THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 1B
Program success drives schedules
BY RVN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Kansas men's basketball team will face Kentucky in January in what may be the most anticipated home game of the season.
Before the 11 a.m. tip-off, officials from Kansas and Kentucky will have spent months planning for the marquee match up.
Coaches must be consulted
and schools must compare open dates before television officials can begin salivating at the chance to broadcast a Final Four-caliber match up long before the madness of March.
This behind-the-scenes workload for Kansas belongs to Athletics Department official Larry Keating.
Keating, senior associate athletics director, is responsible for scheduling football and basketball games. Scheduling
is important to a strong national reputation, whether building a program or maintaining an established tradition.
For football, Keating said, there are only a handful of teams that would be considered for nonconference games. After 30 years of scheduling, Keating has a good idea of which teams will best fit into the Jayhawks nonconference schedule and which teams would be willing to travel to Lawrence for a game. The key
to nonconference games for most teams in major conferences is starting league play with an unblemished record.
When the department schedules a guarantee game, the opposing team is guaranteed a predetermined amount of money for coming to Lawrence. A home-and-home series typically involves at least one home game for each team in the agreement.
On average, Keating said, Division IA football teams receive
a $400,000 paycheck for playing the Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Division IAA teams receive between $250,000 and $275,000.
The amount paid, to an opposing team is determined based on the potential income from football games. Before entering into negotiations with other schools, Keating has an undisclosed limit on how much can be spent to lure an opponent to Lawrence. Keating said schools with stadiums
that seat more than 85,000 fans, such as Tennessee or Ohio State, could potentially pay up to $1 million to opponents per game.
Mid-level college teams still receive their $1 million pay day, no matter the outcome of the game against a high-ranked opponent.
"In many cases, their programs require them to do guarantee games because of budget," Keating said.
SEE SCHEDULES ON PAGE 4B
VOLLEYBALL
Longhorns kill winning streak
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The 24th-ranked Kansas volleyball team had its six-match winning streak snapped last night with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at No. 23 Texas.
The Jayhawks (10-2, 2-1 Big 12) found themselves unable to weather multiple early storms produced by the Longhorns (7-2, 2-1) and
were unable to create enough thunder themselves. Despite rallying to win games three and four, the team's early struggles cost the Jayhawks a chance at their first-ever 3-0 start in the Big 12 Conference.
K ans as
jumped out
to a 5-0 lead
score tied at 20, the Longhorns rattled off six of the next seven points for a commanding 26-21 lead. They won the second stanza 30-24.
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said he was disappointed in the way the Jayhawks played in the early going. Kansas had 27 combined hitting and service errors in the first two games.
"We were just handing them points. We had more kills and more digs than them, but our errors really cost us."
"We were just handing them points," he said. "We
in the first game, prompting Texas to call a time-out. Texas regrouped and began a slow climb back into the game and eventually tied the score at 14.
Game two was more of the same, as Kansas jumped ahead 5-2 but again allowed Texas to come charging back. With the
Ray Bechard Kansas volleyball coach
The lead went back and forth from there before the Longhorns grabbed it for good with a 6-0 run that gave them a 26-22 lead and, eventually, a 30-26 victory.
we had more kills and more digs than them, but our errors really cost us."
Kansas finally got on the board in the third game. The Jayhawks were in control in the middle of the set after a 5-0 run gave them a 20-13 lead. They built their advantage to eight points at 23-15 before watching the Longhorns mount yet another comeback. Texas closed to within two at 29-27, but a kill from sophomore opposite hitter Emily Brown won the game for Kansas.
The Jayhawks were aided by a. 438 attack percentage, while the Longhorns hit .250.
no short-lived. Texas stormed back to seize control at 14-12.
From there the two squads went back and forth. The game was tied at 26 before Kansas scored four of the last five points to win 30-27.
Kansas came back to get within one point at 12-11, but that was as close as the Jayhawks would get. Texas held on to win the game 15-13 and, with it, the match.
The fifth, and deciding game, was hard-fought. The Longhorns went on a 4-0 run to put the Jayhawks down 8-4 in the middle stages.
Texas sophomore outside hitter Jen Christian led the Longhorns with 20 kills and 10 digs. UT junior outside hitter Dariam Acevedo added 22 kills.
Kansas was led by senior outside hitter Paula Caten's 21 kills and 10 digs. Four Jayhawks finished with double-digit kills.
Bechard was pleased with the effort his team made to get back into the match, even though the Jayhawks came up short.
Kansas has now lost three straight matches to Texas, dating back to last season when the Longhorns swept the season series with the Jayhawks.
"We didn't play that well technically, but we fought like crazy" he said.
"That is a constant that will serve us well in Big 12 play throughout the season."
Edited by Anne Burgard
Annie Snodgrass/DAILY TEXAN
Texas Sophomore outside hitter Jen Christian spikes a ball to Kansas senior setter Andi Rozum during yesterday's match. The game concluded in a Kansas defeat of 3-2.
FOOTBALL
Kansas benefits from a week off
BY RYAN COLAIANNI rcolaianni@kansan.com KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Two weeks. That's how long the Kansas football team will have to prepare before facing Texas Tech on Oct. 1.
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino and his coaching staff said they have focused on their own team during practice rather than focusing on the Red Raiders.
Junior running back Jon Cornish breaks up the middle during the game against Louisiana Tech Saturday. Cornish ran for 39 yards and scored one touchdown during the 34-14 victory.
Kansan file photo
"I think we've got some momentum here," he said. "In one sense, you'd like to say you would like to keep playing. The other half of that story is that we could use some time to improve ourselves fundamentally."
"When you get an off week like this, it almost serves a dual purpose," he said. "You get to rest your body a little bit, and you don't necessarily have the pressure of a game on Saturday."
Mangino said the focus will shift onto Texas Tech today.
Junior center David Ochoa welcomes the bye week for the team.
Mangino said although the team has prepared specifically for the Texas Tech game, yes.
some time to improve ourselves fundamentally."
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
The timing was good for it, we got our nonconference schedule completed, and it was a good time to focus on making ourselves better and not get too tied up working on an opponent," Mangino said.
The Jayhawk secondary will likely prepare the most for the Red Raider team, which has passed for more than 800 yards in just two games this season.
terdary's practice focused mainly on fundamental skills.
After intercepting no passes in the first two games, Kansas picked off four passes last week, two by senior safety Rodney Fowler.
Fowler said that the extra preparation time will help the Jayhawks get ready for a difficult offense.
The offense, after rushing for more than 200 yards in each of the first two games, produced just 41 yards last week. That has Ochoa, and the rest of the offensive line, working on opening the running lanes.
sues, the run game starts to get a little bit better," Ochoa said. "The angles start to improve and the run lanes start to open up a little bit."
get it helps," Fowler said. "Just the extra week to prepare for them will help us know what they do real well."
"They have a very complicated offense, so any film we can
Last year, the Jayhawks would have defeated the Red Raiders if not for a second-half collapse that led to the Jayhawks 51-30 loss.
SEE WEEK OFF ON PAGE 4B
"As you address those is-
FOOTBALL
Finding this year's hatchling 'Hawks
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITTER
Since Sept. 9, the first day that NCAA coaches were allowed to contact recruits, Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self and his staff have been on the recruiting trail, selling Kansas,to some of the most highly recruited basketball players in the nation.
Some of the country's top high school basketball players will help the Jayhawks kick off the 2005-06 season at this year's Late Night with Bill Self.
At the top of the Jahawks' list of recruits are three high school seniors; guard Sherron Collins, forward Darrell Arthur and guard Biu Muonelo.
Collins, a 5-foot-11-inch point guard from Chicago Crane High School, is the fourth-ranked point guard in the class of 2006, according to the recruiting Web site Rivals.com. Collins is being recruited by Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi State, Iowa and Missouri, according to the Web site. But
Kansas is the only team he is scheduled to visit so far.
"Coach Self gave him some history, some of the former players and current players and what it's like to play basketball at Kansas," Longstreet said.
Self visited Collins on Sept. 12, when they talked about the Kansas program, said Anthony Longstreth, Collins' high school basketball coach.
He said Self told Collins that if he chose Kansas he would play point guard, despite the jayhawks' deep backcourt.
"My understanding is that he talked to Chalmers about it," Longstreet said. "He seems to think Sherron is the missing piece."
Longstreet, who dealt with Self when he coached at Illinois, said he would endorse Kansas if he felt Collins had used good judgement in weighing his options.
"I've known coach Self for a long time, and I trust him," Long street said. "If he says something then I have to believe him."
SEE HATCHLING ON PAGE 4B