8A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 8.2005
Tournament ends with mixed performances
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
ejorgensen@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Kansas tennis team strolled through the first day of Western Michigan's Super Challenge in Kalamazoo, Mich., but hit a brick wall in the second day of play on Saturday.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Singles Records Wins Losses
Kaenia Bukina 2 1
Christine Skoda 0 3
Elizaveta Avdeeva 0 3
Source: Kansas Athletics Department
Kansas combined for a 2-6 doubles and 1-5 singles record on the second day. Junior Brittany Brown earned the lone singles victory on the last day.
The Jayhawks were a combined 4-0 in doubles and 5-3 in
singles on the first day.
Kansas tennis coach Amy Hall-Holt said the record did not discourage the team and that the difficult opponents provided Kansas with good practice.
"I didn't feel like we were down," Hall-Holt said. "We all played well. Everyone's matches
seemed close."
The Jayhawks rebounded to finish 6-2 in singles play on the final day of competition on Sunday. Brown won her third singles victory of the meet on the final day.
"I came out there a lot more positive. I didn't freak out when
Senior Christine Skoda went winless at the meet. It was the first time this season she did not win a tournament match.
the match got close," Brown said. "I felt I knew I could win."
"She played some tough girls," Hall-Holt said. "When you're playing three-day tournaments, it's hard to compete at such a high level."
The freshman gained the top spot after impressive victories
Freshman Ksenia Bukina, who finished 2-1 on the weekend, played in the No. 1 singles position for the first time.
against highly ranked opponents, including her upset of top-ranked Maja Kovacek of New Mexico in the ITA Central Regional tournament in Salt Lake City on Oct. 20.
"Ksenia played very well. We were very happy with her performance." Hall-Holt said.
The move to put Bukina in the No.1 spot may not be a permanent one. Hall-Holt said nothing was set in stone.
Brown said the team is competing at a higher level than it was at this point last season.
"We're bringing in a new player in the spring," Hall-Holt said. "Things could be shaken up. I have no idea what the lineup will be."
"I think we ended on a positive note. Win or lose, no one felt horrible about their matches," Brown said. "A lot of people played some of the best matches they've played all semester. Last year I was scared going into the spring, but this year, I know we can beat these teams."
The team's first spring meet is Jan. 22, against Ball State in Bloomington, Ind.
- Edited by Theresa Montaño
▼ MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomores step out of shadows Class of 2008 ready for first game against Fort Hays State
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITER
With all of the preason hype surrounding Kansas' freshman class, C.J. Giles said people had forgotten about the sophomores. Not that the sophomore forward is concerned about being below the radar. He said people will be talking about his class soon enough.
"We will show them when game time comes." Giles said.
Giles
K ans as men's basketball ball coach Bill Self said Giles, guard Russell Robinson, center Sasha Kaun and forward Darnell Jackson have made significant strides from last year.
He is so impressed with Giles and Robinson that he practically guaranteed them a starting spot for Wednesday night's game against Fort Hays State.
He said Robinson and Giles have been the top two consistent performers for the Jayhawks so far.
"I think Russell has been the best perimeter player, and C.J. has been our best inside guy." Self said.
Self said it wasn't that Robinson's shot was better than anyone else's or that he took
better care of the ball than the other guards. It was Robinson's work ethic and attitude that has earned the sophomore point guard favor, Self said.
"He is like a machine for us," Self said. "He just shows up, goes to work, spends plenty of time doing it and doesn't complain. He sees the glass half full and goes out and does it the next day. For a young guy, he gets it pretty good."
Giles' scoring ability has improved because he has started to get some confidence, Self said. Giles is going to have to score this year for the Jayhawks to be successful down the line, Self said.
"Whether or not he is 14 points-a-game scorer, I don't know because he has never been that in his life and now we are asking him to do it at Kansas," Self said. "That is a unique situation. You have to get some confidence to be able to make baskets against real defenses and C.J. is getting there."
Giles said the attitude of all of his classmates had improved. He said they had a better understanding of what their role was after being in the system for a year.
They had plenty of time to learn from the veteran players on last year's team. Playing behind guys like Wayne Simim, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Mike Lee taught them a great deal about what it takes to win a game, Giles said.
