INTRAMURALS Sigma Chi and Fiji compete for first intramural victory of their season. PAGE 2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2005
SPORTS COMMENTARY
www.kansan.com
JACK WEINSTEIN
jweinstein@kansan.com
Football not getting top recruits
Now that the college football national letter of intent day has passed, Kansas football fans, and coaches for that matter, can breathe a collective sigh of relief after watching a handful of recruits rescind their offers from KU to attend other schools. The chess game that is college football recruiting is done, at least for now.
Before you start planning the parade down Massachusetts Street for a Big 12 Conference title next year in football, let's take a deeper look into the recruiting Mark Mangino and his coaches did for the upcoming season. According to rivals.com, the most recent Jayhawk recruiting class ranks 48th in the nation behind ACC powerhouses Duke and North Carolina. There's one serious problem with that statement. Duke and North Carolina are basketball powerhouses whose football teams have stunk in recent years, but actually have respectable football histories.
North Carolina is 37th on the list and Duke is three ahead of Kansas at the 45th spot. These teams managed to out recruit a Kansas team on the rise, a team with a coach who's supposed to take them to the next level.
Beating its two biggest rivals in the same year is a great achievement for the Jayhawks. Nearly upsetting a highly ranked Texas team and barely losing at Nebraska were much better results than in years past, but Kansas didn't win those games. Almost and close don't add up in the win column. They should have beaten Texas and had a leitimate shot against Nebraska.
Until Kansas starts winning matchups against teams that have routinely embarrassed them in the past, it will not get the quality recruits as, say, Oklahoma and Nebraska, 2nd and 3rd respectively, or even a Kansas State, 30th on the rivals.com list.
Kansas will not start ranking higher on national recruiting lists until it starts winning games, seriously winning games. Seasons at 4-7 won't land the recruits. If KU starts to win closer to the double-digit range and contend for Big 12 North titles, then it can start ogling some of those big time recruits.
However, Mangino and his staff have to start somewhere. What they have done well and improved upon each year, is recruiting within the state of Kansas. KU secured commitments from four of the top six high school seniors from the "Postseason Kansas Top 12" list posted by rivals.com including the number one player on that list, Pittsburg quarterback Kerry Meier.
Kansas also did a nice job of branching out of the Sunflower State lines by nearly landing a visit from two-sport star, Alief, Texas, tight end Martellus Bennett. Bennett, who would have been a scholarship player on the football team and a possible walk-on for the basketball team, would have been a banner signing for the university. He's ranked as the number one tight end and the eighth overall high school senior in the nation. He gave KU serious consideration, but noted to sign with Texas A&M.
Kansas also secured the commitment of Garden City Community College defensive tackle, Rodney Allen, who was being wooed by Big 12 foes Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State. Allen, listed as a four-star player by rivals.com, is the highest rated recruit signed by KU this off-season.
Allen is a nice signing, but KU missed on eight of the top 25 junior college players in the country. They played in the state of Kansas, but all signed to play at other universities.
Now that KU has everyone signed up, it's time to start coaching them up so those close and "almost" games can become victories.
Weinstein is an Overland Park sonor in English.
Mangino gets his men
Jayhawks beef up sign quarterback with 'everything'
BY RYAN COLAIanni
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino announced yesterday that 25 high school and junior college players had signed national letters of intent to play for the layhawks next season.
Mangino called this the best class that the Jayhawks have had commit since he had been with the program.
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY RESULTS FOR THE JAYHAWKS
He and his staff focused on bringing offensive and defensive lineman in to the team for next season.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino announced the signing of 25 high school seniors and junior college transfers yesterday.
The 2005 Kansas football signees:
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Rodney Allen | DE | 6-3 | 275 | Jr. | Miami |
| * Marcus Anderson | OL | 6-31/2 | 285 | Jr. | Hayward, Calif. |
| * Tang Bacheyie | S | 6-1 | 195 | Fr. | Windsor, Ontario |
| Josh Bell | TE | 6-7 | 250 | Fr. | Hitchcock, Texas |
| Caleb Blakesley | DL | 6-5 | 277 | Fr. | Ottawa, Kan. |
| Russell Brorsen | DE | 6-4 | 235 | Fr. | Stillwater, Okla. |
| * Paul Como | OLB | 6-2 | 248 | Jr. | Dana Point, Calif. |
| * Jake Cox | OL | 6-5 | 295 | Jr. | Marengo, Iowa |
| # Alex Hanson | PK | 6-0 | 180 | Fr. | Ankeny, Iowa |
| James Holt | S | 6-3 | 200 | Fr. | Altus, Okla. |
"We need to add some physical play to it," Mangino said. "We need some depth."
