FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
Freshmen make strong showing
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
KANSAS 99, WASHBURN 69
As expected, the Jayhawk freshmen saw plenty of minutes, had a large hand in the scoring and connected from behind the three-point line.
Arnur stole the show, receiving significant minutes and scoring a game-high 21 points in the forward position Sasha Kaun will play when he returns from injury.
"I think I see myself as a role player," he said. "Coach wants me to get a lot of rebounds."
And that was just Darrell Arthur.
"He's just got a knack for getting the ball in the hoop," coach Bill Self said. Arthur had plenty of occasions to put the ball up, enjoying a height and skill advantage on the Washburn players he faced all night in the 99-69 victory.
The other highly touted freshman, guard Sherron Collins, played for 24 minutes, most of them alongside Arthur.
He said that while he had the opportunity to get the points tonight, he's not going to be forcing shots.
Collins finished with just two points, a layup he converted after grabbing a loose ball and outrunning his defender to the basket.
His night was littered with almosts and could've beens, including a missed layup and several shots that rattled the rim but didn't fall.
Self said that he was impressed by Collins' composure, attributing it to his playing in front of big crowds during high school in Chicago.
The same can't be said of Arthur, who felt nervous all day.
"I still had butterflies all through the game, but the guys worked me through it," he said.
He tried to keep one piece of advice in his mind through the whole game: "Any play that's coming to you, don't forget it," he said.
He was successful at that offensively and defensively, where he recorded two blocks and four rebounds. The stats will not officially count, as it was an exhibition game.
The third freshman also made his Fieldhouse debut count. Guard Brady Morningstar saw limited action, but managed a long three-pointer with four minutes to play.
Two other players also made their Jayhawk debuts Thursday. Sophomore guard Brennan Bechard and junior guard Brad Witherspoon both joined the team this year and played the final 41 seconds of the game. Bechard connected on a three-pointer, his only shot opportunity.
For Arthur, the challenge now is to build stamina so he can play more minutes in Kaun's absense. Self said that Arthur was the only player he saw tiring on the court.
"He's going to have to get himself to a point where he can play 25 minutes at a hard pace," the coach said.
Self added that the same was true of Collins, and that he wouldn't be afraid to ask big things of his freshmen this season.
Edited by Natalie Johnson
Phillips is a Wichita senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.
Jared Gab/KANSAN
Darnell Jackson, junior forward, grabs an offensive rebound early in the second half of last night's exhibition game against Washburn in Allen Fieldhouse. Jackson led the Jayhawks with 10 rebounds to go along with his 18 points in the 99-69 Kansas victory.
Sherron Collins, freshman guard, throws up a shot around the block of a Washburn defensive player. Collins contributed four of his five assists and scored all of his eight points during the second half of last night's game.
Offense dominates
Jared Gab/KANSAN
Jayhawks near century mark in first victory against Ichabods
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Kansas' go-to guy on the bench, Darnell Jackson, found himself in the starting lineup against Washburn University.
Just as he used to give Kansas a spark as a reserve, Jackson energized the Jayhawks from the opening tip-off as Kansas rolled to a 99-6 victory over the ichabods. More importantly, the junior gave Kansas the inside presence it needed without its top two centers.
"I loved how aggressive he was," Self said. "He's a good shooter, he's gotten better offensively, and he rebounded the ball decently tonight. From a production standpoint, I'd say it's his best game."
A month ago Jackson was Self's third option at center, but because of an injury to starting center Sasha Kaun and the suspension of reserve center C.J. Giles, Jackson stood on the large Jayhawk at midcourt to take the tip-off Thursday.
He didn't waste any time proving worthy of the start, winning the tip and leading the Jayhawks in scoring and rebounding in the first half. For the game, he had 18 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
"It felt good going out there and playing and knocking down shots," Jackson said. "When I first got here, I was timid, I was nervous, and last year I sat out nine games."
Earlier in the week Self and Jackson expressed concerns about how many minutes the post players would have to play without Kaum or Giles. After playing 16 minutes in the first half, Jackson missed most of the second half because of cramps.
Still, sophomore Julian Wright didn't think the frontcourt players got too tired. He said they mainly had to adjust to the sudden increase in repetitions during a game compared to those experienced in practice.
Undersized and overwhelmed, Washburn allowed Kansas' three main frontcourt players — Jackson, Wright, and freshman Darrell Arthur — to combine for 54 points.
