NBA UPDATE the Chicago Bulls yesterday activated 7-foot-1-inch center ROBERT PARISH, who was placed on the injured list last month for a back strain. The 43-year-old Parish averaged 4.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 9.0 minutes off the bench for the team before missing five games because of the injury. Also yesterday, the Bulls placed Luc Longley on UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS the injured list. Longley hurt his shoulder in a swimming accident and is expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks. Longley has played in 12 games this season, averaging 7.3 points, 5 rebounds and 21.4 minutes per game. NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE UPDATE Pittsburgh right wing JAROMIR JAGR, who had 23 points in 13 games, is the NHL's Player of the Month for November, and New York Rangers captain Mark Messier, who had five goals in three games, including two game-winning goals, is the Player of the Week. Jagr's production included 16 goals and seven assists. MLB UPDATE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1996 Free agent WILLIE MCGEE will be staying with the St. Louis Cardinals, agreeing yesterday to a $1 million, one-year contract. McGee, 38, hit .307 in 123 games last season, including 63 starts. In other news, the Baltimore Orioles offered arbitration to left-handed pitcher David Wells, who was 11-14 with a 5.14 ERA in 34 games last season. Wells, 33, has until Dec. 19 to accept the Orioles' offer. Because Baltimore beat the Saturday deadline, the team can negotiate with the pitcher through Jan. 8 if he rejects their arbitration offer. SECTION B Texas A&M fires three coaches after 6-6 season COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Three Texas A&M assistant football coaches, including R.C. Slocum's top two assistants, are paying the price for the Aggies' worst season in more than a decade Slocum said in a brief statement yesterday that he had fired off co-ordinator Steve Finsinger. defensive coordinator Phil Bennett and wide receivers coach Les Koenning Jr. Slocum, who didn't return a telephone call from The Associated Press, told The Dallas Morning News that he thought changes needed to be made. "With us not going to a bowl game, I felt this would give us time to get a good start on finding the best people for those jobs," Slocum said. He said that replacements would be hired from outside the program and that he would keep his other six assistants. The Aggies finished their season last week with a 51-15 loss to archival Texas. It was the most lopsided victory by either team in the 103-game series since Texas beat A&M 53-16 in 1982. The loss left A&M with a 6-6 overall record, 4-4 in its first Big 12 Conference season. It was the Aggies' first non-winning season since a 5-5-1 mark in 1983. Except for missing the postseason in 1994 because of NCAA probation, the Aggies had played in a bowl game every year since 1985. Ensminger was hired away from Georgia three years ago to replace Bob Toledo, who was fired by Slocum after AM&M's 24-21 loss to Notre Dame in the 1994 Cotton Bowl. Koenning was one of seven new coaches to join the staff after the loss to Notre Dame. Bennett, a former A&M defensive end, quit as an LSU assistant early last year to take the defensive coordinator's job. "I enjoy my stay here," he said. "I enjoyed the kids, and I enjoyed the school. That's about it." DuPont ends involvement in annual Tour duPont race RICHMOND, Va. — DuPont has ended its seven-year involvement with the Tour duPont bicycle race, leaving the 1,100-mile event next May without a title sponsor and perhaps in jeopardy. The global chemical, research and energy company said in a statement yesterday that it withdrew from the race effective immediately because of complications in a lawsuit between owners of the event. "This has resulted in six months of planning delays and the dissolution of the event's management team, which had provided continuity for the race," said John M. Munay, brand manager for duPont. The one-paragraph statement did not elaborate on the problems. A telephone message left at the headquarters of Medalist Sports Inc. in Richmond, the race organizer, was not immediately returned. DuPont had announced in July that it would discontinue its role in the race after the 1997 event. DuPont was responsible for about one-third of the race's estimated annual budget of $7.5 million. The grueling race across several mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states began in 1989 as the Tour de Trump and was financed in part by entrepreneur Donald Trump. In 1990, duPont took over as title sponsor. U. S. Olympic cyclist Lance Armstrong won the race the past two years. The 1.997 race is tentatively scheduled for May 1-1.1. The Associated Press Kansas outlasts Bearcats 'Hawks rally back to win By Evan Blackwell Vancouver sportswriter Kansan sportswriter CHICAGO — It was a script Kansas had come to know all too well. The No. 1 Jayhawks stormed into the Windy City to do battle with No. 4 Cincinnati last night, and for one half appeared on the way to being blown out of town. However, after being pushed around and trailing 35-23 to the physical Bearcats, a different Kansas team emerged in the second half, rallied to a 72-65 win and moved to 6-0 on the season. The Jayhawks' ugly first-half performance may have reminded Kansas fans of the team's losses in the NCAA tournament the past two seasons to physical teams Virginia and Syracuse. This time when pushed, the Jayhawks pushed back. "It was two completely different ballgames," Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said. "The first half they were far more intense, far more aggressive than we were." As as much as Cincinnati controlled the first half, Kansas came back and dominated the second half, outscoring Cincinnati 49-30. The Jayhawks started the second half on a 15-2 run after Cincinnati senior forward Danny Fortson picked up his third foul and was forced to sit with 18:35 remaining. Kansas then took the lead on a three-pointer from sophomore forward Paul Pierce with 13:40 left to play. the first half, Pierce was the spark for the Kansas offense in the second half, scoring 15 and leading Kansas back. After scoring only two points in "All along in my head I knew we were going to come back," Pierce said. "I never thought we would just come out in the second half and get blown out." The Jayhawks' offense was shut down in the first half by the Bearcats' stifling defense, Kansas 23 first-half points were a season low, coming on eight for 30 shooting from the field. Fortison overpowered play on the