SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TENNIS WOMEN SWEEP UMKC
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WOMEN'S GAME DAY
WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 20,2008
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WOMEN'S GOLF
WRATH OF KAUN
Bright future for talented young team
BY JOSH BOWE jbowe@kansan.com
After months of frigid cold and pouring snow, the women's golf team was finally able to get out onto the green and play, finishing sixth in the Qdoba Invitational in Miami.
"During the winter you can't play or practice," coach Erin O'Neil said. "It's nice to finally get started."
Freshman Grace Thiry finished an impressive 7th, shooting 8 over par overall. Thiry was tied for first after the opening round, being one of two players to finish under par for the first day.
Sophomore Emily Powers was the only other Jayhawk to finish in the top 20, shooting a 13 over par.
Senior Annie Giangrosso was the next highest finish with 34th place, shooting 18 over par.
O'Neil understands the cultural differences foreigners Thiry, who hails from Victoria, Australia, freshman Meghna Bal, New Delhi, India, and freshman Camilla Svensson, Gothenburg, Sweden, have had to deal with.
"Annie has been steady for us," O'Neil said. "She's a senior and shows great leadership."
With a freshmen placing in the top 10 in the first tournament of the season, the Jayhawks seem to be set with a solid foundation for the future.
"We're very young" O'Neil said, "and we just ask to do the best you can and have fun. We're in good shape."
"It's an ongoing transition," O'Neil said. "It's hard enough to come to college being from the United States."
Even though O'Neil doesn't want to rely on one player, she understands the improvement she has seen from her sophomore.
"She has cut off a lot from her average." O'Neil said.
The team's next competition is in Fresno, Calif., for the Fresno State Invitational. Even with minimal practice during the last few months the team seems confident in its play. O'Neil says they have not set unreasonable goals.
"We'll just go out there do our best and try to have fun," O'Neil said.
Center thrives as team role changes
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Edited by Daniel Reyes
It seemed like the booing was just seconds away.
Sasha Kaun was either mishandling a rebound, fouling or missing a free throw. He rarely did anything productive early this season.
Still, the fans never quite turned against Kaun and relegated him to the same group of unpopular KU big men such as David Padgett and Eric Chenowith.
They didn't have to. Kaun improved. After moving from the starting lineup to the bench in December, Kaun has developed into a consistent and viable reserve, averaging 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.
He's even starting to shoot better. Kaun's field goal percentage, 63, and free throw percentage, 57, are better than they've ever been.
A break between games to do weights work and conditioning are contributing to senior Sasha Kaun's turnaround. After losing his starting position in December, Kaun has become a key player off the bench.
"I think I'm a little more aggressive in practice and that's something I can carry over into games," Kaun said. "There's been a lot of mental things I've been trying to work on."
Kaun envisioned this type of improvement before the season started. He wanted to have a memorable senior year and erase the past memories of his inconsistencies during his first three years.
As a sophomore Kaun teased the Jayhawk faithful by dropping 25 points against Idaho State early in the season. He never lived up to that night but did average eight points and five rebounds per game. Last year, as a junior, those averages dropped.
Part of the reason for the inconsistency could be traced to his summer workout regimen.
The summer before his junior year, Kaun went back to his hometown of Tomsk Russia, to visit his family and take care of paperwork. He had to apply for a new visa, a Russian passport and an international passport.
"There were all these crazy things." Kaun said. "It was such a short period of time. I was rushed."
Because he was busy with family and passports, Kaun didn't have much time for basketball. Tomsk, Russia, wasn't exactly a hoops Mecca, either. Kaun only had one place where he could work on his game, a nearby university that wasn't open for public use.
"It was hard to access," Kaun said. "You had to know people. It was complicated."
Season MPG PPG RPG
2004-2005 10.0 2.6 2.3
2005-2006 19.3 8.2 5.3
2006-2007 17.4 5.9 3.8
2007-2008 17.5 7.5 3.8
Jon Goering/KANSAN
At best, Kaun got to spend two or three days per week using the gym and working on his game. He said the lack of work and a preseason knee injury kept him from developing consistency last year. Kansas coach Bill Self also noticed the lack of improvement.
"For two summers in a row." Self said, "he was totally inactive for various reasons: injuries or being home. I think that set back his development, especially his lower body strength."
So, Kaun went to work last summer.
His days consisted of weights, foot work, post moves and shooting drills. He did all his workouts in Lawrence then traveled to Kansas City for a computer programming internship.
This season was supposed to be different because of his strenuous summer schedule. Early on, it wasn't. Kaun only got two rebounds in 25 minutes against Arizona. He said he was trying too hard to make a big difference as a senior. By the sixth game of the season, Kaun got benched in favor of Darnell Jackson.
"I think it released a little bit of the pressure," Kaun said about coming off the bench. "You just kind of sit down and analyze the game a couple minutes before you come in there."
Kaun's play started to change immediately once he became a reserve. He grabbed seven rebounds the first game in his new role. Ten days later, he led the team in scoring with 15 points against DePaul.
His play has been consistent since then. Finally, Kansas can count on solid defense, improved rebounding and a good shooting percentage from Kaun. The Jayhawks could especially use him in the next month, when the games really matter.
"He's been playing good as of late," Self said. "He was very good against Texas. I thought he rebounded very well. In the NCAA Tournament, you want as many bodies as you can, especially big, because foul problems can certainly create some situations for you."
big money for Kaun. He's projected as a possible late second round draft pick in the NBA and would almost certainly be invited to a training camp if he doesn't get drafted. Kaun said hed like to give the NBA a try but would also be open to playing in Europe.
A good end to this season could mean
Those decisions can wait, though. Kaun is finally playing with more consistency and wants to enjoy the rest of his last season of college basketball. He has five more games, only two at home, before his final Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments start.
