to sign with the Jayhawks in the early signing period. Chris Lindley, a 6-foot-8 forward signed Tuesday.
Kansas Coach Roy Williams can eat dessert again.
By a Kansan reporter
Sport briefs
Kansas finished the season 13-17 overall and 4-8 in the Big Eight Conference. Kansas State, 11-18 and 2-9, has one game remaining.
VOLLEYBALL ENDS: The Kansas volleyball team closed its season last night with a victory against the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, 15-7. 13-15. 15-13 and 15-10.
Senior Jodi Oelschlager ended her KU career with a team-high 19 kills.
Canterbury's A side will play against Kansas A side at 2 p.m., and both B sides will meet at 3:30 p.m. at Shenk Complex, 23rd and Iowa streets.
After the New Zealanders play Kansas, they will travel to Springfield, Mo., Las Vegas, New, San Diego, Los Angeles and Hawaii.
Drege. During its stop in Springfield next Sunday, the New Zealanders will play an all-star Kansas-Missouri team. five Kansas players will compete in this match.
The Kansas rugby club lost 13-4 to Canterbury's club during the 1983 Kansas' tour in New Zealand.
Sizzlers' Thompson awaiting call from NBA
Calvin Thompson is hungry
By Holly Lawton
Carvin P. Johnson, B. Riley
Hungry to get his chance, to achieve his dream, to play for the National Basketball Association.
Since deciding as a youngster that he wanted to make basketball his career, Thompson has been inching closer to his aspirations. As one of Kansas' all-time top forwards, he had a chance to play in the played with the Continental Basketball Association's Topeka Sizels for two years.
But he is still not satisfied.
"My dream is to play in the NBA," he said. "I had a good year last year, so I know what I can do. I'm still young, and I know I'm capable of playing in the NBA."
Thompson may seem to have big dreams, but those dreams come naturally to the 6-foot-7 shooter who grew up in a rich tradition of basketball. Thompson attended Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kan., which holds the national record for the most state titles in basketball.
"When I first starting playing, I told my mom I was going to work hard and earn a scholarship so I wouldn't have to pay my way through college," he said. "Everyone thought that was a joke then."
It wasn't a joke. Not even a serious injury could stop Thompson from playing. While playing football his freshman year at Wyandotte, he broke his femur and was told by doctors he would never play basketball again.
"When I heard that, I said to myself, 'B.S.'," Thompson said. Despite doctors' predictions he went on to play in the final five football games of that year and enjoyed a successful basketball season as well.
I was kind of the star my junior year," he said. "I had letters from 250 schools across the country, but I taught them in ones that had Jaw-hawks on them."
Thompson was so sure of his decision to enroll at Kansas that he refused to visit other schools.
Kansas offered Thompson a scholarship his junior year, but his high school principal, Tom Rhone, asked him to extore all his options before making a full commitment to Kansas.
wasting their time as well as mine," he said. "I had heard so much about the KU tradition, and I wanted to stay close to home so my family could watch me play."
Thompson took huge strides as a basketball player in high school and was recruited by hundreds of universities, but he said he knew all along that Kansas was the school for him.
"He was just looking out for me," Thompson said. "He wanted me to give all the other schools a chance."
played in the CBA for two years."
"I thought it would have been
Thompson said he agreed to look at other schools, eventually stirring up media hysteria. He also met in a discussion between attending Kansas and the University of Missouri.
Calvin Thompson, former Kansas basketball player and fifth all-time in points scored, hopes to play in the National Basketball Association.
"That wasn't true," he said.
"There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to go to KU. Deep down there was no contest."
Thompson found another option in playing in Europe. He joined the Salon De Provence team in France, where he was second in the league in scoring. However, his success abroad was not enough to keep him there.
A great offensive player
Cheryl Hanly/KANSAN
"France was a good learning experience for me, but I'm glad to be back home," he said. "My chances are better here."
Thompson's choice appeared to be the right one for him. He excelled as a Jayhawk, helping to lead the team to a Final Four berth in 1986 and leaving his mark as the fifth highest scorer in Kansas history.
Thompson said he followed the NBA even while halfway across the world.
His experience in the pros has been varied since then. He played with the Sizzlers for two years and then spent some time in the Houston Rockets training camp last fall. His hopes of getting signed by the Rockets eventually fell through.
Former Kansas foreward Chris Piper, who played with Thompson for three years, described him as a great offensive player.
Thompson was drafted by the New York Knicks after leaving Kansas but never played there. He became property of the Topeka Sizzlers that year via a trade with the Albany Patroons.
"Last year, we'd get USA Today,
and I'd see transactions of different
"He's as good a pure scorer as there ever was," he said. "He wasn't much of a practice player, but he was so intense at game time. He loved to get out on the floor and play in the games."
