8A
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY. OCTOBER 23, 2009
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Self praises Big 12 Conference, players at media day
Weston White/KANSAN
Freshman center Jeff Withey will be out four to six weeks with a knee injury. He will not be able to practice until Dec. 1.
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
During the Big 12 Basketball Media Day at the Sprint Center Thursday, head coach Bill Self had
The SEC may dominate NCAA football, but college basketball belongs to the Big 12 Conference.
high marks for his conference.
his conference.
"I think what people have shown already, in that these coaches in our league, they're getting it done," he said. "I mean, the programs, if they haven't been
elevated, they're real close to being on the verge of being elevated in a short amount of time."
How could kids not be interested, Self asked, in a league that saw Kevin Durant from Texas, Michael Beasley from Kansas State and Blake Griffin from Oklahoma come through?
"All those guys were the best players in the country the last three years," he said. "They may
"... there are a couple others that may emerge to be in the top six players or even seven players in our league ..."
BILL SELF Kansas coach
One of the best qualities of the Big 12 is the knack for recruiting.
not have won all the awards, but they impacted the game more so than anybody else."
Over the past few years, the Big 12 has seen elite players, such as Durant, Beasley and Griffin, as well as a national championship in
2008. Mix those components with good coaching and smart hires by athletic directors, Self said, and the conference will continue to attract highly sought-after recruits.
WITHEY SIDELINED
UNTIL DECEMBER
Kansas coach Bill Self announced Thursday freshman center Jeff Withey will be out four to six weeks with a knee injury.
Withey will be out of practice until Dec. 1, Self said during Big 12 Basketball Media Dav at the Sprint Center.
Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich appeared on the Presseason All-Big 12 team. Joining them are Iowa State's Craig Brackins, Oklahoma's Willie Warren. Oklahoma State's James Anderson and Texas' Damien James.
Withey is a redshirt freshman and will not be able to play until after the fall semester because he transferred from Arizona. NCAA rules require that transfer players sit out the first semester.
Corey Thibodeux
Self considers all those players NBA material, not just his own. He commended each individual on their talents such as Warren's strength and scoring abilities as
well as Anderson's capability to score 30 on a given night.
"I think you have six pros," Self said. "I also think there are a couple others that may emerge to be in the top six players or seven players in our league that hadn't even been mentioned yet. So that tells you the depth, the quality of players."
SWIM (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
Edited by Lauren Cunningham
world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke. She will provide junior swimmer Julia Kuzhil, school record holder in both the
100-yard lap 200 yard backstroke, and other Kansas backstroke swimmers with a difficult challenge.
"Florida is one of the best teams in the country, bar none." Campbell said. "They're very talented and very deen"
deep."
said.
"It's a lot more fun getting ready for the highest level of competition..."
Despite the increased level of non-conference competition, the team will approach the dials
Kansas matches up a little better in its dual against an Arkansas team that finished third at last year's SEC championships. The Jayhawks lost a closely contested dual meet against the Razorbacks last January by a score of 165-135.
CLARK CAMPBELL Coach
"Arkansas has some of the best balance I've ever seen," Campbell
this weekend the same way it would approach any other meet.
"We need to go in there with the same mindset and swim the best we can," junior swimmer Alyssa Potter said.
While the team's state of mind
KANSAS SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAMS MEETS VS. 2008-2009 TOP 25 TEAMS
for its races may be the same as usual, the tough competition should generate plenty of excitement amongst the Kansas swimmers and divers.
Arkansas/Florida 10/24/09
"It's a lot more fun getting ready for the highest level of competition when compared to another team that you could easily beat," Campbell said.
UVA Invitational 12/3/09-12/5/09
UCLA
1/8/10
After swimming against 2008-
2009 top 25 finishers Arkansas and Florida this upcoming weekend, the team will have meets with other perennial top 25 schools such as Virginia and UCLA.
"I hope and believe our team will compete on a high level," Kuzhil said.
Edited by Jonathan Hermes
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FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
methodically stood and found himself open.
--an option right — when he has the option to do whatever he wants." Stuckey said. "He's going to take advantage of you. When you play a player like that, there's no room for error."
"That's just Kerry," Reesing said during Big 12 media days in July.
Certain plays in Kansas' playbook afford receivers the opportunity to make decisions on the fly. They are some of the trickier routes to properly execute, often requiring split-second decisions amid the game's organized chaos.
No Kansas player has mastered those plays, called option routes, like Meier.
