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FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2010
Rowing challenge ahead
First races outside of Big 12 will test the Javahawks. SPORTS | 4B
HER DAY IN THE SUN
Senior guard Danielle McCray was drafted No. 7 overall in the WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. She becomes the fifth Jav Hawk in history selected by the WNBA
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
McCray heading to WNBA
PAGE 1B
Senior drafted seventh overall by Connecticut Sun
BY MAX ROTHMAN mrothman@kansan.com
The WNBA may soon cover to the pick and roll of the revamped Connecticut Sun.
The Sun selected Danielle McCray No. 7 overall in the first round of the WNBA draft Thursday. They also took the
National Player of the Year, Connecticut's Tina Charles with the No.1 pick, establishing a lethal inside-outside combo for years to come.
"You've got to be able to score in the WNBA. Everybody wants kids that can score and we've all watched for years how many ways she can score," coach Bonnie Henrickson said of McCrav.
Some draft experts predicted that the Olathe native's stock had dropped after she tore the ACL in her left knee during a midseason practice. While her rehabilitation process will continue to move
steadily, McCray's early selection on draft day disproved that theory.
"Your opportunity is delayed, it's not denied," Henrickson said to McCray after the injury.
Because of her time off the court, Henrickson said that McCray was able to improve her basketball IQ. She developed a greater understanding of previously overshadowed aspects of the game as she sat on the sideline between assistant coaches and observed.
everything, Men's or women's, it doesn't matter. She loves to watch the game."
"She's a junkie," Henrickson said. "I mean she watches
McCray's passion for basketball and natural talent may ideally mesh with the rebuilding team that she will join after her rehabilitation.
Last season, the Sun finished 16-18 and missed the playoffs. Then it made a blockbuster trade, swapping shooting guard Lindsay Wahlen and the No. 2 pick with the Minnesota Lynx for point guard Renee Montgomery and the No. 1 pick.
The trade sent Whalen and Montgomery back to the states
of their respective alma maters (Minnesota and Connecticut) and also paved the path for McCray, who becomes the Sun's freshly installed scorer. She may not start immediately, considering both her injury and teammate seniority, but the Sun envision McCray as a capable replacement to Whalen and a cornerstone of its future.
"When that happened, I thought maybe they were trying to get her at No. 7." Henrickson said of Connecticut's trade. "That's the team we had the most
SEE MCCRAY ON PAGE 3B
BASEBALL
Starting pitching will determine Texas series
BY BEN WARD
BY DEN WAARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter.com/bm dub
Sophomore catcher James Stanfield and the rest of his teammates remember sweeping then No. 1 Texas last season at Hoglund Ballbark.
Memories from last season aside, when Kansas (19-10-1, 3-2-1) begins its third conference series tonight in Austin against No. 6 Texas, both teams' starting pitching will take the forefront.
"They're going to come out extra hard to try and beat us," Stanfield said.
The Jayhawks know that the Longhorns remember it, too.
The Longhorns boast one of the best pitching staffs in Division I, with the rotation headed up by ace Taylor Jungmann, and book-ended by a stout bulpen.
Because of Texas' pitching prowess, coach Ritch Price said the only way the lajahawks would have a successful weekend was if their three starters could pitch three quality outings.
"We're going go face the team
Texas may only have a .278 team batting average — last in the Big 12 — but the team can certainly hit for power. It has hit a conference-best 34 home runs this season.
with the best starting pitching and best bullpen in America, and we're going to have to pitch at their level," Price said.
Saturday's starter Cameron Selik said he was undaunted by facing his third ranked team of the season.
Stanfield echoed Selik's sentiments, saying he's confident that the Jayhawk starters can limit the Longhorns offensively.
"The great thing about our starters is regardless of whether or not they have their best stuff, they battle out there and give us a chance to win." Stanfield said.
Even if Kansas' pitchers turn in a weekend's worth of sound effuses, the burden also falls on the hitters to string together tough at bats.
"Everyone on our team will say they're up for the challenge." Selik said.
"We need to make sure we put
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B
Junior pitcher T.J. Walz struck out eight batters in 7 1/3 innings and picked up the victory against No. 22 Texas A&M on April 1. Walt will attempt to win his ninth career game against a top 25 team when he takes the mound for Kansas tonight in game one of the Jayhawks three-game series at No. 6 Texas.
COMMENTARY
C.J. not following brother for a reason
BY TIM DWYER
Wednesday was Xavier Henry's day, so, when the question came up about what Xavier's departure meant for him, Xavier's older brother C.J. shrugged it off.
"I'm not here to discuss anything about me," C.J. said. "I'm just here to support Xavier."
It seemed to certify what most people were assuming. With Xavier goes his brother. C.J. Henry would become the proud owner of the least memorable career in Kansas
history. After all, if he was staying, he would have just said so.
However, at least according to coach Bill Self, the elder Henry will be back.
Henry
I have a theory on why he chose to come back, and why it's been the right decision all along, regardless of what some peers in the industry thought.
Most people argued that C.J. Henry abandoned his injury-riddled minor league career after being a first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees because he wanted to come to school and play basketball with his brother. But if that were the case, he wouldn't have done it a year before Xavier ever enrolled in college. C.J. spent last year burning a medical redshift on the Memphis Tigers bench under then-coach John Calpari.
Here's my theory (and that's all it is): C.J. Henry, as good an athlete as he is — and that's incredibly good, if he's a former first-round pick in baseball that's good enough to be a recruit, twice, of one of the best programs in college basketball — has failed once as a professional athlete. Even though it is largely because of injuries that Henry didn't make it as a shortstop in the Yankees' farm system, that doesn't change the fact that he didn't make it.
I feel that C.J. Henry came back to school to give himself the best shot left to make a living playing sports. That chance lies in basketball, and leaving school would be an abrupt halting of that opportunity.
Even if Henry finishes out his eligibility, there is no certainty that he has a shot at the NBA, although a professional career in Europe appears to be a legitimate possibility at this point. If you look at Henry, though, you see a lot of the tools that make an NBA prospect. He's a 6-foot-4 point guard that plays a relatively error-free game and has range extending well past the three-point line. He's not a dominant slasher in the mold of John Wall or Derrick Rose, and he'll never be the quickest player on the floor, but he does a lot of things right.
He certainly has the ability — if he can stay healthy for the first time in six years — to at least be a contributor for the 2010-11 Jayhawks. And if he can do that, Henry's professional aspirations may finally come to light.
Just like leaving for the NBA was the right decision for his little brother, C.J. Henry's decision to stay at Kansas will prove to be in his best interests.
- Edited by Cory Bunting