• • • • •
Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks get another win Kansas' Friday match against Pepperdine ended in a 2-1 victory. SOCCER |3B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009
Rough start, smooth finish After losing first game in tournament,squad wins two. VOLLEYBALL | 1B
FIERCE FRESHMEN
PAGE 1B
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
New players C.J. Henry, Thomas Robinson and Elijah Johnson are ready for the 2009-2010 basketball season. The Jayhawks will go into the season with the top ranking in the nation thanks in large part to the new recruits.
First-year athletes adjust to KU life
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
Looking at the freshman roster may require a pinch just to see if it's a dream.
According to www.rivals.com, guard Xavier Henry was the eighth overall recruit to come out of high school, guard Elijah Johnson 24th overall and forward Thomas Robinson 31st overall. Center Jeff Withey is the eighth-ranked center in college, according to www.scout.com. Guard C.J. Henry has not had
Follow Kansan basketball writer Corey Thibodeaux at www.twitter.com/c_thibodeaux
much basketball exposure recently, but spent a few years in minor league baseball.
Just like all first-year students, the members of the men's basketball team are finding out how different life can be on campus. These first-year Jayhawks are in the midst of a transitional phase.
"It hasn't hit me yet that I'm actually in college" Robinson said.
What has hit him, he said, is that the competition in college is going to be a lot bigger and tougher, as will the responsibilities.
Xavier noticed the consequences were far greater in college as well.
"There nobody on your tail," he said. "It's basically you knowing where to be at and arrive on time."
"You have to be accountable for all your actions now because if you get in trouble now, more things can happen to you," he said.
Xavier has the luxury of having older brother C.J. close by and his parents will be moving to Lawrence soon.
"My family's going to be up here with me, so there's not a lot that's going to be different," he said. "It's just a different scene and different things I have to adapt to."
Some players have to grow more so on their own, and it's not an easy process.
"At first I was responding poorly." Johnson said of the added responsibilities of college life. "But I think
I'm catching the hang of it. It's shaping me to be a man already."
When not in school or on the court, Withey said most of the teammates got together and had fun seeing movies, hanging out at Wal-Mart or playing video games.
"We're kids so we do kid stuff"
Xavier said.
C. J. Henry and Withey are in a different situation because they have already experienced college. C.J. spent an injured year at Memphis and Withey left Arizona
SEE FRESHMEN ON PAGE 5B
FOOTBALL
Toughness translates into success for the Jayhawks
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
He talked briskly and in a sharp, booming voice. In nearly every outward manner, Cantrell protruded football toughness. Plus, he was Kansas' offensive anchor in the trenches, arguably — but usually agreed upon – the roughest and dirtiest spot on the football field.
In his playing days, former offensive lineman Ryan Cantrell wore his dark hair long and flowing, his arms served as a canvas for tattoos.
"We're all the same type of players," Cantrell said. "We're all blue-collared, hardworking people who probably are going to be the toughest son of a bitch you've come across on the football field."
So listen then when Cantrell classifies the Kansas football program, from the 5-foot-9-inch running back to the 6-foot-6-inch lineman.
Follow Kansan football writer Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/ JaysonJenks.
--played Texas — one of the most talented teams in the country — in Lawrence. The Jayhawks used two quarterbacks, Brian Luke and John Nielsen, who handed the ball primarily to Clark Green.
On Nov. 14, 2004, Kansas
Texas had Vince Young throwing to Limas Sweed and handing off to Cedric Benson. All three now play in the NFL.
Ryan Waqqoner/KANSAN
Kansas lost 27-23 in the final seconds on a questionable call, launching Mangino into his well-known "B-C-S" tirade. Yet the patchwork Jayhawks clawed and scraped and generally went man-to-man with a team, at least on paper, they had no business competing with.
Sophomore defensive tackle Steven Foster struggles with freshman defensive end Kevin Young Tuesday morning at the Anderson Family Football Complex. Tuesday's practice was open to the media, as the team prepared for their Sept. 6 home opener against Northern Colorado.
Therein lies the power of a team willing to body up with the big boys, take the heavy punches and crunching blows and back up to
go at it again.
"Kansas historically has never had the respect of teams it played against in the Big 12," former running back Jon Cornish said. "Mangino did the most ideal thing he could do by recruiting people that wanted to be the underdog, that wanted to be that guy to go in there, odds against them, and win. That's where the toughness really comes in handy."
Maybe the layhawks won't ever be as physically gifted as some of the schools on their schedule. But Mangino and his staff demand a team that will never stutter against more talented teams.
The goal is to craft a group that, regardless of skill sets or recruiting stars, is just plain tough.
"He made sure we knew that he wouldn't settle for anything else", former quarterback Bill Whittermore said. "If something was less, he'd take care of it in a tough manner. He didn't let anybody slip through the cracks and get away with stuff."
Mangino's approach for spreading that desire is less bravado and more self-motivation. After all, a player can't just be taught toughness. He must want to become so himself.
Really, it's nothing more than
On the phone, Cornish's voice peaks when digging into his past, to his former playing days in Lawrence and, specifically, to a drill that typifies Kansas' philosophy.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 5B
COMMENTARY
Battle on beer ads is flawed
Kansas Athletics could use a beer summit.
At issue is Bud Light's Fan Can promotion — an advertising campaign in which cans of the product feature the colors of 27 schools including Kansas, Kansas and most other schools are calling for Anheuser-Busch to end the campaign.
"We're one of the schools that wrote to Anheuser-Busch and asked them not to use the colors," Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, said. "Our biggest concern was the attraction to the product. All schools have to be concerned about that."
Bud Light joins Joe College — the local T-shirt purveyor that Kansas is involved in an ongoing legal battle over trademark rights — to receive cease and desist orders from the school.
"We've also been in contact with their local distributor and told them what our position was as well," Marchiony said.
Craig Frint, assistant manager, said that the area's Bud Light distributor told him they had intended to distribute 4,000 cases but recently said that number would shrink to 2,000 or less until further deliberation.
For now the school-spirited can be found at any number of local liquor shops. Among them is Cork & Barrel, whose location at Ninth and Mississippi streets is within walking distance of Memorial Stadium.
"I could understand if they used the letters 'K-U' or the school's logo but hey, it's colors." Frint said.
The cans arrived at the store Friday and cashier Jake Hager, Shawnee senior, said he didn't think they promoted underage drinking.
"I don't see a flashing light on them," Hager said.
On more than one occasion I've witnessed the dark side of alcohol consumption. Alcohol can contribute to the ruination of marriage and produce memories that linger with no quarter asked and none given.
We live in a binge-drinking society. Binge drinking constitutes 75 percent of alcohol consumed by all adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But to think the color of a can will further promote underage or binge drinking is an display of impaired judgment. It illustrates that we're no closer to controlling alcohol abuse now than we were decades ago. We're running out of ideas.
As for Marchiony's concerns, I see where he's coming from. Obviously if there is no Kansas Athletics then there are no Fan Cans in Lawrence. Anheuser-Busch is looking to cash in on the cans just as much as Kansas Athletics is looking to cash in on selling courtside basketball seats.
Here's a thought. Why not partner Kansas and Bud Light together? Both parties can cash in. The beer will still only be legally sold to 21-year-olds, the underage drinkers that want a sip will still find a way as they always do and we can refocus our efforts to quell binge drinking more effectively and realistically.
Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
Follow Kansan sports editor Stephen Montemayor at www.twitter.com/smontemayor