PRO BOWL
City Chiefs quarterback Steve Bono is selected as a replacement for Sunday's Pro Bowl in Honolulu. Page 9.
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SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31.1996
Winless Cowboys ride into Lawrence
Oklahoma State still seeking first conference victory
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sportswriter
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
The Oklahoma State men's basketball team will have its guns blazing when it takes the floor tonight against Kansas.
But the Cowboys won't have a full arsenal for the game, which starts at 8:05 p.m. in Allen Field House.
Junior center Maurice Robinson is recovering from an injured left foot and probably won't play. Oklahoma State men's basketball
Kansas freshman forward Paul Pierce is guarded by Nebraska senior Jaron Boone in Sunday's game. The No. 3 Jawahres will play Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. tonight in Allen Field House.
coach Eddie Sutton said. Additionally, senior guard Andre Owens probably will not start and may see only limited playing time after violating team policv.
"I've never been this short before," Sutton said. "I think we're getting effort. We're just short-handed."
So short-handed are the Cowboys that assistant coaches and team managers have been scrimmaging with the Cowboys in practice.
Even though the practice competition hasn't been as fierce as normal, the Cowboys have had a week to prepare for the No. 3 Jayhawks, who are 16-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Eight Conference.
had some bad luck and come really close to winning. These kind of teams really worry you."
A slow start in conference play is not what Sutton expected.
Oklahoma State, 10-6, will be looking for its first Big Eight victory tonight. The Cowboys are 4- in the conference, most recently losing 62-59 to Kansas State.
"We give up a lot of second opportunities to other teams," Sutton said. "We're just not very big. Because of that, we may have to play some zone against Kansas."
That is not an easy statement for Sutton, who traditionally has used man-to-man
The Starting Lineup
KANSAS Jaghawks 16-1, 4-0
No. Player Poc. Ht. Yr.
34 Paul Pierce F 6-6 Fr.
35 Rae LaFranzz F 6-11 So
31 Scoot Pollard C 6-10 Jr.
11 Jacques Vaughn G 6-1 Jr.
35 Jerod Hasse G 6-3 Jr.
"I don't like those kind of situations," Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said during his weekly radio show. "They've
defense during his 25 years of coaching college basketball.
When the Cowboys played zone for 36 minutes against K-State, that was the most that a Sutton-coached team had ever played in one game, he said.
That will be key as the decimated Cowbys face Kansas' frontcourt, led by 6-foot-10 junior center Scot Pollard and 6-foot-11 sophomore forward Raef LaFrentz.
"I'm not a great believer in zone defense, but it kept our front line out of foul trouble." Sutton said.
He averages 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.
Pollard follows close behind, averaging 10.5 points and 7.9 rebounds.
LaFrentz leads the Jayhawks in scoring and rebounding.
LaFrentz from the teams' previous meeting this season, which Kansas won 76-61 in Stillwater, Okla. LaFrentz had a double-double, recording game highs with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Oklahoma State likely will remember
Sutton said the Jayhawk frontcourt took control of that game early in the second half after Kansas led 32-30 at half.
The big guys in the middle just wore us up, "Sutton said. They play everybody to
give those starters a rest."
A similar second-half blitzing occurred Sunday against Nebraska. Leading 36-35, Kansas went on a 25-8 run and played some of its best basketball of the season for eight minutes. Williams said.
"I wish we could put two halves together," Kameron junior guard Jacque Vaughn said. "I'm
SECTION B
Jayhawks' depth drowns the opposition
Kansas women rely on bench for defensive lift
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
Depth can be a valuable weapon for a basketball team.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Jayhawks have been blessed this season with a group that at times can go 10 deep with players off the bench.
For a squad that prefers an up-tempo game and pressure defense, as the Kansas women's basketball team does, depth can be a necessity.
Senior forward Keshana Ledet, junior forward Shelly Canada, sophomore guard Erinn Reed, sophomore center Koya Scott and freshman guard Suzi Raymant all have seen key minutes for Kansas.
Canada, who started 20 games last season for the Jayhawks, said this year's team possessed more depth than last season.
"We got into trouble last year, because we were only able to go maybe six or seven deep," Canada said. "We're going to need more people to come in and contribute this season."
Reed, who started seven games earlier this season, said Kansas could wear down many opponents.
"When you use so many players,you can always have fresh legs out on the floor," she said.
While the length of a college basketball season can wear down a team that uses only six or seven players, Reed said, the Jayhawks are better prepared to handle the grind.
"During the course of a year, if not the course of a game, you can get emotionally and physically tired." she said.
Junior guard Tamecka Dixon said the Jayhawks had to avoid fatigue and needed a higher level of energy to run the type of game they preferred.
Bench Power
One strength for the Kansas women's basketball team is the play of its reserves
No. Player Min. played per game Pts. Tr. Reb.
G Erin Reed 19.2 3.4 So. 2.4
F Shelly Canada 15.6 2.9 Jr. 1.9
F Suzi Raymant 13.7 5.2 Fr. 3.1
C Koya Scott 8.6 1.2 So. 1.8
F/C Keshana Ledet 7.1 1.9 Sr. 1.4
"We like an up-tempo type of game with pressure defense," Dixon said. "It helps when you can bring people off the bench and you know the momentum won't be lost."
For Canada and Reed, both former starters, the move to a reserve role required some adjustments.
Noah Musser/KANSAN
The jump from the bench directly to the game can be very demanding sometimes, Reed said.
