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Haston seeking diversions
Posted: Saturday December 04, 1999 03:34 PM
By Mark Ambrogi, Special to CNN/SI Indiana coach Bob Knight's vigorous practices and loud tirades have likely been a welcome diversion to sophomore center Kirk Haston this season. In May, Haston's mother, Patti Kirk Haston and her boyfriend, Hollis Haston, were killed when a tornado leveled Hinson's home in Linden, a small community 80 miles southwest of Nashville, Tenn. The holiday season has been difficult but Haston said his teammates and the games have helped. "It helps to stay busy and to think about other things. There will definitely be a time I'll set aside where I'll be thinking of her," he said. "I'm always thinking of her." Haston and his mother, an elementary school teacher, were extremely close. She had her own bedroom in his campus apartment for when she made the drive from Linden to visit or watch her son play. "Through family and my faith in God, and just the values and love she instilled in me, I still find reasons to get up every morning," he said. "I still live every day to make her proud. I know I don't make her proud if I'm not keeping my grades up. I know I'm not making her proud if I don't go to practice, or if I don't play. "She would expect me to carry on and that's what I'm trying to do.'' There were rumors over the summer that Haston was considering quitting basketball. There was never any truth to it, his maternal grandfather Hoyt Kirk said. "He knows what his mom would have wanted and she would have wanted him to play ball,'' Hoyt Kirk said. "The one thing you with Kirk is he's doing everything he can to make his mama proud.''
Boilermaker home bluesPurdue coach Gene Keady knew the words would haunt as soon as he read Brian Cardinal's comments. His forward said he was disappointed the team's home opener wouldn't be sold out and that the students bought about 1,000 less student tickets than normal. "It's kind of disappointing when people jump on and jump off the bandwagon," Cardinal said. "We want true fans there." Keady can't blame the fans considering the way Purdue played at home last season (four Big Ten losses) and in the home opener. "They're not coming because they don't want to," Keady said. "You can't make people go to games. You got to make it entertaining. You got to make it fun. You've got to be appreciative of the students. Not criticize them for not coming. We've been sold out (mostly) since 1981. You got to play better if you want people here. I understand that. But I'm not sure our kids do." Only 13,370 showed for the home-opening 61-59 loss to North Carolina State on Dec. 1, marking the first non-sellout at Mackey Arena (capacity 14,123) since December 16, 1996. With Purdue trailing by one point with 5.6 seconds left and North Carolina State's Ron Kelley at the line, a good portion of the home crowd headed for the exits. "They can't help us," said an understanding Keady. "With our judgment, I'd leave, too. Go study. Go read a good book. But don't watch us. We got to get back and earn their respect. We got to earn it back. That's what it's all about. Until we learn to play the game right, we're not going to be able to compete with anybody." The fans didn't miss much as Carson Cunningham lost the ball while trying to pass it for the Boilermakers' 26th and final turnover. "That was the ugliest game I've ever seen," Keady said. "Even if we won, it's one of those things where what the world is going on? Our passing judgment was indescribable. There are not any words in the dictionary to describe it. If I coached like that in the '80s, I'd be fired my second year." With so many season tickets remaining, Purdue's string of 113 consecutive Big Ten sell-outs is in jeopardy.
Fab Five revisitedMichigan's class of five freshmen is considered a national top 5 recruiting class and the best since the Fab Five, which included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard, arrived in the 1991-92 season. The Wolverines improved to 4-0 by beating Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1. Through those first four games, the top three scorers are freshmen: Jamal Crawford (17.3), Gavin Groninger (13.0) and LaVell Blanchard (12.8). The start has left many wondering if Michigan's basketball is back on track after last season's 12-19 record. "I'll let you guys decide that for us," Wolverines coach Brian Ellerbe said to the media. "We are not the kind of people to boast and brag about our program. We're just going to keep working hard. We're just growing up every game." Groninger, from Plainfield, Ind., has been the most surprising of the freshmen. Groninger hit 6-of-9 3-pointers in the victory over Georgia Tech. In the first four games, he is 14-of-23 from the 3-point line. "If I get a good look and especially if I hit my first couple of shots, then I should be in a groove for the rest of the game," he said.
Worth notingIt was clear Wisconsin junior forward Mark Vershaw would have to do more for his team this season. But no one expected he would have to do this much. Through five games, Vershaw leads the Badgers with 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also has team-highs of 20 assists and six blocked shots. ... Before the ACC grabs took much bragging rights for its 5-4 edge in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge, it should remember Ohio State and Indiana were not included. The Buckeyes coach Jim O'Brien, who initially asked not to be put in the series, wants to rotate in for the 2001-2002 season. Indiana has no interest in it, officials have said. ... Here's a good barometer, if Michigan State forward A.J. Granger scores in double figures, the Spartans win. He reached the 10-point mark for the 10th occasion against North Carolina on Dec. 1. Mark Ambrogi covers the Big Ten for The Indianapolis Star. Check back Dec. 17 for his latest CNN/SI Insider.
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