Brawl ensues in Sunflower Showdown

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Third-ranked Kansas and Kansas State ended their bitter showdown Tuesday night with a wild melee in the disabled seating behind the Wildcats’ basket that included punches, shoving and at least one player threatening to swing a stool.

The Jayhawks were dribbling out the time on their 81-60 victory when Silvio De Sousa was stripped by DaJuan Gordon near mid-court. Gordon tried to go for a lay-up and De Sousa recovered to block his shot and send the freshman sprawling, then stood over Gordon and barked at him — triggering both benches to empty into what amounted to a rugby scrum.

At one point, De Sousa picked up a stool and held it over his head before Kansas assistant Jerrance Howard grabbed it from him from behind. The Jayhawks’ Marcus Garrett and David McCormick were also in the thick of the scrum along with the Wildcats’ James Love and David Sloan, who was the first player to come to Gordon’s defense.

It took both coaching staffs, the officials and Allen Fieldhouse security to separate the teams.

“Without knowing exactly everything that went down, it was obvious to me that we played a role in what transpired and there will be penalties for that,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who was already shaking hands with Kansas State counterpart Bruce Weber when the chaos erupted. “I need to see the film to comment or have any definitive thoughts on exactly why or how it got started, because to be honest with you I don’t have any idea about that.”

The fight came three days after St. Francis and Sacred Heart were involved in a wild fracas following their game in Pennsylvania. But while that incident in the Northeast Conference went largely unnoticed, the pedigree of Kansas and the fact that both schools play in the Big 12 instantly turned their brawl into a national event.

“Obviously it’s an embarrassment,” Self said. “It’s not something to be proud of. What happened showed zero signs of toughness. It’s a sign of immaturity and selfishness more so than toughness. If I was a fan watching, depending on your perspective, there would be nothing about that intriguing me to watch more.”

Then, adding to the bizarre finish, five players from each team were summoned back from the locker rooms by officials and one-tenth of a second was put on the clock. Kansas State shot technical free throws to booing from a few thousand fans, and the one make necessitated a change to the final box score.

The reason only those players returned? The rest of the players from each team — including those dressed in street clothes — were ejected because they had left the bench while the game was in progress.

“It should have been avoided,” Weber said. “It’s my guys, it’s my fault. They came here wanting to have a game, compete, and we didn’t compete the way we needed to, and probably a little frustration, especially the young guys.”

Weber had instructed his players to back off in the closing seconds and let the game run out. And while Self said he didn’t agree with the steal and layup attempt, he did acknowledge that Kansas State was merely playing to the final whistle.

“Silvio knew he was being defended,” Self said. “He took his ball, and certainly the way Silvio reacted to getting his ball taken, going and blocking his shot, that’s fair game. What transpired after that is what set everything off.”

While he won’t be alone, De Sousa is likely to receive the stiffest punishment from the incident — the latest chapter in a career that has brought far more embarrassment and frustration to Kansas than pride and success.

It was De Sousa whose name surfaced in the FBI probe into college basketball in October 2018, and that in part led to an NCAA investigation of Kansas. The school received a notice of allegations last September that outlined major violations in men’s basketball, levied a head coach responsibility charge against Self and alleged a lack of institutional control. Those violations are being appealed and a decision is not expected until well after the season.

De Sousa was suspended last season for his role in the case, and he was supposed to sit out this season as well. But the school successfully appealed the decision, allowing the junior forward to return to the court.

Asked what his message was in the locker room after the game, Self replied: “There was no discussion on what happened from their vantage point. We talked to them and relayed to them how selfish it was. We relayed how disappointed we are. We should be in here talking about Christian Braun and selfishness created a situation where that’s not going to be the story line whatsoever. There was no communication back and forth. It was one way.”

Indeed, Braun was the story of the game until the final seconds after hitting six 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 20 points in his first Sunflower Showdown. The freshman guard grew up in nearby Burlington, Kansas.

Devon Dotson added 18 points and Udoka Azubuike finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Kansas (15-3, 5-1 Big 12), which beat the Wildcats for the 14th straight time at Allen Fieldhouse. Xavier Sneed had 16 points and David Sloan had 14 for the Wildcats (8-10, 1-5), who played a part in ending the Jayhawks’ conference title run last season.

