UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, January 22, 1997
3B
Golfer eager for new season
Senior hopes to be Academic All-American
Seth Hoffman
Kansan sportswriter
This spring has been a long time coming for Kit Grove.
Last year, Grove, a senior on the Kansas men's golf team, was told that he was three credits short of being named an Academic All-American.
About 35 golfers in Division I are named to the academic team.
The Kansas men's golf team has produced three Academic All-Americans in the last four years.
"That's something to be proud of," said Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall.
Grove was told in the middle of last year's spring semester that he was inelegible for the academic team.
Although Grove was disappointed that he would not be receiving the honor, he immediately told Randall that he would make the team the next year.
"It was frustrating more than anything," Grove said. "If I would've known that I'd be three credits short, I could have taken a summer class."
When Grove transferred, only 19 of his 25 credits transferred with him, meaning he lost six hours.
Grove transferred to the University of Kansas after completing his freshman year at New Mexico State.
"Losing those hours hurt," Grove said.
"If I would have known that I'd be three credits short, I could have taken a summer class."
To be named a golf Academic All- American a player must have a grade point average of more than
Contributed photo
KitGrove seniorgolfer
3. 25, play in 75 percent of the team's scheduled events, have a scoring average of less than 77 and be classified as a junior or senior.
Randall sees nothing that will stand in Grove's way this year. During the Fall 1996 season, Grove had an average score of 75.86.
"The only thing that could happen to hurt his chances is his scoring average rising." Randall said.
Grove is confident he will receive the award this year.
"Two would've been nice," Grove said. "But one is better than nothing."
As a Jayhawk, Grove was named to the 1995 and 1996 Academic All Big Eight Conference team.
He also tied for 10th at the 1996 Big Eight Championship.
The men's golf team begins its spring season March 3 at the Bridges All-American Invitational in St. Louis.
Grove said he hoped that the Jayhawks would improve this season.
Kansas senior golfer Kit Grove takes a cut at the Kansas Invitational last fall. The Jayhawks begin their spring season March 3 at the Bridges All-American Invitational in St. Louis.
"Patience is a key — we've got to grind through," Grove said.
Only four of 14 on the team are returning upperclassmen, but that poses no problem for the team, Grove said.
"We've got some talent," he said. "We just need to get some of these young guys playing consistently."
Grove doesn't mind his new role as team leader.
"We've got to be patient with this young team," he said.
"Hopefully, we can get some team cohesion," he said.
Coach Randall doesn't mind Grove's new role, either.
"He's a well-rounded individual," Randall said. "He's definitely what you look for."
Texas swing to end tonight for women
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
The No. 15 Kansas women's basketball team will complete its Texas two-step tonight when it plays at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, hoping to avoid two consecutive losses.
The Aggies play a similar brand of basketball as No. 12 Texas, which defeated the Jayhawks 82-72 Saturday.
"They have some quick guards and a couple of real shooters," said senior forward Jennifer Trapp. "We have had enough time to rest up for Texas A&M. We won't be tired from practicing, and I expect that we will be ready for the game."
Texas A&M (7-8 overall, 1-4 in the Big 12) has a pair of sharp-shooting guards: Lana Tucker and Amy Yates.
Tucker, a senior, averages a team-high 14.5 points per game and shoots 41 percent from three-point range. Yates, a freshman, averages 9.5 points per game and shoots 39 percent from three-point range.
The Aggies defeated visiting Oklahoma State 75-72 Saturday. Tucker led all Texas &M scores with 17 points, while center Prissy Sharpe had 16 points and Yates added 12 points.
The Jayhawks (12-3 overall, 3-1 in the Big 12) returned from Austin, Texas, Saturday night and had Sunday off.
The Aggies are 5-5 in home games this season.
Despite the time constraints between practice and travel,
senior forward Shelly C can a expe ts Kansas to show no side-
effects from the past week.
"As far as travel fatigue goes, that should not effect our game because we have had plenty of time to rest," Canada said. "It was nice to sleep in our own beds for a couple nights. The fact that we can have a couple days to practice here on our court should help us to better prepare for Texas A&M."
Kansas relied heavily on its senior backcourt of Tamecka Dixon and Angle Halbleib against the Longhorns. Dixon and Halbleib combined for 45 points and 63 percent of Kansas' offense. The frontcourt starters — forwards Lynn Pride and Trapp, along with center Nakia Sanford — combined for 11 points and 15 percent of the Jayhawks' offense against Texas.
