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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Coach expects improvement
Bryan Howe/KANSAN
Coach New players bring 'Hawks high hopes
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITHER
Going into 2004-2005, the Jayhawks were picked to finish 11th in the Big 12. This year however, with the addition of junior point guard Shaquina Mosley, last year's junior college player of the year, and freshmen Ivana Catic, Jen Orgas, Katie Smith and Marija Zinic, the Big 12 basketball preseason coaches poll picked the Iav Hawks to finish sixth.
Women's basketball head coach Bonnie Henrickson speaks to the crowd during Late Night in the Phog on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse. Henrickson traveled with seniors Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp to Big 12 Media Day Wednesday in Dallas.
DALLAS — The Kansas women's basketball team added five new players to its roster this offseason, one for each position it jumped in the Big 12 preseason ranking.
"I believe it's very positive because players respect the coaches in this league, and the fact that it was voted on by the coaches means a lot to them," Henrickson said. "For our staff, we appreciate the extra vote of confidence that they got."
Those could be high expectations for a team that dropped its last three conference games to finish 5-11 in the conference. But second-year coach Bonnie Henrickson said just the opposite.
The addition of Mosley, or "Shaq" as her teammates call her, might be the most important addition for the Jayhawks. Hendrickson said she brings athleticism, leadership and a fast-paced style of play to the court.
guard runs, the wings run," Henrickson said. "You can see it in practice already, that our pace has improved. She has the opportunity
"She's a point guard who can get numbers, and when the point
to be an awfully good defender."
It also doesn't hurt that they Jayhawks play 21 of their 29 games in Allen Fieldhouse.
Originally, they were supposed to play 19 home games, but, because of Hurricane Katrina, the Jayhawks will play host to a tournament initially scheduled in New Orleans.
Henrickson said that although her team would not get the road experience it might need, other issues were more important.
"It is important right now just for us to learn how to win, be successful, gain some momentum in the program, and we certainly think having the opportunity to play in Allen Fieldhouse as much as we can will enhance our chances," she said.
The Jlayhawks' first 14 games are at home, which senior forward Crystal Kemp said will give the team an opportunity to gain confidence before Big 12 Conference play begins and put it on track for postseason play.
"I definitely think we can make the tournament, especially if we take advantage of all of the home games and get a really good boost on our record before Big 12 play starts, as competitive as it is," Kemp said.
In her second year, Henrickson appears to be improving the team and the attitudes of the players on it. Kemp said she was excited about her second year under coach Henrickson, but mostly she was excited for the season.
"You can definitely tell when we have team meetings and even at Late Night we had more people coming up to us saying they were excited about the season and we are really excited too," Kemp said.
Edited by Anne Burgard
NFL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3P
Rookie helps KC Chiefs defense improve
BY STEVE BRISENDINE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One big game got Jared Allen noticed. A few more like it, and he might just prove to be the dominating pass rusher the Kansas City Chiefs have been looking for.
The second-year defensive end was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, after recording three sacks and recovering two fumbles — both of which he forced — in Sunday's 28-21 victory over the Washington Redskins.
He was the first Chiefs player to force and recover two fumbles and have at least one sack in a game since the late Derrick Thomas did it in 1994.
“This is what I get paid to do,” Allen said. “I get paid to sack the quarterback, and that's
what I was doing, and now I have to go out and do it again Sunday."
Allen's nine sacks last year were the second-most by a rookie in franchise history. He has five in five games this season for the Chiefs (3-2), who are scheduled to play Sunday at Miami, but face the prospect of having the game moved or rescheduled because of Hurricane Wilma, which is expected to hit Florida over the weekend.
"We're preparing as if we're playing Sunday afternoon," coach Dick Vermeil said. "That's all we have the option to do. We're not involved in the decision-making process."
Against the Redskins, Allen sometimes got across the line so quickly that Washington tackle Jon Jansen wondered aloud if Allen was jumping early.
comments, Allen laughed.
“That’s fine,” he said. “We’re going to watch film, and I’m going to find something on them, too. So it’s cool.”
Told Wednesday of Jansen's
Miami coach Nick Saban didn't address that speculation, but noted Allen's ability to penetrate the backfield.
"He was getting off the ball very well," Saban said Wednesday. "I think when you create passing situations, that's what you'd like for your defensive linemen to be able to do."
“It’s up to the refs,” Frerotte said. “It’s a game, and if he’s getting off on the count — or getting off before the ball’s snapped — and he’s not getting a flag, he’s going to keep doing it.” Frerotte said.