"You have to be ready," she said. "You really have to adjust to warming up faster."
As a point guard, Reed said, it's crucial that she stays mentally involved in the game, even when starting on the sidelines.
"I have to know what coach wants and what changes have been made from the beginning of the game," she said.
Reed and Canada said all the players that came off the bench knew they had an important responsibility to the team and the starters they relieved.
"We have to keep up the defensive intensity and take care of the basketball," Canada said.
"It really helps to be able to throw so many different people at an offense, attacking them defensively," Canada said.
The ability to use many different combinations of players also has benefited the Jayhawks defense.
Divers flipping for new board
By Dan Geiston
Kansan sportswriter
Practice tool will help Jayhawks learn technique and form
Kansas divers have been able to stay high and dry this year, and still get in their practice, thanks to a big financial boost from the Kansas diving booster club.
The dry board is a regulation diving board that has a soft landing pit, the same as track teams use for jumps, and overhead spotting rigs with ropes and pulleys so divers can safely practice their dives.
The men's and women's diving teams have incorporated a dry board and a porter pit into their training routines this year.
Diving coach Don Fearon said he always had liked the dry board and was excited the team finally could use one.
"For certain dives it has been extremely helpful," he said. "It has really helped dives in the inward category and twisting
"This helps take the fear factor out of it.I wish we had room for it at Robinson."
Don Fearon Kansas diving coach
dives."
The board was purchased last spring, and Fearon, who is in charge of fund-raising, used it during the summer for his diving camps.
After the successful summer use, Fearon decided to use it full force this year.
"This helps take the fear factor out of it," Fearon said. "I wish we had room for it at Robinson." Robinson Natatorium has been home to Kansas swimming and diving since 1966.
KANSAS DIVING
The pit and the board cost
about $15,000 and were paid for by money raised through the booster club. The dry board area is located in the northwest corner of Anchutz Sports Pavilion.
Senior diver Pat Burke said the pit and board had helped the team.
"The more you practice diving the better you're going to get," he said. "We can go over certain things in a slower motion so coach can tell what we're doing wrong. It especially helps with mechanics."
Senior diver Kris Hoffman said having a background in gymnastics had helped with the dry board because a similar apparatus is used.
"I started in gymnastics in the ninth grade, and that background helps with this," he said. "Certain mechanics in diving are correctable because of this."
Kansas senior diver Michelle Rojohn practices one of her dives with the help of Kansas coach Don Fearon. The divers use this simulated form of diving to practice new dives that are new or require additional work.
Pam Dishman/
KAHSAN
Picking winners isn't easy
It's always fun to see what the so-called "experts" say before the season starts for any sport.
I think Cory Snyder works at the
The 1987 Indians finished in last place
Joe Carter and Cory Snyder appeared on the cover of the 1987 Sports Illustrated baseball preview with the headline "Indian Uprising." The gurus had put their ego-inflated heads together and determined that Cleveland would win the World Series.
rapper Vanilla Ice, but I don't have confirmation on that yet.
My father and I used to do the same thing before each baseball season. The night before opening day, we would put our predictions for the regular season, playoffs and World Series into
a ceramic jar until after that year's world champion had been crowned.
I even devised a point system to determine the winner each year. Though my father may disagree with me, I always won. He had this strange habit of picking the Milwaukee Brewers every time.
All of this came to mind yesterday afternoon as I was thinking about the Big Eight Conference men's basketball race. It's hard to believe that Kansas State, Nebraska and Iowa State are the contenders and that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the pretenders.
With that, I would like to share my thoughts about the Big Eight men's basketball season thus far.
Biggest non-surprise: The fact that No. 3 Kansas is undefeated and in first place. The Jayhawks easily could finish the regular season undefeated and in first place.
Biggest surprise: Iowa State. Most picked the Cyclones to dwell in the conference cellar, but they are looking like the second- or third-best team in the league.
Iowa State coach Tim Floyd deserves all the credit for the Cyclones' success.
biggest disappointment: Oklahoma State. Sure, losing center Bryant Reeves to the NBA was going to hurt, but I sure didn't think the Cowboys would be 0-4 in the league.
Out in orbit somewhere: Missouri. The Tigers are undefeated at home but can't seem to win any big road games. They have lost several games away from Columbia that, on paper, are easy wins.
Outstanding freshman: Paul Pierce, Kansas. This is a no-brainer, even though Colorado guard Chauncey Billups has been equally impressive. But Pierce appears a bit more mature, considering that Billups was arrested last week for stealing Blockbuster Video coupons from a campus bookstore.
Best player: Jacque Vaughn, Kansas. Oklahoma forward Ryan Minor had this award at the beginning of the season, but a long shooting slump hasn't helped at all. Instead, Vaughn has become even more of a leader for the Jayhawks and also has become a dangerous shooter.
Anyone who watched Monday night's Colorado-Missouri game on ESPN saw that the arena was half empty. I guess the true fans were still there, but the rest are getting ready for football season.
Joke of the year: Colorado basketball fans. Once they forced former coach Joe Harrington to resign, the Coors Events Center was packed. Two losses later, it wasn't
Most underrated player: Jaron Boone, Nebraska. This guy can play, and he practices each summer with members of the NBA's Utah Jazz to get better. If the Cornhuskers finally are to make some noise in the NCAA tournament, he'll be the guy leading the wav.
V
Biggest disappointment, part two. Jason Sutherland, Missouri He began the season as the Tigers' best player off the bench but has resorted back to his dirty play in recent weeks.
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