NCAA FOOTBALL Alabama will find out later this week whether it will be able to play in a postseason bowl game. Page 6
SPORTS VERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28,1995
SECTION B
Jayhawks await their tropical junket
Olympic team is a sure bet
Sometimes opportunities fall into your lap that no one in their right mind could pass up.
Your parents take you out to dinner and to SuperTarget. Someone gives you his extra UCLA ticket. Your history teacher cancels your 8:30 a.m. class on Friday. A 1996 Olympic team comes to Lawrence.
Yeah, that's right. If you've missed some of the hints the sports page has dropped already, the 1995-96 USA Women's National Basketball Team is making a stop here Thursday. It will play
the Kansas
women's basketball
team at 7:30
p.m. in Allen
Field House as part of its 20-stop
colleague tour.
SPORTS EDITOR
The national team already has played the defending national champion Connecticut, last year's runner-up Tennessee and a host
of other nationally ranked teams, including Georgia, Virginia and Stanford.
Against these powerhouses, by the way, the National Team has been perfect — compiling an 8-0 record and winning by an average of 40.75 points. The closest game was a 24-point victory Wednesday against No.3 Tennessee.
Needless to say, this team is loaded with a capital L-O-A-D-E-D. Take Lisa Leslie, for example. The forward/center was the 1994 national collegiate player of the year and was an All-American the previous two years, as well.
But one of Leslie's most amazing feats occurred before she started her collegiate career at Southern California. She scored 101 points in a high school game. That's right — 101. You're probably saying to yourself, "That's great, but Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, too." True, but Leslie scored her 101 points in the first half.
So why is this team of All-Americans and players who get paid to play overases coming to Lawrence? And how did students get lucky enough to see the game free with a KU?
First, I don't think the national team would pick just anyone to play against. The national team's schedule reads like a Who's Who of women's college basketball. No. 13 Kansas belongs on that list. The Jayhawks are that good.
Kansas has sophomore point guard Erinn Reed, who can light a spark with her quickness, and freshman Nakia Sanford, who doesn't play like a freshman on the paint.
Second, the Jayhawks have the coaching connections that were needed to get the national team here. Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington recently was named an assistant for the national team when it travels to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She deserves this honor after her 22-plus years of coaching. She probably also developed a rapport and respect with former Stanford coach and national team coach Tara Van-Derveer.
Don't forget Kansas' other coaching connection. Renee Brown is taking a leave of absence from her job as assistant coach with the Jayhawks and now is an assistant with the national team.
But I think one of the main reasons that the national team has included Kansas on its schedule is because Jayhawk fans traditionally get behind their teams. The unique thing about Kansas athletics is that with so many nationally ranked teams and the intense men's basketball team following, the women's basketball team sometimes gets overlooked.
Let me warn and challenge you now: Don't overlook it this time. An opportunity like this may never come again. I feel confident in saying that no one could defeat the national team, but the Jayhawks could make it interesting.
Who knows, you might even like what you see and go back for the Jayhawk's next home game Saturday against Northern Iowa.
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
Kansas junior wide receiver Isaac Byrd and the rest of the No.11 Jayhawks will resume practices soon in preparation for the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu on Dec.25.
Opportunity to make history with 10 wins adds to excitement
By Robert Sinclair
Kansan sportswriter
As Kansas senior outside linebacker Keith Rodgers was walking to the Parrott Athletic Center yesterday, he could see his breath.
And people ask him if the Jayhawks are disappointed about going to the Jeep-Eagle Aloha Bowl.
"I think right now the temperature is 29 degrees," he said. "I'm looking forward to 80-degree weather with partly sunny skies."
The Jayhawks are playing in just their eighth bowl game in school history and have a chance to win ten games for the first time in almost a century.
"We have a chance to make history," Rodgers said. "And I'd like to be a part of that."
Although the team finished 9-2 and is ranked 11th, it is going to the same bowl that invited the team with its 7-4 record in 1992. Nevertheless, the Jayhawks know from experience that this game isn't a minor bowl.
When Kansas defeated Brigham Young 23-20 in 1992, the game received the third-highest ratings for bowl games that year.
That was against Brigham Young.
"I think on Christmas Day, when you get done eating the turkey and opening the presents, that there's a lot of people around that are going to say, 'Oh, KU-UCLA, I'm going to turn that one on,'" Kansas football coach Glen Mason said. "There's a lot of other ones
they might not turn on."
Among the reasons fans will have for watching the game will be to see UCLA coach Terry Donahue coaching against a school for which he worked and the coach he almost hired.
Instead, he went to Illinois and took the same iob there.
In 1976, while Mason was the offensive line coach at Iowa State, he almost took a position with Donahue.
"I wanted to come to Kansas because I wanted to have an opportunity to coach against guys like Terry Donahue," Mason said. "I almost went to work for Terry Donahue one time.
"I assume that he'd offer me the job."
Kansas senior punter Darrin Simmons was named to the GTE Academic All-America team for his district by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Simmons, who has a 3.56 grade point average in sports management, will be on the national ballot. The results will be announced Dec.19.
In response to rumors that he may take the recently vacated Rutgers football coaching position, Mason said, "That's absurd! I am happy at Kansas. I've got more work than I know what to do with right now in preparation, practicing and the weekends of recruiting. I don't have any time for that speculation."
