THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
XX
Kansas unable to knock off Nebraska
VOLLEYBALL | 3B
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4,2010
The Jayhawks challenged for the lead at the beginning of all three sets but were unable to capitalize on opportunities to upset the No.5 team in the country on Wednesday night.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 1B
WAITING GAME
Self limits Selby's reps in practice
Freshman guard Josh Selby and sophomore forward Justin Wesley watch from the sidelines during the Washburn exhibition game Tuesday night. Wesley has to sit out the 2010-11 season as a transfer and the NCAA still has not approved Selby's amateur status.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Johnson prepares as Taylor's backup by taking more reps in practice
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDKbasketball
After weeks of fending off questions about the issue, all it took was a game without his star freshman for coach Bill Self to open up a little bit on the subject of Josh Selby.
"From my perspective — of course, I see it biasedly — I'm thinking, 'Gah...let him play.'" Self said after the Jayhawks' 92-62 exhibition thrashing of the Washburn Ichabods.
The backcourt was hardly a weak spot for Kansas in the win, but there is plenty of room for Selby, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2010, among the experienced group of guards. The Jayhawk guards hit just one of 15 three-point attempts, and Selby was rated as the top offensive point guard in his class.
As much help as Selby could provide, Self is more concerned right now with the time Selby takes away from other players in practice — especially if he doesn't get cleared. Sophomore Elijah Johnson, who struggled through a 1-for-6 shooting night in the jayhawks' opener, is the name that stuck out for Self.
"I mean he's taking reps away from Elijah or whatever," Self said. "So from this point forward he's still going to practice every day and he'll practice with the first team some, but not much, because if we don't have him until a certain point, there's no reason to take the
reps away from somebody else."
Self said Johnson playing well is critical in the future, especially prior to Selby's clearance.
"We really need Elijah to play well because, in case Tyshawn goes down or gets in foul trouble, he's a guy that can back him up," Self said. "But with Josh there it gives us three little guards there that you can do some things with."
Self said he still doesn't know the time line for a decision on Selby's
engibility, but that he's still optimistic that it would happen. Last week's announcement that Selby is clear academically was very good news for the Jayhawks. Self and the rest of the Jayhawk nation are still waiting for an NCAA ruling on Selby's amateur status, though, which is still in question because of a long-standing relationship with Bay Frazier, Carmelo Anthony's business manager.
"I don't know what they have,
what they don't have," Self said. "I'm not privy to that information, so I trust it. I do. I trust it. I think they're very respectful of the fact that they know that we're kind of hamtright right now. We need to get this behind us. But I think there's reasons why it hasn't happened yet, and I don't think it's anybody's fault."
The question still remains,
though: If Selby is cleared, what
does he bring to the table for
Kansas?
"He is a guy, right now, that could be a starter for us," Self said. "But he is not a guy right now that you would say. 'He is one of the best three or four players in the league.' Will he get to that point? I don't know, but I'm a big believer that by January-February he could be a guy that's hard to guard."
— Edited by Lisa Curran
FOOTBALL
Starting QB yet to be named for Saturday
nroesler@kansan.com
BY NICOLAS ROESLER
After a period of uncertainty, Kale Pick was named the starting quarterback on Aug. 19 for the 2010 Kansas football season. But compared to the beginning of the season, the quarterback position is now even more unclear.
Going into the game against Colorado this weekend, the Kansas football team has no starting quarterback.
"All three are in the mix," said coach Turner Gill after Wednesday's practice.
Of the three quarterbacks that have started, no one player has made the steps to stand out.
Freshman Jordan Webb has the marquee win against Georgia Tech in week two, but since then, his numbers have been average. Since throwing three touchdowns and only one interception in that game, Webb has thrown four touchdowns and five interceptions.
After being taken out of the game against Texas A&M with a shoulder injury and missing the Iowa State game. Webb is practicing again with the first team offense. But then again, all three quarterbacks are
Biere said that both Quinn Mecham and Pick tend to call more plays directed toward running the ball at practice and Webb focuses
"We're just trying to get some reps with different guys, different days, doing different things" Gill said.
ing him.
