4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2008
KU
TIPOFF
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2008
AT A GLANCE
COUNTDOWN TO TIPOFF
KANSAS FACES DOUBLE Poor conference play doesn't deter confidence
As far as turnovers go, it doesn't get much worse than the 25 Kansas had at Oklahoma Wednesday night. Playing at home should cure some of that and lining up against an equally struggling Iowa St. squad is just what the doctor ordered. Boogaard has looked better in every Big 12 contest, and the report building up between the guards and her should mean even more touches in the post. If coach Bonnie Henrickson can find a consistent presence at point guard then her team should be able to get into a groove and maybe grab some of those conference wins they all covet.
Will Chakeitha Weldon play over 15 minutes?
The freshman hasn't seen much playing time this year because she plays too aggressive. But point guard Ivana Catic hasn't played well in conference. With that in mind, Henrickson decided to give Weldon a shot in the second half at Oklahoma. Weldon led Kansas on a 14-4 run. Jayhawks will her energy again on Saturday.
QUESTION MARK
KANSAS VS. IOWA STATE 7 p.m. Saturday, Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas (12-8,1-6)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Krysten Boogaard, 6-foot-5 freshman center
8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg
After a rough start to the Big 12 season – seven points and nine rebounds in the first three games – Boogaard has come into her own at the post position. In the last four games the freshman averaged 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest. Her timing on the defensive end has improved by leaps and bounds and her offensive repertoire grows with every game.
Iowa State (13-6,2-4)
Danielle McCray, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard 14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg
McCray turned in another solid
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kelsey Bolte 6-1 freshman guard
10.7 ppg .48% 3PT
McCray turned in another solid night of 13 points and seven rebounds, but led the team with six turnovers. The sophomore hasn't shot 50 percent or better from the field in any of the Jayhawks' Big 12 games. With a few pump fakes, McCray could get some better looks to improve that average and again reach the 20-point plateau. LeChelda
rebounds are the result of her 54 per cent three-point shooting and increased dedication on the boards.
confer-
ence in
three-point
shooting
percentage, but Lacy's 46 percent clip is good enough for second. —Andrew Wiebe
ISU
TIPOFF
ATAGLANCE
Losing the second leading scorer and leading rebounder, Nicky Wieben, against Texas was a severe blow to Iowa State's hopes for success in the Big 12. Without Wieben, the Cyclones are last in the conference in points allowed, and the Jayhawk's freshman center Krysten Boogaard and senior forward Taylor McNtosh could pose problems in the paint. Then again, Iowa State beat Colorado by 20 on Wednesday night, a team Kansas lost to by 18.
QUESTION MARK
Can Kansas keep the game from becoming a three-point shooting contest?
If Iowa State shoots the way it did against Colorado, Kansas may be in for a long night. During the course of their 65-45 victory, the Cyclones made 10-23 three-point attempts and out-rebounded the Buffaloes by 16. Kansas was already vulnerable on the offensive glass, but if any of the guards pinch down to help, it could leave a lot of room for Iowa State's long-range bombers.
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MLB
Baseball player releases CD
BY R.B. FALLSTROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Music has long been a part of Scott Spiezio's life. Now it's part of his therapy.
The St. Louis Cardinals' utility player missed more than a month last season while receiving treatment for substance abuse. He poured the emotions from his ordeal and his team's doomed followup to a World Series title into the latest CD for the hard rock band, Sandfrog, that he fronts in his spare time.
The title, Offseason, speaks to Spiezo's off-field issues, Josh Hancock's drunk-driving death and the team's myriad injuries. Hancock's death was particularly devastating
for Spiezio.
"The emotions and the lyrics are very deep," Spiezio said. "There's a lot of songs about dealing with friends and family with problems and overcoming them and seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it's the loss of a teammate, guys getting injured, our team not doing well. Anything. We addressed that a lot in the CD."
Just as 35-year-old Spiezio continues to address the nature of his substance abuse in vague, big-picature terms, the lyrics don't overly address the topics that tortured him in 2006. They're definitely the inspiration for a player who disclosed last fall that hed been struggling with substance abuse for more than six months.
"It's not necessarily about him, but it's about kind of what I was feeling, the emotions and stuff like that," Spiezio said.
The as-yet unnamed song about Hancock deals more with the fallout for Spiezio, who was too distraught to play for days after the fatal accident in late April.
Spiezio is Sandfrog's lead singer and the principal writer of a five-member group from his hometown of Morris, Ill. The group's name is a combination of the last names of the four original members — Spiezio, Anderson, Froilan and Garry. Its heavy metal sound, packed with throaty vocals and power chords, has been described as modern Black Sabbath or new metal.
There's been plenty of actual therapy, too, helping Spiezio keep on track and preparing him to better deal with any curveballs that life throws.
There are no plans on touring.
"I'd like to keep my day job. It's much more easily-controlled when you're around these guys," Spiezio said, referring to his teammates. "I have a lot more help than it would be with four rockers on the road."
"You've got to put yourself in the right situations, sometimes change friends or go out to breakfast with a friend and not to a place where you can start making bad decisions," Spiezio said. "I've got to be in a frame of mind where I can't lose focus in any way."
Manager Tony La Russa was strongly in Spiezio's corner throughout his absence last year, expressing that confidence when Spiezio started at third base the day he was reinstated from the restricted list in mid-September. Healthy and in the right frame of mind, Spiezio gives the Cardinals versatility in the field with his ability to play five positions along with a knack for the timely hit.
He batted .272 in 119 games with 13 homers and 52 RBIs in 2006, although last year he appeared in only 82 games due to injuries, illness and treatment and managed only four homers, 31 RBIs and a .269 average.
He's now the oldest player on the team by nearly two years.
SATURDAY 7pm VS. IOWA STATE
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