Volume 128 Issue 43
kansan.com
Thursday, November 6, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Mangino leaving sent shockwaves through Kansas football program
It doesn't seem all that long ago when college football Saturdays in Lawrence meant something.
Mark Mangino, currently the Iowa State offensive coordinator, returns to Lawrence for the first time since he resigned from Kansas, which subsequently sent the program plummeting into futility.
A coach leaving doesn't always always negatively affect a program, but it completely ruptured the state of the Kansas football program.
Kansas' record is 11-45 since Mangino left and has been in the Big 12 cellar the last four seasons.
The bar is obviously low for Kansas fans to be satisfied with their football team, but Mangino took it to a different level. With Mangino leading, Kansas won its first BCS Bowl and started to develop legitimate NFL talent, such as Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. What matters is that it doesn't take a whole lot to win at Kansas. Mangino proved that without having stellar recruiting classes. He never had a five-star recruit or a quarterback who was highly regarded coming out of high school.
While the respect of a coach, leadership skills and recruiting prowess plays a role, what outweighs everything is what the coach does with the talent that's on board.
The regimes of Turner Gill and Charlie Weis reinforced that and it's tough to point to a player you can credit either coach for solely developing. Sure, there is Tony Pierson, Ben Heeney and James Sims, but you had a feeling that those players would excel regardless of who they played under.
Mangino had players who would have struggled to find playing time for other teams, but those players succeeded at Kansas. A prime example was former running back, Jon Cornish, who played sparingly in his first two years and then burst onto the scene in his senior year rushing in 1,457 yards, making him the all-time single season rusher at Kansas.
Mangino wasn't the best in-game coach and obviously had some ill-advised motivation tactics, but he successfully developed players that were mostly disregarded.
Saying that firing Mangino directly caused Kansas to fall from a cliff would be shortsighted. Hiring bad coaches severely outweighs firing a decent one, and Kansas butchered it twice.
Mangino's legacy probably wouldn't hold much weight if Kansas football was in a positive light.
However, as he patrols the sidelines on Saturday, for Kansas fans it's refreshing to realize that better days are still feasible if it can hit another hire like him.
Edited by Drew Parks
MANGINO RETURNS Former football coach Mark Mangino faces old team as offensive coordinator PAGE 68
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Jayhawks women's basketball team hopes to return to NCAA Tournament
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCHasenKU
The women's basketball team had somewhat of a disappointing 2013-14 season, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament or the NIT Tournament for the first time since the 2006-07 season. However, for several players four to be exact this season carries the added pressure of being their final season. One of those seniors, Natalie Knight, noted that the mentality of this senior-led team is quite different than teams of the past.
SEE PAGES 2B AND 4B FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
"I have noticed a difference this year, so far," Knight said. "Everyone is willing to work hard and put in the extra effort, which is what we need to be successful."
Prior to last season, women's basketball had reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament two seasons in a
row, and Kansas was the only school to have its men's and women's basketball teams in the Sweet 16 in each of those two seasons.
However, this year's team looks like one that would thrive in a tournament setting, as the four seniors provide a more mature outlook.
"When you're young you want to contribute; you want to play; you want to start," coach Bonnie Henrickson. "By the time you're a senior, it's just 'let me win, whatever it takes,' and [the seniors] are there now."
Last season, the Jayhawks got off to a solid start, winning four of their first five games, but the season seemed to stall, losing the following three contests and going on to lose 19 games total. Despite the record, the season wasn't a total loss.
One of the high points for the team was the home matchup against No. 7 Baylor, as the Jayhawks shocked the Bears, winning by 16. Kansas was led by Chelsea Gardner, who poured on 28 points while accounting for 13 rebounds and three blocks.
But Gardner said that the most important thing to come out of that victory occurred in the following matchups,
when the Jayhawks showed increased resiliency.
"I thought it was something that gave us energy," Gardner said. "It made us want to fight more."
The very next game, the Jayhawks lost to the No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowgirls, but only by eight points. Kansas went on to win two of its next three games, before losing again to Oklahoma State by just two.
"If you look at last year and the number of one possession games we were in, there were certainly offensive and defensive issues, but from a toughness standpoint [was where we lost]." Henrickson said. "We've made some progress, and the maturity of the senior class has been a big part [of that]."
