NSAN
2008
SPORTS
ANALYZING BOTH TEAMS' LINEUPS
KICK THE KANSAN:
PICK THE WINNERS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
What will happen on the court tonight after Kansas lost so many familiar faces? GAME DAY |3B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Get your name in The University Daily Kansan if you can call the games. FOOTBALL | 2B
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008
SEASON TIPOFF
Back to the Fieldhouse
Cole Aldrich (left) and Sherron Collins (right) will lead Kansas against Washburn tonight at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. Aldrich and Collins are Kansas 'two leading returns' for last year's championship sound.
KANSAN FILE PHOTOS
Self fills starting lineup with veterans for Kansas' first exhibition
PAGE 1B
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Bill Self can be a creative coach.
He isn't afraid to tell his team to play faster if the situation calls for it. He'll play with a smaller lineup if his team is struggling. And when he's facing the problem of deciding who to start in an exhibition game, he solves it in an unconventional fashion.
"We've got two starters right now," Self said Friday. "They tell me you've got to actually start five."
At the end of last week, Self realized junior guard Sherron Collins and sophomore center Cole Aldrich were the only players who deserved to start in tonight's game against Washburn.
Instead of toying with the traditional number of players on the court to start a game, Self decided to reward his veterans. On his "Hawk talk" radio show Monday night, Self announced that senior center Matt Kleinmann and sophomore guards Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar would join Collins and Aldrich as the starters.
Sophomore guard Conner Teahan will come off of the bench to join them early in the game. For Self, its a strategy that makes sense. The move will deflect attention away from the starting lineup. Self didn't think the scrutiny was necessary in the first place.
"To me, that's not really important," self said. "That hasn't been our goal at all to determine who the starters will be for
the exhibition games. Were just trying to get better and look at different combinations."
Now, Self will be able to analyze those combinations with the regular season in mind. What does his decision to start the veterans mean beyond a reward? Not much.
Stash it away and mark it as inconclusive evidence. Self has offered other hints, however, about the content of his starting lineup for the regular season.
The situation isn't quite as murky in the frontcourt as it is in the backcourt. Kansas has four big men on scholarship — Aldrich, the Morris twins and freshman Quintrell Thomas — who will likely rotate in and out of the game.
"We'll probably end up starting three newcomers and two of them will be freshmen." Self said at Big 12 Media Day in Oklahoma City. "Maybe three."
The logjam occurs with the guard rotation. The Jayhawks have seven guards on scholarship — Collins, Taylor, Reed, Little, Morningstar, Releford and junior Tyrone Appleton — and Self insists sophomore walk-on Conner Teahan is in the mix for playing time as well.
But Self isn't going to play eight different guards during the regular season. He said five players would contribute most of the minutes. A sixth might get in for a couple minutes every game.
"You can make a strong case that there are four guys fighting for two spots for playing time," Self said at Big 12 Media
Day. "I do think the competition is very good. They don't want to have bad days — that's for sure."
Of course, Self did not specify which four players he had in mind. Collins said the competition for rotation spots had made practices intense.
Collins said he would try to keep guys who aren't playing as much from getting frustrated. Morningstar doesn't think that
will happen anywav.
"I think a lot of these guys know if they come in and work hard, the rest will all do itself." Morningstar said. "Regardless if you're playing or not, it's still a team."
And it's still a team with a lot of uncertainty surrounding who will play beyond tonight's game against Washburn.
Edited by Mary Sorrick
SOCCER
Coach suspects an All-American in his ranks again Sophomore defender Lauren Jackson has quickly climbed the ladder since last year
BY ANDREW WIEBE
awiebe@kansan.com
Coach Mark Francis had a hunch
He saw how explosive sophomore defender Lauren Jackson's speed was, even with limited playing time as a freshman. With an offseason of strength and conditioning training under her belt, Francis undersed if Jackson's 40 yard dash time
could stack up against forrner Kansas All Americans, such as Caroline Smith and Holly Gault.
"I remember looking at it in preseason because I was just curious to see it compared to the other guys of previous years," Francis said. "Her 40 time was the fastest of
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
One year after playing in 13 games as a freshman, including five starts, Jackson still isn't comfortable talking about her game-changing speed or her rapid growth as a player, but the statistics say what she won't.
Sophomore defender Lauren Jackson charges up alongside dexas A&M's Rachel Shipley during a game in October. Coach Mark Francis said Jackson could be an All-American before she leaves the University in two years.
Jackson is third on the team with 1,508 minutes played with 18 starts in 18 games played. She has locked down the start-
are going to catch her."
Jackson said she didn't remember what time she ran (it's 4.86 seconds), and she insisted she wasn't sure whether she was even the fastest player on the team.
But her teammates know the truth. They see jackson blow by people every day in practice.
"She just doesn't know how good she is. I think it's kind of growing on her with maturity."
anyone who has ever played here."
