THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007
SPORTS
5B
SOCCER (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
would also end up playing alongside the two Aquinas veterans in college: freshman midfielder Erin Ellefson, freshman forward/midfielder Taylor Blue and freshman goalkeeper Geneva Magness.
"There is so much talent at Aquinas, people go there to play soccer. I knew going in, it was going to be tough competition. Playing soccer is a really big deal there," Elfson said.
Ellefson, Blue and Magness won three out of four state championships during their high school careers.
All three women decided upon KU to continue playing soccer. Ellefon said that Rogers and Geha were good influences.
"I think they had a little bit to do with my decision to play at KU. Getting here, it was easier playing with them, and I know their style of play, their tendencies, and stuff like that," Elferson said.
Aquinas coach Craig Ewing did his best to provide adequate preparation for all five Aquinas-turned-KU players during their four years of high school.
Ewing has been the head soccer coach at Aquinas since 1988, and his overall coaching record for varsity soccer is 541-165-33. He
has been named National Coach of the Year three times, in 1993, 1996 and 2005.
"He strives to win," Geha said. "He lets you know that. We're here to win, and we're going to win this game. He definitely prepared us for college."
To an outsider, it might seem
to an outsize like there's something in the water at St. Thomas Aquinas. The amount of soccer talent produced from a single school is almost surreal. Ewing has coached 126 players who have gone on to play college soccer.
After reuniting with her former high school teammates, Rogers said she has seen improvement in her younger counterparts. She said they have become stronger and faster.
The five Aquinas women know each other's style by heart, after having played together for such a long time. This is an asset to the team, especially during game play. In 2005, Roger's first assist of her college career was to Geha during a game against Texas Tech.
"We've played with each other
"We can win the first half, but we need to finish out the next 45 minutes. We need to kick the other team's butt, and this weekend we're going to do really, really well. I am excited to be playing at home."
Magness said that Rogers and Geha were two of the best players on the team in high school.
MISSY GEHA junior midfielder
with each other for seven years now," Rogers said. "Playing with her for that long has definitely bettered our game. It's nice to know how other people play. We play to each other's strengths."
Although Rogers and Gehne never competed against each other for starting spots
because they both played different positions, Rogers said that no one had a locked spot on the team. She said that the large amount of players created a lot of competition, which was a good thing.
The team, back from a disappointing Labor Day weekend tournament in Hawaii, has high hopes
for its home opener at 5 p.m. today at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex against Brigham Young University.
"We need to be consistent," Geha said. "We can win the first half, but we need to finish out the next 45 minutes. We need to kick the other team's butt, and this weekend we're going to do really, really well. I am excited to be playing at home."
Each of the five women have the same ambitions for this season to make the team better. Making goals and finishing plays are at the top of the list, and there is always room for improvement.
As an elite high school soccer player, college soccer is the next step. After college soccer, there isn't much left to step up to.
Geha said that a semi-professional team is in the works to start up again when she and Rogers graduate. Until then, the KU women's soccer team as a whole, and its individual players will strive to make this season an unforgettable one.
"I have been blessed to be able to play with the people that I do," Geha said. "It gives me the worst feeling to think that I only have a year and a half of playing with all of my teammates."
Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
WHEELER (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
To decide who gets to play in the greatest exhibition game in all of college football, a series of highly subjective polls are used to determine the No.1 and No.2 teams. As for the other teams, the best of the rest from the power football conferences are placed in BCS exhibition matches. There
are four BCS games with cute names like "Sugar Bowl," "Rose Bowl," "Fiesta Bowl" and "Orange Bowl." Every once in a while, if a team from a mid-major conference goes undefeated like Boise State did
show their worth on the field.
In the wake of Appalachian State's victory comes the age-old question: Why on earth does FBS college football not have a tournament to decide the best team in the country?
last year, they might gain enough popularity to play in a BCS game. Looking back on the.
Appalachian State, on the other hand, had nothing to lose coming into Ann Arbor, Mich., since its division (FCS, formerly Division 1-AA) actually has a tournament at the end of the season to determine who the best team is. Maybe Michigan was caught off-guard and
Looking back on the Appalachian State and Michigan match-up last weekend, it appears that Michigan likely lost any chance of playing in the "national title game" this year.
Michigan's subjective No. 5 ranking in both the AP Poll and USA Today Poll is an embarrassment for the people who voted them to be the fifth best team in the country. Because the Wolverines play in the FBS, they do not have to win any sort of tournament at the end of the season to
did not expect Appalachian State to put up a fight.
Or it could have been because Appalachian State knew how to play in high-stakes games and win, just as they did the previous two
years in their division championship tournaments.
In the wake of Appalachian State's victory comes the age-old question: Why on earth does FBS college football not have a tournament to decide the best team in the country?
In what was supposed to be an easy game for Michigan, it turned out to be an embarrassment for the Wolverine's football program and FBS football as a sport.
Michigan, who was supposed to play No. 23 Hawaii, opted for an "easy" game instead and offered Appalachian State $400,000 to
come all the way from Boone, N.C., to Ann Arbor, Mich., and then to let Michigan stomp them into the ground. Unfortunately for Michigan, Appalachian State did not get the memo on the whole losing part and left Michigan's Big House with a fat check and 110,000 unsatisfied Wolverine fans.
The upset hurt the validity of the college football rankings. If Michigan can't beat a team that it paid to come to its stadium, then who knows who the best teams in the country are? Had the Wolverines won, they would be one game closer to working their way towards winning the Big Ten Conference and maybe a national championship.
Some people may point out that Appalachian State is the two-time defending National Champion in FCS football, but the fact that it is an FCS team leaves no excuse for the No. 5 team in the nation to lose the game.
In FBS football, each year there is a controversy over who plays in the "national title game." The actual process of deciding who will play for the national championship, the infamous BCS rankings, is determined by a number of subjective polls including the USA Today Coaches' Poll, the Harris Interactive Poll and six BCS computer rankings.
So basically, the two teams that play for the "National
Championship" are decided by a popularity contest and computers. Instead, they should be decided by a tournament.
The two highest ranked BCS teams play a game against each other, bypassing the traditional sports idea of a tournament, and the winner is crowned the "National Champion."
How does the Appalachian State and Michigan game tie into the whole BCS process? Michigan was looking for the easiest route to the national championship and figured Appalachian State would be an easy game early in its season that it could use as a tune-up for the rest of its season.
If a队 like Appalachian State can beat one of the most respected football programs in the country, then it should have a chance to play in a season-ending tournament against such marquee teams where its wins could be rewarded by a championship, not just praises of "upsetting" those teams. Appalachian State could be the "George Mason" of college football, but no one will ever know as long as the BCS, not a tournament, determines the nation's best team.
Kansan sports columnist Bryan Wheeler can be reached at bwheeler@kansan.com
—Edited by Chris Beatue
NFL
Manning and Brees go head-to-head
BY MICHAEL MAROT ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Peyton Manning grew up in New Orleans, the favorite son in a city where his father, Archie, was considered royalty.
Drew Brees grew up in Texas, an overlooked high school recruit who eventually resurrected Purdue's image as Quarterback U.
Now the New Orleans native and the Purdue favorite have changed places. When the NFL season kicks off Thursday night, Manning will be Indiana's reigning king while Brees returns to his former college state as the bright hope for a resurgent New Orleans franchise — and
the despised opponent.
The two became friends when Brees was a Heisman Trophy candidate at Purdue, about an hour northwest of Indianapolis. Since then, their paths have crossed several times.
"I'm sure there will be some Boilers fans there, but they'll probably all be wearing Colts jerseys," Brees said.
For Manning and Brees, the NFL's marque opening match-up will be more reunion than rivalry.
Both have been major players in supporting the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
But on the field, Manning and Brees have been ferocious competitors.
In December 2004, their first pro meeting, Brees had better numbers, but Manning broke the single-season touchdown record and wound up a 34-31 winner over San Diego.
The rematch, in December 2005
went to Brees' Chargers in a 26-17 upset that ended Indy's perfect start at 13-0.
This time, the game will come with more hype and all the trimmings of a Super Bowl winner.
--will be like playing at the next level. Anytime you can do that, it's a great opportunity."
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Now as a sophomore, Collins said he'd have more responsibility. His lessons from Nash will certainly help with that. He said Nash's camp taught him intangibles and fundamentals that he'd never learned anywhere else.
Unlike Chalmers, Collins played point guard most of the time last season. He developed a reputation for coming through at the end of games. His clutch scoring helped lead Kansas to victory against Kansas State and Missouri.
Nash gave Chalmers and Collins a few other tips about point guarding too. But they won't display those until the season starts.
"He showed us a lot of tricks." Collins said. "I'm not going to say because I don't want anyone to know
point guards
Steve Nash Skills Academy Point Guards:
Mario Chalmers, Kansas
Sherron Collins, Kansas
Drew Neitzel, Michigan State
DJ. Augustin, Texas
Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown
Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth
Greg Paulus, Duke
Darren Collison, UCLA
our little tricks. It's about getting more out of the pick and roll, but it's also little things people can't see"
— Edited by Meghan Murphy
BASKETBALL
Torn ACL doesn't slow Rush down
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
INJURY UPDATE
tore his ACL in
Junior guard Brandon Rush, who bie his ALC.
June, said he'd be able to start jumping this weekend. He's been sprinting for more than a week and can shoot and practice his dribbling.
Rush
He said he would return anytime between November and January. Dec. I was the date given at the time of his injury.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE
The team has been working out five days a week since the start of school. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, players do "individuals," which consist of rebounding, passing and shooting drills. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the players play pick-up games for 1 $ \frac{1}{2} $ hours, longer than they ever have in the past.
"We know coach is going to get after us," sophomore guard Sherron Collins said. "We're not whining about it. We're just out there working hard."
RECRUITING
PGA
Chipola Junior College guard Mario Little is scheduled to make an official visit to Kansas this weekend, according to JayhawkSlant.com. Little is also interested in Kansas State and Illinois.
Mickelson quits tournament
Kansas coach Bill Self can start making in-home visits with recruits Sept. 9. According to JayhawkSlant.com, Self will visit J'Mison Morgan of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas Sept. 10. Morgan is ranked as the 23rd best player in the country by Rivals.com.
Edited by Rachel Bock
LEMONT, III. (AP) — Phil Mickelson withdrew from the BMW Championship, one day after threatening not to play because of a conflict he had with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem over issues he wouldn't explain.
Mickelson was playing a corporate outing with sponsor Bearing Point in the Chicago area. He said he would be in Atlanta next week
for the Tour Championship.
Mickelson wasn't the only player to withdraw. British Open champion Padraig Harrington also announced he was taking this week off, citing fatigue. Also missing among the top 70 eligible for the BMW Championship are Paul Goydos and BERNhard Langer, who has said he would not take part in the FedEx Cup, instead playing the Champions Tour and in Europe.