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Volume 128 Issue 36
kansan.com
Tuesday. October 28, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
COMMENTARY Depleted Sporting KC team limps into playoffs
As Sporting Kansas City dropped to the No. 5 seed with a loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, one thing was clear to defender and team captain Matt Besler: this year isn't the same as any other.
The team is in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Peter Vermes is still the coach. The core group headed by Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi is in tact. But if you look around Sporting Kansas City, there are only scattering resemblances to last year's team, which won the MLS Cup.
"Every year is different," Besler said. "Last year, we were in first the whole year, we came into the playoffs with some momentum. It's going to be a different year, a different challenge, but I'm still confident."
Sporting KC isn't coming into the playoffs on a fourgame win streak or as a No.2 seed like last season. Three of the 11 players who started in last season's championship
— goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen defender Chance Myers and midfielder Oriol Rosell — won't be on the pitch for Kansas City on Thursday.
Above all else, Sporting Kansas City is running on a nearly empty tank. Defender Igor Juliao, goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum and midfielder Benny Feilhaber are all sidelined with minor injuries and aren't a shoe-in to play on Thursday. Besler picked up a nasty thigh contusion in a game with the national team on Oct. 14, and returned for the first time on Sunday.
After last night's game, Zusi,
defender Aurelien Collin,
Besler and several others were
in the training room getting
treatment, spending time in
cold and hot tubs trying to
prepare their bodies for the
short turnaround on Thursday.
With CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) group play coinciding with the end of the MLS regular season, the team went from playing a match every week to every three or four days. Thursday will mark Sporting KC's fourth match in 12 days. The players simply don't seem to have a lot more to give, and a team can't make up for fatigue when numerous starters are sidelined with injuries.
"We're a team that has something to overcome," Vermes said. "We're tired in a lot of different ways. When you look at some of the many guys that have been injured — guys who've had to play way too many minutes where they were fatigued — it's taken its toll."
While the team is missing pieces from last year's championship team, there's no doubt this Kansas City team has the talent on the roster to repeat its championship efforts. But Kansas City has been on a free fall over the last couple of weeks. On Oct. 10, after a 2-0 win against the Chicago Fire, Kansas City was only three points behind D.C. United for
SEE KC PAGE 7
Fans gather in Allen Fieldhouse to celebrate the Fieldhouse's 60th anniversary. Among those who spoke at the event were former KU basketball coaches Roy Williams and Larry Brown.
CELEBRATING 60
Coaches reveal faAllen Fieldhouse
BLAIR SHEADE
@realblairsheady
Allen Fieldhouse celebrated its 60th anniversary on Monday by bringing back the four living coaches who have made an impact on the Kansas basketball program. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was the Master of Ceremonies and introduced every player and the coach they played for. Isaac Stallworth introduced Ted Owens, Michael Piper introduced Larry Brown, Scott Pollard introduced Roy Williams and Tyrel Reed introduced Bill Self. The three and a half-hour event highlighted the greatest moments in the history of Allen Fieldhouse, as well as the greatest moments from each of the four coaches.
TED OWENS (1964-1983)
Owens said he was offered the job 50 years ago by then-Athletic Director Wade Stinson. His original contract was a $10,000, one-year contract that would come to last for over 20 years. His first victory in Allen Fieldhouse was against New Mexico while his greatest team was the 1971 Final Four team, which helped the NCAA by breaking the color-barrier with the likes of one of the all-time greats — Jojo White.
Owens concluded by saying he missed the students, walking through the tunnel leading up to the court and teaching the players.
LARRY BROWN (1983-1988) Brown said he had been everywhere, and Kansas was still the best place to coach and go to school. Brown relived his days as a Kansas coach, speaking about his first recruiting class in which played Danny Manning, in Brown's opinion one of the best college basketball players of all time. Brown said Manning was a special player who helped get the Kansas team to the 1988 National Championship and later the title. It was that year that helped him become the coach he is today. Brown left saying he owed his successful coaching career to having coached at Kansas.
