NSAN
2009
Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOFTBALL LOSES 7-1 TO DRAKE UNIVERSITY
Notching only one hit in the five five innings hurt team. SOFTBALL 15B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TEAM SPLITS UP,COMPETES AROUND THE COUNTRY
Track and field team members head to three meets. TRACK & FIELD 16B
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009
PAGE 1B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Henry brothers finally commit to Kansas
Oklahoma City high school star Xavier Hawkeye laughs during a news conference in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Henry, who announced that he has committed to play basketball for Kansas, is considered the third-best shooting guard prospect in the country by Rivals.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
WARR ACRES, OKLA. — For the first two minutes, Xavier Henry said nothing.
Henry, the No. 8 recruit in the country according to Rivals.com, entered the gymnasium at Putnam City High School to make his college announcement and there was silence. Xavier refused to start the press conference until he could get his older brother, C.J. Henry, on the phone.
Xavier wanted C.I., who's currently finishing spring classes at Memphis, to be a part of the announcement that the brothers would attend Kansas next season.
"Me and my brother, there's no separating us. I do anything for
my brother," Xavier said. "That's why I was going to go to college with him even if I wasn't as much into it as Kansas."
Six months ago in this same gym, Xavier picked Memphis over Kansas.
It shocked some. Putnam City basketball coach A.D. Burtschi had predicted Xavier would commit to Kansas. Even Xavier's parents — former Kansas basketball players Carl and Barbara Henry — knew he preferred Kansas.
"Xavier's heart was with Kansas when he chose Memphis." Barbara Henry, Xavier and C.I.'s mother, said. "It was just the brother — he wanted the opportunity to play with his brother for once in his life."
Now, Xavier will have the chance
to fulfill both of his dreams playing with his brother and playing at Kansas. And he can do it right away.
The NCAA has cleared C.J. Henry, who walked on at Memphis last year after spending three years in minor league baseball, to play immediately next season without sitting out. It's all come full circle for C.J., who committed to Kansas out of high school in 2005 before being drafted by the New York Yankees in the MLB Entry Draft.
"It's going to be a great experience," C.J. said. "It's going to be fun."
The Henrys chose Kansas over Kentucky and coach John Calipari,
SEE HENRYS ON PAGE 3B
GOLFING GLOBETROTTERS
Gaining ground every round
Bal, Thiry came from across the world to pursue LPGA goals
BY HALLIE MANN
hmann@kansan.com
Two of Kansas' women's golfers, sophomores Meghna Bal and Grace Thiry, have come from exotic lands to this small, northeast corner of Kansas to pursue their dreams. Bal came to Kansas from New Delhi, India, and Thiry came from Melbourne, Australia, both to play golf. Even though they started in different places, they're trying to get to the same destination: the LPGA.
Both athletes started playing golf long before they got to college. Bal said her dad forced her to start playing and training when she was 13 years old. After Bal spent two months training with a private coach in South Africa, she really opened up to the idea of playing golf.
"I really hated it when I started it," Bal said. "My dad was really desperate for me to play and I eventually warmed up to it."
Thiry started playing when she was 10 years old and her dad was also the one that got her started. Thiry said her parents had her and her sister train and play in tournments and realized their potential.
"We just started playing proper rounds and kept getting bigger and better as time went on." Thiry said
But getting from India and Australia to the United States was a very different process for both athletes. Bal had come to the United States for her junior and senior years of high school. Bal attended a boarding school that specialized in golf and tennis in Florida and was scouted by Kansas then.
"Going to college in America wasn't even a thought for me and my parents," Bal said. "All of these
Meahna Bal. right, came from New Delhi, India, and Grace Thiry from Melbourne, Australia, both to pursue dreams of playing in the LPGA tour.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
SEE GOLF ON PAGE 3B
Team steps up when Afenir, Thompson fall short
BASEBALL
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
It's something the Jayhawks haven't done well all season. If sophomore third baseman Tony Thompson and senior catcher Buck Afenir don't produce, the Jayhawks lose. Simple as that — most of the time.
That theory was put to the test Wednesday night against
Missouri. Under the bright lights of Kauffman Stadium, Thompson and Afenir combined to go 1-for-7 with one RBI. That lone RBI came off Afenir's first-inning double. It's something coach Ritch Price liked, not the fact that Thompson and Afenir struggled, but that their teammates bailed them out.
"We won tonight without any help from Afenir and Thompson and that hasn't happened in a
Thompson and Afenir, who hit fourth and fifth in the lineup, have combined for 92 of the layhawks 266 RBIs, 35 percent of the team's total RBIs. It's a four-five combina-
while," Price said. "The only way we're going to be a really good club is if we're solid all the way through our lineup."
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 3B
KANSAS VS.
NEBRASKA
COMMENTARY
WHERE: Hoglund Ballpark
RADIO: KLWN (1320 AM)
Today
Game 1: 6 p.m.
Saturday
Game 2: 6 p.m.
Sunday
Game 3: 1 p.m.
Recruiting is a circus and Xavier is the lion
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH
kbreckunitch@kansan.com
just outside Oklahoma City. I couldn't help wondering why I drove through the night to get to this city. It's all part of the wild and crazy ride that the Xavier Henry recruiting process has become. In all reality, the Henry family has turned a simple process into its own personal three-ring circus.
On Thursday morning I found myself in a high school gymnasium
It seemed so simple at first. Henry had narrowed his choice to Kansas or Memphis. He chose Memphis and Kansas fans moved on. Things got interesting when coach John Caliparit left Memphis for Kentucky. It looked like Henry and his brother would leave and come to Kansas, but then they announced they would take a visit to Kentucky. Then they called it off and set a press conference for Thursday morning. This is what brought me to Oklahoma City.
Bill Self is the P.T. Barnum of this operation. He sets up the game plan and orchestrates everything like a master. He's really handled this recruiting situation very nicely. Landing Xavier Henry is a big deal and will complete Kansas' squad for next year.
There was entirely too much speculation before the conference even started. People were claiming Carl Henry, Xavier's father, had told them the pair would be heading to Kansas. Rumors were swirling, but a decision had to be made Thursday morning.
All the parts are coming together nicely. Henry will join a top-notch recruiting class including Thomas Robinson and Elijah Johnson. The team also retains a lot of talent. Pundits are already talking about the Jayhawks as a preseason favorite to win the national championship next year. The Xavier Henry circus coming to town only helps their chances. Next year, in all reality, Kansas basketball could turn into the greatest show on Earth.
With the announcement that Henry is coming to Kansas, it's safe to say next year's squad could be a circus of its own. Henry is the lion; everyone is watching to see how ferocious he can be on the court.
No, it doesn't stop there. The Morris twins are the clowns, the jokers of the team. Tyshawn Taylor is the motorcyclist in the cage. He makes everyone nervous. He caused too many turnovers last season, but when he's on, he's on, which makes him exciting despite his flaws.
The two ringleaders of this team are Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. The fact that they are both coming back gives the team two players who can run the show, though Sherron obviously takes on more of that role.
Edited by Justin Leverett