+
Volume 128 Issue 107
kansan.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
+
COMMENTARY Top KU football talent will be hard to replace
It's no secret that David Beaty and the rest of Kansas football have a tough road ahead.
Only two of the 11 men on the coaching staff are returning from last season: Clint Bowen and Reggie Mitchell. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen. Change is tough, especially when athletes have to learn new faces, new plays and new calls.
The Jayhawks also lost 19 athletes who ran out of eligibility, including Ben Heeney, JaCorey Shepherd and Dexter McDonald, all of whom are more likely than not to end up on an NFL roster this summer.
Kansas had some other athletes leave the program as well. Senior running back Brandon Bourbon transferred to Washburn. Junior safety Isaiah Johnson transferred to South Carolina.Junior wide receiver Nigel King declared for the NFL Draft.
Another thing to note: junior wide receiver Rodriguez Coleman was arrested on suspicion of battery in December. If he's suspended for a few games when the season starts, that'll be another hole Kansas football has to fill.
Sophomore safety Fish Smithson had 49 tackles with two tackles for loss and added one pass breakup.
The top three defensive leaders from last season are gone, but numbers four through six are returning. Last season, junior linebacker Jake Love had 53 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while adding two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
Last season's top two running backs are returning. Freshman Corey Avery totaled 631 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season, while junior DeAndre Mann totaled 399 rushing yards.
Sophomore linebacker Courtney Arnick had 45 total tackles with four tackles for loss and one sack, while adding two pass breakups.
Despite these and other key players returning, there are still a lot of holes to fill. It's hard to replace guys like Heeney, Shepherd and McDonald. It's hard to get used to new coaches.
There are several athletes returning, but they are not as talented as the group of athletes who are on their way out.
Junior quarterback Michael Cummings had a career-best season last fall with fivestraight games where he threw for over 235 yards; he amassed 332 passing yards against nationally ranked TCU. Overall, he had 137 completions on 244 attempts for 1,715 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
— Edited by Emma LeGault
Sophomore kicker Matthew Wyman is returning as well.
He made nine of 15 field goal attempts last season and converted 25 of 27 point-after attempts.
ELLIS RETURNS
Kansas standout Perry Ellis announces return at awards banquet
SCOTT CHASEN
SHANE JACKSON
EVAN RIGGS
@kansansports
The 2014-2015 KU men's basketball team poses after their banquet Monday night. Kansas coach Bill Self remained optimistic about the teams' upcoming season.
Kansas forward Perry Ellis announced he would return for his senior season at the Kansas basketball's annual banquet Monday night.
"There's still a lot left on the table," Ellis said. "I feel like it would be best for me to come back."
ALI DOVER/KANSAN
rebounds per game.
QUOTES FROM COACH SELF
"Cliff [Alexander] was dealt a bad hand, but he handled it like a man."
"For a three-week period in big 12 play, Perry Ellis played like a first team All-American," Self said.
"These kids played their butts off all season long."
["Oubre] had a great year, potential lottery pick, and we wish [him] nothing but the very best."
In late February, Ellis sprained his knee against West Virginia, and did not look like himself the remainder of the season.
Perry Ellis gives a speech after recieving the Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk award at the Men's Basketball Banquet on Monday night. Ellis announces he will stay another year at Kansas.
“[Wayne Selden Jr.] is going to be really good next year.”
Ellis passed the 1,000-point mark against Baylor on Valentine's Day, and with an additional year, he should
Jayhawk fans in attendance erupted in an applause after the announcement, and for a good reason. Ellis led the Jayhawks in points (13.8) and rebounds per game (6.8) during the season. He won the Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk award as team MVP.
During conference play, Ellis elevated his game and averaged 15.1 points and 7.2
ALI DOVER/KANSAN
"Perry, we would have still given you the award [even] if you left," coach Bill Self said.
move into the top 10 on the Jayhawks' all-time scoring list. With Ellis returning, the Jayhawks will once again have lofty expectations for the 2015-2016 season.