Mangino will be counting on defensive lineman Rodney Allen to make an
immediate impact next season. Allen, a four-star recruit according to rivals.com, played last season for Garden City Community College. Allen
(High School/Previous School)
(Coral Gables HS/Garden City CC)
(Skyline HS/City College of San Francisco)
(Sandwich HS)
(Hitchcock HS)
(Ottawa HS)
(Stillwater HS)
(Murrieta Valley HS/Saddleback College)
(Iowa Valley HS/Iowa Central CC)
(Akeny HS)
(Altus HS)
SEE FOOTBALL SIGNEES ON PAGE 5B
Sooners put kibosh on 'Hawks
was named as a NJCAA preseson first-team All-American and had 62 tackles
SEE BEEF UP ON PAGE 5B
With leading scorer on bench, Oklahoma lets Kansas stay close, ends first half with big run
BY BJ RAINS
brains@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
A game that was close for the first 15 minutes became a rout, as the Oklahoma women's basketball team used a 17-0 run to pull away from the Jayhawks en route to a 65-49 victory last night in Allen Fieldhouse.
"We were not very efficient on offense," Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We lost by 20 and took three more shots than them.
"That what's most disappointing about tonight's game."
The teams traded baskets during the first 15 minutes, and had seven lead changes before the Sooners pulled away for good. The momentum turned towards the Sooners when sophomore guard Erin Higgins hit a three-point shot to give Oklahoma a two-point lead. Kansas freshman forward Taylor McIntosh committed a foul on the play, giving the Sooners another possession. Oklahoma senior guard Dionnah Jackson hit a three-point shot of her own on the ensuing possession.
"We needed one to go in," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. "It's one of those things, where you see one go in, and then your confidence goes up."
Just like that, a one-point Jayhawk lead turned into a five-point deficit. The Sooners used the momentum to end the half on a 15-0 run.
"How it happened is what's frustrating," said Henrickson. "They were scoring on layups and uncontested threes."
The Tajahwaks shot two for 14 from behind the three-point line and didn't
The Jayhawks went on a 9-0 run themselves, cutting the lead to nine midway through the second half, before Oklahoma's leading scorer, sophomore forward Leah Rush, hit consecutive jumpers to put the Sooners back in front by 13.
hit their first three-point shot until sophomore guard Sharita Smith connected on a three-pointer right in front of the Kansas Bench with 11:45 left to play.
Rush, who is averaging 14.4 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half. She played only seven minutes before picking up her second foul with more than 12 minutes to play, but she led the Oklahoma attack in the second half, scoring 15 points and finishing above her average.
"In the second half, Rush was the difference." Henrickson said.
Oklahoma, which entered the game fourth in the nation in three point percentage defense, held Kansas to just 14.3 percent from behind the three point line. Kansas shot just more than 36 percent from the field.
Kansas' second leading scorer, junior guard Erica Hallman, was held scoreless until the 14:36 mark of the second half and finished with six points. Pressure defense by Jackson was the kev to Hallman's struggles. Coale said.
Oklahoma also had the advantage on the boards, out rebounding Kansas 35-24. Oklahoma had as many offensive rebounds as Kansas did defensive rebounds.
"I thought Taylor did a great job on the glass," Henrickson said. "Unfortunately, she was the only one we had on the offensive glass in the first half."
"People forget that the heart of Dionnah Jackson's game is being a defensive stopper," Coale said. "Hallman is a heck of a player and can really score. Dionnah really frustrated her tonight. She went three for 14 from the field, and I think two of those were while Dionnah was on the bench."
Despite the stats, McIntosh's rebounding was one of Kansas' only bright spots on the boards, Henrickson said.
SEE KIBOSH ON PAGE 5B
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Crystal Kemp, junior forward, and Taylor McIntosh, freshman forward, defend Leah Rush, Oklahoma sophomore forward, last night. Rush was Oklahoma's second leading scorer with 15 points, helping Oklahoma to a 65-49 victory. McIntosh and Kemp led Kansas with 10 points each.
Self asks students to show some class
By MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITHER
Coach disappointed by profanities during MU game
It was practically a perfect weekend for Kansas basketball. Coach Bill Self even said that it couldn't have been scripted much better.
But one thing bothered Self about Monday's game against Missouri. He said he was disappointed that the student section chanted profanities at their border rival.
"That is totally uncalled for," Self said.
During the game, he said he was
ESPN was here twice, the Jayhawks received boatloads of national exposure and two important conference victories.
unaware that students were yelling the infamous "Muck Fizzou" chant (although a couple letters were altered). But when he was informed of the behavior yesterday, Self said he would have tried to put a stop to it.
"I would have done something to get the word to the students to cut it out," Self said.
T-shirts bearing the "Muck Fizzou" slogan are one thing. Signs and posters are a part of college basketball. But at a tradition-rich program like Kansas, people expect students to exhibit the same class the players do on the court.
Take Dick Vitale for instance. When he was here on Saturday, he gushed over
John Tran/KANSAN
Fans wave towels to cheer on the KU men's basketball team Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse when the Jayhawks hosted the visiting Missouri Tigers.
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