8A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2004
Post players battle for position
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWATER
Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self doesn't know whom he will start in the Jayhawks' first exhibition game Sunday against Emporia State, but he does know one thing. He has a roster of big men that coaches usually only dream about.
He has four players competing for the right to start next to senior forward Wayne Simien. Junior forward Christian Moody and three freshmen — Darnell Jackson, C.J. Giles and Sasha Kaun — are all auditioning for plaving time in the post.
Self said all of the guys had practiced well to date, and practice this week should determine who earns the starting honors.
"We could start Christian Moody. We could start Sasha or Darnell, depending on how this thing plays out," Self said. "They have all done well, and all of them showed flashes of doing great, but nobody has outplayed anybody else."
Self said he was not hung up on who would start Sunday because it would most likely not be indicative of the regular season starting rotation. All of the potential starters will play as part of a nine- or 10-man rotation, but because injuries had prevented some players from
practicing, Self said he didn't know whom he would go with on Sunday.
GILES
KAUN
Self should welcome this situation after last season, when depth in the post was a problem and foul trouble plagued the Jayhawks. He can play several different rotations because each of the big men are capable of contributing. Everyone on
JACKSON
the team expects that all three freshmen playing in the post will make an impact this year, but each has the ability to do so in a different way.
"They all three will do well this year." Moody said. "But they all have different skill that shine above others at times."
Kaun, at 6-foot-11, has the biggest body, is the best rebounder and has been the most consistent in practice, Self said.
Kaun's size could be an advantage on the defensive side of the ball, where he could be matched up with an opposing team's center.
MOODY
This would allow Simien to match up against a power forward, creating a size advantage for Simien.
Jackson's flashes of greatness have come in transition passing. Self and his players have echoed the same praise: this kid can pass the rock.
Giles s advantage could come from his ath-
letitium and ability to create his own shot, an element that Kansas lacked last year from its post players.
When Simien faced double teams, the Jayhawks didn't have another offensive threat in the post. Giles, who has his weight up to about 235 pounds after losing 15 pounds because of food poisoning, has shown offensive potential, Self said.
Senior guard Mike Lee agreed that Giles had a knack for finding opportunities to score.
"C.J. does a great job of being real active," Lee said. "He's athletic and can get off the ball pretty quick and create a lot of shots,
and he gets up and down the floor real well."
Mmoody, the veteran of the group, has the advantage of simply understanding the system better than the freshmen. Self said he was the best perimeter defender of the post players, but at 6-7 and 205 pounds, he is the smallest, which would force Simien to guard an opponent's center.
Sunday's game will be an opportunity for the freshmen and some of the reserve players to show what they can do against another team.
Self has said that because of injuries, he would try to limit the play of Simien, senior guard Keith Langford and sophomore guard J.R. Giddens if the Jayhawks had a significant lead.
So it is likely that all of the freshmen except Alex Galindo will see significant minutes.
Self said that above all, he wanted the freshmen to play sound basketball.
"What they need to do is guard and rebound, reverse the ball and screen," Self said. "If they do those things they are going to have the chance to play a lot. They don't have to be the go-to guy. They just have to help the team get better, and doing those things will help the team get better."
Edited by Jon Ralston
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
ROUND TWO: Kansas faces Texas in next tournament game
Gillifian had frantically chased down a loose ball for nearly 20 seconds before sending a rainbow pass toward the goal.
"The ball was going out of bounds, so I was just trying to keep it in play." Gilfillan said. "I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I put the ball up in a lot of traffic, and Geha did a great job finishing the play."
Iowa State hadn't mounted a serious scoring threat to that point, but consistently attacked the Kansas goal for the remainder of the first half.
"I thought at 2-0 we really let down," said coach Mark Francis. "Our intensity went down, and we stopped doing things we did well before that point."
Miller punted the ball away in frustration, and at that moment it seemed the eighth-seeded Cyclones posed a real threat to the Jayhawks.
But the Kansas defense raised its level of play for the remainder of the game, and Miller recorded three saves along the way.
Iowa State cut into the Kansas lead in the first half when freshman forward Stephanie Kaphingt headed a ball past senior goalie Meghan Miller.
The Kansas offense got back
"When I get scored on I pick up my focus," Miller said. "I don't want to let another goal get by me."
in its groove in the 61st minute when Geha recorded her second goal of the game, her fourth of the year. She scored the unassisted goal when she snaked a low shot past two Iowa State defenders and placed the ball in the left edge of the net.
Sophomore defender Holly Gault put the finishing touches on the 4-1 victory when she scored in the game's 74th minute. She scored her fourth goal of the season by making her way through a handful of Cyclone defenders. Gault received a pass from sophomore midfielder Michelle Rasmussen and drilled a shot from eight yards out past Iowa State's goalie, freshman Joanna Haig.
