Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Softball splits series Late- game heroes evened the series against Creighton. SOFTBALL | 8A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010
Jayhawks face Oklahoma Today's game marks the first of four home-court matches. TENNIS | 9A
KANSAS RELAYS
PAGE 10A
Bonds second in 5,000 meters
BY KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
twitter.com/kqier
In only her second time running the 5,000 meter race, senior Lauren Bonds set a personal record with a time of 16 minutes and 56.44 seconds, finishing the event in second place.
This is the eighth and final year that Bonds has participated in the Kansas Relays, including races she ran for Hutchinson High School.
Throughout the race, Bonds ran along with freshman Allie Marquis in order to help the younger runner maintain a successful pace.
"It felt good," Bonds said. "I was just like, 'I am in second, I am probably not going to catch first, probably not going to get caught.' I just wanted to have fun and relax and run around the track a few times."
"She is a really encouraging person and you want to stick with her when she tells you to so she went into the race with the intention of pulling me along and helping me get a good time and to just stay relaxed," Marquis said. "She is amazing on the track and off the track, and that makes you want to stick with her."
"I love running here and it is a great meet." Bonds said. "I am just going to have fun and try to not get too nostalgic."
Her sophomore year in high school, she set the record for the sprint medley and the 4-by-200 meter relay while on the team with her sister, but according to Bonds, she only held each record for about two minutes until a faster set of runners ran each event.
— Edited by Cory Bunting
The two ran side by-side for most of the race until Bonds broke away to climb from her lowest position of fifth place to a second place finish.
Bonds will also participate in the 4x1 mile women's race this afternoon at 2:45.
KANSAN.COM
Want to read more about the Kansas Relays? Want to see more photos? See PAGE 8A
To see a photo gallery of the Kansas Relays, check out kansan.com.
Manual/KANSAS
Sophomore Kelsey Grimm, nears the finish line Thursday afternoon at the 83rd annual Kansas Relays held at Memorial Stadium during the women's heptathlon. Grimm came in last in the Women's 800 meter run with a time of 2:49.45 and finished with 469 points.
Mia Iverson/KANSAN
Team ready for road series
BASEBALL
Nebraska may be sitting near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, but don't tell that to junior T.J. Walz.
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm dub
Omaha native, grew up a huge Cornhuskers fan and dreamed of playing college baseball in Lincoln. But during the recruiting process, Nebraska thought the slim, six foot Walz was too small.
Walz
Walz, an
Kansas' (20-13-1, 3-5-1) three-game set against Nebraska isn't only meaningful on a personal level for Walz — it's a pivotal series for both teams, as each is trying to climb back toward the top of the Big 12 standings.
"It's definitely the series I look forward to most." Walz said.
"It's crucial for us that we find a way to get in there and win a series," coach Ritch Price said.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 7A
Spencer Walsh/KANSAN
KANSAS VS.
NEBRASKA
Friday — 6:35 p.m.
Saturday — 4:05 p.m.
Sunday — 1:05 p.m.
Sunday's game will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports (channel 142/236 on Sunflower Broadband)
- all games can be heard on KLWN (AM 1320 or at klwn. com)
Ice, ice baby
COMMENTARY
Arkansas State's Kanesha Hicks takes a dip in the ice bath alongside another competitor during the Kansas Relays. Hicks is competing in the heptathlon during the 83rd annual Kansas Relays being held through Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.
If you're not sure, go back to school
.
If, for comparison's sake, ESPN the Magazine or Sports illustrated offered me a job tomorrow (they won't), even as an entry-level staff writer (still no), I'd jump on it. Thanks, Kansas, for a few great years, but I'm moving on. I don't know what might happen in my next year at school that could possibly prevent the offer from coming again.
And so would you. And so should Cole Aldrich. And Xavier Henry. They may have had more to offer to the University of Kansas, but the University of Kansas didn't have much else to offer them. Just ask the scouts, GMs and owners who just hope to get them on their roster.
BY TIM DWYER
I'd leave, because I would be assured a spot, even as a role player, at the top level of my profession.
To Xavier Henry and Cone Aldrich and John Wall and Evan Turner and Wesley
Johnson and any other player who is a surefire first round pick in June's NBA Draft, I say go and congratulations. You have successfully used college as exactly what college is supposed to be — for all of us, not just for the preternaturally gifted.
Enough math, though, and let me off my high horse for just a moment. Like I said earlier, I have no issue with kids like Turner or Wall or Henry or Aldrich tossing their names into the lottery mix. I'm also OK with guys that grade out as late first or early second rounders, especially if they've maxed-out their draft stock, like Mario Chalmers a couple years back and Butler's Gordon Hayward this season.
You've taken your time at an institution of higher learning (or higher level of competition) and best prepared yourself for your chosen profession. It's what any of you aspire to at the college level.
But this year, like last year, and like there will be next year, bad advice or arrogance or blind optimism convince them that they are NBA-ready when they are anything but.
So before even taking into account the plethora of draft-worthy seniors and international players (NBADraft.net has 24 such players selected in their latest mock draft, Sherron Collins among them), there are two kids who have foregone the rest of their college experience. Some of whom would have a much more legitimate shot at making the NBA with another year or two under their belt (I'm looking at you, Tommy Mason-Griffin).
As of Thursday morning there were 53 early entrants in the draft, with at least nine more expected to declare. Now, I'm no math whiz, but see if you can follow the simple equations here:
There are 30 NBA teams. There is one pick for each team in each round of the NBA Draft. There are two rounds in the NBA Draft. Thirty times two equals, unless I suck worse at math than I thought, 60. Nine expected early entrants plus 53 already committed equals, roughly, 62.
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Edited by Taylor Bern