“Credit to them. They kicked our butt,” said Weber, whose chin was reddened by what he called a stress-induced reaction. “I’m just happy nothing major happened to either team where there was an escalated fight. It was a bad play at the end. It’s disappointing. Life lessons for our young guys and hopefully next time they’ll be a little smarter.”

 

BIG PICTURE

Kansas played its best game in weeks, but it could come at quite the cost — several Jayhawks appeared to throw punches in the fracas, and that is almost certainly going to lead to suspensions. How long they last could impact how the Jayhawks fare in a stretch coming up that includes the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

 

UP NEXT

Kansas State heads to Alabama on Saturday.

Kansas welcomes back ex-Texas coach Rick Barnes with Tennessee on Saturday.

Hunt family glad to be back on top of the AFC, heading to Super Bowl

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Clark Hunt remembers well the celebrations four years ago that surrounded the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl, the championship game whose name was coined by his late father and Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.

One moment stands out more than the rest. It had to do with Hunt’s mother, Norma, who has been to every championship game since the Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in the first one in 1967.

“Clark,” she said shortly afterward, “it sure would be nice if we could play in this game once while I’m still able to go.”

She’s finally getting her wish.

On Sunday, the most visible face of the Chiefs ownership family took center stage when Clark Hunt raised the AFC title trophy — the Lamar Hunt Trophy — after a 35-24 victory over Tennessee. Right beside Clark and celebrating the return of the franchise to the big game for the first time in 50 years was his mother, and his siblings weren’t far away.

Football is a family affair for the Hunts. Not only did Lamar found the franchise but he was among the eight owners in the “Foolish Club” who founded the AFL, then barged their way into a unified NFL. Clark was not yet 2 years old when the Chiefs played in the first Super Bowl, and he has only faint memories of attending the 1970 game, when the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings to win their only championship.

“I was at that game and I have a photo,” he said, “so I hate to say that I don’t really remember it. I was 4 or 5 years old. Actually, the first game that I remember is the Christmas Day game a few years after” — the Chiefs lost to the Dolphins in the 1971 playoffs in the longest game in NFL history — “which isn’t a great one to have as your first memory. I’m grateful to block that out with what we’re going to do in Miami in a couple of weeks.”

Norma Hunt was a schoolteacher who also worked as a hostess for the Dallas Texans when she met and fell in love with Lamar. The franchise would later move to Kansas City and become the Chiefs. And when the family patriarch died in 2006, the franchise passed into the hands of his children.

Much like his father, who was so integral in league affairs for nearly four decades, Clark quickly became one of the go-to voices among NFL owners when issues such as the collective bargaining agreement arose. His even demeanor, thoughtful disposition and acute business acumen also have made him a sounding board for Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Yet for all his accomplishments, the one thing Clark had never done was follow his team all the way to the Super Bowl.

There had been close calls over the years. The teams of Marty Schottenheimer throughout the 1990s were always on the cusp of greatness, and Dick Vermeil kept the winning tradition in Kansas City. But when Andy Reid took the Chiefs to the AFC title game last year, and ultimately lost to the Patriots in overtime thanks partly to a coin flip and an offside penalty, Hunt and his family could be forgiven for thinking they were just a little bit jinxed.

“It was heart-breaking,” Hunt said, “and we were playing a franchise that has been tremendously successful over the last decade-plus. And there was probably a question mark in the back of our heads to whether we could really beat them because it had been so many times where you thought the Patriots were out, but sure enough they found a way to win it and go on to win the Super Bowl. I think the experience of having played in the game last year helped the entire organization, particularly the players and coaches. I think they had a little bit more confidence this year.”

Given all those years of disappointment, it was little surprise that Reid thanked the Hunt family first when the Chiefs finally broke through Sunday. And it’s why even the newest members of the team knew the meaning of it for the owners.

“It’s been 50 years since we brought this trophy back to Kansas City,” said Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, who joined the team last offseason. “It’s about the people of Kansas City, everything that they sacrificed, everything they endured for the last 50 years, and it’s ultimately about Lamar Hunt. We wouldn’t be here without him. We wish he was here right now, I think Clark is doing a great job, and this is what it’s about: Lamar Hunt.”

Hunt rarely speaks publicly — usually just a handful of times each year. But when he does speak, he is often candid. So when Hunt stood on a sweltering practice field at Missouri Western State University in the first few days of training camp last summer, he made it clear that getting close to an AFC championship wasn’t enough.

He wanted to finally win the game that had eluded him so long.

Hunt wanted to give his mom a chance to watch their team playing for it all.

