sports
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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016
Maicke: Recruit Josh Jackson should declare
AP PHOTO
AP PHOTO
West forward Josh Jackson, from Justin-Siena/Prolific Prep Academy in Napa, Calif., dunks against the East team during the McDonald's All-American boys basketball game.
MIKE MAIKE
@M1 Maicke
After a shockingly abrupt ending to the 2015-16 season, the Kansas basketball faithful have only one thing on their mind, at least for the time being: Josh Jackson.
Jackson is a McDonald's All American and the No.1 overall recruit in next year's class. Kansas stands on the final list of potential schools, along with Michigan State and Arizona.
Every fan base and coach on the list of potential schools for Jackson would relish the news of the recruit joining their respective teams after a disappointing NCAA tournament for all programs.
But the decision has been delayed, and the excruciating wait continues.
So what does that tell us? Jackson knows exactly where he is going.
In a recent video interview, the highly-touted recruit said he originally planned on announcing more than a week ago but decided to delay the decision because not all of his family and friends could attend.
Jackson has given subtle hints to which school he favors. This, of course, is then weaved into intricate rationalizations by fans of these programs and turned into "conclusive" arguments.
Quite frankly, Jackson needs to stop toying with these programs, especially the coaches, and simply declare where he is going to be playing basketball for nine months next year.
I have no issue with giving an 18- or 19-yearold elite prospect all the time he or she needs to make a decision that they believe is the best for them.
It's an important decision, even if the player is a one-and-done, and it should not be taken lightly or made too quickly.
But Jackson knows exactly where he is going. Intentionally holding out is not the right thing to do.
These coaches need time to understand what pieces they will be losing. They need time to figure
out which players could fill which holes and how the incoming class can improve the team from the previous season.
Jackson needs to return the respect to these coaches that they have shown him on the recruiting trail and let them know what he has decided.
And it's worth noting, this would also be different if this was a situation where a mid-level recruit was holding out on a decision.
But it isn't.
Jackson is the No. 1 overall recruit. He'll greatly affect the makeup of whichever of the three teams he goes to. In fact, if he committed, Kansas' recruiting class would jump all the way from the 42nd-ranked class in the nation to the 13th-ranked class, according to 247Sports.
The 6-foot-8, 184-pound small forward is a versatile athletic player who is expected to make an instant impact at whichever program he chooses.
Jackson has cited a good relationship with Arizona coach Sean Miller and went as far as saying they still had an edge over the other two schools.
The Arizona faithful also cite the video tweeted from Wildecat commit Kobi Simmons where he and Johnson are both showing support for Arizona.
But really, who knows?
Most likely nobody besides Jackson.
Remember the notorious Cliff Alexander decision, where the coveted post player picked up an Illinois hat for a second, then quickly put it down and put on a Kansas hat?
But at some point, it needs to stop. It's not fair to string the coaches along.
These kids are unpredictable, and the subtle hints are taken into account far too much.
Or should I say,go and publicize the decision that you probably made weeks ago.
Make a decision already.
- Edited by Sarah Kruger
Real Salt Lake's Joao Plata jumps over Sporting Kansas City's Kevin Ellis in the first half on April 2. Real Salt Lake won 2-1.
Missu Minear/KANSAN
Sporting Kansas City drops first match of the year to Real Salt Lake
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChosenKU
KANSAS CITY, Kan. Sporting Kansas City had been nearly perfect on the year. Less one penalty kick against Vancouver, the team had held its opponents scoreless, jumping out to a 3-0-0 record.
However, on Saturday in children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., there was a different script for the team. Playing without regulars Matt Besler and Roger Espinoza, Sporting Kansas City fell 2-1, dropping its first match of the year.
"They did a good job. They defended well. They slowed the game down," Sporting coach Peter Vermes said.
With the score deadlocked at 0-0, Real Salt Lake midfielder Luke Mulholland drew a free kick from about 25 yards away.
The Sporting Kansas City players surrounded the lead official, protesting the call, albeit to no avail. On the ensuing free kick, midfielder Joao Plata sent a curling ball to the top of the six yard box, which found defender Justen Glad.
He directed the ball into the back of the net to put Real Salt Lake up 1-0.
