Volume 124 Issue 58
kansan.com
Thursday, November 10, 2011
COMMENTARY Rivalry may not be over
Somewhere down the road, yeas after Mizzou gets setted in with its new southern friends, the Border War-turned-Border-Showdown-turned-Cold War between Kansas and Missouri will be renewed. Rarely do jilted lovers leave on good terms, and rarely do they agree to meet up for a drink in a few months when both parties have had a chance to cool off.
And college rivalries are no different.
Speaking of rivalries, I encourage you to check out the new ESPN documentary, "Roll Tide/ War Eagle," which chronicles the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn. While they don't have the Civil War historical roots that Kansas and Missouri have, they have a few things the Border Showdown doesn't: Two schools that are pretty darn good in the sport, and fans that eat, sleep, and breathe Alabama and Auburn football. What they lack in actual fighting, they gain in being southern college football fans. I'd call it a wash.
I said that so I can say this: The great rivalry between Alabama and Auburn hasn't always been smooth sailing. After years of arguments over game contracts and supposedly biased officials, the two schools decided to cancel the football rivalry game in 1907, not to be resumed until 1948.
When I see that, I see a rivalry that only intensifies when neither team could settle their differences on the gridiron. Of course, the other side of that is two arch-rivals refusing to play for 40 years over pettiness. But in this day and age of 24-hour sports networks and the Internet and college athletics being a billion dollar business and all that, is a 40-year break really possible? Of course not.
Fans from Columbia, Lawrence and everywhere in between are doing their best "I don't care if we play you anyway" routine, but the lengths which the same fans go to "prove" they don't care reveal their bluff.
Kansas officials and coaches have said they have no interest in playing Missouri beyond this season, and many fans feel the same way. There's probably a lot of truth in that, too. Kansas certainly doesn't benefit financially from playing Missouri in basketball, where an annual game in Kansas City would mean a 50-50 split of ticket money. Kansas will make much more than that when they play Davidson there next month.
But in seven or eight years, when both schools are settled in their respective conferences, some business will try to sponsor a reunion in Kansas City of football, basketball, or both. It will be just enough time to cool off from the messy divorce, and both sides will realize hating someone else isn't quite the same.
Edited by Mandy Matney
Reed recounts free-throw contest PAGE 7 Stress fracture benches basketball player
T-ROB ROCKS S.I.
GREG NELSON/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Forward Thomas Robinson, a junior from Washington, D.C., will appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated's basketball preview Nov. 14. According to KUAthletics.com, this is the 18th time a Kansas athlete has graced the front of the magazine. Marc Morris, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush were also honored with a cover spot.
The Kansas women's basketball team announced on Wednesday that junior forward Carolyn Davis suffered a stress fracture in her right foot. Davis is
currently listed as day-to-day with the injury.
"We caught the stress fracture early and we are treating it aggressively." coach. Bonnii
Henrickson said. "We are confident that Carolyn will be back to 100 percent soon."
Davis
Davis was named to the State Farm
Wade Trophy Watch List for player of the year, Preseason John R. Wooden Award list and the Preseason All-Big 12 team.
Davis led the Jawhays with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. She ranked second in the ration and led the Big 12 Conference with a 66.0 field goal percentage.
In the two exhibition games this season Davis played 42 minutes. She scored 14 and 12 points in the two victories.
Kansas will host Western Michigan at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the first game of the regular season.
— Kathleen Gier
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Top recruit officially signs with Kansas
MAX ROTHMAN
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
After years of following a top recruit from Wichita, coach Bill Self now has documented evidence of his prize.
Self announced Wednesday that Perry Ellis, a senior forward from
Wichita Heights
High School and
Rivals.com No.
24 recruit, signed
a national letter of
intent to play
Kansas basketball
next season.
Ellis
Ellis committed to Kansas on Sept. 21 in his high school's gymnasium before coaches, teammates, media, family and friends. "We felt like he was as important of a recruit as we have had since we've been here," Self said. "You have to get your local guys and certainly he has a chance to be in that same mold of a Wayne Simien-type guy. Fans are going to fall in love with him because he is so responsible and disciplined."
Self and his staff began recruiting Ellis when he was a freshman at
Wichita Heights and followed his development as he grew.
"He has progressed to the point to where he may play as much on the perimeter than on the inside for us," Self said.
Self praised Ellis' athleticism, speed, strength and explosiveness and said that he could contribute immediately as a freshman.
"We can pretty much put him out there and he can figure it out because he's so versatile." Self said.
Ellis' grade point average at Wichita Heights is 4.0. He volunteers as a youth basketball teacher and commits time to the Wichita Children's Home. Self attributes Ellis' talents and kind personality to his upbringing.
"The fact he has never made a B. The fact he's competitive in the classroom. The fact he will be a great ambassador for our University and athletic program, shows that he comes from great parents in Fonda and Will." Self said.
Self said he is looking forward to the Ellis family's future involvement with the team.
Edited by Alexandra Esposito
NATIONAL
Paterno, Spanier fired after Sandusky scandal
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The longest and one of the most distinguished coaching careers in college football history ended suddenly with the firing of Joe Paterno by Penn State's Board of Trustees on Wednesday night. Paterno, who offered his resignation in the morning but said he wanted to finish this season, was joined on the unemployment line by university president Graham Spanier.
The move was in response to the arrest on Saturday of Paterno's longtime former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the release of a grand jury report alleging he sexually abused at least eight young boys. Although neither Paterno nor Spanier has been charged with any criminal wrongdoing,
Speaking for the board, vice-chairman John Surma said, "The past several days have been terrible, but the outrage we feel is nothing compared to the physical and psychological abuse that allegedly took place."
Paterno received an eyewitness report of one alleged sexual assault in 2002 and just passed it up the chain of command. No one at Penn State pursued a criminal prosecution of Sandusky for that incident.
Surma was pressed repeatedly for an explanation of why Paterno, who is tied with Amos Alonzo Stagg for most games ever coached at 448, was not given a chance to coach the final home game against Nebraska on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Instead, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was appointed to replace Paterno on an
interim basis.
"With the difficulties engulfing this university—and they are grave as you all have documented," Surma said, "it was necessary to make a change now."
Speaking at his house to students, Paterno said, "Right now, I'm not the football coach, and that's something I have to get used to"
Perhaps fearing the worst, the 84-year-old Paterno, who has a record 409 wins, attempted to make an end run around the board of trustees in the hope of going out with a shred of dignity. In his statement, which was released through a Washington-area public relations firm as opposed to being approved by Penn State, Paterno expressed regret that he didn't do more to prevent Sandusky's alleged crimes.
MATT ROURKF/AP PHOTO
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno arrives home yesterday in State College, Pa. Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were fired yesterday evening, brought down by their failure to do more about an allegation of child sex abuse against a former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of molesting eight boys over 15 years.
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