Volume 124 Issue 129
kansan.com
Friday, April 6, 2012
Davis is almost too good
Now that the campus has digested the National Championship game, I feel it's necessary to put into perspective what kind of competition the men's basketball team faced off against on Monday.
We all know about the talent, the youth and the crazy-athletic skillsets from the Kentucky Wildcats.
But there was one that stood above all: Anthony Davis.
Throughout this year I was convinced Thomas Robinson was the Player of the Year for college basketball. This might have to do with me seeing two of the most emphatic plays in Kansas history first hand.
The one-handed slam by Robinson against Baylor that shook the old barn to its very ore, and of course "The Block" versus Missouri.
That block created such a loud ruckus the roof damn near blew off of the Fieldhouse.
Robinson was a monster who developed almost every offensive move needed for a power forward.
Then I saw him against Anthony Davis and my jaw dropped. Watching Davis swat everything away from the rim impressed me to no end.
He was the best player in the country this year. No doubt about it. But what surprised me more than Davis' athleticism was the comparisons that were thrown around the days following.
Then while I discussed my puzzling dilemma with some fellow students, one finally said the name I was looking for; Bill Russell.
It had been bothering me all day.
Monday. How good is this player?
All of those things are similar qualities to Davis; the only thing is developing the same basketball IQ as Russell, an owner of 11 NBA Championship rings and two national titles at San Francisco.
Kansas went up against one of the greatest players of this generation of college basketball and it's nothing new. In 2003, it was Carmelo Anthony and in 2008, it was Derrick Rose.
From what I've read and seen in black and white video, Russell's basketball talents consisted of three things. He wanted to rebound, block shots and win championships above anything else.
Both have gone on to star-studded careers in the NBA. If I had to guess, Davis will end up somewhere in between Anthony, Rose and Russell.
This made me stop in my tracks for a second. Every time I hear Bill Russell's name in the same sentence with anybody other than Michael Jordon I'm always skeptical, but after a few minutes of thought it made sense.
So hopefully this is some comfort for Kansas fans. They had a great run, but you might have witnessed one of the greatest.
Edited by Amanda Gage
On Sports Center, I saw anchors trying to compare Davis to Tim Duncan and Marcus Camby. Those players are good, but they're not at the same level.
FOOTBALL
IMPROVING STRATEGY
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Much like coach Charlie Weis, new defensive coordinator Dave Campo isn't watching film from last year's Kansas football team. And when Campo first addressed his defense, he explained to them exactly what spring football would be — a trout.
"I really don't worry about what the guys did last year," Campo said in a release from Kansas Athletics. "All I care about is what we're doing now."
Campo wouldn't have liked what he would have seen if he were to watch the tape on last year's defense. The Jayhawks finished last in the NCAA in total defense last season, giving up 516.42 yards per game.
So to Campo, and the Jayhawks' coaches, the first five practices haven't been so much about finding talent and implementing schemes. Instead they've been trying to get players to play from the snap that starts the play to the whistle that ends it.
"We expect that the play is going to be going full speed from the beginning to the end and there have been improvements there," Campo said. "I think our guys will continue to get the message that that's all we're going to have on this football team and defensive football team."
Campo said the Jayhawks have drastically improved under his guidance early on, and the opportunity to teach excites him most about the college game. Campo came to Kansas after four years as the secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys, which was just a small stint in his extensive coaching career.
Since 1971 Campo has been a football coach. Even through all his years, his favorite part of coaching is what led him to the University of Kansas.
"I think my strength is teaching," Campo said. "I really think you have an opportunity to do more than that in college. The guys I liked the best on the pro level were the guys coming in."
And in Campo's five practices of teaching the Jayhawks, he's had a depth chart that he said was fluid. A player may be starting one day, and a new player will be in his place the next.
Even so, Campo said he has not yet been able to spot leaders in his defense. He said guys like senior defensive back Greg Brown and senior defensive end Toben Opurum have gotten his attention, but it's still too early for Campo to call them leaders.
"I don't think anyone feels that they can step up right now, because they're fighting for their own lives," Campo said. It will continue to be a long spring for the Jayhawks, who have a long way to go as they continue to get used to the new coaching staff.
"The only thing I'm really, really excited about is that our guys are starting to understand what we want," Campo said. "Now it comes down to are we good enough to do certain things, and that's what well find out."
—Edited by Nadia Imafidon
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Defensive Coordinator Dave Campo addresses members of the media Thursday afternoon at the Anderson Family Football Complex. Campo said he intends to run the team's defenses differently this year.
BASEBALL
Kansas has hopes of winning Big 12
Infeiler Ka'iana Eldredge bunts to advance the runner on first in a homegame against North Dakota on March 7. Kansas lost to Creighton 7-3 Tuesday.
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"Winning series – that's what it's all about in our league," Price said. "If you can go out and have a great weekend in this league, it would be huge to get over .500 with a series sweep. I'm just looking to see if we play as well as we did last weekend."
The Kansas offense has struggled considerably in conference play, ranking last in the Big 12 with 4.6 runs a game and a 2.57 batting average. Friday won't get any easier for Kansas, as Oklahoma State will send out one of the nation's hottest pitchers: junior left-hander Andrew Heaney, who is 5-1 with a 1.69 ERA, 69 strikeouts and just nine walks.
The Jayhawks are coming off a 7-3 loss at Creighton on Tuesday, but coach Ritch Price's squad is hoping that the team wins its second consecutive Big 12 series. After dropping their first four games in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks won two straight games against Texas Tech. This series with Oklahoma State gives the Jayhawks the opportunity to get over .500 in conference play and improve their lackluster 3-8 record in true road games.
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team (12-16) travels to Stillwater, Okla., on Friday to begin a three-game set with Oklahoma State (14-13).
Price said that the Jayhawks would need to focus on hitting the fastball, particularly against one of the more dominant strikeout pitchers in the country.
"He is without question the top-returning pitcher in our league," Price said. "He's projected to be a
The Jayhawks send out their ace in sophomore right-hander Frank Duncan to take on Heaney and the Cowboys. Duncan is 3-4 with a 3.33 ERA, striking out 42 hitters and walking 19. Duncan is coming off a loss to Texas Tech, but he went eight innings and surrendered just two earned runs in the losing effort.
Heaney lasted 3.1 innings against Kansas last season in a 7-2 KU victory, and the young Kansas team will have to follow that same blueprint of clutch, two-out hitting to defeat Heaney again this time around.
first-round draft pick and has great stuff. He's the real deal, and we'll have our hands full. If we can find a way to get guys on base, hopefully we'll put up a crooked number."
Manship went 2-for-4 in last season's appearance against Heaney, and that prior success could be vital against the league's top pitcher.
"When you're getting hits with two strikes and two outs it sends a message to the other team and puts them down a little bit," senior designated hitter Chris Manship said. "In the past we haven't been getting two out hits, but in the last series it really helped us out a lot."
Kansas' right-handed laden lineup will look to take advantage of the matchup against the left-handed Heaney and Kyle Ottoson.
"Some of the guys in our lineup - Marasco, Manship and Elgie - are much better against left-handed pitching than right-handed pitching." Price said. "They're better when the ball break into them, and I think that it is a good matchup."
Edited by Max Rothman