Sports
Mark Francis, women's soccer coach, sizes up the team by pointing out speed and young, returning talent as what to look for in the upcoming season. PAGE 8B
The University Daily Kansan
1B
sports commentary
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Joey Berlin
jberlin@kansan.com
Bill Self has a lot of things to worry about as he prepares for his first season as Kansas men's basketball coach. But one of his most important tasks may also be one of his easiest.
Self savvy at the line; focuses on free throws
be one of his assistants. Self needs to turn the Jayhawks into a competent free throw-shooting team. Mere competence at the line last season would have brought Kansas a national championship.
Nobody sent that memo to last year's Jayhawks, who missed an anew-inspiring 18 of 30 free throws in the 81-78 national championship game loss to Syracuse.
Making 12 of 30 free throws is great if you're 10 years old. There's probably a few 10-year-olds out there who can make 16 out of 30, which is all it would have taken for Kansas to run up a third NCAA championship banner in Allen Fieldhouse.
champions are what they are — "Free throws are what they are — they're free pitches," Self said. "They should be bonus points."
Hearken.
When former coach Roy Williams left for North Carolina, he took an impressive record that included four Final Four appearances. But he may also have taken a knack for coaching teams that can't knock down free throws.
Kansas shot 66 percent or worse from the line four of the last five years, topping 70 percent only once.
Self's teams at his previous stop, Illinois, did considerably better. The Illini shot at least 70 percent from the line during each of Self's three years there, including an impressive 74 percent mark in 2001-02.
Free throw shooting should be easy, but Self knows it's an important fundamental to emphasize.
"Late in the game, missing the front end of a 1-and-1 is the same as a turnover," he said. "Your goal would be to make more free throws than your opponents shoot. That would be a goal of ours each and every year."
So how does Self go about coaching free throws in practice?
free throws in practice.
"I love putting guys under pressure situations," Self said. "I love making them feel totally uncomfortable. I love making them think."
How do you do that?
How do you do that? "There's a lot of things," he said. "The way we do it is, usually in between drills, put everybody on the free throw line. The team has to make 80 percent, or the whole team runs. Anything just to put pressure on them."
But free throws aren't something Self wants to dwell on with limited practice time. He expects his players to work on shooting them on their own.
shooting them on their knees.
"We have to emphasize it," he said, "but the same time, you don't just bury your guys, saying, 'We've gotta do this, we've gotta do that.' No, we've got to work on it through repetition, and we'll have so much confidence that it'll just come easy in the games."
Self wants the Hawks to shoot for a 75 percent mark at the line.
"But in order to do that," he said, "you've got to have big guys who can make free throws, because the big guys are the ones that get fouled the majority of the time."
SEE BERLIN ON PAGE AR
HEAT wave
Golfers brave the hot conditions as season nears
By John Domoney
Kansan staff writer
jdomoney.kansan.com
In a game where triple digits on the thermometer are as unwelcome as triple digits on a scorecard, Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall is not advocating his players skip the course to sip lemonade in the clubhouse.
ade in the clubhouse. "I think overall when it's really hot it it's probably better," Randall said. "You don't have to wear as many clothes and there's no problem getting loose. The guys are like rubber bands right now."
The men's golf team has not started actual team practices, but team members are still forced to cope with the scorching sun over Lawrence. The players are shooting practice rounds on their own, and golfer Kevin Ward, Leawood junior, said the work done off the golf course best prepared a golfer for rounds in extreme heat.
in extreme circumstances.
"One of the biggest things is staying in shape," Ward said. "The conditioning you do during the summer helps, and if you don't condition you'll play worse as the round goes on."
the round goes on. Once on the course there are several things a golfer can do for relief from the heat. Randall said eating well before a round could help, but drinking plenty of fluids was something every golfer must practice.
"I try to always stress to my guys that
you shouldn't wait to get thirsty because it will be too late." Randall said. "At Alvamar we're lucky because there's water coolers on almost every tee."
While the KU golf team practiced in 100-plus-degree weather at the Alvamar Golf and Country Club. Drew Walters, grounds crew worker, watered the putting green.
water Besides drinking plenty of fluids, Randall also recommends certain equipment, including sunglasses.
equipment, including lighting "You need to wear light clothing and wear some sort of a hat." Randall said. Guys who I played with on the tour have had problems with skin cancer."
A golfer's skin is not the only victim of the hot sun in a dry sky. Alvamar Golf Course, 1800 Crossgate Drive, the home of the Kansas men's and women's golf teams, is feeling the effects of the weather all over the course.
weather an over the course "We're doing all right," said Dick Stuntz, certified head superintendent of Alvamar's public and private golf courses. "When you have hot and dry weather it's easier to manage your greens because hot and wet or humid weather can cause trouble for the greens."
can cause trouble if 36 holes on the public and private courses were holding up well with the help of nearly one million gallons of water applied to the course each day, compared to half that much in the month of June.