"I think the first few steps Kim (Boyer) can keep up with her," junior defender Estelle Johnson said. "But after she gets going five or six steps, there is no way you
ESTELLE JOHNSON Junior defender
ing right back spot in Francis' backline and also added a goal and two assists to quadruple her point total from last season.
"First and foremost, she is improving as a defender," Francis said. "I don't think there is going to be anybody that matches up with her that is going to beat her because of their speed."
Andalthough there have been the occasional reminders that Jackson is still learning her trade, Francis said she continued to improve tactically and technically as she
Jackson has also begun using her speed to turn her defense into instant offense
becomes more comfortable with her role. It doesn't hurt that her speed allowed her to take chances the average player couldn't get away with.
After attempting zero shots in 67 minutes on the field as a freshman, Jackson pulled the trigger nine times this season, contributing her first career goal against Missouri State and creating opportunities through her passing.
on the counter attack, giving Kansas an additional attacking option down the right flank. It's a dimension her game lacked last season as the coaching staff struggled to instill an attacking mentality in the young defender.
Jackson said that she had become comfortable carrying the ball into the attacking third but that she hadn't quite mastered bypass teammates for her own shot when the opportunity presented itself.
"I just feel like once I get to certain part of the field, I can't go any further, and I have to go back to my position," she said, laughing as she attempted to explain why
she always seemed to look for the pass first regardless of the situation.
Francis said much of Jackson's improvement came from a more mature attitude toward individual fitness and game preparation. Considering that she has two more years to improve and develop, Francis said Jackson could add to Kansas' list of All-Americans before she left Lawrence.
COMMENTARY
The final ingredient seems to be gaining the same confidence in her own abilities that her teammates and coaches already have.
Edited by Lauren Keith
"She just doesn't know how good she is," Johnson said. "I think it's kind of growing on her with maturity. She doesn't give herself enough credit for how good a defender and how big a part of the team she is."
Students should go check out KU vs. CU volleyball
The building fills to the brim with dedicated fans every game, excited to see another action-packed
match. They come to watch diving bodies hit the ground and fluid ball movements from player to player that result in perfect execution.
You might think I'm talking about Kansas football pulling a complete 180 against Kansas State on Saturday, women's basketball cruising by Fort Hays State on Sunday, or men's basketball starting tonight.
You would be wrong. I'm talking about volleyball.
The atmosphere that engulfs the Horejsi Family Athletics Center when the jayhawks hit the court is easily worth a few hours of any sports fan's time. Plus, it's free with a KUID.
Before this turns into a written promo,
I just want to say that I am in no way
affiliated with KU volleyball. I don't work
for the Athletics Department. No coach
suggested that I "get the word out" and
the only volleyball achievement I have
to my name is a high school intramural
championship.
I simply feel the need to inform others as a person who recently gave volleyball a chance. I can promise that you won't be disappointed if you wander down to the often-overlooked building next to Allen Fieldhouse Wednesday night for Kansas' showdown with Colorado.
The game is sure to be a thriller as the Jayhawks look for revenge after falling in a heated five-set match against the Buffaloes in Boulder earlier this season. It's also significant because both squads are vying for a better conference standing.
Similar to football, the Big 12 is one of the most competitive volleyball conferences in the country this season. The top five or six teams in the conference typically find their way into the NCAA tournament. Although Kansas is 10th in the Big 12, they are only 2.5 games behind the No. 5 Buffaloes. With seven games left to play, Kansas has enough time to work its way into the mix.
The Jayhawks certainly won't make life any easier on Colorado. The Horeisi Center is one of the best venues to watch college volleyball. Out of the 329 D-1 volleyball schools, Kansas ranks 37th in attendance averaging 923 games per game, according to the KU Athletics Web site
Now, if two teams vying for NCAA tournament bids in your backyard at a terrific venue isn't enough, one mustn't look further than the players themselves.
Few players in the country can rival the excitement that Kansas sophomore Karina Garlington provides on a nightly basis. Garlingen, a deadly adversary at the net, ranks fifth in the conference in both kills per set and points per set. If the ball from freshman Nicole Tate is on mark — and it usually is — Colorado will be eating leather once Garlington connects.
Then there's veteran Natalie Uhart. The redshirt senior out of Lansing is the Jayhawks' iron gate at the net. Watching Uhart shut down a thunderous spike is as entertaining as watching Cole Aldrich stuff an opponent next door.
However, the real fun starts when the ball makes it past the front line and into the backcourt. Players hit the ground diving after lightning fast spikes. Miraculous saves keep the ball in play just inches over the ground as fans "Ooh" and "Aah" trying to maintain balance at the edge of their seats. It's not unusual to see balls flying through the rafters as players never let a play go dead until the whistle blows. With
SEE DUFEK ON PAGE 6B