Volume 124 Issue 42
kansan.com
Thursday, October 20, 2011
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011
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Wednesday, October 26th Orgone
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Reckless Kelly w/ Sara Pierce
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Mike Doughty &
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Friday, November 18th White Ghost Shivers - CD Release Party! w / Kansas City Bear Fighters / Olassa
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Stephan Kellogg
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Robinson motivated to improve
BASKETBALL
Sophomore forward Thomas Robinson runs off the court after the Kansas defeated Nebraska in their Big 12 home opener on Jan. 15, 2011. Robinson forwent the NBA draft to spend another year at Kansas under the tutelage of assistant coach Danny Manning.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN FILE PHOT
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
The jump in production Thomas Robinson saw from his freshman to sophomore years shouldn't surprise many Kansas fans. Last season, as a sophomore, his rebounds per game doubled (6.4) compared with his freshman season, and his points per game tripped (7.6).
But with the sometimes spectacular plays he made in spot minutes as a freshman — a year he played behind future NBA players Cole Aldrich and the Morris twins — fans expected
great things from Robinson last year.
He delivered, and by season's end his name could be found on almost every NBA mock draft. The only question was where. He said he heard everything
from tomtery pick (first 14 selections) to later in the first round, to even the second round. That uncertainty made him think twice.
"That's not good to not know," Robinson said. "You don't want to go by 'he said, she said' when it's your life on the line."
He thinks he would have been taken fairly high in last year's draft had he entered his name, but the pros outweighed the cons.
While players leaving college a year or two early has been the norm, Robinson said he knew that entering the NBA unprepared wouldn't help
"I would be lying if I said I didn't think about my childhood memory," he said. "You grow up all these years wanting to play in the NBA, but it's different when it's put in front of you."
him in the long run. Another year working with assistant coach Danny Manning would, though. Manning has worked with NBA big men Darrell Arthur, Darnell jackson, Cole Aldrich and the Morris twins since becoming a full-time assistant in 2007.
"I wake up in the morning and I know I have to get better. I have no choice.I have to do this for my family."
Robinson will soon be added to that list, but another year of work will come first. Now that Robinson is a junior, Manning is showing him more than what he would have a few years ago.
"That was one of my main reasons for coming back to school, was to spend more time with Danny," Robinson said. "He likes to teach as your game is expanding, so there's a lot more stuff he's teaching me now that he wouldn't have taught me as a freshman."
THOMAS ROBINSON junior forward
Leaving for the NBA last season would have been understandable. As most fans know by now, Robinson's mother passed away suddenly last season, leaving him and his 9-year-old sister, Jayla, basically alone. Another season under Manning will help Robinson produce even better numbers, and motivation won't be a problem.
Robinson said taking care of his sister is not a burden to deal with, but just something he knows he has to do.
"I wake up in the morning and I know I have to get better," Robinson said. "I have no choice. I have to do this for my family."
Edited by Jason Bennett
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks, Red Raiders seek Big 12 win
MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
twitter.com/DK_vball
Still looking for its first win in conference play, the Kansas volleyball team will be looking into a mirror this Saturday.
si Family Athletics Center. Both teams have had similar hardships since they wrapped up stellar non-conference seasons.
The Jayhawks (12-8, 0-7) will take on Texas Tech (14-8, 0-7) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Horei-
The Red Raiders were 14-1 in their non-conference games, and the Jayhawks
The Red Raid
Mayfield
were 12-1. However, since conference play began, both teams have won only seven sets in their seven losses. They both took Texas A&M and Oklahoma to the five-set limit before ultimately falling apart in the fifth.
Senior outside hitter Allison Mayfield expects a heated contest with both teams desperate to position themselves out of the conference cellar.
"In the past, they haven't been the team to beat, and we've been kind of in the middle of the pack," Mayfield said. "They're going to come after us and know we're struggling."
Edited by Josh Kantor
WHAT PETER COULD SURPRISE FANS THIS SEASON?
I'll go with forward Kevin Young, the transfer from Loyola Marymount. Coach Bill Self said Young has a chance to be a starter, and he will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season. With forward Jamari Traylor ineligible, Young looks to be the third scholarship forward on the roster, garnering him plenty of playing time. Thomas Robinson will be consistent, somewhere around 12 points and eight rebounds a game. The rest of the production down low will have to come from Jeff Withey and Young. At Loyola in 2009, Young broke freshmen records in total rebounds (224) and rebounds per game (7.2). He's also played for the Puerto Rican under-19 team, so the experience is there.
Edited by Jonathan Shorman
Coach Bonnie Henrickson watches on as the one-on-one interviews progress at the 2011 Big 12 media day at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. This is Henrickson's eighth season as coach. The Jayhawks look to improve on their 21-13 record of last year.
the moves were based on football, women's basketball was also affected by the changes.
KIM MULKEY
Baylor coach
Coaches such as Oklahoma's Sherri Coale stressed the strength of the conference that sent seven of its 12
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
"When you play in a league that has the strength that the women's basketball conference or the Big 12 Conference and women's basketball has, you don't want to see that broken up for any reason," Coale said. "And that's not good
The Jayhawks feature seven players from Texas and one from Oklahoma. Henrickson said the addition.
teams to the NCAA tournament last season.
petitive standpoint, it is even more challenging because of the strength that the southern part of the league has and how talented those teams are." Hendrickson said.
As the conference continues to change, the rivalries that have lasted through the existence of the conference will also be affected.
When asked about whether she
southern games would be more motivating for those athletes and would be a good opportunity for recruiting.
would continue to schedule Missouri if the school left the conference, she caused and winked.
"Our rivalry belongs in the Big 12," Henrickson said.
Tensions were highest regarding the decision of Texas A&M to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The Aggies are the defending national champions and are predicted to
4
"If a man wants to divorce me and says our relationship has no
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey compared the abandoned rivalry with Texas A&M to an ended marriage and admitted that she did not want to continue the competition beyond the conference.
finish second in the conference despite the loss of two starters.
value to him, and then he asks to sleep with me, the answer is: no," Mulkey said. "We are not going to play them anymore, because they decided that playing us was not important to them."
Edited by Sarah McCabe