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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 16,2004
Jayhawk uniformed
Now eligible defensive end Keith bulks up
BY JONATHAM KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
It sure feels good to put on the jersey. At least, that's what junior junior-college transfer defensive end Charlton Keith thinks.
Just an hour before Kansas football coach Mark Mangino stepped up to the podium at last Wednesday's annual media day, the team received word that
"He is here today and will participate in tomorrow's practices," Mangino said. "That is good news for Charlton more than anybody because the guy really worked his tail off in recent months."
Keith had passed his summer school classes with sufficient grades to allow him to play this fall. Keith was enrolled in 16 hours at Minnesota-West Community College.
Keith, who concluded summer school on Aug. 6, has been with the team as an observer since last Monday.
Though, because of NCAA eligibility requirements, he was unable to practice with the team or use team facilities. He was even forbidden from trying on a uniform.
"He will have to catch up," Mangino said. "He is such an intense guy that I think that it would not be unusual for him, now that he is in an environment where he gets three square meals a day, has a weight room to go to that he will put on weight very quickly."
The football staff was not concerned that he would not be allowed to play. They had his jersey waiting for him when the team received word.
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"It felt great to be able to put it on," Keith said.
Keith is expected to compete with junior defensive end Jermial Ashley and senior defensive ends David McMillan and Greg Tyree for playing time.
"He can come off the edge and that
is what we need," Mangino said. "We need to be better at pass rushing off the edge, and he can do that very well."
Keith came out Buchtel High School in Akron, Ohio, where he received honors for his play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
In addition to his all-around gridiron skills, Keith also played basketball.
Recruited out of high school to the University of Minnesota, Keith played for the Golden Gophers until a death in the family caused him to lose focus. He said he could not bear being on campus anymore.
Smith looks past early hype
SEE KEITH ON PAGE 7B
BY KELLI ROBINNET
krobinett@kansan.com
KANANS SPORTSWITER
Junior forward Caroline Smith is coming off an unprecedented 2003 season with the Kansas women's soccer team. She helped the team reach the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament and broke the school record for goals scored in a single season along the way.
Her play was so impressive that she was recently nominated to the preseason watch list for the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded by the Missouri Athletic Club to the country's best women's soccer player.
In 2003, Smith's 19 goals were not only the most of any Kansas player, she was also one of the top scorers in the nation.
"It's an awesome preseason nomination," Smith said. "I think it's a reflection of how good our team is that I'm up for those kinds of awards."
Smith will begin the 2004 season as the University's all-time leader in points (68), goals (31), game-winning goals (11) and shots (143). For Smith, neither records nor the opportunity to win college women's soccer version of the Heisman Trophy is important to her.
"The only thing I'm thinking about this year is winning games," Smith said. "I think this a better starting 11 than we've ever had, and the potential to go very far is definitely there. Improving on last year's success is definitely what's most important."
With last season's success and this year's preseason honors, Smith is expected to draw double teams constantly. Coach Mark Francis thinks she will handle the added attention with ease.
"Getting nominated for the Hermann Trophy is a great honor," Francis said. "But I don't think she will
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Soccer has some new arrivals, story on page 78
feel any extra pressure. She handles that stuff real well and will continue to find ways to sco.e."
"The level of play is definitely higher than last year," Francis said. "Everybody on the team will compete for playing time."
Sophomore midfielder Nicole Cauzillo is also happy to see Smith getting the attention she deserves and thinks having opponents keying on Smith will be good for the team.
"The double teams will help the rest of us," Cauzillo said. "We won't change our game plan or anything major like that. Caroline is tough, and we will find ways to win."
Smith is on the preseason Hermann Trophy list along with 24 of the nation's ton collegiate women's soccer players.
A committee of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America made the list, which is trimmed to 15 semifinalists in November and three finalists in December. The 2004 Hermann Trophy winner will be announced Jan. 8 at the Missouri Athletics Club in St. Louis, Mo. Smith was a semifinalist for the award last year.
Caroline Smith and the Jayhawks play an exhibition game against Creighton on Aug. 21 and begin the regular season on Aug. 28 when they travel west to play Nevada-Las Vegas.
— Edited by Ryan Greene
Kit Leffler/KANSAN
Junior forward Caroline Smith was nominated for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, which honors the nation's top women soccer players entering the 2004 season. Smith holds KU's all-time records in points (68), goals (31), game-winning goals (11) and shots (143).
Basketball schedule finalized
BY JESSE NEWELL
jnewell@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITHER
University of Kansas athletics officials released the schedule Friday, three weeks before the team's exhibition trip to Vancouver, Canada.
Allen Fieldhouse truly will be the 2004-05 men's basketball team's home this season, with the squad having no road games before the new year.
"We always intend to release the schedule whenever it's ready but still as soon as possible," said Jim Marchiony, associate athletic director. "Putting together a 12-team basketball conference schedule with television games is a monumental task."