“Last year, we were glad to be there, but we were also very disappointed that we weren’t playing in THE game. It’s going to be a very different experience this year,” he said. “We’ve got that checked off but at the end of the day, we’ve still got a big goal to accomplish. At the beginning of the season, I talked to players about our goals during the year. Making the playoffs is goal number one. Bringing this (AFC championship) trophy home to Kansas City is goal number two. We’ve got those done. Our big goal left is to bring another Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City.”

Deputy shoots carjacker

DIGHTON, Kan. (AP) — A western Kansas sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a fleeing motorist after he attempted to carjack another vehicle when two of his tires were flattened

A Ness County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop the motorist Tuesday east of Ness City because he was driving a pickup truck that matched the description of one used in an armed robbery of a Dollar General store about 30 miles away in Dighton, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

But the driver refused to stop and headed east along Kansas 96, where deputies used tire-puncturing stop sticks. The driver kept going for several miles with flattened tires. But before his vehicle came to a complete stop, he forced a truck with a cattle trailer off the road.

The KBI says that when the motorist attempted to carjack the bystander’s truck, the deputy fired multiple shots, wounding the suspect. He was flown to a Wichita hospital, where he underwent surgery. He is expected to survive.

The release says authorities are working to confirm the man’s identity. A woman who was in the truck with him was detained and questioned.

Kappa Alpha inducts four new members

Gwen Teft and Susan Hoffmeier hosted the Jan. 6 meeting of Kappa Alpha Sorority. Fifteen members, including three new members, attended.

Barbara Anderson and Lori Ensminger presented ideas for table decorations to go with the theme of  Steamboat Willy for the Sunday brunch.

Lucinda Stanley and Roberta Ellis presented idea on favors.

Janet Wilson reported gas cards were purchased  for two cancer patients for travel expenses. Donations were made from the Lillian Church memorial and The Larry Walden for Mayor fund.

Thank you notes were read from The Pregnancy Resource Center and Max and Beth Houk.

Barbara Anderson and Rhodenia Rowe hosted a club social on Monday in which four new members, Alli George, Kayla Wallace, Jessica Robb and Ashlyn Rowe, were initiated.

Barbara Anderson and Rhodenia Rowe hosted. The initiation ceremony ended with soup, salad and dessert.

Fifteen members attended.

 

Washington man first in US to catch virus from China

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday reported its first case of a new and potentially deadly virus circulating in China, saying a Washington state resident who returned last week from the outbreak’s epicenter was hospitalized near Seattle.

The man, identified as a Snohomish County resident is in his 30s, was in good condition and wasn’t considered a threat to medical staff or the public, health officials said.

U.S. officials stressed that they believe the virus’ overall risk to the American public remained low.

“This is not a moment of high anxiety,” Gov. Jay Inslee said.

The newly discovered virus has infected about 440 people, all of whom had been in China, and killed nine. The virus can cause coughing, fever, breathing difficulty and pneumonia. The U.S. joins a growing list of places outside mainland China reporting cases, following Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Airports around the world have stepped up monitoring, checking passengers from China for signs of illness in hopes of containing the virus during the busy Lunar New Year travel season.

Late last week, U.S. health officials began screening passengers from Wuhan in central China, where the outbreak began. The screening had been underway at three U.S. airports — New York City’s Kennedy airport and the Los Angeles and San Francisco airports. On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would add Chicago’s O’Hare airport and Atlanta’s airport to the mix later this week.

What’s more, officials also will begin forcing all passengers from Wuhan to go to one of those five airports if they wish to enter the U.S.

The hospitalized U.S. resident had no symptoms when he arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma airport last Wednesday, but he started feeling ill on Thursday and went to a doctor on Sunday with a fever and a cough, officials said. Lab testing on Monday confirmed he had the virus.

“The gentleman right now is very healthy,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the CDC said Tuesday.

The hospital, Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, said in a statement that it expected the man would remain in isolation and under monitoring there at least until Thursday.

CDC officials said they sent a team to Washington to try to track down people who might have come in contact with the man. The hospital also said it was contacting “the small number of staff and patients” who may have been with the man at a clinic.

The man is originally from central China, lives alone in the U.S. and made the trip solo, officials said. There were relatively few people who came in contact with him since he got back, health officials said.

Last month, doctors in Wuhan began seeing the new virus in people who got sick after spending time at a wholesale seafood market.

