2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY WARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006
athletics calendar
FRIDAY
Women's tennis at North Carolina Tournament, all day, Chapel Hill, N.C.
SATURDAY
Women's basketball vs.
Seton Hall, WBCA Classic, 2 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo.
Player to watch: Marija Zinic, led
Zinlc
the Jaynaws in scoring with 15 points in 38 minutes of play in Sunday's exhibition game against Wash. Burn. Zinc also
recorded seven rebounds and three blocks.
Men's basketball vs.
Northern Arizona, 7 p.m., Allen
Fieldhouse
Rowing, Sunflower Showdown, TBA, Manhattan
> BIG 12 BASKETBALL
Michael Beasley signs intent
Kansas State will welcome top-10 nationally ranked 6-foot-10 forward
BY ANTHONY MENDOZA ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANHATTAN — The No.1 high school basketball prospect in the nation was true to his word.
Michael Beasley, a 6-foot-10 forward from Washington, D.C., followed through on a verbal commitment to play for new Kansas coach Bob Huggins by signing a national letter of intent on Wednesday, the
Beasley
first day of the fall signing period.
Beasley is the jewel of a class that also includes Bill Walker, another top 10 player, and three other highly regarded perimeter prospects. Together they represent the top class in the nation, according to several recruiting services.
"I had a lot of guys tell me he was the best guy they've seen," Huggins said of Beasley. "Not just the best guy they've seen, but the best guy they've seen in a long time. There's been guys who are more athletic and do flashier things, but it's hard to find something Mike can't do well."
Beasley rivals Texas freshman forward Kevin Durant as the most sought-after recruits ever to enter the Big 12, and was considered by many a sure lottery pick if the NBA had not changed its policies regarding high school players entering the draft.
Beasley was so prized that Huggins fretted until the last minute that another school might swoop in and steal him.
"There are people who have tried to get in on most of them," said Huggins, who was hired after a highly successful run at Cincinnati to resurrect a men's basketball program that has fallen on hard times.
Beasley, who had verbally committed to Charlotte when Huggins was hired at Kansas State, changed his mind after AAU coach and Charlotte assistant Dalonte Hill joined Huggins.
The athletic big man has averaged a double-double at four different schools in as many years. This season he will be play for Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., after leading perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy of Virginia to a school-record 40 wins last year.
Huggins called Beasley one of the most polished high school talents he has seen, comparing him favorably to Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony.
"Mike is probably better taking it off the dribble, quite honestly," Huggins said. "Mike shoots it. I think when it comes down to winning and losing games, Mike probably feels more comfortable taking it to the basket. He's bigger than Carmelo."
Walker, a 6-foot-6 swingman, is
considered part of the 2007 class, but he took an accelerated academic course load during the fall and becomes eligible when the second semester at Kansas State official begins.
Walker signed an official aid agreement with the Wildcats on Nov. 3 and will be eligible to play Dec. 17 against Kennesaw State.
"I've watched him a bunch and he really can shoot it, but he just has so much confidence in taking it to the goal," said Huggins, who recruited Walker during his year away from coaching. "He's kind of been that kind of player his whole life. He's just been attack oriented and attacks the rim, which is terrific."
The duo is joined by shooting guard Fred Brown of Dwyer High in West Palm Beach, Fla., point guard Jacob Pullen from storied Proviso East in Maywood, IL., and forward Dominique Sutton of The Patterson School in Durham, N.C. All three signed letters of intent on Wednesday.
"This is going to wind up as the marquee basketball recruiting class in the history of Kansas State basketball," said Scout.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep, who ranked the class No. 1 in the country. "This is truly new territory for this program to sign two players that rank in the top-10 nationally at their respective position. This class will define the Bob Huggins era at Kansas State."
WACO, Texas
— Through the first five games of the Baylor foot ball team's season, the Bears' defense was seen
Bavlor Lariat
Ten games into the Bears' 12-game schedule, their defense ranks 11th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, ninth in pass defense and last in rush defense.
While the Bears, 4-6, could still receive a bowl bid if they win their last two games, a bowl game at this point appears unlikely.
1
Baylor looks to offense defense ranks 11th
Senior defensive back C.J. Wilson said the defense's play in the recent weeks is not acceptable and that the unit desperately needs to regroup.
as their strength while their offense was considered somewhat of a liability.
WACO. Texas
Five weeks later, that perception has changed.
