The University Daily Kansan
6A
Sports
Yesterday in sports
U. S. Open competitor Jelena Dokic's father, Damir, was booted from the tournament for berating a cafeteria worker about the size of the salmon she served him.
Inside: Basketball player Jason Parker finally has found a home after being rejected from North Carolina twice for academic reasons.
SEE PAGE 5A
Inside: Women's basketball freshman Shanell Law has decided not to remain at Kansas.
SEE PAGE 5A
For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Kansas defensive line in Dwyer need
By Jason Franchuk
Kansan sportswriter
sport@kansan.com
When Kansas' football team first reported to Lawrence in early August, nose tackle Nate Dwyer had to figure that his role would not be as a player only.
Dwyer, a junior, has played 23 games (starting seven) so far as a Jayhawk, but this year his presence is more pivotal because he is the only Kansas defensive lineman with Division I-A experience.
His experience has turned him into an adviser and confident to the new crew up front. The line's relative inexperience — at least in terms of major college football — has not dampened Dwyer's enthusiasm.
"I'm more excited now than ever," he said.
I'm more excited now than ever, he said.
Dwyer may be the lone defensive lineman with major college football experience, but it did not take him long during two-a-day prac
tices to realize that the new guys might be enough to improve the defense. A bevy of junior college players have made an impact already heading into Saturday's season opener at Southern Methodist.
"The first thing I noticed is the speed of these guys," Dwyer said. "All of them were fast and big and aggressive."
Dwyer has been particularly impressed with Ervin Holloman and De'Nard Whitfield, both of whom are expected to start Saturday. Holloman, a transfer from Garden City Community College, is a 6-foot-4, 285-pound left end. Whitfield, who arrived at Kansas this year from Fort Scott Community College, measures 6-4, 240. Combined with Dwyer, the three are expected to get to the quarterback faster than last year.
whenever Kansas' secondary was criticized for questionable play last year, Dwyer took the criticism to heart. He said he figured that if the lineman did a better — and faster
Job of getting to the quarterback, then the last line of defense would be able to perform its assignments more efficiently.
"I take a lot of responsibility for a lot of the secondary's problems," Dwyer said. "We've made some adjustments for this year on the line to help out. We've made it a lot easier system so that we can have no confusion. It's not a thinking game for us. We just need to attack and be aggressive."
Heading into the first game of any season, a coach has concerns. A big one for Kansas coach Terry Allen was the defensive line because of the overhaul from last season. Besides Whiffield and Holloman, a junior college All-America last year, three other linemen transferred to Kansas this year from junior colleges. That leaves seven juniors and freshman redshirt Tony Strickland available.
Despite all the turnover and youth, Allen likes what he sees.
"I was pleased with the way they initially came in," he said. "Two guys inside — Dwyer and Holloman — have the respect of their teammates. Holloman is a pretty steady force."
Briefly...
Senior quarterback Dylen Smith has been recognized as one of 23 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Award, presented to college football's top senior quarterback. Other Big 12 Conference candidates are Josh Heupel (Oklahoma) and Sage Rosenfels (Iowa State).
Several Jayhawks have been nursing minor injuries, but only wide receivers Algen Williams (knee) and Harrison Hill (chronic dehydration) will not play at SMU. Wide receiver Byron Gasaway has been nursing an ankle sprain, and several Jayhawks have been recovering from flu-like symptoms and dehydration.
Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Danielle Geronymo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, senior, lifts weights at the beginning of practice. Geronymo is expected to be in top shape for the coming season and is looked upon as one of the more versatile players for the Jayhawks. Geronymo began her college volleyball career at Barton County Community College but transferred to Kansas last year. Photo by Brad Drier/KANSAN
Blocker jazzes up volleyball team
Injury forces dancer to trade in her tights for spikes at Kansas
By Sarah Warren
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Danielle Geronymo dreamed of being a dancing queen.
Studying jazz as a child in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Geronymo saw her future in the theater. Tall and lanky with an incredible smile and emotions on her sleeve, she seemed to have what it takes. That was until she suffered an injury to her foot and her talent took a back seat to aliment. Surgery was performed but to no avail.
Geronymo was forced to turn in her tights.
Dejected, Geronym began just going to school and hanging out with friends
to pass the time.
"And then one day I saw an ad on TV and it said 'tall girls wanted for volleyball,'" Geronymo said. "It was for a club volleyball team and 2,257 girls tried out and 23 made it, and I was one of them.
That was in 1995. Now Geronyo is a middle blocker at the University of Kansas, ready for her senior season and eager to finish up her degree in humanities next year. But the University wasn't where the Brazilian blocker began her collegiate career.
"I recruited Danielle to Barton County Community College when I was the coach there," said Kansas coach Ray Bechard, referring to the school located in Great Bend. "I learned of her through a contact, a coach on the Eastern coast."
"I had never touched a volleyball before."
The 6-foot-2 Geronymo had exactly what Bechard's Barton County program needed.
"We just knew it would be a good
"We just knew it would be a good opportunity to get a middle blocker with her skill level, and there wasn't one in the state of Kansas at that time," Bechard said.
Bechard left Barton for Kansas after Geronymo's freshman season, but Geronymo didn't trail right away.
"My sophomore year my best friend from Brazil came to play with me at Barton," Geronymo said. "Now she's at Texas, so we'll play against each other."
Completing junior college, Geronymo was courted by Division I powers from Nevada to Hawaii.
"I wanted to see more of the country than Kansas," Geronymo said. "I was clueless of where I wanted to go."
Bekhara.
"When she came here she was pretty shy at first," said Amy Myatt, a senior teammate and outside hitter. "I think it was really hard for her to come to such a big school, especially from a school where everything was more one-on-
Eventually loyalty sent her back to Bechard.
