WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Volleyball begins Big 12 schedule
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The 2002 volleyball conference season begins today.
Kansas will take its 8-0 record and momentum from its Hofstra Tournament and Jayhawk Classic wins-to College Station, Texas today. The Jayhawks begin their conference season against the No.16 Texas A&M Aggies (8-1) at 7 tonight.
Kansas has never finished the season with a winning conference record. Last year, the team was 9-0 going into conference play. The Jayhawks finished the Big 12 season 6-14 last year, including two losses to A&M.
Kansas has won the last two conference season openers. But unlike those two games, which were played in Lawrence, the team will have to travel to break its all-time record of 0-13 against the Aggies.
"The Big 12 is a really competitive conference. Every team that we play, we're going to have to prepare for," said senior defensive
specialist Jaime Morningstar.
Eric Braem/Kansan
Coach Ray Bechard is 71-60 in five seasons, but 25-55 against Big 12 opponents.
Despite losing two first-team all conference seniors last year, Bechard said there would be an influx of young, talented kids to fill the spots for the Aggies.
Texas A&M finished last season 26-6(16-4 conference record second in Big 12) and ranked 11th in the nation.
"It's a team with great tradition, being in the Great Eight and Sweet Sixteen over the last couple of years," Bechard said. "It will be a great challenge for our team. It will really give us an idea of where we are at."
Morningstar said the long nonconference road stretch helped them get ready for Texas A&M.
"This game will be a big confidence builder," Morningstar said. "However the outcome of the game, depending on how we play, will help us determine how well we can do in the Big 12 this year."
The volleyball team is hoping to continue its two-year streak of victories in conference-openers against No. 16 Texas A&M at College Station, Texas, tonight.
Edited by Melissa Shuman and Matt Gehrke
Basketball
CONTINUED FROM 1B
day this summer. He spent much of that time working out with current and former Jayhawks.
He has always loved anything involved with basketball, even practice, said Mona, who remembers when Vinson was 8
and asked her for advice after spending a season on the bench.
"He came to me and said 'Mom, how do I get off the bench?' I said 'Well, you've just got to practice,' and I kid you not, he practiced every day for the next year, and he was the MVP of the league that year," Mona said.
The work ethic of both players is no surprise to Terry Zerr, assistant coach at Johnson County Community College. Zerr coached a Sport 2 Sport Jayhawks team that included current Jayhawks Keith Langford and Jeff Hawkins along with Vinson and Watkins.
"First of all they're good kids." Zerr said. "Second, they work hard. As a coach, that's what you're looking for in your walk-ons."
The hard work has paid off for Vinson. He is already running circles around some of his Jayhawk teammates — literally. Vinson won Kansas's preseason 12-minute run, by completing 1 3/4 miles.
Sport 2 Sport owner Roger Morningstar has seen the two mature over the years. Watkins and Vinson were among the first to play in Morningstar's gym more than six years ago.
"D.J.'s always smiling and always having fun," he said. "Stephen is a little more business-like. Once you get to know
Stephen a little you get to see the fun side, but D.J. is "Mr. Everything" to everyone."
'Mr. Everything' for the basketball team would just fine to Watkins. He said he knew his main role would be on the practice squad if he made the team, but he said he wasn't worried about playing time. He just wants a chance.
"If I don't make it then I'll know for the rest of my life that I gave it my best," he said. "To not do that would just be senseless."
—Edited by Melissa Shuman
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