Volume 124 Issue 142
kansan.com
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
COMMENTARY
Prized high school recruit Tony Parker, a 6-foot-9-inch big man, sat down with three hats in front of him. Georgia, Ohio State and UCLA were represented, but Kansas was not on the table. There was no love for the school that was once thought to be Parker's favorite.
And it's all okay. It's okay that Parker didn't pick Kansas and that, in all likelihood, Kansas' 2012 recruiting class is complete.
Self's recruits capable
Bill Self could still manage a last-minute transfer, such as Xavier point guard Mark Lyons, who has listed Kansas in his top three, along with Kentucky and Arizona. But, it's unlikely he will be a Jayhawk next year. Remember, Arizona coach Sean Miller recruited Lyons to Xavier in the first place.
So, what now? We wait. We wait to see what 6-foot-8-inch McDonald's All-American forward Perry Ellis and 6-foot-6-inch forward Andrew White can do. And we salivate while waiting to see what 6-foot-5-inch guard Ben McLemore can do.
So, don't fret. Things are looking up for Kansas on the recruiting trail even if the 2012 recruiting period is over.
And if this column hasn't convinced you thus far — if you still think Self needs to recruit better for Kansas to succeed long term — remember, Norm Roberts is replacing Danny Manning as an assistant coach. Roberts is the coach who helped recruit Self's first class at Kansas and his master class at Illinois, which included Dee Brown and Deron Williams.
Edited by Corinne Westeman
Although this year's recruiting period appears to have ended on a whiff, this is not the year to be upset with Self's recruiting prowess, as Kansas fans have been in the past. Even when recruiting is rough, it always seems to work out for Self, and this year, there was nothing coarse about the recruiting period.
Everyone will know his role, once again. It's perfect. In the past, when Self has brought in an eye-widening recruiting class, players often didn't know their roles. They didn't gel like this year's team did, and it's led to early and disappointing downfalls in the tournament.
Ellis is a likely starter, and at the very least, will be a contributing factor for the team, along with White, who will provide much-needed depth off the bench. Jamari Traylor hasn't even been mentioned. He'll also provide much needed big-man minutes off the bench. (Sorry, Justin Wesley, hope you enjoyed your time on the court this season.) And even the class of 2013 boasts a top player in 6-foot-inch forward Brannen Greene, whose verbal commitment allows Self to spend his energy on other top prospects for next year.
Kansas is one point guard away from having a class that could give them everything they needed. The Jayhawks will have depth next season, but if Self learned anything from this season — and it's a safe bet that he did — he'll use a tighter rotation. This year's class allows him to do just that.
Coach Charlie Weis looks on as his team goes through drills Tuesday afternoon on the practice fields. The team voted for next season's captains on Monday.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
MON CAPITAN
FOLLOW THE LEADERS
I
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Senior quarterback Dayne Crist was sitting down when he was handed a slip of paper. He wrote the name Tanner Hawkinson on it, folded it to shield his vote and turned it in.
"I didn't want Tanner to know I voted for him," Crist said with a smile.
The team chose its captains for the upcoming season on Monday. There was supposed to be only one offensive player and one defensive player named as captain, but, when it came down to it, the voting was just too close.
On Tuesday, Charlie Weis announced that Crist, senior offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson and senior defensive lineman Toben Opurum will be the Jayhawks' captains next season. There will also be a special teams captain named on a game-by-game basis, based on the top performers from the previous week.
"I couldn't have handpicked three players any better than that," Weis said.
Both Hawkinson and Opurum have already played three years at Kansas, and Crist is a highly touted fifth-year senior who transferred from Notre Dame.
Weis' decision to hold the vote for captains this early in the season is an unusual one. In the past, Kansas has named its captains in August, not April.
"It definitely caught me by surprise," Opurum said. "Usually, we wait until the beginning of the season, so we can see how guys perform during the summer and training camp."
