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SPORTS
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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, NOV. 12. 2015
Kansas golf coach Jamie Bermel poses by a framed flag, signed by PGA golfer Zach Johnson, who played under Bermel at Drake.
TAYLOR MAGYAR/KANSAN
PGA pipeline: Coaching is business for Bermel
NICK COUZIN
@NCouz
Perched over the Anschutz Sports Pavilion is coach Jamie Bermel's office. On one side, he has all the tokens of his success as a college golf coach, including his trophy from the Hawkeye Invitational, his first win at Kansas in 2011, and his team's two tournament victories this season. His golf bags sit in another corner.
One piece of his success, however, stands apart from the others; it's something that's set the tone of his entire coaching career. On the wall opposite of his trophies hangs a yellow flag.
"Coach, my first... your first.. hopefully many more," it reads.
The flag comes from the 18th hole at the 2007 Masters Tournament at the historic Augusta National in Georgia. The message comes from professional golfer Zach Johnson, who won the tournament, his first major win on the PGA Tour. Johnson won his second major at the Open Championship in 2015. Over a decade ago, he played under Bermel at Drake.
Johnson is the winningest pro golfer, but not the only pro, who has come out of Bermel's coaching philosophies.
"I tell my players I'm not their mother or father; I'm your coach," Bermel said. "I don't like to give excuses. The biggest key is finding a way to get it done, look[ing] past the problem and
find[ing] a solution."
Lifting Kansas men's golf
In a career spanning 23 years, Bermel has coached at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa; Iowa State in Ames, Iowa; and Colorado State in Fort Collins, Co, before making his way to Kansas.
When he came to Lawrence three seasons ago, the golf team had not won a tournament since October 2010. In his second season in 2013, he led the team to a victory at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa.
Before Bermel, Kansas relied on graduate head coach Kit Grove. He was at the head of the program for five seasons but
could not jump start the team. In his five seasons, his team placed in the top eight once in 2008
Bermel had his work cut out for him with a stumbling program in his first season in 2012. In one short year, he got his team to its first tournament win at the Hawkeye Invitational. After that, Bermel kept on showing how his team could progress.
In 2014, Kansas finished eighth in the Big 12, with big performances from now-junior Chase Hanna and now-senior Ben Welle, who led the tournament until its last days. He also coached Hanna and redshirt sophomore Brock Drogosch up enough for the two to qualify
for the U.S. Open Amateur this past summer.
This season, his team won two tournaments at the Badger Invitational and the Price's Give Em Five Invitational. In three years, he has turned the program into the bustling success that it now is. While Grove's teams placed in the top eight only once, Bermel's team has placed top six in every tournament this season, including the two wins and a runner-up finish.
Welle has a reason for the recent success: the team is starting to work how Bermel wants it to.
"Coach [Bermel] and I see eye-to-eye, and the team, as well, is slowly starting to see eye-to-eye with Coach on what he wants and what we as a team
want," Welle said. "This year, we're seeing the success."
From day one of coaching, Bermel said he's all about accountability. He wants his team to be on top of its game, especially because he's coached in the Midwest for his whole career. He makes it clear there should be no excuses when it comes to poor play.
"Going hand-in-hand with no excuses means finding a way to get out on top," Bermel said.
That is his coaching mentality, and senior golfer Connor Peck said "he has seen it work well so far."
SEE BERMEL PAGE 17
"He pushes everyone every-
Preview: KU vs. Northern Colorado
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Kansas wing Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk dribbles the ball against Fort Hays State.
SHANE JACKSON @jacksonshane3
After Tuesdays night's 95-59 win over Fort Hays State in the final exhibition contest, Kansas looks prepared for the regular season. In the game, a few days before the season opener, the Jayhawks swatted eight shots and scored 17 fast-break points en route to a 36-point victory, improving on areas that had previously been weaknesses for the team.
"I wish we had another four or five days," Self said. "We got in a lot of stuff before the game, like special situations. But everybody starts now, so everybody is playing with the same deck of cards."
However, despite the performance on Tuesday, Bill Self said he doesn't believe his team is quite ready for Northern Colorado on Friday. Nov. 13.
Players said that the Jayhawks watched film from the first game and were disgusted with the effort. In the final exhibition tune-up, the effort was evident both on the offensive and defensive end.
Offensively, the Jayhawks shot the ball well from threepoint range, going 10-of-21
from downtown. Sophomore wing Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk led the way, as he went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, finishing with a second-best 15 points on the team.
That was the case last year as well. Kansas struggled in the first exhibition game but looked much improved in game two, beating Emporia State 109-56.
Defensively, Kansas created 18 turnovers against Fort Hays State. As a whole, the team took tremendous strides from game one to game two.
I got in a lot of stuff before the game like special situations. But everybody starts now, so everybody is playing with the same deck of cards."