"The worst thing is going against a player like Kerry when he has
Throughout his career, Meier has displayed the ability to find openings in defenses when Reesing decides to scramble — a knack that highlights Meier's ability to read and react.
Added offensive coordinator Ed Warriner: "He can disguise what he's doing and he does a great job of hiding his intentions. Kerry, he's hard to cover as you can tell by his productivity."
The key, Meier said, is quickly noticing the defense's alignment and then making a decision with no hesitation. The same theory can be applied to a baseball player attempting to instantaneously judge — then hit — an assortment of pitches.
"Kerry is our go-to guy" Reesing said. "When we need a third down or fourth down conversion, I can't tell you how many times over the last few years we've hit Kerry on those big plays."
Meier currently has 54 catches for 580 yards and six touchdowns. In each of his last three games, Meier has made at least 10 catches while totaling at least 100 yards.
Stuckey said Meier's most glaring strength is simply his "smarts." Instead of forcing plays against
"I always like to think that the best receiver is on my team. I'd put them at the top of the conference."
defenses, Meier sits back and waits for the opponent to reveal a weakness or slip-up.
And most times, Reesing tends to find Meier in those situations.
"When you have two guys who run them — the guy who throws them and the guy who runs them — sit side by side for three years, they're pretty much on the same page with all of that." Warriner said.
--the broken tackles out load while watching the replay.
With the ball near midfield against Louisiana Tech last season, Reesing fired a quick pass to Briscoe over the middle.
In the moment, the play appeared nothing more than a solid gain on first down.
Then Briscoe started running, breaking six tackles and zigzagging across the field before scoring a touchdown. The fans in attendance counted
--leaping to make a 41-yard catch.
Briscoe is Kansas' big-play threat — the receiver who tends to slip by defenses for long gains and impressive scoring plays.
Facing a third and 29 from Kansas' 46-yard line against
Facing a third Kansas' 46-yard Colorado, Reesing scrambled, pointed down the field and unloaded a pass down the sideline. With Colorado defenders dropping deep in coverage, Briscoe somehow managed to separate himself before
and four touchdowns.
Warriner said that Briscoe's greatest traits are his elusiveness, both when he's attempting to get open and when he has the ball. With the ability to manipulate defenders, Warriner said Briscoe has an innate ability to "keep defenders guessing"
"From the public eye, it a tough catch," Meier said. "But in Briscoe's mind and the way he sees it, that's just a routine ball for him. That's what he does best."
"Dez is very explosive," Stuckey said. "He's going to be that receiver that gets you to flip your hips too early or too late. And he's going to try and humiliate you every single play."
And Briscoe's most noticeable plays are the ones that occur deep down the field.
Despite missing Kansas' season opener because of a suspension, Brisco leads Kansas with 671 receiving yards while ranking second behind Meier with 38 catches
Against Iowa State earlier, this season, Briscoe made a diving catch in the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown. Last season, against Texas, Briscoe somehow pinched a pass along the side of his helmet after juggling the ball.
"Sometimes the routine catches, he's dropped a couple of those through the years," Warriner said. "But when you have to go compete for the ball, he's very competitive and he attacks the ball in those situations."
"Making big plays is fun and exciting and it's what you're out there for."
"Making big plays is fun and exciting and it's what you're out there for. He knows those opportunities don't happen that often. And you have to make them."
This season Briscoe and Meier have wrestled atop the Kansas record books for most receptions in a career.
ED WARRINER Offensive coordinator
In Kansas' victory against Iowa State two weeks ago, Briscoe originally became the Jayhawks' leader in receptions, but Meier eventually hauled in a school-record 16 catches to grab the lead.
receiver yards, second in catches and first in touchdowns. Meier, meanwhile, ranks fifth in yards, first in catches and is tied for fourth with 16 career touchdowns.
Briscoe currently ranks first in career
"It it得 that feel that you see one guy do one thing so the other guy is going to step up and do something better," Meier said. "And I think that's good for our team."
— Edited by Jonathan Hermes
NFL
Rookie wide receiver traded to St. Louis Rams
ST. LOUIS — The newest member of the St. Louis Rams was running errands in Philadelphia when he learned the Eagles had traded him.
Rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson still needs a dust pan and ironing board after cutting short the shopping mission and packing for a flight to join his new team.
Gibson says he was happy to be leaving a playoff contender for a franchise saddled by 16 consecutive losses. That's because the Rams present a chance for a player who appeared in one game with the Eagles and had no catches while buried on the depth chart.
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Associated Press
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