Sports
The University Daily Kansan
The Kansas football team will take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Check tomorrow's Daily Kansan for complete pregame coverage.
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sports commentary
Thursday, September 18, 2003
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Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Coaching character important
College football relies more on full coaching staffs than on single coaches. The coaching staffs in the Big 12 Conference set it apart as the premier football conference in America. Every school in 'the Big 12 seems to have a quality staff, from Bob Stoops and the No.1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners to the Baylor Bears led by Guy Morriss. Morriss took a depleted, probation-bound Kentucky squad to a winning season in the tough SEC last year.
Here is a list of the top-five Big 12 staffs.
1) Oklahoma
The Sooners are led by Bob Stoops, quite possibly the best big game coach in the nation. Under Stoops, Oklahoma is 15-2 against ranked opponents, including 11-1 against teams in the top 10. Mike Stoops' defenses have ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense the past three seasons. Oklahoma annually lands a top-10 recruiting class.
Love him or hate him, Bill Snyder is one of the best coaches in the Big 12.
1) Oklahoma
2) Kansas State
Kansas State came from being possibly one of the worst programs in the nation to one of its best. Kansas State had won fewer than 25 percent of its games and had a 30-game winless streak before Snyder arrived. His winning percentage is more than 62 percent. Bob Elliott is a bright mind at defensive coordinator while Del Miller captains one of the nation's most explosive offenses.
Everyone thought this year would be an off year, but Leach's complicated, unorthodox offense is in high gear yet again. Leach is often building his program with rejects of Texas and Texas A&M, but he gets them to win. Tech has been to a bowl in each of Leach's three seasons. If Tech has another successful season, look for people to start raiding their staff, particularly Lyle Setenich, defensive coordinator, and Sonny Dykes, wide receivers coach.
3) Texas Tech
OK, so the Longhorns got smacked this weekend against Arkansas and were overpowered and out-coached. Mack Brown even said in his teleconference yesterday that it was his fault. In the nation though, there is no better recruiting tandem than Brown and recruitment coordinator Hardee McCryar. The Longhorns are a consistent top-10 team. And yes, recruitment is a part of coaching, so that brings this staff up a few notches even though they seem to struggle in big games. The defense, coached by Carl Reese, is annually one of the nation's best.
4) Texas
15) Kenske I bet you thought you were going to see Nebraska, Colorado or Texas A&M in this position, but the Jayhawks have an outstanding coaching staff. Mangino has turned around a team that went 2-10 last season and taken them to a 2-1 record
Y 5) Kansas
2 through three games. The only slip was against Northwestern in a typhoon.
against Northwestern in a typhoon. Mangino and Dave Doeren are solid recruiters. Chris Dawson is a great strength and conditioning coach, while Nick Quantaro and Ed Warner are two reasons why the Jayhawks are second in the Bip 12 in total offense.
reasons why the Jayhawks are second in the Big 12 in total offense.
though three games,
against Northwestern in a typhoon.
Deares are solid.
Junior outside hitter Lindsay Morris and sophomore middle blocker Josi Lima attempted to block an attack by Kansas State last night in Manhattan. The Jayhawks played three tough games against the Wildcats.
Flaherty is a Lanexa senior in journalism
Wildcats serve 'Hawks loss
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Rozum, who has been injured since the start of the season, was not expected to play for another two to three weeks.
Despite an early comeback for injured starting setter Andi Rozum, the Jayhawks fell to rival Kansas State, 3-0, losing 30-20, 30-24 and 30-22.
three weeks.
But the sophomore made a surprise entrance in game two with the Jayhawks trailing 23-20. Coach Ray Bechard said the combination of setter Ashley Bechard having a head cold and Rozum feeling better about her injury led to Rozum being on the court.
court. "Andi's been practicing and working out, and we gave her a little time on the front row," he said. "We'll gradually work them both out and see what happens."
He said the team had trouble with the Wildcat's float serves, which had the Jayhawks chasing serves all over the court and led to eight service aces for the Wildcats.