Despite losses, Colorado still able to recruit well
After allowing just 14.8 points through its first five games, the Baylor defense has given up an average of 43 points in its last five contests.
against Texas Tech in October. The offensive side of the ball has ranked statistically among the worst in the nation for the 2006 season, and a promising defense has started to show signs of wear and tear due to injuries.
The offense, which averaged 21.6 points through the first five contests, has scored an average of 28.8 points in its last five games.
2 BOULDER, Colo. — CU football is a program in transition. The Buffs have just one win in more than a year's time - a victory
While the team has two wins in each of the five-game stretches, more pressure has been placed on the Baylor offense to keep the Bears in games.
But CU football coach Dan Hawkins said Tuesday the Buffs' struggles on the field haven't translated to meager returns on the recruiting trail.
Boulder as it now stands is not exactly a prototypical football haven for incoming recruits.
("Recruiting has) been fine, it really has," the head coach said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "I think that those kids know what's going on and
we know what's going on. Their coaches know what's going
— their parents know what's going on,"
With three months until national signing day in February, Hawkins said the final total of recruits for CU could bulge as high as 31. According to Rivals.com, CU currently has the 21st ranked recruiting class in the nation. But there is still a long way to go before signning day in February.
According to Rivals.com, eight recruits visited CU last weekend and two — offensive lineman Matt Bahr and running back Brian Lockridge — made a verbal commitment to CU and Hawkins on Monday. Lockridge and Bahr are teammates at Mission Viejo High School (Calif).
CU will say goodbye to 23 seniors this weekend at Folsom Field when CU plays Iowa State at 1 p.m in its home season finale. This weekend's game could be considered as the battle for last place in the Big 12 as Iowa State comes in losing its last five games has yet to win a conference game. Given the current situation, it might seem easy to look forward to next year. Hawkins, though, is adamant he remains focused on the task at hand.
Colorado Daily
Football coach tired of media negativity
AMES, Iowa — ISU football coach Dan McCarney's message to the gathered media at his weekly Monday press
conference was simple — this is about me, not my players. And please leave them out of it.
"All this negativity can be almost overwhelming to young kids, and I'd really appreciate it if when you talk to the players and the kids on this team that you would stay away from asking them about my future and my coaches' future," McCarney said.
"I'd really appreciate it if you're zero in on these last two games, instead of trying to get a vote out of the kids whether they believe in us or trust in us or what's here for the future. It's a burdens they don't need to bear right now."
With all the uncertainty surrounding McCarney and his assistants' jobs, it's starting to interfere with the plovers' focus.
"It's a complete distraction," McCarney said. "They're emotionally sapped right now. When you
have a football family who doesn't care about one another or the coaches, then it's not that big a deal. But that's not the case here."
Although Athletic Director Jamie Pollard has said he will wait until the end of the season to make a decision about the football program's future. McCarny wanted to make sure the attention during the final two weeks of the season was on his team and players, not on whether there will be a different face prowling the ISU sideline next season.
Now Iowa State is on the verge of finishing 0-8 in the Big 12 for the second time in four years. The Cyclones' final two games come against 1-9 Colorado and 7-3 Missouri.
"I just want to do everything I can to finish this up strong for these kids," McCarney said.
Iowa State Daily
LINCOLN, Neb.
Culbert makes big plays against Missouri
Appearing in Nebras-
LINCOLN, Neb.
— Major Culbert said he became a player on Saturday.
ka's 34-20 win over Missouri as a "joker" linebacker, the true freshman roweed the field in the Cornhuskers' nickel defense, notching six tackles against the Tigers.
But the first tackle is the one that stood out.
"Before the game, I was a little nervous, but when I went in and I had a tackle, I became a player," Culbert said. "I didn't want to let the fans down; I just wanted to play. I just wanted to have fun. And when you have fun, you play. I don't think about my assignments, and hopefully, I don't mess up."
NU Coach Bill Callahan said Culbert looked mature on the field, not just in the physical plays he made but also in his concentration and focus.
But Callahan said Tuesday morning he did not yet know if Culbert would fit intoNU's scheme this weekend against Texas A&M. He said the decision would depend on what aspects of the Aggies' offense the Huskers decide to exploit and what defensive schemes that will require
To Culbert, there is no reason why Nebraska should walk out of College Station, Texas, without a win.
- Daily Nebraskan