10A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005
SPORTS
Adjusts
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Although he has the skills of a guard, the 6-foot-8 Downs will most likely play at the small forward position for the Kansas offense.
"He has a lot of bounce and he can shoot and he is really a skilled player," Self said.
The biggest knock on Downs' game is that he's too thin, and of course, too quiet.
At 190 pounds, Downs knows he has to get stronger if he wants to earn minutes during the physical Big 12 conference games. When he came to Kansas this summer, he weighed about 180 pounds, but he worked hard in the weight room to add muscle. Eating his favorite meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes probably didn't hurt either.
"The biggest thing about Michah will be how he can adjust to a stronger more physical game because he is such a thin kid." Self said. "With strength comes better defense, better rebounding, those sorts of things. He wants to be a player. He just has to get stronger."
Self would also like to see Downs get more aggressive. He said Downs' passive personality was reflected a great deal in his game.
gamie.
"Probably too much so," Self said. "I think Micah is not as aggressive as he should be on the court. I think he turns down open shots, I think he doesn't play with the tenacity that he needs to play with consistently. But I also think part of that is just his personality and how he has played."
As Downs becomes more comfortable off the court he will become more assertive on it, Self said.
Downs met all of the players on his visit to Kansas in May 2004, so he said he felt welcomed right away. A devoted Christian, Downs said he sometimes had long talks with Christian Moody and Stephen Vinson about their faith.
"I have a relationship with
everyone on the team," Downs said. "But I have a lot in common with those guys."
He doesn't like to go out, so Downs spends time hanging out with his teammates over competitive games of NCAA Football 2006 on PlayStation 2.
"I like to, you know, just do what guys do," Downs said. "Sit around, play video games and talk friendly trash."
He is a little homesick and he misses his girlfriend of almost a year, Natanya. But he said he had enough to keep him busy until the season gets here.
"I have always wanted to go to Hawaii," Downs said. "That will be a blast."
Right now, he sports an orthopedic boot on his left foot — he suffered a minor sprain to his left ankle at one of last week's practices — but Downs said he was eager to get the season started. A trip to Maui to face Arizona in Kansas' fourth game of the season will be an early test for the freshman.
and games though. The Jayhawks are stacked with young talent at the guard position, and with the addition of Brandon Rush, Downs now has one more person to battle for minutes. Self said that the competition would help get the freshmen involved early in the season.
in be a blast!
He knows it won't all be fun
That will be important for a team that has lost its top four leading scorers from last season.
minutes. Downs likes the challenge. Self has told him there will be ups and downs this season with such a young team, but Downs has his goals in focus.
"I think all of the freshmen will have an impact on our team, but there is going to be some competition for those guys." Self said. "Nobody is going to roll over and say to another guy. 'OK, hey, these are your minutes.'"
he had got it.
"I want one of those Big 12 championship rings like the rest of these guys have got," he said.
— Edited by Tricia Masenthin
CONTINED FROM PAGE 12A
His intensity and energy is what Kemp's teammates know him for. Kevin Kane, senior linebacker, said Kemp's energy rubbed off on the other defensive players.
Kemp
"He's a linebacker in the secondary," Kane said. "He likes to run around and hit people. It's a great feeling to watch him come out of the defensive backfield and lay somebody out."
Although Kemp had a solid first game, it came with mistakes that he said he knew could be corrected.
Mangino said he wasn't worried about Kemp's mistakes.
In the third quarter of Saturday's game, Florida Atlantic connected on a 42-yard pass to the receiver Kemp was defending.
Kemp eventually made the tackle on the receiver, and Florida Atlantic's drive came to a halt inside the Kansas 20-yard line after a fumble.
"He had a few mistakes, but they are all correctable," Mangino said. "He just has to settle down and be assignment-sound all the time."
Other than the 42-yard pass, Florida Atlantic also connected on a pair of 66-yard touchdown passes over other players in the secondary.
Kemp said he wished that hadn't happened, but he knew the secondary could make adjustments for Saturday's game against Appalachian State.
"We made a few mistakes, but it happens," Kemp said. "We need to pay more attention to detail and be more fundamentally sound. Everyone knows the plays and their assignments, so I think it will work out."
Kemp said he still felt as if people doubted him and his abilities.
"There are a lot of people that aren't sure about me," Kemp said. "I want to prove to people that I can play."
Edited by Erin Wisdom
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