BILL SELF
Even then, Self had said didn't believe his team was quite ready for the season opener, in which Kansas beat UC Santa Barbara. 69-59.
In fact, Self has rarely believed his team was completely ready for the regular season tippoff since he has been at Kansas.
"I never feel like we are ready." Self said. "I think playing a good team like Michigan State early ... forces you to be prepared."
The Champions Classic has helped Kansas get closer to regular season form. After the season opener, the layhawks go to Chicago to take on a blue blood basketball program.
This year, the Champions Classic features a prominent matchup against Michigan State. The Spartans are a title contender, and that game should help the Jayhawks gauge where they are at this early in the season.
Last year it was Kentucky, and Kansas was defeated, 72-40.
"Do I remember? Of course I remember," said junior forward Landen Lucas. "We have no plans of having anything like that happen again. That is something that is not acceptable with us."
"They are well coached. They've got a nice club," Self said. "The first game is the most dangerous game because you can do something that you haven't seen yet. I think our first two games are really hard."
Last season the Bears were 500, going 15-15 on the year. They averaged 74.7 points per contest, including 6.8 three-pointers per contest.
Still, before Kansas can completely get caught up in that, Northern Colorado is a very capable opponent coming into Allen Fieldhouse on Friday night.
However, veteran players like junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. are desperate for some regular season basketball.
If it were up to Self, Kansas would have more time before playing Northern Colorado.
"At times it gets repetitive for an older team," Selden said. "But we know we have to do it to focus to win games."
Ready or not, starting Friday, the games matter for the Jay-hawks.
- Edited by Maddy Mikinski
Kansas shakes hands with Texas after a 3-2 loss.
ZOE LARSON/KANSAN
Kansas volleyball falls to Texas in five sets at home
JOSH MCQUADE
@L0neW0lfMcQuade
With a 27-26 lead in the third set against Texas, the Kansas Jayhawks had a thirst for conquest in their eyes.
It was the only team that Kansas had lost to to date the Texas Longhorns. The Jayhawks were one point away from taking a 2-1 lead in the match. They would need just one of the final two sets to win.
Instead, that thirst — though it pushed Texas to its limits — wasn't enough for Kansas to top Texas in the third set, or in the match for that matter.
The Longhorns defeated the Jayhawks (20-25, 25-20, 30-28, 22-25, 15-9) for the second time this season, diminishing the team's chances to win the Big 12. The match was the first of the season for both teams to go to five sets.
"It hurts a lot, but I feel like our team played very well versus last time that we played [Texas]," senior outside hitter Tiana Dockery said in a postgame interview. "We fought really hard, but we still have a lot of stuff we need to work on."
The first set was one to remember, as both teams left it all on the court early in the match. The set showed why both teams are ranked within the top 10. Kansas totaled 17
kills with a .333 hitting percentage throughout the set, a turnaround from its last meeting with Texas, when the team only posted 12 kills and a .310 hitting percentage.
The Longhorns took an early lead, but the Jayhawks recovered to take it midway through the set. The Jayhawks finished off the set with a 10-5 run, and, most importantly, hung with the Longhorns on Kansas' way to a 25-20 win.
The second set portrayed the elite skills of both teams once again, but Texas was stronger. Many of the rallies lasted longer than just a few hits and had the packed crowd at Horesi Family Athletics Center holding their breath.
After the break, the Jayhawks came back with a vengeance, but the Longhorns did not let that scare them.
The Longhorns took the set but posted fewer kills than the Jayhawks — 13 to the Jayhawks' 15. This set was primarily a defensive one, as each team recorded below a .250 hitting percentage. Once the Longhorns took the lead at the beginning of the set, they did not let go, and they defeated the Jayhawks. 25-20.
Texas took the third set, 30-28 — the longest set the Jayhawks have competed in all season. Kansas posted a total of 20 kills, which made the total 52 on the game and again topped Texas, which had 15.
The Jayhawks needed to win the fourth set in order to keep the match alive, and they did just that, 25-22. The Jayhawks posted a match-high .389 hitting percentage and held the Longhorns to 16 kills. With only one service error for Kansas, Texas was unable to rack up enough points to give Kansas the fight Texas had shown all night.
The first time the Jayhawks had ever seen the fifth set was memorable — it would decide the conference leader.
The Longhorns received a good amount of their points from the Jayhawks' eight service errors in the match. Kansas was neck-and-neck with Texas the entire set, but was unable to finish it because of errors.
"I feel like [a five set match] is good experience for us in general." Dockery said.
However, that was not enough to take down the No. 5 Longhorns. The Longhorns posted a .438 hitting percentage along with seven kills, but, once again, the layhawks lost the games because of their errors. Recording a .235 hitting percentage was most-
Halfway through the set,
Texas was leading Kansas,
8-5, as Kansas dug in for one last rally.
SEE VOLLEYBALL
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