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Volume 128 Issue 102
Monday, April 6, 2015
kansan.com
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Andrew Harrison's comment blown out of proportion
E exhausted and defeated, Andrew Harrison stepped to the podium following Kentucky's loss to Wisconsin on Saturday night, where he uttered a phrase containing profanity and a racial slur directed toward Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky.
The reaction that followed.was exaggerated and illogical.
Admittedly, the first reaction to hearing about the comments would probably be shocking. After all, Harrison was sitting right in front of a live microphone on ESPN, and not to mention he is a part of one of the most notable college basketball programs in the country.
However, that doesn't change the facts.
Andy Glockner, a Sports Illustrated contributor and executive editor of The Cauldron, took to Twitter to discuss the comments, and he really hit the nail right on the head.
"I don't think this Harrison thing is a story," Glockner tweeted. "He was frustrated 10 mins after a loss and said something that's now colloquial."
Glockner also mentioned that Harrison did apologize, which certainly mattered. This wasn't a case of a guy going on a rant after a loss, but rather a player being asked about an opponent that beat them and muttering something under his breath in frustration.
I'd guess almost every person over the age of 15 has experienced hearing the name of someone they dislike and either saying something under their breath or to someone about that person. Most of the time, it stops there. But that's not how Twitter works.
In the new age of instant reactions and online video, things get blown out of proportion way too quickly. Case in point: less than five minutes after Harrison made the muffled comment in question, there were four different videos online of the incident, and it had already made its way to some notable journalists, including ESPN's Amin Elhassan.
In fact, the video spread so quickly, that Adam Zagoria, a basketball insider for SNY.tv, went as far as to ask an NBA Draft scout what impact it would have on Andrew Harrison's draft stock.
The answer? None.
Ultimately, he didn't get a DUI; he didn't get busted for using performance-enhancing drugs; he didn't rob a bank; he didn't beat up another person.
The answer? None.
If a kid muttering a phrase under his breath 10 minutes after a loss means nothing to a guy who is supposed to value his future as an NBA player, it probably shouldn't be a big deal to an average person.
Sure, Harrison probably shouldn't have made the comment, but in the grand scheme of things, he was a frustrated 20-year-old who got caught up in the moment.
He was frustrated and made a comment, and then apologized. End of story.
Edited by Kayla Schartz
TRACK AND FIELD
Jayhawks fall to Oklahoma in weekend sweep
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
The Kansas baseball team traveled down to Oklahoma and left empty-handed after a series of heartbreaks from the Sooners.
The Jayhawks ventured to Norman directly after their extra-inning victory over the Shockers in Wichita. Little did they know, there would be more free baseball throughout their Easter weekend.
In two of the three games of the series, the Jayhawks held a lead late in the game only to see it taken away by the Sooners in extra innings.
"...During the course of a 56-game season, you're going to win some crazy comeback games, and you're going to have some devastating losses" coach Ritch Price said.
Thursday's matchup was
most devastating for Price and his club.
The Jayhawks led for the entirety of the game behind the hot arm of junior Ben Krauth, who was coming off five straight winning starts. Krauth was taken out at the end of the seventh inning after a four strikeout performance.
RITCH PRICE Kansas coach
"This is one of the toughest losses we have had since I have been at Kansas."
The Jayhawks looked to start the series with a win while going into the bottom of the ninth inning with a 6-2 lead. The Sooners rallied
2 outls. The Sooners started the game hot on Friday and didn't look back as they earned another win 6-3.
in their last opportunity and scored four runs to send the game to extra innings. Oklahoma's jacob Evans put the game away in the bottom of the 10th inning with a leadoff home run to give his team a 7-6 win.
The tables were turned in game two of the series, while in this game, it was the Sooners who went into the ninth inning with a 6-2 lead. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, they could not find that same late-game magic that helped the Sooners a day
"This is one of the toughest losses we have had since I have been at Kansas." Price said. "We completely dominated the game to that point, but you have to get all 27 outs."
before. The Jayhawks only scored one run in the final inning.
Fans at L. Dale Mitchell Park saw more free baseball in the final game of the series on Saturday as the Jayhawks yet again let one slip through their grasp in the 10th inning.
The Sooners led for a majority of the game until the eighth inning, when the Jayhawks' senior Connor McKay produced a two RBI single to take the lead 7-6. The Sooners answered in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own to tie the game and eventually send the game to extras.