Francis said his team's improved second-half performance was in large part due to a speech he gave at halftime.
“At halftime, I riped into the team a little bit,” Francis said. “I told them we beat these guys 4-0 on Friday, and now we have to put them away again.”
Kansas will try to avenge one of its two conference losses tomorrow against Texas. The Longhorns posted a 2-0 victory against Nebraska in its first-round game. The Jayhawks' 0-1 loss to Texas on Oct. 24 forced Kansas to share its Big 12 regular season title with Texas A&M.
BROTHERS: Team takes on fundraising responsibilities
Edited by Marissa Stephenson
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
Q: Have you two broken any bones or had any teeth knocked out?
D: Ive never been injured.
Last year there was someone
that severed their Achilles tendon
in our first exhibition game.
Someone a couple games ago got a concussion, too.
Q: Do you like promoting your own games or does it get frustrating?
G: It's not frustrating; it's more a matter of organization and money because we spend most of our money on ice time.
Q: Where does most of the money for the team come from?
D: There's definitely room for money to be made so we don't have to pay so much in dues.
We don't have much to spend on advertising and stuff like that and we need to get sponsors, but we have to do all that ourselves.
That's kind of frustrating,
we're just not organized enough
to make a lot of money
fundraising.
G: Most of the money actually comes from dues at this point. Everybody pays to play on the team.
What that money goes to is based on how much other money we can raise. It's all nonprofit but it's like if we pay for dues that pays for ice, but then we have to pay for our own gas for road trips — if we have a sponsor we don't have to do that.
D: We ordered KU hats and hoodies that we're going to sell and that's pretty much all the fundraising we've had time to do.
Q: What's the best thing about being on the hockey team?
D: Hanging out with the team.
D: Hanging out with the team.
G: I'd say the best part of being on the hockey team is playing hockey and being able to play with other people that really want to play hockey — that's what does it for me.
It's not the same unless you
"Between hockey and drinking.
there isn't time left for much else."
Dave Knight Team treasurer
have a team that wants to play. Do players try out?
Q: Do players try out:
G: We'll definitely have a tryout next week — we'll probably have two teams next year so we'll have a troutout for that.
D: What usually happens is that 25 or 30 guys will show up and the players that are the worst all just kind of decide they don't want to play. It's kind of like a natural tryout.
Q: After fundraising, practicing,
playing games and traveling, is it hard to find time for school work?
G: Well, I'd say we definitely have a lot of fifth- or sixth-year seniors, but I don't think that's hockey联办.
D: Or drinking related.
Between hockey and drinking there isn't time left for much else.
G: There's a commitment, as far as practice and games to be at. But really we practice twice a week. It's not a humongous commitment and you just have to be committed to it. Some guys bring homework on the road but it usually doesn't get done.
Q: Do you guys take out frustrations on the ice?
D: Yeah, I guess it s a good release.
D: Most of the other teams we play against are much more dirty than we are. When we play against a team like Mizzou much more people lose their heads.
I would say that if you get adrenaline and enough anger built up against the other team you can release it all.
Kucera is an Omaha, Neb., senior in journalism.
FORWARD: Galindo practices for first time since groin injury
Moody said in addition to becoming a better player, Kaun had been able to loosen up in past weeks.
"Sasha was kind of nervous to start out up there, but he's really come along in practice and come a long ways," Moody said. "I know he's looking forward to shining on Sunday."
Kaun's also looking forward to proving to himself that he's not misplaced any longer.
"Then everything was so new to me, I felt lost," Kaun said. "Now, I kind of have an idea of where to go and when to go."
Javhawk basketball notes
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
Sophomore guard Jeremy Case and junior guard Stephen Vinson are still out of practice with groin injuries. Freshman forward Alex Galindo, also afflicted with a groin injury,
Self hasn't ruled on whether Galindo will play in the first exhibition game Sunday against Emporia State.
practiced for the first time yesterday.
"If he's healthy, I think we'll try to some, though I'm not sure how much." Self said. "Certainly I think we'll try to give everybody a chance to play if possible on Sunday."
Freshman center Giles and freshman guard Russell Robinson are recovering from mild injuries of their own.
Giles returned to practice this week after sitting out last week with shin splints.
Robinson has a jammed thumb on his left hand and a sprained pointer finger on his right.
"It kind of hurts from time to time, but it's something I'll play through," Robinson said.
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UNIVERSITY DANCE COMPANY
The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Department of Music Dance presents
FALL
CONCERTS
2004
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER:
Michael Simms
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 4th
Friday, Nov. 5th
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Tickets on sale at the Lied Center, Murphy Hall, and SUA Box offices: $10 public, $7 students and senior citizens. Call 864-ARTS (2787) for tickets.
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