Last season, the Jayhawks proved they had the ability to hang around with just about anyone, as 12 of their 19 losses came by 10 or fewer points. This season, the urgency of the situation will change, as the seniors fight to get back to the NCAA Tournament in their final year. After all, the four seniors cited making the NCAA Tournament as not only a goal, but as an expectation.
Edited by Jordan Fox
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Senior forward Catherine (Bunny) Williams drives the ball against Idaho State senior forward Ashleigh Vella during the first half of the game against Idaho State Bengals at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 11, 2012. Williams is one of four seniors on the team looking to return to the NCAA tournament for the third time.
Kansas dropped in Big 12 quarterfinals
@HardyNFL
CHRISTIAN HARDY
With arguably the best season in school history on hand, a deep run into the Big 12 Soccer Championship seemed feasible. But after conceding the first goal, the javhawks' chances slimmed.
Despite forcing a 1-1 tie before halftime and putting up more shots than Oklahoma, coach Mark Francis' team was unable to eclipse the one-
goal deficit, and fell out of the tournament with a 2-1 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo.
"We had a couple of really good chances that we didn't put away, and they scored the couple of the ones that they had," Francis said. "That was the difference in the game."
The contest was a stalemate until the 35th minute, when Oklahoma midfielder Emily Bowman struck gold. The
Sooners got the throw-in into the box, sophomore Abby Hodgen controlled it and took a shot which was deflected into the left foot of Bowman. Interim Kansas goalkeeper Maddie Dobyns didn't have a chance.
Since 2012, Kansas has never overcome an 1-0 deficit to win, going 0-22-1 in those games. But the Jayhawks quickly vied for their first winning result in such games just seven minutes later. Ju-
Senior midfielder Jamie Fletcher prepares to pass to a teammate during Wednesday night's game against the University of Oklahoma. The Jayhawks fell to the Sooners 2-1, falling out of the Big 12 Championship.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
norior midfielder Liana Salazar earned a free-kick from just over 20 yards out, put it over a wall of OU players, and curved it past the goalkeeper to even the score. It was Salazar's team-high 12th goal of the season.
Kansas came out with the advantage after the half, getting a shot on goal and multiple crosses into the box in the first ten minutes. Then Oklahoma was awarded a corner kick, another shot was deflected, and Sooner freshman defender Madeline Brem found the back of the net for what would be the game-winning goal. It was Kansas' second goal allowed off of a set play.
"We just didn't get to the second ball on the set piece," Francis said. "We really haven't struggled with those. We haven't given up very many goals off the set pieces at all. That's why it's particularly disappointing."
Kansas spent the majority of the remaining time in the attacking third. In the second half, the Jayhawks got up 11 shots, but only put one of those on target. The Sooners did the same — only putting one shot on goal in the second half — but they converted.
The layhawks had their best second-half chance in the 81st minute. The Oklahoma goalkeeper was drawn out of the box to chase a loose ball, which ended up at the feet of Liana Salazar from about 25 yards with only defenders between the world-class goal scorer and the goal. She curved it around a defender,
“(Salazar) is probably the one you want in that situation,” Francis said. “But even goal scorers don't always score goals.”
looking for the upper left corner. Kansas' chance to equalize at 2-2 few wide.
The team's efforts to avenge last week's 1-0 loss against Oklahoma weren't successful, as the No. 6 seeded Sooners pulled the upset. The Jayhawks came into the tournament with no momentum, losing three of their final four contests. Despite the rough end of season, Francis says the team couldn't be in better late season form.
"We've been playing really, really well," Francis said. "We just haven't gotten results... This is the best soccer we've played this season. We just have to regroup."
Francis team will be regrouping for next weekend's NCAA tournament, and a chance for the Jayhawks to commend what has been a remarkable season. With a top 20 Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) coming into Wednesday's match, the crimson and blue are expected to be given a spot into the field of 64.
"Hopefully we'll be in the tournament next weekend, I think we will." Francis said. "It's a brand new season, and you want to make it to the Big Dance. I feel with everything we've done this season, we should be there."
Edited by Brian Hillix