"They wouldn't guarantee me any money," Thompson said. "I felt I deserved a guarantee since I'd
"It was always his goal to play professionally," he said. "He's done well in the CBA, and I know he can do it in the NBA if he just keeps trying."
Piper said he had great admiration for Thompson as a player and supported his goal to play in the NBA.
ried in July.
"She really helps me think things through," Thompson said. "She's a big part of my career. She's the main reason I decided to come back to Topeka this year until she finishes school."
Gillian Thompson, now a senior at Kansas, said her husband's career sometimes put a strain on their marriage, but their closeness always saw them through.
guys getting called up to the NBA," he said. "It hurts a lot to not be playing there, too. But it's hard to break in. It's a lot more political than people realize.
"But as long as you keep in perspective what your dreams are and what you're going after, you're okay. If I go in there with a hungry attitude, it makes me work harder every day. You should always strive to get better wherever you are."
Support at home
When times get tough, Thompson leans on his wife, Gillian, for support. The couple met at Kansas and mar-
zlers for two weeks. I see him mostly in between times.
"But we have a really close relationship, so we're doing OK. We may not have a lot of time during the season, but we have a lot of quality time. We just pray about it and take it easy. It makes our time together even more special."
even more secure. Thompson agreed that his schedule was demanding but tried to look on the bright side.
"It itges hectic, but I'm not complaining," he said. "There are so few jobs open in pro ball. I'm not satisfied, but I've got to feel lucky to be where I am right now."
where I am right now.'
"He likes to joke a lot, and I tell him his jokes are corny," she said. "He's always the practical joker."
Reunited teammates
Aside from basketball, Gillian Thompson said her husband was an outgoing man who looked for the comedy in life.
For those who follow the CBA, the Sizzlers have a special significance for many Kansas fans. The Sizzlers boasted the reunion of Thompson and former Kansas forward Ron Kellogg in 1986-87 before Kellogg was cut by the Sizzlers. In 1987 the Sizzlers also acquired former Kansas point guard Cadric Hunter, who will play with Thompson again this year.
"It helps to have Cedric here," Thompson said. "We know each other's ways of playing and how to help each other out. We've been through a lot together.
"It's good to have someone there with you, because it's not always easy, or everyone would be playing basketball."
Hunter echoed Thompson's words. "We're pretty good friends. I'm sure Calvin and I have a special relationship after our years at KU" he said. "We work together pretty well."
Hunter said Thompson had grown as a pro player, becoming more physical and intense. He also identified with Thompson's dream of playing in the NBA.
"I don't know if I ever heard him come out and say he wanted to play there, but I know it was on his mind while he was at KU," Hunter said. "It's always an unspoken desire. You may not say it, but you're definitely always thinking it."
Looking back
"It got to a point where the rivalry was so intense at OU that we couldn't even talk to those guys off the court," said Thompson, who was good friends with Sooners' Tim McAllister and Darryl Kennedy. "Same for K-State. It didn't matter how good either team was, we were always out to get each other."
Thompson said his years at Kansas held some great memories for him. He cherished the strong rivalries with Missouri, Kansas State and Oklahoma.
Thompson said he had great respect for several players and coaches from his college years.
"Jeff Grayer was amazing," he said. "He was only 6-foot-4, and he guarded Danny Manning every night. He gave us fits.
Thompson cited the Kansas-Michigan State game in the 1969 NCAA tournament as his finest college game, when he was called upon to take charge after Kellogg, Greg Dreiling and Danny Manning had already fouled out with a minute left.
"I really liked coaches Johnny Orr and Jack Hartman. They are two classy guys. And Lon Kruger has done an unbelievable job taking over for Hartman in Manhattan."
Thompson played equally well in what he called his greatest CBA game against Cincinnati, which was coached by Larry Brown's brother Herb. Thomson scored 42 points and boke several CBA scoring records.
"It was do or die for us," he said.
"I was the only senior left on the floor. I told Cedric to give me the ball, and I stepped up. I wanted to make something happen. I didn't want to lose it."
Down by six points after a technical foul called on Coach Larry Brown, Thompson met the challenge and tied the game to go into overtime with Michigan State. The Jayhawks won the game, a stepping stone to their final Four appearance.
But it all comes down to the same thing. He would give up those great scoring days for an opportunity in the big leagues. Thompson said his ideal plans would be to play in the NBA and then go back to Europe to finish his career.
"I hope to be in the NBA within a month," he said. "Then I'd be happy to go back overseas after. It really takes the pressure off your body; the game is more mental than physical there. You only play about one game a week. You still have to perform, but it's not as tough."
Thompson, who said his first years with the Sizzlers served as a learning experience for him, said he thought he was ready to show the world what he could do.
"I feel it's my time now," he said.
"That's why I chose to come back here from France. I love playing ball here, and Topeka is a great city. But I hope my stay here is short. I'm hungry right now."
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