BUFFALO QUARTERBACKS
BILLY JOE HOBERT passed his physical and was introduced to the Bills' coaching staff yesterday. Buffalo acquired him in exchange for a third-round draft choice in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.
The Buffalo Bills will have their first quarterback competition in 12 years when training camp opens.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
Hobert, a four-year backup.
will challenge Todd Collins in hopes of becoming Buffalo's first regular starter other than Jim Kelly since 1985.
FORMER NEBRASKA PLAYER ARRESTED
A former Nebraska football player has been ordered to stand trial on charges of possessing marijuana with intent to deliver. Abdul Muhammad, 23, is free on $1,000.
bail after his Jan. 23 arrest in Omaha. He was arrested at a mail store after signing for a package that contained four one-pound bricks of marijuana.
The Kansas City Chiefs entertained free agent quarterback Heath Shuler and free agent wide receiver Brett Perriman yesterday.
CHIEFS SEARCH
Shuler, a former first-round draft choice of the Washington Redskins, is being considered a prospect after free agent quarterback Jeff George signed with Oakland.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1997
The Chiefs are shopping to replace Steve Bono, who was benched late last season in what turned out to be a disappointing 9-7 season for the team. Perriman, 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, has caught 202 passes for Detroit in the last two seasons
and may be the top free agent at his position.
SECTION B
Gilbert Brown re-signs with Green Bav Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Gilbert Brown, the defensive tackle who has become one of the NFL's top run-stoppers, re-signed today with the Green Bay Packers after nearly going to Jacksonville.
Brown, who played for Kansas, resigned after his teammates urged him to stay despite a $3 million a year offer from the Jauars.
He was due in Jacksonville today for talks and perhaps to sign a contract.
Financial details of the pact with the 6-foot-3, 325-pound Brown were not disclosed.
The fourth-year pro started all 16 regular-season games for the Packers in 1996 for the first time in his career, and the Green Bay defense allowed the fewest points in the National Football League at 210.
He led all Green Bay linemen with his career high of 52 tackles during the regular season, 22 more than his previous best set in 1994. He also posted one sack and forced one fumble.
Brown also had 1.1 tackles in the postseason, including five in the Super Bowl.
Originally a third-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 1992, he joined the Packers in 1993 after being claimed on waivers.
Angelos said Hirschbeck should be man enough to admit what he said to Alomar, calling his player's reaction unfortunate but understandable.
In describing what Hirschbeck allegedly said to Alomar on the field, Angelos said, "... He accused him having a sexual relationship with his mother. Now just because it's used a lot, rarely does anyone make that statement to anyone in a confrontational manner. And in this case, it was."
Orioles owner: Umpire should apologize to Alomar
Bonds wants to finish contract with Giants
The American League suspended Alomar for five games at the beginning of the upcoming season for spitting in Hirschbeck's face Sept. 27 in Toronto.
But The Baltimore Sun yesterday reported that Hirschbeck said he will not apologize because he was not to blame.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After sparing publicly with the San Francisco Giants about a contract extension, Barry Bonds arrived at spring training three days early and reiterated his desire to finish his career with the team.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos said he wanted umpire John Hirschbeck to apologize to Roberto Alomar for swearing at the second baseman and prompting Alomar to spit at the umpire.
During the last few weeks, Bonds complained of not being loved in his hometown and accused the Giants of lying to him by promising to make him the highest-paid player in baseball.
bonds, signed through 1998 and entering the fifth year of a six-year deal worth $43.75 million, apologized for those accusations last week.
Most important for Bonds, 32, is helping to turn the Giants into a winning team. The team has finished last in the NL West the past two seasons.
Bonds played in three league championship series with Pittsburgh in 1990-92, but has never been in a World Series.
Even while the Giants were losing 94 games in 1996, Bonds set an NL record with 151 walks, 42 homeruns, 129 RBI, and 40 stolen bases.
Women ready for round two
Basketball team looks for revenge
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
The Associated Press
The No. 12 Kansas women's basketball team will look to average a 68-66 upset on Feb. 5 when it plays host to Missouri at 7 ontime.
