Li
Bill player Morrir lectic sh pariso. Pierce kind e the out Wh there. He when compi "Wear far." Se But he able to be as he is." Mo projec Kansa shaew rio Li and M ward i The but th The Morri with t mann most season ward, match "W as a can so Marci Marci and y Th to us cism mism while erage guard
14 FEATURE
TO LEAD OR NOT TO LEAD
AFTER A SUMMER CAMP MARCUS MORRIS EMERGES AS A VOCAL TEAM LEADER
BY KORY CARPENTER
KCARPENTER@KANSAN.COM
For the last two seasons, the Kansas basketball team has been the Sherron Collins Show. The Chicago point guard was the face of the program, leading the team in practices, games and showing up on multiple magazine covers
across the country. With Collins' graduation last year, as well as losing center Cole Aldrich early to the NBA, the Jayhawks were suddenly without a vocal leader. Or so it seems.
later. Or so it seemed.
After the second round loss to Northern Iowa last season, Marcus Morris stayed in the locker room well after the game, telling a few teammates that he wouldn't let that happen to him this season. Since then, he has assumed a
ditioning seriously or ignoring a guy who walks into the weight room joking around, Morris has taken the offseason very seriously.
"I want this to be a family thing where everybody is the face of the program, not just one or two players."
then, his leadership role among teammates. Whether that's telling off players who don't take con-
MARCUS MORRIS Junior forward
THE WAVE OCTOBER 22,2010
He spent time working out with teammates in Lawrence as well as traveling to the Lebron James Skills Academy. The 6-foot-9-inches forward is ready to step up this season, and he knows fellow players are ready as well.
year, as we did last year," says Morris. Brother Markieff also sees the improvements his twin has made this off-season
"We have a lot of weapons this last year," says Morris, also sees the improvements his twin has made this off-season
ments his twin has made this off-season. "He's a lot quicker this year, his ball handling is also a lot better." Markieff also noted his brother's improved outside shot, something he says Marcus worked hard on all summer. With Cole Aldrich now playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Kansas front court is missing a huge component on defense. Aldrich's shot-blocking abilities often scared opposing guards from entering the lane. "I don't think we can replace him (Aldrich) defensively," says Coach Bill Self. Maybe not, but with more athletic post players this season, Self noted his team's speed as an exciting aspect on defense. He also says that his current roster has more inter-
FO
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks to fight Aggies for conference win
kcarpenter@kansan.com
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
For Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman and Kansas coach Turner Gill, it's a long way from the frozen tundra of Lambau Field. Sherman was the Green Bay Packers coach for six seasons, and he hired Gill as the Director of Player Development in 2005. After meeting Gill, Sherman was immediately impressed.
Freshman Jordan Webb passes downfield during the third quarter of Kansas game against in-state rival Kansas State at Memorial Stadium Thursday night. The Jayhawks will attempt to earn their first conference in 10 games.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
"I felt he could relate well to the players and coaches," Sherman said. "He is full of integrity."
Five years later, the two coaches are in the Big 12 Conference, Gill in his first season with the Jayhawks and Sherman in his third with the Aggies.
Both teams have struggled through the first half of the season and both are still looking for their first conference win. The Aggies started the season strong with three consecutive wins, but have dropped the last three, including conference losses to Oklahoma State and Missouri. Kansas has faced similar adversity, dropping the last two games by a combined score of 114-14.
Freshman safety Keeston Terry will miss another week with a leg injury he suffered in the second half loss to Southern Miss. Gill confirmed the decision after Wednesday's practice.
"He's still having trouble. He won't be ready for this ballgame," he said. "We'll have to make the decision next week if he's able to go or not."
Terry played a large part in the upset of Georgia Tech, recording five tackles in the 28-25 Kansas win. His absence the last three games has been noted, as the Kansas defense has given up an average of 43 points per game.
If those performances are repeated Saturday night in Memorial Stadium. Homecoming week for KU fans might end on a sour note,
Texas A&M senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson has ruled the air for the Aggies this season. He's averaged 43 passes a game, including a staggering 62 attempts in the loss to Oklahoma State. Johnson is also second in the Big 12 in total offense, second only to Baylor's Robert Griffin III. However, Johnson is capable of making bad decisions. His nine interceptions so far this season are more than he threw all of last season.
as the Aggie offense is 10th in the nation in passing yards per game with an average of 305 per contest.
The three straight losses by the Aggies could be a sign of hope for Jawhawk fans. However, last week Kansas State came to town after an embarrassing loss as well. All they did was put up 460 yards of offense while beating the downrodden Jayhawks 59-7.
On offense, Kansas has failed to put up double digits in Big 12 play, only scoring 14 points the last two games. Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb is in his first season running the Jayhawk offense, and it has shown recently. After starting his season with only one interception in four games, he has thrown three in the last two losses.
"We always have some plays like that in the game plan," he said "it's just about finding an opportunity to execute them."
With the offense struggling to score points, Gill didn't rule out the idea of calling a few trick plays Saturday night.
Gill said he wants to have the lead early to call a trick play like a reverse or half-back pass, but that obviously hasn't been the case the last two games.
Saturday's loser will be 0-3 in the
Big 12, with big games still remaining in conference for each squad. Texas A&M still plays Oklahoma and Texas while the Jayhawks have yet to play Nebraska or Missouri. A win by either team would give the respective squad much needed momentum heading into the second half of the season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Edited by Abby Davenport
.
A
1
Colms, Cole Aldrich and Axavier Henry.
This is true. Since the 2007-2008 season, when Martin was hired as the Wildcat coach, Kansas has a 42-6 record. Kansas State is 30-18.
"Nobody has beat them on the floor, which is where you decide who wins," Martin said.
Martin says that this is Kansas' conference because of its dominance.
But Self does not live in the past
How do people expect the Jayhawks to win when they lose the winningest player in program history, a big man who bailed anybody out on defense and a versatile scorer?
It's what coach Bill Self calls "Kansas Math."
On paper Kansas State looks like the favorite, but Martin lives in reality and winning on paper doesn't cut it for him.
His main goal when he became the coach was to win the Big 12 Championship. He has yet to do that because Kansas has won it the last six seasons.
It's the same thing Martin does, but in Manhattan.
It's addition by subtraction. It's not like the NBA where guys can play for the same team from their rookie season to retirement. Guys come and go their first year or stay for four, but in the end they will be replaced.
He thinks it's difficult to win a national title and it's even more difficult to repeat. He is hungry for another title.
He doesn't look at the preseason polls either. When asked about receiving two first-place votes, he had no idea that Kansas received two votes.
I don't think coaches really care about preseason polls and awards. They don't mean anything if the team isn't cutting down the net in April.
Edited by Abby Davenport
4.
---