SPORTS
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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005
PAGE 1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FOOTBALL
Team works out
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Two No. 1s were distinctly absent yesterday at Kansas' football open practice. Sophomore running back John Randle was dismissed from the team on Monday after he was arrested on a battery charge, and junior linebacker Gabriel Toomey left the team in December, citing health problems.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino said he was impressed with the way the defense had been playing thus far into practices.
About 100 fans attended the lone open practice of the spring. It was the team's first practice in pads, and fans got their first glimpses of what the team will look like next season.
"I think we've got a chance to be a pretty solid team on defense," Mangino said. "We're moving faster on defense than
we ever have. I'm pretty excited about that."
The team will feature three recognizable faces at the linebacker position with juniors Nick Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane anchoring the defense. Reid had 109 tackles a season ago and garnered first team all-Big 12 accolades.
"It's jelling the quickest it has since I have been here." Floodman said of the defense. "We are feeling pretty good right now."
Jon Cornish, who played at running back last season, saw some time at linebacker today. Mangino said that the move was currently experimental and was made because Reid had been sick recently.
Sophomore cornerback Charles Gordon and junior cornerback Theo Baines will both return. Gordon was a thirdteam all-American selection last year as he led the nation with seven interceptions.
The quarterback position is competitive with sophomore Adam Barmann and Marcus Herford, a freshman who took a redshirt, fighting for the starting job. Barmann and Herford get about 35 percent of the reps each at the position. Juniors Jason Swanson and Brian Luke are receiving the remainder of the reps.
Fans also saw a quarterback competition that will likely continue up until the first game of the season Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic.
"I'm glad to have competition. That's what makes you better." Barmann said.
Barmann passed for 1,427 yards and 12 touchdowns last season before missing the final three games because of a shoulder injury.
Barmann and Herford completed some challenging passes yesterday, but also struggled finding receivers, as both overthrew some passes.
1. "
"I it's jelling the quickest it has since I have been here. We are feeling pretty good right now."
Banks Floodman Junior linebacker
The many blitzes from the Kansas defense during the scrimmage section of practice may have contributed to the struggles.
"We put them in a tough spot today," Mangino said. "We worked a lot of blitz and longyardage, and I did it for a reason. We have to be able to deal with those types of situations."
On the offensive line, junior Matt Thompson has switched
SEE TEAM ON PAGE 8B
Luke Arndt, freshman cornerback, battles for the ball against Kyle Tucker, sophomore punter, yesterday during a drill at the football team's first practice in pads. About 100 fans were present to see next fall's players in action.
Courtney Kuhlen/KANSAN
PROFILE
Boschee on the rebound
Kansas standout finds his way back to the court after challenges
BY FRANK TANKARD
fankard@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRITER
Editor's Note: Kansan sportswriter Frank Tankard will profile a former Kansas men's basketball player each day this week, leading up to the Jayhawks' first game on Friday. Each player featured took the court for the Jayhawks sometime during the last four years. This is the fourth installment of the five-part series. Tomorrow, Tankard will profile former forward Drew Gooden.
"One day went like this," Jeff Boschew wrote in an e-mail from Iceland. "I woke up about 11 a.m. It had been sunny all morning. I went to the grocery store about an hour after I woke up, and it started to get cloudy. By the time I got to the grocery store, it was windy as hell and sleeting. I came out of the grocery store and it was sunny again..."
The first thing Jeff Bosche noticed when he arrived in Grindavik, Iceland, in February was the wild weather, the latest peculiarity in a string of adventures and challenges he has faced since he finished his Kansas basketball career in 2002.
"...Then about two hours later, it started snowing and the wind picked up and it was a blizzard. Toward the end of the night, it was clear with a lot of snow on the ground. Then about two days later all the snow melted. Now it is very nice here. When I call home to my parents' house it is nicer here than it is in North Dakota."
'Fearless' shooter
The trophy that the Kansas Athletic Department made to commemorate Boschee's Big 12 Conference all-time three-point record stands out in the trophy case inside the main entrance to Allen Fieldhouse.
People often forget just how dominating the 6-foot-1 guard could be. He finished his career with a 40.1 three-point percentage. Even good three-point shooters usually level off somewhere in the 30s when they take as many shots as he did. His senior year, he took more shots than ever and made 46.4 percent of them.
It's the only trophy in the collection for an individual player. Not even Danny Manning or Wilt Chamberlain has one.
Former Kansas coach Roy Williams said he couldn't remember a player who wanted the ball like Bosche did.
"The little rascal was willing to take — and made — a bunch of big shots," Williams said. "He was fearless — he truly was fearless — with the basketball. Every time he cocked it and got ready to shoot, I always thought it was going in."
part of why we娃
Soon after the Jayhawks bowed out in the
Final Four with a loss to Maryland three years ago, he was supposed to board a plane for an NBA pre-draft camp in Portsmouth, Va. He didn't go.
Boschie loved the University of Kansas. That's part of why it was so hard for him to move on.
Starting over
'I sat in my room and was just like, 'Man, I
Kansan file photo
SEE BOSCHEE ON PAGE 5B
Jeff Boschee, who played guard for Kansas, shoots a jump shot in a game against Iowa State during the 2001-2002 season. Boschee was renowned as a sharpshooter from behind the three-point line. He took a reprieve from basketball after his last season with the jayhawks. He returned to the game and after stints with several teams, he is finishing this season in Grindavik, Iceland.
▼ WORDS TO PAPER
JONATHAN KEALING jkealing@kansan.com
It was a rough start to spring practices for the Kansas football team this week.
Green grows to replace booted back
Just four days later and without Randle, the football team played for media and about 100 fans at the first full-contact practice of the spring, yesterday. If Kansas intends to attain the 7-4 record it will need to become bowl-eligible, it's going to need a banner senior campaign from Clark Green and a stellar first appearance for Gary Green.
On Sunday, less than 12 hours before the first practice, sophomore running back John Randle found himself back in jail for allegedly punching someone in the face and sending him to the hospital.
Gary Green, who took a redshirt last fall, will have to replace the big-play explosiveness that Randle brought to the team last year.
Randle brought After yesterday's practice, it looked like Gary Green would at least have a chance of stepping into the shoes left by Randle.
into the shoes left at the door.
At one point, at the end of practice, Gary Green took a hand off and tore through the defense, bouncing off tackles. He pinballed his way to a 30-yard gain and a fictitious touchdown.
"He does that on a consistent basis in practice. We are excited to see what he's going to do next year," junior linebacker Banks Floodman said. "He has been working as hard as anyone on the offense in the offseason."
SEE KEALING ON PAGE 8B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Langford unlikely to play Friday
Senior guard Keith Langford is now doubtful about Friday's game against Bucknell, Kansas coach Bill Self said yesterday.
Langford may not play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament because he is still battling the stomach flu. He did not travel with the team to the Big 12 Conference Tournament because of a similar problem, but he since appeared to have recovered from the illness. Self said Langford would have played Sunday if the Jayhawks had advanced to the Big 12 finals.
Langford did not practice yesterday, but Self said it had nothing to do with his injured ankle. He would have practiced if he had not been sick
Langford traveled to Oklahoma City with the team last night but must now make an unlikely recovery if he is to play against Bucknell, Self said.
— Kellis Robinett
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