GOLF SIGNEES
Two GOLFERS signed letters of intent yesterday with the Kansas women's golf team. Jerry Waugh, women's golf coach, called this recruiting class "the best since 1990."
The Jayhawks signed Jamie Tucker,
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
Jerry Waugh
from Jenks High School in Jenks, Okla., and Ashely Bishop, from Franklin, Ind., both of whom Waugh expects to make an immediate impact in the fall season.
Tucker and Bishop both have had experience at the national junior level in the past several years.
DID YOU KNOW?
THE NEBRASKA FOOTBALL TEAM, which will play Texas this Saturday in the Big 12 Conference championship in St. Louis, has not lost a
conference game since Nov. 14, 1992.In fact, the Cornhuskers have only lost three conference games in the '90s.
MICHAEL JORDAN was selected NBA
Player of the Month for November after
another spectacular performance that
helped lead the Chicago Bulls to a 1.5-1 start.
Jordan averaged a league-high 31.9 points,
4 4 rebounds, 2 4 assists and 1 5 steals per
game.
JORDAN HONORED
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 4.1996
Michael Jordan
game and led the Bulls in scoring in all but one of their 16 games during the month. Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was picked Rookie of the Month. The former Georgetown guard averaged 21.8 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.67 steals per game to help the 7Gers to a 7-8 record during November.
SECTION B
Bullets forward pleads not guilty to DUI charge
WASHINGTON — Washington Bullets forward Juwan Howard agreed to enter an alcohol rehabilitation and education program yesterday, after pleading not guilty to driving while intoxicated.
District of Columbia Superior Court Commissioner Ronald Goodbread decided to continue the case until Feb. 24. If Howard completes the court-monitored course by that date, the charges will be dropped.
Howard was arrested Nov. 11 after his 1995 Mercedes-Benz was speeding in Northwest Washington. Police said he had just left a private party at an nightclub.
Howard apologized for the incident later, calling it an embarrassment for himself, his family and the Bullets organization.
D. C. Corporation Counsel Charles Ruff, who oversees the court's rehabilitation programs, said Howard would not be receiving special treatment because of his celebrity status.
"He's getting the same course any first-time offender would get in his situation," Ruff said.
ST. LOUIS — About 1,500 tickets remained yesterday for Saturday's inaugural Big 12 Conference championship game between third-ranked Nebraska and Texas.
Tickets available for Big 12 championship football game
Officials at the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission said they expected a sellout of the 64,000-seat Trans World Dome.
The remaining tickets became available when they were returned by schools that did not reach the championship game and from sponsors affiliated with other institutions.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and Texas coach John Mackovic will dine with fans at noon Friday at a kickoff luncheon.
The tickets, selling for $40 and $60, may be purchased by phone beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow at (314) 241-5858 or at the Trans World Dome.
The site, which will be open Friday and Saturday, will offer interactive games, on-site sports television programming, team exhibits, novelty booths and a display from the College Football Hall of Fame.
Another event planned is the Budweiser End Zone, a combination sports bar, pep rally and sports video headquarters next to the dome in the America's Center complex.
Turner Broadcasting gains cable rights for 1998 Games
NEW YORK — Turner Broadcasting will have exclusive cable rights to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, it was announced yesterday by TBS and the U.S. broadcast-rights holder, CBS.
As much as 55 hours of the Games will air on TNT, which also aired portions of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics with CBS. TNT currently is available in about 70 million homes, compared with over-the-air penetration of about 95.9 million homes.
"Giving the Olympics their greatest exposure is a continuing goal for us, and we're pleased that CBS has made this possible through this agreement," Turner Sports president Harvey Schiller said.
TNIT aired about 45 hours each from Albertville and Lillehammer.
The Associated Press
The Nagano Games are scheduled from Feb. 6 to 22. TNT will begin its coverage on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Kansas faces former No.1
By Evan Blackwell
Kansan sportswriter
It's not Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson, but it's still a heavyweight showdown.
Andre Rohrbeck/KANSJ
Two of college basketball's giants, No. 1 Kansas and No. 4 Cincinnati, will play tonight in the final game of the Great Eight in Chicago. The game will be the Jayhawks' first test as the new No. 1 team, and they will confront the former No. 1.
Before Cincinnati lost the No. 1 ranking after an upset to Xavier last week, the contest was being hyped as No. 1 vs. No. 2. Despite Cincinnati's loss, the anticipation still is there.
"We're interested in going in and discovering how we stack up against a good Cincinnati team." Kansas men's basketball team
Roy Williams said.
Williams said that other than the Jayhawks' three-game stretch at the Maui Invitational last week, they had not played up to their potential.
"We feel good about our record and the way we played in three of five games," Williams said. "San Diego outplayed us, and at Santa Clara, we were sluggish."
If Williams has reason to complain about his team's 5-0 start, then Cincinnati men's basketball coach Bob Huggins certainly does after the Bearcats 2-1 start.
"We're not playing near as well as I thought we would be at this point," Huggins said. "Kansas is terrific. I've thought all along they are the best team in the country."
While Kansas will once again be without its marquee player, senior guard Jacque Vaughn, Cincinnati
won't have the same problem.
The Bearcats feature one of the nation's premiere big men in junior All-American forward Danny Fortson. The 6-foot-7 power forward
"He comes to work every day, works hard, works to be a better
leads Cincinnati in both scoring and rebounding at 23.7 and 10.7 a game.
Led by Fortson, the Cincinnati frontcord should have its hands full doing battle with the Kansas duo of 6-10 senior center Scot Pollard and 6-11 junior forward Raef LaFrentz.
player. He wants this team to be better." Huggins said.
The Kansas frontcourt of Pollard, LaFrentz and sophomore forward Paul Pierce has averaged a combined 50 points and 25 rebounds a game so far this season.