The Jayhawks led early in game one, 6-2. But after K-State tied the game at 10, the Wildcats used an 11-0 run to beat the Iav Hawks.
"They are a very good team — a very explosive team," she said. "But we have another game and I hope we will get better."
Freshman Jana Corrae had her first action against K-State (11-2, 1-0) and played in her first Big 12 Conference
jaynawks. "They're very physical; they don't error," said coach Bechard. "But I think the thing they did very well was serve the ball."
match. The outside hitter was disappointed with the loss. She said the team didn't play bad but was out-played by K-State.
The explosive play Correa referred to came mostly from K-State senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring and junior outside hitter Valeria Hejjas.
Heijas had 16 kills and Gooher added 13 kills and a.524 hitting percentage.
Kansas was led by middle block ere
Josi Lima and Ashley Michaels. Both had a team high nine kills, while Lima had a .375 hitting percentage. But Kansas could never sustain a big enough lead to hold for a victory.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 12A
Top recruits narrow options
Kansas basketball recruit Alexander "Sasha" Kaun dunked a basketball during a game last season. Kaun was one of two basketball recruits to visit Kansas this month.
Photo courtesy of Florida Today
By Chris Wintering
cvintering@kansan.com
Kansan sportswinter
Shay Wildeboro, editor of www.Jayhawkslant.com, said that Kaun was a smart basketball player who could score from the inside and outside. Jayhawkslant.com is a member of the Rivals network, a national recruiting service network. Rivals.com and its affiliates provide information about recruits and rankings.
Two of the Kansas men's basketball team's top recruits have recently narrowed their list of potential schools, and the Jayhawks are still on both players' lists.
"There is a changing demographic of big men," Wildeboor said. "Kaun is one of these new guys, he can run the floor, play defense and he is deadly from 15 feet and in."
Alexander "Sasha" Kaun, a 6-foot-11-inch center from Melbourne, FL., is rated the fifth-best center recruit in the country and 23rd overall by the Rivals Recruiting Service. Yesterday Kaun dropped Michigan State as a possibility, leaving only Kansas and Duke.
Kaun visited Kansas Sept. 5 and Michigan State last Friday. He is scheduled to visit Duke Sept. 27. Wildeoor said that because Duke had so many young forwards and centers, he thought Kaun could be leaning toward Kansas.
Add in Duke's signing of a power forward this week for the 2005 recruiting class, and there may not be enough balls to go around for the big men in Durham if Kaun is added to the mix.
The other player to make an official visit to Kansas Sept. 5 also trimmed his list of potential schools. A.J. Price, a 6-foot guard from Amityville, N.Y., is rated sixth in the nation at his position and 29th overall by Rivals. He visited Syracuse last Saturday but dropped
one Orangeman from consideration when they signed another point guard. Price is still expected to visit to Connecticut and St. John's, according to Rivals.
Price is an out-
standing shooter who
can hit from the out-
Price
side on a consistent basis, Wildeboor said.
Mike Sullivan, a national recruiting expert for Rivals, wrote in a Rival's network report that many called Price a "silent assassin."
sales.
"It's hard to say a guy who is barely 6 feet tall can dominate, but this guy can. He doesn't back down from anything," Wildeoor said. "He is deadly."
"Price is very quiet off the court but makes plenty of noise on it," Sullivan wrote.
The 6-foot-5-inch shooting guard and small forward from Detroit is rated third in the nation at his position and sixth overall by Rivals. He is the highest-rated recruit coming to Kansas for an official visit. Hariston has visited Ohio State and UCLA and is also being recruited by Cincinnati, Connecticut, Michigan and Michigan State.
The Jayhawks' official recruiting visits continue this weekend when top-recruit Malik Hariston comes to town.
So far, Kansas only has one verbal commitment, which is from Darnell Jackson. The 6-foot-9-inch power forward from Oklahoma City made his verbal commitment July 11. He is rated 52 overall in his class and 13th at his position by Rivals.
Because of NCAA regulations regarding recruiting, no one in the athletic department was allowed to comment on this story.
Edited by Katie Bean