RODMAN IN TROUBLE
Prosecutors are considering assault charges against Chicago Bulls forward DENNIS RODMAN for kicking a courtside photographer in the groin during a game at Minnesota
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday night.
The NBA said it was reviewing the incident and considering a suspension. Although the extent of the photographer's injuries wasn't known, they weren't believed to be serious. He was treated at a Minnesota hospital Wednesday night.
BIG 12 BASEBALL BOASTS SIX RANKED TEAMS
Six teams in the Big 1.2 conference are ranked in a preseason poll. The conference had the second most ranked teams in the country behind the
Southeastern conference, which had seven.
Full story on page 2B.
FASTEST MEN TO RACE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1997
The place and time for the race that will determine the world's fastest man finally has been confirmed. It will be May 31 at the SkyDome in Toronto.
Michael Johnson and Canadian Donovan Bailey
will run for the fastest-man title in a special 150-meter event.
men's 200- and 400-meters at the Atlanta Olympics last summer, setting a world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200. Bailey won the Olympic 100-meters in a world record 9.84 seconds.
SECTION B
Point guard leaves team to concentrate on school
MINNEAPOLIS — Khalid El-Amin, a point guard from Minneapolis, has left his high school basketball team to focus on his education, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Wednesday.
The 5-foot11 El-Amin, who has narrowed his college choices to Kansas and Minnesota, will spend time studying and working on passing the ACT test. He will take the test for the third time on Feb. 8.
El-Amin averaged 20.7 points per game for his 8-2 Minneapolis North High School team. He plans to return to the team after he has taken the test.
El-Amin's mother said it was a family decision.
His parents are worried that if El-Amin does not do well on the test, his college options will be limited. El-Amin is enrolled in a class to help him improve his score.
Some recruiting experts think El-Amin would have signed a letter of intent with Kansas during the November signing period if he already had achieved an appropriate score on his ACT.
Indians pitcher indicted on charges of assault
CLEVELAND — Jose Mesa, the Cleveland Indians' record-setting relief pitcher, was indicted yesterday on a charge of fondling a 26-year-old woman he met at a nightclub.
Mesa, 30, also was indicted on two counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of felonious assault, and one count each of theft and carrying a concealed weapon related to a complaint by two women Dec. 22, said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
The county grand jury also indicted Mesa's friend, David F. Blanco, 34, of Solon, Ohio, on one count of gross sexual imposition and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
Gerald Messerman, Mesa's lawyer, said the pitcher would plead not guilty.
Blanco also plans to plead not guilty, said Niki Schwartz, his lawyer.
Mesa and Blanco were arrested Dec. 27 on charges that they fondied two women at a hotel in suburban Lakewood, Ohio. The women told police they had met Mesa, who is married, and Blanco at a downtown nightclub.
Mesa and Blanco pleaded not guilty to gross sexual imposition on Jan. 8. A new arraignment has been scheduled for Jan. 31.
Police said they had found 9mm handguns in each man's car when they arrested them.
Jagr to miss All-Star game because of ankle injury
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr, who leads the NHL this season with 41 goals, will miss the All-Star game because of an ankle injury he sustained in a game Wednesday night.
Jagr will be replaced on the Eastern Conference team by Boston Bruins center and leading scorer Adam Oates, who will be making his fifth AllStar appearance, the NHL said yesterday.
San Jose Sharks left wing Tony Granato, who has made a remarkable comeback following brain surgery last February, will start in front of his home fans at the San Jose Arena tomorrow. He will fill in for injured Joe Sakic of Colorado and will play on a line with Anaheim's Paul Karlya and Brett Hull of St. Louis.
Philadelphia's John LeClair — making his second all-star appearance — will replace Jagr in the starting lineup.
The Associated Press
'Hawks ready for Huskies
Struggling UConn team still tough, Haase says
By Bill Petulla Kansan sports writer
When No. 1 Kansas plays Connecticut at 1 p.m. Sunday in Hartford, Conn., it will be facing a Huskies team whose play has been inconsistent this season.
Although coming off of a victory at Georgetown on Jan. 11, UConn (13-3 overall, 2-2 in the Big East Conference) has lost games to low-rated Pittsburgh and St. Johns.
As if its on-court struggles aren't enough, yesterday Connecticut senior center Kirk King and sophomore guard Ricky Moore were declared ineligible by the university and the Big East for accusations that they received improper gifts.
Both players have started in all 14 of UConn's games.
Despite the muddled situation surrounding Connecticut, the Jayhawks will not be taking their opponent lightly.
"You can lose a kid for one game, and possibly even two, and everybody will band together and play over their heads and make up for that," Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said.
Kansas senior guard Jerod Haase said the team still is a perennial power in college basketball.
They're a national powerhouse
"We know that we're going to get the other team's best shot."
Jacque Vaughn Kansas senior guard
Although the Jayhawks (17-0 overall, 4-0 in the Big 12 Conference) enter Sunday's contest undefeated and atop the national rankings, Williams thinks Kansas can improve in some areas.
year in and year out," Haase said.
"They're well-coached and they have a lot of talent, and it's on their home court, so that will be a great challenge for us."
"Our judgment is still not where I want it to be, and that's the No. 1 thing that I'm concerned about," Williams said. "We're not doing a good job at boxing out."
Last season's UConn roster featured NBA draft selections Ray Allen, Travis Knight and Deron Sheffer. This year, the only returning starter is King, who will not suit up for Sunday's game.
The Huskies are led by forward Rashamel Jones, who tops UConn in scoring with 15.1 points per game. Freshman guard Richard Hamilton also has played well for Connecticut, averaging 11.2 points. He is second on the team in rebounds, pulling down 4.6 boards a game.