And if Allen has found a way to beat the snap count without getting caught, Miami quarterback Gus Frerotte, the Dolphins must be ready for it.
Kansas City has had other promising pass rushers fail to deliver, though, since Thomas' untimely death in 2000 from injuries sustained in the rollover of a sport utility vehicle on an interstate highway.
Vermeil, who briefly moved Jimmy Wilkerson ahead of Allen on the depth chart in training camp, said he wasn't worried about Allen losing focus.
Vonnie Holliday had three sacks in the Chiefs' opener in 2003, and then just two more over the rest of the season, including a first-round playoff loss.
"I think he's got a pretty good value system squared away in regard to his career in football," Vermeli said.
"I don't think you have to worry about him being a fathead or a big-timer. I think he really just loves playing football, and that's part of his profile."
BIG 12 BASKETBALL
Wal-Mart heiress gives diploma back
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Elizabeth Paige Laurie's name used to be on a sports arena in Missouri. Now it isn't even on a University of Southern California diploma.
Laurie, the granddaughter of Wal-Mart co-founder Wal Walton, has returned her degree, nearly a year after Elena Martinez told ABC's "20/20" that she had written term papers and done assignments for Laurie for 3 1/2 years.
"Paige Laurie voluntarily has surrendered her degree and returned her diploma to the university. She is not a graduate of USC," the school said in a statement dated Sept. 30. "This concludes the university's review of the allegations concerning Ms. Laurie."
USC spokesman James Grant
said Wednesday the university had no further comment. Laurie had been given a bachelor's degree by the USC Annenberg School for Communication in May 2004.
After the homework allegations surfaced last November, the University of Missouri changed the name of what was then Paige Sports Arena. Laurie's billionaire parents, Bill and Nancy Laurie, had received naming rights in exchange for donating $25 million toward the building's construction. Nancy Laurie is Walton's daughter.
A call seeking comment from Bill Laurie at his Paige Sports Entertainment company was not immediately returned. The family has repeatedly declined to comment on the cheating allegation.
Self
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Self said he wasn't looking that far ahead, however. Despite the excitement of starting the season, he said the team needed time to develop.
Self said, ideally, he would like to play with a nine-man rotation, but with 12 players who could contribute to the team, playing only nine could be a challenge.
"I certainly feel like there's a lot of unknowns with our ball club that will certainly, through time, the next two, three weeks kind of become known to us," he said.
The main reason for all of the "unknowns" within this Jayhawks team is the abundance of youth. With four freshmen who could contend for a starting spot, it remains unknown who will emerge from the group. At Late Night the four freshmen combined for 30 of the 78 total points scored.
Hawkins said each one of them had done something to impress, but no one had emerged.
"Julian is an unbelievable athlete," Hawkins said. "I mean he is a high flier, he just plays above the rim. One time he did some 360 dunk that I can't even explain to this day."
Moody recalled that dunk as well.
"It was an incredible," he said. "It was a fast break and Julian just — he went up and I can't remember who he dunked on, but whoever it was will remember it for a long while."
Moody said he was impressed with the overall shooting ability of the freshmen as well.
"All of them can shoot," Moody said. "Brandon has a great dribble, pull-up jumper and Mario and Micah have been real impressive from outside the arc."
Moody said the most exciting part about this year was the element of secrecy. He said he liked the fact that opponents didn't know how good the Jayhawks would be this year.
Say what?
When asked why this year's Missouri team was closer to each other than last year's, Missouri men's basketball coach Quin Snyder spat off some interesting comments. "I will be satisfied if we play our asses off and are unselfish," he said. "I think all of you guys will judge that on our team, and who knows they may can my ass, but you know what, I'll feel good about it. I feel great about what I've done at Missouri."
Knight back at it
Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bobby Knight, never a fan of the NCAA, poked fun at the new NCAA rule, which says coaches can work out with their team before the official start of the season.
"Somebody else must have thought that up because I have never seen a rule that the NCAA has made that made as much sense as that one does," Knight said. "It must have been passed from the United Auto Workers Association or the United Mine Workers or somebody because the NCAA is not capable of actually coming up with something that's beneficial to college basketball."
First day off
Today the Jayhawks will have their first day off of practice since Late Night. Self is out of town attending a benefit for the Jimmy V Classic, which Kansas will participate in on Dec. 6 when it faces St. Joseph's.
Edited by Erin Wisdom