While the Jayhawks have pounded opponents in the paint, they have eased back from the three-point shot. Kansas only has shot 55 three points compared to the opponent's 88 attempts.
Williams said the main problem area for the Jayhawks this season had been turnovers. Kansas is aver-
See CINCINNATI, Page 6B
The KU women's volleyball team poses in the Parrott Athletic Center. The team finished the season 10-24.
Volleyball team sets records
Coach anticipates strong next season
By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter
"The season's not over," Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise said. "The competitive part of our season's over, but it's a never-ending process. And we've got to learn and get better between now and when we start again in August."
Although the Kansas volleyball team won its last match of the year against Missouri last Saturday, the Jayhawks' season is not finished.
Kansas' victory against the Tigers snapped an 11-match losing streak and improved the team's overall record to 10-24 overall and
Despite finishing in the bottom half of the conference, the season still was successful for Kansas. The Jayhawks won two more matches than last season and also set a number of team records, which they discussed at a recent
4-16 in the Big 12 Conference. The Jayhawks finished ninth in the conference
See VOLLEYBALL, Page 6B
Columnist takes parting shots
I'm running out of time, so I'd better get my shots in while I can.
If Troy Davis doesn't win the Heisman Trophy this season, there is no justice in college football. Twice this guy has run for 2,000-plus yards for Iowa frigging State. Iowa State, which has no defense and no quarterback. Iowa State, which has to play Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas State every year, not to mention that the Cyclones' non-conference sched-
Wyoming and Iowa this season.
But don't be surprised if Danny Wuerfel wins the Heisman this year. Don't forget this is the same award that Gino Torreta received instead of Indianapolis star Marshall Faulk in 1992.
SPORTS EDITOR
Speaking of Heisman Trov.
Texas Tech's Byron Hanspard finished second in the Big 12 Conference in rushing to Davis. He finished second in the nation in rushing to Davis. So when the voters for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's best rusher, filled out their ballots, they logically voted him sec... no, first. Can anyone explain this to me?
Today finds us smack dab in the middle of what many claim is a sport
- doe hunting season. The old Sports Illustrated rule of defining a sport is that if there is competition involved, it is a sport.
Here's the situation: Two hunters draped in blaze orange, armed with
shotguns, hide behind a tree. In the distance they spy Bambi nibbling on tree bark. They lock the unsuspecting victim's head in their highly magnified scope, and with the pull of a trigger, they blow Bambi to Kingdom Come.
Wow, what competition! What a sport!
How 'bout this for an idea? To increase the competitive nature of hunting, let's give the deer guns, and we'll see how many hunters still want to take part in this sport.
Don't let the TV promo fool you. The Big 12 Championship was Friday in Lincoln, Neb., not Dec. 7 in St. Louis.
Nebraska vs. Texas ... C'mon, is this game still necessary?
■ Despite some lackluster performances against San Diego and Santa Clara, the men's basketball team is too deep for mediocre teams to overcome. However, tonight's matchup isn't against a mediocre squad. The University of Cincinnati will be the first real test Kansas has had all season. After choking against Xavier, the Bearcats can't afford another loss.
Ryan Robertson is going to be the key for Kansas tonight. If he plays a controlled game without many turnovers, the Hawks will win. If Ryno struggles with the Cincy pressure defense and gets rattled, the Jayhawks might come home with a loss.
Either way, this one's going to come down to free-throw shooting in the waning moments. Look for the Jayhawks to pull it out by the skin of their teeth.
Yeah, the Denver Broncos look unstoppable right now. But wasn't there an NFL team from Kansas City that looked unstoppable this time last year?
Freshman starting swimmingly
By Matt Woodruff
Kansas sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
"Gary (Kemp, Kansas swimming coach) kind of took a chance on me," Chestnut said. "But I think I'm doing well and making the most of it."
For freshman swimmer Brandon Chestnut, the fall season has been full of good tidings.
The holiday season traditionally has been a good time for chestnuts.
"I think he is one of the best pure talents to come out of this state in a long time." Kempf said.
Few people who have seen his performances would argue with that statement.
Chestnut said that despite winning both the 100- and 200-meter breast-strokes against Missouri and making a trip to the Georgia Invitational, his goals coming into his first season of NCAA competition were geared towards improving his speed for the
spring.
"I came in not really expecting to win, but to raise my times," he said.
Chestnut did not start swimming seriously until his junior year at Derby High School in Derby, and he said that if Kempf had not recruited him as heavily as he did, he probably would be swimming at a junior college instead of competing on a nationally-ranked team.
Kansas coaches said that the breaststroke was the most improved event on the men's team and that the addition of Chestnut was one of the reasons.
"He's really helped," assistant coach Troy Reynolds said. "He's not a real veteran of the sport yet, but he's very talented."
"I'm really happy with the team I'm on and the way things are going," he said. "I'm really happy with Brad (Artis, Naperville, Ill., junior) and he's come around. He said that
he wouldn't be doing as good without me, but he's setting the fastest times."
Reynolds said the competition in practice was a big factor in the swimmers' successes, as was the addition of assistant coach Zhawn Stevens, a former Kansas All-American.
"Zhawn has done a great job, and our practices have been really competitive, which will only make them better." Reynolds said.
Chestnut is a business major and houses to some day own a business.
"That's my dream," he said. "But as far as what type of business, I'm not sure of that yet."
"I want to break the school record and place in the top eight at NCAA's," he said. "I think that's on the edge of being realistic."
Before he becomes an entrepreneur, Chestnut plans on reaching certain goals during his career at Kansas.
Brandon Chestnut, Derby freshman, rests between sets at practice. Chestnut did not start swimming seriously until his junior year in high school.