SPORTS THE MORNING BREW BOWL FORECAST JUST GOT HAIRIER Maybe the linebackers should bust out their'Decembeards' for good luck again. MORNING BREW |2B
CLEMENTS TAKES JOB AT K-STATE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM
Defensive line coach to return to his alma mater as defensive ends coach. FOOTBALL | 5B
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008 PAGE 1B
KANSAS 93, SAN JOSE STATE 49
Jayhawks stomp Spartans, stay undefeated
Ten of 11 Jayhawks scored in the matchup; four scored more than 10, bench players added 40 points in rout of San Jose State
BY DANNY NORDSTROM
dnordstrom@kansan.com
Forty points can play a pretty big role in a basketball game. When those 40 points come from a team's bench, it's fair to make the assumption that everyone on the team played well.
Last night at Allen Fieldhouse, everyone did play well for the Jayhawks. Ten of 11 players scored for Kansas (5-0), with almost half of their points coming from the bench as the Jayhawks defeated the San Jose Spartans (1-5), 93-49, in impressive fashion.
"On the court and off the court we all know how to talk to each other."
as well, scoring nine points in the first half. She scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds on the night.
Once again, junior guard Danielle McCray led the Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points and five rebounds. McCray went 7-10 from the field and was flawless from the free-throw line, making all four fouls
DANIELLE MCCRAY Junior guard
Kansas came out firing on all cylinders allowing San Jose State just four points in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Jayhawks immediately went on a 10-2 scoring run to establish an early lead, which they maintained throughout the game. San Jose State never came within 10 points after the first 12 minutes of the game.
Aiding the Jayhawks' offensive attack was junior guard Kelly Kohn. After coming off the bench midway through the first half, Kohn dropped five quick points to give the Jayhawks an early burst of momentum. She scored 15 total points, making five of seven shots and going 4-for-5 from the three-point line.
"Her form has changed," she said. "It's a lot better than it was. She's been in good rhythm and her timing has been good."
Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson credited long hours in the gym spent working on Kohn's shooting techniques as the primary reason for her stellar performance.
Also solid for Kansas was junior guard Sade Morris, who got off to a quality start
"I've never spent so much time in the gym before, and that's just something my coaches have continuously pushed me to do," Kohn said. "I've gotten so much one-on-one coaching from them with my shot."
shots.
Solid play throughout the game allowed multiple players to get involved for Kansas. The offensive effort by the Jayhawks' bench was impressive, with all six players scoring at least two points.
"It's always a good thing when you have
different players step up when they're (the opposing team) shutting you down," McCray said. "That's what great teams do. If someone's not on, then someone else steps up"
Kansas' bench players scored 40 points, highlighted by Kohn's 15-point performance. Junior forward Rebecca Feickert also scored eight points in 11 minutes of play, while senior guard Katie Smith dropped four points with a crowd-pleasing three-point basket.
The Jayhawks travel to Wisconsin this Sunday, Dec. 7 to play the Marquette Golden Eagles (6-2). McCray hopes the Jayhawks can continue to play as a team and put up numbers like they did against San Jose State.
"On the court and off the court we all know how to talk to each other," she said. "I think we all know our goals and know what we want, and we all want the same things. It's just a matter of time before we put it all together."
Edited by Rachel Burchfield
Weston White/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Nicoleli Smith drives the lane for a layup late in the first quarter against San Jose State. Smith had seven rebounds and one block in Kansas' 93-49 win Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Morris twins compete for respect,stats on the court
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Marcus and Markieff Morris arrived at Kansas without a strong sibling rivalry.
They were more like allies than enemies. Teammates said the freshman twins would shy away from going against each other in practice or playing one-on-one.
That's starting to change. While the two are still inseparable and look out for each other, they've become more competitive. Junior guard Sherron Collins cited an instance at practice two weeks ago that illustrated the shift.
"Marcus tried dunking on his brother,
junior guard Sherron Collins said. "That
was a first. That just shows that they're getting more aggressive."
Marcus vowed to get Markieff back next time. Markieff told Marcus he didn't think so.
Not only did it surprise Collins that Marcus went after his brother, but so did what happened next. Markieff stood strong and rejected the slam.
Marcus has started at power forward in the Jayhawks' last five games. Markieff is always the first player off the bench, usually replacing Marcus. They should play the same roles Saturday when Kansas tips off against Jackson State at 1 p.m.
"Kieff blocks my shot a lot," Marcus said. "I think he's one of the best shot blockers we have because he's got great timing."
Marcus has grabbed more than Markieff in four of the seven games. Markieff, however, set the record for most boards in a debut by a Jayhawk with 16. Marcus has out-rebounded Markieff 47-40 on the season.
"At the end of each game, coach just tells us how many we had." Markieff said. "We just want to see who will lead the team in rebounds as a freshman."
those categories Marcus and Markieff, however, are competing to see who can have the most rebounds in each game.
The twins were scorers in high school. Marcus averaged 21.5 points and Markieff averaged 16. Last year at Apex Academy prep school in New Jersey, Markieff averaged 27 and Marcus had 25.
Judging by the stat sheet, Marcus holds slight bragging rights over Markieff so far this season. Marcus is averaging 20 minutes and seven points per game as opposed to Markieff's 17 minutes and six points.
"Kieff blocks my shot a lot. I think he's one of the best shot blockers we have because he's got great timing."
MARCUS MORRIS Freshman guard
But the twins aren't concerned with
But Kansas coach Bill Self doesn't need them to be scorers this year. He wants them to be physical under the basket and fight for loose balls. To Marcus and Markieff, their rebounds competition is a way of embracing the role.
"That's what we
need to do", Markieff said. "We're playing through our leaders right now — Sherron and Cole — so they don't need us to score as much. We need to do all the dirty work needed for the team."
Collins said Marcus and Markieff were always competitive in areas other than basketball. When they play against each other in video games like NCAA Basketball '09, it can get heated.
The contest on the court is new. And Markieff has a feeling he knows who is going to win the rebounding battle.
"It's going to be me," Markieff said. "For sure."
Edited by Kelsey Hayes
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Freshman forward Quintrell Thomas and freshman center Markeiff Morris work to keep New Mexico State's Troy Gillenwater from dropping in two in the lane.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Mario Little cleared to practice
Mario Little will begin practicing with the Jayhawks today after missing the team's first seven games and more than a month of practice.
Little, a junior guard, transferred to Kansas from Chipola Community College in Marianna, Fla. But he brought along an unwelcome companion, a stress fracture in his lower left leg.
Little worked out and played in pick-up games with his teammates over the summer and appeared in all three of Kansas' exhibition games in Canada over Labor Day weekend before trainers instructed Little to sit out. Missing so much time didn't feel natural to Little.
"I'm looking forward to getting back out there and working with the team," Little said in a statement. "I'm not used to watching games from the sidelines in street clothes."
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Kansas coach Bill Self said he would ease Little into drills at practice. Little isn't in game shape after being on crutches for most of the last month and Kansas wants to be careful not to aggravate the injury again.
The best case scenario would be for Little to play in a game in two weeks — conceivably the Dec. 20 matchup against Temple at Allen Fieldhouse.
"Really, he's not done much since Canada." Self said in a statement. "We'll start slow and gradually build up."
X
SEE MEN'S BASKETBALL ON PAGE 3B