HEARD ON THE HILL Students talk about their favorite sports traditions. PAGE 3B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26. 2004
www.kansan.com
Linebackers show depth
Jared Soares/KANSAN
Kansas linebackers Nick Reid and Gabe Toomey look to help anchor the defense. Together with Banks Floodman, the returners form a trusty trio for Kansas coach Mark Mangino.
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITTER
Editor's Note: As the Kansas football team prepares for its season-opener on Sept. 4, sportswriters Ryan Colianni and Jonathan Kealing will be taking a position-by-position look at the team's depth chart. A breakdown will appear every day leading up to the game.
The Kansas football team returns all three of its starting linebackers from last season.
Experience and accolades are abound in this year's linebacker com
Each player received some sort of
All-Big 12 honors last season.
Banks Floodman and Nick Reid, were both honorably mentioned on the All-Big 12 Team, while Gabriel Toomey was a third-team All-Big 12 selection.
"Nick and Banks are great players and great leaders on the team, and I think of myself in that category." Toomey said. "If someone needs a push or someone did a great job, one of us or all three of us are one of the first people there."
In addition to those honors, each received an individual award from the team. Floodman received the Nolan Cromwell Award for Leadership, Reid received the Willie Pless Award for
SEE LINEBACKERS ON PAGE 3B
Kansas freshman center Matt Kleinmann sits for an interview during a media day Aug. 19. The 6-foot-10 Blue Valley West product from Overland Park is a walk-on this season.
Jared Soares/ KANSAN
Kleinmann's dreams fulfilled
BY JESSE NEWELL
jnewell@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Editor's Note: Bill Self's first recruiting class at Kansas has been highly touted. Kansan sportswriter Jesse Newwell will profile each of this year's freshmen as they prepare for their first game as Jayhawks on Saturday, Sept. 4 in Vancouver, Canada.
There is one painting in Matt Kleinmann's room he didn't create. Though he won national awards for his oil images in high school, this particular one did not come from his own hand.
Framed on his wall is the painting titled "Jaydreamin'." The picture depicts a boy, sitting on a basketball in the yard of Allen Fieldhouse, staring at the Kansas shrine. Around the border of Kleinnmann's painting are autographs from 10 Kansas coaches and players, all received when Kleinnmann attended a Jayhawk basketball camp as a child.
Even as he considered scholarship offers to University of the Pacific and Valparaiso University, Kleinmann's room always seemed to bring him back to Kansas.
to Kansas.
“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Kleinmann said. “I’ve always been a big fan of Kansas. Living in Kansas you either love them or you love another team, and I’ve always loved Kansas.”
The 6-foot-10 Kleinmann, who grew up in Overland Park and attended Blue Valley West High School, is a Kansas walk-on this season, turning down offers from Yale, South Florida and The College of William & Mary to make his Jayhawk dream a reality. He also rejected an invitation to walk on to North Carolina's basketball team after receiving phone calls from UNC assistant coach and former Kansas player Jerod Haase.
In the end, Kleinmann said he thought Kansas was a better fit.
"I felt at ease with all the guys —
even more so than on some of the visits I went to," Kleinmann said. "It was just a really good connection with a lot of the guys and a lot of the coaches."
the guys at Kleinmann will have to fight for playing time among a talented Kansas front court. National Player of the Year candidate Wayne Simien returns, along with juniors Moulaye Niang and Christian Moody. The Jayhawks will also bring in highly touted freshmen forwards Sasha Kaun, C.J. Giles and Darnell Jackson, who will all battle for playing time.
Guards Russell Robinson and Alex Galindo round out the Kansas recruiting class.
Coach Bill Self said that Kleinmann,
despite being the only walk-on of the freshman group, had more than held his own in early practices.
"The freshmen are doing great, Matt Kleinmann included," Self said. "They are all six ahead of where I thought they'd be."
Kleinmann will not only have to fight for playing time, but also to win over fans and overturn a numerical curse. The freshman forward requested the number 54, but when the order came in, jersey number 44 was delivered instead. Public criticism of Eric Chenowith and David Padgett, who both donned the number 44, have caused Jayhawk fans to be apprehensive about players who wear the number.