"Everybody is going to talk about how the seniors did this year," he said, "and it's kind of important to finish up on a good note and do as well as we possibly can and hopefully win a championship."
BASEBALL
Edited by Daniel Reyes
Team hopes to get back on track, repeat 2006 success
BY TYLER PASSMORE
tpassmore@kansan.com
In the wake of the 2006 Big 12 Championship, stands the 28-30 record that was 2007. With the 2008 season on the horizon, the 2008 senior class will try and capture the elusive Big 12 Championship once again. Leading this charge will be senior right field Ryne Price, senior left fielder John Allman and senior shortstop Erik Morrison. This trio of seniors will need a very solid incoming class and the remaining players from the 2006 titleholders. One of the players that played a key role in the lawhays 2006 postseason success was Buck Afenir, junior catcher, who had a two hit game against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship and another two hit night against Hawaii in the first regional game. With Preston Land, junior first baseman, returning to his 2006 form, the Jayhawks are looking to make noise in the Big 12.
"I have been here for four years and this team has as good of a chance as any. We have a solid core of seniors and a pitching staff that is deep."
While experience is going to be a key factor in the Jayhawks' success this year, sixth year head coach Ritch Price is excited about something else: pitching. The Jayhawks will have a key addition from Shaeffer Hall, a sophomore transfer at pitcher, to go along with sophomore pitcher Wally Marciel and junior pitcher Amy Marks when he returns from injury. This is something that their coach looks forward to and could be a formula for another Big 12 title.
"I think we have a real good chance," Afenir said. "We were one of the youngest teams in the Big 12 last year and this year we will be one of the oldest, which I think is much similar to the success Missouri had
"I think depth wise, this is the best we have been in the six years I have been here," Price said.
After just missing making the Big 12 Tournament last year, this year's team thinks it can resemble the 2006 team's success.
last year."
"Preston Land is going to have a huge year," Price said. "He has the bat speed to hit it out on any pitch and at any time."
If there are any skeptics left after the 2007 season, they will not be wearing crimson and blue this year. With a veteran team that has both won a championship and not made the tournament, they understand what it takes. If you pose the question if they can repeat their 2006 success, their answer is simple.
JOHN ALLMAN
Senior left fielder
"Absolutely," Allman said. "I have been here for four years and this team has as good of chance as any. We have a solid core of seniors and a pitching staff that is deep."
So, as the team looks to wrap up their final days of practice before heading to the warm sunshine of Hawaii, this season may hold the opportunity for the Jayhawks to gain redemption.
Junior forward Maria Zinic, junior guard Katie Smith and freshman Chakei Whelton laugh after teammate Taylor Mcintosh, senior forward, shot a stuffed attempt by a Nebraska guard during the first half of Sunda's game.
— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
MORE BASEBALL COVERAGE ON PAGE 4B
Jon Goering/KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Team optimistic about future games
BY TAYLOR BERN
tbern@kansan.com
At the beginning of this season, much of the talk about the women's basketball team was how it was going to build off a strong finish last season.
Last year, the Jayhawks won three out of four games for a stretch in February and were the victors in five of their last nine contests. That team started 1-9 in Big 12 play before turning on the jets, making it impossible to recover.
Unlike last year's team, this season's Jayhawks had an excellent nonconference record against some quality opponents. Kansas played and beat Hartford, Indiana and Xavier — all currently in the NCAA tournament according to ESPN's bracketology — and lost in Berkeley to a Cal team that's currently projected to get a No. 3 seed.
This time around, Kansas soared to an 11-2 nonconference record before stumbling out to a 1-6 start in Big 12 play. However, the recent flurry — three wins in its past four games — gives coach Bonnie Hendrickson's team a chance to finish in the upper half of the conference and push for a berth in the NCAA tournament.
"The difference between last year and this year is that emotionally for these kids, they expected so much more," Henrickson said. "Nobody expected much last year because everybody told them how young they were. These kids in this program expected to have a lot more success this year."
Also, unlike a year ago, the layhawks aren't solely dependent on two players.
Especially late in the season, Henrickson noted that her team became too reliant offensively on senior guard Shaquina Mosley and defensively on senior guard Sharita Smith. This time around they have a balanced attack on both ends of the floor.
"I don't know at the end of this that we'll say there were just two people." Henrickson said. "I really feel good that it's going to be a handful of people, and if it's a handful of people it will not only be a good finish like
last year, but we'll be going somewhere."
Postseason play was a preseason goal for Kansas but started to fade away with the sluggish start. Now that the tournament is back in the picture, sophomore guard Danielle McCray thinks it's time for Kansas to address its biggest issue.
"The biggest challenge for us is the road games, but we have a lot of momentum from our last two games," McCray said. "On the road we just need to stay together and play like we're at home."
"Honestly, I did," Henrickson said. "I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but when you look at January and February, I thought it was possible to survive if we didn't
Road games are the last big hurdle for the Jayhawks to get past because they're currently 0-5 in Big 12 games away from Allen Fieldhouse. Still, it wasn't expected that after such a slow start this team would be in a position where it could think about the postseason. Some, though, swear that they always thought this was going to happen.
Big 12 standings
Team/Conference Record/Oveiall Record
Kansas State 10-1 18-6
Baylor 10-2 22-3
Oklahoma State 8-3 20-4
Oklahoma 8-3 18-5
Nebraska 6-5 17-8
Texas A&M 5-5 18-7
Iowa State 5-6 16-8
Texas 4-7 16-9
Kansas 4-7 15-9
Colorado 3-9 14-11
Texas Tech 2-9 14-11
Missouri 1-10 8-16
lose hope and didn't throw in the towel." Kansas has a chance to cure its road game woes tonight when it tips off with Texas Tech at 7 p.m.
Edited by Matt Hirschfeld