UNIVERSITY  DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, Januarv 16.1997
3B
Fans fail to recognize Jayhawk gains
Fans of the Kansas men's basketball team are spoiled.
Every November, Jayhawk fans board a roller coaster that takes them through a couple of loops, but shows them more peaks than valleys. The ride usually ends in March, short of the fans' high expectation.
The last seven roller coasters have shown KU fans seven NCAA Tournament appearances, two final four appearances, five Big Eight Conference Championships, and one Big Eight Tournament win.
That's a heck of a resume for any team at any level at any place, except maybe Lawrence.
As fans look back at the team's accomplishments, they will notice that a national championship is missing.
Fans probably remember two different games from the last two seasons. The games that were lost in the NCAA tournament. Losses to Virginia and Syracuse seemed to put a damper on the season. But Kansas fans shouldn't take 20-win seasons and conference championships
for granted. Those are great accomplishments.
Since when is reaching the Final Four and winning the NCAA Tournament the only way for fans measure a team's success?
This season, the already high expectations are even higher.
The No.1 team in the country is 17-0, and debately the best team
in the nation. So now the chatter asks if Kansas can go undefeated and reach the Final Four.
Wait a minute, the last time I checked Kansas still had the majority of its Big 12 Conference schedule to play, and a conference tournament. Fans should think about those games before worrying about going undefeated.
Former Kansas guard Steve Woodberry (1991-94) said that, even though Kansas had the tools, the team should forget about going undefeated.
"They have the potential to go undefeated," Woodberry said. "If it happens, it happens."
I think the fans should treat the issue the same way.
Woodberry, averaging 9.2 points for the Quad City Thunder in the Continental Basketball Association, also reminded me of a University of Nevada of Las Vegas team that entered the tournament undefeated.
In 1991, UNLV went after its second consecutive NCAA title and took an undefeated record into the Final Four. Duke upset them and defeated Kansas 72-65 in the championship game.
The Jayhawks have the best fans in college basketball, but they shouldn't act spoiled and let high expectations get in the way.
Kansas fans should still dream of winning a national title because its natural to wonder how far your team will go. Just dream one game at a time starting with the UConn game Sunday.
Where are they now?
Cedric Hunter was averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 assists for the Omaha Racers until he was released from the CBA team last week. Omaha
filled Hunter's roster spot with former Louisville star Clifford Rozier who was waived by the Orlando Magic.
Omaha gave Hunter the option of being traded or of becoming an assistant coach. So far he has opted for neither. Hunter, who played for Kansas from 1984-1987, holds the Big Eight assist record with 684 assists. Although Jacque Vaughn is one assist away from tying the Kansas and Big Eight record, Hunter was considered for the CBA's 50th anniversary all-time team. He is the CBA record holder for assists and games played.
Former Kansas forward Mark Randall (1987-91) is averaging 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in the CBA for the Fort Wayne Fury.
Have comments? You can e-mail Adam at sports@kansan.com
Track team looking solid
Olympic sprinter returns to Kansas
By Matt Woodruff
Kansan sportswriter
Despite losing some key performers and having a young team, the Kansas track and field team is ready for its Big 12 Conference competition.
Several standout athletes from last season will return to the Jayhawks, and they have potential conference scorers in nearly every event.
Ninth-year Kansas track coach Gary Schwartz said this season's team ranked among the most talented teams he has had.
"On the men's side, we're right up there," he said "On the women's, we're not quite as strong going in, but the talent is there."
The strongest events on the men's side figure to be the sprint and quarter-mile events, Schwartz said.
Senior Pierre Lisk will try to become the Jayhawk top spinner for the third straight year. Lisk became the most recent Jayhawk Olympian when he ran the 200 meter and the 4 by 100 meter relay in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Lisk was competing for his home country of Sierra Leone and broke his country's national record in both events.
Seniors Eugene Coleman and Nate Hill, who began his season by winning the 400-meter event at last Saturday's Kansas Invitational, give the team more talent and versatility.
This year's team also has plenty of depth in the middle and long distance events.
Senior co-captain Matt Norton, who won the mile event in Saturday's meet, will lead the way for the newcomers.
Junior Jerry Pullins, who transferred to Kansas after attending Georgetown, became the first all-Big 12 athlete in Kansas history when he qualified for the NCAA Championships in cross country last fall.
Big things are also expected from an extremely talented group of freshmen in Ned and Drew Ryun, sons of Kansas Hall-of-Famer Jim Ryun; Andy Tate, an eight-time high school state champion in Minnesota, and Ricardo Amezcua, who will compete in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter events.
The women have a strong pentathlon group, Schwartz said. Members include junior Candace Mason, who posted the team's top result in three different indoor events last year; senior Amber Mounday, who placed seventh at the Big Eight meet in the pentathlon and is a scoring threat in the high jump, and sophomore Heidi Lundervold, who was a five-time Minnesota state champion in high school.
Throws will also be a strong point for this year's women. Senior co-captain Kim Feld-
"On the women's (side),we're not quite as strong going in,but the talent is there."
Gary Schwartz Kansas track coach
kamp returns as the Jayhawks' top shot putter and placed fifth in the event at conference championships. Feldkamp won the shot-put event last weekend and was pleased with her teammate's efforts.
"I think (Saturday) was a good season opener," she said. "We had a lot of girls with good performances."
Joining Feldkamp in the throwing events will be junior Lisa Beran, sophomore Marlea Woodman and promising freshman April Kockrow.
The team will compete in the Missouri Invite in Columbia, Mo., this Saturday, and will return home on the 25th to take on their two biggest rivals in the Kansas-Kansas State-Missouri Triangular meet.
Lions coach appoints staff
PONTIAC, Mich. — Bobby Ross wasted little time in organizing a staff.
The Associated Press
Two days after being named coach of the Detroit Lions, Ross named Sylvester Croom offensive coordinator, Larry Peccatelli defensive coordinator and seven other assistants yesterday.
Croom had worked with Ross the past five seasons in San Diego, serving as the running backs coach for the Chargers. He also had been the running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 1991 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for four seasons before that.
Also following Ross from San Diego are defensive line coach Brian Baker, who played for Ross at Maryland and coached for him at Georgia Tech; Dennis Murphy, who will serve as coach of quality control-defense; running backs coach Frank Falks, who coached tight ends and H-backs for the Chargers; wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan; John Misclagna, quality control offense and administrative assistant; and special teams coach Chuck Priefer.
Ross kept Bert Hill as strength and conditioning coach. Hill has been with the Lions for seven seasons.
Ross, who is interviewing candidates in Mobile, Ala., site of the Senior Bowl, said that he expects to fill the final five positions within the next week.
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