"That is a unique situation. You have to get some confidence to be able to make baskets against real defenses and C.J. is getting there."
Kansas men's basketball coach
Bill Self
"I learned that it is little things that can win or lose the game," Giles said.
Self said that year of sitting on the bench has been motivation for the sophomores in the offseason and early this year.
"They have tasted what it is like to sit on the bench, fortunately, so now they are like, 'Hey, we're not going to let any freshman come in here and get our spot,'" Self said. "So I think they are hungry and they want to be impact players at Kansas."
In addition to Giles and Robinson, Self said he thought Kaun and Jackson were improving as well. Kaun, who his teammates said was the most physical player on the team, attended a basketball camp in Las Vegas this summer that helped develop his skills.
post," Self said. "He could come out and be a real impact player. He is dropping that hook shot and getting his footwork down, and his body looks great."
Jackson might be the player most under the radar in the sophomore class.
"Sasha is tough in the
The death of his grandmother over the summer expedited his maturation process. Self said.
"He is improved in all aspects of his game, from his work ethic to his approach," Self said. "He can still improve more but he is more confident, and I think a lot of it could be he was dealt a hand that forced maturity in a lot of ways that nobody would want to go through and I think in some ways maybe brought a sense of new focus maybe more so than what he had in past years."
Just because they are not in the headlines like the freshman, Self said the sophomores were not discouraged.
He said the older the players get, the less concerned they get about what people on the outside say about them.
"It is not the freshmen's fault that they get attention, and it's not the sophomores' fault that they don't," Self said "Those stories about the freshmen, I guarantee that the sophomores aren't reading them."
Edited by Ty Beaver
MLB
Baseball star's son charged in drug case
NASHVILLE,Tenn. — Pete Rose Jr., the son of baseball's all-time hits leader, pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he distributed GBL, a drug sometimes sold as a steroid alternative, to his minor league teammates.
The 35-year-old Rose appeared before a federal judge and said nothing but "yes, sir" when asked if he understood the charges and plea.
Under a deal with prosecutors, Rose could be sentenced to 21 to 27 months in federal prison and fined up to $1 million. His sentencing hearing is
set for Feb. 20.
Brody and Rose declined to answer questions from reporters before driving away.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said Rose's arrest was part of a larger investigation into a major GBL trafficking organization.
—The Associated Press
"This is a tragedy. Anyone who knows this young man knows he is a very, very fine young man," Rose's attorney, Jeffrey Brody, said outside the courthouse. "The use of this stuff is common. It's used as a sleep aid by many people in sports. And he got caught in a time warp because it was legal up to 2000. He came forward and immediately confessed and accepted responsibility."
INUED FROM PAGE 10A
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10A conference loss than Kansas (6-4-0), made the tournament.
A head-to-head 2-1 loss against Kansas left Texas one game behind Kansas in the Big 12 loss column.
"That surprised me a little bit," Francis said of the Longhorns' admittance to the tournament. "We finished ahead of them in conference. I'm happy for Texas that they made it — it's good for the conference — but I'm disappointed for our guys."
Of the five Big 12 teams selected, three also were chosen to host the first two rounds in their quadrants.
Nebraska takes on Creighton in Lincoln, Neb., to open tournament play.
Texas also received a host bid and will face Texas- El Paso in the first round.
Adding insult to injury, Kansas' fate landed on Francis' birthday. Pointing no fingers, he gave an explanation of his team's early season end.
Big 12 tournament and conference champion Texas A&M (16-3-2) will host Northwestern State in the opening round. College Station, Texas, will also be the site of the NCAA finals.
Adding insult to injury, Kansas' fate landed on Francis's birthday. Pointing no fingers, he gave an explanation of his team's early season end.
more used books
"There was some games against good teams that we didn't win," Francis said. "Those are the ones that end up tipping the scale."
— Edited by Theresa Montaño
Domestic & Foreign Complete Car Care
LAWRENCE
AUTOMOTIVE
DIAGNOSTICS
We Stand Behind Our Work, and WE CARE!"
INC.
842-8665
2858 Four Wheel Dr.
Whether in-store or online, receive 5% off Tuesdays for each touchdown scored by KU the previous weekend.* Visit Jayhawks.com or call 864-4640 for more info.