THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009
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SPORTS
CLUB LACROSSE
3B
Former player enjoys coaching
Coach Mark Barrath balances fun, fitness in his second year
BY JORDAN WILLIAMS jwilliams@kansan.com
them two years ago.
Men's club lacrosse coach Mark Barrath knows all about organizing practices. He participated in them two years ago.
Barrath, St. Louis graduate student and second-year coach, was vice president of the University's club lacrosse team when he was an undergraduate. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in political science and returned to the sport in Fall 2008 in a different capacity.
Barrath
"I felt a strong desire to come back and continue working with the players," Barrath said.
Barrath said one of the reasons he enjoyed coaching was because of the enthusiastic and dedicated club members. He said
that members who joined typically wanted to play for the entire season because of the financial commitment.
Dues for freshmen are $900 and dues for returning members are $700. Players must also pay for equipment and clothing.
Barrath admitted that his age sometimes put him in a difficult
position when he tried to exercise his authority. He said he toed the line between peer and leader by ensuring that practices were fun but still challenging enough to push the players
As a coach, Barrath is also responsible for teaching new and developing players the fundamentals of lacrosse.
to reach their potential.
Two assistant coaches, Jay Vaglio and Jonathan Koopman, help coordinate conditioning and daily practices.
The practices are designed to fatigue the players, but ultimately improve their fitness.
"We do quick transitions between drills to keep players on their feet. We want them to be in
"I felt a strong desire to come back and continue working with the players."
shape," assistant coach Jay Vaglio said.
Barrath said this approach
Barrath and his assistants are also open to critique and concerns. When the need arises, the coaches hold small meetings where players can offer feedback or comments on aspects of practice, games or the team in general.
MARK BARRATH Club lacrosse coach
and this approach helped the two-hour practices run smoothly because the players kept their focus and left outside problems and issues at home.
George Ressler,
St. Louis senior and
club lacrosse president,
said he had
confidence in the coaching staff.
"Practices are well-mapped out," Ressler said. "There is a sense of practicality to them."
The fall season is generally used as preparation for the main spring season.
Barrath said he hoped the club team would have a good showing in February when it played strong competition such as Baylor, Texas A&M and USC at a tournament in Texas.
Edited by Nick Gerik
NFL
Chiefs prepare to face Eagles, Vick
Kansas City defenders practice in advance of Michael Vick's return from NFL suspension
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is tackled by Oakland Raiders cornerback Hiram Eugene, left, and cornerback Tyvon Branch, back, during the third quarter on Sunday in Kansas City. Mo, the Raiders won the name 13-10.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY DOUG TUCKER Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As if they didn't have enough problems, the winless Kansas City Chiefs now must get ready for the possible return of the greatest running quarterback in NFL history and a slog through all four teams in the rugged NFC East.
Michael Vick, finally eligible to play after serving prison time and a league suspension for his role in a dogfighting ring, might be facing them across the line of scrimmage in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The Chiefs are at least glad they've been practicing against the wildcat offense the past two weeks, though it was not a factor in losses to Baltimore and Oakland.
"It's something we're going to prepare for, but it's like having a good running back who can throw back there," Chiefs safety Jon McGraw said. "Most teams get in wildcat formation, you think, 'Well, OK, here comes a run play.' But when Vick is back there, it adds that extra element, that he can still throw the ball. With Vick in there, we'll have to play it honest."
Kevin Kolb, who threw two touchdown passes in Sunday's 48-22 loss to New Orleans, will start on Sunday if McNabb can't. Eagles coach Andy Reid said if McNabb is out again this week, the backup will be either Jeff Garcia — or Vick.
"He's an exciting player to watch," McGraw said. "I don't know of anybody who doesn't enjoy watching Michael Vick play."
Linebacker Derrick Johnson will not be surprised to see Vick in the wildcat Sunday.
"You've got to have somebody watch him at all times because he's probably the most talented guy in the league," Johnson said. "He's not a quarterback who's just going to stand in there. You've got to put a
wrinkle or two in there because he has a wrinkle or two."
Johnson also does not believe the long layoff has robbed Vick of his quickness.
"He still has it," he said. "And he's going to let it out, too, whenever he gets the chance. We'll have to be ready for whatever they throw."
Whether Vick plays or not, the Eagles will be facing a defense that can't find a way to win.
