THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2006
PROFILE
Meuan True/KANSAN
PAGE 1B
Smith, soccer take a break
Caroline Smith, Edina, Minn., senior, stands in front of a picture of herself playing soccer in the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. Smith made a name for herself by becoming the all-time leader in goals, points and assists.
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
What would you do to relax if you were at the end of four years of early morning workouts, weight-lifting sessions, and conditioning drills in preparation for games? Take a vacation? Be a regular student? Or would you train even more?
"The runs are really tough, but I have a lot of free time on my hands," said Smith, Edina, Mjnn. senior.
It may not be normal to want to undertake such a difficult task as a half marathon right after finishing a long athletic career, but Smith is far from a normal soccer player, as evidenced by her list of career accomplishments.
"Right now, I'm actually training for a half marathon," said Caroline Smith, the former Kansas soccer player who is experiencing her first prolonged break from the game.
In her four years as a forward for the Jayhawks, she was twice named to the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz All-American Teams, and was selected to the All Big 12 First Team three times. On top of that, Smith is Kansas' all-time leader in goals, points and assists.
During Smith's career, the Jayhawks advanced further than they ever had before, making two NCAA tournament berths and advancing to the Sweet 16 in her sophomore campaign.
Smith said she wanted the team to continue to make strides
now that she's gone and that she hoped that she had helped turn the program around. Her teammate Holly Gault said that Smith had done just that.
"Caroline is so competitive and makes everyone else on the team want to be the best they can be," the junior defender said. "Her individual accolades brought recognition and respect to the whole team."
Smith said that although she was optimistic about the program's future and was planning on staying close to the game by coaching youth soccer, she already knew something was missing from her life. She has played soccer since she was three years old and this was the first time since her toddler days that she had not played on an official team.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
"It hasn't hit me all the way yet," Smith said. "It still feels like it's the offseason, but once it gets warmer its going to get harder."
While it may be difficult for Smith to not play soccer anymore, the career path she wishes to travel may prove even more challenging. She has applied for medical school at Kansas and at the University of Minnesota in hopes of becoming a surgeon. Smith, who is slated for graduation this spring, especially wants to help injured athletes with this occupation, she said.
"As an athlete, I've dealt with injuries and know how hard they are to deal with," Smith said. "I want to be sure that I can help other athletes overcome their injuries."
— Edited by Jodi Ann Holopirek
KU VS. MU 3 P.M. SATURDAY, MIZZOU ARENA
Missouri Tigers (16-6, 6-4 Big 12)
Player to watch:
Key to victory:
Missouri must be aggressive on offense against a struggling Kansas defense. If the Tigers can jump out to an early lead, the Jayhawks will have trouble getting the necessary stops on defense to spark a run. Missouri can't afford to give up as many three-point shots as it did Wednesday night against Iowa State, because Kansas' guards can be just as dangerous from behind the arc.
Missouri senior guard LaToya Bond is among the top guards in the conference. She's a threat on both ends of the floor, averaging 19 points and nearly three steals a game. With Kansas' defense struggling, especially on the road, look for Bond to put up big numbers.
Season in review:
Missouri cannot afford to lose any more games against lower-tier conference teams, like Iowa State. The Tigers are limping toward March, dropping three of their past five games. The team's NCAA tournament hopes hinge on sweeping through the remainder of its schedule. Missouri will finish the season against the five worst teams in the Big 12.
Last time out:
Ryan Schneider
Red-hot three-point shooting by Iowa State doomed Missouri Wednesday night in Ames, Iowa. Missouri dropped its fourth Big 12 Conference game of the season, 66-60. The Tigers couldn't match the Cyclones' 46 percent three-point shooting in the second half. Missouri senior center Cristelle N'Garsanet paced all scorers with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Kansas Jayhawks (14-7,3-7 Big 12)
Player to watch:
Senior guard Erica Hallman fluctuates between unstoppable and struggling but rarely falls in the middle. Wednesday night, she scored 18 points in a loss to Oklahoma. If she finds a hot shooting touch, it will take pressure off of Kansas' forwards. It will also give coach Bonnie Henrickson a chance to rotate her bench players into the lineup.