The Jayhawks had a four-game winning streak snapped when they lost at Missouri two weeks ago. Since then, they have won three consecutive games, including road victories at Oklahoma State and Colorado.
Kansas guard Angie Halbleib said the Jayhawks would not make the same mistakes they made last time against Missouri.
"There will be no let down this time around," Halbleib said. "We underestimated them and got a little cocky. We thought we just had to
show up to win games, but that's not the case."
in the first meeting, Kansas guard Tameeka Dixon had 24 points, four rebounds and three assists. Center Nakia Sanford posted career highs with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Forwards Lynn Pride and Suzi Raymant each had six points against the Tigers, while forward Jennifer Trapp struggled to stay on the court.
Trapp played just 16 minutes before fouling out of the game. She finished with one rebound, one assist and one blocked shot.
"The Missouri game made us refocus everything we do," Trapp said. "There was really no excuse for that loss, but we just want to stay on this winning streak. We really can't afford any more losses because the probability of Texas losing isn't that good." No. 9 Texas defeated Nebraska 71-10 in an overtime game Monday night. Texas and Kansas are tied for the Big 12 Conference lead with 10-2 records.
Meanwhile, Missouri remains in the lower half of the Big 12 standings.
Forward Julie Helm averages a team-high 16.3 points per game. Center Kesha Bonds has maintained a double-double average throughout the season with 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Helm and guard Tanisha Johnson each had 14 points against the Jayhawks in the first meeting, while guard Stephanie White scored 11 points. Bonds had nine points and 10 rebounds.
"There's nothing better than being able to sleep in your own bed," Washington said. "We won two challenging road games last week, which really showed the team's determination. Now we're looking forward to playing some games in front of our own crowd rather than someone else."
Because every game increases in importance as the Big 12 title chase gets shorter, Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said she liked playing three of the last four regular season games at Allen Field House.
Missouri v. Kansas
**Missouri** (10-15 overall, 3-9 in the Big 12)
Probable Starters
G Debra Williams, 5-6, junior
G Tanisha Johnson, 5-8, junior
F Julie Helm, 5-11, freshman
F Ekpedeme Akpaffong, 6-0, freshman
C Kesha Bonds, 6-1, sophomore
Kansas (19-4 overall, 10-2 in the Big 12)
Probable Stort on
Probable Garters
G Tamecke Dixon, 5-9, senior
G Angle Halbleib, 5-10, senior
F Lynn Pride, 6-2, freshman
Jennifer Trapp, 6-1, senior
C Nakia Sanford, 6-3, sophomore
Place: Allen Field House
Time: 7 tonight
Radio: KJHK-FM, 90.7
Honor in LaFrentz's reach
Forward could add All-American status to his list of awards
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas forward Raef LaFrentz's list of achievements this season already is jam-packed.
He has recorded 15 double-doubles. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He has been the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week and earned Dick Vitale's Prime Time Player award.
But there still is room for one more accolade — the Associated Press All-American team.
And many people think LaFrentz deserves All-American status. Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams even thought LaFrentz should crack the first team of this elite group.
"I can't think of five other guys who have had a better year than he's had," Williams said. "He's been phenomenal for us and he's done a great job. We're the No. 1 team in America. I've always said the teams that win get the rewards."
To be a first-team selection, LaFrentz would have to be among the top five vote recipients in the country. Other contenders at his position are Utah's Keith Van Horn, Cincinnati's Danny Fortson and Texas Tech's Tony Battie. Reporters around the nation vote for the All-American teams. Statistics play a part in the vote, but reporters take other factors such as competitiveness and the success of the team into consideration.
LaFrentz's 19.0 points per game comes close to Van Horn's (22.2 ppg), Fortson's (22.7 ppg) and Battie's (19.7). LaFrentz is averaging 9.0 rebounds, while Battie, Van Horn and Fortson are tallying 12, 10 and 10, respectively.
LaFrentz could be a strong contender for the team, which is not selected by position.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Forward Reef LaFrentz attempts to score regardless of pressure from Missouri's kelly Thame. LaFrentz is a strong contender for the Associated Press All-American team.
