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PAGE 8B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014
WESLEY FROM PAGE 1B
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Despite playing only 21 total minutes this season, Tommy Brakel, Wesley's high school basketball coach, knows Wesley is making an impact, especially on the practice court against guys like Joel Embiid and Tarik Black.
coming here."
Some important transitions occurred before college, too.
"He'll give the effort and everything that he needs to in practice to push those guys on a daily basis," Brakel said.
After middle school, Wesley's mother Charlene Taylor remarried and moved the family from his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas to Houston. He excelled at Klein Collins High School, where he was named to the All-District
team his sophomore and junior year.
But before Wesley's senior year of high school, a hurricane blew a tree through his house, forcing Wesley to move back home and live with his aunt in Fort Worth. He played his senior season under the guidance of Brakel at North Crowley High School, a school that has produced more than 20 Division I basketball players.
"He's in the upper uplosion of all those great players." Brakel said. "He's a great team player."
Wesley plays his final game in Allen Fieldhouse tonight against Texas Tech at 7:00 p.m. He will deliver his senior speech following the end of the game.
Edited by Kate Shelton
him. When Black did see playing time, he would foul uncontrollably.
BLACK FROM PAGE 1B
Off the court, Black was fitting in just fine.
sured.
"The transition was very easy," Black said. "A year is a long time to see each other every day. Those bonds are going to be formed whether you like it or not. Those will be my brothers for life."
And as the bonds grew, Black found his place on the floor, too, fitting in with Jamari Traylor to cause chaos off the bench. He'll end the regular season as one of Kansas' most consistent players, averaging 4.3 points and three rebounds per game, although his most valuable traits can hardly be mea-
"I'll remember him being an unbelievable teammate and a great leader and certainly a guy that has impacted our ability to win," Self said.
Black could've done that anywhere. He came to Kansas for a different reason. One that every basketball player dreams and now seems so close.
- Edited By Jack Feigh
"I wanted to accomplish something that I haven't previously accomplished and what we're still in the running for." Black said. "I wanted to come here and experience winning in the NCAA tournament and winning big."
ROBERTS FROM PAGE 1B
dad and become a coach after his playing career, Roberts said, "coaching is not for me."
"June I start an internship in Portland for Adidas in its global basketball program," Roberts said about what he wants to do when he graduates. "I don't know where I want to go yet, so an internship will be a good way for me to figure out where I want to go from here."
Roberts might not seen much court time and wasn't the most popular player among fans, but Wednesday night will be for him and the other two seniors.
Coach Bill Self said that Wednesday against Texas Tech isn't junior night or sophomore night or freshmen night and it's called Senior Night for a reason
At Kansas, the tradition is that they celebrate the seniors, Self said.
I'm real proud for what he's done since he's been here," Self said about Roberts. "Not just how much he's helped us from a scout team standpoint, but he's certainly a great teammate as well."
Edited by Stella Liang
MLS
Sporting media day outlines season's goals
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
Back-to-back champions.
These four simple words are something every championship team strives for.
It's known to be one of the hardest things to do in sports.
Everyone in the league is gunning for you, because they know you are the best.
Sporting Kansas City looks to defend their MLS Cup title this season, along with many other things. Sporting has a lot on their schedule in the upcoming weeks.
"The hardest thing to do in sports is to repeat," midfielder Graham Zusi said. "We're coming into this season with a huge target on our backs."
The MLS Cup champions will be travelling to Seattle to take on the Sounders in their first game of the season. Every other team in the MLS will be looking to knock off Sporting and contend for the cup.
Zusi is one of three Sporting players that will be competing to make the US World Cup team as well. Midfielder and newly named Sporting captain Benny Feilhaber and defenseman Matt Besler are the other two players. Trying to make the US World Cup team is just one of the obstacles that Sporting will be facing in the upcoming weeks.
"We have a couple guys trying to make the US National Team," coach Peter
"The hardest thing to do in sports is to repeat. We're coming into this season with a huge target on our backs."
GRAHAM ZUSI SKC midfielder
Vermes said. "That's just a part of international soccer, it's a testament to our team that we have three guys going for a spot."
