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Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wrapping up the season
A look back at the highs and lows of the season, with photos. SOCCER | 8B
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
OH HENRY
Newcomer living up to hype
Freshman guard's solid exhibition performances meet expectations
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
The Jayhawks are laden with star power, but newcomer Xavier Henry is quickly leaving his mark.
Kansas coach Bill Self went through quite the ordeal this summer recruiting him, traveling to Oklahoma City to iron out commitment issues with Henry's father. All that is behind them and Henry said he is happy in to be Lawrence — as if his constant smile weren't convincing enough.
"It's a great time to be here," he said. "I want to be a part of it and I want my brother to be a part of it."
Everyone from fans, coaches, teammates and experts agrees: Freshman guard Xavier "X" Henry is worth all the hype.
He stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 220 pounds at 18 years old. He's one of Kansas' all-time most sought after recruits.
When Henry first arrived at camp, Self said he was immediately impressed with how fit his new weapon was.
"There are not too many 18-year-olds like that," Self said. "There are not too many guards that powerful."
Henry has the rare ability to drive to the basket or make shots from long
range. His versatility with the ball, mixed with his speed and physicality, makes Henry a mismatch for opposing defenses. His teammates say his physical presence is his
greatest asset.
"He's really, really strong," junior guard Tyrel Reed said. "I think people underestimate his strength. He can get to the basket at any time and he's also a threat from the outside, so he's going to be a great player for us."
Senior guard Sherron Collins tried his hand in practice against Henry, but even he had trouble guarding him.
"It's tough," he said. "I tried to guard him a few times and caught myself under the rim. He's naturally strong. You just have to put a body on him and try to block him out."
"I think he can be a really good college player. He's becoming a better teammate every day."
COLE ALDRICH Junior center
Henry's first shots in each exhibition game were both three-pointers. In two games, he scored 24 points, but that doesn't tell the whole story. He showed his ability to race down the court, push around defenders and finish while drawing contact.
"It'll take him a while," Collins said, "but he's a natural scorer so he is alright."
Every freshman has to adjust to the college game. Henry will most likely have his
ups and downs, Collins said,
but his overall skill set will
make up for it.
"I always like to crash the glass because that's where you
To finish out his repertoire, Henry is keen on grabbing offensive rebounds, which is rare to find in the guard position.
get free points," he said. "It's a good thing and it will get you involved real quick."
He is one of five freshmen on the Naimshi Preseason Watch List and is on the cover of
FOOTBALL
Sophomore fights for playing time
Sophomore cornerback Daymond Patterson breaks free of a tackle for a 49-yard punt return at UTEP Sept. 12. Patterson led the defense with six tackles in Kansas' 34-7 victory. Weston White/KANSAN
cgoble@kansan.com
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey, junior cornerback Chris Harris and senior running back Jake Sharp admitted Tuesday that this season just didn't go the way the team expected.
For sophomore cornerback Daymond Patterson, nothing has gone as expected in his career at Kansas.
He was switched from wide receiver to cornerback last year just three weeks after an eight-catch, 130-yard performance against Louisiana Tech. Patterson said he thought he was moved because of a dropped pass and a fumble in Kansas' loss against South Florida in the third week of the season.
He opened this year as a starter at cornerback but has been seeing less time on the field in recent weeks. Mangino said Patterson's hobbling ankle injury, suffered in the Oct. 31 loss at Texas Tech, is a cause for concern, and other cornerbacks are playing better.
Sophomore Anthony Davis and freshman D.J. Beshears have both seen significant time at cornerback since the Colorado game. Davis started the first game of the season but barely saw the field until Saturday's loss at Kansas State. Beshears took a redshirt until he saw the field on special teams against Colorado and replaced Patterson at cornerback on Colorado's second possession.
"We're also getting a lot of competition at that position," coach Mark Mangino said. "I was hoping it would play out that way and it is."
Patterson said he doesn't want to jump back in the revolving door that is the left cornerback position before he's recovered from his ankle injury. Freshman
"It's not going to do us any good going out there trying to hop around and make plays when you're not 100 percent," Patterson said.
Patterson said he is unsure if he will play this weekend against Nebraska. He is working hard with athletic trainers and said he was eager to play. His struggles with the injury and the competition grabbing his spot haven't
receiver Bradley McDougald also replaced him at punt returner against Kansas State.
brought him down.
When asked if he would ever welcome a position change back to wide receiver, Patterson said he would be more than happy to help out on the offensive side of the ball. He said he wants a chance to make up for the two mistakes he made in the South
"I keep going out there and working hard every day," Patterson said. "When I get a chance to come in the game, I feel like I'm going to do the best I can to help this team."
"When the season's over, we'll reassess things," Mangino said. "We need him where he is right now."
Follow Clark Goble at twitter. com/cgoble89.
Mangino said the team is living for today and not considering future positional changes at this time.
Edited by Sarah Kelly
COMMENTARY
But despite the fact that it was employed as a weapon by Kansas fans, that refrain was equal parts damnation and praise for the jayhawks. Certainly, it implied a strong level of confidence that the Kansas men's basketball team would play up to its lofty reputation. But it also implied that Kansas football would play down to its and, furthermore, that Kansas fans were willing to grant as much.
Old habits do die hard, after all. And for many Kansas fans, football season falling out of mind once the ball tips in Allen Fieldhouse is a habit as old as they themselves are. Fans tread lightly through fall, "wait 'til basketball season!" a retort held taut on their tongue, ready to be fired at a moment's need.
Amidst the rampant excitement surrounding Kansas' highlight-reel exhibition
Which is why this Saturday — a Senior Day showdown against Nebraska — is crucial for Kansas football. Not because the layhawks have any aspirations of winning the Big 12 North, or of vaulting back in to the rankings. Both of those aspirations were specters before last week, and they're altogether banished now. Kansas does not need to defeat Nebraska to achieve any impossible level of national notoriety, or to grasp at out-of-reach straws. But, as much as the envelop-
highlight-feel exhibition victories and the pending regular season, it's easy to forget that football season isn't over.
ing circumstances allow, Saturday's game is indeed a must win for Kansas.
Because, the night before, the wait for basketball season will have ended. Barring some confluence of unfathomable events, the No. 1-ranked Kansas men's basketball team will demolish Hofstra. And the Jayhawks will do it in style. Enough style that Kansas fans may be tempted to forget that there's a football game the next day. And it is on ABC, so maybe they won't even bother showing up. The fan base had enough of a hard time staying for an entire game when the Jayhawks were undefeated and ranked, after all. Now, far removed from those utopian circumstances, an even greater level of disinterest ought to be expected.
Kansas football simply must rediscover its winning ways. Hurt or not, Todd Reesing needs to play with the same reckless abandon that turned him in to a star — without turning over the football. The Kansas offense, as a whole, must rekindle a fire that burned bright not so long ago. They need big plays, and more importantly, points. There's responsibility on the other side of the ball, too. An improving Kansas defense must continue that trend, and clamp down on a Nebraska offense which is, at best, mediocre.
Of course, there's a simple, if not terribly easy, way to stop that from happening.
A loss, and those expectations will be fulfilled. The level of disinterest will persist, or maybe even grow.
Again, Kansas must win. The Jayhawks need to defeat the Cornhuskers, so that they can defeat a more threatening enemy: the growing ambivalence of Kansas fans.
— Edited by Alicia Banister