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Volume 126 Issue 77
kansan.com
Thursday, February 13, 2014
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COMMENTARY
Jayhawks need to loosen up
Before the party on Mass Street, before Mario's Miracle and before the
banners, there was a saying the 2008 Kansas basketball team used. It remained unknown until the day before the Championship game.
Kansas' senior forward Darnell Jackson was asked about the team's chemistry and getting that far in the tournament.
"We just say 'let your nuts hang,' Jackson said to Rustin Dodd of the Daily Kansan. "Just let them hang. Just have fun because this is it for most of the guys, and we're just having fun with it."
The current Jayhawks aren't playing with that mentality.
Before we go there it's important to realize the line 'let your nuts hang' is both funny and true. Really, it makes no sense. None whatsoever. Yet everyone knows what it means. It's a figurative phrase used in a joking way to tell a team to play both free and tough.
It also provides some insight as to what that championship team was all about and shows a little of what this current team is missing. The nuts aren't yet hanging.
The 2008 team had fun, they played loose and they carried an attitude with them that would often overwhelm their opponents. The fact that their jerseys had "Kansas" on the front mattered to them. It meant their opponents were about to lose.
"They had a little bit of a 'we're better than you and we know it kind of vibe," Dodd said. "Their guards kind of had a swagger about them. A good arrogance about them. A productive arrogance."
In short, they let their nuts hang. This Kansas team is young. They're the tall, lanky 14-year-old kid that dominates at times, but will still trip over his feet that are a little too big for his body. The coordination isn't all there. But you can still see he's going to be a monster athlete soon.
In one way or another, what they need is to "let'em hang." Embrace the hilarity of the line and play with the confidence and freeing attitude the motto embraces.
It's similar to the "Risky Business" line, where Tom Cruise is worried about messing up his future. His friend tells him, "Every now and then say what the f*** What the f*** gives you freedom. Freedom gives you opportunity. Opportunity makes your future."
After Kansas beat Oklahoma in its conference opener, Bill Self said his team.had been playing handcuffed earlier in the season. Against Oklahoma, Self said the layhawks let go.
They did what Jackson said. They did what Tom Cruise was told. They played with the attitude and mentality that
SEE VERNON PAGE 3B
SOFTBALL PREVIEW Kansas prepares for weekend tournament PAGE 38
KANSAS 62 - TCU 53
COMEBACK VICTORY
EVAN DUNBAR
sports@kansan.com
Up by nine with just over four minutes left to play in their home matchup against TCU, the Kansas women's basketball team couldn't help feeling a bit of deja vu. After all, they found themselves in the exact same situation when the two teams met earlier this season in Fort Worth. The Jayhawks (12-13, 5-8) ended up losing that game by two.
So it was no surprise when they visibly played their toughest basketball over the final minutes of their 60-52 win against the Horned Frogs (14-10, 5-7) on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
Sparked by TCU sophomore guard Zahna Medley, TCU went on a 10-0 run midway through the first. Medley did it all for the Horned Frogs, draining a couple shots from behind the arc as well as converting an array of mid-range floaters. She finished the half with 13 points on 5-10 shooting.
"We were more positive about it [as opposed to last time], we were not going to let that happen," senior guard CeCe Harper said. "We were telling each other to have that killer instinct."
Initially, things didn't look promising for Kansas. For the second consecutive game, the jayhawks held their opponents scoreless in the game's opening four minutes. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive game, they were unable to capitalize as they still played much of the half from behind.
Additionally, coach Bonnie Henrickson said her team's offense was "abysmal" in the first half on their way to just 24 points. It only began to show signs of life in the waning minutes behind the strong play of sophomore guard Natalie Knight.
With just over two minutes remaining in the first, Knight sank a 3-pointer, came up with a steal on the opposite end and promptly took it back down for another three. It was the offensive spark that the Jayhawks were searching for all night as they headed into half down five.
"This was a game we needed to win," Knight said. "No matter how much we got down, we still needed to fight."
Kansas' second half play supported this sentiment; they scored the first 11 points of the half and didn't trail for the remainder of the game. Junior forward Chelsea Gardner was kept relatively quiet early, but made her presence felt in the second half. She played well on both ends of the court. finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds for her tenth double-double of the season.
Kansas experienced more success guarding Medley in the second half as well. She was held to only 3-13 from the field after intermission as open looks were few and far between.
"I thought CeCe did a good job on Medley," Henrickson said. "Got in on her, stayed with her, didn't give her separation."
- Edited by Blair Sheade
"We had to win," she said.
"We have to get on a little run here."
TCU made things interesting late by pulling within a single possession with just over two minutes left. But the Jayhawks recorded a couple key stops and hit their free throws down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.
Currently seventh in the Big 12 Conference, Henrickson knows her team will need more performances like the one she got from them Wednesday if they want a shot at the postseason.
AMIE JUST/KANSAN
Junior forward Chelsea Gardner posts up on TCU's Latricia Lovings (21) on Wednesday. The Jayhawks defeated the Horned Frogs 62-53 with a 12-point, 15-rebound effort from Gardner.
BASEBALL
Jayhawks prepare for four-game series
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team will get the 2014 campaign underway Friday against Brigham Young University. The teams will play a fourgame series in Peoria, Ariz. Kansas is happy to go on the road to start off the season, especially due to the weather at home in Lawrence.
Junior Wes Benjamin will be the Jayhawks' likely starting pitcher for the season opener against the Cougars. Benjamin is a 6-foot-1 lefthander from St. Charles, Ill. He is going to be the Friday night starter for Kansas all season, and is crucial for Kansas' success.
"If we're going to make the NCAA tournament,
(Benjamin) is going to have to win us 10 games on Friday night," coach Ritch Price said. "That's his goal, and if he gets that done, our team will complete its' goals as well."
The Jayhawks were picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 this season and plan to use this weekend as a starting point to prove doubters wrong. Kansas is embracing the underdog role, as some players have already hung up that prediction in the locker-room.
Wes Benjamin is projected to be drafted between the third and seventh round in this year's upcoming draft.
"Being underdogs is fun," senior pitcher Jordan Piche' said. "And we proved last year
that we can beat the big guys." The Jayhawks made it all the way to the Big 12
"The mentality in the locker room is hungry. We deserved to be in the tournament last year."
KA'IANA ELDREDGE
Senior catcher
championship game last season and plan to have similar if not better success than last year.
"Our main goal is to make a regional (playoff)," said junior outfielder Michael Suiter. "That is a huge goal for not only myself, but the team
as well."
"Their Friday night starter is one of the best in the country," Price said. "He beat some really good teams like LSU, and we were fortunate enough to open against Nevada, who had a first-rounder and we beat him there."
BYU senior captain, Desmond Poulson will get the start against Kansas on Friday. Poulson is coming off of a tremendous junior season, posting a 7-2 record with a 3.24 ERA. Poulson is a big-game pitcher.
Price explained that the benefit of facing a team with an ace, is the abundance of scouts on hand. There were close to 100 scouts at the Nevada game, and there will be nearly as many in
Peoria. This is beneficial for Benjamin and the rest of the Kansas roster.
Kansas has been a historically strong starting team. They are 72-54-1 all-time in their season opener and 7-4 under Price. Price and the Jayhawks hope that success will carry over to Peoria. Following the series in Arizona, Kansas will travel to Port Charlotte, Florida to compete in the Snowbird Classic.
"The mentality in the locker room is hungry," senior captain Ka'iana Eldredge said. "We deserved to be in the tournament last year."
— Edited by Brook Barnes and Julie Etzler
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