Geronymy is still on the quiet side, she never has been inept in showing feeling. In fact, she prefers raw emotions to words. English or Portuguese.
one."
"She has good technical skills, but part of the attraction with Danielle is how much emotion she plays with." Bechard said. "I still remember her first kill, it was that emotional."
Besides emotion, Geronymo came accessorized with all the skills that made her an international prospect to begin with.
"She's a middle blocker, and so you'd think that she'd just block balls, but she can go to the back row, she can dig balls and pass, and that's special," Bechard said. "It's really refreshing to see someone of her size that has all the skills necessary to perform well."
And luckily for Bechard, she's giving command performances in the Horejsi Family Athletic Center instead of the Lied Center.
- Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Club works to promote crimson and blue spirit
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
By Aaron Johnson
In a school where many think basketball is life and where football is ever increasing its popularity, the Hawk Club has become an important promoter of these sports at Kansas.
The club serves as the official student booster for the University and promotes school spirit among students. The club's main purpose is to support intercollegiate athletics at the University said Ryan Gerstner, Hawk Club president.
"So far we have made great strides in
Getting involved in Hawk Club is as easy as going to the box office at Allen Fieldhouse. Hawk Club representatives also will be recruiting at Wescoe Beach during the next two weeks.
A T-shirt and an official Hawk Club membership card start off the long list of benefits given to members.
increasing school spirit at KU," Gerstner said.
The most popular perk includes the option of reserving seats for both football
There is a $15 donation to become a member, but the donation is minuscule compared with the perks the club offers, said Chris Greenley, vice-president of the Club.
and basketball games. Camping rules apply for those who choose to exercise their option to obtain seats at basketball games.
Members are also sent a weekly newsletter and have the option of attending Hawk Talk with coaches Terry Allen and Roy Williams.
"We also provide club members with a chance to ask questions as well as watch game films with the coaches," Gerstner said.
The goal of the Hawk Club is to increase attendance at both sports' events.
atmosphere." Greenley said.
"A as club, we feel we can create an identity for KU by increasing the already great
Hawk Club members are invited to two or three come talent parties per year.
three pre-game tinguating parties per year. The hopes are also high for the basketball team. The club is planning a section around the opponents' bench that will appear as a sea of blue in support of Kansas.
"The club has been very successful," said Gerstner. "The perks definitely outweigh the donations. We expect an increase in booster membership this year."
Currently, the club has 250 members
For questions about the club contact Kansas athletics at 864-3141.
— Edited by Gleisson Abreu
Alumni game allows player to remember college career
My college football season started and ended last weekend.
A two-year letterman and offensive lineman at Highland Community College, I played in the school's annual alumni game last Saturday night at Highland. After last year's game and the soreness that followed, I repeatedly thanked the genius who created Advil. I also vowed then that I would train this summer for Saturday's game.
Still, I wasn't in absolutely horrible shape. The following schedule illustrates my "season":
Rumors floated around my hometown of Washington that a weight room and track existed there, but unfortunately I couldn't find either in the town of 1,200 residents.
7:08 p.m. — Kickoff. We elected to receive and started the game on roughly our own 25 yard line.
6:00 p.m. Arrival at Highland. Alumni pre-game wutions traditionally occur at Ernie's, the one bar in Highland. I chose to warm up on the field, but during the second quarter I was pondering what beverage — other than water — I would consume after the game.
7:14 p.m. Interception. The only thing standing between the inceptor and the goal line was me. I was an obstacle for roughly 1.6 seconds. HCC 6, Alumni 0.
7:52 p.m. — The alumni offense drove 70 yards with a smaller line and mostly passing. I wasn't in the lineup.
Crimson-and-Blue-bleeding former coach Don Fambrough could lead the alumni.
Former quarterbacks Chip Hilleary, Nolan Cromwell, Mike Norseth and Mark Williams could share time as signal-callers. Backs L.T. Levine, Tony Sands and June Henley, along with receivers Isaac Byrd and Ashaudiad Smith could highlight the receiving corps. Former Jayhawk Keith Loneker could lead the offensive line, while Gilbert Brown and Dana Stubblefield could command the D-line, along with Tony Blevins in the secondary.
Although Kansas probably won't have another alumni game, wouldn't it be great to bring back some Jayhawk greats to tangle with the current team?
Linebackers playing could include Willie Pless, Ron Warner and Keith Rodgers, who would make for an intimidating presence.
The rest of the game wasn't important. The referees were kind enough to let the clock run continuously in the final quarter, and the varsity won 19-6. I improved as the game progressed in the second half and was bracing for prolonged post-game pain again this year, but exerting less energy during the game helped reduce any aches or pains.
7:56 p.m. — The heftier starting line, including me, was back in, and on the first play inside the 10, we scored on a run. HCC 12, Alumni 6.
While at Northern Iowa, Allen said the Panthers had a yearly alumni game, and he played on the alumni side a few times.
All of this got me thinking: Why doesn't Jawbay football have an alumni game?
Alumni games had been played at Memorial Stadium until roughly 15 years ago. Kansas coach Terry Allen said he wasn't sure if NCAA rules prohibited such games, but he said a risk of liability stopped the annual game.
While the current Jayhawks would probably win — they'd have two weeks of two-a-days under their belts — the Alumni's talent would definitely pose a challenge.
The Alumni, on the last play of the game,
from their own one yard-line, put in Gale
Savers for the first time.
Sayers, the NFL Hall-of-Famer, takes the toss from Williams, fights to the outside and scamper 99 yards for the touchdown. *You never know*
You never know.
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Linenberger is a Washington senior in journalism.