The 10th inning was unkind to the Jayhawks for a second time in the series as the Sooners' Taylor Alspaugh hit a walkoff RBI single to win 8-7 and end the series with a sweep.
Although the Jayhawks
couldn't earn a win, the team showed signs of improvement and continued to produce offensively with 32 hits throughout the series. "We were better this week than we were last week," Price said. "We're 1-5 in the conference, and we've lost three one-run games."
After eight straight road games, the Jayhawks will return to Lawrence and Hoglund Ballpark for 10 straight home games over the next two weeks.
"We need to play a home game so bad it's incredible," Price said. "The guys get a well-deserved day off for Easter, but then we will get back to work Monday and try to turn this thing around."
FACE OF THE STREAK
The Jayhawks return to play on April 7 as they take on New Mexico at 6 p.m.
Edited by Mitch Raznick
Russell Robinson vs. Perry Ellis
PPG: 7.1
APG: 3.7
SPG: 1.8
RUSSELL ROBINSON
Even though he was famous for his "from New York, New York," introduction, Robinson never got as much hype as guys like Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, but he was every bit as important. He was the heart and soul of the 2008 NCAA championship team, and he was unselfish enough to let better scorers take more shots. He was never known for his offense, but his on-ball defense was incredible, and his 247 steals in his career prove that.
PERRY ELLIS
- Ranked third in the Big 12 in assists per page in 2007-08
- Ranked third in the Big 12 in steals per game in 2007-08
Perry Ellis was expected to make an impact when he came to Kansas in 2012. Ellis broke out late in his freshman season against Iowa State in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Ellis has shown to be more of a scorer this past season for Kansas, with the departure of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embid. Ellis career-high game was 32 points of Feb. 15, 2014. Ellis earned his first All-Big 12 First Team mention during his junior season.
- All-Big 12 First Team in 2015
PPG: 10.9
RPG: 5.8
APG: 0.9
- Ranked fifth in the Big 12 in field goals made in 2014-15
Kansas turns tide with series win against OSU
Senior third baseman Chanin Naudin runs to first base in the first game of the series against Texas on March 27. The Jayhawks lost 0-6 to the Longhorns at Arrocha Field.
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
To paraphrase college basketball analyst Seth Davis, the Jayhawks got their mojo back. The No. 23 Jayhawks (32-5, 3-3) earned their first conference sweep of the season last weekend, knocking out the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (17-21, 1-5) in a massive rebound from the conference opening series against the Texas Longhorns two weeks ago, where Kansas was soundly swept in Arrocha Ballpark.
The Jayhawks opened the series last Thursday night, defeating the Cowgirls 7-6. Like they had done so many times this season, the Jayhawks rallied back from an early deficit to take the win in the seventh inning.
In a stark contrast from the Texas series, where the Jayhawks struggled to overcome early deficits, the team scored seven runs in the final two innings to overcome a 4-0 deficit that had been hanging over the Jayhawks for much of the game. Senior Maddie Stein led the Jayhawks with three hits in the game.
The Jayhawks got their offense going in the second game of the series Friday, defeating the Cowgirls 10-5. Junior Chaley Brickey
bookended the Jayhawks scoring in the game by hitting two home runs, one in the first inning and one in the seventh inning. Brickey and freshman Jessie Roane led the Jayhawks with three hits each.
The Jayhawks finished off the weekend series by defeating Oklahoma State by a score of 3-2 Saturday. It was another game that the Jayhawks had to win in extra innings, with freshman
Daniella Chavez continuing her excellent debut season by hitting the gamewinning RBI in the eighth inning.
The weekend sweep was a welcome rebound for the layhawks, getting out the bitter taste of a rare losing streak to Texas. Not only did the layhawks get back to their winning ways, they looked good doing it, providing clutch play and excellent pitching to win the series.
"Last week was
disappointing for us," Kansas coach Megan Smith said after the win Saturday. "We told our players in conference play that sometimes that happens, and you have to be ready to bounce back. For us to come to Oklahoma State and sweep here, I am really proud of our players.
"They worked hard at practice, were committed and believed they could," she added. "It's a great feeling, and [this is] the first
time we've won the series in Stillwater since I've been here."
Up next, the Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on April 10-12. After that series, Kansas will face off against Tulsa on April 18-19 before returning to Rock Chalk Park for a big series against the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners.
--Edited by Mitch Raznick
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