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kansan.com
Volume 125 Issue 29
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
COMMENTARY Kansan's coverage of football is justified
There's no doubt that this law was meant for more important issues than football. And yes, there are more important things than football. Basketball too, believe it or not.
It's the amendment of freedoms. The freedoms of religion, speech, assembly and petition. And of course, the freedom of the press.
But it does need to be said that the Kansan isn't here to rally up student support for the football team.
However, Kansas football coach Charlie Weis called out the UDK on Twitter because of an illustration about the football team that ran last Thursday.
It appeared Kansas football players were upset, and their coach defended them. That is fine. No problem there.
Inside Stauffer-Flint Hall, the University's journalism building, hangs a sign that has the First Amendment of the United States constitution printed on it.
The Kansan is here to serve the 30,000 students that trot up and down Jayhawk Boulevard every day. It is here to help them understand and learn what is going on in Lawrence and on their campus. It is here to help them be informed.
A journalist's job is to be objective in every sense of the word. A journalist cannot cheer. A journalist cannot wear team colors. A journalist cannot show any bias whatsoever.
Emails came in asking for writers, designers and editors to be more supportive. Or to be fired.
Last Thursday, the Kansan delivered nothing but the truth, in the image of a cartoon, and some people got far to upset about it.
That is a joke.
The path that Kansas Athletics has taken to handle this situation is not right.
Kansas is a public university, and it has a damn good journalism school that is here teaching its students to be objective members of the Fourth Estate of the United States of America, to hold its leaders accountable, and to be a free and independent press. It's a democracy thing, and it's too bad a public American university would try to persuade student reporters into compromising those values.
For some reason, Kansas Athletics has suggested to the Kansan that a reporter should shy away from asking questions to Weis at his press conferences. This came about because of some negative coverage the Kansan gave the team. The negative coverage is something every area paper is doing. It is their obligation to do so. Just like it's the Kansan's.
Students at this university deserve better than a pom-pom squad of a newspaper. They deserve to get the truth.
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
ON THE LOOKOUT
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Coach Charlie Weis watches his players as they warm up before the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State University on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Jayhawks lost 16-56.
KICKER WANTED
Weis hopes to improve kicking game by creating competition for the position
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousougian@kansan.com
Kansas coach Charlie Weis made a notable switch on the depth chart on Tuesday. Ron Doherty, previously the starting kicker, now must compete for the starting spot against Austin Barone.
Weis' decision to open up the spot to a competition came after Doherty missed a 24-yard chipshot field goal in Saturday's loss to Kansas State.
"It's the fourth drive of the game, and you've scored twice
already," Weis said. "Now you're down there again and a chance to get more points on the board. Those have to be automatic, and I think you have to be willing to give people additional looks. We'll be practicing the field goal every day this week."
Through the first five games, Doherty has made just five of his 10 field goal attempts. His longest-made field goal came from 37 yards out against Rice.
Despite Doherty's inconsistency with his kicks, Weis said that he is not completely responsible for all
"Sometimes you can blame everything on the kicker, and Ron certainly would accept his share of the blame," Weis said. "But even on that one, you saw the snap wasn't perfect. There's a lot of things that factor on."
Kansas struggled with its field goal unit early on this season after long snapper Justin Carnes was suspended for the first three games of the season for a violation of team rules. But even with Carmes back, Weis felt it was time to open up the job and see if improvement
can be made with a new kicker.
Barone, a freshman from Pittsburg, Kan., has yet to attempt a field goal and could get his first opportunity to do so on Saturday against Oklahoma State if he has a good week of practice.
FOOTBALL NOTES:
- Running back Tony Pierson suffered an elbow injury Saturday against Kansas State but the X-rays were negative. Pierson practiced some on Sunday and is expected to play against Oklahoma State.
- Wide receiver Andrew Turzilli
leads the team in receiving yards with 212 even though he did not catch a pass in the first two games of the season. Weis said there is a lot of upside to him.
- Weis said he hasn't been happy with the second-half performance and will address that with players and coaches, hoping for better second-half turnouts. Kansas has been outscored 84-43 in the second half of games this season, and has only scored two total points in the second half of conference games.
Edited by Sarah McCabe
BASKETBALL
Women's team strives for more conference wins
Coach Henrickson wants a Jayhawk Big 12 title
NATHAN FORDYCE
nfordyce@kansan.com
Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, the KU women's basketball team has one goal: to improve everyday.
Senior point guard Angel Goodrich, who was named pre-season first team All-Big 12, looks at the high expectations for the No. 25 ranked Jayhawks as just another reason for them to work hard.
"Our expectation is to pick up where we left off last year," Goodrich said. "Just get better everyday and not take steps back. You should be hungry to get back there again."
But for head coach Bonnie Henrickson, building on the success from the Sweet 16 starts in the Big 12, particularly in Allen Fieldhouse.
"We have to win more games in our league. We played with more confidence on the road with a do-or-die attitude trying to get in. We have to transfer that into league play," Henrickson said. "And I thought there were too many nights in Allen Fieldhouse we were flat."
Henrickson said she has addressed the team's performance inside Allen Fieldhouse. She also said that the team needs to play
with more energy and consistencey no matter where it is.
"I don't really know why it's happened," Goodrich said. "Home court is supposed to be your home court, and no one is supposed to beat you."
One of the big issues for the Jayhawks, whether they are playing on the road or at home, will be getting senior forward Carolyn Davis back from a torn ACL injury and playing at a high-caliben level.
Davis, who received a pre-season All-Big 12 honorable mention, said she feels completely healthy. Henrickson agrees and said there is "not a
Davis
doubt in my mind" she's 100 per cent healthy.
"I haven't seen anything that makes me think she can't be what she was," Henrickson said of last season's leader scorer.
One key to the Jayhawks' shot at a Big 12 title and ultimately a NCAA tournament appearance will rest on the team's improvements on defense.
"We have to guard better. That just eats me up." Hendricks said. "We have to rebound better.
Offensively we've been good, but defensively we have to keep people in front of us."
Goodrich said that on-ball defending, especially one-on-one defending, will be the main concern for the Jayhawks as they try to improve on what they did from last season.
Goodrich led the nation in assists per game at 7.4, which allowed the Jayhawks to cut down their playbook while also allowing Goodrich and her teammates to run more often.
Henrickson said that she and men's basketball coach Bill Self talk about recruiting players who make plays. That gives the players and the coaches more flexibility.
"Being able to be in transition, that's what Angel allows us to do," Henrickson said. "Angel has cut my playbook in half, which I love."
Last season, the Jayhawks averaged 68.8 points per game during the regular season. Davis said fans should watch for both the offense and defense to improve this year.
Edited by Brian Sisk
"They should just watch for our offensive game to burst, and a better defensive unit as a team will be a lot better than last year," Davis said.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Senior guard Angel Goodrich talks to the press at the women's basketball media day on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse. Goodrich was named to the presason All-Big 12 team.