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MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 PAGE 1B
>> COMMENTARY
Enough with Bonds, bets; sports that matter start now
You've been sustaining your sports appetite on bits about Barry Bonds and Bud Selig, napping through golf tournaments and dreaming that Michelle Wie would just give it up and go play for her high school already, and wondering whether the NBA's referees are fixing the games worse than the WWE, but now you can put all that aside and sink your chops into some sports news that requires neither asterisks nor bookies.
It's fall again and that means the Hill will be packed with tailgaters on Saturdays, assuming they can find space in between the giant crates making way for the new football facility and practice fields. Before you know it, a sea of blue will fill Allen Fieldhouse to capacity for Late Night in the Phog. Soon after, you'll finally know if
Brandon has, in fact, fallen victim to the Rush curse, or perhaps you'll be telling everyone you knew from the start that his injury was a blessing in disguise as his draft stock rises and the team surges to another Big 12 title on the shoulders of his return.
Whatever happens, the point is that
FOOTBALL
Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN
Kansas quarterbacks Kerry Meier, left, and Todd Reesing continue to battle for a starting position. Coach Mark Mangino made it clear during media day that Reesing had pulled ahead in the battle during fall practices.
Reesing in lead for starting position
Meier still strives for quarterback spot
atusco@kansan.com
BY ASHER FUSCO
For the first 20 minutes of Kansas football media day, the subject went untouched. After spending much of the spring attempting to gain insight into the quarterback position battle, it appeared the media had given up on trying to pry an answer from coach Mark Mangine.
A good portion of Mangino's half-hour press conference was spent discussing facilities and rule changes instead of Kerry Miller and Todd Reesing. When the ineitable question finally arose, the coach' answer was surprisingly illuminating.
from spring to two-a-days, Reesing has
probably advanced in his overall play a little bit more so than Meier has" Mangino said.
In the spring, Mangino repeatedly said the two quarterbacks were on even footing in the race for playing time. Mangino's media day comments made it clear that Reesing gained an early lead in the first few days of fall practices.
Despite Ruesing's head start, the competition is not over. Nearly three weeks remain until the Jayhawks' Sept. 1 season opener against Central Michigan. Mangino said he and the coaching staff had not yet come to a decision on a number one quarterback but hoped to settle on a starter soon.
SEE QUARTERBACKS ON PAGE 3B
GIRL POWER
Young, old volleyball players vital for return to tournament
Volleyball season is a time for kills, digs, sets and spandex. They're not the reasons I watch volleyball, but I am sure there are many males out there for whom this is the sole reason they even go to the matches.
The University of Kansas volleyball team recently started practices for its Aug. 24 opener in Eugene, Ore. The team is hoping to prove that it belongs in the NCAA tournament again, despite losing five seniors from last season.
Senior Emily Brown is the top returner coming into this year and is going to have to be the go-to girl for the team to improve on last seasons lackluster results
and 10-19 record. Her numbers show she has been the most consistent player for the volleyball team of the past three years, but this year she has to take it to the next level to compensate for the personnel losses.
MEN'S BASKETBALL SUMMER IN REVIEW
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 9B
MARK DENT
MDENT@KANSAN.COM
It's been almost five months since KU players shuffled off the court at the HP Pavillion in San Jose. Back then, disappointment and uncertainty hung over the players, coaches and fans because of the team's loss to UCLA in the West Regional Final. Now, five months later, plenty has changed. The summer has been full of surprises and
disappointments.
Here's a quick guide to what happened with Kansas basketball during the past three months:
PHOTOS ARE KANSAN FILE PHOTOS
Are any of these guys healthy?
"I was pretty upset when I first heard,"said Arthur, a sophomore forward. "I really wanted to travel with this team. I have never been overseas, and I put in some good work."
Darrell Arthur should have been in Serbia, sightseeing and playing basketball with some of the best college players from around the country. Instead, he spent July nursing a stress fracture.
Arthur started feeling pain in early July after being selected for the USA U-19 team. Since then he's been receiving treatment and mainly resting. His injury is not nearly as serious as Brandon Rush's.
"If this had to happen," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "It was good it happened now because we expect him to be at full speed before the start of school."
Arthur wasn't the only Jayhawk who dabbled with USA basketball this summer. Sophomore guard Sherron Collins and junior guard Mario Chalmers were among 30 players invited to the USA Basketball Men's Pan American Team Trials.
More Team USA
Neither player made the team, but they competed against stars such as Villanova's Scottie Reynolds, Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and Indiana's D.J. White. The experience should help both improve for the upcoming season.
Never a day off for Self
They watch recruits from New Jersey all the way to Las Vegas. Self wouldn't have a shot at top high school players if he or an assistant didn't show up to watch at these tournaments and camps.
So far, the coaching
Summers for college coaches mean one thing; gymnastiums.
Releford
staff's recruiting has paid off. Travis Releford, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Bishop Miege
High School in Roeland Park, already made a verbal commitment to attend Kansas next fall. He's ranked as the 72nd best prospect in his class according to Rivals.com.
Self is not allowed to comment about Releford or any other player he's recruiting for the class of 2008, but these players have received offers from Kansas and are interested in the school, according to Scout.com: Greg Monroe, the consensus Scout. 1 prospect, Willie Warren, a shooting guard from Keith Langford's high school, J'Mison Morgan, a big man from Dallas, and Terrance Henry, a power forward.
Kansas fans' favorite ACL injury
Funny how one leap can produce so many changes.
Junior guard Brandon Rush leapt for a dunk in late May like he's done hundreds of times since his early teens. But this jump didn't feel right. Rush landed wrong and felt a pain in his knee. At first, he thought it was nothing.
"I didn't know it was that serious," he said in a press release, "because as soon as it happened I popped right back up and started walking on it."
But it was serious. Serious enough to force Rush to withdraw from the NBA draft because of an ACL tear. That leap put Rush's pro career on hold and immediately catapulted Kansas back into the national title talk.
For Kansas to live up to its potential though, Rush must be healthy. His daily regimen includes rehab for two hours every morning, followed by an hour of lifting weights and biking and more rehab in the afternoon. He'll be able to run in about nine weeks. Doctors have told Rush he should be ready to play December 1, although it could be as early as November or as late as January
"I want to come back better than last
year and the year before that,"Rush said.
"My teammates help me out a lot, and I'm just keeping a great attitude about it. These things happen for a reason, that's what my grandma always told me."
FOR MORE ON THE SUMMER SEE REVIEW ON PAGE 2B
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