SPORTS OVERVIEW Sportswriter Paul Brand finds the top 10 prides of KU sports, leaving nothing unexamined. PAGE 3B
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19,2004
Mangino nabs top recruit
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
Kansas football pulled off an in-state coup with an oral commitment from Ottawa High senior Caleb Blakesley.
Blakesley is rated the number one prospect in the state of Kansas, according to rivals.com. He received offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Wyoming and also interest from Missouri, Colorado State and Northwestern.
Northwestern. In choosing Kansas, Blakeley ignored the more well-known in-state football program, Kansas State. He said it was hard to turn down the school's tradition.
"You always want to be part of a winning program," Blakesley said. "But
KU's going to be a very good program in a couple years. It's going to compete with good schools."
www.kansan.com
At Ottawa, Blakesley was called on to play both offense and defense, because the team would only have 30 or 40 players join the team each year.
Most schools that showed interest in Blakesley recruited him to play offense. His passion, however, is on the other side of the ball.
"There's more intensity on defense," he said.
Blakesley said that because of the nature of his position, the defensive side allowed him to attack, while the offensive side only permitted him to contain.
Kansas recruited Blakesley as a defensive end. NCAA recruiting regulations prohibit coaches from making
public comments about any unsigned recruits.
As Blakesley is only an oral commitment, coach Mark Mangino was unable to comment on Blakesley or why Kansas preferred Blakesley on defense.
Now that Blakesley will have the opportunity to devote his attention to the one side, he will be able to put all his energy there.
Pat Boeh, Blakesley's high school coach, said that could mean good things for Kansas.
"Caleb's gotten better each year," he said.
Boeh also said that part of the reasoning behind Blakesley's decision to choose Kansas was that Kansas seemed "very interested" from the beginning.
Blakesley also liked the accessibility he had at Kansas.
Blakesley received all-state honors for his play as both a defense end and offensive lineman last season. Boeh said that Blakesley never wanted to come off the field.
"The coaches at Kansas seemed much more personable than the ones at K-State," he said.
"Caleb is a leader in our school," Boch said. "He has great character and is a great worker."
With the addition of Blakesley, Kansas has increased its 2005 class to four members. Three of the four are from Kansas, and comprise half of the top six players on rivals.com's Kansas Top 12 list.
Edited by Marissa Stephenson
Chris Tyrrell, center, is one of a trio of punters and kickers who will provide competition for Johnny Beck this fall. Others who will push Beck are red-shirt freshman Scott Webb, left and junior Kyle Tucker, right.
Kicking position is Beck's to lose
Ridicule, past failures and competition help player to find motivation
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
Editor's Note: As the Kansas football team prepares for its season opener against Tulsa on Saturday, Sept. 4, sportswriters Ryan Colaiani and Jonathan Kealing will be taking a position-by-position look at the team's depth chart. A position breakdown will appear every day leading up to the game.
He was the object of many jokes last season on campus when he struggled. Now it appears that senior kicker Johnny Beck is back and in the best shape of his career.
"Johnny Beck looks better than he ever has," coach Mark Mangino said. "We feel like we are moving forward in that area."
The kicker position is Beck's
job to lose as he comes in with three years of experience and a successful offseason behind him. But pushing Beck are red-shirt freshman Scott Webb and junior Jerod Brooks, who will be quick to step in if Beck begins to struggle again this season.
Last season Beck went 9 of 16 in field goal opportunities, but he missed three extra points, finishing 31 of 54. This caused Mangino to have Brooks handle some of the shorter field goal opportunities and points after touchdown.
"I expect to go out there and make every kick," Beck said. "If I don't make every kick, I just bounce back and make the next one."
"Competition is good, because every day in practice is like a game," Beck said.
When Beck struggled last year,
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"They're fans and I am here to play for their school." Beck said. "If I don't do my job, they have the right to say what they want to say."
Beck made sure not to lose his confidence when he struggled last season, he said. So far, that confidence has kept him at the top of the depth chart.
With Beck leading the way for the kicker position, Webb and Brooks are using the competition to become better kickers.
"They all have good potential, and I like the guys a whole lot." Beck said. "I hope they are successful, and I hope to contribute to that."
Look for Beck to be the opening day starter against Tulsa, but if he begins to struggle, look for Webb to take over the kicking duties.
The team also must replace arguably the team's best player from last season, graduated punter Curtis Ansel, who is now a member of the Detroit Lions.
"Chris Tyrrell and Kyle Tucker are battling it out for punter and are being scrutinized very closely." Mangino said.
