With the NBA regular season in full swing, each week the Kansan will bring updates on all of your favorite former Jayhawks. If there are any former Jayhawks whom we haven’t included, e-mail requests to rgreene@kansan.com. Because of the amount of responses, we will run two updates per week.
Paul Pierce — Boston Celtics
After slipping on some ice and hurting his back in a New England winter storm, Pierce sat for two games. He returned March 3 to post 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 111-110 victory against Memphis. Pierce scored 24 points in a victory against the Knicks two nights later but sat out of Friday’s contest against the Lakers because his back was hurting again. Pierce returned again in Sunday’s loss to San Antonio, scoring only 10 points.
Drew Gooden — Orlando Magic
Another week goes by and Gooden continues to resurrect his rookie season following the trade from Memphis. Gooden had his best game with Orlando in Wednesday’s victory against Milwaukee, with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Gooden’s 9 points Sunday marked the first game he has played with Orlando in which he did not score in double figures. The Magic are 7-2 since trading Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey to Memphis for Gordan Giricek and Gooden.
Jacque Vaughn — Orlando Magic
Vaughn had his same-old steady week as he remains Orlando’s starting point guard. His biggest highlight this week was scoring 10 points in Friday’s 111-102 loss to the Knicks. It marked the 12th time Vaughn has scored in double figures this season.
Raef LaFrentz — Dallas Mavericks
LaFrentz is not seeing the minutes that Dallas envisioned for him this season and his production has taken a dive. In three games this week, LaFrentz scored in double figures only once. That once was his 10 points in Friday’s 91-89 victory at Miami.
Greg Ostertag — Utah Jazz
Ostertag is still having trouble consistently contributing on offense, but back-to-back 8 point games this week were well above average for him. Ostertag’s big game this week happened when he scored 8 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Friday’s 108-105 loss to Sacramento.
Scot Pollard — Sacramento Kings
Pollard is working his way back from numerous injuries this year. Pollard scored 2 points in his first game back March 3 in a victory against Philadelphia. Then Pollard sat two games, and returned to go scoreless Sunday against Indianapolis.
Danny Manning — Detroit Pistons
Did not play (Coach’s Decision)
Reader Requests….
Rex Walters — Kansas Guard 1991-1993
After helping lead the Jayhawks to the Final Four in 1993, Rex was a first-round pick by the New Jersey Nets. In seven NBA seasons, Walters amassed 1,547 points and 569 assists while playing with New Jersey, Miami and Philadelphia. He recorded a career-high 27 points in 1997 in a game against Boston. In his NBA career, Walters started 67 games. He has played with the Kansas City Knights of the American Basketball Association, where he averaged 14.5 points per game last season. Walters is now pursuing a new career, either in radio or in coaching. He is an assistant coach at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park.
Ryan Robertson — Kansas Guard, 1996-1999
Robertson ranks 37th on the Kansas all-time scoring list with 1,055 points in his four seasons as a Jayhawk. After graduation, the Sacramento Kings selected Robertson in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, Robertson played a total of only 25 minutes for the Kings and in 2000 landed with the Kansas City Knights of the ABA. After only one season, Robertson went overseas and is now playing basketball professionally in Holland.
With the NBA regular season in full swing, each week the Kansan will bring updates on all of your favorite former Jayhawks. If there are any former Jayhawks who we haven’t included, e-mail requests to rgreene@kansan.com. Because of the amount of responses, we will run two updates per week.
Paul Pierce — Boston Celtics
In two of the Celtics’ four games this week, Pierce was relegated to the bench because of injury. After struggling from the field early in the week, Pierce sat both of the Celtics’ back-to-back games with Toronto. Pierce’s condition is being reevaluated on a day-to-day basis.
Drew Gooden — Orlando Magic
Drew’s name has resurfaced in discussions of who should be Rookie of the Year, especially since his trade to Orlando. In five games with the Magic, Gooden has recorded four double-doubles. The highlight of Gooden’s rookie season came Friday night in a double-overtime loss to the Knicks. Gooden posted 20 points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots. Those 20 points included a layup late in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Jacque Vaughn — Orlando Magic
The Magic are 4-1 since their deadline trade with Memphis. Vaughn is not scoring, but he’s doing what coach Doc Rivers has asked of him — dish the ball and don’t turn it over. Vaughn averaged five assists per game in three games this week.
Raef LaFrentz — Dallas Mavericks
LaFrentz’s turbulent week was a perfect example of the inconsistency that has plagued him all year. He went scoreless on Tuesday in a loss at Orlando but bounced back with 14 points and eight rebounds in Thursday’s loss to Sacramento. LaFrentz then fouled out Saturday after only 15 minutes on the floor in a victory over Memphis.
