4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Fast forward to 2007, and Fine is a team captain and one of the team's most well-rounded players. Through 10 games, he has contributed strong blocking in the run game to go along with 38触客.
In 2005, Marcus Henry was a lanky receiver with plenty of potential, but not much to show for it. He made a pair of key catches in the final two minutes of the Iowa State game, helping the Jayhawks march down the field and force overtime with 1:05 remaining in regulation.
In 2007, Henry is one of the brightest stars on the Kansas offense. He's still lanky, but he has outrun and outleaped cornerbacks on the way to 46 catches and 19.2 yards per reception. Henry's transformation from a one-star recruit to a nationally-recognized receiver did not happen overnight.
"Each and every year he goten a little stronger and gotten a little faster," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "He understands things a little better. He's a guy who has kept at it and got better each and every year."
The Jayhawks' No. 1 slot receiver, Dexton Fields, also stood out for the first time in the 2005 Iowa State contest. Fields was a freshman at the time who played in every game but rarely took snaps with the offense. When quarterback Brian Luke found Fields in the end zone for a 15-yard score to send the game into overtime, it was his first career reception. This season, Fields has added 37 catches to his career total.
Iowa State also had a pair of young receivers who made an impact in the 2005 matchup and have continued to contribute. Todd Blythe caught five passes in the Cyclones' loss two seasons ago and R.J. Sumnall added a 10-yard reception. Blythe, a senior, and Sumnall, a junior, have become Iowa State's most potent offensive weapons. Each has 50 catches this season and Blythe is averaging more than 15 yards per catch.
Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
》 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks compensate for Collins' absence
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Sherron Collins heard more than enough sympathy from students when he returned to class Tuesday after getting surgery for a broken foot.
"I'm not the type of person to really get down on myelf," said Collins, a sophomore guard. "But people will be like, 'Ahhh were so sorry, are you all right and oh my God.'"
Collins doesn't feel sorry for himself or his team. He said Kansas would do fine while he was gone for six weeks. The Jayhawks play Washburn at 7 p.m. in their first game without Collins.
The foot injury happened Sunday night against UMKC. Collins drove hard to the basket for a lay-up and landed awkwardly. He returned to the game with his ankle taped, but he didn't play with same explosiveness.
"I knew when I got back out there something wasn't feeling right, and it wasn't my ankle," he said. "It was my foot."
Players need to step up for Collins, who is the team's leading scorer at 16 points per game. Kansas coach Bill Self said it started with the other two guards, Junior Mario Chalmers and senior Russell Robinson.
"There's less margin for error in that if Mario or Russell aren't making shots, then Sherron could." Self said. "Now, those guys need to play well. They need to stay out of foul trouble.
keeping off the weight
Sheron Collins came to Kansas last year weighing 227 pounds. It fluctuated throughout the year, and he played his best ball in conference play when he not his weight down
Now, Collins faces the challenge of keeping his weight down, he's at about 200 pounds, while he's injured. He can't doing any exercise for three weeks because he can't get sweat on the cast around his foot. Collins said he's motivated to eat right and work out once he is able to.
Without Brandon being full strength, and without Sherron, we need those guys to be impact players nightly".
With Collins out, reserves Jeremy Case, Rodrick Stewart and Tyrel Reed will also be counted on to contribute more. Stewart will start tonight against Washburn and probably for the next few games until junior guard Brandon Rush works himself into shape.
Stewart, a senior guard, came off the bench the first two games and played well, averaging 4.5 points per game and was fourth on the team in assists. Earlier this year, Self called him the best defender on the team.
off the bench in his second season after transferring from Southern California.
"To be honest, I think last year, I wouldn't want to start at all," Stewart said. "But this year, I've put in the work over the summer. I'm prepared for stuff like this. If he wants me to start or come off the bench, I'm going to be a spark regardless. I'm going to bring the energy!"
Reed, a freshman guard, said he never expected the opportunity for this much playing time. He'll need to play more consistently to make the best of his extra minutes. Reed scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting Friday against Louisiana-Monroe. It was a different story against UMKC. He went scoreless in nine minutes.
Not only do the Jayhawks need Reed to become more consistent offensively, they need him to become a better defender. Reed started off his college career by getting burned by a Pittsburgh State player in the first exhibition game. He said he was still adjusting to the speed of the college level.
"It's just a transition that I have to get used to," Reed said. "It's coming along. The coaches are real good about helping me out every day and helping me get better. Every Division I player is there for a reason, and everyone is such a good athlete. Just me going from high school to college is a big transition."
Reed will be challenged for minutes by Case, someone who plays a similar game. Like Reed, he is a shooter who needs to work on his defense to get more than the five minutes per game
Sophomore guard Sharon Collins is out for six weeks after injuring his foot during the game against UMKC Sunday. Collins said he knew his team would be fine during his absence.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
he's been averaging to start the year.
Whether it's Case, Reed or Stewart who got the majority of the newly available minutes, Stewart said the team would be ready to move on without Collins.
"This is a time to pull together
er and make this thing work," he said. "We've been doing this without Brandon, and now we'll have to do it again without Sherron."
Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
Rush may join Jayhawks on court against Ichabods
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Kansas could get a boost from injured star Brandon Rush against Washburn tonight.
Doctors have cleared Rush to play in games, but the final decision is up to Kansas coach Bill Self. He said he
didn't know if he'd let Rush play vet.
"I'd probably be saying too strongly if I said one way or another, but he's out there practicing." Self said Wednesday. "We'll evaluate it after today, but I won't announce whether he'll play or not. It will be a game time decision as football coaches would say"
court tonight against Washburn. He told the coaches he wanted to play, especially before big games coming up against Arizona and Southern California.
If Rush had it his way, he'd be on the
He said he feels no lingering effects from his May ACL tear and only has to adjust to the injury mentally. Rush has been wearing a knee brace since his rehab started and during fall practices.
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"Regardless of when he gets out there, for the first time there will be an adjustment for him," Self said. "He's very capable of playing well but his timing hasn't been great. He needs to get out there and get out there under the lights and do some things, but certainly were not going to rush him out there. We've been slowing him down just out of precaution.
After tearing his ACL while attempting a lay-up during a May pick up game, Rush was originally scheduled to return on Dec. 1. Self said his only worry was playing Rush before he was ready for the speed of the game.
"He wants to be out there. Whether that happens tomorrow or not, I'm not going to say. But I do see it happening in the very near future."
SINCE 1908
Kansas' success during the past two years has come largely because of Rush. He led the team in scoring as a freshman and a sophomore. The jayhaws have won two Big 12 regular season titles and two Big 12 tournament championships since he joined the team.
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He's also the main reason they advanced to the Elite Eight last season. Rush shot 6-of-6 from the field and made the final basket of a close 61-58 victory.
Rush still isn't in good enough shape to be the same player he's been for the past two years, despite practicing at full contact for nearly a month. He said he could play about 10 to 15 minutes and
Edited by Elizabeth Cattell