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Volume 128 Issue 26
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
kansan.com
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY Kansas football can learn from Snyder, K-State
It wasn't always smooth sailing for Kansas State football before current
football before current coach 74-year-old Bill Snyder took over and elevated the program to national status over his 21 seasons with the program. Kansas State, before Snyder took the reigns, was at the bottom of the barrel. In the four years prior to his hiring, the Wildcats limped to a 3-40-1 record, and showed about as much life as the current Kansas football team.
"I was just amazed to hear young guys talk about never wearing their letter jackets because they were too embarrassed," Snyder said in a SBNation.com article, when reflecting on the program he inherited.
The first year of the Snyer-rebuild wasn't pretty. Kansas State finished 1-10 and lost all seven of its conference games. But as the years wore on, and Snyder instilled intrinsic values of family, hard work and integrity, the program saw incremental improvement.
"They treat the no-chance walk-ons with the utmost respect," former KSU quarterback Stan Weber said, in a CBSSports.com article. Weber's son, Stanton, saw special teams time for the 2014 Wildcats after being told "no" by many other coaches. Bill Snyder, however, said yes.
Stanton Weber's story is not unique. Defensive end Ryan Mueller from St. Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park was named to the preseason all Big 12 team this summer after several years of hard work under Snyder. Kansas didn't even offer him a scholarship.
"As a player on this team you have a responsibility to do everything in your power to help, and that's every single one of us, and you will see first-line guys on (special teams)." Bowen said.
By 1992, the "Kansas State way" was paying off and by 1993, KSU capped off a 9-2-1 historic season with a 52-17 defeat of Wyoming in the Copper Bowl.
Nobody is above the team. Each player is a part of the family. Stars, second-string, walk-ons. Snyder's reign will come to a close one day, but there is so much to be learned from his work. Bowen's narrative at Kansas, though, is just beginning:
With an enrollment and an athletic department about the size of Kansas, and the same home state from which to recruit from, K-State and Bill Snyder are a model of success for Kansas football. Interim Kansas coach Clint Bowen has made comments that give hope that there might be a little Snyder in him.
After a solid foundation was laid, cemented by persistence, patience and tireless, old-fashioned grit, the K-State football program, once the butt of many jokes, was off and running like a fine-tuned machine.
Edited by Miranda Davis
SVI UNDERSTANDS
With the help of teammates, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk adjusts to life in Kansas
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
BLAIR SHEADE
@realblairsheady
junior Perry Ellis said Svi injured his leg on his recruiting trip May 16, but still went to the gym every day to shoot around.
Ukrainian 17-year-old Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was so excited to play basketball at Kansas that he forgot to pack a basic necessity: pants.
Svi said he showed up in Lawrence with only athletic gear to play basketball because that's all he cares about. Everyone on the team said Svi is really dedicated to playing basketball, and a lot them have funny stories of his love for the sport. For instance,
Over the course of two years, the KU men's basketball team has recruited international athletes such as Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, but both Wiggins and Embiid played high school basketball in the United States. This season, coach Bill Self recruited Svi, who hadn't been to the United States before his recruiting visits in May.
When the 6-foot-8 guard, who likes to be called Svi, arrived in Lawrence, he needed to go shopping. Svi's roommate, junior Evan Manning, said he and sophomore Wayne Selden took Svi shopping at Urban Outfitters.
"We had to get him some
pants," Manning said. "He didn't have many dress clothes or anything like that. So he had to get all hooked up with that. He doesn't have much clothes to go out and eat with or hang out in at night, so we had to get him caught up."
Manning has helped Svi acclimate to his new lifestyle as any good roommate would. Besides helping Svi get a new wardrobe, Manning said Svi asks a lot of questions about living in Lawrence and speaking the English language. Svi knows Ukrainian, Russian and French, as well, but he said French was the hardest language to learn.
GRASPING THE LANGUAGE
"For me it was French because for me it's more hard," Svi said. "English was also hard, but I'm studying it for
11 years."
Even though Svi studied English for the over a decade in Ukraine, he said he needs to improve by taking three basic English classes at the University this semester. Manning tries to help him with his English homework, and Svi tries to teach him Russian.
