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HUDY FROM PAGE 1
further than how to get stronger or faster.
"I think we try to pride ourselves on what we educate our athletes with," she said, mentioning helping athletes try "to put on weight or someone's trying to take weight off [and to eat] consistently and with high nutritional value" as another part of her job.
For someone whose accomplishments include helping Kansas win a national title, assisting in the development of the 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year and coaching with two of the top college basketball programs in the country, Hudy said she prefers not to compare herself to others.
“It’s hard to say that [any trainer] down the road is different than I am,” Hudy explained. “We’re still learning. What I knew four years ago is completely different from what I know now.”
Kansas redshirt senior Hunter Mickelson said Hudy differs than typical trainers for several reasons.
"Id probably say just being consistent with applying what she knows," Mickelson said. "Of course, she knows a whole bunch about what she does. She's one of the greats. To be that you have to know a lot about your craft, and she definitely does."
Mickelson said the training style at Kansas differed from that at Arkansas, and he noticed it as soon as he arrived.
"When I came here it was just different things — more of like Olympic-style lifting [at Kansas]," Mickelson said. "It was definitely cool to see the differences between the two [schools]"
Hudy said she was happy with the development of Mickelson both on the court and in the weight room since his transfer from Arkansas. Likewise, Mickelson said he's happy with what he has learned from her.
"She's a great teacher; she definitely gets everybody on track really quick and definitely helps them improve," Mickelson said. "When you're one of the greats like that, that's kind of what you do. You kind of stand out."
However, Hudy doesn't focus solely on helping athletes with their physical improvement but also dealing with the difficulty of balancing both classes and basketball.
"I think [with] the volume and the time commitment, the schedule, your head is spinning because you've got 8,000 different places to be, and you have classes on top of that," she said. "It's a process for everybody. Some people pick up on the process quicker than others, but I would argue that life is a process."
There are four newcomers to the Kansas men's basketball team this year who will have to adjust to the schedule of Division 1 collegiate athletics. Hudy said freshman Cheick Diallo is one who has notably improved since arriving on campus.
But freshmen aren't the only ones who see the difference. As a transfer, Mickelson sat out his first year at Kansas, giving him the chance to see Hudy's system in action without the pressure of making an impact on the court.
"Some freshmen coming in, all they've ever done is play basketball, so they don't really associate working out as the same thing," Mickelson said. "They don't think it's on the same level as practicing." Similar to how a coaching staff keeps tabs during a basketball game, Hudy provides that same level of focus and attention during workout sessions. During her practices, she tries to keep an eye on every player.
"How we do things, it doesn't have to be hard; it just has to be consistent," she said. "I've studied exercise for 20 years; it's definitely a process of learning and getting better."
Edited by Rebecca Dowd
Texas quarterback Jerrod Heard looks down field for an open receiver during the first half of a game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, in Ames, Iowa.
JUSTIN HAYWORTH/AP
A look at Saturday's KU-Texas matchup
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
In the last month, Kansas has faced three of the top four teams in the Big 12. Against the cream of the crop, the Jayhawks gave up 66 points to Baylor, 58 to Oklahoma State and 62 to Oklahoma.
This week the Jayhawks have a much easier task in the Texas Longhorns (3-5) who have the second-worst offense in the conference. Texas averages 16.2 points per contest — only Kansas' 11.4 is worse.
Still, Kansas head coach David Beaty is not prepared to take the opposition lightly.
"They don't look like a team, to me, that is in disarray," Beaty said. "They've had a couple of miscues, kind of like us, that have cost them some games, and they've learned from and continued to do better."
Part of the reason Texas seems to be in turmoil is that the unit, like Kansas, is going through
some turnover. The Longhorns are led by second-year head coach Charlie Strong, who has a number of new faces leading his team, one of which is the freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard.
--places."
I look like a team, to me, that's in disarray ... They've had a couple of miscues, kind of like us, that have cost them some games, and they've learned from and continued to do better."
DAVID BEATY Kansas Head Coach
Heard has played in eight games, starting in seven of them. He has completed 66-of-111 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns. Heard is more effective on the ground, with 111 attempts for a teambest 502 yards. He is averaging
4. 5 yards per carry and a teamhigh 62.8 yards per contest. He also has three rushing touchdowns.
"They improved their run game dramatically the last three games, and he's been a big part of that," Beaty said of Heard.
Kansas, too, has a freshman quarterback in Ryan Willis, who has impressed Beaty with his tremendous poise. In six games, Willis is 95-of-169 for 960 yards and five passing scores.
The Kansas defense is also loaded with young players and has struggled, for the most part, in 2015. The defense has given up at least 200 rushing yards in all but one game, the season opener, when South Dakota State ran for 170 yards. Meanwhile, Kansas has the 127th ranked rushing attack in terms of yards per carry with an average of 2.9 yards per attempt — better than only one team in the 128-team NCAA.
