4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY'S DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY MARCH 6 2009
SOFTBALL
Junior shortstop Stevie Croisto throws to first base for an out after fencing a ground ball. Croishto hit 1-4 Saturday afternoon in an 1-1 loss against Oklahoma State.
Weston White/KANSAN
Team plays Bison in home-opener
BY TOM POWERS
tpowers@kansan.com
The ljayhaws play their home opener today against North Dakota State University while hosting the KU Invitational tournament this weekend.
In addition to today's contest, Kansas plays a pair of games on both Saturday and Sunday, facing Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois on Saturday and North Dakota State and Northern Iowa Sunday. The 7-11 squad faces challenging competition and hopes to get a winning record before beginning Big 12 Conference play on March 21.
North Dakota State and Eastern Illinois have records of 8-4 while Northern Iowa sits at 10-4. NDSU earned three of its four losses with a combined score of 31-2 against a team the Jayhawks beat, No. 11 Arizona. Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa are solid teams, but so far this season the Jayhawks have shown that they can be a top ranked team when they're in sync. Kansas will need to put together its hot hats, solid pitching and improving defense in order to come away with a winning record this weekend.
FRIDAY:
FRIDAY:
North Dakota State,
3 p.m.
The Jayhawks come off a 1-2 record in last weekend's North Texas Invite, where they lost their first two games to Harvard and North Texas before securing their only victory of the tournament in a 10-1 rout of Harvard. Senior shortstop Stevie Crisosto comes into the KU Invitational with an impressive eight-game hitting streak and has been one of the Jayhawks' most consistent hitters, batting .306 from the leadoff spot. Third baseman Val Chapple is the backbone of the Kansas offense with a .340 average, and was named to the North Texas all-tournament team.
Former Kansas softball stand-out Destiny Frankenstein will make her return to Lawrence as the graduate assistant for the North Dakota State Bison. Frankenstein was a star for the Jayhawks during her four year tenure, 2003-2006, hitting 31 career home runs while having a career slugging percentage of 488, both second-best in school history. After graduating, Frankenstein played for the New England Riptide of the National Pro Fastpitch League before becoming a graduate assistant for the Bison.
George garnered her 33rd career victory as a Jayhawk, which put her tenth in school history. With her performance over the weekend, George was able to improve her ERA to 1.83 and her strikeout total to 63, fourth in the Big 12. Kansas hopes to string together some victories this weekend in order to boost confidence and morale before beginning regular season play on March 12 at Missouri State.
— Edited by Liz Schubauer
KU INVITATIONAL at Arrocha Ballpark
In the win over Harvard, Val
SATURDAY:
Northern Iowa, 10 a.m.
Eastern Illinois, noon
SUNDAY:
North Dakota State,
noon
Northern Iowa, 4 p.m.
Admission is free for students with a KU ID.
LUNAFEST*
LUNAFEST LAWRENCE 2009
Hosted by 100 Good Women &Women Speak
FILMS BY . . . FOR...ABOUT WOMEN
Red Wednesday
1928 Director (country)
Big Girl
Remika Jeepalan (Canada)
Fim-de-Semana (Weekend)
Cloudy Variations (Rain)
Sarah in the Dark Jennifer Halley (Canada)
Grappling Girls Lisa Blackstone (USA)
34x25x36
Josee Erica Epstein (USA)
Kaden Harnet Storm (USA)
My First Crush
Julia Port (England)
Liberty Hall 644 Massachusetts
The Ladies
Christine Alexandra Voros (USA)
BROUGHT TO YOU BY LUNA BAR
FOR MORE: WWW.LUNAFEST.ORG
Sundav. March 8
Showtimes
or 7 p.m.
$10 admission / $8 students and seniors
Purchase tickets at Liberty Hall.
All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Fund and locally to GaDuGi SafeCenter and a scholarship fund for women in the KU Department of Theatre & Film.
Major sponsors: Treanor Architects P.A.
Rita Joy Stoukey, Ph.D., Inc. &
Christopher Chimenti, HLC
Additional sponsors will appear in the event program.
In-kind support from Hye-oo, Kinnok, and Liberty Hall
To contribute or for more information: www.100goodwomen.org
flipped its four game losing streak into four consecutive victories.
