WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 News WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL
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Camp grooms local talent
BY JESSE TEMPLE
jtemple@kansan.com
Katie Martincich bent her knees, shuffling between three volleyballs placed on the floor at mid-court Saturday afternoon inside the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Thirty wide-eyed summer campers watched from the baseline as the Shawnee junior demonstrated proper footwork and setting technique.
The moment passed in less than two minutes. But symbolically, Martinicich's career as a Jayhawk volleyballer had come full circle. Not long ago, she was the one staring up from the very same baseline, hoping to be a collegiate player herself.
Martincich is one of many current and former KU volleyball players who grew up attending head coach Ray Bechard's camp as middle and high schoolers. Martincich, Emily Brown, Savannah Noyes and Jenna Kaiser, key components to last season's roster, all made the trek to the summer camp growing up. So did former Jayhawks and local products Jamie Mathewson and Dani Wittman, who still return to teach lessons at the camp.
"I've probably been here since I was 12 years old," Martinicinch said. "It's kind of fun to be able to know what (the campers) are going through, but now I'm actually playing here."
KU assistant coach Christi Posey said it was no coincidence that scenario plays out.
"I think it helps to establish relationships with the coaching staff and also the players," Posey said. "What better way to find out if your coach is going to be a jerk or somebody who you can work with?
Certainly, you can develop some camaraderie with future players."
That was just the way it developed for Martincich, who said she became good friends with Brown at the KU camp when the two were in high school.
"It actually was a pretty big deal," Martinicich said. "I knew Emily pretty well. We were suitmates at one of the camps. Neither one of us had committed at that point. So, it was like, 'If she's going, then I'm going to go.'"
Because both local players attended camp in a smaller setting, the two were able to feel a level of comfort they may not have found at larger, national summer volleyball camps — a significant advantage at the University, according to Bechard.
"My own daughter went to a variety of camps all over the country, and she found out this might be as good of a camp as what she had," Bechard said. "Sometimes it's 'Let's get outside of Lawrence and experience something different.' But those kids usually come back. I think it means we must be doing a good job."
The University is doing a good job of maintaining players from its own state. Last year's roster featured seven players from Kansas, many of whom attended Bechard's camp while being recruited.
"I feel like there is a lot more coach-on-camper attention at KU," Martincich said. "Some national camps have a lot of kids there and it's hard to get much one on one time."
According to Posey, single-day camp ratios stay about six players to one coach and even the University's largest camps never have a ratio of more than 12-to-1. National camps,
on the other hand, have much larger ratios.
"We just think you can begin to develop some quality relationships and hopefully build on that for the next level," Posey said.
Last weekend, nearly 300 campers between 6th and 12th grade came to Kansas' three-day volleyball camp, which focused on setting, hitting and defense. Another 200 were expected for the overnight camp, which began on Tuesday and runs until Friday.
It's likely that a future Jayhawk or two lies somewhere in those 500 campers. Perhaps someday they, like Martinich, will return to Horejsi Center as Jayhawks to leave an impression on young campers watching drills from the baseline.
"It's nice that you feel like when you put some work in, there is a little bit of a reward to have those kids come back to be on scholarship," Posey said.
Edited by Rustin Dodd
Top five moments in Kansas sports from the past school year
It's not even fair. For the third straight year, senior thrower Egor Agafonov won the hammer throw at the Big 12 Championship. He's only athlete to ever accomplish the feat.
Led by quarterback Todd Reesing, the Jayhawk offense went berserk — against national powerhouse Nebraska. Kansas scored touchdowns on 10 straight offensive possessions and Reesing threw for six touchdowns.
2. January 3, 2008: FedEx Orange Bowl Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21
4. November 3, 2007: Kansas 76, Nebraska 39
Williams along the way.
3. April 5, 2008: NCAA Final Four Kansas 84, North Carolina 66
The Jayhawks went on an unprecedented 40-12 run to open the game against the Tarheels in San Antonio. They completely embarrassed Tyler Hansbrough, the national player of the year, and old friend Roy
1. April 7, 2008: National Championship
5. May 16, 2008: Egot Agafonov wins Big 12 title in hammer throw
Not only did Kansas make its first Bowl Championship Series bowl game, but it also made the most of it. The Jayhawks put away the heavily favored Hokies and capped off a dream season behind Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player Aqib Talib's first quarter interception return for a touchdown.
With 2:12 left in regulation, the Jayhawks trailed the Memphis Tigers by nine and all hope seemed to be lost. But Sherron Collins stole an in-bounds pass and drained a three, the Tigers missed some free throws and Mario Chalmers hit 'the shot'. The rest is history: Kansas 75, Memphis 68.
Case Keefer
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