2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006
FOOTBALL
Ex-quarterback returns to Kansas
BY BRYAN CISLER
As the 2006 Kansas Media Day unfolded, Kerry Meter, Jon Cornish and Aqib Talib were hounded by the lights, cameras and microphones, having already cemented themselves as the new faces of
Kansas football
Away from the spotlight, standing under the scoreboard with the assistant coaches, was the man Mark Mangino said got the ball rolling for KU football, former standout quarterback Bill Whittmore.
"I'm just excited to learn and sit back and watch so I can gather all that I can."
This time, Whittemore wasn't wearing a helmet and pads, but rather holding a clipboard and a whistle as the new offensive graduate assistant.
"I'm just excited to learn and sit back and watch so I can gather all that I can." Whitemore said.
BILL WHITTEMORE Offensive graduate assistant
In a typical day, he plans out the schedules for all the coaches, and at practice he works primarily with offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro and wide receivers coach Tim Beck.
"Off the field and in the office, he has been aggressive in taking his assignments seriously and really being on top of things in terms of organization." Quartaro said.
Beck uses Whittemore as another set of eyes, because when the offense runs a three or four wide receiver set, Beck won't always catch everything. Whittemore also works with wide receivers on route running, teaching the general nuances of the offense.
Whittemore still has a presence about him when he steps on the field because of what he accomplished in his years at Kansas.
"On the field the kids know he has credibility, and when he says something on a coaching point, they will take it to heart." Quartaro said.
It has also helped that just three years ago seniors Adam Barmann, Bob Whitaker and Cornish called Whittemore a teammate. Now they call him coach.
"When I was younger, he was my mentor. I learned a lot of things from him, I am glad we got him back," quarterback Adam Barmann said.
son, he passed for 2,385 yards third best in KU history. He also led Kansas to the Tangerine bowl, its first bowl game in eight years. This was especially amazing considering Kansas was 2-10 the year before.
In 2003, Whittemore's final sea
When Whittemore left Kansas that next spring, things got a little
rocky. He tried his hand at the NFL, but after tryouts with the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons, he decided to take his game to Nashville for the Arena Football League.
"It was enjoyable, short and sweet, but I never
got on the field. To be honest, I don't how good I would have been out there." Whittmore said.
Whitmore, always more of a dual-threat style quarterback, never fully adapted to Arena Football's fast paced game, and spent his year there as a backup.
After that, things started to look up as he chose to go back home to Brentwood, Tenn., and became a football coach at his former high school.
The team went 11-2, with Whittemore gaining valuable coaching experience while working with the wide receivers, his focus at Kansas this year.
"Working with the receivers this year, a lot of them are young guys, so it was kind of the same situation as it was for me last year in the sense of their knowledge of the game, and to understand what they are thinking and what they need to know" he said.
Now that Whittemore is back at Kansas, he has to juggle coaching football and getting his master's degree in sports management, although he doesn't foresee any problems.
"The young players these days are so talented and really care, and all of them are willing to do what is expected of them," he said.
As KU Football takes the field this fall, it will hope to carry on the winning tradition that Bill Whitemore started.
Kansan sportswriter Bryan Cisler can be contacted at bcisler@ kansan.com.
Edited by Travis Robinett
BASKETBALL
Former Jayhawk becomes Rooster
Hawkins picks basketball rather than a business job, leaves for Germany; vows to keep in touch with former teammates through Internet
BY JEFF DETERS
Unsure if his dream of playing in the NBA would happen, Jeff Hawkins was preparing for a life and career that did not include basketball.
Hawkins was not selected during the 2006 NBA Draft, and following KU's first-round loss to Bradley in the NCAA tournament, many believed Hawkins' playing days were finished.
Hawkins, however, held onto his dream to continue playing basketball, even while he was looking for work in the business world. Hawkins said he had just completed an interview with an insurance company when he got a call from the Bremen Roosters of the international league, which is based in Germany.
He said it was a "tough situation" because he was concentrating his efforts 50 percent on business and 50 percent on basketball.
"It was the only opportunity I had to keep playing basketball," Hawkins said.
"I'm the type of person who when I go into something, I go 100 percent." he said. And now that he can concentrate fully on basketball, Hawkins was thankful for the opportunity to continue playing.
Hawkins left for Germany
Hawkins to Sunday afternoon to begin preparing for the Roosters' upcoming 60-game season, which begins Sept. 29. Hawkins said his main goals were to conduct himself as a good citizen and help the
He also gave high praise to this year's Jayhawks.
From playing with them two
"That'll be weird," Hawkins said.
team earn a winning record. The Roosters went just 16-44 last year.
"From playing with them two weeks ago, this year could be a really special year. There's a lot of talent on that team."
Hawkins said he had never been to Germany and doesn't speak German, but he said has been talking to an uncle who used to live there so he could prepare for his new surroundings.
JEFF HAWKINS
Former Jayhawk basketball player
Hawkins said he would keep in touch with his former teammates, albeit mostly through the Internet. He said he would communicate via Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook instead of expensive international calls.
weeks ago.
this year
could be a
really special
year",
H a w k i n s
said. "There's
a lot of tal-
ent on that
team."
Hawkins thought that the four players coming in
— Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins, Brennan Bechard and Brady Morningstar — were better as a group than the ones they're replacing — Hawkins, Christian Moody, Steven Vinson and Moulaye Njiang.
"They have the pieces," Hawkins said. "If they put the pieces together, I think they can win the national championship."
Kansan sportswriter Jeff Deters can be contacted at jdeters@ kansan.com.
Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
INTRAMURALS
Good sportsmanship to be rewarded
BY STEPHEN BERGMAN
Whether it was Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, Ron Artest serving up innocent fans, or watching Terrell Owens doing — well, everything Terrell Owens does — fans witness bad sportsmanship wherever competition is found.
This year however, KU Recreation Services plans to put a halt on the bad in intramural sports by rewarding the good.
"We are implementing a sportsmanship rating system this year," league coordinator Kurt Schooley said. "Teams will be graded each game. Points will go towards their eligibility of making the tournament."
This policy, much like any change to the norm, will undoubtedly have its critics, but most should see the good it will do the game.
"I like the idea," Matt Lindberg, Plano, Texas, junior said. "I think it will make the game more fun for the teams."
Along with the new rating system, KU Recreation Services also implemented a few other changes.
Dodgeball enthusiasts can rejoice. Instead of a single tournament, the sport is getting its own league. Sign-up for the dodgeball league will begin on Sept. 29.
The three-on-three soccer league will be held in the fall, while the eight-on-eight league has been moved to the spring.
"We flip-flopped them, which hopefully will allow us to get more fields open for spring soccer," Schooley said.
As for the fall line-up of activities, flag football sign-up will begin on Friday, Aug. 18 and close Monday, Aug. 21. Sand volleyball
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
and three-on-three soccer entries will be taken from Friday, Aug. 25 to Monday, Aug. 28.
KU Recreation Services also offers events such as floor hockey, volleyball, tennis, raquetball, table tennis, golf, bowling and eight-ball pool. There will also be a homecoming three-on-three basketball tournament, and a pre-holiday basketball tournament. Most leagues require a fee, however, there are a few that are free of charge. Check out the Web site www.recreation.ku.edu for a list of all the leagues, entry information and cost. All intramural league sign-ups are on a first come, first serve basis.
Kansan sportswriter Stephen Bergman can be contacted at sbergman@kansan.com.
Edited by Catherine Odson
Texas remains favorite despite lack of quarterback depth
BY JAIME ARON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The outlook for the Big 12 this season has zigged and zagged like a Vince Young broken-field run ever since the Texas quarterback sprinted into the end zone to win the national championship.
Winners of 20 straight games, the Longhorns, would've been a certain preseason No. 1 — in the country, not just the conference — had Young stuck around Austin for his senior
season. After months of saying he would, Young turned pro, leaving Texas without an experienced quarterback and lowering expectations for 2006.
They weren't even picked to win their own division, the Big 12 South. Oklahoma got the nod, in part because the Sooners went through the growing pains of breaking in a young quarterback last season.
Sophomore Rhett Bomar won six of his last seven games and was only expected to get better, especially with running back Adrian Peterson
returning to full strength.
Then, last week, Bomar was kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules. So, ready or not, the Longhorns became the Big 12 favorites again.
Years of highly ranked recruiting classes have left Texas loaded with talent.
Coach Mack Brown has 16 returning starters, including sophomore running back Jamaal Charles, and depth at nearly every position — except the most important one.
It was tough recruiting anyone to back up Young. Brown didn’t fret
over it because he wasn't expecting to need a replacement until 2007.
"I thought Vince would come back, very honestly; I might have been the only one in America that did," said Brown, quickly adding that he believes Young made the right decision.
The next decision is Brown. Does he go with redshirt freshman Colt McCoy or Jeyan Snead, who finished high school a semester early and began college in January?
"Both of those young guys exceeded our expectations in the spring"
Brown said. "They've shown great leadership. ... But we also will not know who they are in practice. We'll have to wait until we put them in a pressure situation, in a ballgame, to learn more about them."
If he hadn't just won a national championship, detractors would be accusing Brown of making excuses. Not anymore.
He ripped off his "can't win the big one" label by leading Texas on a run that's featured the school's first national title since 1969.
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
FRIDAY Soccer, Drake. Exhibition, 6 p.m.. Des Moines, Iowa
SATURDAY
Volleyball vs. KU Alumni
7 p.m., Horesi Family
Athletics Center
MEN'S BASKETBALL Chris Piper selected to succeed Falkenstien
Kansas basketball and football play-by-play radio commentator Bob Davis has two new broadcasting partners after 22 years with the legendary Max Falkanstien.
It was announced earlier this year that former University of Kansas football lineman David Lawrence would partner with Davis for football broadcasts. He will also host the pregame "Crimson and Blue Line" and the post-game "Jayhawk Locker Room" for the men's basketball radio broadcasts.
More recently, KU Athletics Department officials and ESPN-Plus officials announced that Chris Piper will be teaming with Bob Davis in broadcasting basketball games for the Javahawk Radio Network.
Piper, 41, is familiar with the University. He was a member of the 1988 National Championship basketball team, the 1986 Final Four team and he was also a four-year letter winner. Piper has broadcast men's basketball games for the Jayhawk Television Network for the past 14 years. Piper also worked as an analyst for Big 12 telecasts with ESPN-Plus for the last six years. He is also the owner of a company that produces licensed collegiate merchandise, Grandstand Sportswear and Glassware, 2920 Haskell Avenue, Suite 200.
—Claudia Alterman
VOLLEYBALL Awards handed out for high grades
Kansas' volleyball team learned Aug. 9 that it earned the Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 season. The team posted a 3.43 grade point average for the 2005-06 school year. The team was one of 54 NCAA Division I squads to get a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
The University of Kansas will receive a plaque recognizing the team's accomplishment, and the players will receive certificates for the honor.
— Drew Davison