ROY WILLIAMS (1988-2003) With tears in his eyes, Roy Williams took the podium. Speaking about when he first got his job with UNC, Williams explained how he wouldn't wear the Tar Heel tie because of his loyalty to Kansas. Williams still wears his Kansas sticker when watching KU games, most notably during the national championship when Kansas defeated North Carolina, despite getting "chewed out."
Of all his moments at Kansas, one stood out the most for Williams — the senior night for Scott Pollard and Jacque Vaughn, during which students threw thousands of roses onto the floor in appreciation. Williams said the photo of that memory still hangs in his office at North Carolina. Williams thanked the fans for allowing him to be come back. "Go KU," Williams said. The Fieldhouse erupted.
BILL SELF (2003-PRESENT) Following Williams, Bill Self finally took the stage. Self spoke about his time as a freshman at Oklahoma State in 1982 when he scored 12 points in the Fieldhouse. When he arrived at Kansas as a coach, Bilas and Dick Vitale said he couldn't repeat what Roy Williams had accomplished at Kansas. Self called his father, who explained he could stay in Illinois if he wasn't ready to make the move to Kansas. Self said he took up his father's challenge and accepted the Kansas coaching job. Self said the best moment of his career was Thomas Robinson's block on Phil Pressey of Mizzou, which led to Kansas winning the final border showdown within Allen Fieldhouse.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
GEORGE MULLINX/KANSAN ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, the Master of Ceremonies, speaks at the 60th anniversary of Allen Fieldhouse.
Pierson fine after resting during bye week
STELLA LIANG
@stelly_liang
One of Kansas' biggest offensive weapons should be available to play against Baylor on Saturday.
Piterson, who left the game against Texas Tech after two plays with an upper-neck injury, is rested and practicing again, interim head coach Clint Bowen said in the weekly Big 12 media teleconference.
Pierson has lined up as both a wide receiver and running back this season; recently, he has taken more snaps in the backfield.
"We had him checked out thoroughly." Bowen said. "He's fine. He's back to practicing. There shouldn't be any issues."
pierson is averaging 22 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards per game, which has dropped a little because of his departure from the last game.
RECRUITING GOALS
Since taking over as head coach, Bowen said his biggest
"If they choose to jump on board because they want to be a part of Kansas football regardless of who the head coach is, then we'll take those commitments, and we'll continue to try to pursue those commitments," Bowen said.
He said he has kept in communication with them and made visits this past weekend. This doesn't mean Bowen has shied away from recruiting new players.
recruiting objective is keeping the 14 players who committed before the coaching change.
He said there are players, especially local ones, who can make an impact regardless of who the coach will be next year.
NEW RESPONSIBILITIES Bowen knew the role of head coach came with many new tasks, but he was surprised by just how many there were. He has all of his defensive coordinator duties, but now he has to figure out how to balance the rest of his obligations.
"Honestly, I thought at the time my plate was pretty full
NEW RESPONSIBILITIES
being the DC," Bowen joked.
BAYLOR'S CREATIVE OFFENSE Kansas' next opponent, Baylor, goes into the matchup in a position it has not faced this season: coming off a loss.
Baylor is averaging 49 points and 579 offensive yards per game. Up until its 27-41 loss to West Virginia on Oct. 18, the offense was rolling over opponents.
RAYLOR'S CREATIVE OFFENSE
The loss has Art Briles, Baylor's head coach, looking at the smaller picture, he said in the teleconference. Instead of looking at the season as a whole, he has a taken a game-by-game approach, and first up is Kansas.
Bowen praised the Bears and the consistent level of play they have had under Briles.
"Truly, they have one of the most creative offenses, challenging offenses in college football," Bowen said. "It shows up every year with them being in the top of the nation in offense and scoring."
Edited by Ashley Peraita
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Senior wide receiver Tony Pierson hurdles an Oklahoma State defender for the first down. Pierson ended the Oct. 11 game with 10 carries and two receptions for a total of 54 yards.
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