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SPORTS
1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4.2002
Women's golf coach optimistic
By Ryan Greene
Kansan sportswriter
Last season was a rough campaign for the Kansas women's golf team.
Throughout the fall and spring season, the team placed no higher than 7th in a tournament, and ended in last place at the Big 12 championships in late April.
The dismal season resulted in the firing of coach Nicole Hollingsworth after three unsuccessful campaigns.
after three unsuccessful
Now begins the Megan Menzel era in
Kansas woman's golf.
as a team leader. The high point of Rose's season was a first-place finish at the Waterwood National Women's Spring Invitational in waterwood, Texas. Rose carried the team statistically through the season, and this season she has caught Menzel's attention.
Menzel was a three-time all-conference golfer at the University of New Mexico and comes to Kansas after two seasons as coach at Colorado State. Menzel is looking not only to attract top talent to the Jayhawks' program, but to improve on the team's three straight 12th-place finishes in the conference.
"We have talked about our goals, and mainly we want to get a little bit better each day and make the best use of our time on the course while still enjoying the game" Menzel said. "I think we definitely have some great potential on this team."
One bright spot for the team last season was the emergence of Heather Rose as a team leader.
Rose is looking forward to the season and said there is much competition with in the team.
"I think we're going to turn some heads this year" Rose said. "We have a strong team, and everyone's fighting for a spot."
"Heather Rose is determined to finish her career up strong, and has been very impressive" Memzel said.
On the practice course this summer, there has been a renewed spirit on the course for the Jayhawks, and with a new era in women's golf at Kansas on the horizon, it is showing in the play of everyone on the team.
"I think the enthusiasm is great" Menzel said. "The work ethic is outstanding so far. They come early and they stay late. We have so much great potential with everyone for this year."
Contact Greene at rgreee@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Hill.
Sophomore catcher Mike Bessolo swings at a pitch delivered by junior outfielder Adam Rachlin. Both players spend some time at Hoglund Ballpark after weightlifting.
Coach's focus gives 'Hawks fresh intensity
Baseball team works to polish fundamentals and increase stamina
By Steve Schmidt
Kansan sportswriter
Yesterday afternoon, armed with a bat and a thunderous voice, Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price was working on fielding drills with four of his infielders. After every ball was hit, caught and thrown to first, the coach would give instant feedback to the players. To put it simply, the drill was intense.
To the players, however, it's the intensity of Coach Price and the rest of the coaching staff that has helped fuel their efforts in preseason preparation. Junior outfielder Ryan Baty said Price brought an energy that hadn't been there in the past.
pass
"That guy's everywhere," Baty said.
"He's flying around. He's on a mission.
He's ready to get the job done."
Senior infielder and designated hitter Kevin Wheeler said Price's leadership was bringing a different attitude to the team.
"I think he's going to be willing to
work with us if we put in the time, and I think most of us are," Wheeler said. "We're on the same page right now."
Before a majority of players took their first steps inside the confines of Hoglund Ballpark, they had already played close to average of 70 games each during summer league play for different clubs nation wide. Baty said.
We're on the same team Individual workouts started Saturday. Groups of four players will start working with a coach in 45-minute to one-hour intervals starting around 9 a.m. and finishing around 4 p.m. with a two-hour open field session for players after that. In addition to the workouts, the squad has also started a 6:30 a.m. team-conditioning program this week.
Baty said that Price's new conditioning program, which focuses on agility and cardiovascular workouts, was far more structured than in previous years.
"That's something we just didn't have the past," Baty said. "Being around the staff you can tell they have a plan."
Wheeler, along with sophomore infielder Dan Stucky and senior outfielder Lance Hayes, played in a summer league in Newark, N.Y. There, Wheeler also took part in various workout and conditioning programs.
"That guy's everywhere. He's flying around. He's on a mission. He's ready to get the job done."
Ryan Baty Junior outfielder
Besides actual games, many players also hit the weights in different conditioning and weightlifting programs.
Almost every player has been doing similar workouts as they get ready for the beginning of play in February.
Baty said preparation would increase individual and team confidence.
"That's what we base all of our workouts on and our training on — preparing for the season," he said.
Although the team has not even practiced a full week, Coach Price said he was impressed with the team's work ethic and the athletics of 10 to 20 of the players.
He mentioned that some members are close to being "five tool players" — players that have the ability to hit, hit with power, throw, field and run exception-
see BASEBALL on page 3B
Whittemore to call signals against UNLV
Offense needs spark from QB, Mangino says
By Doyle Murphy
Kansan sportswriter
Members of the Kansas University football team take turns running drills at practice.
One week after winning the starting quarterback job, senior Zach Dyer will be starting this week's game on the bench.
Coach Mark Mangino announced at yesterday's press conference that junior Bill Whittemore will replace Dyer as the starter against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Saturday.