LaFrentz's numbers even have impressed those away from the college game.
Leventhal said that he thought if LaFrentz passed up his senior season he would be a lottery selection, which means he would be one of the first 13 picks.
"There's really nothing that he can't do," said NBA draft expert Don Leventhal. "He can score inside and he can score outside."
Since LaFrentz arrived at Kansas from Monona, Iowa's Mar Mac High School, where he averaged 34.5 points per game and 16.3 rebounds
"If he would enter the draft, he would go no higher than fifth or sixth." Leventhal said.
"I saw him play in high school, and it's been exciting to watch him flower as much as he has in college," Obermann said.
per game, he has improved his game each season.
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Keith Olbermann said it had been interesting to watch LaFrentz blossom since his high school years.
When asked if LaFrentz should be an All-American selection, Kansas guard Jacque Vaughn thought it was a no-brainer.
"I definitely think so," Vaughn said. "He does the things that we need him to do for our team. He's our go-to guy."
"He does the things that we need him to do for our team. He's our go to guy."
Jacque Vaughn Kansas point guard
Hey seniors, thanks for all the memories
Being a senior, I wanted to write about all of the great moments we've experienced at Allen Field House during the last four years.
Jacque Vaughn, Scott Pollard, Williams, Steve Ransom and Joel Brastrom will play their final game at the field house this Saturday, and that deserves notice.
So I was reminiscing about all of the great moments at Allen for those four years.
These guys have played a huge role in all of our lives for the past four basketball seasons, and they need to be thanked for the memories.
I remember Jacque hitting a three in overtime to beat Indiana his freshman year.
SPORTS COLUMNIST
I remember Steve Woodberry hitting a three to beat Oklahoma State in overtime later that
came in over time later that same year.
That was it. 'That it' for the close games.
That same year, Kansas lost three games to Temple, Kansas State and Missouri.
Then the streak began. Not only has the Kansas team won 43 consecutive home games, but it has dismantled those opponents.
Or most 43 wins, only six have been decided by less than 10 points. The closest anyone has come to Kansas at home since Missouri beat the Jayhawks February 20, 1994, was Kansas State in the seniors' sophomore season. Kansas beat the Wildcats by four.
The answer to the trivia question, who was the first victim in Kansas' 43-game home court winning streak? Colorado.106-62.
Allen Field House must be the Buffs' worst nightmare. But sometimes watching Kansas play in the field house is a Jawkah fan's best dream.
Last year, UCLA came in to the field house and ran Kansas off the floor, leading by as many as 19 points in the first half. But the Jayhawks came back and played one of their best halves ever. Kansas won by 15, outscoring the defending national champion Bruins by 30 in the second half. The next three games, Kansas destroyed its opponents by an average score of 104-56.
One of the most bizarre games happened two years ago, when Oklahoma State came into the field house on senior day (and on its way to the Final Four). The Cowboys' best player and leading scorer, Bryant Reeves, was shut out. He scored zero. Meanwhile, Randy Rutherford lit up the 'Hawks for 45 Kansas won, 78-62.
After a win against Kansas State Saturday, Kansas will have gone undefeated at the field house for the 12th season. Seniors have seen three of them.
Despite the domination, there are several moments we will never forget. Allen Field House has been good to the Jawhaves, and us, these past four years.
We will remember the 44 wins, the dunks and the threes for a while, but we will never forget the Field House. We will never forget swaying arm-in-arm, singing the alma mater, and then doing the Rock-Chalk chant. If you don't get chills during those, you're not human.
No other school has the team we have, and no other school has the tradition and spirit that we have, either.
I've seen games at Minnesota, Iowa State, and Arkansas this year. Those are supposed to be three of the best arenas to watch college basketball.
None of them come close to Allen Field House. The place is full of tradition and ghosts. We're the most spoiled fans in college basketball, and we should b proud of it.
Y
Thanks, Jacque, Scot, Jerod, B.J., Steve and Joel.
We've enjoyed watching you.
Comments? E-mail John at sports@kansan.com