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FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Self discovered a new way to win in 2012 season
This year Bill Self reinvented the art of winning.
In one of the most memorable postseason runs in Kansas history, coach Self led his team to an unlikely national championship appearance. But the way this group got there was far different than the program's three previous Final Four teams in 2002, 2003 and 2008.
The 2012 Jayhawks were not gifted offensively. They weren't a great three-point shooting team, and their brand of basketball certainly wasn't the sexiest.
But Kansas ultimately did just what the 2002, 2003 and 2008
Final Four teams did: they won.
A lot.
The recipe for success, however, was unfamiliar to a Kansas program that has been characterized for the last decade by prolific offense, incredible playmaking and NBA lottery picks.
Given the circumstances facing the 2012 Jayhawks — poor depth, limited experience and a lack of firepower — Self knew Kansas' offensive motor couldn't run the way it did when Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush and the Morris twins took the floor.
Thus, Self took a page from Tom Izzo's playbook at Michigan
By Sam Kovzan
skovzan@kansan.com
State (or perhaps Brad Stevens' at Butler), abandoning a fast-paced, finesse approach for one of abundant toughness.
Unlike Kansas' three previous Final Four teams, the one spearheaded by Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson hardly overwhelmed opponents. The Jayhawks scored 73.5 points per game (+11.8 scoring margin), averaged 67 offensive possessions per game and shot 47 percent from the field.
Robinson was the only certain
first round NBA draft pick on a team that had zero McDonald's All-Americans.
These numbers pale in comparison to those generated by the previous three Final Four teams. The Roy Williams-coached 2002 squad, who boasted four McDonald's All-Americans and three future lottery picks, led the nation in scoring (90.9 points per game), held a +16.2 average scoring margin and had 79 offensive possessions per game. The players shot 51 percent from the field.
The 2003 national runners-up flaunted similar numbers: 83 points per game, a +15.8 average scoring margin, 74 possessions
per game and a 50 percent shooting clip.
The national championship team from 2008 was probably the most dominant. It included five McDonald's All-Americans on its roster and seven future draft picks. That team averaged 80.5 points per game and smothered opponents by an average of 19 points per game and shot 51 percent.
Since 2002, Kansas has more total wins, NCAA Tournament victories and 30-win seasons than any program in college basketball. Of those seven groups that surpassed the 30-win plateau, the most memorable team may have been the least dominant.
Indeed, what made the 2012 Jayhawks unforgettable was their ability to win — not with talent, speed and finesse — but with toughness and togetherness. Sure, their offensive numbers aren't nearly as impressive. With the exception of Robinson, the highlight reel may not have been as packed.
Nevertheless, the players continued Kansas basketball's all-too familiar trend; they won games.
They just did it in their own way.
Edited by Corinne Westeman
SOFTBALL
CHRIS NEAL /KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior outfielder Maggie Hull slides into home plate during the first inning of a game against Seminole State. In October 2011, the Jawhawks ended their fall season undefeated with four shut outs.
Jayhawks to face Baylor in Waco, Texas
ALEC TILSON
atilson@kansan.com
It's well known that Big 12 softball showcases as much talent as any conference in the country. Just ask the Kansas softball team.
For the fourth consecutive weekend, Kansas (23-10, 02-7) squares off against a 2011 Women's College World Series participant when it faces No. 22 Baylor (24-12, 1-7) in a three-game series in Waco, Texas.
in Waco, Texas.
On paper, though, Kansas likes the matchup this weekend. Both teams rely on solid pitching and defense, speed on the base paths and timely hitting.
"It's going to be real low-scoring
"It's a series we're definitely going in scraping and clawing."
The Baylor pitching staff's 1.59 ERA continues to keep them in games, despite losing All-American junior pitcher Whitney Canyon to a torn ACL in late February.
games, real close games," said junior shortstop Mariah Montgomery. "It's a series we're definitely going in scraping and clawing."
Baylor's 57 stolen bases in 64 attempts rank second in the conference, led by junior Kathy Shelton.
Baylor's offensive stats do not jump off the page, but its pitching numbers do.
Both teams will look to create runs and Kansas' coach Megan Smith knows Baylor makes up for its lack of power with its speedy, aggressive approach on the base paths.
"Baylor is really scrappy offensively," Smith said. "They're quick, they do a lot of short game, they run a ton. It's going to be a challenge for us."
Baylor's batters rank second to last in the conference with eight home runs on the year, a step below Kansas' 20. The team has knocked in a total of 100 runs, 38 less than Kansas, and yet Baylor won a 1-0 game against then No. 7 Oklahoma two weeks ago.
who is a perfect 19-for-19.
Kansas sophomore infielder Ashley Newman, who is a perfect 18-for-18 in stolen bases, will need to provide a similar spark for Kansas.
Smith said Baylor's team resembles an Oklahoma State team Kansas faced two weeks ago. Kansas won two of three games against OSU.
