Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Golfers wrap up season Women finish strong while men fizzle in last tournament. SPORTS | 4B
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2009
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Chris Dawson, the strength and conditioning coach, watches Kansas' players complete an early-morning workout last week. Throughout the year, Dawson spends more time with the Jayhawks than any coach on staff, including Mark Mangino. "He's done more for that program than anybody but Mangino himself," former running back Jon Cornish said.
Dawson builds tough players
Strength coach likes 'the grind' of D-I football
BY JAYSON JENKS
jienks@kansan.com
jjenks@kansan.com
The man behind the desk carries with him a concrete expression and an ever-apparent intensity. He's generous with his answers, but he's taken the liberty of trimming most of the fat and unnecessary parts of conversation.
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At any time, it seems he could rise from his chair, walk out of his office door and perform a sweatpouring workout on any one of the pieces of equipment that fill the lower level of the Anderson Family Football Complex.
Most likely you've never seen his face or heard his name, and he's fine with that.
But here sits the man who spends more time working and crafting
players than any other member of Kansas' staff,including coach Mark Mangino.
Meet Chris Dawson, the strength and conditioning coach.
"He's done more for that program than anybody but Mangino himself," former running back Jon Cornish said.
A visitor sits in Dawson's office one day, picking his brain about the different schedules and responsibilities that fall under the umbrella of Kansas' strength and conditioning coach. In the middle of conversation, though, the visitor asks
a question that catches Dawson's attention.
Is the grind of the job difficult?
Is the grind of the job difficult?
A sly smirk creeps across Dawson's face, a hint that maybe he knows something the visitor doesn't. Then, quickly, Dawson responds in a way that tells everything about him as an individual and a professional.
"You ask the question like that's a negative," Dawson said. "I don't know that it's ever not a grind. But I think some people gravitate toward the grind. I like the structure, the discipline, the schedule. I like the grind. I won't make any bones about it."
After all, the grind is the meat
and potatoes of any strength and conditioning. Dawson's job is to push players through the grind, allowing them to continue developing and improving.
And as much as players may squirm over the difficulty of Dawson's workouts and drills, those interviewed for this story respect the edge the hard work has given them.
"He has one of the best strength coaching staffs in the nation and he's one of the best strength coaches in the nation," former linebacker Mike Rivera said.
"He's the anchor, if you will,
SEE COACH ON PAGE 5B
CROSS COUNTRY
Professor recognizes the fine art of running
BY HALLIE MANN hmann@kansan.com
PAGE 1B
John Broholm is a fan of running — cross country running, to be specific. Broholm, a professor in the School of Journalism, doesn't run eight miles a day, he still follows the KU cross country team and travels to most of its meets. Though running is something that almost every other sport involves, Broholm says he sees running for the sport that it is.
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"There's a challenge to it, for sure, but there's also a purity to it," Broholm said. "You're only doing one thing and it's really the most basic sport there is."
Big 12 Championship WHERE: Columbia, Mo. WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 31 10 a.m.
Broholm travels throughout the country to watch the runners push themselves for 25 minutes over hills and through terrain. With so few home meets, Broholm has to get on the road if he wants to be there to yell for the team, which is primarily what he does as a cross country fan. When he gets to a race, Broholm also does his fair share of moving and running as he walks the 5K course to plan out his route for watching the runners go by. It's all part of the excitement of being a true cross country fan.
The start of the race is probably the most exciting part for
Karan Goumik/KRNSAN John Broholm stands next to the Billy Mills silhouette at Rim Rock Farm. Broholm travels across the nation to follow the Kansas cross country team.
NEXT UP
NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
WHERE: Springfield, Mo.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 14,
TBA
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
Broholm. As a mass of 20 teams with seven or eight runners each takes off down the starting straightaway of the race, Broholm said he is amazed by the geometry and massive movement of the runners coming at him. And then he's off, chasing the mass of runners as he cuts across the course to catch them as they go by again.
"The beginning of the race is just beautiful," Broholm said. "It's something that fans of other sports probably wouldn't appreciate, but that's OK."
Broholm got into cross country when he was in high school. After realizing his potential for other sports such as baseball was waning, Broholm took up cross country as a sophomore and track as a junior. Broholm found camaraderie with his teammates as they snuck onto golf courses and
and other dog walkers but one runner always impressed him. It turned out that this runner was Julia Saul, the only female All-American cross country runner in KU history. Watching her run
weaved through neighborhoods to run for practice. Although he didn't try to run in college, Broholm never completely turned his back on cross country.
SEE RUNNING ON PAGE 5B
Broholm got into the sport again at Kansas when he was out walking his dog in the mornings. Every day he passed joggers
COMMENTARY
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Women's basketball has good NCAA shot
Just in case you didn't notice, the women's basketball team played further into March (and April) last year than the men's team did.
Senior Danielle McCray averaged nearly 30 points and eight rebounds per game in the Jayhawks' surprising WNIT run. They lost a heartbreaker to South Florida in the championship game, but the sentiment from all the players after the loss was the same.
Senior LaChelda Jacobs said it the most succinctly. "We definitely won't be here next year. We'll definitely be in the tournament."
When Jacobs uses the word "tournament", it's clear she're referring to the Big Dance. Making the WNIT was nice and all, but it's not like Dancing. Unless Lady Luck throws a few injuries into the mix, the lajhwakes will make the tournament
And I think they'll win the Big 12 Championship too.
It's not ludicrous. The coaches tabbed Kansas to finish tied for second in the preseason poll. They received three first-place votes.
Baylor, No. 1 in the poll, has otherworldly freshman center Brittney Griner and poses the biggest challenge. In her senior year of high school, Griner put up numbers that would make LeBron James blush: 33 points, 15.5 rebounds, 11.7 blocks (!), 3.4 steals and 3.1 assists per game.
But maybe the most jaw-dropping stat? Griener's 1.6 dunks per game.
Griner can throw down and throw down hard. There won't be too many defenses in the Big 12 that can contain a 6-foot-8 center who can dunk. Check that — there won't be any.
I'll channel my inner Kenny Mayne to describe Griner: "You can't stop her. You can only hope to contain her."
Senior Sade Morris is a willing sidekick who quietly puts up 20 points a night. Junior Nicollete Smith provides an outside look, and junior Krysten Boogaard and sophomore Aishah Sutherland can convert the bucket.
So it won't be easy. But all the pieces are there. McCray is an extremely talented scorer who will put the team on her back in the closing moments of a game.
But the key for this year's team is the development of the point guard position. Ivana Catic was steady last year but not threatening. She graduated and two players are competing for the spot: freshman Angel Goodrich and junior college transfer Rhea Codio.
Whether one wins the job or they split time is irrelevant because they are both playmakers. As they mature in the position, this team will only get better.
With a Big 12 North-heavy schedule, the Jayhawks will be right there with Baylor. The Bears and Jayhawks face off Feb. 28 in Waco, Texas on ESPN2.
It's early, but the lajawhays will win that one and take home their first conference championship in women's basketball since 1997.
Edited by Samantha Foster
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