Like Williams, Kansas senior guard Jacque Vaughn said the Jayhawks must not take UConn lightly despite the current status
of its basketball program.
“In the situation that they're faced with, sometimes teams can rally around that and use it as motivation,” Vaughn said. “I think the best thing for us to do is just be prepared ourselves and let the environment take care of itself.”
Vaughn, who needs just two assists to break the all-time Kansas and Big Eight Conference record, also said he and the Jayhawks welcomed the pressure that went with being the nation's top team for seven consecutive weeks.
"I like it," Vaughn said. "It gets me a little more prepared for the games. We know that we're going to get the other team's best shot."
Jerod Haase works the boards in the Jan. 6 game against Texas. Kansas travels to the University of Connecticut on Sunday.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Jayhawks set to repeat victory against Texas
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
High-octane offenses will take center stage when No. 11 Kansas plays at No. 16 Texas tomorrow.
The game will be televised nationally at noon on FOX Sports Mountain, Channel 45.
"It is going to be a very good matchup," Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said. "I think you'll see a lot of shooting. I think you'll see a lot of threes."
The Longhorns (9-3, 3-1) are led by sophomore guard Kim Lummus, who is shooting 45 percent from three-point range, and senior forward Danielle Vigilone, who is averaging 17 points and five rebounds a game. Vigilone was the only unanimous first-stream selection to the All-Big 12 Conference team, which was chosen by Big 12 media.
year in the NCAA tournament.
Kansas defeated the Longhorns 77-70 in a second-round game at Allen Field House. Texas shot 38 percent from the field, and its best shooters were held in check throughout the game. Lummus had a team-high 13 points off the bench and Viglione managed only nine points.
The teams faced each other last year in the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas' victory advanced them to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
"I know it's going to be an up-tempo ball game," senior point guard Tamecka Dixon said. "They like to run, and we like to run. Whoever holds their own on the defensive end will probably come out on top."
All five starters scored in double digits for the Jayhawks in the matchup last year, including four players who returned this season.
Dixon scored a game-high 18 points and had five rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Angie Halible had 14 points, and senior forward Jennifer Trapp had 13 points. Sophomore center Nalia Sanford recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
While there should be no shortage of action around the perimeter, Washington is worried about how Kansas will match up against Texas junior center Angela Jackson.
"I'm as concerned with Jackson as anybody else on the court," Washington said. "They have some size on us in the paint, and that is a concern heading into the game."
Jackson is averaging 15 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 blocks a game this season. She will be guarded by Sanford, who believes Texas has a score to settle tomorrow.
"I think Texas has a vendetta against us," Sanford said. "I don't think they appreciated us beating them here last year and knocking them out of the tournament, but now they have the home-court advantage."
Tomorrow's game will end a long layoff for Kansas (12-2, 3-0), which has not played since last Saturday's 79-49 home victory against Baylor. The 30-point margin was the largest for Kansas this season, although the Longhorns are coming off an
Tomorrow's Game
Texas defeated Texas A&M at home Wednesday night 100-63. Senior forward Amie Smith scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds. Jackson added 20 points.
impressive victory.
"This Texas team has some different players, but they play similar to what they did last year," Washington said. "We have a feel for their style because of our game last year, and that should help us when we play over the weekend."
NCAA's rule change won't solve problem
In a historic decision, the NCAA voted 169-150 to allow Division I student athletes to hold part-time jobs during the academic year.
On Monday, the organization that exploits athletes (a.k.a. the NCAA) threw its cash machines (a.k.a. the athletes) a bone.
chair the NCAA.
No, really, I
mean it.
They deserve some credit for taking an archaic rule and wiping it
from the books. But will the new rule give athletes a chance to earn money, or is it just another decision meant to buy the NCAA more time?
The NCAA makes millions of dollars, thanks to college athletes. Recently, talks of paying athletes or giving them stipends have found a voice. But these are issues the NCAA would love to avoid.
So, along comes a rule that allows student athletes to work. It would be difficult for many institutions to think that if they passed a part-time job rule, then discussions of a stipend may fade away. At least for a while.
Since I am not a college athlete (because I was cut from the basketball team by my seventh grade gym coach) I do not know if this new rule will make a difference. However, I do have my doubts.
Tamecke Dixon, Kansas' All-American point guard, has mixed feelings.
"I think it's great to have that option," Dixon said. "But I don't
Dixon pointed out that the combination of school and basketball is almost a full-time job within itself. She was backed up by her coach, Marian Washington.
The best way to find out is to ask someone who now is under the NCAA's rule.
know when a lot of people would have time to work. The basketball season goes through the whole year."
"We don't have an off-season," Washington said. "I think this is a good step, but the challenge is going to be things like, 'When is an athlete going to have time?' and 'Who is going to hire a player for a few weeks?' The athletic department needs to find ways to help athletes get those opportunities."
Maybe that could be a new recruiting gimmick: "Come play at KU. We will give you an education, a chance to play and a job at McDonald's."
OK. may be not.
It is an interesting predicament. The demands on student athletes already are intense, and many do not have time to work while they are going to school, doing homework, working out, practicing and actually competing.
Kansas point guard Jacque Vaughn summed it up best.
"I think it's still not a complete answer to the problem," he said. "It's a positive step, but at the same time, things are going to be difficult for student athletes, especially at our school, to go to school and do all the other things asked of them."
Perhaps a stipend of $100 per month from the school wouldn't be a bad idea. At least, it is the only one I have right now.
One thing is for sure: While students athletes are out searching for jobs, the NCAA will be laughing all the way to the bank.
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Comments? E-mail Spencer at sports@kansean.com