Sporting will host Cruz Azul from the Mexican Premier League in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on March 12.
"An MLS team has never won the CCL before," defenseman Seth Sinovic said. "I think that this is the closest an
MLS team has been to being able to win one. We have a great, competitive squad."
Winning the CCL would be an incredible achievement for Sporting.
"It would mean a whole lot to me and the guys," Vermes said. "We are such a competitive group of guys and feel that we can compete on any level."
Sporting will certainly have a hard time repeating as MLS cup champions this season, but that is not all they are concerned about.
One of Sporting's major goals heading into this season is to not stay complacent. They need to come out with the same intensity they had last year in order to be successful.
"It shouldn't be that hard," Zusi said. "Our goals are to win as many games as possible. We want to win the Champions League, the Open Cup, the MLS Cup and after that win the Club Championship."
Edited by Jamie Koziol
Last night, Sporting Kansas City's midfielder Graham Zusi said "The hardest thing to do in sports is to repeat. We're coming into this season with a huge target on our backs."
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Illinois forward Jon Ekey (33) misses a dunk against Michigan guard Zak Irvin (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, March 4, in Champaign, Ill.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NCAA BASKETBALL
Michigan takes Big 10 title with 84-53 win at Illinois
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Michigan came to Illinois with a shot at sewing up its first outright Big Ten title since 1986.
One potential obstacle stood in the way: The Illini were riding a hot streak and had held four straight opponents under 50 points.
It turns out Illinois wasn't much of a problem.
Nik Stauskas scored 24 points, hitting a career-best seven 3 pointers. He said Michigan didn't want to share the championship with anybody, something it did in 2012.
Michigan (22-7, 14-3 Big Ten) buried Illinois with 16 3-pointers on the way to an 84-5 blowout Tuesday night
"We came with that mindset, this was our championship and we wanted to win it," he said.
"I haven't seen that in practice even." Beilein said. "We were really good today."
Dialed in or not, Michigan coach John Beilein said he didn't see that kind of shooting performance coming against the Illini (17-13, 6-11).
Michigan shot 70 percent from 3-point range and hit 29 of its 51 shots from the field. 56.9 percent.
"He said he felt like he was throwing a golf ball in an
Caris LeVert added 15 points for Michigan and Glenn Robinson III had 13.
The Illini had won three straight. The loss was their worst at home in the 51-year history of the arena formerly known as the Assembly Hall and now called the State Farm Center.
Michigan had the game in hand by halftime with a 52-30 lead. The Wolverines hit five straight 3-pointers midway through the half to break the game open. The 15-point run turned widened Michigan's 20-17 lead to a comfortable 32-17.
Rayvonte Rice led Illinois with 16 and Kendrick Nunn added 14.
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While Michigan broke 50 points by halftime, Illinois didn't get there until the game had just over three minutes left and had long been decided.
ocean," Groce said. "That's what it was like tonight."
And Michigan had a dozen assists in those decisive 20 minutes and, against a team that had been living off steals, had turned the ball over just
Offensively, the Illini weren't bad over the first 20 minutes, shooting 54.2 percent.
But the Wolverines were un stopppable. They were 11-for-14 from 3-point range (78.6 percent) in the first half.
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Midway through the half, the Wolverines were good from 3-point range on five straight possessions. That turned a tight 17-13 game with 13:21 to play into a 32-17 blowout-in-the-making with just over eight minutes in the half.
It was the 3-pointers, though that broke the game open.
three times. The Illini had scored 20.7 points a game off steals during their three-game win streak.
Michigan had the ball and a 49-30 lead with 29 seconds left. Illinois committed three straight fouls to keep the Wolverines away from the basket.
Finally, with four seconds left, the Canadian Stauskas waited for the inbound pass from Derrick Walton Jr.
As the clock wound down on the half, the Illini seemed determined to at least not let the Wolverines break 50.
Stauskas took the pass and, just ahead of the buzzer, launched yet another 3-pointer. It slipped through the net and he enjoyed a long, slow stare at the student section before heading to the locker room.
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Horford said that even after the big win, the Wolverines didn't do much celebrating.
"Not really. We understand there are greater things ahead of us," he said.
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