KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011 / SPORTS
9A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Basketball can serve as a metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success ... requires that the dictates of community prevail over selfish impulses."
Bill Bradley
FACT OF THE DAY
Wilt Chamberlain ran the 100- yard dash in 10.9 seconds when he competed for the Kansas track and field team from 1957 to 1958.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Who was the defender that injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and gave Tom Brady his first playing time?
---kuathletics.com
A: Mo Lewis of the New York Jets. Bledsoe left the game with moderate internal bleeding. Brady took over and led the Patriots to a 11-5 record.
allsportstrivia.com
Plenty of playoff fever to go around
MORNING BREW
Have you been infected with it too?
It's seemingly gotten hold of all of
Lawrence. I have to deal with it.
Inference. I have to deal with it during class, when I'm eating, hanging with my bros and even when I'm trying to go to sleep.
It's driving me crazy.
Everyone, that is, except for me.
It is professional sports and playoff fever and everyone seems to have caught the disease.
Because of Lawrence's unique location, sports fans from all over the country, particularly the Midwest, are currently able to celebrate and optimistically enjoy watching their beloved teams.
Don't get me wrong; the Astros have potential - the potential to be one of the worst teams in the history of major league baseball. Their owner is selling the team, and their attendance is the worst it's been since the opening of Minute Maid Ballpark in 2000.
1. on the other hand, do not get to have the pleasure of watching, with any optimism whatsoever, any of my favorite sports teams
Hey, it's all right. The Rockets had a really good year; they just barely missed the playoffs with a roster that had no business even sniffing the postseason. They overachieved, and their record was better than it should have been, so credit should go to their coach Rick Adleman. Nope, he was fired this past Monday afternoon, for reasons I can't explain.
The Texans — next year is our year. My
I am from Houston and I am a Rockets, Astros and Texans fan. Thanks for your condolences.
face turns green every time I hear those words. I've never been a part of an NFI. playoff run, and those choice words are getting harder to believe every time I hear them. The Texans opened last season looking like a team on a mission. Then DeMeco Ryans got hurt, the defense fell apart in a historic way and Houston was left on the outside looking in — yet again.
Lawrence can feel like Chicago West at times, and they have had two immensely entertaining teams playing with everything on the line these past couple of weeks. The Blackhawks managed to sneak into the NHL playoffs, giving Blackhawks fans an extra shot at ecstasy.
Those fans can also turn their heads and join the rest of Chicago, which is currently in basketball frenzy. With the freshly budding superstar Derrick Rose leading the way, 'Da Bulls are back, and almost as big as ever
While I am currently less than thrilled with my hometown heroes, the good guys, everyone else seems to be in sports-fan heaven.
had quite the headline-filled season. Carmelo Anthony demanded to be traded and after he got his wish, the Nuggets seemingly got a breath of fresh air. They managed to put together a 50-win season and are currently in an entertaining playoff battle with Oklahoma City.
There are plenty of Coloradoans in Lawrence as well, and their Nuggets have
The Thunder of Oklahoma City seems to be the adopted team of choice for Kansas City residents. The Thunder is an exciting team filled with young stars. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Cole Aldrich are all appealing to watch for Kansas City natives.
It may be too early to get excited about the Royals, but with Mission 2012 beginning to bloom, Royals fans are beginning to come out of hiding for the first time in 20 years.
of making for the first time in 20 years.
So for those of you fans who have a team
in an exciting position right now, enjoy it —
it may not last forever.
Edited by Dave Boyd
And for me, I guess it could be worse; I could be a Cleveland sport fan.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Softball
vs.Tulsa
3 p.m., 5 p.m.
Lawrence
Track
Kansas Relays
All day
Lawrence
THURSDAY
Baseball vs. Texas 6 p.m. Lawrence
Track
Kansas Relays
All day
Lawrence
FRIDAY
Track
Kansas Relays
All day
Lawrence
Baseball vs. Texas 6 p.m.
Lawrence
Softball
vs. Iowa State
4 p.m.
Ames, Iowa
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women's Golf
Big 12 Conference
Championship
All day
Columbia, Mo.
Barnes foregoes NBA draft to return to Tar Heels
BY MCCLATCHY- TRIBUNE
RALEIGH, N.C. — Saying he is "in the early stages of my life journey," North Carolina freshman Harrison Barnes announced Monday he wants to continue that journey in college, not the NBA — and with a focused destination
"As a team, we're preparing for
a special season," Barnes said in a statement released by the school. "My off-season plans are to diligently work on honing my basketball skills in all areas with one team-goal in mind — to bring the 2012 national championship home to UNC."
tinct possibility.
The ACC rookie of the year's choice to push back his NBA career for at least a year makes that a dis-
Barnes, who had been projected as a top-five choice by some online NBA mock drafts, the third Tar Heel to announce he is coming back, along with starting forwards Tyler Zeller and John Henson. UC Loses only one player, graduate student reserve Justin Knox, while adding a class that includes five-star recruits
P. J. Hairston and James McAdoo
Barnes, the team's co-leader in scoring at 15.7 points per game, had said from the beginning of the season that he wasn't necessarily a one-and-done player, but as his play improved throughout the season — 40 points in UNCs' ACC tournament win over Clemson, 21 points per game in four NCAA tournament outlures — fans had to wonder if the lure of the NBA might change his mind.
In his statement, Barnes said he does have the dream of playing pro ball. But with a possible NBA lockout looming and the chance at a national title, his path pointed him back to Chapel Hill.
"Opportunities, both beneficial
and life-changing, can seem to make the next phase of my journey an easy decision," he said in the statement. "But I am a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina. I'm here to experience college life, grow as a person, receive a quality education, and be part of the greatest basketball family in college sports."
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