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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 8A
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010
Sophomores will spark the Jayhawks
Forward Carolyn Davis and guard Monica Engelman look to build on first-year successes for 2010-2011.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
GAME ON
PAGE 10A
Jackson primed for her Fieldhouse debut
Freshman forward Tania Jackson celebrates on the bench during Kansas' game against Oklahoma State February 12 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The freshman forward sat out last season with an injured knee
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
BY KATHLEEN GIER kqier@kansan.com
After two years of season-ending injuries, redshirt freshman Tania Jackson is ready to get back in the game.
Jackson tore her ACL a week before tryouts her senior year at Lawrence High School. Last year, she tore her meniscus in practice before the first exhibition game. During the offseason, Jackson worked to make herself stronger and overcome her injuries.
"I am excited," Jackson said. "I put in a lot of effort over the summer to get my knee right; that was the main focus. I am just really excited to be on the court with my team again."
Jackson is also looking forward to playing in front of the fans at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time.
"I think that is important for anyone from Lawrence," Jackson said. "I want to play in front of my fans and friends and it has been about two years since they have seen me play."
Growing up in Lawrence, Jackson knew from early on that she wanted to play for the Jayhawks.
"I started going to Kansas games in seventh or eighth grade and that is when I knew I wanted to go to Kansas." jackson said. "This has always been a dream of mine."
This season, she is ready to help the team in several ways.
"I am a three point threat; I got a lot of shots in this summer trying to get my three point shot up," Jackson said. "I have gotten a lot
stronger, kneewise, physically and mentally. I think a big thing for me is playing mentally tough when my knee starts bothering me. I think that is the way that I will impact the team, by being mentally tough"
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson
said she looked forward to seeing jackson on the court as well.
"She's been in all of our workouts so far this year and she's been in every practice." Henrickson said. "She's a great shooter, very strong and she doesn't mind being physical, she embraces that. She
can guard any post player — she is that athletic."
Sophomore forward Carolyn Davis also commented on the strengths Jackson would bring to the team this season.
"She is really aggressive in the post and we'll see that she can
shoot outside and post inside;" Davis said. "That is going to really help to stretch the defense having a four that can shoot a three."
After a season watching games from the sidelines, Jackson has a unique perspective on how to help the team through its struggles.
"I think the main thing I can have a major impact on is my voice," she said. "I think it can be more of an addition to my voice and communication on the court."
Edited by Dana Meredith
Senior linebacker Justin Springer drags down a New Mexico State Aggie. The Jayhawks will have a tougher test with Daniel Thomas, the nation's eighth-leading rusher, who is coming to Lawrence Thursday.
FOOTBALL
Cats RB Thomas will test defense
Jerry Wang/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
If you ask coach Turner Gill, Kansas' bye week couldn't have come at a better time.
Following the 55-7 loss to Baylor last weekend, the Kansas coaching staff used the bye week re focus on getting players to be more physical on both sides of the ball. Gill said he felt the team was out of rhythm in Waco and the extra week was a good time to get back on track.
"We needed to get some things going during the bye week," Gill said at Monday's press conference. "I felt we were out of rhythm and we've used this extra week to correct those things and prepare for K-State."
Gill worked on creating more turnovers and knocking guys to the turf, something he wants to see more of each week in practice and in games. Playing more physically, he said, is key to getting more turnovers.
Safety Lubbock Smith echoed his coach's sentiments on being more physical throughout the week.
"If you play physical and play with extra confidence," he said, "that encourages it."
"During practice we always focus on finishing every tackle," he said. "We're going to have to tackle well and get takeaways in order to come out with a W"
Smith noticed the coaching staff's extra emphasis during the bye week of wrapping up, securing the tackle and not getting too excited and missing open field tackles. Gill said the defense
Meeting Gill's missed tackle quota will be key in stopping Kansas State's dangerous running game, led by senior Daniel Thomas. If the Jayhawks can't bring down Thomas, he could have another big day and add to his 691 rushing yards, eighth best in the country.
needed fewer than 10 missed tackles against K-State if the team hoped to be successful. He also wants to get 80 knockdowns throughout the game, whether that be on offense or defense.
Cornerback Chris Harris noticed this week's practices had gotten more intense leading up to Thursday night's showdown with
"A lot more players have been on the ground this week. Everyone's been going a little harder. I would definitely say there's been a lot more knockdowns this week."
K-State.
With a young team, however, the veteran defender warned younger teammates of getting too excited and making big mistakes.
"Everyone's been a little more jacked for this game because it's a lot of players' first game against K-State," Harris said. "So you have to watch for injuries leading up to kickoff."
Harris said he wanted the defense to play up to its abilities and react more as compared to
thinking too much on the field, something the coaches have preached to the defense.
He said repetitions and tough-mindedness are key to shoring up missed tackles and making big plays on game day.
"Lately, we've definitely been getting more turnovers and hitting harder in practice, so we just need to bring what we do in practice to the game."
Whether or not the extra emphasis on hard-hitting and toughness in practice will translate to success Thursday night remains to be seen.
Y
Edited by Tim Dwyer
COMMENTARY
Football team must follow two-step plan
The Jayhawks have been humiliated twice this season already, and they're not even
halfway through it. So what can coach Turner Gill do to save face this season? The answer is a simple two-step plan.
Step one: Kansas needs to win against Kansas State on Thursday night.
Gill has had two weeks to get his players prepared for the Wildcats. His team should be ready and he should have a solid game plan to stop talented K-State running back Daniel Thomas.
The Jayhawks must come out with incredible passion. Gill may not have coached a rivalry game like this before. Understand that to Kansas fans, this game is more than just another matchup.
While K-State was falling into despair under Ron Prince, Kansas is reaching new heights with Mark Mangino. Now, it appears that the roles are reversing, K-State is heading back in the right direction under Bill Snyder and Kansas is regressing.
This trend must stop. Another trend must continue, one that is historically more significant.
Kansas still leads the all-time series 65-37-5. Kansas is 37-15-2 against K-State in Lawrence, and even has a winning record in Manhattan, too. The Jayhawks have won four of the last six Sunflower Showdowns.
After step one is complete, step two must be the next goal.
The Tigers, who are currently
Step two: Kansas needs to beat Missouri when it plays Nov. 27.
BY MAX VOSBURGH
vosburgh@kansan.com
ranked 21st in the latest AP poll, could be Nebraska's biggest competitor in the Big 12 North. Games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., have been intense. Because it's a home game for Missouri, Tiger fans will be out in full force, ready to kick the Jayhawks while they're down.
The first step in Gill and the Jayhawks' campaign for this year is important. Would losing all but one conference game to Missouri be enough to keep fans content?
If the lajahaves win only two more games all season, let them be against K-State and Missouri. Give Kansas fans a reason to cheer and be excited again.
Both K-State and Missouri will more than likely go to bowl games and have a more successful year than Kansas. At the very least, let Jayhawk fans offer a rebuttal when they are mocked by Wildcat and Tiger fans.
After what looks to be a losing season, fans could find peace with Gill if he simply completes this two-step plan. Beat K-State and beat Missouri.
Edited by Anna Nordling