4B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASKETBALL
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2004
Bad memories motivate Lee
BY JESSE NEWELL
jnewell@kansan.com
KANNEN'S SportSWITTER
Mike Lee had that shot every kid dreamed about while shooting hoops in the driveway.
National championship game,
2003. Down by three. Clock running down. Four seconds, three
seconds...
Lee stood in the left corner of the Louisiana Superdome, lining up the shot — his shot — the one he'd hit a thousand times while shooting with no one else around.
Lee released the shot — his shot — the one that felt good off the fingertips and after it left his hand.
But the shot would never make it to the basket. This is where the dream goes wrong.
Syracuse guard Hakim Warrick, whom Lee did not see, rushed to the shooter, blocking the shot before it had a chance at destiny.
Now, all Lee wants is another shot.
"Every time I think about it, it just eats at me. It kills me," Lee said. "I haven't watched that more than five times. I can even remember sometimes watching the game and I cut it off before it even gets to that point."
- * *
Lee stops, brings his hand up to cover his mouth, then slowly pulls his fingers down toward his chin while looking down to the floor.
The pain still hasn't gone away.
"I mean, to be that close to a national title and not get it — it's
something that just don't go away easily," Lee said.
This summer was different than other summers for Mike Lee. Every morning he'd wake up. And every morning he'd think about the same thing.
"I just tried to focus on getting better each and every day," Lee said. "Every morning I woke up, I can honestly say that I was working. In my mind, I was thinking, I've got to get back to a national title." That's all I want. I've got one more year left. I've come a long way to this point, and I want to go out the right war."
But Lee did more than just think about getting back to the national championship. He worked harder than he ever had before.
Every day, in addition to classes, he made sure to attend extra weight training, spend extra time in the gym and do extra work.
"I made sure every day that I tried to do something to better myself," Lee said. "I just felt like it was about time. Obviously, my senior year is my last year, and I want to be able to do whatever I can to win a national championship."
As a result, he showed up to early season practices in the best shape on the team. Coach Bill Self complimented his work ethic, saying he had the best pre-season of any of the players.
"He's approaching each practice and each time out like it's the end of the year, which is what you have to do." Self said. "That's who
he's playing so well "
Lee knows this is his last opportunity.
Lee's not the only one who thinks this is his time.
The senior guard said his parents also inspired him to work harder, and helped him define his goals for this season.
"I had a lot of talks with my father and my mom, some just about me personally and what I felt like I could bring to the game and bring to the team," Lee said. "We talked about just stepping outside of myself a little bit and letting go this year and doing everything I can."
Lee said the talks focused him on the task at hand and becoming the best possible player he could be.
And, although he said he wished his father didn't always know best, Lée said this time he thought it was wise to listen.
"Me and my dad talk a lot about what he feels like I can be doing as a basketball player and how he sees me fitting into the team," Lee said. "I don't agree with everything he says, but for the most part, he's right, so I try to take that in and try to bring that out on the court."
Lee has also worked to change his presence on the court. As a senior, he now leads his teammates by example.
"He's always had a good attitude, but his attitude's even better, and it was good before." Sell said about this year's Lee. "He's
a leader. He's confident. He's more focused. And just watch him walk around here. He acts like this is his team."
Lee knows time is running out. This should be his team
Lee will tell you he tries to keep it out of his mind, but the blocked shot always seems to come back.
"I try as much as possible to not revert back to the shot that got blocked," Lee said. "I try not to think about it."
Lee stops to look up, and you can almost see the four seconds running through his mind once again.
Yes, Mike Lee still thinks about the shot — his shot.
Mike Lee will always remember the baseline shot he missed against Syracuse in the 2003 national championship game. But he hopes to replace that memory with a hannier one from this season.
Jared Soares/KANSAN
"It felt good," Lee said, "but we'll never know because Warrick made a great play. That's going to go down in history as one of the greatest plays of all time."
Lee hasn't thought much about how he would like the storybook ending to turn out this season. He is more concerned with taking back his dream.
"The perfect scenario is just to win it," Lee said. "As long as on that last day in April we're cutting down dins, that's all that matters. I don't care if it takes five overtimes or if we put it away late, as long as we win."
"Because believe me, it hurts to get that far and lose in that game. That hurts. I don't want that feeling anymore."
Lee knows the feeling all too well — in fact, it's made him
what he is today. It's gotten him into the best shape of his life and helped him become a leader. It's made him mature and heightened his appreciation for his final college season.
And it's made him appreciate the shot he had, and also the one
he has.
"I feel like I was fortunate to even be in that situation. I try to use that as fuel to let me keep going." Lee said. "Hopefully, this year, I'll get another shot at it."
- Edited by Janette Crawford
New conditioning program has guard primed for success
By BLI Cross
bcross@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Senior guard Blair Waltz has played basketball at Kansas for four years. Before that, she earned 12 varsity letters in high school in basketball, volleyball and softball. The senior guard was recruited by Division I schools in all three sports.
But she's a better athlete now than she ever been.
She credited first-year coaches Bonnie Henrickson and Andrea Hudy with the change.
"They have put us in the best possible position," Waltz said. "The conditioning is the hardest it's been since I've been here."
"It's a hundred times different," Waltz said of her physical condition compared to previous years. "I think we're all in the best shape we can be."
WALTZ
She said she hoped the greater work in the offseason would lead to less injuries on the court.
Waltz, who has been a key
in the Kansas rotation since she arrived in 2001 and started 14 games that season, has never had a problem with durability.
She sustained a stress fracture in her right foot as a freshman, but missed only four games. After playing every game her sophomore year, Waltz missed one game last season because of illness.
"I felt like I was missing out," she said of her five career missed games.
She said conditioning would be especially important this season, as the team fields only nine players.
"It's alright because most teams usually only have an eight-person rotation," she said. "We're obviously going to have to be in shape."
The 2004 preseason is off to a rocky start, though, as Waltz was not able to participate in the women's team's first-ever Late Night in the Phog scrimmage because of a jaw injury.
"I almost broke it during individual workouts," she said. "I was very, very, very disappointed."
Teammates said Waltz set the example in every workout and practice.
Sophomore guard Sharita
Smith said Waltz relished the leadership role.
"Some days, when we're down and we don't feel like being here, she's the type of person that picks us up and gets us back into it," she said.
Senior guard Aquanita Burras said other seniors admired Waltz's friendliness and on-the-court skills.
"Blair's a great role model to everybody on this team," she said. "I even look up to her as a basketball player and a person. She's very open to anybody's ideas or anyone. You can come up and talk to her."
roster short, so Waltz will likely see increased minutes. Last year, her total playing time was nearly half that of her sophomore season's.
Three transfers left this year's
Henrickson said she was pleased with Waltz's leadership and play in practice thus far.
"Blair has shot the ball well," she said.
Waltz said her only goal for this season was to see a superior effort out of all her teammates.
"We have to go out there and compete in every single game," she said. "Win or lose, we'll play until the end."
— Edited by Steve Vockrodt
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