inside against the Jayhawks' twin towers, senior center Scot Pollard and junior forward Raef LaFrentz. He finished the first half with 16 points and seven rebounds. With the game tied at 6-6 five minutes into the first half, Cincinnati took control with a 20-5 run in the following 10 minutes. Kansas began to crawl back into the game, going on a 10-4 run until the end of the half. After junior guard Billy Thomas' three-pointer cut the lead to 10 at 33-23, Cincinnati forward Rodrick Monroe's tip in at the buzzer pushed the Bearcat lead back to 35-23. Pollard said the dialogue at half-time was not necessarily polite. "At halftime we talked about how we just seemed to come into the game kind of tentative," Pollard said. "We need to spark it up and start playing Kansas basketball, start doing the things we know how to do." Williams said that with this win, the Jayhawks should have laid to rest any future questions about their toughness. "I get sick of people talking about us being soft, except that the way we played in the first half we were soft," Williams said. Kansas 72, Cincinnati 65 Kansas 72; Cincinnati 60 KANSAB (6-0) Pierce FQ 16-2 FT 17 LaFrentz 2-9 4-7 8 Pollard 5-12 4-8 14 Robertson 3-12 2-3 14 Hasele 3-12 2-3 8 B.J. Williams 0-1 0-0 0 Thomas 3-9 0-0 9 Dugge 1-9 0-1 9 McGarth 0-0 2-4 2 Bradford 2-3 0-0 4 Totals 27-70 13-25 72 CINCINNATI (2-2) Patterson FQ 4-7 FT 19 Fortson 3-14 11-15 25 Jilson 1-4 0-0 3 Flint 4-14 5-16 12 C. Williams 0-0 0-0 0 Burton 2-17 1-2 7 Brannen 1-3 2-9 4 Levett 0-1 1-2 9 Baker 0-0 0-0 0 Monroe 1-1 0-0 2 Totals 19-59 23-34 65 Richard Devinki / KANSAN Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington and former Woman of the Year Award. Washington received the award, which was Kansas Gov. Joan Finney show the William I. Koch Outstanding Kansas held by Fireman last year, last night in Topeka. Washington receives Koch award Annual honor recognizes Kansas' successful women By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter TOPEKA — Marian Washington received the William I. Koch Outstanding Kansas Woman of the Year Award last night in the Bradbury Thompson Center at Washburn University. William I. Koch, president of the Oxbow Corporation, established the award in 1995 to recognize a Kansas woman who has overcome personal hardships to achieve success professionally or as a volunteer. "I think that this is an incredible honor," said Washington, Kansas women's basketball coach. "I think the times are demonstrating that women have contributed in a lot of ways to society." Washington was the second to be honored with the award. Former Kansas Gov. Joan Finney was the first to win it. Finney nominated Washington for this year's award. The recipient of the award is nominated by previous winners. Koch reserves the right to approve the choice. "When I read about Governor Finney, I was applauding from the sidelines never dreaming that I would be the next recipient," Washington said. Koch said Washington was an outstanding choice. Washington grew up in West Chester, Pa., and attended West Chester State University, where she was a member of the first women's national championship team in 1969. She earned a master's degree in biodynamics and administration in 1972. She became head coach at Kansas in 1973. Entering this season, her 24th, Washington had a 432-252 record. She has led Kansas to five NCAA tournament appearances, and she guided the team to the Sweet 16 last season. "I believe she has advanced the status of women in Kansas and throughout the nation," Finney said, "because she's been so successful as the coach for the University of Kansas, and brought national recognition not only to Kansas, but to our great University, and to women." Last summer Washington was an assistant coach on the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic team. She has been president of the Black Coaches Association, and she has been a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Board of Directors. Washington is a member of the National Officiating Committee. "If you look at her background and how she's had to climb up the ladder on her own boot-strans, I think that's fantastic." Koch said. Awards she has received include Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1996 and Ebony magazine's Outstanding Black Women in Sports Award. Washington is an inspiration to Marian J. Washington, her mother, who attended last night's event. "It's very thrilling and inspiring, and I'm glad come here." she said. Texas quarterback predicts win by 21 Nebraska players not threatened by remark The Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. — When Texas quarterback James Brown said the Longhorns could beat No. 3 Nebraska by three touchdowns, it caused quite a stir among reporters and fans. Among Nebraska football players, Brown's statement elicited mostly smiles and philosophical observations. Not rebuttals, just some reflections. Nebraska, 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the Big 12 Conference, is favored by 20 points to beat Texas in the Big 12 championship game Saturday in St. Louis. Texas is 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12 conference. Coach Tom Osborne offered the most tense reply from the Cornhuskers' camp. "My reaction is, I hope he's not right," Osborne said. "But that's why we play the game, to find out." Osborne said Brown's comment wouldn't mean much to Nebraska because the players had heard it all by the time they were juniors or seniors. All-America defensive end Jared Tomich rubbed his chin as he perused a story about Brown's remarks. "Hmmmmm. We hear talk from teams every week, but I don't think anyone ever said they'd beat us by three TDs." Tomich said. Tomich, fellow defensive end Grant Wistrom and defensive tackle Jason Peter voiced respect for Brown, the other Longhorns and the four-game winning streak they take into the title game. And they all kept smiling. "That's fine. He can say what he wants to say," Wistrom said of Brown's remark. "If he does it, he's a prophet. If he can do it consistently, he could probably make a lot of money predicting the future." Peter summed up what seemed to be the consensus among the Huskers. "Talk doesn't matter after the kickoff," Peter said. "I wouldn't have said what he did, but maybe he knows something no one else knows. We're going to come after him, and we'll see what happens." Jeff Ogard, the 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pound quiet giant on the otherwise talkative Nebraska front four, didn't smile as he characterized Brown's pronouncement. "Its a rarity, hearing something like that," Ogard said.