FOOTBALL Football coach Mark Mangino has known Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops' family for more than 20 years PAGE 38
SPORTS
possi-
than it has at has said.
o wasgn anter at memorial
ere to
owards
mony
s pub-
"the
sign and
people's
r Paul
sear the
a very
oward
isibility
nasizes
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2004
Kansas University linebacker Gabe Toomey wraps up Tulsa University tight end Cory Hathaway during a game earlier this season. The Jayhawks are gearing up for an away tilt against top ranked Oklahoma this coming Saturday.
Jayhawks rested, ready
Kansas File Photo
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
www.kansan.com
Gabe Toomey said he had his best practice of the season Monday. The senior linebacker said his legs felt fresh and all of his bumps and bruises had healed.
After three days of rest and relaxation, that was the feeling among the rest of the Kansas football team. The team practiced Thursday afternoon but had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off because its bye week came during the University of Kansas' fall break.
Sophomore quarterback Adam Barmann said he went home to Weston, Mo., to spend time with his family and watch college football.
"It was a really relaxing weekend," Barmann said. "It was good to get away and spend time at home."
Kansas coach Mark Mangino said he thought his team was refreshed after the time off.
"We have had two very good practices this week," Mangino said. "We are looking forward to the challenge this week."
This will be the second consecutive year that Kansas' bye week came after an important victory. Last year's bye came after the Kansas' 35-14 victory over the Missouri. The Jayhawks faced the Tigers on Sept. 27, 2003, and didn't play again until Oct. 11, when they lost to Colorado in overtime.
The Jayhawks defeated their in-state rival, Kansas State, Oct. 9.
Defensive tackle Tim Allen said that after getting some rest, the team had a serious attitude.
"Now that the bye week is over, we have been really focused on this week's game," Allen said. "They are a great team. We need to play our best football."
Toomey said he spent most of his fall break sleeping and watching football.
"The bye week came at a perfect time." Toomey said. "Now we have to get back to playing football."
Toomey and Barmann said they watched this week's opponent, Oklahoma, play Kansas State last Saturday. The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Wildcats. 31-21.
"I thought that K-State played them well," Barmann said. "But Oklahoma is a great team and we will have to play even better this week."
Mangino told his players that, because of the way the Big 12 schedule works, most of the players on the team
will only get one chance to play a game in Norman, Okla. All six teams in the Big 12 North play each other every year, but alternate the campus they play on. Big 12 North teams play three Big 12 South teams every year, playing the same group of three for two consecutive years. So Kansas will face Oklahoma twice in the next four years, this year in Norman, Okla., and next year in Lawrence.
his only opportunity to play in Norman.
"It is fun to play in places like that," Barmann said of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. "I will probably never get to play in a place like that again."
Toomey said that makes it even more important for the Jayhawks to play well.
"We have a lot on the line," Toomey said. "We need to go down there and just play a good game."
Barmann said this would probably be — Edited by Bill Cross
Top recruit chooses Longhorns
BY JESSE NEWELL
jnewell@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
C. J. Miles, a 6-foot-5 high school guard from Dallas, announced his decision to attend the University of Texas at a press conference yesterday.
The senior, ranked 26th overall by Rivals.com, considered Kansas and Georgia Tech before committing to Texas and coach Rick Barnes. Miles also received offers from North Carolina, Arizona, Oklahoma, Illinois and Oklahoma State.
"The Texas basketball program is on the way up." Miles told Rivals.com. "I think we can win a national championship."
Kansas coach Bill Self originally recruited both Miles and his summer league teammate Kevin Rogers. But after signing forward Julian Wright, Self was forced to withdraw his offer to Rogers, who signed with Baylor.
Kansas has one scholarship
remaining for next year after signing Wright and guards Mario Chalmers and Micah Downs. Self might offer the scholarship to Martynas Pocius, a 6-foot-5 guard who attended Late Night, or might choose to save the scholarship for the 2006 season.
Pocius, originally from Lithuania, will visit Duke this weekend before making a decision between the two schools. Pocius is expected to make his decision during the next two weeks.
Jerry Smith, whom Rivals.com ranks 27th in the class of 2006, has already decided to return for an official visit to Kansas next year after his experience at
MILES
Kansas basketball notes
Late Night.
"The visit to Kansas was definitely an exciting time." Smith told Rivals.com. "I am really wide open right now, but Kansas increased their chances of getting me on campus after I graduate."
- Cole Aldrich, a 6-foot-10 sophomore from Bloomington, Minn., also enjoyed his visit to Late Night.
"Kansas is right at the top of my list." Aldrich told Rivals.com. "I know that I have a lot of time left before I need to make any decisions about my future, but Kansas is definitely my leader."
The Kansas men's basketball team will begin tryouts for walk-on candidates at 7 p.m. Monday in Allen Fieldhouse.