But after running back James Sims was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence and both sophomore linebacker Collin Garrett and red-shirt freshman cornerback Chris Robinson were dismissed from the team for violating rules, Kansas football needed to reinforce its discipline.
So, in May, when most of the coaching staff will be recruiting and Weis will be campaigning to boosters and alumni, the Jay-
"The next time we'll be able to get our hand on them is when they report the evening of August 1, and August 2 we'll begin
hawks will need some disciplinary leaders to grab hold of the team. The coaching staff won't be able to do any coaching in June, so it's up to the captains to make sure the Jiahwacks stay on track.
our first acclimation period," Weis said. "So I think it's really important, especially for a team to go through a transition, to have some leadership that's been documented."
This will be Opurum's second year as a captain for Kansas, while Hawkinson — who has started all 36 games he's been eligible to
play for Kansas received the position for the first time.
"It's great to think that your teammates vote for you as a captain for the team," Hawkinson said. "It's definitely an honor."
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
BASEBALL
Kansas has chance to redeem itself
ANDREW JOSEPH
aioseph@kansan.com
Last season, the Kansas State Wildcats ended the Jayhawks' baseball season with a three-game sweep, eliminating Kansas from Big 12 tournament contention.
The Jayhawks (16-25, 4-11 Big 12) will get their first chance at payback this week as they open a four-game homestand against the Wildcats Wednesday.
Left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin pitches for Kansas during its 5-2 victory against Texas Tech on March 31. Today's game is the only time this season that the Kansas State Wildcats will play in Lawrence.
Wednesday night is K-State's only scheduled visit to Lawrence this season, and the game will not count toward Big 12 standings. Kansas' conference series at K-State is May 11, but a nonconference match-up gives both fan bases a preview of the rivalry. Even though this game lacks the normal implications of Big 12 play, the team sees Wednesday as a chance to make the opening statement.
"They're probably still thinking about last year and how well they did," senior catcher James Stanfield said. "I know this isn't a conference game, but this will be a heads-up to them. We'll get to show them what we will be bringing come conference play."
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
infield rather than a hitting slump. Stanfield hit a number of hard-hit balls up the middle, but Texas' shortstop-second base combination of Jordan Etier and Brooks Matlow covered the ground. Regardless, one play even landed Stanfield a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 - Kansas baseball's first-ever appearance on the ESPN segment.
"That made James a national star for an evening," coach Ritch Price said.
Freshman pitcher Drew Morovick is slated to start against the Wildcats. Morovick struggled with maintaining his command early in the season, but he has shown improvement as of late. He threw five shutout innings against the University of Saint Mary to improve his season record to 3-1. Coming from Hemet, Calif., Morovick is new to the K-State rivalry, but he doesn't expect that it will take long to get acclimated to the series' intensity.
Stanfield (.300 average) is coming off a two-for-eight weekend at No. 23 Texas, but his numbers are more indicative of the Texas' defensive prowess in the middle
"As a freshman, I'm not exactly sure about the rivalry, but I'm excited to get out there," Morovick said. "I kind of know rivalries, so I think I'll know what to expect."
Morovick is making his first start of the season against a Big 12-caliber opponent, and he will need to replicate the command of his previous two outings to be
successful against the Wildcats.
"He's going to have to command the fastball down in the zone and use both sides of the plate," Price said. "He also needs to continue the improvement of his breaking ball. When he throws it with some depth, it can really be a plus pitch for him. He gets in trouble when he leaves it
up on the zone."
Kansas and K-State have a combined 20 players from Kansas, which could make for a competitive evening at Hoglund Ballpark. With Missouri heading to the Southeastern Conference next season, Price expects to see the rivalry's emphasis shift toward K-State.
"We've always been K-State's rival, but for KU athletes, it's always been about Missouri," Price said. "With Missouri leaving, our rivalry will only be directed towards the Wildcats."
Edited by Taylor Lewis