Officials have said the virus probably spread from animals to people, but this week Chinese officials said they’ve concluded it also can spread from person to person.

Health authorities this month identified the germ behind the outbreak as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which cause the common cold; others found in bats, camels and other animals have evolved into more severe illnesses.

SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, belongs to the coronavirus family, but Chinese state media say the illness in Wuhan is different from coronaviruses that have been identified in the past. Earlier laboratory tests ruled out SARS and MERS — Middle East respiratory syndrome — as well as influenza, bird flu, adenovirus and other common lung-infecting germs.

The new virus so far does not appear to be as deadly as SARS and MERS, but viruses can sometimes mutate to become more dangerous.

University of Washington coronavirus researcher David Veesler said the public “should not be panicking right now.”

The response has been “very efficient,” Veesler said. “In a couple of weeks, China was able to identify the virus, isolate it, sequence it and share that information.”

Veesler added: “We don’t have enough data to judge how severe the disease is.”

The CDC’s Messonnier said health officials expected to see more cases in the U.S. and around the world in the coming days.

 

Party-switching lawmaker ends bid for state Senate seat

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A lawmaker who made national headlines for switching to the Democratic Party has ended her campaign for a state Senate seat and will run for re-election to the House instead.

Rep. Stephanie Clayton of Overland Park said Tuesday that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly encouraged her last week to drop out of the Senate race.

Clayton’s decision to run for the Senate had set up an August primary contest with Ethan Corson of Fairway. Corson is a former executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party.

Campaign finance reports filed by the candidates last week showed that Corson raised nearly $74,000  between launching his campaign in October and the end of last year. Clayton launched her campaign in November and raised less than $14,000 by the end of the year.

Kelly issued a statement calling Clayton “a strong voice in the House.” Clayton is serving her fourth term.

Corson is running for the seat held by Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier of Mission Hills, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

Both Clayton and Bollier were elected as state lawmakers as moderate Republicans but switched parties in December 2018. Clayton cited her dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump as a factor.

A look back in time

 55 Years Ago

January 1965

Kansas Banker’s Awards to four area farm families were presented at the annual meeting of the Allen County Soil Conservation District. Receiving the 1964 awards were Mr. and Mrs. Richard Woolrey of Kincaid, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Nichols of Colony, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Lee Johnson of Elsmore and Mr. and Mrs. George Beeman of Moran.

*****

Leo L. Kent was elected chairman of the board of Allen County State Bank, and John Bertoncino Jr. as president at the annual meeting of directors and stockholders. Kent was also chosen to serve as assistant trust officer of the bank. Benson Barber will be vice president and trust officer. 

Florida: Watch out for iguanas falling from trees

MIAMI (AP) — The National Weather Service routinely warns people about falling rain, snow and hail, but temperatures are dropping so low in South Florida the forecasters warned residents Tuesday about falling iguanas.

“This isn’t something we usually forecast, but don’t be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!” NWS Miami tweeted.

The low temperatures stun the invasive reptiles, but the iguanas won’t necessarily die. That means many will wake up as temperatures rise Wednesday.

Iguanas aren’t dangerous or aggressive to humans, but they damage seawalls, sidewalks, landscape foliage and can dig lengthy tunnels. The males can grow to at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and weigh nearly 20 pounds (9 kilograms).

Female iguanas can lay nearly 80 eggs a year, and South Florida’s warm climate is perfect for the prehistoric-looking animals. Iguanas are native to Central America, tropical parts of South America and some Caribbean islands.

Iguanas are allowed to be kept as pets in Florida but are not protected by any law except anti-cruelty to animals. They’ve been in South Florida since the 1960s, but their numbers have increased dramatically in recent years.

Bears capture 15th straight win

WACO, Texas (AP) — Freddie Gillespie and the Baylor Bears can now say they have been No. 1 during the season.

“Outside of that, guys have bigger goals,” Gillespie said. “That’s nice, thank God for it, but now just move forward.”

MaCio Teague had 16 points, fellow transfer Davion Mitchell had 13 and Gillespie had a double-double as the Bears won their first-ever home game as the No. 1 team. They held on to beat Oklahoma 61-57 on Monday night, after leapfrogging Gonzaga for the top spot in the new AP Top 25 poll released earlier in the day,

“The Big 12, if you want to win a championship ,you’ve got to win your close games. You’ve got to win your homes games, and we did and that’s all that matters,” coach Scott Drew said. “Thanks to everyone for praying on that last shot.”

