Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Softball team gets swept
P
Jayhawks lose two to the Cowgirls, 11-3 and 4-3. SOFTBALL | 10B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010
See more Kansas Relays
COMMENTARY
For extra photos visit KANSAN.COM/PHOTOS/GALLERIES
PAGE 1B
Selby is good news for Jayhawks
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
twitter.com/clark_goble
Josh Selby's commitment to Kansas on Saturday makes two things official. The first: Bill Self doesn't
The first: Bill Self doesn't rebuild. He reloads.
The second: Selby puts Kansas in the 2011 national title conversation.
Selby, the No. 4 recruit in Rivals' class of 2010 rankings, told the nation his college plans during a first-half media timeout at the Jordan Brand Classic in Madison Square Garden.
His commitment places Kansas with Baylor and Kansas State as contenders for the Big 12 title in 2011. All three teams should go into the season with top-15 rankings and national title aspirations.
Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn, who was courtside at Madison Square Garden, tweeted that he heard Selby was considering committing to Tennessee on Saturday night. But Selby didn't waver, sticking with Kansas like most recruiting analysts thought he would.
Kansas fans waiting for Selby's announcement saw an impressive display even before he made the announcement.
— Edited by Ashley Montgomery
James Naismith court will see more behind-the-back passes, and fake behind-the-back passes, than ever before. Selby threw numerous highlight-reel caliber alley-oops, and even though defense was not a priority in the game, Selby's athletic ability is tantalizing.
He has the range to shoot deep three-pointers, but he's aggressive enough to take better shots closer to the basket and create basket opportunities for teammates.
Selby's commitment might also pay other dividends for Self.
Terrence Jones, the No.13 recruit in the class of 2010 according to Rivals, is close to Selby and will make an official visit to Lawrence within the next couple weeks. Jones, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Portland, Ore., would give Kansas depth that could rival any program's.
Even without Jones, Kansas will be among the most athletic teams in the country. Selby will likely start at point guard with junior Tyshawn Taylor manning the off-guard position.
Junior Marcus Morris will figure in somewhere, but it's not yet clear where he will play. Self said during the season that he didn't want to play Morris at a guard position, but Morris projects as a small forward in the NBA. Morris needs to handle the ball better if Self decides to keep him on the perimeter.
Those three will start,but the other two spots are completely up for grabs.
The other returning players bring a combination of experience and raw potential that will make Kansas a strong competitor next season.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Selby selects Kansas on national television
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter/c/thibodeaux
Highly recruited guard makes pick during Jordan Brand Classic game
The transition from Sherron Collins to the next point guard doesn't look so daunting after Saturday night.
Josh Selby, Rivals.com's fourth-ranked player in this year's recruiting class, signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at Kansas. He announced his commitment on national television during the first half of the Jordan Brand Classic Saturday night.
"It's tough," Selby said on ESPN2,
"but I'm going to be a Kansas
Jayhawk."
He said he liked coach Bill Self's personality and the opportunity to take over a winning program from the void Collins once filled.
Jerry Meyer, National Basketball
Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com, said the possible point guard switch from Collins to Selby will be more than a smooth transition.
"I think it's an upgrade," Meyer said. "Sherron Collins was good, but Selby is on a whole other level."
Losing two explosive guards, Collins and freshman Xavier Henry, meant the layhawks had to find someone to replace that type of output.
Josh Selby, who verbally committed to Kansas on Saturday, attempts a shot against the East Team during the National Game at the 2010 Jordan Brand classic at Madison Square Garden. Selby announced his decision during a media timeout on ESPN2. He is the No. 4 ranked player in the 2019 recruiting class according to Rivals.com.
The highest-scoring guard returning next season is sophomore Tyshawn Taylor, who had 7.2 points per game last season.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Now Selby comes in with a dynamic the current players don't, Meyer said, and what he can do to defenses will help players like Taylor next season.
SEE SELBY ON PAGE 9B
MAKING HISTORY—AGAIN
Olympian sets new time
Sprinter breaks Relays' record
VERBOSE WHITE/ANSA VERONICA Campbell Brown, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, sprints home the back stretch of the women's 200 meter dash. Campbell Brown set a Kansas Relays record with a time of 22.32, defeating the previous record by over 3.10 s of a record.
nroeslerkansan.com
BY NICOLAS ROESLER
One of the two women in history to ever win back-toback gold medals in Olympic history set the Kansas Relays record in the 200-meter event Saturday.
Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica ran a 22.32 second 200, beating the old Kansas Relays record of 22.59 by 27 seconds.
"The meet record was on my mind as I warmed up because it has been here for a long time," Campbell-Brown said. "And I felt like things were going great and I should go for it, and I'm thankful that I got it."
The previous record was set by Aleen Bailey in 2001. Campbell-Brown broke it with a quick start out of the blocks and a relentless finish, beating the rest of her field by more than a second.
Campbell-Brown won the Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the 200, and then defended her title four years later in Beijing becoming only one of two women to defend her medal in the 200.
Campbell-Brown has another meet coming up in May and said that she was happy to get off to a good start at the Kansas Relays.
Although the Kansas Relays represent the beginning of a new season, it also represents the commencement of the run to London in 2012 to defend her title for a third time.
Weston White/KANSAN
"It is exciting," Campbell-Brown said. "It's a great way to start out the season."
Edited by Drew Anderson
Want to read more about what happened at the Kansas Relays this weekend? Check out PAGES 3B-6B
Ivory Williams, a professional runner, won the 100-meter dash on Saturday.
PAGE 4B
Kansas' men and women's competitors swept the 4xmile competition.
PAGE 4B
BASEBALL
Kansas powers through Nebraska
The weekend didn't begin as intended for the Jayhawks, as the Cornhuskers lit up junior T.J. Walz on Friday night.
With the way junior left fielder Jimmy Waters swung the bat against the Cornhuskers, he might not be welcome back at Haymarket Park any time soon.
Kansas struck first to take an early 1-0 lead, but Nebraska quickly answered back.
BY BEN WARD bward@kansan.com twitter.com/bm_dub
Walz, who also hails from Omaha, had earned a victory in each of his two previous starts against his hometown club, but could not repeat that success.
Waters, a junior from Omaha, hit four home runs over the weekend to pace Kansas (22-14-1, 5-6-1) offensively and lift the club to an important series victory against Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers blasted Walz for five runs on seven hits in the second inning, and then added two more in the third to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
"We needed that series win about as bad as any team in the country needed a win," coach Ritch Price said.
After the Cornhuskers extended their lead to 10-1, the Jayhawks fought back.
Junior outfielder Casey Lytle hit an RBI single and Robby Price blasted a three-run home run in the eighth, and Waters hit a two-run shot in the ninth to narrow the deficit — but the rally ultimately fell short in a 11-7 defeat.
"To fight back like we did on Friday night and put some runs on the board really got some momentum going for the rest of the week end," coach Price said.
Waters said aside from moment, the difficult loss provided the Jayhawks with some additional motivation.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 9B