Greg Ostertag — Utah Jazz
Ostertag had a solid week, but the Jazz limped to a 1-3 record. Ostertag posted back-to-back 10-rebound performances in road losses on Monday, Feb. 24, and Wednesday. He then had 7 points, six rebounds and seven blocked shots in Sunday’s dramatic last-second win at New Jersey.
Danny Manning — Detroit Pistons
Manning saw his only action of the week in Sunday’s loss at Portland, scoring 4 points in eight minutes on the floor. The Pistons have lost a season-high seven straight games as they head back home after a West-Coast road trip.
Scot Pollard — Sacramento Kings
Did not play (broken right hand)
Reader Requests
Billy Thomas, guard, 1995-1998
Thomas graduated from Kansas as the school’s most prolific three-point shooter of all-time. His records were eventually broken by Jeff Boschee, but Thomas is still a fan-favorite. Since college, Billy has seen playing stints just about everywhere. Thomas has played professionally in the Philippines and Argentina. He also played in Salina with the Kansas Cagerz. This past summer, Thomas played with the New Jersey Nets in the Shaw’s Pro Summer League but failed to make the regular season roster. Thomas is still close to capturing his NBA dream, as he is playing in the National Basketball Developmental League with the Greenville Groove in South Carolina. Thomas is the Groove’s leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game. Most recently, Thomas scored 13 points to lead the Groove to a 73-70 win against Fayetteville on Saturday.
Scooter Barry, guard, 1985-1988
Barry was a member of the Jayhawks’ 1988 national championship team, and his lineage is enough to make him notable. Barry is the son of former NBA great Rick Barry, and his three brothers: Brent, Drew and Jon, have all made the NBA. After averaging 6.3 points per game as a senior, Barry’s shot at the NBA with the Boston Celtics never panned out. The desire for competition has kept Barry going, having played on multiple occasions with the Continental Basketball Association in the United States and overseas in France, Germany and Spain. Barry is in his second season with Pitch Cholet Basket in France. Barry was named a league all-star this season; he is averaging 12.8 points per game. His average is down from the 16.7 of last year.
Now that the NBA regular season is in full swing, every Tuesday the University Daily Kansan will update you on how your favorite former Jayhawk athletes are doing in the professional ranks. If there are any former Jayhawks that you would like an update on, e-mail your requests to rgreene@kansas.com. Because of an overwhelming amount of responses, there will now be two updates per week.
Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
The Celtics had the weekend off after going 4-2 on their 6-game West Coast road trip. In only two games over the past week, Pierce was strong, recording two double-doubles. In Tuesday’s victory at Golden State, Pierce had 31 points and 12 assists. He recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday’s loss at Sacramento. Pierce is still the league’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 26.4 points per game.
Drew Gooden – Orlando Magic
A trade to Orlando along with shooting guard Gordan Giricek in return for Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey is just another chapter in Gooden’s strange rookie season. Orlando star Tracy McGrady was upset that his good pal Miller was dealt away, and vented his frustration by ignoring Gooden and Giricek in the clubhouse. Gooden’s four games this week were split between playing for Memphis and Orlando. After seeing limited playing time in his final two games with the Grizzlies, Gooden made a strong debut with Orlando, averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Magic.
Jacque Vaughn – Orlando Magic
Vaughn is still productive as Orlando’s starting point guard, and now has two new weapons to dish the ball to in Gooden and Giricek. Vaughn’s best outing this week was in Sunday’s victory against New Jersey, with 9 points and five assists.
Raef LaFrentz – Dallas Mavericks
Reasons have not been disclosed as of yet, but LaFrentz’s playing time in four games this week was minimal. LaFrentz scored a total of 18 points in the four games, averaging just over 19 minutes per game.
Greg Ostertag – Utah Jazz
The Jazz are in the thick of the western conference playoff race, as Karl Malone and John Stockton are making a final push for a title. Ostertag did not do much offensively last week, but he remained solid on the boards. In his last four games, Ostertag grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game.
Danny Manning – Detroit Pistons
Detroit vaulted to the top of the eastern conference standings with its tough, defensive style of play. In four games last week, Manning played a total of 8 minutes and went scoreless.
Scot Pollard – Sacramento Kings
Did not play because of a broken right hand.
Reader’s Request
Jelani Janisse, Guard (1998-99)
After transferring to Kansas from Los Angeles City College, Janisse never really made his mark in the KU record books. In two seasons as a Jayhawk, Janisse scored a total of 25 points in 96 minutes on the floor. However, Janisse is known by hardcore Kansas fans as Jelani “The Sheriff” Janisse for the Rumble of the fledgling SlamBall league. SlamBall features a mixture of traditional basketball and trampolines.