"They all run the same plays so it doesn't really affect you in practice," Biere said.
Despite having three different quarterbacks running plays, tight end Tim Biere says the different personnel groupings aren't affecting him.
more on passing plays. And after the Iowa State game, Biere also said that Mecham is being allowed to open up the playbook more often.
Mecham, a junior, completed 66 percent of his passes in his first start. Although most of them were short, quick throws, he managed the game with only a few mistakes.
"With Quinn being more comfortable now, he can do some of the stuff Jordan was doing," Biere said.
The decision for the coaches will be difficult because there is not much separating each of the competing quarterbacks as far as statistics go. However, there might be some advantage to not naming a starter at this point in the week. The visiting Colorado Buffaloes won't know what to expect.
Webb is averaging about ten yards per completion for the season, while Mecham averaged just over six yards per completion against Iowa State.
"They don't know for sure who's going to be the guy," Gill said. "I think that helps us to a certain extent, but we're just trying to execute our football team and get better on offense."
Pick has recovered from a concussion, Webb's shoulder is on the mend, and Mecham quietly put up a solid outing on Saturday. Now, like the Lebron James Nike commercial, the question is: What would you do?
Jerry Wang/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
would you For Gill, the answer isn't clear,
but he does know what he wants
that quarterback to do.
"We're trying to find out who the best guy is that gives us the best chance to win."
Mike Gunroe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Edited by Leslie Kinsman
From left, quarterbacks Kale Pick, Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham all took turns running plays at practice this week in preparation for Saturday's game. Coach Gill did not say when he will make the decision on who will start the game.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
KALE PICK
Comp/Att: 108-185
Yards: 193
TD: 7
Int: 6
JORDAN WEBB
Comp/Att: 21-36
Yards: 1114
TD: 0
Int: 1
Comp/Att: 22-34
Yards: 149
TD: 1
Int: 1
QUINN MECHAM
COMMENTARY
Women's basketball deserves some credit
BY KATHLEEN GIER kqier@kansan.com
Throughtout last season I would head toward the Fieldhouse for
for every game — men's and women's. The women had a great run to the WNIT Finals in 2009, so I wanted to see more.
Last year the Jayhawks fell in the quarterfinals after a trying season in which they saw season-ending injuries to two of their best players Danielle McCray and Angel Goodrich. But as all other athletes do, their teammates worked together and gained valuable experience with two stars on the bench.
After losing five seniors last year, the team's dynamic has changed, but their drive carries on to the younger athletes. The team has two seniors now and three sophomores serving as team captains. The Jayhawks added four freshmen and a redshirt freshman to the team which drops the experience from last year, but adds new opportunities.
Kansas started exhibition play last Sunday with an 83-62 victory over Fort Hays State. The team looked good. The Jayhawks played without seniors Krysten Boogaard and Nicolette Smith. Boogaard out with patellar tendonitis and Smith for an undisclosed reason. Sophomore Carolyn Davis was there to step up with a 35-point and 17-rebound performance.
The guards moved the ball well and the passes inside to the post were clean.
At Kansas there is so much excitement surrounding men's basketball. And there should be since Kansas has a fantastic team year after year. Women's basketball seems to get lost in the shuffle. The players exhibit just as much passion. The team is athletic and quick and will be interesting to watch this year.
One of the things that is most interesting to me is that the two teams play the same sport on the same court, and yet the games are so different. Maybe the men's games are louder, but the women's games provide a fun family atmosphere that you can't get in a crowded gym. I am sure that is due in part to the more affordable public ticket prices and the free student entry.
From what I have seen so far, I think the team will be great this year. They have a variety of skills and talents which started to blend together even in the first game. This weekend the Jayhawks will face Washburn and should be impressive there as well. If the team can avoid injuries and work together, Kansas will have two exciting basketball teams in Allen Fieldhouse.
- Edited by Clark Goble