WOMEN'S (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Now, with a victory at No. 22 Iowa State on Saturday and with at least one victory in the Big 12 Tournament later this month, Kansas enters the realm of a "bubble" team for the NCAA tournament.
"It makes us look back on the whole season and say 'Wow.'" McCray said. "I How did we let those games go?"
In the loss at Colorado on Feb. 18, McCray played one of her worst games of the season. She scored 11 points, made one of seven three-pointers and played just 22 minutes because of foul trouble.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
one of the most consistent — and dominant — scorers in the Big 12. In Kansas' last four games, McCray averaged 27 points, 10.8 rebounds while making 52 percent of her attempts.
"The good thing is she doesn't force any of her shots. That's where she really grew and where her true leadership skills have shown," senior guard Ivana Catic said. "She understands the team depends on her but she understands that she needs to get everyone else involved."
Since then, McCray has been
Added assistant coach Katie O'Connor; "That's something she really wasn't looking to do early. She only saw the rim, but she's more of a complete player."
69-45 victory against No. 5 Baylor on Wednesday night, Henrickson voiced the need for individuals to continue stepping up.
Inthe lockerroombefore Kansas'
As important as McCray's production has been, just as important is the increased scoring from the rest of the jawhaws.
That combination has Kansas playing meaningful games late in the season.
"I know you guys are getting tired of hearing me say it but you either get better or you get worse in February," Henrickson said. "And I think we got better. They can't get enough credit for hanging in a tough situation."
— Edited by Sam Speer
Kansas vs. Iowa State
P No. Kansas Ht. Yr. PPG
G 3 Ivana Catic 5-8 Sr. 2.6
F 4 Danielle McCray 5-11 Jr. 20.0
G 20 Sade Morris 5-11 Jr. 11.6
F 24 Nicollette Smith 6-2 So. 7.5
C 14 Krysten Boogaard 6-5 So. 9.4
P No. Iowa State Ht. Yr. PPG
G 4 Allison Lacey 6-0 Jr. 10.3
G 11 Kelsey Bolte 6-1 So. 10.0
G 15 Heather Ezell 5-9 Sr. 12.0
F 5 Nicky Wieben 6-4 Sr. 10.0
F 32 Amanda Nisleit 6-0 Sr. 8.1
When/Where..
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Colli-
sum in Ames, Iowa. No television coverage.
Who to watch for...
Sophomore guard Kesley Bolte. She scored just two points against the Jayhawks. He will be looking to score often to counteract her poor performance in Lawrence. Expect double-digit scoring from Bolte.
What to expect...
Magic number..
Aloud, rowdy environment. The Cyclones have drawn more than 10,000 fans in all of their home Big 12 contests. They've only lost one game athome this season, a close loss against Texas. It is also Senior Night. so the fans will jump up in droves.
If the national media just looked at Danielle McCray's last four games, she would be a consensus All-American. She had 21 points in the opening 12 minutes against Baylor, and Henrickson says she is "rhy巾". Here's betting McCray keeps the rhythm bumping.
Kansas is somewhat back in the tournament picture with its signature win over Baylor. Jayhawks need to win this game and at least one in the Big 12 tournament to have a realistic shot at making the Dance.
How the game is important...
Why Kansas will win...
27. 3% — Iowa State's shooting percentage in the first contest. They will not shoot that poorly at home on Senior Night. There's just no way.
— Clark Goble
NATIONAL
CEO of Olympic Committee resigns
Jim Scherr's departure comes at awkward time
Associated Press
BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press
Jim Scherr, chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee, has stepped down as the chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday, a surprising resignation that comes with the federation facing financial difficulties.
Scherr was not on the conference call and did not return messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment.
DENVER — Jim Scherr resigned as the chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday, an awkwardly timed move that comes with the federation attempting to shore up its finances while bidding to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago.
Streeter, who has been on the board for 41/2 years, said she had the tools to deal with some of the new challenges facing the USOC — the economy, a changing media climate and a more difficult sponsorship atmosphere.
Scherr will be replaced on an interim basis by Stephanie Streeter, a member of the USOC board of directors. Streeter described the move as a way to bring a different "set of skills" to the top of the USOC's salaried staff.