The last time the team traveled to Hawaii, the players were warned about shark attacks. Rodgers, on the other hand, never was concerned: "I don't like going in the water, any way. I guess I've watched 'Jaws' too many times, and it influenced me too heavily. I watched from the beach. I only swim in things that I can see the bottom."
Basketball's elite will meet at Great Eight doubleheader
Heated competition will test No.2 Kansas and No.1 Kentucky
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
Powerhouse doubleheaders give basketball coaches an opportunity to gauge their team's success before the season gets underway.
The Kansas men's basketball team participated in one such competition — "The Classic" — on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. It included four of last year's NCAA tournament teams, which were ranked in the preseason top 25.
Tonight, four of last year's tournament teams will play, and four more will play tomorrow at "The Great Eight" in Auburn Hills, Mich. The competition draws No. 1 Kentucky; No. 2 Kansas; No. 5 Massachusetts; No. 10 Wake Forest; No. 15 Virginia; No. 25 Arkansas, last year's runner-up for the national championship; Oklahoma State, another 1995 Final Four team; and Michigan State under one roof.
The event is expected to have an NCAA tournament atmosphere, something the coaches of college basketball's traditional powers are looking for when they schedule games.
Kentucky men's basketball coach Rick Plitno said he tried to schedule difficult games so that
"The tougher the schedule,the further my team will be down the road."
Nolan Richardson
Arkansas basketball coach
"Each year it gets bigger and bigger and bigger," Pitino said of the NCAA tournament and the attention given to it. "It can hurt you if your players are not exposed to it. This year we bit off more than maybe we could chew, and maybe not because I thought we had the best team to face it."
his team would be prepared for the carnival atmosphere of the tournament.
Along with the Southeastern Conference schedule and the Great Eight game tonight against Massachusetts, Kentucky also scheduled games with Indiana, No. 20 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Louisville. Kentucky defeated No. 19 Maryland 96-84 Friday.
Arkansas men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson, who has led his team to three Final Fours in the last six years, said he wished every game could be a tough one. "If we another the schedule, the
The tougher the schedule, the
further my team will be down the road." Richardson said.
Richardson's team has played No. 4 Arizona in a preseason National Invitational Tournament game and has games with No. 13 Missouri, No. 21 Cincinnati and No. 7 Memphis. The Razorbacks also have to play the tough SEC schedule and will face Michigan State tonight in the Great Eight.
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams also likes to challenge the Jayhawks with difficult games early in the season to keep them focused and to give them experience that can be used later in the season. Kansas defeated No. 14 Utah 79-68 Saturday. The Jayhawks will play Virginia at 9 p.m. tomorrow and No. 23 UCLA Saturday. Williams said the UCLA game was scheduled first, then the game against Utah, and then the Jayhawks accepted an invitation to the Great Eight after three other teams declined. Williams also has scheduled games with Indiana, Temple and Florida.
"We're very anxious to start out and find out a lot about our basketball team." Williams said.
Kansas' opponent at the Great Eight, Virginia, also desired to be challenged early in the season, Virginia men's basketball coach Jeff Jones said.
"I think it's a great opportunity for our basketball team," Jones said. "It's something we didn't have to accept. We look at it as an outstanding opportunity to find out where we are."
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
Kansas senior guard Calvin Rayford puts defensive pressure on Utah sophomore Andre Mille. The No. 2 Jayhawks face no.15 Virginia tomorrow night.
Knee surgery keeps Sampson off the court temporarily
Senior guard won't play in Thursday's game against 'Women's Dream Team'
Kansas senior guard Charisse Sampon underwent surgery on her left knee yesterday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. According to surgeon Kenneth L. Wertzberger, the procedure was intended to re-repair torn cartilage originally operated on Aug. 31.
Wertzbeger said the injury was a relatively a minor one and that he expected Sampson to return to the court in three weeks.
Although she will miss the No. 13 Jayhawks' next four games, Sampson should be able to play in the Sprint Shootout against Penn State.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sampson played 20 minutes in the Jayhawks' 82-79 victory against DePaul on Friday and 24 minutes in an 80-72 loss to Purdue. Sampson managed three points against DePaul and six against Purdue.
She was named the Big Eight Conference Preseason Player of the Year, and is a top 10 candidate for the Naismith Award. Sampson returned as Kansas' leading scorer this season, averaging 15.8 points a game last year.
Maybe experience isn't all it's cracked up to be. Freshman forward/center Nakia
In the first college basketball game of her career, the Lithonia, Ga., native poured in 16 points in 27 minutes of play. Sanford, who also started the game, had 11 rebounds as well.
Sophomore point guard Erinn Reed, who also made her first start as a Jayhawk, scored 14 points and dished out three assists. The 5-foot-4 transfer from Iowa grabbed 12 rebounds.
santford made two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the Kansas women's basketball opener against DePaul Friday.
Kansas will take on the USA National team at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Allen Field House. The National Team, which has been dubbed "The Women's Dream
Although Thursday's exhibition may seem like David versus Goliath, Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington is looking forward to playing the top-notch competition.
Team," features a cast of former collegiate All-Americans and standouts.
The roster includes forward/center Lisa Leslie and guard Dawn Staley. Staley was voted the 1991 and 1992 Player of the Year by Champion USA, Naismith and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
"It's a win-win situation for us to have a chance to play against some of the world's best athletes," Washington said. "We're going to give it our best shot, and we're going to get better because of it, and hopefully we can scare them for a little while."
Compiled by Kansan sportswriter Bill Petulla.
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