From: maryb@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Jayhawk Post #11 (Rayford & Pearson)
Date: 5 Nov 92 00:41:33 CST
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

This article is from the Tuesday, November 3, 1992 issue of the University
Daily Kansan.

SOPHOMORE GUARDS BRING DIFFERENT STYLES TO 'HAWKS
by David Dorsey, Kansan sportswriter

   Calvin Rayford and Sean Pearson have a lot in common. Both are sophomore
guards, both sat out last season for not meeting NCAA eligibility requirements
and both scored nine points during the first "Late Night" scrimmage in front
of a capacity crowd.
   But the similarities end when the two step on the basketball court, Kansas
coach Roy Williams said. "They're totally different players," Williams said.
"Calvin is very, very quick. He's also good at penetrating the ball to the
basket. He's very good at creating some havoc and turmoil defensively, which
means the other team is always looking around for where he's coming from next.
   "Sean is just the opposite. He's a very smooth player that could develop
into a great shooter. He's just a little slower right now than where I want
him to be."
   At 5-6, Rayford is the shortest basketball player ever at Kansas, but he
still can leap high enough to grab and hang on the rim. He also took
gymnastics lessons, which explains how he learned to cartwheel and flip as he
did during the "Late Night" festivities. From Milwaukee, Rayford was one of
the top-ranked point guards coming out of high school. He averaged 16 points
and seven assists in a game during his senior season and led Washington High
School to a 26-1 record that included the Wisconsin state high school
championship.
   Last season, Rayford and Pearson played on an intramural team they called
"Guts." The team went on to win last year's intramural basketball champion-
ship, and "Guts" won each game by more than twenty points. Rayford was known
for his flashy passing during last season's pickup games, but Rayford said he
knew that behind-the-back passes were not always the best option. "Not all the
time," Rayford said. "Just when it's there. I know when it's time to do that
and when it's time not to do that. I like to think of myself as a very
unselfish player. I like to get my teammates the ball before I get involved."
   Rayford said that he and Pearson had another thing in common, the desire to
win. "On the court, he likes to win like I do," Rayford said. "I can see that
by playing with him. Off the court, he's a nice guy. He treats everybody
nice."
   Pearson at 6-4, is listed at 195 pounds, but Williams said he needed to
lose a little weight. But even at his current weight, Pearson's standing
vertical leap, at 33 inches, is second only to senior Rex Walters'.
   Pearson, who shot a perfect three-for three from the 3-point line during
the "Late Night" scrimmage, led his Nazareth Academy High School in LaGrange,
Ill., to a 28-1 record his senior season. He averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds
a game as a senior.
   Pearson's statement about Rayford was short and quick. "Off the court he is
quiet," Pearson said. "On the court's he's very quick." Although the two could
not practice with the Jayhawks last season, they were allowed to watch one
practice a week, which gave them the knowledge of what to expect this season,
Williams said.
   Rayford said, "We had to sit out a whole year, and we've adjusted to
college. We're ready."

Posted to r.s.b.c. by Kansas Mary
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college