Sports
The tennis team played in the Missouri Invitational last weekend, where senior Emily Haylock and freshman Brittany Brown played into the later rounds. PAGE 8A
The University Daily Kansan
12A
sports commentary
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Joey Berlin jberlin@kansan.com
Award field should be narrowed
Here's a trivia question for Kansas basketball fans: Which of these three players was not an official national player of the year candidate during his senior year — Raef LaFrentz, Nick Collison or Ryan Robertson?
Robertson?
The answer: It's a trick question — they all were.
I'm crazy, right? Robertson was never a player of the year candidate? Oh, yes he was. Before the 1998-99 season, he was named a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award Trophy, given annually to the "Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year."
Why in the world was Robertson, who never scored even 13 points per game in any season of his college career, considered a candidate for college basketball's top player?
top player?
Because, for some reason, the Wooden Award committee feels it has to name 50—fifty—preseason candidates for its annual All-American team.
By "narrowing" the field of candidates to 50, the Wooden committee, which is composed of 15 national sportswriters and broadcasters, makes a mockery of the award. Nominating 50 players means selecting people who have no chance of earning All-American or player of the year honors — like Robertson, or Oklahoma's Ebi Ere, one of last year's nominees.
The preseason list also doesn't include freshmen or transfer players. Does that mean outstanding freshmen, transfer players or anyone else left off the Top 50 is disqualified from the start?
No, any player throughout the year is eligible for the Wooden Award and All-American team," said Michael C. Solum, director of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, which distributes the Wooden honors. Solum said players not on the original Top 50 list would be eligible for inclusion in the committee's updated midseason list in January, which whittles the field to 30 players. And even if they're not on that list, they're still eligible to win the Wooden.
"Every player in the country does have equal opportunity," Solum said. "The preseason list is similar to other preseason All-American teams and serves as a tool for our voters, universities and the Wooden Award offices."
Wooden offers
Well OK, but other preseason All-American teams don't have 50 people on them. And this year's preseason Top 50 has a few Robertson-esque nominees.
Duke point guard Chris Duhon, who spent last season missing three-pointers and playing lackduster defense, makes the list apparently because he's been overhyped and plays for a national power.
Oklahoma forward Kevin Bookout, who had a solid but disappointing freshman year, also makes the list. Bookout is still young, but he has little chance of being an All-American this year — and zero chance of being the country's best player.
country's best play Everyone on the Wooden committee's list is a solid player, but the majority of the nominees don't even belong in a player of the year discussion.
given discussion.
At the end of the year, the Wooden Award goes to a deserving player, or at least someone who has a case. But it's hard to take an award seriously that's given by a committee that officially believes players like Duhon and Robertson could be the nation's best.
Berlin is a Leawood senior in journalism.
Volleyball starts Big 12 play
Jayhawks take on the Wildcats tonight look for rare victory in Manhattan
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
After two weekend losses at the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic, the Kansas volleyball team turns its attention to a Big 12 opener against rival Kansas State.
State. The Jayhawks will play tonight at 7 p.m.at the Ahearn Field House in Manhattan against a Wildcat team that is ranked 10th in the country.
"They are a very consistent team, a stable team, and make very few errors," coach Ray Bechard said.
The Wildcats swept the series 2-0 last year, but Bechard said that last weekend's tough losses that went five games each may help the team against K-State. Middle blocker Josi Lima, Sao Paulo, Brazil, sophomore, agreed.
agreed. "In the Big 12, we are going to have five game matches," she said. "It's going to be a good experience."
to be a good experience. If the Jayhawks were successful in Manhattan, then it would be something new. The Wildcats have won nine straight home games against the Jayhawks and 16 straight overall. Bechard said the team was confident heading to Manhattan.
"They've had some success on the road, and played some good competition on the road," he said. "I think that will help prepare us."
Abbie Jacobson, St. Marys senior, grew up 15 minutes from Manhattan, and is 0-6 against K-State since joining the Jayhawks.
ing the Jayhawks. She said growing up, her family cheered for K-State. A victory against the Wildcats would be especially
"They probably think we're going to be the underdog, but we'd rather have it that way."
Abbie Jacobson
Kansas senior outside hitter
sweet for the outside hitter.
"They probably think we're going to be the underdog, but we'd rather have it that way," she said. Jacobson said the team would rather be the hunter than the hunted.