"The one that played yesterday," said defensive end Glenn Dorsey. "We've just got to finish strong. When we've really got to have it, we've got to get it. We played all right against Oakland but came up short in the end. That's what's so frustrating."
In their season opener at Baltimore, the Chiefs gave up 501 yards and lost. On Sunday, they held Oakland to 166 yards and lost again.
Frustrating hardly tells the story for the Chiefs in posting their 25th loss in 27 games. Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell played miserably all day until the final 69-yard drive, capped by Darren McFadden's 5-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left.
So which is the real Chiefs defense?
Time of possession, usually
"A play here and a play there at certain times in a game," Dorsey said. "You go back and look at it and think, 'If I'd done this, we would have won.' But we were right there. We're showing improvement and we believe in each other. We're going to get it turned around."
another reliable indicator of who won and lost, also leaned heavily in Kansas City's favor. The Chiefs held the ball for 38 minutes, 39 seconds. The Raiders had it 21 minutes, 21 seconds.
Nine penalties also aided the Raiders, as did the two interceptions Matt Cassel threw in his Chiefs' debut.
"We played hard. But a loss is a loss," said Dorsey. "But I see which way we're going. We're getting better every week. It's frustrating, but we're heading in the right direction."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley attempts to get to the basket as he is guarded by New Jersey Nets Trenton Hassell during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in East Rutherford, N.J. on March 20. Beasley rejoined the Heat on Monday after a month-long stay in a Houston rehabilitation facility.
Beasley exits rehab facility; Miami hopes for big season
MIAMI - Michael Beasley rejoined his Miami Heat teammates Monday following a monthlong stay in a rehabilitation facility to address substance abuse and other issues.
Beasley took part in a voluntary offseason workout and quickly drew rave reviews from coaches, many of whom were able to visit and work with him during the rehab stint. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra personally saw Beasley three times in the past month, and someone from the Heat staff was with the second-year forward daily.
Beasley, who starred at Kansas State for one season before jumping to the NBA, was not available for comment Monday. No specifics of his treatment have been offered, with both the Heat and people close to Beasley citing privacy concerns.
"We want to bring him back to the family, bring him back in here," Spoelstra said. "We're 100 percent behind him. We've invested in him, not just financially but emotionally. We've spent a great deal of time with him this summer, trying to develop him on the court but also off the court. He's ready. He was excited to be back here."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The No. 2 pick in the 206 draft will be with the team when training camp opens officially on Sept. 29. Players kept in touch with Beasley through text messages and Twitter over the past month.
"I have no concern at all," Heat forward and captain Udonis Haslem said last week when asked about Beasley. "He's working out, he's staying in shape, he's keeping himself sharp. It's not like he doesn't
NBA
"We were with him every step of the way and we're expecting great things from him this year."
A series of posts on his Twitter account around that time sparked concern for his well-being, including entries that said "Feelin like it's not worth yin!!!! I'm done" and "I feel like the whole world is against me I can't win for losin"
know the plays and with Beas, if all else fails, he'll shoot it. So he'll be fine when he gets back."
Beasley entered an in-patient Houston facility sometime around Aug. 20.
ERIK SPOELSTRA
Aiami Heat coach
He also was fined $50,000 last year for being a hotel room where the scent of marijuana was detected during the league's rookie symposium.
Through it all, the Heat —
"We have great structure here within the franchise and I think what the NBA and everybody saw is that we're 100 percent behind him," Spoelstra said. "We were with him every step of the way and we're expecting great things from him this year."
Spoelstra said Beasley's summer was filled with plenty of on-court
Spoelstra said Beasley has already taken a team conditioning test and "blew it away ... he's in phenomenal shape."
"work and development." He spent about two months working out in Miami before going to Houston, and since the end of last season has gotten quicker, plus added 10 pounds of muscle while maintaining a low body fat level.
- have insisted Beasley is still valued.
from team president Pat Riley,
to Snoopstra, to many teammates
"Physically, youll see he looks
Beasley finished his rookie season as Miami's second-leading scorer behind Dwyane Wade, averaging
"When you talk about a guy who's that talented, and then you really start to develop the fundamentals and the details of his game, you see dramatic improvements in a short period of time," Spoelstra said. "That's exciting."
The Heat envision Beasley as someone able to play at small forward at times this season, even after using him primarily at power forward a year ago.
The Heat plan to ask him to play a bigger role, too.
different." Spoelstra said. "He's just bigger."
13. 9 points and 5.4 rebounds.