KANSAN.COM
Tennis stays sharp over the summer, hosts ITA tournament
Baxter Schanze/KANSAN
Sophomore Smith Hinton looks to return a shot during a match against Wichita State
► TIFFANY LITTLER
@lin33
Kansas tennis hosted the fourth week of the six-week long Intercollegiate Tennis Association's 2016 Summer Circuit at the Jayhawk Tennis Center this July. The 2016 Summer Circuit consists of 50 tournaments.
The ITA welcomes college players, incoming college freshmen, recent college graduates and junior
players.
Assistant coach Caroline Lilley said that it's important for the team to have this opportunity to compete so the coaches know what the players need to continue to work on.
"It's really hard to stay motivated sometimes when you don't have a competition or tournament coming up," Lilley said. "That's the biggest thing for us, is getting them out there and competing and making sure we're seeing improvements in their game."
Though it wasn't planned, several Kansas players competed against each other in the final rounds of the singles and doubles matches. Sophomore Nina Khmlnitckaia won head-to-head against sophomore Janet Koch to be crowned champion in singles after winning 6-1, 6-3. Khmlnitckaia went on to join Koch in the doubles final against senior Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum and sophomore Anastasia Rychagova. Bernard-Feigenbaum and Rychagova won that match, 8-3.
"I don't think there's any harder moment than to play against a good friend or teammate," said Lilley. "But we know that if they can compete like they did against one another this summer, then they can play against anyone in the country."
Along with winning the doubles title, Rychagova was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete for the 2015-16 school year. The Jayhawks were given the ITA All-Academic Team award for the school year as well.
The team has two incoming freshmen this season, Tatiana Nikolaeva and Maria Toran Ribes. Ribes will not be with the team until late August, but Nikolaeva got the chance to compete at the summer circuit with the rest of her new teammates. She made it to the fourth round of the singles,
where she was knocked out by teammate Koch, losing 2-1.
"[Nikolaeva's] training situation has improved since she got here. It's been good to see her improve just because she's playing with a higher level than she's accustomed to," Lilley said. "Also, she's incredibly competitive and to see that competitiveness come out has been really positive. She's definitely further along than we expected."
Lilley thought the team's experience in the ITA Summer Circuit was successful.
Paige: Embiid's videos can influence debut season
"We're really excited to see them continue to grow as a unit, but in order for us to grow as a unit, we also have to be willing to push another in match play as well."
- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzynski
DEASIA PAIGE
@deasia.paige
@deasia_paige
After missing his first two seasons due to injuries, Joel Embiid has a chance dominate his rookie season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.
As a Jayhawk in his freshman season in 2013- 2014, Embiid excited crowds at Allen Fieldhouse with his monstrous dunks and ability to dominate the paint. He averaged 11.2 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks;
the Cameroonian center became one of the finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year as a freshman.
But his time with Kansas abruptly ended as Embiid suffered a stress fracture in his back that caused him to miss both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments before he declared for the 2014 NBA Draft. The injuries would not stop there, though. Prior to the Draft, Embiid had surgery on a broken navicular bone in his right foot that made him miss his first two seasons in
the NBA with Philadelphia.
It even appears that Embiid has improved his game a bit with his jumpers and ability to aggressively get to the rim.
Now, it seems as though Embiid has never missed any time in the NBA from the looks of his recent workout videos that he posted on Twitter.
Additionally, the video featured something that most centers in the NBA struggle with - range and dribbling skills, especially with his between-the-leg
dribbling before a dunk.
His skill set displayed in his workout video revealed another aspect to the seven footer's game. In a league that is more reliant on small ball, Embiid's new skills show that he has trained to adapt to the changes within the league. It validated his versatility, which is essential for big men in the league.
Overall, Embiid looks healthy and ready enough to take on his rookie season.
But looks can be deceiving. Those workout videos
are the only hope for Sixers fans, but it really is not enough to thoroughly predict an outcome for Embiid this season. And with the arrival of the most heavily-anticipated rookie this season, Ben Simmons, it is unlikely that Embiid will garner most of the attention and hype for the Sixers.
Embiid has not had NBA competition, so it is likely that he will be restricted in his playing time if he does play. And he is not a built-in integral and reliable part to the team's success because
of his absence.
If Embiid does in fact show that he is capable of handling the competition and transfer his skill-set from those workout videos to the league, then he will definitely be a force to be reckoned with this season as part of this young 76ers team. One way or another, he will undoubtedly surface as a key player for the team.
- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzynski