SPORTS
INDIANS ADVANCE AFTER BEATING YANKEES 6-4 PAGE 9A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2007 PAGE 10A
BASKETBALL
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Freshman impresses team with speed
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Tyrell Reed went to bed every night during boot camp by 10:30, but he could never relax.
"Nothing usually affects my sleep," he said. "I just had a lot of stuff on my mind."
Reed, a freshman guard, shouldn't have been uptight. He impressed several other players with his speed and endurance during boot camp.
Both skills were on display Thursday
Both skills were on morning. The Jayhawks had to do 22s, a timeed drill that involves running down and back for the full length of the court twice. Because the players didn't run some of the drills fast enough, they had to run 30 of them.
"Tyrell killed it this morning," freshman center Cole Aldrich said last Thursday. "He is a freak. It's crazy going through 29 of them, and you think he'd just coast because it's the last. He showed us that he is one of the best athletes on the team."
Reed
"By the fourth day," Reed said, "you kind of know how to mentally prepare yourself and know you're going to get it done. I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I felt good when I ran."
The extra sprints didn't bother Reed. He finished the 30th run in 17 seconds, slightly ahead of senior guards Russell Robinson and leermv Case.
None of that running prepared him for boot camp though. Reed said he woke up sore every morning for the first few days. But once he knew what to expect, it got easier.
Reed's running ability shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering his high school athletic background. At Burlington High School, Reed won state in the long jump and finished second in the 400-meter run.
And if Reed shows that same energy during games, don't expect him to sit on the bench too long.
"It's going to help me on the basketball court this coming year," Reed said, "because the more endurance you have the longer you're going to be out there. The coach can really count on you to be 100 percent out there, and if you're not going to be 100 percent on defense, why be out there?"
Edited by Rachael Gray
basketball notes
JUNIOR-COLLEGE PROSPECT COMMITS
Mario Little, a 6'5" forward from Chipola Community College in Marianna, Fla., verbally committed to play for Kansas. Little told Kansas coach Bill Self of his intentions Saturday night. He averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game for Chipola last season as a freshman. Little, who is originally from Chicago, also made visits to Kansas State and Illinois before deciding on Kansas.
BRANDON RUSH UPDATE
Junior guard Brandon Rush said his knee was about 70 percent, but he still didn't give a timetable for
his return. Rush competed in all the drills during boot camp except for those that involved physical contact. He said he could do everything except turn and plant on his knee
Mark Dent
I had to slow it down a little bit."
Rush said, "but I still made good times. I thought it was pretty easy. He took it kind of easy on us this year."
Rush said he would suit up for Late Night but probably would only do lay-up drills.
Rush
RIP HIS HEAD OFF, BUT DON'T YELL ABOUT IT
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
The KK student section has notten used to screaming obscenities at the onnosing team's kick returner "It detracts from what is otherwise a terrific student section" Associate Athletics Director Lim Marchionuo said.
Vulgar kickoff chant draws criticism
Marchiony calls line 'embarrassing,' says families should not have to hear foul language
BYTHOR NYSTROM
tnystrom@kansan.com
"Rip his f--king head off!"
The line yelled by Rob Schneider's obnoxious character in the 1998 movie "The Waterboy" and now repeated by a portion of the Kansas student section during kickoffs has elicited complaints from fans to the Athletics Department.
Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said families in the stands and others who might object should not be subjected to the language.
"We would hope that the student body could be more creative than that," Marchiony said. "That sentence takes no intelligence and no creativity to yell. It's embarrassing to students themselves and to the University."
Ryan McNabb, Liberal senior, said the chant began a few years ago.
"Once you think about it, it's pretty distasteful," McNabb said. "I don't think it's a big deal, but then again, I'm not around my 6-year-old son at the game. I could see how others might find it offensive."
Although popularity is hard to quantify, use of the chant has been increasing since
2003. Marchiony said he wasn't aware of the chant's existence before this season.
A more adamant student section could be attributed to sheer numbers — Kansas set a nonconference attendance record this year, averaging about 45,200 fans a game.
McNabb said he agreed that students should think about what they were saying before yelling it, but that he took part in the chanting, so he couldn't judge the practice.
when kids start yelling 'scoreboard' when we are up by three points, or doing the Rock Chalk chant when there is seven minutes left"
"I don't know if the players can hear it, but if I heard 10,000 kids yell 'Rip his f--king head off'; I would get pretty pumped up," McNabb said. "I think it is more stupid
Marchiony said he thought alcohol might play a role but that was just a "convenient excuse." He said mob mentality was a factor.
"We would like to see the intelligence and class of the students used to come up with something else," Marchiony said. "It detracts from what is otherwise a terrific student section."
Edited by Tara Smith
FOOTBALL
Respect granted, world takes notice
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
On Saturday afternoon, Todd Reesing looked a bit confused. But it wasn't the Kansas State defense that dumbfounded Kansas' sophomore quarterback. It was the frenzied mass of media that caught Reesing off-guard.
Just a few minutes after leading the Jayhawks to a 30-24 victory against the Wildcats, a shoeless Reeing emerged from the visitors' locker room still clad in his shoulder pads. He had taken a wrong turn along one of the hallways of Bill Snyder Family Stadium and stood in front of a tidal wave of camera-hauling, recorder-bearing journalists. The gregarious star quickly greeted the media and scooted back to the safety of the locker room.
After winning its first five games and leaping to No. 20 in the AP and USA Today Coaches' polls, Kansas may have to get used to the attention: The Jayhawk bandwagon is filling up fast, starting with the team's peers in the Big 12 Conference and some major media outlets.
"They're playing really well right now," Kansas State wide receiver Jordy Nelson said. "They're solid all around the board — special teams, offense and defense."
Kansas State coach Ron Prince said the Jayhawks were terrific and praised Kansas' offensive balance. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Kansas was taking the right steps as a program and had made significant progress since Maninojo's arrival.
On ESPN's "College Gameday final",
analyst and former Notre Dame coach
Kansas in the polls
Associated Press — No. 20
USA Today Coaches' — No. 20
Sagarin Computer Rankings — No. 13
Collegefootballnews.com — No. 15
Lou Holtz gave junior cornerback Aqib Talib a "helmet sticker" for his five tackles, one interception and one touchdown performance Saturday. Last Sunday, columns focused on Kansas football's success appeared in the Kansas City Star and the Wichita Eagle. Collegefootballnews.com placed the team at 15th in its weekly power rankings.
Despite all of the hubbub surrounding the program, Kansas players and coaches conveyed the same quiet confidence they did before the victory at Kansas State.
"This just proves that we can play on the road," Reesing said. "And it proves to anybody who was doubting us that we are for real and that we are a good team."
Since the beginning of the season, Mangino has trumpeted the mental edge and overall talent level of his team, and players have repeatedly voiced their confidence in the coaching staff. Five games into the season, analysts and coaches from coast to coast are beginning to get the Jayhawks' message, which Mangino hasn't altered since the start of September.
"We're 5-0, but we're not standing on our heads or doing cartwheels," Mangino said. "We know we have a lot of work ahead of us."
Edited by Jeff Briscoe
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing picks up junior cornerback Agib Talib to celebrate Kansas' 30-24 victory at Kansas State in Manhattan on Saturday. "It proves to anybody who was doubting us that we are for real and that we are a good team," Reesing said.
football notes
OU COACH STOOPS
IMPRESSED
After a 5-0 start, plenty of people are taking notice of a Kansas football — including Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. Stoops, whom Mangino worked under from 1999 to 2001, said he was impressed with Kansas progress this season. During a conference call Monday, Stoops said he was not surprised by the Jayhawks' quick start because of Mangino's coaching smarts.
CREDIT GOES TO O-LINE
Mayes
Mangino said he was pleased with most aspects of his team last Saturday, and he repeatedly credited the offensive line for its performance. Junior left guard Adrian Mays, a Manhattan,
Kan, native, enjoyed a particularly strong game against Kansas State, Mangino said. Running behind Mayes and the rest of the offensive line, Kansas totaled 170 yards on 39 rushes. The entire offense has been superb in 2007, ranking fourth in the nation in points game and fifth in yards per game.
CONSISTENT QUARTERBACK
Todd Reesing's 267-yard passing performance marked his fifth consecutive game of throwing for 200-plus yards, which is the second most in Kansas history. If Reesing manages more than 200 yards against Baylor this weekend, he will tie Mike Norseth's record of six consecutive games, set in 1984-85. So far this season, Reesing is averaging 293 passing yards per game and is ranked 12th in the nation with a passing efficiency rating of 160.22.
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