Volume 124 Issue 64
kansan.com
Friday, November 18, 2011
"IN THE HUDDLE" PODCAST DISCUSSES FOOTBALL GAME
Go to Kansan.com to listen to a preview of the Texas A&M game, featuring The Kansan's Mike Vernon and KJHK's Jay Ingber
COMMENTARY Time to let go of the Morrii
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI'S FOOTBALL COACH GARY PINKEL ARRESTED FOR DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED PAGE 8
MATCHUP MAYHEM
At some point during the Kansas men's basketball team's 75-65 loss to the No.2 Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night, Markieff Morris had seen enough.
No, not of the No. 14 Jayhawks, but of the tweets he was bombarded with during the team's first loss of the season.
"Stop wit the wish y'all was playing tweets," Markieff wrote on his Twitter account, @keefmorris. "We not playing just root our boys on keep faith."
His twin brother Marcus is fed up, too.
"One more thing ... Lock out or no lock out WE STILL would have LEFT FOR THE DRAFT", Marcus tweeted on Monday from his account, @mookmorris2.
Edited by Mandy Matney
BRING ON THE NOISE
The Morrii are right. To steal a line from Louisville Cardinals coach Rick Pitino, the Morris twins aren't walking through that door, fans'. And while they wouldn't exactly be gray and old if they did, it's time for Kansas fans to move on. Because if their Twitter accounts are any indication, the Morris twins moved on a long, long time ago.
Make no mistake, that doesn't soften the blow of their departure that many Kansas fans are obviously still trying to cope with. The fact that the Jayhawks were out-rebounded by lowly Towson in their season opener on Nov. 11 probably didn't help matters much either. And getting out-rebounded again by the a blatantly superior Kentucky squad on Tuesday had fans shoving each other over to get to the panic button. But it's time to stop thinking about what could have been if the No. 13 and 14 picks in this year's NBA draft started for just one more year.
Trust me, as a Kansas City Chiefs follower, I can sympatize with fans who clamor for players no longer playing for the team. I wish Jamaal Charles was still around. I wish Eric Berry was still around. I wish Thomas Jones was still around. (OK, that last guy isn't hurt, but my point stands.)
Desperation is a bad look for any fan base, especially for one as storied as Kansas.
The Morris twins chose the uncertain waters of the No Basketball Association (NBA) over a senior season and a legitimate shot at a national championship at Kansas, and it's time to respect that decision and stop harassing, chastising and begging the brothers about it.
The Chiefs lost their best player on defense and on offense in the first two weeks of the season. The team has been an eyesore to watch ever since. But hopelessly wishing the players could pull a Lazarus and magically heal their season-ending injuries is foolish. And so is sending patronizing, 140 characters-or-less messages to two of the best basketball players in Kansas history.
Coach Turner Gill yells angrily at one of the referees for a bad call against Kansas during the game at Memorial Stadium last Saturday against Baylor. Kansas will travel to College Station, Texas this week to play Texas A&M.
JESSICA IANASZ/KANSAN
MIKE VERNON mvernon@kansan.com
Just 10 seconds into talking about the atmosphere at Texas A&M's well-respected football stadium Kyle Field, Kansas offensive coordinator Chuck Long stopped himself. He shouted a simple request across the room to the director of football operations George Matsakis.
"By the way George, we need a noise-maker by Thursday," Long said.
While the lajhawks have used noise in practice before, they may have never had to use their machine like this. The Texas A&M fans refer to themselves as the 12th man. The words "Home of the 12th Man" are forever cemented into the stadium across its upper deck.
When Turner Gill was an assistant coach at Nebraska, he was up in the press box to experience the famous event that occurs during every home game at Kyle Field. He said what he remembers about Kyle Field was the press box shaking during the Aggies chants and cheers.
The widely reported story in College Station is that during the Texas A&M fight song, the "Aggie War Hymn," the press box sways as each individual row of the crowd sways right and left, arm-in-arm, during portions of the song.
And word has spread from the coaches to the Kansas players about the noise factor they'll be facing on Saturday.
Senior defensive tackle Pat Dorsey, along with the majority of the Kansas team, has never been to Kyle Field before. Long said the atmosphere is one of the best in college football. Dorsey and the Jayahwks are well aware of the challenge ahead.