Tyrrell, a senior, has the leg up for the starting job. He did not see any action last year but split kickoff duties with Beck during his sophomore season and became the starting punter in his redshirt freshman season. During that year he averaged 40.5 yards per punt.
Tucker, a freshman from Katy, Texas, doubled as his team's place kicker in high school but will be ready to fill the punter role if Tyrrell goes down to injury.
Edited by Bill Cross
SPORTS COMMENTARY
FRED A. DAVIS III editor@kansan.com
Perkins developing KU legacy
There are a few dates in recent memory of particular importance to Jayhawk fans: Apr. 4, 1988, at Kemper Arena rings a bell. Another significant pair are Apr. 14, 2003, when the coach formerly known as Roy Williams left the University of Kansas, and Apr. 21, 2003, when Bill Self made his way to Mount Oread.
Now there is a new date for Jayhawk fans to remember: Jun. 10, 2003, the day Lew Perkins was announced as the new athletic director. Perkins came to the University in a whirlwind of expectations, hype and credentials. But most importantly, he came with the promise of results. It did not take long for the "Lew Mojo" to start working its magic at the University.
"We want to develop that swagger and confidence. Some people will say that's arrogance. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with being arrogant—it's positive."
Lew Perkins, Kansas athletics director, during his introductory press conference
Although the swagger isn't quite back, there has been a rebirth of confidence under Perkins's direction that began months after his arrival. Last fall, Jayhawk sports experienced unprecedented success.
dented success. The volleyball team enjoyed its best season ever, finishing with its highest conference standing and making its first trip to the NCAA tournament, knocking out a perennial powerhouse in their opener before bowing out in the second round.
The soccer team also had its best season in its brief nine-year history, setting a University record with 18 wins and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
And let's not forget the football team. Who? Oh yeah, the football team. All they did last year was come out of absolutely nowhere, finishing the regular season with a 6-6 record, and earning a bowl bid for only the ninth time in the school's history.
I understand that the success of these teams cannot be completely attributed to Lew Perkins — after all, he had nothing to do with the hiring of the coaches, nor does he suit up for any of the teams. But one cannot discount the mere presence of the "Lew Mojo." Shortly after his arrival in Lawrence, he made a point to sit down with the captains of all the sports teams to discuss their concerns and needs as representatives of the crimson and blue.
Point is, Lew knows what it takes to get the job done and make this school a winner again.
SEE DAVIS ON PAGE 2B
University of Kansas leads NCAA academic reform
BY JENNIFER SHER
jsher@kansan.com
KANSAN'S SPORTWRITER
The reform, which Chancellor Robert Hemenway leads as chairman of the NCAA board of directors, will require athletes' schedules to remain on track for graduation. Additional resources, such as tutoring, are also in the plan.
University of Kansas and NCAA officials have a new goal: All athletes should be on the track to graduation.
"This is the most significant reform we have embarked on," Hemenway said.
The goal of the academic reform is to establish and maintain a collegiate model of athletics, preventing college sports from becoming a replica of the pros, he said.
"If you are an athlete, the University will do everything it can to help you receive a degree," Hemenway said.
HEMENWAY
Hemenway outlined the basic academic requirements of this
new program, which aims to ensure student athletes make progress toward a degree each year.
Reform begins at the high school level, where within two years student-athletes will be required to pass 16 core classes, instead of the 14 classes now required. Also, high school athletes will have to pass a standardized test.
In the first year of college, student athletes will be required to complete 24 credit hours toward a degree. Each following year, they must make 20 percent progress toward their degree.
Hemenway and the NCAA board are discussing the option of adding a fifth year of athletic eligibility, but that has not been finalized.
The University offers resources, including one-on-one and instructional tutoring, to help student athletes achieve their academic goals. These resources are available through Student Support Services, located at the Hale Achievement Center in the Wagnon Student Athlete Center.
Nicole Braman, junior soccer forward, said she used these resources because the team has
Melody Granzow, co-director of the Strategic Tutoring Program for student-athletes, outlined changes for this year.
University compliance offi
heavy game school.
“There are unlimited tutors that help you catch up if you miss class, but we are not allowed to miss a class for any other reason but a game,” Braman said. “The tutors are a big help so we do not get behind and suffer in academics.”
heavv game schedules.
Tutors are being continually retrained to make sure they meet the highest academic standards, Granzow said.
"We want to run a clean program, train properly and keep up with the NCAA," Granzow said.
cials talk to the tutors about NCAA rules and regulations to make sure the University meets all NCAA standards.
Hemenway said the University led the way in student-athlete academic reform.
"KU has always been a leader of intercollegiate athletics," Hemenway said. "We are generally a school that does things right."
— Edited by Anna Clovis and Jon Ralston