Wright and Jackson were busy
"Offensively, they were all pretty good," Self said. "It helps when you make the first shot, too, and we made our first four or five, and that takes the pressure off a little bit."
early, scoring 12 of Kansas' first 15 points. Kansas broke an 8-6 game open by going on a 20-6 run.
Overshadowed by Kansas' performance inside was the perimeter play of sophomore Brandon Rush, junior Russell Robinson and sophomore Mario Chalmers. The trio combined for 26 points. Rush
As Washburn began to fight back midway through the first half, Kansas' frontcourt answered. Of the Jayhawks' last 15 points of the first half, 13 came from Jackson and Arthur.
and Chalmers were deadly from three-point range in the first half, making four of seven attempts from behind the arc.
The absence of Kaun and Giles was most obvious in the rebounding and defensive battle inside. Although Jackson, Wright and Arthur combined for 25 points, the Ichabods' interior players combined for 55 points and 31 rebounds. As a team, Washburn collected 47 rebounds to Kansas' 48.
"I'm real concerned," Self said.
"We didn't defend the post and we
didn't rebound the ball, so we've got a lot of stuff to work on before we play Northern Arizona, but I'm not sure that's all bad, either."
Self announced after the game that junior guard Jeremy Case will be out seven to 10 days with a pulled groin.
Kansan sportswriter Shawn
Shroyer can be contacted at
sshroyer@kansan.com.
FOOTBALL
Edited by Elyse Weidner
Saturday's victory puts freshman in spotlight
Former redshirt quarterback rallies bowl hopes, sparks comeback, eager to do more
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Todd Reesing has a problem. And it has nothing to do with football.
For a kid that had a 4.2 gradepoint-average and graduated in the top one percent of his class in high school, Reesing calls his lone B this semester "disappointing."
football.
It's that Reesing might get a B this semester.
this senseless. But if that B is the worst problem that Reesing's had to deal with in the past week, then things are certainly going well for the freshman quarterback. Reesing helped Kansas rally from a nine-point halftime deficit to get the 20-15 victory that kept the Jayhawks bowl hopes alive for another week.
seminer. The class that's causing the disappointment? Calculus II for engineering students. Not exactly a class for slackers.
"No underwater basket weaving this semester," Reesing joked.
He was deemed too small to play
college football at a major program.
Yet something about the quarterback from Austin, Texas, drew Kansas coaches to him. Maybe it was the arm. Or maybe it was his infectious smile. But whatever it was, the decision to bring Reesing to Kansas
certainly paid off last week. Although no starter has been named, Reesing is likely to get a chance to prove them right again this weekend against Iowa State.
Reesing has spent more time on the scout team, using his arm to help the defense prepare for teams that run a pass-first offense. It was after the Baylor game that coach
"It's been kind of a dream come
"It's been kind of a dream come true. It's real exciting. I just try to enjoy the moment."
scout team. And that's exactly where Reesing was a few weeks ago.
TODD REESING Freshman quarterback
true," Resping said. "It's real exciting, I just try to enjoy the moment."
If not for starting quarterback Kerry Meier's string of injuries and backup Adam Barmann's inability to move the offense, Reesing may not even be in the spotlight. Instead, he'd take a redshirt and be on the
Mark Mangino came to Reesing with the offer to strip his redshirt and see playing time.
Mangino said nothing was guaranteed, but the opportunity was there.
sentence, it was, 'Yeah, I want to play. I want to do what I can do to help us win,' Mangino said. "Since we've made that change, we will make sure that he continues to play."
"Before I could finish my
And just like that, Reesing, the team's third-string quarterback, found his way onto the Jayhawks.
quarterback carousel.
"I know we wouldn't have won without him," senior wide receiver Brian Murph said.
While his performance against Colorado was certainly impressive, it was only one half of one game. Nothing to draw too many conclusions about. Despite that, teammates said he was the reason, the spark behind that comeback victory a week ago.
On the sidelines during the comeback that saw Reesing lead Kansas to three straight touchdown drives, he talked. A lot.
"Don't worry, guys. this is what I do." Reesing told teammates on the sideline. "I win games."
There's no doubt about that.
Reeing certainly knows how to win. Back in Austin at Lake Travis High, Reeing's teams went 19-4 during his junior and senior seasons in the state's second-largest football classification.
SEE REESING ON PAGE 9A
Kansan file photo
Freshman quarterback Todd Reesing saw his first action Saturday against Colorado. Reesing revived Kansas' hopes for a bowl invitation.