Kansas will have to play without sophomore forward Suzi Raymant for its second consecutive game. She was declared ineligible Friday by the NCAA because of a violation of amateur regulations. The NCAA announced yesterday that Raymant will be eligible Feb. 1 when the Jayhawks travel to Nebraska.
"Anytime you lose someone who plays as much as Suzi does, it does affect the team and the game," Trapp said. "She is offensive-minded and plays good defense, so it did hurt us that she wasn't able to play over the weekend."
Sweeney says NFL made him an addict
Associated Press
Lawyers for the Bert Bell-Pete Rozelle NFL Retirement Plan indicated that they would appeal U.S. District Court Judge Rudi M. Brewster's decision.
SAN DIEGO — The NFL was ordered yesterday to pay $1.8 million in disability benefits to former San Diego Chargers guard Walt Sweeney, who contended that the league pushed drugs on him and helped turn him into an addict.
The ruling could open the door to other suits against pro football's 400 million pension and disability fund, legal experts said.
"This could affect every retired player who has a disability or may have one," said Sweeney's lawyer, Michael Thorsnes.
The NFL players' union has been paying Sweeney $1,827 a month since 1990,the year doctors determined his drug and
alcohol use made him incapable of holding a job. The sum is the minimum benefit allowed for a disability unrelated to football.
Sweeney, 55, claimed his drug addiction was directly related to the game because coaches and trainers for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins gave him amphetamines before games and depressants to bring him down afterward.
The former All-Pro guard played in the NFL from 1963 to 1976.
Brewster said that the NFL contributed to Sweeney's drug problems and that he should receive the higher payment for football-related disabilities. That amount will climb to $12,670 a month in 1998, said Rhonda Thompson, another lawyer for Sweeney.
Brewster issued a similar ruling in August 1995 and said yesterday that the NFL pension plan had ignored it.
Field house campers are wimps
true basketball fans would pitch tents and fire up the grill
Does anyone else think we're being a little bit anal about camping out for men's basketball games?
Does anyone else think that making half of the people who attend the games try to file in two doors is stupid?
Does anyone else think that the camping system is just a little wimpy?
Campers only have to spend 16 hours per day in Allen Field House. Even though they wait in line several days before home games, they are allowed to go home to sleep before they return the next day at 6 a.m.
If you read the rules as published in the Kansan yesterday, you saw that the rules included:
11. We are here to have fun and cheer on the next national championship team.
9. Be courteous of other groups.
10. Camping rules are developed by campers for campers.
Who wrote these? Mr. Rogers?
COLUMNIST
There are also several rules that state how the campers can agree not to camp. If these campers, who think that they are the most die-hard fans, were really die-hards, they would camp
all night, all the time and outside.
Another rule allows campers to save seats for as many as 30 people per camper. That means that breaking the shifts down by hour and figuring that the campers are only there for 16 hours per day, the average camper waits less than one hour every other day. Die-hard fans? Fans that live in Kansas City waste more time traveling to the game than these so-called die-hards.
All of these excuses not to camp make the whole idea illegitimate.
When these campers finally get to the game and organize their silly
line, they think that they have some power over the non-camping fans, and they whine when the non-campers "butt" in line.
The solution is to make the campers really camp with tents and campfires like the Cameron Crazies do at Duke.
Are the Dukes better fans than the Kansas fans? Do they love their No. 10 team more than we love ours?
Probably not, but they may appreciate their team more because it's not so easy for them to get tickets.
As students at Kansas, we need to realize that we have the highest percentage of tickets in the United States. Nearly half of Allen Field House is filled with students. No other university can say that. Not Duke, not Indiana, not Kentucky.
We're spoiled, and we act like babies when we don't get to sit where we want. Suck it up, and if you're really a die-hard, pitch your tent and bring your grill because the wind that blows between Allen Field House and the parking garage can get pretty cold.
While we students need to realize how lucky we are because we get so
many tickets, there is one legitimate bone to pick with the powers that be.
The students should not have to file into two doors. That in itself is hazardous. If we're talking safety, as the facilities director claims, then more doors need to be opened. Open all the doors on the north side of Allen Field House to the students.
The moral of the story: put on your long underwear, grab your sleeping bag and find out what it's like to really camp.
■ Message to Dale Brown: Release Lester Earl! You are gaining nothing by making him wait an extra year to play at Kansas. You are making those who have always respected you as a coach think you are little more than a stubborn jerk.
**Props to T.J. Pugh. While his points and minutes have been few and far between, he has had three huge buckets in the last two games. He has filled his role quite well.**
Add the game at Colorado to a list of challenging games that the Jayhawks have remaining on the schedule.
Comments? E-mail John at sports@kansan.com
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