"The green is the most technical area," Stuntz said, referring to irrigation of the course. "The fairway can stand over-watering but the greens can't stand an over-application of water."
Although issues exist with the greens
and fairways concerning proper irrigation, the real changes are occurring in the rough.
Randall even went so far as to say that it would not be uncommon for golfers to aim for the edge of the rough to gain some extra yardage off the tee.
some extra laughs. "The roughs are like concrete," Randall said. "You might try to hit the rough and take a few bounces back into the fairway."
Ward agreed with Randall, but said he cautioned against trying to aim for the edge of the rough for a long bounce.
edge of the rough for a long time. "The guys who hit it in the rough hit the ball a lot further," Ward said. "But it's sort of bad because the tournaments we'll play will have tall rough so it won't help to hit it in there."
Edited by Scott Christie
Kansas football team fired up, but not overheated
By Ryan Greene rgreee@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The 2003 season does not start for another three days for the Kansas football team, but it's trying to combat one of the toughest opponents around — a record heat wave.
With temperatures over the past week having peaked in the triple-digit range, coaches and trainers have to monitor the athletes closely during full-
contact practices with pads and helmets.
"Heat and humidity this time of year is a fact of life here on the Great Plains," Coach Mark Mangino said. "We know that and can't do anything about it, so what we have to do is take good care of our players and take precautions."
cautions. The football staff has been doing all it can, This includes going through gallons upon gallons of water and Gatorade, as well as having a trainer on the field during practice with a hand-held thermometer, frequently updating Mangino of the heat and humidity.
Never has practicing in extreme heat been watched so carefully than the past few years.
In 2001, Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke 15 hours after collapsing during training camp.
When the 355-pound Stringer was brought to the Immanuel村 Joseph's- Mayo Health Center in Mankato,
Minn., his body temperature had reached 108.8 degrees. Later that summer, Rashidi Wheeler, a defensive back at Northwestern University, collapsed during a voluntary offseason conditioning session and died of similar causes.
causes. This summer alone at the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp, three players were carted off of the practice field due to heat-related symptoms.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
By Sean O'Grady
sogrady@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Dan Ferguson, Medicine Lodge junior, is one of the top competitors on the cross country team. Ferguson will start off this year's season Sept. 6 at Rimrock Farm.
Runner dreams of basketball
Kit Leffler/Kansar
Like many kids from small Kansas towns, Dan Ferguson dreamed of wearing a Kansas jersey and draining threes in Allen Fieldhouse.
Ferguson, Medicine Lodge junior, transferred from Pratt Community College last fall where he was an All-American in the steeplechase, a 3,000 meter race with three 36-inch hurdles and one water barrier. He also was a member of the basketball team.
In Allen Fieldhouse. He never got to fulfill his childhood dream of playing at Allen Fieldhouse. Instead, he is making his mark on the Kansas cross country team.
Kansas "I always saw myself wearing a KU jersey, I just always dreamed it would be for basketball instead of running," he said.
After junior college, Ferguson planned to follow his junior college
cross country coach who took a job at Southwest Texas State University. However, the coach took an assistant position on the University of Colorado cross country team and Ferguson transferred to Kansas.
"Last fall, Dan kind of came in on short notice and did a great job," Doug Clark, assistant coach said. "He was one of our top seven guys in the important meets."
Clark said he was excited about Ferguson's potential this year.
"Dan's had some unfortunate injuries at really bad times in the season last year," Clark said. "We're really lucky to have him here. He's a dedicated and disciplined athlete who is still developing as a runner and a team leader."
Ferguson said after a year of adjusting to being at Kansas, he was prepared to make a bigger impact on the team this year.
"I feel like I'm more a part of this team now," he said. "I've set some pretty high goals for myself."
Ferguson, who finished 60th at last year's conference meet, said his goal this year was to be in the top 25 in the conference, and remain healthy for the district and NCAA meets.
Ferguson sustained two injuries last year, which kept him from competing at full strength. Before last year's district meet he sprained his ankle. During the outdoor track season, he collided with a barrier on the third lap of the steepele chase at the conference meet.
"If I can keep focused and stay healthy, I believe I can really help the team out," he said.
Ferguson admitted that although his focus changed from basketball to running, he still occasionally plays in pick up games with his teammates.
"Chris Jones is pretty good, and Steve Vockroid has a wicked bankshot," he said. "But I could still school them all."
Edited by Cate Batchelder