Roy's Boys
Newcomers battle fatigue, pressure
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
It's a long march to March — especially for the newcomers.
"It's extremely hard," Kansas junior guard Jerod Haase said. "The season is very long. By the end of the season you're completely drained."
But the first weeks of practice may be some of the most difficult for the newest members of the Kansas men's basketball team.
"They're getting in the hot tub a lot, so I guess you could say they're tired," senior forward Sean Pearson said.
Kansas freshman recruits Paul Pierce, T.J. Pugh and Ryan Robertson and sophomore Travis Williams have had to adjust to a new coach and are learning new plays while coping with the pressure of playing for a nationally ranked team.
"Ive seen some awfully good players look awfully bad," Williams said.
That adjustment is not easy and is made more difficult when that team has been ranked by many as the No.1 team in the nation.
However, fatigue is the toughest problem for newcomers, Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said.
He said that Kansas' most heralded recruit, Pierce, has not been pushed quite as hard as he is being pushed now.
"In high school the best players don't get tired," Williams said. "A lot of the time they're not as pushed as at this level."
Although the newcomers may not always make the right cut, they are expected to contribute as much as past groups of newcomers.
Pearson already is impressed by some of the things the newcomers do.
"Sometimes, we'll be shocked by some of the things they do because they're freshmen and because some of us older guys wouldn't do what they do," Pearson said. "But as long as it works, it doesn't matter."
Pierce, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Los Angeles, may challenge Pearson for the starting small forward position and may be the most talented player Williams has ever recruited, the Kansas coach said. Pierce scored 28 points in the 1995 McDonald's All-American game.
Williams said that Pearson and Pierce had contrasting styles. Pearson likes to shoot from the outside while Pierce likes to take the ball to the basket.
Robertson, a 6-5 guard from St. Charles Mo., also was a 1995 McDonald's All-American. Williams said that he was most impressed by Robertson's passing skills. Robertson played point guard in high school and led St. Charles West High School to the Missouri state championship last year.
The most surprising member of the newcomer class may be Pugh, a 6-9, 215-pound forward from Omaha, Neb. Pugh has been playing the big forward position, but he has impressed Williams with his
Travis Williams
Sophomore Center 7-0 265 Rozel
- Birthday: June 3, 1976
- Least Favorite Food: Chinese
- Favorite Movie: "Forrest Gump"
- Favorite Sports Hero: Horace Grant
- Not many people know this about me,
but: I once worked as a car-hop at Sonic.
shooting touch from the outside.
"If I had to pick one, it would be T.J. Pugh," Williams said of which newcomer had impressed him in practices. "Maybe we didn't expect enough out of him."
Williams, the 7-foot, 265-pound sophomore center from Rozel, may back up junior Scot Pollard at center this season. Williams was academically ineligible last season.
6
The March to March
~Hill • November 15, 1995