Aldrich, ranked the sixth-best player in his class, is also receiving interest from Arizona, Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Any Kansas student wanting to out will need to show up at 6:30 p.m.
on Monday with proof of health insurance and proof of a physical exam taken during the past year. Students can have an exam at Watkins Health Center, if needed.
The men's basketball office, 864-3056, will answer any questions about the process.
Kansas is only five days into the new season, but coach Bill Self has already had to deal with three groin injuries.
Guards Stephen Vinson and Jeremy Case did not participate in the Late Night scrimmage because of groin injuries, and freshman forward Alex Galindo was held out of practice earlier this week with a similar ailment.
Case bruised his pelvic bone while stretching for a pick-up game, and Vinson was injured after slipping on a towel at the team's preseason conditioning drills.
Edited by Bill Cross
JEAN SHORT MADNESS
RYAN GREENE
rgreene@kansan.com
Voucher debacle raises questions
I had a high school geography teacher who had a rule about grades: You could not discuss any qualms you had about your grade with him until after a 48-hour cooling-off period after getting back your paper.
It's a politically correct strategy and fits the situations of the thousands of students who waited in line for hours on Monday in the cold outside of Allen Fieldhouse. I heard horror stories from friends and even walked by there to catch a glimpse of it. There were the guys who brought the IDs of 30 of their fraternity brothers, holding up the lines. There were the people offering $20 for someone to stand in line for them so they could go to class. There were the people calling Lew Perkins' office leaving nasty voicemails.
After Monday's fiasco, I will sell back my tickets to the athletics department and take the $95 instead. This is not to protest the department, but I, like many students, have enough stress in my life already that waiting three hours just to pick up tickets would be very low on my personal agenda.
But that was about the only conclusion I came to. After talking with friends and co-workers for the past two days, here are some questions that need to be answered.
1) What the hell was Andy Knopp thinking?
It was our Student Body President last year who approved giving up the section behind the Kansas bench in exchange for money for unnecessary projects such as a pool at the Student Fitness Recreation Center. The student seats were already bad enough compared to schools such as Duke and Michigan State, whose students sit courtside. Knopp gave up our best section, and don't forget, he was from Manhattan. Coincidence?
2) Where was Lew Perkins?
He certainly was not where he should have been: walking the lines, answering to students and explaining the department's decisions. He is the highest-paid athletics director in the conference. Would it have hurt him so much to get some pizza or doughnuts for his most loyal and proud fans?
He already disenchanted season ticket holders with the points system. Now he's messing with the students, who are the biggest part of the atmosphere at KU basketball games. Pissing them off could come back to bite him down the road.
3) What was wrong with the old ticket system?
Remember walking up with your
SEE VOUCHERS ON 6B
'Hawks dig those defensive specialists
BY BILL CROSS
bcross@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
In volleyball, position names are generally straightforward. The middle blocker, outside hitter and setter do exactly what their names suggest: They block, hit and set, respectively.
The same rule applies for a defensive specialist.
"We specialize in defense," sophomore Dani Wittman said blithely.
In essence, the roles of Wittman and sophomore starter Jamie Mathewson are the same as that of the libero, a fulltime player whose sole responsibility is
WITTMAN
defense. But a defensive specialist enters the lineup only when front-line players, who are less agile and less equipped for digging, must move to the back row during a rotation.
"We only play three rotations," Wittman said. "Whereas the
libero is in the game all six rotations."
In the Kansas lineup, Mathewson and Wittman usually replace senior middle blocker Ashley Michaels.
Coach Ray Bechard said his staff
MATHEWSON
evaluated the two specialists before each match and made a decision on how much to use them based on their strengths and how they were matched against the strengths of the opposing team.
"They're similar athletes," he said.
"But one of Jamie's strengths is her ability to read and dig. And Dani, one of her strengths is serve receptions."
Flexibility at this position has benefited the team this season.
--replaced Dorsev.
Dorsey said either player could fill her shoes.
Because of the graduation of senior Jill Dorsey, one of these players will likely move to the full-time libero position in 2005, but Wittman said it didn't matter who got the job.
"They'll both be good," she said.
"We played Dani to shake things up a little bit," Bechard said. "Each day we decide how we could use each of them."
Wittman played every game against Kansas State and led a defensive effort that forced the No.16 Wildcats into five sets.
"They'll both be good," she said. Bechard said the transition to libero would be easy for whoever
Bechard said some defensive adjustments may be in order for the team's next opponent, Oklahoma. The Sooners have played well recently and defeated the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday.
"We train all three of them the same way," he said of the libero and defensive specialists.
"They've been struggling in the conference." Bechard said of the Sooners. "This win will give them confidence, and I'm sure we'll see their best effort."
8
The match begins at 7 tonight in Norman, Okla.
-Edited by Paige Worthy
---