The Sooners, down by 11 early after halftime, pulled to 59-57 on 3-pointers by Brady Manek and Austin Reaves, and had the ball when Kristian Doolittle got a steal against Baylor guard Jared Butler. But Reaves missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from the left corner in front of the Oklahoma bench with 6 seconds left.

“I was proud of our guys for fighting and scratching and hanging in there,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “I can’t say we had anything drawn up, it was a steal and it’s a break.”

Baylor (16-1, 6-0 Big 12) won its 15th game in a row, second only to No. 4 San Diego State’s 19 in a row. The Bears are 6-0 in conference play for the first time since winning their first 10 Southwest Conference games in 1948, when they made the national championship game.

Manek had 21 points to lead Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3), following up his career-high 31 points only two days earlier against TCU.

The only other time the Bears reached No. 1 was in the poll released Jan. 9, 2017, and they lost by 21 the next night at No. 10 West Virginia. They rebounded with a win at No. 25 Kansas State, but had slipped to No. 6 by time they returned home the following week.

Teague, the junior guard who transferred from UNC Asheville, had a steal and a breakaway layup with just under seven minutes left to stretch the Baylor lead to 53-46. When he missed a 3 on his next shot, Gillespie had a putback slam.

Gillespie finished with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. It was the seventh double-double this season for the 6-foot-9 senior forward who started his career at the NCAA Division III level before walking on at Baylor.

Mitchell scored 10 points with two 3s when Baylor broke a tie and went ahead to stay with a 17-6 run to end the first half. A shot clock-beating jumper was the first of seven points in a row for the former Auburn transfer. 

 

TIP-INS

It was the sixth time in eight games Mitchell scored in double figures. He had done so only four times in his first 43 career games, including 34 at Auburn as a freshman in 2017-18. … New Baylor football coach Dave Aranda got a huge ovation when he came onto the court during a timeout in the first half, about 10 1/2 hours after the start of his introductory news conference. 

 

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma: The Sooners went into the game as the only major conference team with three players averaging more than 15 points — Doolittle, Manek and Reaves. Manek was the only one to get into double figures against Baylor.

Baylor: The Bears had never before won six consecutive Big 12 games in the same season. … Butler, who was second in the Big 12 with 16.9 points a game, missed his first 10 shots and finished with only four points on 2-of-13 shooting.

“He’s bailed us out of situations many times before, so it’s our job to bail him out of situations the same way he does for us,” Teague said.

49ers’ impressive turnaround leads to Super Bowl appearance

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — As the celebration raged in the victorious 49ers locker room, general manager John Lynch showed off a “Mobile to Miami” T-shirt that symbolized the turnaround in San Francisco.

The team that was so bad a year ago that the coaching staff got rewarded with a week coaching the Senior Bowl in Alabama is now playing for the championship in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 in Miami against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“It is amazing,” defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “It means a lot to us, especially going through all of the adversity that we went through over the past couple of years. To be going to the Super Bowl and have the chance to be the top of the league is amazing.”

The 49ers (15-3) got there thanks to a big-play running game led by Raheem Mostert that rushed for 285 yards and a defense that tormented Aaron Rodgers in a 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

That sent the Niners to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season.

Only a handful of players such as cornerback Richard Sherman, tackle Joe Staley, receiver Emmanuel Sanders and center Ben Garland have Super Bowl playing experience.

Coach Kyle Shanahan went there once before as an offensive coordinator for Atlanta in the 2016 season when the Falcons memorably blew a 28-3 lead and lost 34-28 in overtime to New England.

Shanahan took lessons from that game, including never feeling comfortable with a lead. But the biggest thing he learned was how to approach Super Bowl week.

He plans to have a normal week of practice before the team leaves for Miami, with coaches putting in the game plan on Tuesday and then players returning Wednesday for three straight days of practice.

The players will then get Saturday off before leaving for the game on Sunday and getting another week of preparation in Miami.

 

WHAT’S WORKING

Running game. One week after Tevin Coleman ran for 105 yards and two TDs, Mostert did even better. Mostert had 29 carries for 220 yards and four touchdowns, posting the second-best rushing total in playoff history to Eric Dickerson’s 248 yards for the Rams on Jan. 4, 1986. Mostert had the 11th game since 1950 with at least 200 yards rushing and at least four TDs.