FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 11A
MEN'S BASKETBALL
RYAN SCHNEIDER'S
Self avoids discussing sanctions, Giles case
FRIDAY FIVE
The questions you need to ask about Saturday's game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bill Self discusses this season's lineup Thursday at Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Days.
BY SHAWN SHROYER
After a week that included NCAA-enforced sanctions against his program and the indefinite suspension of one of his players, Kansas coach Bill Self probably could have used a vacation.
Instead, Self spent Thursday in Oklahoma City at the Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Day. While one-on-one questions were sure to concern last week's penalties from the NCAA and the recent suspension of junior center C.J. Giles, Self made it through the open Q-and-A session without having to respond to either issue directly.
Self fielded questions about his preseason Big 12 Players of the Year, what remains of his front-court, Kansas' No. 1 ranking in the preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll and his expectations on Kansas' performance in the new-look Big 12.
Last week, preseason Big 12 Player of the Year honors were shared by Kansas sophomores Brandon Rush and Julian Wright. They were also named to the preseason All-Big 12 First Team.
The two received the honors based on potential following freshman campaigns, where Rush averaged 13.5 points per game and Wright averaged 8.5 points, leaving room for improvement.
Self said the key for Wright this year was getting stronger and having a year of experience at the college level. As for Rush, he just needed to become more aggressive.
"Last year when Brandon was a freshman, he didn't make many baskets in practice," Self said. "He was so nonaggressive that it was hard to get him to look for a shot or look to score."
With Giles suspended indefinitely, reporters were curious about Self's frontcourt situation.
Self said he had at least four players who could play productive minutes in the post. When asked if Giles was included in that main four, Self addressed the question, mentioning everyone except Giles.
"I know we have Darnell,
Julian, Sasha and Darrell," Self
SEE SELF ON PAGE 9A
- How good is Baylor?
This might be the best team Baylor has put together in its Big 12 Conference history. The Bears have seniors at important skill positions, like quarterback, receiver and defensive back. Baylor also has the nation's 10th best offense, averaging 285 yards passing a game. With that passing attack and Kansas recent struggles on defense, it could be a long afternoon for the Jayhawks in Waco.
Kansan File Photo
Cornerback Agib Talib and the Kansas defense will have to stop Baylor's high-powered offense led by quarterback Shawn Bell.
Who's still hurting on offense?
win in College Station.
Meier said he's feeling no ill affects of the injury he suffered at Toledo a month ago. Same goes for Cornish and wide receiver Marcus Herford, who have both suffered injuries in the past few weeks. Offensive lineman Bob Whitaker has also been seeing his time decrease because of constant knee problems.
Does the defense stand a chance against Baylor's offense?
win in College Station.
- Baylor players certainly think they can light up Kansas' struggling defense. Cornerback C.J. Wilson told the Waco Tribune this week that when Baylor's offense found out about the more than 600 yards Kansas gave up last week, they would be "trying to put up 1,000 yards on these guys."
Who will be the X-Factor in Saturday's game?
Senior running back Jon Cornish and the running game will go a long way toward deciding Saturday's game against Baylor. If the rushing attack can have success and keep Baylor's offense off the field, Kansas should be able to keep the game close. Without a rushing game, the Jayhawks stand little chance of beating the Bears in a shoot out.
In his second game back in the starting lineup, Kerry Meier looks to kickstart the Jayhawk offense against the Baylor Bears Saturday. Meier looked strong against Oklahoma State last week, but the offense struggled to run the ball with running back Jon Cornish missing action.
Kansan File Photo
Q: How important is Kerry Meier?
Although the offense was particularly sharp against Oklahoma State, Meier's addition was evident. The quarterback run is a big part of the offense and Adam Barmann's lack of mobility showed in Meier's absence. Meier had a solid first game back after missing a month because of injury and his return is good news for a team searching for a reason to hope. The next step for Meier and the offense is to find a way continue to keep the pressure on while holding a lead.
VOLLEYBALL
Tough road environment to challenge Kansas
Emily Brown, No. 7, opposite hitter/setter, junior, nied the Jayhawks in two conference victories last week. Brown has had nine double-doubles this season.
BY DREW DAVISON
Kansan File Photo
The Kansas volleyball team plays at Texas A&M on Saturday, where it will look to do something it has never done under coach Ray Bechard in College Station.
But Bechard has had success in Lawrence against the Aggies. The Jayhawks (10-9, 3-7) have defeated the Aggies (9-9, 2-8) the last four times they have come to Lawrence, but have not been able to carry that success on the road.
"That's a tough place, they got all kinds of stuff running around there."
Bechard said, "They get all kinds of cheers, different kinds of noises."
Bechard said the team would be ready for the road after playing at Missouri in front of 3,000 people and at Nebraska in front of a crowd of 4,000.
"A&M has a tremendous level of school energy and enthusiasm, and it is a very live atmosphere," Bechard said. "It's a fun place to play from that standpoint."
The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies in a five-game match in Lawrence earlier this season. It was Kansas' first Big 12 Conference victory, and
Last week, Kansas won two conference games against Kansas State and Baylor to help turn its season around.
its last before the team went into a mid-season slump, losing the next five matches.
Texas A&M has lost its last two games against Texas and Iowa State. However, the team still has aspirations to make it back to the NCAA tournament. Kansas is going for its fourth-straight tournament appearance.
"We need to know we can go in there with a lot of confidence",
A&M freshman outside hitter, Mary Batis, leads her team in kills and is ranked 10th in the conference. The Aggies' Christi Hahn, senior middle blocker, has become one of the top conference players this season with a .387 hitting efficiency, fourth best in the Big 12.
Jana Correa, senior outside hitter, and Emily Brown, junior opposite hitter/setter, helped bring Kansas out of the five-match slump. Correa is averaging a team-high 4.24 kills per game and Brown has nine double-doubles this season.
Bechard said.
First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. in College Station at the White Coliseum.
"They'll play with a level of urgency," Bechard said. "Like a number of other teams, they had outstanding preconference and they know they're capable of playing very good volleyball."
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Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
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Edited by Elyse Weidner
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