MARK TURGEON JOINS BIG 12
The former Wichita State coach and Kansas alumnus was announced as the new Texas A&M coach Tuesday. Turgeon took over for Billy Gillispie who took the vacant Kentucky coaching job.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THE BUREAU OF COMMERCE AND TRANSFER OF INFORMATION
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
PAGE 1B
Banquet honors players, coaches'accomplishments
MEN'S BASKETBALL
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
This year's postseason awards banquet was missing one important thing: awards.
The event, which recognizes the men's basketball team at the end of the season, was instead a tribute to the team. Coach Bill Self said that it would be unfair to give individual awards because the team was successful this season because of its teamwork.
Only one award was handed out. The team votes each year to recognize one player as "Mr. Jayhawk" because of his overall contributions to the team. This year it was given to junior guard Russell Robinson. On a team with no seniors, Robinson assumed the leadership role and helped develop the younger players.
"All these guys could have scored more points than they did, and all these guys could have played more minutes than they did," he said. "But they didn't, because that gave us the best chance to go 33-5."
After the team was recognized. Self addressed one of his players. He turned to sophomore guard Brandon Rush, who is debating whether to enter the NBA draft.
Coach Belf Self speaks to an audience of fans, players and coaches at the annual postseason banquet Tuesday night. The Danny Mannin "Mr. Jayhawk" award was given to junior guard Russell Robinson.
"Whatever you decide. I'm cool with
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 3B
BASEBALL
Inclement weather forces rescheduling
Kansas may not get the opportunity to avenge its early season loss at the hands of Oral Roberts.
The second of the two-game series scheduled for Tuesday in Lawrence was canceled due to inclement weather. As of Tuesday afternoon, no makeup date had been announced.
other opponent to ensure a full schedule is played. According to the Athletics Department, Kansas is looking to reschedule with Oral Roberts (16-14) rather than play an alternate opponent.
All four games that the Jayhawks (18-20, 4-8) have canceled due to inclement weather have been replaced with an-
The Jayhawks will test the weather again this weekend when they play host to the Baylor Bears (19-15, 4-8) in a three-game series starting Friday.
Alissa Bauer
FOOTBALL
The Kansas football team will play its spring scrimmaq at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Memorial Stadium. Coach Mark Mangino will put sophomores Todd Reesing and Todd Meier to the test in order to decide the starting quarterback for the 2007 season.
Quarterback job up for grabs
BY ASHER FUSCO
For every player on the Kansas football team, spring practices serve as auditions. Those who catch the attention of the coaching staff will be first in line to see more playing time come September.
Competition for playing time in the spring is fairly routine, but when the quarterback position is involved, the position battle holds a bit more intrigue.
Between now and the season opener on Sept. 1, coach Mark Mangino has a decision to make concerning the situation at quarterback.
"I haven't picked anybody," Mangino said last week. "Someone will have to win the job."
Mangino spoke little of the quarterback dilemma at last Wednesday's open practice, suggesting that sophomores Kerry Meier and Todd Reesing are on equal footing as spring practices wind down.
Meier, who was thrust into the role of starter as a freshman last season, fits the mold of the typical Big 12 Conference quarterback tall and powerful, with the ability to tuck the ball away and pick up a few yards on the
and freshman inconsistencies. He missed four games with an injury and finished the season ranked just ninth in the Big 12 in passing efficiency.
ground. Meier looked great at times in 2006 but was hampered by injuries
"Kerry is the incumbent." Mangino said. "But it be an oversight to say that's how it's
The other option is the speedy Reasing. In three games of action
"I haven't picked anybody. Someone will have to win the job."
MARK MANGINO Football coach
last season,
Reesing showed some of the creativity the rest of the offense lacked. On several occasions,
Reesing was able to scurry away from defensive pressure to either run for a first
to say that's how it's going to be."
for a big gain. Though the coaching staff was impressed with the improvements Reeing made in the weight room during the winter months, he may be too short to see over the defensive line and too small to take to take a beating over the course of an entire season.
down or find a receiver downfield
The quarterback that wins the job could be the one who makes the most seamless transition to the team's adjusted offensive system. New offensive coordinator Ed Warinner has brought a fresh play-calling scheme
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
SOFTBALL
Winning Tigers pose tough challenge
The Jayhawks are traveling to Columbia, Mo., after coming off a series against Texas this past weekend, where they won one (2-0) and lost one (3-2) against the No. 11 Longhorns.
BY EVAN KAFARAKIS
Trying to get back in the swing of things, the Kansas softball team will face off against Missouri at 6 tonight.
Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys performed up to her potential in the Longhorns series by pitching 10/2/3 innings allowing four hits and striking out 13. Eleven strikeouts came in
The Glendale, Ariz., native also came up big for the Jayhawks in the batter's box going 3-for-5 and scoring a run.
Humphreys is tied for sixth in the Big 12 Conference with 13 victories.
the jayhawks' game one victory against Texas.
The Tigers win with an offense ranking third in the Big 12 in team batting average .300), second in runs scored (276) and first in doubles (75).
Missouri is 5-0 in the Big 12 as the Tigers are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into their game against the Jayhawks.
The pitching has been troublesome for the Tigers on the season as they rank last in the Big 12 with a 3.89 team ERA.
The Jayhawks have won the past two games against the Tigers, winning 5-1 and 2-0 last spring.
Kansas is 2-5 in its past seven games, but keeping the series close with the Longhorns was a good sign for the layhawks.
Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
- Edited by James Pinick
The Kansas Jayhawks hope to take advantage of the Missouri Tigers' struggling pitching at 6 tonight in Columbia, Mo. The Jayhawks have won the two games against the Tigers.
COMMENTARY
Wright's exit good sign for program
BY KAYVON SARRAF
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
KSARRAF@KANSAN.COM
Here is the cycle we will begin to see with talented players: they come in as freshmen and, barring an Oden- or Durant-like performance, show flashes of brilliance and yet struggle at times. Then, as sophomores, they take their game to the next level and show that they can be all-conference performers and lead a team to the Final Four. After their sophomore year, they leave for the draft and the next batch of players arrive.
While some Kansas fans may look at Julian Wright's early entry to the NBA draft as disappointing, they need to realize that early departures are a sign of a successful program.
With the NBAs new age limit of 19, freshmen are going to impact teams like never before, as we saw this season with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. As a result, if a team does not have elite young NBA talent, it is unlikely that it is going to contend for a national championship. Florida was fortunate to get a third year out of its talented group of juniors. Georgetown is likely to lose Jose Green and Roy Hibbert to the draft, as is UCLA with Arron Affaldo, Darren Collison and possibly Josh Shipp.
"This is a moment that I knew would come," Self said. "With this team, I knew it would come. It's not a happy day or a sad day, just a day that if you coach at a place like Kansas, you're going to have to deal with from time to time."
In college basketball, players like Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison do not exist anymore. Rarely will we see a player stay four years, earn his degree and leave a lottery pick in the draft.
Nobody understands this better than Bill Self.
Fortunately for Kansas, more of these types of players are going to come. Players want to go to schools that place players in the NBA. Players like Wright are only going to help Kansas bring in similar talent in the future.
"It's not a totally bad thing because it's been my experience that when you have guys experience success and move on, that's also very attractive to some other guys out
SEE SARRAF ON PAGE 3B