In the league’s first season, the Rumble won the league championship. SlamBall is played in the summer, but during the past fall, Janisse played some legitimate basketball as a starting guard for the Los Angeles City Stars. The Stars played a series of exhibition games against college teams before the start of the regular season. The Stars faced schools such as Florida State and USC.
Kenny Gregory, Guard/Forward (1997-2000)
Gregory left Kansas ranked tenth on the school’s all-time scoring list. In his senior season he was named honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press and led the Jayhawks to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Illinois. Gregory figured to find a spot in the NBA after graduation, especially when he averaged 12 points in the Chicago NBA Pre-Draft Camp. Gregory went undrafted, but signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies decided not to add Gregory to their regular season roster, so he moved on to the National Basketball Development League.
After playing for both the Mobile Revelers and the Greenville Groove, Gregory went on to play in another semi-pro league with the Dodge City Legend of the United States Basketball League. In 28 games with Dodge City, Gregory averaged 20.1 points per game. Following the conclusion of the USBL season, Gregory went overseas and is currently playing for the Chester Jets of the British Basketball League. Gregory recently scored 23 points for the Jets in a victory against the Newcastle Eagles on Feb. 8.
Now that the NBA regular season is in full swing, every Tuesday the Kansan will update you on how your favorite former Jayhawk athletes are doing in the professional ranks. If there are any former Jayhawks that you would like an update on, e-mail your requests to rgreene@kansan.com.
Paul Pierce — Boston Celtics
The Celtics spent the entire week away from home, playing five games on the road. They won the first four contests, but stumbled Sunday night in Phoenix, losing 102-92 to the Suns. The best stretch of PierceÂ’s week was scoring 36 points in a victory at Portland on Thursday, then scoring 35, helping beat the Clippers Saturday night. Pierce is the NBAÂ’s fourth leading scorer, averaging 26.5 points per game.
Drew Gooden — Memphis Grizzlies
While GoodenÂ’s playing time continues to fluctuate on a nightly basis, so do his points. Gooden scored 11 points in a victory at New Jersey on Wednesday night, but failed to score in double figures the rest of the week. The good news for Gooden is that trade rumors that arose two weeks ago involving him being shipped to Orlando proved to be just rumors.
Jacque Vaughn — Orlando Magic
Vaughn had another solid week as OrlandoÂ’s starting point guard. Even though he averaged 8.1 points per game in four contests last week, the Magic ended the week with three consecutive losses. The toughest part to swallow is that SundayÂ’s loss came against the Toronto Raptors, who currently own the leagueÂ’s fourth worst record.
Raef LaFrentz — Dallas Mavericks
For LaFrentz, this week could end up as the highlight of his season, both on and off the court. His week was highlighted with a sweet ValentineÂ’s Day, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a victory against Memphis on Friday. With the team having Sunday off, LaFrentz returned to Allen Fieldhouse as his jersey was being retired before the game against Iowa State.
Greg Ostertag — Utah Jazz
Scoring came tough for Ostertag last week, but he did everything else he could to help the Jazz win two of their three games. Ostertag only scored 9 points in the entire week, but grabbed 10 rebounds in FridayÂ’s victory over Washington.
Danny Manning — Detroit Pistons
The 36-year old forward signed with the Pistons knowing he probably would not see many minutes. He canÂ’t feel all that bad because he is on one of the Eastern ConferenceÂ’s top squads. Manning did not score his first points of the season until Sunday in a victory at Cleveland. He scored 2 points in three minutes of play.
Scot Pollard — Sacramento KingsPollard did not play because of a broken right hand.
A READERÂ’S REQUEST…
Steve Woodberry — Kansas Guard (1991-94)
Woodberry was a part of two Final Four teams at Kansas in 1991 and 1993. He was named to the second team All-Big Eight in both his junior and senior season. Following his career as a Jayhawk, Woodberry had a successful stint playing professionally in Australia and throughout Europe. In 1994 in Australia, he averaged 25.4 points, 7.4 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game.
After one year in Australia, he won a championship in the Swiss league with Belinzona in 1995. Woodberry then went back to Australia and played three years with the Brisbane Bullets. He was the league MVP with the Bullets in the 1998-99 season. Woodberry spent the last two seasons playing professionally in Lithuania where he averaged 12.2 points per game for Zalgiris Kaunas, where his team won a Lithuanian championship in 2001. In the same season, he was also voted the leagueÂ’s Import Player of the Year. Woodberry recently started his 2002-2003 campaign with the Athletic Union of Constantinople basketball club in Athens, where he is averaging 3.3 points per game through three contests.