Kansas was already expected to be a top 10 team, but with Ellis' return, and possibly more recruits on the way, they could be elevated to the top five. lajhawk fans
Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk both have their best basketball ahead, and he was even more complimentary about Devonte' Graham. Self compared the upcoming sophomore point guard to Kansas great Aaron Miles, who posted the third most career assists of any men's Division I college basketball player since the 1997-98 season.
left the banquet chatting about another conference title and a deep NCAA Tournament run with Ellis' return.
"I'm just ready to get back at it next year," Ellis said.
OTHER NOTES FROM THE BANQUET
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self gave his team lots of compliments, and he seemed positive about the future. Self said sophmore guard Wayne Selden Jr. and freshman guard
Self also showed some love to the big men. He said he envisioned more playing time for senior forward Hunter Mickelson, who struggled to find minutes for much of last season.
"Hunter is going to have an impact on our team in a big way." Self said.
Mickelson averaged just seven minutes per contest
with the Jayhawks last year, but he stands at 6-foot-10, providing them with a much needed rim protector.
Before transferring to Kansas, Mickelson was a key performer at Arkansas, where he set the freshman block record with 69 blocks in 533
minutes of action. Mickelson averaged 5.2 blocks per 40 minutes as a freshman, posting similar numbers to that year's leader in blocks. Anthony Davis. Davis finished the season averaging 5.9 blocks per 40 minutes.
Edited by Valerie Haag
Sporting KC defender Ike Opara ruptures Achilles tendon, may miss rest of season
CONTRBUTED PHOTO FROM SPORTING KC
Sporting Kansas City defender like Opara couldn't have had a more triumphant first five weeks of the season after missing all of 2014 with a foot injury. The 26-year-old brought home two goals in the first four games of the season, both on set pieces, and also received Team of the Week and Player of the Month honors.
But Opara likely won't earn any more honors this season, he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Saturday's scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake. Opara may miss 4-6 months, according to the
Kansas City Star, or it's possible he won't play again this season.
The injury came in the 81st minute on Saturday as Opara dove backward to try to make contact with a corner kick at Sporting Park. He thanked well-wishers Monday on Twitter and said he would "keep my head up and push on."
It's a huge hit to Opara, whose career was almost cut short after his injury last season. It also won't help a Sporting Kansas City defense that has been one of the best in the league this season, already notching three shutouts in six games. However, manager Peter Vermes has a few options as to who could replace Opara.
utender Kevin Ellis has played every position on the backline with the team and would be a fine
fill-in, but he's likely not optimal as an every-week starter. Vermes could go with his young gun Erik Palmer-Brown, who just served with the U.S. Men's National Team Under-20 team in England. However, it's a possibility that Palmer-Brown could be loaned to the professional Italian team Juventus after he graduates from high school in May.
the last possibility, and likely the most feasible, is to use Ellis as a fill-in at center or right back, while Jalil Anibaba plays the other. If Ellis can fill the role for three to five weeks while Chance Myers, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last season, finishes up his rehab, Ellis will be able to move into the right back spot.
Christian Hardy
FACE OF THE STREAK
Brandon Rush vs. Kevin Young
PPG: 13.0
RPG: 5.5
APG: 2.0
BRANDON RUSH
Rush led the 2008 National Championship team in scoring at 13.3 PPG, earning Third team All-American from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in his final season as a Jayhawk. He was the first freshman in conference history to make First team All-Big 12, winning Big 12 Freshman of the year in the process. During that year, Rush led the team in scoring, rebounding, and three-point percentage as a freshman.
Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005-06 First Team All-Big 12 for three seasons
VOTE FOR THE WINNER OF THIS MATCHUP AT KANSAN.COM BEGINNING AT NOON
KEVIN YOUNG
Kevin Young was never the most athletic, he was never the most talented, but he had the heart of a warrior, and always seemed to be the guy that was around when you needed him. After transferring from Loyola Marymount, Young became an irreplaceable cog on the Bill Self squads from 2011-2013. He could run in transition and trail a play with the best of them, he passed and rebounded and scored efficiently and with style.
PPG: 7.6
RPG: 5.5
APG: 0.9
- Ranked 7th in the Big 12 in RPG n 2012-13
- Ranked 4th in the Big 12 in 2-pt FG% in 2012-13
1
+