Key to victory:
The entire Jayhawk lineup, not just senior forward/center Crystal Kemp, will have to show up defensively. Guards Ivana Catic and Kaylee Brown will have to hold Missouri below 50 percent shooting, and not allow the Tigers to go on a big run early. Kansas will no doubt be watching tape of how Iowa State managed to hold the Tigers to just 25 points in the second half of their game Wednesday.
Season in review:
Put simply, this is a must-win game for the lav
hawks. The standard to make the NCAA tournament is an 8-8 conference record, and the Jayhawks are at 3-7. They need to win two of their final three road games, with trips to Iowa State and Texas Tech looming. History is working against the Jayhawks, as they have yet to win a game away from the Fieldhouse this season.
Erica Hallman
Last time out:
A visit to No. 9 Oklahoma did not go well for Kansas, which lost 86-57. After the game, Henrickson was frustrated at her team's lack of defensive intensity, something that will have to be in place to stop Missouri's shooters. Seniors Kemp and Hallman were the bright spots for the Jayhawks, scoring a combined 39 points. Freshman guard Ivana Catic struggled, and played only 18 minutes.
Michael Phillips
DOWN THE HALL
Crafty guard leads way
The tear-drop, the floater, the one-handed runner in the lane, and the three-point shot all have one thing in common. They are all tricks that freshman Mario Chalmers has in his hat. After his performance against Nebraska on Wednesday night, he's starting to become "Super Mario" in my mind.
I watched the best player in college basketball, J.J. Redick of Duke, single-handedly dismantle North Carolina down the stretch Tuesday night. He had 35 points for the game. It was his best performance ever against the rival Tar Heels.
As I was watching Reddick play,
I couldn't get over how amazing
TIM HALL thall@kansan.com
he was. I don't care that he's endlessly taunted on the road, because this guy will be a great pro player. He will go down as one of the best pure shooters of all-time, among names such as Indiana State great Larry Bird and Iowa State legend Jeff Hornacek. I had the thought that Redick would be named the National Player of the
Year this season, and I wondered if anyone on Kansas' squad could one day get that same honor. Then I watched Chalmers play Nebraska on Wednesday night.
Anyone who watched that game knows Chalmers was responsible for extending the lead in that game and taking the Jayhawks to an easy road victory. He took control of a game in which Kansas star Brandon Rush scored only six points on 3-11 shooting. During the first half when Chalmers only had four points, Coach Bill Self told him to keep shooting and keep squaring to the basket.
SEE GUARD ON PAGE 6A
'Hawks to face No.19 Stanford
BASEBALL
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
Senior pitcher Kodiak Quick hated watching from the dugout as his old team beat up on his new team last season.
Two seasons ago, right-hander Quick (1-0, 1.29) played for Stanford.
Last season, Quick's first as a Ja'hawk, he did not throw against his old teammates when the Ja-hawks traveled to Palo Alto, Calif.
But Quick will be pitching this year when Kansas faces No. 19 Stanford for the third consecutive year. The three game series in California starts tonight, and Quick is
scheduled to pitch on Sunday to close out the three-game series.
The most efficient of the pitches in Hawaii, Quick threw for seven innings in his first start of 2006, the most of any Kansas pitchers last weekend. He allowed six hits and one run while striking out six in the season opener.
"It'll be different," Quick said last month. "And I get to play, too, so it's going to be play. I'm excited to go back out there, see some old friends and beat them."
The weekend will kick off the uphill battle the Jayhawks must climb in the non-conference season before conference play begins in March. Judging by Stanford's
"It's a big weekend no doubt about it," Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "It's one of the great places in America to play, and certainly one of the most storied college baseball programs in history. We're excited about it."
season-opening sweep of No. 9 Cal State Fullerton, Kansas will have its work cut out.
The laj Hawks are 0-6 against Stanford overall, but the teams look similar this season. The Cardinal return six position players and a starting pitcher to the field this season. The laj Hawks return seven position players and two starting pitchers.
SEE 'HAWKS ON PAGE 6A
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