THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007
SPORTS 15B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Reed fulfills hoop dreams
Freshman adjusting to teammates, school, fame
Tyrel Reed, freshman, is already fitting in with his team through pranks and practices. Basket said he was excited to have fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a Jawahra basketball player.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
BY DYLAN SCHOONOVER
dschoonoverkansan.com
Tyrel Reed is a household name in Burlington.
As a four-time all-state selection and 2006-07 Gatorade Player of The Year, Reed warranted a lot of attention from folks at Burlington High School. For Reed, joining the Kansas men's basketball team is the culmination of a lifelong dream to become a Jayhawk.
Like many children who grew up in Kansas, Reed followed the Jayhawks and attended basketball camps every year in Lawrence. These days, Reed is the one helping with coach Bill Self's camp during the summer.
"During the scrimmage of coach's camp it kind of hit me," Reed said. "I looked up at all the campers watching us and I realized I'd made it."
The spotlight being cast upon Reed isn't a new situation for the freshman. He was touted as the 14th best point guard in the country coming out of Burlington High School, according to Rivals.com. He received recruiting interest from Georgia Tech, Stanford, Missouri and Kansas State. He also was recruited by former Kansas coach Roy Williams at North Carolina, who ran some of the camps Reed attended while growing up. Ultimately, Reed said the tradition and excitement that surrounded Kansas basketball made his decision easier.
Kansas was the best place for me."
Reed said he was excited about playing for Self, who visited him numerous times during the past three years of the recruiting process.
"During the scrimmage of coach's camp it kind of hit me. I looked up at all the campers watching us and I realized I'd made it."
TYREL REED Point guard
"I grew up around here. I've sat in those stands and watched the games," Reed said. "The other programs were great schools, but
He said the coach expected him to bring leadership to the team.
"I could be considered a gym rat. Since my dad was my coach growing up, I always had access to a gym," Reed said. "Coach
Self wants me to get my teammates in to play pick-up as much as possible."
Reed said he spent about five hours on basketball-related activities each day during the summer, divided between the weight room, conditioning in the morning and scrimmaging with teammates in the evening. He said that when he wasn't working on basketball, he was adjusting to dorm life, as he moved into the Jayhawker Towers with his roommate and fellow
"Cole got a new flat screen TV but we can't seem to get the cable to come in right," Reed said. "At least I can play 'Halo 2.' I play that video game a lot."
When asked about being ribbed by some of the older players on the team, Reed laughed and said everyone liked to clown around. He mentioned one specific instance when Darrell "shady" Arthur pranked him.
"The other day Shady randomly nailed me with a water balloon," Reed said. "It's okay though, I already feel like I mesh well with the team, so it's fun to joke around sometimes."
Reed said that students should feel free to welcome him to campus any time they see him because he loves talking to people.
"I like to meet new people. It's cool to think that more people will know me since I play basketball here," Reed said. "More importantly though, I'm not going to get a big head. I feel that if you are nice to everyone, hopefully they will be nice to you."
Edited by Joe Caponio
》 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
McCray grows close to coach Sophomore driven by relationship with Henrickson
BY DYLAN SCHOONOVER
dschoonover@kansan.com
Danielle McCray isn't a vocal basketball player.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The sophomore guard said she rarely strayed from a balanced demeanor and wasn't going to be the player in the locker room hyping the rest of players up before a game. She prefers to lead by example, letting her game do the talking.
Off the court, McCray's voice is heard more often. She said she calls her mother five times a day. She also communicates daily with Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson, the woman who makes McCray feel like "family" and persuaded McCray to come to Kansas, instead of national powerhouse Duke.
Danielle McCray, sophomore, will move to guard this season after playing forward last year. McCray said coach Bonnie Henrickson made her feel like "family," and her close relationship with Henrickson has contributed to her arrival and success at Kansas
"I talk to coach Bonnie every day that she is in town," McCray said. "A lot of players love to talk to our assistants but I'm the only one that has the close bond in talking to Coach. She even calls and talks to my mom, too."
McCray said Henrickson always stayed on her to get better on the court but helped her grow as a person as well. McCray that while in high school, the competition didn't challenge her. She said she was a little overweight coming into college and didn't take practice as seriously as she should have.
McCray has since slimmed down and learned that practice is often more important than the game.
"Coach Bonnie and I really are like the same person," McCray said. "She never yells but she'll come over and tell me the negatives with my playing. I like it, though. It motivates me to prove I'm better than that."
McCray said she loves playing for Kansas, but prior to Henrickson coaching at the University, McCray had her sights on other places.
"When I moved to Kansas, I came to a KU game and I didn't like this school," McCray said. "I remember they got blown out by 30 to K-State and I didn't like that."
McCray said that when Henrickson became the coach, her perception about the school started to change.
She said while Duke only communicated to her through the assistant coaches, Henrickson talked directly to her and her family.
The personal connection may be paying off. In five of the final six games last season, McCray scored in double figures, including a career-high 25 points in a double- overtime victory against rival Kansas State. McCray said she began to accomplish her goal of starting a winning tradition at Kansas similar to that of the men's team. She said she hoped that her time at Kansas could define the path of the program for years to come.
Despite being second on the team in scoring and being named to the
All-Big 12 freshman team, McCray said she felt she underachieved last season. She said this year, she will make the transition to guard after being a forward last season.
McCray said she used the summer break to improve her ball-handling skills and lifted weights to strengthen her inside game. She said she enjoyed working Henrickson's basketball camps and watching the children playing around her.
McCray and her teammates left Aug. 3 on an exhibition tour against semi-pro teams in Australia. The team played four games during the tour and took in some of the sights in Australia during the off days.
Edited by Joe Caponio
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