For Kansas, one of the biggest keys will be limiting first-inning runs that have plagued them in recent outings. in 11 games since conference play started, Kansas has allowed at least one run in eight of those games, finishing 3-8 in that span.
MARIAH MONTGOMERY iunior shorstop
Freshman infielder Maddie Stein, who finished 2-for-3 in last weekend's series finale against Oklahoma, acknowledged the need to limit early runs.
This weekend's series will surely be a factor in Kansas' ultimate goal of reaching NCAA Regionals when the regular season comes to an end.
"I think it might put a little more pressure on," said freshman infielder Maddie Stein of giving up first-inning runs. "But we have a stout defense and pitching staff so when we score we have no doubt they're going to hold what we've got going."
Every game counts, but especially those series that are not against Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri - all teams with five or fewer losses on the season - figure to weigh heavily in the selection process in Mav.
四
Kansas will play a doubleheader Friday night beginning at 4 p.m. and conclude with one game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
"We need a good showing down there," Smith said. "This one's big for us."
TRACK AND FIELD
Distance runners take center stage
Edited by Anna Allen
In the sport of track and field, the West Coast is known for its love of distance running. Today, the Kansas distance runners are set to race in Stanford, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational, where they will get a taste of both West Coast weather and distance competition.
MAX GOODWIN
mggoodwin@kansan.com
Through the cross country and indoor track seasons, the runners have gained strength in their legs and should begin to run their fastest times as they enter the heart of the outdoor season.
"That's why we come out here," senior Don Wasinger said 800-meter distance runner. "All the best athletes are going to come out here to compete."
At a normal track meet, the distance races are not the most exciting or anticipated for the crowd, but the seats are expected to be full of rowdy track fans by the time the meet begins at 10 a.m.
"There's going to be tons of people, and they have trash cans lining the track, beating them, getting everyone excited for the distance races that a lot of the time get overlooked," said senior Corinne Christensen, who competes in the 800-meter run. "So it's a good atmosphere."
Senior distance runner Don Wasinger begins the Men Distance Medley at the Bob Timmons Challenge in December at the Anschutz Pavilion. Wasinger and his group finished in first with a time of 10:25.76.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Coach Stanley Redwine had such a strong career at the University of Arkansas from 1980-1983, that he is now a member of the Arkansas Hall of Honor. In 1996, Redwine finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic trials in Atlanta, Ga., in the 800-meter race.
Whittlesey has helped coach six runners to All-American status and three of his athletes have broken school records in just three years as an assistant at Kansas.
The Kansas track program has the advantage of two coaches who have been successful in distance and middle-distance events.
"Coach Whitt has taught me to be confident when running."
first non-preseason poll of the outdoor season. The women's team have maintained their top 10 ranking — currently standing at ninth — which gives the Big 12 six teams that are ranked in both the men's and women's polls.
Assistant coach Michael Whittlesey has also had a major impact on the improvement of the Kansas distance runners.
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
The men's team recently moved into the top 25 of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association in the season's
"He has produced numerous All-Americans, and three of his runners are still running professionally," Christensen said. "So that gives a lot of confidence that the program he has is working."
Wasinger said. "You just have to believe you're the best one on the track every time you go out to race. Redwine is along the same lines, he always talks about who wants it more is going to be who wins the race."
It is that confidence and desire to win that has helped athletes
like Wasinger, Christensen, Rebeka Stowe and Austin Bussing to develop into strong distance runners, who will all compete for a spot at nationals this season.
Coach leaves,takes top players with her
CHESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, Mo. — It was one of the most brazen moves in the chess world since the Najdorf Sicilian Defense, perhaps even the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit.
Fresh off her second straight national championship, the legendary chess coach at Texas Tech is jumping to another school and taking all the top members of the team with her. No one has ever seen anything like it in intercollegiate competition, not even among powerhouse basketball and football teams that are worth
many millions of dollars.
O
Similar deals are not uncommon in academia, where a star professor recruited by another school may bring along a cadre of researchers, lab assistants and post-docs. But in the competitive realm, the practice is virtually unheard of.
this summer, the whole team's not going to go with him."
"There's no equivalent," said Mike Hoffpaur, a Virginia consultant who helped organize the recent President's Cup chess tournament, the game's version of the Final Four, which was won by Texas Tech. "If the coach from Kentucky gets hired by UCLA
It also has a swanky new chess club and scholastic center bankrolled by a billionaire, the kind of place where students can immerse themselves in bless arcana, learning moves like the King's Indian Defense and others with mysterious names steeped in the game's 1,500-year history.
Susan Polgar, a home-schooled prodigy from Budapest and the world's top female player by the time she was 15, is taking her champions to private Webster University in suburban St. Louis, a city that is already home to the World Chess Hall of Fame and the U.S. national championships.
Webster lured the team with the promise of a greater financial investment.
"The program grew rapidly, and Texas Tech wasn't ready to grow with the speed of the program," said the coach, who founded the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, known as SPICE, in 2007. "St. Louis today is the center of chess in America. It just seemed like a perfect fit."