Now that the NBA regular season is in full swing, every Tuesday the Kansan will update you on how your favorite former Jayhawk athletes are doing in the professional ranks. If there are any former Jayhawks that you would like an update on, e-mail your requests to rgreene@kansan.com.
Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
Pierce headed into the all-star game offensively hot. In two games last week, Pierce scored 27 points in a loss to New Orleans and then 26 in a 30-point victory against Seattle.
Pierce played as a reserve for the Eastern Conference in the all-star game in Atlanta. In 18 minutes of play, Pierce managed to score eight points and finish the game with four steals.
Drew Gooden – Memphis Grizzlies
The all-star break could not have come any sooner for the Grizzlies, who have lost 13 of their last 15 games. Last week, Gooden had a couple of solid outings, with 16 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Denver, then 14 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Golden State.
Gooden also took part in the Sophomore-Rookie game during the all-star weekend. He scored 16 points for the Rookie team in its 132-112 loss.
Jacque Vaughn – Orlando Magic
The Magic team will have a sour taste in its mouth going into the seasonÂ’s second half, as it heads to the all-star break on a three-game losing streak.
In two games last week, Vaughn had modest numbers. Vaughn combined the week for 14 points and 10 assists. But, most importantly, Vaughn is still the teamÂ’s starting point guard.
Raef LaFrentz – Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks split their last two games before the break, but the loss was only a close 110-109 loss to Sacramento.
LaFrentz had eight points, six rebounds and three blocks in a strong victory game over Utah, Monday, Feb. 3.
Now that the NBA regular season is in full swing, every Tuesday we will update you on how your favorite former Jayhawk athletes are doing in the professional ranks. If you would like an update on any former Jayhawks, e-mail your requests to rgreene@kansan.com.
NBA
Drew Gooden – Memphis Grizzlies
With 17 games under their belts, the Grizzlies are still seeing hard times on the court. With a 2-15 record, bright spots have been hard to find other than rookie sensation Drew Gooden. Gooden had a 23-point effort Wednesday and his second double-double on Friday in a 112-106 loss to the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Gooden still leads all rookies in scoring with 14.8 points per game.
Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
Pierce has been hot of late, having scored at least 30 points in four of his last five games. Pierce wrapped up the week with 30 points on Sunday in a big win over New Orleans.
Jacque Vaughn – Orlando Magic
The Magic are back on track with three straight wins and a 10-7 record, but Vaughn’s playing time continues to fluctuate. In Wednesday’s 112-102 win over the Lakers, he only played one minute. However on Saturday in a win over Atlanta, Vaughn recorded eight points in 20 minutes.
Raef LaFrentz – Dallas Mavericks
Returning from a sprained ankle, LaFrentz is being eased back into the lineup. On Saturday night in a win over Chicago, he saw 15 minutes of action, recording five points in the effort.
Greg Ostertag – Utah Jazz
Ostertag is having a tough time earning more minutes with the improved play of Jarron Collins and John Amaechi. In three games last week, Ostertag posted decent numbers, totaling 16 points and 19 rebounds.
Did Not Play
Scot Pollard – Sacramento Kings (lower back fracture)
NFL
Kwamie Lassiter – Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have hit the skids since the end of September, and Sunday’s 49-0 loss to the Chiefs extended their losing streak to six games. Lassiter was Arizona’s biggest bright spot on defense, leading the team with seven tackles.
Gerald McBurrows – Atlanta Falcons
McBurrows is seeing fewer plays on the field every week for Atlanta. In Sunday’s 30-24 overtime thriller over the Vikings, McBurrows only had one tackle on the stat sheet.
Don Davis – St. Louis Rams
Despite starting earlier this year, Davis is now fourth on the Rams’ linebacker depth chart. In a 10-3 slugfest with Philadelphia, Davis only had one tackle.
Did Not Play
Gilbert Brown – Green Bay Packers (Sore Left Ankle)
Dana Stubblefield – San Francisco 49ers (Food Poisoning)
Moran Norris – Houston Texans (Bench)
Isaac Byrd – Carolina Panthers (Bench)
Andrew Davison – New York Jets (Late Monday Night)
A Reader’s Request…
Jason Thoren – Kansas Linebacker, 1994-97
Thoren had a successful gridiron career at KU as a four-time letterman. Thoren played in the Jayhawks’ 51-30 win over UCLA in the 1995 Aloha Bowl as a sophomore, and was also named third team all-Big 12 as a junior in 1996. He got a shot as a pro with the Kansas City Chiefs in training camp before the 2000 season, and was allocated to the NFL Europe in the summer to play for the Berlin Thunder. He never made the Chiefs roster, and has since moved on from aspirations of a professional playing career. Thoren now aides former Kansas coach Glen Mason on his staff at the University of Minnesota.
