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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012
BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks change defense for season opener
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Senior infielder Zac Elgie speaks to members of the media during the Baseball Media Day at Allen Fieldhouse, on Tuesday afternoon. Jake Marasco will take over first baseman from Elgie this season.
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team is just days from opening its 2012 campaign at Middle Tennessee State on Friday.
The Jayhawks are coming off a season in which they lost their final nine conference games and failed to qualify for the Big 12 Tournament. In head coach Ritch Price's 10-year career with Kansas, his teams have often thrived when outsiders' expectations were low.
"I told our players the other day that in 2009 we were predicted to be last. We finished fourth, and we finished the regular season 23rd in the country," Price said. "You bet we're going to use it as motivation."
The Jayhawks went on to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, falling in a regional matchup with North Carolina.
Kansas enters the 2012 season with a similar scenario - picked last in the Big 12. However, Price is not concerned about last year's shortcomings.
"We have great team chemistry,
we have depth and we have potential." Price said. "If our coaching staff does our job, we'll overachieve and we'll be successful when it's all over."
Unlike the previous two years, Kansas is not starting its season against the No.1 team in the country, but Kansas's road schedule is the lengthiest of Price's tenure.
The lajhwaks' non-conference schedule is almost entirely on the road. Kansas will play 18 of its first 22 games away from Lawrence, a move that Price hopes will challenge the team and get it ready for Big 12 play.
"We have to get better every weekend because we have 13 freshmen on our roster and we are going to play five significantly," Price said. "The only way I can develop that club to compete in my league is that I make sure we take no steps backwards."
With two freshmen in the starting lineup, Kansas' hopes of being a surprise team in the Big 12 could depend on the performances of the six returning starters. Third baseman Zac Elgie led Kansas
offensively in 2011, hitting .297 with 7 home-runs and 37 runs batted in.
Defensively, Elgie has started 83 games at first base in his Kansas career, but redshirt junior Lake Marasco will take over that role this year. Elgie, now a third baseman, embraces the position swap with Marasco as Price's decision could enhance Kansas' chances of winning in 2012.
"The fact that we've solidified the defense, especially on the infield, is going to be a big part in helping us be successful this year." Elgie said.
NBA
Kansas' starting rotation features three freshmen: Wes Benjamin, Drew Morovick and Robert Kahana. This means that senior catcher James Stanfield will have more responsibility with the pitchers, especially in the beginning of the season.
"I wouldn't call it pressure, but I'm definitely going to have to be more of a presence out there with the guys because they haven't been in that role," Stanfield said.
Edited by Caroline Kraft
Legends of the Phog: Jayhawks in the NBA
JONATHAN ROSA
jrosa@kansan.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Henry had a pretty quiet week, however, he has only played in seven games since he tore ligaments in his ankle. Friday, he saw 14 minutes of action, posting just four points and one block. His best game came on Feb. 8 against the Sacramento Kings, where he posted eight points with two rebounds, one steal and one block.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Tuesday, Pierce passed Larry Bird to put himself at No. 2 on the franchise's all-time scoring list with 21,797 points. Pierce needed just nine points to tie Bird's record of 21,791, and with 10 minutes and 23 seconds left in the third quarter, he nailed a three to pass him. Pierce finished the game with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. On Sunday, Pierce finished with an uncharacteristic nine points. However, defensively, he tallied a game-high four steals to go along with Rondo's triple double in a 95-91 win over the Bulls.
Chalmers has proven to be one of the league's best three-point shooters this season, shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc. Sunday, it was Chalmers' hot three-point shot that was the difference in their 107-91 victory against the Cavaliers. Chalmers finished the game with 14 points, 12 of which were from three-pointers. The "big three" continue to get all the attention, but through the last few years, Chalmers has continued to improve and shown everyone that he is capable of being a valuable leader on the team.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marcus Morris, at KU 2008-2011 Forward, NBA D-League - Rio Grande Valley Vipers
In early January, Marcus Morris was sent down to the D-League. He was not too excited about the idea at first, but Morris has gotten a lot more playing time as a result of the move. He is leading the team in points, with an average of 19.6 per game, as well as rebounds, with 7.5. Saturday, Morris tallied 17 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Morris gave the Suns a huge lift off the bench Saturday, posting a career-high 18 points in 26 minutes. He finished the game with six rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Recently, Morris was one of nine rookies chosen to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge, an event that will take place Feb. 24 during All-Star Weekend. He is averaging 7.2 points and five rebounds per game. While Morris was one of the hottest rookies to shoot the three ball — shooting 55 percent in December and 46 percent in January — he has since cried down, shooting 29 percent in February
he has since cooled down, shooting 29 percent in February.
C
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Momingstar has played in 31 games with the Tulsa 66ers, an affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is averaging 11.5 points per game, is shooting 44 percent from three-point land and is still maintaining his high free-throw percentage of 88 percent. Last weekend, Momingstar put up 14 points in 21 minutes of game time, going five of eight from the field and hitting both of his threes.
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