During a 25-minute teleconference with reporters, neither she nor USOC chairman Larry Probst did anything to debunk the notion that Scherr was eased out after more than six years on the job, the first two on an interim basis.
"It was mutually decided upon
2009 budget.
by both parties." Probst said, as he and Streeter declined three times to say whose idea it was.
The power shift started to emerge at the USOC board meeting Tuesday, the same day Scherr announced the USOC must trim up to 15 percent of its staff as a way of paring $7.1 million from its
"If I can be so bold, there are several things I bring to the party," she said. "First and foremost are CEO skills and business skills."
The Emily Taylor & Marilyn Stokstad Women's Leadership Lecture
Women in American Politics Are We There Yet?
DONNA BRAZILE Veteran Political Strategist & Syndicated Columnist
Monday, March 9 | 7:00 p.m. Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
A political contributor to CNN and NPR and frequent guest on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous, New Orleans native Donna Brazile has worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000. She became the first African American to lead a major presidential bid when she served as campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore. Named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women" by the Washingtonian and one of the "Top 50 Women in America" by Essence magazine. Brazile's passion is encouraging young people to vote, work within the system to strengthen it, and run for public office.
HALL CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES
The University of Kansas
Co-Sponsored by
www.hallcenterku.edu
hallcenter@ku.edu
785-864-4798
DODD (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
think that the greatest recruiting class in Kansas history was only together for 17 games.
---
Micah Downs was the first to leave. For some reason, Downs never seemed to fit in at Kansas. Maybe he couldn't handle competing with Rush for playing time, maybe he didn't mesh well with the coaches, maybe he was just homesick. Whatever the reason, Downs packed up after 17 games and went back home to Washington. He's at Gonzaga now, averaging 8.8 points per game.
Of course, Julian Wright was the next to leave. He played two years in Lawrence, and it seemed like Kansas fans had found their next sweetheart. A humble, hardworking kid with sublime skills, Wright could dominate, but he could also disappear. He was a player without a position, and it looked as though, maybe, his skills were more suited for the NBA.
Wright had always said that he wanted to play at Kansas for three years, graduate early, then scoot off to the pros. When he walked off the floor after Kansas' loss to UCLA in the 2007 Elite Eight, he reiterated these feelings.
But in his heart, he knew he had to leave after two years. He loved Kansas, but the riches of the NBA were too good to pass up. It was his time. Now, Wright is sitting on the bench for the New Orleans Hornets. He's not playing much. And it's been reported that the front office in New Orleans has been quietly disappointed in Wright's development. Wright still tells reporters that he doesn't regret the decision. Even when he sat in the front row at the Alamodome and watched Mario's Miracle, he didn't waver. He was at peace with his decision.
Rush tried to leave in 2007, too. We know what happened. A torn ACL deflated his draft prospects and he limped back to Lawrence for his junior year.
I still remember the first time I ever saw Brandon Rush play. It was at a Kansas City high school holiday tournament in 2002. Rush was an underclassman at Westport High then, but everyone knew who he was. That's what happens when you are the younger brother of two the most famous Kansas City high school players ever — I'm, of course, talking about his older brothers, JaRon and Kareem.
Rush's story is, perhaps, the most unbelievable. He came to Kansas with the reputation of a malcontent, the reputation of being immature and selfish. He left as a national champion. He's in Indianapolis now, finally in the NBA.
And then there's Mario. Little kids in Kansas will be acting out his shot for decades. And there's not much else to say about Mario. He's playing for the Heat now, and he's starting as a rookie.
Of course, he's not a star and he probably never will be. It looks doubtful that Rush and Wright will be either. Downs will be lucky to get a look in the D-League.
They're spread across the country now. They didn't make it to Senior Day. So maybe they can't be the greatest recruiting class in Kansas history. It's too bad. Senior Day would have been a sight.
— Edited by Justin Leverett
NFL
Chiefs sign yet another former Patriots player
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to terms with wide receiver C.J. Jones, who most recently was with New England.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Jones also has spent time on Cleveland's roster, where he started his pro career in 2003, along with being on the practice squads of both the Browns and Patriots. He also spent one season with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe in 2006.
Jones was a two-year starter at Iowa after playing for two years at Garden City Community College, starting in 1997.
Associated Press