"I quit looking at stats last week," said offensive coordinator Rob Likens. "Every NFL coach will say running the ball makes everything a lot easier. At every level, if you can run the ball it makes life easier. It makes for an easy day."
Saturday will be a good test for the ground game as the Jayhawks look to run the ball more effectively on offense and also stop the Longhorns, who average 195 rushing yards per game.
"They play to their strength, which is the run game." said defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. "They like control the clock and shorten the game down."
With 44 Texas natives on the roster because of Beaty's Texas connections, this week could have an underrated impact on potential recruits.
"I think that's important for us," Beaty said. "Guys want to see you improving. They want to see you getting better in
Beaty said he understands that although his team is winless for this year, every week remains just as important as the last. Every week is a test for the rookie head coach as he lays the foundation for a program he hopes to turn around. It may not happen overnight, but it's not impossible that one day when these two teams meet again, they could be near the top of the Big 12. After all, Beaty pointed to the World Series champions as a model for a team that was once as low as the Jayhawks are now.
"Our team meeting yesterday chronicled [the Kansas City Royals] from 2010, 2011, 2012," Beaty said. "We just talked about the maturation of that team, and we tracked the development."
Saturday night is a chance to display some of the Jayhawks' maturation.
Edited by Maddy Mikinski
In a hard-fought first half
With Diallo's absence, Bragg shines in 89-66 win
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK
Those struggles were especially noticeable early, as the Jayhawks started slow out of the gate and found themselves tied with the Gorillas 4-4 at the first media timeout.
With freshman Cheick Diallo is still awaiting a decision from the NCAA on his eligibility, it was Carlton Bragg who flashed his potential with 14 points and six rebounds in Kansas' 89-66 exhibition win over the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
["It wasn't] really much of a surprise because we've been practicing with him since this summer," Graham said. "He was just all over the place, real energetic and excited to play, [and] it showed."
Although Bragg said he was nervous before the game, he seemed to get over that quickly. In his 21 minutes, the Jayhawks were a plus-37 with him on the court, which was 21 points better than any other player.
"I thought he (Bragg) was great," said coach Bill Self. "I thought he was the best player in the game, and so did all of our kids in the locker room. He played with a smile on his face, and I thought he did terrific for a young kid."
"From my perspective, it was pretty good," Self said. "The thing about it is if you make shots, you would get a false sense of who you are. I thought it was a great game for us to learn when we don't make shots, what we are going to hang our hat on."
But the Jayhawks struggled to get anything going away from the basket, going just 4-of-19 from beyond the arc.
that was muddied up by 26 combined fouls from both teams, the Gorillas were able to hang around. It wasn't until there was six minutes remaining the half that the Jayhawks finally started to click.
On the next two possessions,
Selden and junior Brannen
Greene each nailed a three to push the Jayhawks lead to 31-
23. Before that, the Jayhawks had missed their first seven
attempts from beyond the arc.
"I just wanted to play hard," Bragg said. "I'm just playing my role on the team."
With the Jayhawks up three with just under six minutes remaining in the first half, Bragg snatched a defensive rebound and threw a long outlet pass to junior Wayne Selden Jr. for a dunk to ignite the Allen Fieldhouse crowd.
"Perry had flashes where he was good," Self said. "But what Perry gave us tonight he should give us every night. But I thought Perry looked really fast tonight."
But on the next two possessions, the Jayhawks went inside, and it was Ellis, who led the team with 22 points and 12 rebounds, who came up with two baskets to push the Jayhawks' lead to double figures for the first time.
After an impressive first half, Self inserted Bragg into the starting lineup to start the second half. Bragg picked up right where he left off in the first half with a layup followed by an assist out of the high-low set to Ellis.
As soon as he gets in the game, he throws the highlow pass and it looked natural," Self said. "It looked like Marcus (Morris) or Markieff (Morris). He's naturally a good passer."
The Jayhawks outscored the
"They exposed us," Self said. "They were quicker than us. We obviously didn't guard the ball and we didn't slide very well. Those things are great to be pointed out, because now we know we can exposed pretty easily."
Gorillas by five points in the second half on their way to a routine exhibition win.
The Jayhawks will play their second and final exhibition contest on Tuesday when they host Fort Hays State.
- Edited by Emma LeGault
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Freshman forward Carlton Bragg brings in a dunk in the second half. Bragg logged 21 minutes in his first Allen Fieldhouse contest.
The 29th recipient of the Byron T. Shutz Award for Excellence in Teaching
Professor Nicole Hodges Persley
The Message: Improvising Hip Hop as Critical Pedagogy in the 21st Century Classroom
November 9th at 3:30 The Commons, Spooner Hall
Reception immediately following
Office of the Provost
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