Sports
A trade has reunited former Kansas basketball players Raef LaFrentz, left, and Paul Pierce. PAGE 9A
The University Daily Kansan
12A
snorts commentary
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Joey Berlin
jberlin@kansan.com
Freshman 'X-factor' may prove invaluable
Jeremy Case answered the question politely at Kansas Media Day, as though it wasn't an indictment of his readiness for Division I college basketball: Had he given any thought to taking a redshirt?
"Definitely going to play, in my mind right now," he said. "Haven't talked about redshifting at all."
Case is the least-heralded scholarship player in Kansas' talented freshman class. He could amount to little on the basketball court — or he could amount to a lot. That's what makes him the most interesting story among the freshmen.
interested in your work.
Unlike J.R. Giddens, David Padgett and Omar Wilkes, Case didn't make Top 100 lists or earn McDonald's All-American status. He became an afterthought.
Case doesn't look like a D-I player. He's listed at 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, and both of those numbers might be exaggerations. He seems like he would need 40 pounds of muscle to lift a sandbag, let alone play college basketball.
On a team as deep as Kansas, which has 16 players on its roster and 12 on scholarship, Case seems like a terrific redshirt candidate. Coach Bill Self said his ideal nine-man rotation with five guards, With Aaron Miles, Keith Langford, Michael Lee, Giddens and Wilkes, Kansas would have no problem filling its guard quota if Case sat out the year.
Shooting specialists — think Luke Axell — tend to find playing time even if most of their other skills are limited. It's a good idea for Self to have Case's shooting ability at his disposal.
"Mid-major" teams include schools such as Butler or Creighton. Analysts apparently don't expect Case to do much at Kansas.
mighty dummy to do this.
Case said he sees himself bringing ball-handling, as well as shooting, to the mix. Recruiting analysts agree, but they don't think much of his overall game. He's nowhere near the edge of any Top 100 list. Case's recruiting bio on The Insiders.com said his work in Amateur Athletic Union games during high school "showed skills commiserate to play on the mid-major level in college."
Giddens, a fellow Oklahomaan who's spent a lot of time watching Case work in AAU games the past several years, sees things differently.
"I think Jeremy Case is a sensational player," Giddens said. "He's such a smart player. I think he's more mature than most people his age.
"I wouldn't look at him as a sleeper. If they're sleeping on him, hey, I hope they are, because I think he's going to put in some damage this season."
Case could turn into the next Lee, who went from a lightly recruited benchwarmer to a key member of a Final Four team. Or he could become the next John Crider, who was curiously given a scholarship based on his alleged shooting ability and residence in Kansas, then made one field goal in his Jayhawk career.
career.
If Case doesn't want to end up where Crider ended up — Washburn — he may need to work like Lee to carve out playing time. Will he be able to do it? It's hard to predict, making Case's development a fascinating process to watch.
Berlin is a Leawood senior in journalism
Giddens, Padgett and Wilkes will likely have much more to do with the Jayhawks' success this year. Case is the team's biggest X-factor, an unsung recruit who, if things go right for him, could be the answer to Kansas' weakness from beyond the arc.
Halftime talk inspires victory
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The scene in the Jayhawks' locker room at halftime of their victory over the Bears last weekend resembled that of your typical, overblown Hollywood football movie.
In the first half, it looked like Kansas was missing something. The offense was able to put up 219 total yards and score twice, but the Jayhawks just couldn't pull away from the pesky Bears. The score at the half was tied. 14-14.
The defense had played one of its more consistent halves of the season but needed a little push to get over the top, said sophomore linebacker Nick Reid.
"There was a lot of yelling going on," Reid said. "It was intense and I think that's what we needed."
The heated atmosphere inspired the Jayhawks to win their fifth victory of the season.
The defense showed that it could shut down a potent offense, and the offense showed that even when the running game struggled for most of the game, it could put up enough points to get the job done.
Sophomore wide receiver Mark Simmons, whose six catches for 89 yards have him on pace to be the school's first 1,000 yard receiver since 1985, cited the halftime attitude adjustment as the key to victory.
"Everyone was enthusiastic that we
didn't play a good enough first half and we were still tied. "Simmons said."
See what the Kansan thinks on page 4A.