Dorsey said that the team just has to be together and hold each other down in an environment like that. Being from Houston,
Dorsey is well aware of the Aggies large fan base. On Saturday, he'll be playing in a stadium that normally sells out at a capacity of 83,002.
"It ranks up there, playing in College Station," Dorsey said. "It'll be a big deal for me."
One player who witnessed a game at Kyle Field is senior center Jeremiah Hatch. Hatch traveled, but did not play against Texas A&M in 2007 because he was a redshirt his feshman year.
In that game, the Jayhawks traveled to Kyle Field and beat the Aggies 19-11 for their first ever win in College Station. The game was played on national television at night and the environment is one that Hatch clearly remembers.
"It was a football atmosphere, it's what you want," Hatch said. "You couldn't hear anything."
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb will have to be the leader for the Kansas offense on the field Saturday. Webb said he's heard that the stadium ranks equally with the other big venues in college football and that he's excited for the opportunity to play there.
The Jayhawks have played in tough road environments on multiple occasions this season. Playing against Texas in Austin, Texas, Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., were not easy tasks. Kansas lost all three games by an average of 42.3 points per game.
But while he's excited, he didn't seem the least bit concerned as the team has already seen it all 10 games into its season.
"It's just another thing for us," Webb said. "We're going to have our crowd noise throughout the week. We're going to be prepared for it and the coaches are going to have us ready."
Edited by Josh Kantor
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Davis stays determined to get back on the court
KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
Carolyn Davis strips down to her spandex and climbs into the pool. As she prepares to work out on the underwater treadmill, a group of football players walk in. They exchange some awkward greetings, but Davis is determined to complete this workout and get one step closer to her return to the starting lineup. As the 6-foot-3 junior forward knows, you have to make some sacrifices for the sport you love.
Davis was forced to work out at the Anderson Family Football Complex instead of the usual basketball facilities at the Anderson Strength Center across campus because the pools were too shallow. She said she is friends with many of the players, so it was not quite as uncomfortable as it would seem.
After sitting out for a week to rest a stress fracture in her right foot, Davis returned to the Kansas women's basketball starting lineup for the second game of the season.
"Her minutes will be about how she feels. If it hurts, she is going to come out and we will shut her down," coach Bonnie Henrickson said of her Preseason All-Big 12 forward.
Though she played slower and more hesitant than usual, Davis
Kansas now prepares for its first road contest against Wake Forest on Sunday. Sophomore guard Keena Mays played minimal minutes in exhibition and did not see any playing time in the first game because of struggles with Henrickson in practice.
"It is a confidence builder because I wasn't feeling 100 percent and I wasn't fully confident about how I was gonna play because of stamina and running and stuff, so it was good to make some shots and get my confidence up," Davis said.
hit her stride with 14 points after shooting of 5 of 7 from the field and a perfect 4 of 4 at the free throw line. She played only 18 minutes, but started and jumped the ball for the Jayhawks.
With nine points and five rebounds in 19 minutes of play, Mays returned to the court to deliver sparks like two back-to-back steal and layup possessions in the second half.
Mays said she heard it loud and clear.
"I got it," she said. "I want to play."
"It feels great. That is what I
The one factor that disrupted an otherwise impressive outing was the Jayhawks' 25 turnovers. Henrickson said this has been a trend in practice and that the team has become antsy.
wanted the whole time," Mays said. "We finally got on the same page and hopefully I get to stay in the game."
Kansas seems to have found its rhythm with renewed energy and anticipation following the return of Davis and Mays. But in Davis' absence, the team tapped into the potential of freshman forward Bunny Williams.
"Bunny works hard every day in practice, so I just know when she gets into the game that she is gonna continue to work hard," Davis said. "She posts up really well and she is a really great finisher."
Senior forward Aishah Sutherland said the team needs to slow down and focus.
Davis has been impressed with Williams' early success in the program.
"We just need to learn how to handle pressure," Sutherland said. "They pressured us really hard."
JESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN
After the Wake Forest game, Kansas will have five days off before hosting the BTI Tip-Off Class, which runs Nov. 25-27.
Edited by Sarah Champ
Junior forward Caroleyn Davis puts up two points during the first half of the game Wednesday night. Senior forward Aisha Sutherland scored a total of 16 points for the team and junior forward Carolyn Davis scored a total of 14 points for the 73-59 victory
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