"I truly think we lost the game on one play," midfielder Benny Feilhaber
It was also the first time in more than five-and-a-half years that Real Salt Lake had scored at Children's Mercy Park, formally Sporting Park and Livestrong Sporting Park during that time period.
With the goal, Sporting Kansas City found itself behind for the first time all year.
said. "[We] put ourselves in such a bad position where they can play exactly how they want to play."
"We're a different team this year," Real Salt Lake coach Jeff Cassar said. "Kansas City is not an easy place to get just a result. To walk away with three points, I'm extremely pleased."
And that wasn't the only difference between this match and those of past years.
The purpose of the pylon cam was to show a unique angle of players looking to score; it ended up resulting in some of the best images of the season, as players reached out for the goal line.
The contest against Real Salt Lake marked the debut of a SkyCam in the stadium, the first of its kind in Major League Soccer. It seemed to be a unique addition to the broadcast, similar to the added pylon cam in college football.
With the SkyCam, a similar task was accomplished.
albeit one that wasn't necessarily intended.
While the players were obviously shooting toward the goal, many of the shots ended up far from their intended target.
Simply put: the camera sat well outside the field of play. So did most of the shots from the home side.
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"We had a pretty good response after the goal at the end of the half, but it was a pretty short stint," Feilhaber said. "It wasn't as good as we need to be."
In the opening minutes of the second half, Sporting continued to force the issue: A breakthrough seemed destined.
In the 64th minute, midfielder Brad Davis had his opportunity, finding a bit of space on the right side of the 18-yard box. He tried a left footed shot, but the ball ended up both wide-left and overhit.
One minute later, Davis tried a through ball to forward Graham Zusi, who was flagged offside by the linesman. Sporting Kansas City would be flagged for offside eight times on the night.
"I think you have to credit them," Vermes said. "They were pretty organized from that perspective."
For a brief period, it seemed Sporting was playing looser and in a way where an equalizer might
materialize. But it never did.
Instead, Salt Lake ended the contest the other way.
Off a corner that led to a scrum at the edge of the six-yard box, Sporting had the chance to clear the ball and reset. Instead, as the ball squirted just outside the 18-yard box, Sporting midfielder Soni Mustivar attempted a difficult pass to Zusi, who was standing toward the middle of the pitch.
"You just have to frustrate them [...] You have to be focused for 90 minutes," Cassar said. "You really have to be on your game to slow them down. I thought we were tonight."
Instead, the ball sailed a few feet wide of the intended target. Mulholland intercepted the pass and scored from a long way out, all but officially ending Sporting's unbeaten streak at three.
Sporting added a late goal on a penalty kick, but it accomplished little other than making the final score a little more cosmetic.
Next up: Sporting Kansas City will head north to take on the New York Red Bulls. That match will be played Sat., April 9, at 6 p.m.
Edited by Shane Jackson
Coach Beaty to involve alumni in spring football game once again
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
Last year, in David Beaty's first season as head coach, one of his top priorities was to welcome students, alumni, former players and all Jayhawk fans to be a part of this program. He started that trend with the spring game, and this year will be no different.
Kansas football's season will kick off this weekend with the White versus Blue spring game on April 9, and the program has a full schedule of events before the 1 p.m. kickoff to get fans
to interact on gameday.
The headline of those interactions will be the alumni flag football game, which Beaty made an effort to create last year to involve former players. Last year's game made waves across the nation when 89-year-old former player and veteran Bryan Sperry scored in the game.
Caroline Fiss/KANS/
Coach David Beaty sends lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith into play.
"That was fun," Sperry told the Kansas City Star after the touchdown, "I didn't know if I could run."
The alumni game is set to begin at noon, an hour before the actual spring game kicks off. A full schedule of
events, along with some details, is below. Parking for all events will be free and
first-come, first-serve.
— Edited by Ryan
Wright
10 a.m.
Bike Rodeo
A bicycle course and free bike inspections; kids 15 and younger can be fitted with a free bicycle helmet.
11 a.m.
Hy-Vee Hawk Zone opens
12 p.m.
Alumni flag football game
Before the spring game, diehard fans might recognize some Jayhawks from the past playing in this game.
A regular before KU games, this zone is for kids to play on inflatables, take photos, and participate in a few other fun activities.
1 p.m.
Spring Game kicks off
A culmination of spring football, the Blue versus White game is the first look at the 2016 Jayhawks.
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