"For me, it's not a big deal," Kleinmann said. "A number doesn't mean anything, it's how you play."
The forward said he had already been approached by fans about the supposed hex.
"People say, 'You have the same number as Padgett and Chenowith,' said Kleinmann. "They were good players often times."
"It's just a number to me, and right now, I'm just happy to have a number," Kleinmann said.
And happy to be a part of Kansas basketball, where Kleinmann has the opportunity to live out his Jaydreams.
— Edited by Janette Crawford
Hard road ahead for women's basketball
BY PAUL BRAND
pbrand@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
In her first year as a Jayhawk, women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson will become familiar with Allen Fieldhouse.
During the 2004- 2005 season, the women's basketball team is slated to play 18 home games.
"As with any team, the more home games, the more comfortable the team is," associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said.
HENRICKSON
jim Marchionny said.
Marchionny also said that the hefty home schedule was especially important considering the transitional period the program was undergoing.
Following exhibition games against Fort Hays State on Nov. 9
a iii California All-Stars on Nov. 16, the Jayhawks will open the regular season on Nov. 21 against UT Arlington.
After five home games, Kansas will begin its road schedule on Dec. 5 with an early season test against Big Ten power
team,the more home games, the more
comfortable the team is."
Jim Marchiony Associate athletic director
Big Ten power Minnesota.
Although the Golden Gophers made a Final Four appearance in the 2004 NCAA tournament, Marchiony said the Jayhawks would approach every game with the same attitude.
"I don't think any one game is more important than any other one," Marchiony said.
After closing out the non-conference schedule, the Jayhawks will open the Big 12 Conference schedule with one of its toughest conference foes.
The conference road opener will take Kansas to Texas on Jan. 5 when it will face the defending Big 12 champion Longhorns.
The Jayhawks will host Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Baylor while hitting the road to take on Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 3B
Beyond the sport: Crew member's insights
Each week this semester, I'll be interviewing a different athlete from a different sport. The idea is to get into the mind of the athletes and show what they think about on and off the field, and to get past the repetitive statistics that can bore the occasional sports fan. Questions will range from what the athletes like about their sport to religion, family, politics — you get the point.
Today's focus is on Kansas Crew club member Stephen Elliott. Soft-spoken Stephen, Anthony junior, does not have the stereotypical build of a crew member. With a 6-foot-6, 270-pound frame, he is built more like a down lineman than a rower. Just returning from a summer of rowing for the Penn Athletic Club in Philadelphia, Stephen is entering his third year with Kansas Crew.
Rowing takes a lot of discipline The sport is demanding, and in order to excel you have to be able to work hard and develop good technique.
Stephen Elliott's deep thoughts:
Early practice (6:00 a.m.) is a good
thing because you get done early and it's out of the way,but the downside is you have to wake up and go to bed early.
Girls at Kansas are no different than girls anywhere else — beautiful. (Note: He said that with a laugh.)
My parents are divorced. Family is a really important thing in our society, and in recent times it has almost been destroyed. A family is a place where there's always going to be unconditional love for someone to come back to, and without that love, things will start to break down.
- Parties are good because we all need time to blow off a little steam and enjoy ourselves.
Music helps to push you along.
■ When you really enjoy classes, they're not so bad. It's important to have a healthy attitude toward learning-
It's important to have a spiritual side. Personally, I go to church every Sunday. I'm Roman Catholic — maybe not so faithful as I was in high school
SPORTS COMMENTARY
SHANE KUCERA
skucera@kansan.com
The priests at the St. Lawrence Catholic Center really helped me to find a spiritual side of life and become a better person as a result.
Success is a willingness to adapt to any situation you may find yourself in. Coming out of high school you're faced with this new world of college, and it's tough.
Life is too complicated to live by just one motto.
Personally, I really think Bush is a good president.
SEE BEYOND ON PAGE 3B
Kit Leffler/KANSAN
Stephen Elliott, Anthony junior, hands out fliers to passers-by in front of Strong Hall yesterday afternoon to generate interest in the Kansas Crew club.
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