The Wildcats have won 10 straight after starting the season 0-2. Outside hitter Lindsey Morris, Overland Park junior, said ending their winning streak would be big, but she had another reason to want to beat the Wildcats.
liked K-State. "It would be huge, I've always wanted to beat K-State," she said. "We always seem to go in there, and we never seem to be able to play our best when we're playing against them."
wildcats. She grew up cheering for the University of Kansas, and said she never liked K-State.
ing against them. Morris said this trip to Manhattan should be different.
That could depend on freshman Jana Correa, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The outside hitter had a career-high 27 kills in a loss to North Carolina.
Her kills quiet the crowd and pump up the layhawks.
the jayhawks Jacobson said she feels this is the best team she has gone into Manhattan with, and the team is confident they can win.
Lindsey Gold/Kansan
Senior outside hitter Sarah Rome attempted a bump during yesterday's women's volleyball practice at the Horeisi Family Athletics Center. The Jayhawks play the Wildcats of Kansas State at 7 tonight in a one-match series in Manhattan.
—Edited by Scott Christie
Kansas' pass attack improves
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Traditionally, Kansas football has very little in common with programs such as Florida, Oregon and USC. This season, a resemblance is beginning to peek through. That similarity is a passing game near the top of the NCAA standings.
After throwing for 269 yards and four
touchdowns Saturday against Wyoming, senior quarterback Bill Whittemore has the second-highest passing efficiency among Division I-A quarterbacks. Behind only Pittsburgh's Rod Rutherford, Whittemore is on pace to leave his mark in nearly every University of Kansas single-season passing category in the record books.
Though Whittemore gets the majority of the credit for the offensive success on
Mark Simmons breaks away from the Wyoming defense Saturday afternoon on a 70 yard touchdown completion from Bill Whittemore. Simmons is largely responsible for KU's number one rank in total offense in the Big 12.
the field, his supporting cast brings firepower that Jayhawk fans have not seen in a long time.
a long time.
Through three games, the Jayhawks rank atop the Big 12 Conference in total offense, averaging 27.3 points and 452.6 yards per game. These numbers are a significant improvement from the 18 points and 256 total yards that the Jayhawks averaged in last season's first three games. Coach Mark Mangino believes one of the biggest differences from 2002 is a focus on concentration by Whitmore's targets.
more's targets.
"I thought we left too many balls on the ground last season," Mangino said. "It's like any other fundamental. You can learn to catch the ball. I'm a firm believer of that."
catch the ball. If it misses, the method Mangino has used to cut down on dropped passes is unorthodox, but it has paid dividends to this point. The process involves anyone who is a pass receiver - wideouts, tight ends, and running backs - catching tennis balls fired at them.
The receiver in Whittemore's corps who has made the most noise this season is sophomore Mark Simmons. So far this year, Simmons has eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns. The 254 yards eclipses his 2002 total of just 208 in a freshman campaign that Mangino said was not an easy one.
"He played last year for us as a true freshman and probably wasn't ready." Mangino said. "He went to the school of hard knocks and learned the tough way, and now he's benefitting from that experience."
Simmons' partner in crime, junior receiver Brandon Rideau, attributed the tennis-ball drills to help him concentrate and become the team's top possession receiver. "Growing up, we used to always play baseball and we didn't have gloves and stuff like that, so we'd used tennis balls," Rideau said. "They help our hands
get quicker and teach good coordination."
With talent around Whittemore that includes sophomore tailback Clark Green, who is on pace for a 1,000 yard rushing season, Simmons and Rideau as sure-handed veteran receivers, and rising stars such as freshman receivers Moderick Johnson and Charles Gordon, Mangino sees a domino effect leading to a bigger future.
a bigger future.
"If he has a good supporting cast, that supporting cast will continue to get better each week," Mangino said. "Bill will just continually get better and be a real workhorse for us."
Kansas Football Notes
The Jayhawk Players of the Week from the 42-35 win over Wyoming were announced Tuesday. On offense, the honors went to Whittemore, who threw for 269 yards, four touchdowns, and completed 12 of 15 pass attempts. The defensive player of the week was sophomore linebacker Gabe Toomey, who led all Jayhawks with 12 tackles, including seven solo stops. On special teams, senior punter Curtis Ansel was commended for his 41.3 yards-per-punt average and 26 passing yards on a successful fake-punt attempt.
Mangino announced that starting outside linebacker, sophomore Banks Floodman, will more than likely play this weekend against Jacksonville State. Floodman was knocked out of action Saturday during the second quarter with an unspecified injury.
Kansas' Big 12 season opener against Missouri on Sept. 27 will be televised on FoxSportsNet. The kickoff time has been set for 11:40 a.m.
—Edited by Scott Christie