"He came up to me with some homework, and it's actually really tough for me as a person that speaks English,"
SEE SVI PAGE 9
A to Z: What you've missed in fall sports
BRIAN HILLIX
@DoubleHillix
Ainise Havili - The freshman setter has adjusted to the college game quickly, ranking third in the conference with 11 assists per set.
Bye bye, Charlie - Athletic director Sheahon Zenger fired football coach Charlie Weis the morning after a shutout loss to Texas on Sept. 27. Weis went 6-22 while at Kansas.
Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen -The Lawrence native was named the interim head coach of the football team for the rest of the season after Weis was relieved of his duties. He has spent 16 years on the coaching staff and an additional three as a player.
Connor Peck - A junior golfer from Ankeny, Iowa, Peck has led the men's golf team to two top-three finishes and has been among Kansas' top-two finishers in each of the team's three tournaments.
Ed Warinner - Tabbed by many as a potential down-the-road candidate to become the next football coach at Kansas, Warinner was the offensive coordinator for three years under coach Mark Mangino, including during the 2007-08 Orange Bowl season.
First-place in the Big 12 - With a 13-1 record (3-0 in conference), the No. 16 Kansas women's soccer team stands at first in the conference. Oklahoma is the only
Kaitlyn Stroud - The Kansas soccer team hasn't allowed more than one goal in a game this season, and senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud is a big reason why. She ranks first in the Big 12, allowing less than half a goal per game (.46).
Liana Salazar - The junior midfielder is tied for the Big 12 lead with nine goals this season and ranks first in points, a statistic that combines points and assists.
other Big 12 team without a loss or a tie in conference play.
Grass issues - The soccer field at the team's new abode, Rock Chalk Park, experienced some growing pains. After the season opener did damage to the grass at Rock Chalk Park, the next six home games were played at the team's old field.
Montell Cozart - Praised during fall camp, sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart hasn't lived up to expectations. He ranks last in the Big
Heeney - Senior linebacker Ben Heeney, named to the preseason All-Big 12 team, is living up to the billing. He ranks fourth in the conference in tackles and is tied for fifth in tackles for a loss among all positions.
Invitational titles - The volleyball team had another strong nonconference season, winning three of its four invitations.
Nick Harwell - The senior wide receiver transfer from Miami (Ohio) hasn't scored a receiving touchdown since he recorded two in the first quarter of the season opener against Southeast Missouri State.
Outside hitter position - The deepest position on the volleyball team, it is a big reason Kansas ranks third in the conference in kills. Senior outside hitter Chelsea Albers leads the way as she ranks sixth in the conference in the category.
Pornvipa Sakdee - A sophomore from Thailand, Sakdee won the Marilyn Smith Sunflower Invitational women's golf tournament in Lawrence, propelling the Jayhawks to a second-place finish.
Jake Love - The junior linebacker is tied for 13th in the Big 12 in tackles for a loss among all positions.
Quick starts - Kansas soccer has outscored its opponents
13-2 in the first period this season.
Running backs - Junior transfer De'Andre Mann and freshman Corey Avery have led an attack that has combined for a respectable 167.8 rushing yards per game.
Streak continues - Kansas football has lost 29 straight road games, dating back to 2009.
12, averaging 91 passing yards per game.
Trevor Pardula - A steady presence for the special teams unit, senior punter Pardula leads the Big 12 with a 45-yard average per punt. He leads the league with seven touchbacks.
Undefeated start - The Kansas soccer started the season 8-0, the team's best start in program history.
Volleyball in a slump - After a 12-2 start to the season, the Jayhawks have lost their first three conference matches.
World Series bound? - Not Kansas Athletics related, but still worth mentioning. For the first time since 1985, the Kansas City Royals have advanced to the American League Championship Series, one round away from the World Series.
X-factor - Kansas football cornerbacks JaCorey Shepherd and Dexter McDonald have quietly had a nice season. They are tied for sixth in the Big 12 in passes defended.
Yupaporn Kawinpakorn - A junior golfer from Thailand leads the women's golf team with a +7 average vs. par this season in the layhwaks' three tournaments.
Zenger - After firing Weis, the success of his next coaching hire will likely determine his future as the athletic director.
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
ANNA WENNER/KANSAN
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Freshman setter Ainise Havili sets up a kill for sophomore middle blocker Tayler Soucie on Wednesday against Kansas State. The Jayhawks fell to 0-3 in conference play after losing to the Wildcats.
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