"It's not like we've given up on Zach. That's certainly not the case," Mangino said. "But you know we needed some leadership and a spark out there on offense, and we didn't have that."
Neither quarterback passed effectively in Saturday's 45-3 loss to Iowa State.
Dyer completed 6-of-14 passes for 50 yards. Whittemore threw for 31 yards on 4-of-17 passing.Both threw an interception, and neither had a touchdown.
Tyler Longpine/Kansas
Whittemore did have some success on the ground. He was the second
leading rusher for Kansas with 29 yards.
With the quarterback position in place for this week, Mangino can turn his attention to the Kansas linebackers. Sophomore starter Banks Floodman went down in the second quarter against the Cyclones with an injured knee.
Mangino said he hoped to know more about Floodman's condition by this afternoon.
Floodman was in pads and stretched with the team yesterday, but didn't participate in drills during the 30 minutes available to the media at the beginning of practice.
because of a family change in Glen Robinson, junior linebacker, will return to the Kansas lineup after serving a one-game suspension against Iowa State for breaking unspecified team rules.
Mangino said Floodman was excused from Monday's practice because of a family emergency.
Mangino is expected to announce this afternoon if Robinson or freshman Nick Reid will start against the Rebels if Floodman can't play. Reid said yesterday that he expected Robinson to be the starter.
Reid recorded four tackles, including two sacks, in Floodman's absence against the Cyclones. The game was a learning experience, Reid said.
"Everything moves fast," he said.
"It's a whole different game from high school. You gotta grow up quick."
Reid began the season as one of four Jayhawk quarterbacks.
He moved to linebacker when it became apparent that he would not get to play at his original position.
The other undecided position is running back, Reggie Duncan, senior, and Clark Green, freshman, shared carries against the Cyclones.
Duncan started the game, but Green totaled 10 more yards. Green has earned more playing time, Mangino said.
Contact Murphy at dmurphy@kansan.com. This story was edited by Matt Norton.
COMMENTARY
Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
There still may be one more day until the actual opening of the 2002 NFL season, but hardcore football fans can hardly contain their excitement.
NFL fans can count on these early forecasts
Sure, they may not be coming from Peter King or John Clayton, but here goes nothing.
As they prepare to spend hours on the couch in front of the television on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Monday nights for the next 17 weeks, projections are all over the place with anticipation of the upcoming season, but here are five rock-solid predictions of how this NFL season is going to all go down.
1) The New England Patriots will not repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Not only did no one expect them to make it to the Super Bowllast year, but not many people think they can do it again this year. It hurts to say it, but Tom Brady is overrated. The experts are right — the Patriots will be at home come late January.
2) Peyton Manning will be voted MVP. Manning struggled last year as the Colts missed on postseason action. The biggest reason was because his pressure valve, Edgerrin James, missed most of the season with a knee injury. With E.J. back and healthy this year, Manning should return to his 2000 form, when he recorded career highs by throwing for 4.143 vards and 33 touchdowns.
3) Trent Green still will not be an effective NFL starter. Come on now. Trent Green had a horrible 2001 season and did not show much improvement in the preseason. Green threw 17 touchdown passes last year, but that went along with 24 interceptions. Plus, he choked in late-game situations in consecutive weeks against Arizona and Indianapolis. With wide receivers Sylvester Morris and Snoop Minnis injured, why should anything change? Priest Holmes and Tony Gonzalez can't do it all, you know, and that showed last year.
4) David Carr will struggle as a starter; Michael Vick won't. In their first year as starting quarterbacks, these two young guns are in different situations. Carr is leading an expansion team with very little talent at the specialist positions and a rather weak offensive line. On the contrary, the Falcons added all sorts of artillery in the off-season to ease Vick's transition to starting quarterback. With a backfield consisting of a slasher in halfback Warrick Dunn, a bowling ball in the backfield with T.J. Duckett, plus veteran wideouts Jeff Graham, Shawn Jefferson and Willie Jackson, the Falcons could turn some heads.
5) Finally, Steve Spurrier will not lead the Redskins to the playoffs this year. One simple reason — the quarterback carousel will not work in the NFL. At Florida, his impatience with quarterbacks badly hurt the careers of Doug Johnson, Jesse Palmer and Noah Brindise. After four successful preseason games, starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel was demoted to backup duties because of struggles in the preseason finale. Wuerffel handed the job to Shane Matthews, who has yet to prove that he can be a productive quarterback at the professional level. This could be damaging down the road. Expect rookie Patrick Ramsey to see a few starts down the stretch run of the season.
These are merely five predictions by an amateur sportswriter who may think he knows too much, but that's the beauty of the preseason — everyone can sound like a.1 expert.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, IL, junior in journalism. This story was edited by Adam Pracht
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