The Jayhawks' only regular-season trip before Jan. 1 is a game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dec. 22 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
The Jayhawks were originally slated to play in the Coaches vs. Cancer
Classic preseason tournament in November, but complications arose because of the NCAA's 2-and-4 rule, which prevents teams from playing in exempt tournaments in consecutive seasons. Because the Jayhawks will compete in next year's Maui Invitational, they were ineligible to participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic this year.
"We expected the decision months ago, but it still hasn't come down," Marchiony said. "This left a lot of schools up in the air, and in August we decided to move forward."
Kansas will open the season Nov. 19 at home against Vermont, with a game against St. Joseph's four days later.
A judge's ruling could have overturned the rule, but the matter remains tied up in the court system.
Highlights include a Jan. 1 home game Georgia Tech, which defeated
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 10B
2004-2005 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Saturday at British Columbia (Exh.)
Sept. 5 Sunday at Langara College (Exh.)
Sept. 5 Sunday at College of Fraser Valley (Exh.)
Sept. 6 Monday at Simon Fraser (Exh.)
Nov. 7 Sunday EMPORIA STATE (Exh.)
Nov. 14 Sunday WASHBURN (Exh.)
Nov. 19 Friday VERMONT
Nov. 23 Tuesday ST. JOSEPH'S
Nov. 29 Monday NEVADA
Dec. 4 Saturday PACIFIC
Dec. 8 Wednesday TCU
Dec. 18 Saturday SOUTH CAROLINA
Dec. 22 Wednesday W I S C O N S I N - M I L W A U K E E
(Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Mo.)
Jan. 1 Saturday GEORGIA TECH
Jan. 5 Wednesday TEXAS A&M
Jan. 9 Sunday at Kentucky
Jan. 12 Wednesday at Iowa State
SEE THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE ON PAGE 10B
JEAN SHORT MADNESS
RYAN GREENE
rgreene@kansan.com
Quick, dirty predictions for football
The ninth time's a charm. Well, at least that's the number of semesters it will take me to graduate, meaning I'm back for one final Kansan fling, just a couple years shy of achieving Van Wilder status.
It's mid-August, and it's a time for new beginnings. There's me and my fellow fifth-years starting our victory laps. There's thousands of freshmen scrambling for fake IDs. And tucked behind Allen Fieldhouse, behind 12-foot fences and blue tarps is the Kansas football squad, looking for a new beginning of its own.
Last year's team overcame a revolving door of obstacles to finish with a 6-6 regular season record and make its first bowl appearance since 1995. OK, we'll just omit the part about the 56-26 pistol-whipping the Jayhawks received from quarterback Philip Rivers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Tangerine Bowl.
IN THE KANSAN
Look for
Jean Short
Madness
every
Monday.
Many would consider a bowl appearance after seven years of mediocrity a new beginning, but it was merely an appetizer. Those six victories last season came against
Division I-AA Jacksonville State, conference doormat Iowa State, an overrated Missouri team, a scrappy-at-best UNLV squad, then Wyoming and Baylor, whose reputations say it all. No doubt, it was a monumental step forward, but now is when the real test begins. Of the Jayhawks' 11 opponents this season, eight were in bowl games last season. Those eight do not include Colorado, who suffered a rare down year, and a Toledo team that went 8-4 but did not play in a bowl game because of a mid-maior conference.
One of my favorite things every year is my famous "quick and dirty schedule prediction." So here goes it.
Sept. 11—Toledo—Loss
■ Sept. 18—at Northwestern—Better he a win
- Sept. 25—Texas Tech—Win…and really fun to watch
- Oct. 2—at Nebraska—If it was in Lawrence, I might change my mind. Loss.
- Oct. 9—Kansas State—My roommate thinks this is a guaranteed Kansas victory. Then again, this is the same guy who thinks Julia Stiles is loss. Hot. Loss.
Oct. 23—at Oklahoma—You couldn't me enough to bet on the Jayhawks in this one. Wait, does that make sense? Whatever. Loss.
Oct. 50—at Iowa State—Win. If Kansas loses this one, well, let's not even consider that an option at this point.
Nov. 6—Colorado—Win. And Johnny Beck kicks the game-winner as redemption from last year.
Nov. 13—Texas—Win. Barely. I'm of the school of thought that it's players, not coaches who win ball games. This will be an exception. This will be Mark Mangino's landmark victory.
Nov. 20—at Missouri—The day Missouri deserves a No. 14 preseason ranking is the day my roommate is right about Julia Stiles. Win.
OK, so that gives them a 6-5 record, the first back-to-back bowl appearances in school history and some respect in the conference. Shoot, if it can be proven that Julia Stiles is attractive, it could even be seven victories. But even better than my schedule interpretation is the Man-genius himself.
"What's so tough about the schedule?" third-year coach Mark Mangino asked. "They're not gonna have any guns or anything."
Let's hope not.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, Ill., senior in journalism.
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