8C THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
Seniors become new leaders
Hawkins
MIRANDA LENNING
mlnening@
kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR
STAFF WRITER
It is not uncommon these days for Jeff Hawkins to go to his locker before or after practice and fiir
Hawkins
somebody's trash wadded up on his chair. The fifth year senior knows who is responsible for the mess; clearly it is one of the five newcomers on the Jayhawks squad getting some chuckles out of messing with the old man on the team.
"I never know which one it is. That is the thing." Hawkins laughed. "I come back and there will be a can on my locker and I know it is one of them. One day one of my shoes will be gone. They've got some little pranks."
It's not like the jokes bother Hawkins, who said he did his own share of pranking when he was a freshman. Hawkins is just glad the newcomers feel comfortable enough around him to steal his shoes.
"I come back and there will be a can on my locker and I know it is one of them. One day one of my shoes will be gone."
Jeff Hawkins Senior
"I feel like that old grumpy old dog that didn't have any friends and then you get two little puppies and all the little puppies harass the dog," Hawkins said. "They keep you on your toes, the little freshman, they're always playing little pranks, the same things I was doing when I was a freshman. Now it is coming back to haunt me."
It may be fun for the freshmen to crack jokes on "J-Hawk" in the locker room, but on the court, the young pups are learning a lot from the "grumpy old dog." As a fifth-year senior, Hawkins has a year more of experience than anyone on the team, making him the most likely candidate to assume the leadership role left by his buddies Keith Langford, Mike Lee,
Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien; however, leadership is not a natural role for Hawkins, who didn't have to play that part in his past years.
Hawkins' role was far from that. It's no secret that Hawkins has had his ups and downs at Kansas. He was suspended from the basketball team in late August of last year for "behavior issues" and then reinstated five weeks later. Hawkins' ability to overcome that adversity earned him the respect of Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self.
"I've always liked Jeff as a kid." Self said. "I think one thing is that Jeff's been through a little bit. It's been fairly well-documented. I think he has worked hard to prove that he can be a guy that is a leader and a big time performer at the University of Kansas."
Always in the shadow of Miles, the all-time assist leader in Kansas and Big 12 history, Hawkins' opportunities have been minimal — that is up until this year. Despite the depth at point guard, with sophomore Russell Robinson and freshman Mario Chalmers knocking on the door, Kansas coach Bill Self has indicated the point job
RYAN SCHNEIDER
Moody
SEE HAWKINS ON PAGE 12C
KANSAN STAFF
WRITER
For two seasons, he sat at the end of the bench.
His only playing time was mop-up
ing seconds of blowout games.
But last season was different for Christian Moody. The senior forward went from being an unknown walk-on to media darling. Moody received attention like no other walk-on in Kansas basketball history. His face was soon plastered on sports magazines across the country.
Moody started 25 games last season, averaging nearly six points and five rebounds per game. He suddenly became thrust into the national spotlight with his performance against Kentuckv at Rupp Arena.
With All-American forward Wayne Simien injured, Moody was forced to become an inside force for the Jayhawks. He scored a career-high 11 points
and grabbed seven rebounds in 23 minutes of work. The performance prompted CBS announcer Billy Packer to declare Moody the best walk-on player in the history of college basketball.
Moody seems almost embarrassed when talking about the national attention he received last season. He quickly deflects any talk of himself becoming the next poster child for Kansas basketball.
"It's definitely exciting for me, but if they're going to put Kansas on the cover of a magazine, I want them to put the team on the magazine," Moody said. "We're such a young team and we don't have any individuals that really are huge names."
The unquestioned leaders of the team the last two seasons were last year's senior class. This season, however, the leadership roles have yet to be determined. Replacing that strong senior leadership was something the team discussed over the summer. Moody said.
Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self identified Moody, among a few others, as one player who could step into that leadership role to help guide the young team.
"I would say that they are all 25 percent of what they could potentially be," Self said. "I think it is unfair to say that they
are more than that, because right now they don't know exactly what their roles will be as well."
While Moody is likely to relinquish his role as the team's only returning starter, don't expect to see him lobbying Self for more playing time.
"Coach will make the decision on who starts, and he'll make the best decision for the team." Moody said. "I just want to help the guys in a way that will best help the team."
As a senior, Moody realizes he will have to be a leader for a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores. He said assuming the leadership position on the team had been the focus of his thoughts during the off-season. Part of that leadership role involves the usually reserved Moody becoming a more vocal leader. He said it was the responsibility of the seniors to lead the team by example, on and off the court.
"I definitely want to be the best leader that I can be," Moody said. "I want to really do the best I can to help them get better and help them understand what it takes to be the close-knit group that we want to be."
Edited by Patrick Ross
Vinson
CJ MOORE
WO JWCOME
cjmoore@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
When senior guard Stephen Vinson visits the Student Recreation and Fitness Center from time to time, he says
Vinson
he is always getting challenged to games of one-on-one. And there is something this former walk-on would like to clear up.
"I think something a lot of people might not know about me is that I can actually play basketball," Vinson said. "I think one misperception people have of college basketball is they think the 14th and 15th man on a team can't play."
Vinson plans to prove that he can compete this season. Rarely used during his first three seasons, Vinson is making a case for some playing time this pre-season.
Vinson showed off his sweet shooting stroke and improved game at Late Night in the Phog when he scored eight points on 3-3 shooting with two three-
point shots. The former Lawrence Lion would like to imitate his best friend and roommate Christian Moody, senior, and work his way into the lineup this season.
"I'm a confident basketball player," Vinson said. "I don't think that if I was put on the floor that I'd be a liability without a doubt. Christian got an opportunity and he made the most of it.
He played better than anyone ever thought he would. My hope is that if I get an opportunity, I'd do just like him. I'd take full advantage of it. He waited his turn and he paid his
dues and hopefully I can do the same."
Vinson, who men's basketball coach Bill Self proclaims is the hardest worker on the team, has never felt better about his opportunities to contribute. He said the game had slowed down, and he had more confidence in his abilities than he had ever had before.
His confidence was given a boost this summer when Self put him on scholarship, something the coach said Vinson had earned.
"He made it real clear that it wasn't a gift and that it was something that he thought I deserved," Vinson said. "And that he was doing it because he had higher expectations for me this year."
The scholarship is well-appreciated by the senior point guard. Vinson is engaged to his high-school sweetheart Anna Harvey, who attended his high school's rival Lawrence Free State.
With the wedding set for May, Vinson said every last dollar helped and there was some added motivation playing for pay.
"When you have your school paid for, it's a lot easier to come to practice for the third time in one day," Vinson said. "When you're playing for free and as a volunteer, there's certain moments that are just really tough and you've got to be really mentally tough to continue to do it."
Vinson plans to make his senior season one to remember and is ready to contribute anything he can to the inexperienced lavahaws.
"If I'm given 30 seconds, I'll make the most of it." Vinson said. "If I'm given 20 minutes, I'll make the most of it."
And if Vinson gets in the game, he'd like everyone to remember that he's "not too bad at basketball."
Edited by Patrick Ross
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