The victory, coupled with Missouri's blowout loss at Oklahoma, keeps the Jayhawks tied with Nebraska atop the Big 12 Conference North division standings. Maybe more importantly, it put them right in the thick of recently unfamiliar territory for the Kansas football program; bowl contention.
With five games remaining, Kansas needs one victory to become eligible for its first bowl appearance since the 1995 Aloha Bowl. Six victories will not necessarily guarantee the Jayhawks a spot in postseason play. The Big 12 Conference has eight guaranteed spots in bowl games and if nine or more teams qualify, Kansas could be left out in favor of teams with more impressive victories.
with more experience Coach Mark Mangino is doing his best to make sure his team does not get ahead of itself.
"That possibility exists," Mangino said. "If we just take care of our business, it's kind of a side benefit of being focused and playing well the rest of the year. I'm sure they're thinking about it, but we won't let them think about it very long. When we earn that right, we'll be really excited."
sean Smith/Kansan
Mark Simmons, Kansas sophomore wide receiver, ran for a touchdown in Saturday's homecoming game against Baylor. Simmons led the Jayhawks in rushing yards with 89. The Jayhawks won 28-21.
- Edited by Abby Sidesinger
Hoop dreamers try out
Kara Hansen/Kansan
Tim Jankovich, assistant coach for the men's basketball team, gave instructions for a drill, while graduate assistant coach Brett Ballard, right, listened. Participants had to have a current physical to play in the tryouts.
19 KU students showcase skills
By Sean O'Grady
sogrady@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
If there was a reality-TV show on in lavhawk country, this would be it.
Like American Idol, 19 KU students came to Allen Fieldhouse to showcase their talents for a panel of judges for a shot to live out their hoop dreams as a member of the Kansas Jayhawk basketball team.
"This'll be a tougher year than normal because we already have 16 guys on the squad," said assistant coach Tim lankovich.
But winning this talent contest won't be easy.
Ben Miller, director of basketball operations, said that there was no clear cut type of player the coaching staff was looking for in the tryouts.
Kara Hansen/Kansan
"I think we're going into it with an open mind," Miller said. "We want to give KU students a fair chance to come and show us what they're capable of."
Ian Bales, Pewauke, Wis., sophomore, reached for the ball from Nicholas Schneider, Hays, sophomore. Yesterday's tryout was held in Allen Fieldhouse.
Brenton Cheeks was one of the 19 potential walk-ons looking to continue his basketball career at Kansas.
The Phoenix freshman had been
recruited by Division II schools and junior colleges, but came to Kansas because he wanted to give playing at a big school a chance.
"I really ain't got nothing to lose," he said. "I just got to come out here and give it everything I got. If I make it, I make it. If
Jordon Ringel and Brett Nixon have been preparing for this tryout for months. Ringel said he has lifted, ran, and played pick-up games every day.
I don't, I don't.'
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 8A
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact II Hensley and Shane Mettlen at SPORTS@KANSAN.COM
Schools shuffling amongst conferences
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sports writer
Lew Perkins is learning the ropes of the Big 12 Conference but is still keeping an eye on the Big East Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Kansas athletics director has ties to each conference with stints as athletics director at the University of Maryland in the ACC and the University of Connecticut in the Big East. Both schools stand poised for change in their
Perkins
for change in these conferences as Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College have all agreed to leave the Big East and join the ACC. Virginia Tech and Miami will join for the 2004-2005 season and Boston College might wait until the 2005-2006 season. The move will give the ACC 12 members and will strip the Big East of three of its strongest football members.
The ACC has taken some heat from other members of the Big East who think the ACC has overstepped its boundaries to court schools to leave the Big East.
"I personally think anybody has the right to talk to anybody." Perkins said. "As long as you do it the right way and at the end of the day, it has to be done openly and fairly."
The ACC's biggest reason for expansion was based on the increased revenue three new members would bring to the conference. With 12 members, the ACC would be eligible under NCAA rules to stage a football championship game at the end of the season, such as the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference do.
John T. Casteen, president of the University of Virginia, said there was no set number for the membership of the ACC.
"I doubt that it's news, but I think people know that a lot of us believe that conferences could be somewhat larger yet," Casteen said. "And that one should not simply say that there is a perfect number whether it's 11 or nine or 12 or whatever it might be."
By adding Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College to the mix, the ACC will
SEE CONFERENCE ON PAGE 8A
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