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CATCH OF THE WEEK // SEAN MORROW
> Our weekly peek at a fish in the KU sea.
NOTICES FIRST IN A POTENTIAL PARTNER:
Legs.
IDEAL DATE: Probably just walking around and talking. I'd rather stay away from movies or places where you don't have to talk because then we can't get to know each other. Maybe something closer to mini golf because you're doing something fun and are able to talk at the same time. I'm also really awesome at it.
"That's n said "I like
TURN-ONS: I'm really attracted to girls who have athletic builds. If it looks like she's seen the inside of the rec more than once, that's attractive. Also, girls who are outgoing and can talk about something other than *Gossip Girl* or whatever shows girls watch. Oh, and if a girl can look good in a t-shirt and jeans, but also look really good when she wears a dress.
**TURN-OFFS:** Smoking. I'm also really turned off by girls who think they're better than everyone else. Stuck up girls don't do it for me.
WHY I'M A CATCH: I get into a little bit of everything. I've done like every sport in high-school. Mainly because I wasn't that great at any one sport in particular so I had to do five of them. I can also be romantic and quiet and wild and crazy.
ELLEN SHEFTEL
HOW WE MET // MARIA SAVOY & JESSE BROWN
> All great relationships had to start somewhere
Maria Savoy, Holly Springs, N.C., freshman, never thought her younger brother's friendship would lead her to love. Savoy grew up in Gardner, Kan. but moved to North Carolina four years ago. When tagging along with her little brother to go visit his friend two years ago, she met her brother's friend's cousins. "I was dating someone else at the time so I didn't give either of them a second glance," Savoy says.
Jesse Brown, freshman at Johnson County Community College and one of the older cousins, gave Savoy more than just a glance. He got her phone number and began texting her. "Less than a month after we met she broke up with her boyfriend and began talking to me. We talked on the phone and texted for nine months until we got to see each other again at her prom," Brown says.
Savoy and Brown both moved from North Carolina to Kansas for school. "We both wanted to stay together and this was the best option because we didn't want to be in a long-distance relationship," Savoy says.
the happy couple sees each other every
Contributed photo
Matchmaking: Maria Savoy started dating her current boyfriend, Jesse Brown, after meeting him through her younger brother.
Wednesday and weekend. Brown looks forward to attending KU next fall and being even closer to Savoy. "She makes me happier than I have ever been before, and I consider myself to be very lucky to have her in my life," Brown says.
ELLEN SHEFTEL
Sophomore forward Thomas
said. "I like. That's my thing. I think it's going to be fun. It's going to be interesting to see how this thing happens."
Senior guard Tyrel Reed is one of the quickest players on a fast Kansas roster. Reed said the athleticism on this year's team reminded him of the 2007-2008 national title-winning team. Mike Gunnoe, N
see how this tinged on Marcus Morris said the difference may be most noticeable on defense.
defense.
"I think without Cole and having Keef at the five and having T-Rob coming in, we're going to be a lot quicker in coming off ball screens and being able to trap and sometimes switch with the five," he said. "Keef can guard and T-Rob can guard, so I think we'll be a lot quicker on the perimeter."
Robinson said he doesn't think the game plan will change — Self always wanted to play up-tempo last year, he said — but the team this year is more geared to play to those strengths.
"Coach Self wanted us to play
fast from the beginning, so for us to have a more athletic team from top to bottom just put us right where we want to be" Robinson said.
said. Reed said the ability to go from one through five without a significant drop-off reminded him of another team he played for at Kansas. One that won a national championship.
championship,
"Id say, being here in '07-08,
yeah, it definitely does look a lot
more like it." Reed said. "Just from
the standpoint that we have a lot of guys that can go and go get scores and do their own thing. We're all unselfish, and I think that's kind of the way they were."
— Edited by Clark Goble
With two wins, Jayhawks start season strong
Mariah Montgomery, a sophomore infielder from Ralston, Neb. slides home safe Wednesday night at Arrocha Ballpark. The Jayhawks beat Johnson County Community College 16-1 in an exhibition match. The Jayhawks racked up 15 hits against the Cavaliers.
BY BLAKE SCHUSTER bschuster@kansan.com
Coming off a 10-0 win against Baker in the practice season opener, the Jayhawks looked to continue their winning streak, taking the field against Johnson County Community College Wednesday night. The Jayhawks won 16-1
NEXT GAME:
WHO: Kansas vs.
Seminole State CC
WHEN: Saturday, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Lawrence
Kansas struck first, going up 2-0 after a homerun by senior outfielder Liz Kocon to right field in the bottom of the first inning, with a runner on second. In the next inning, the Jayhawks chased Johnson County's starting pitcher Lynna Kays after adding eight more runs onto their lead on six hits.
runs onto the field.
The Jayhawks lost the shutout in the third inning after an error by KU led to a run scored by the Cavaliers. That would be the only run scored against Kansas for the rest of the game.
The Jayhawks pounced on the Cavaliers, totaling 16 runs on 15 hits with two errors. The Cavaliers totaled one run, three hits and six errors.
In only their second practice game of the season, the layhawks already looked to be in mid-season form, both on offense and defense.
One of the main elements con
"We really try to make it a focus for us at practice, to really work on that base running so we can utilize that during our games this season," Smith said.
tributing to KU's win was smart, effective base running, according to coach Megan Smith.
Smith said.
The Jayhawks were very attentive on the pads, stealing bases at appropriate times and getting good leads which turned into runs scored.
Complimenting the base run
ning was the hitting clinic put on by the Jayhawk batters.
Sophomore outfielder Rosie Hull helped ignite the team's offense, accounting for three RBIs including a run scored.
"It was awesome," Hull said on her offensive night. "My normal role on the team is a slapper, and my job is to just get on base, so I don't get a lot of RBI's. To come up in the situation and perform just felt really great."
The role of closing out the game belonged to sophomore pitcher and outfielder Alex Jones. With the slaughter rule about to take effect, Jones stepped to the mound in the seventh inning looking to get the job done.
job done.
She finished the game, retiring the side in three consecutive batters. After the game Jones commented on the backup her team gave her while she took control of the mound.
hes said.
The Jayhawks take the field next on Saturday with double header action against Seminole State Community College and Washburn at Arrocha Ballpark.
Edited by Michael Bednor
"I know that my defense is gonna back me up if the ball is put in play, but I was feeling it tonight, and I just felt really good and the defense did step up when they needed to" lones said.
Gill brought new rules just as any coach would do to keep his team focused and in line. Three of the biggest changes are the new rules on not cursing in the locker rooms or on the field, not using telephones the night before a game and not seeing women after 10 p.m. on any night.
The last one stood out to me as most interesting because the first thing I thought of was a line from the 1975 film "Rocky." Rocky is training for a heavyweight title bout when his trainer Mick tells him he cannot see his girlfriend anymore because, "women weaken knees." This was not Gill's reason exactly, but there are some common elements.
Another thing that really stood out to me about these rules was how they fit in to "forming the man," which is one of Gill's goals. These rules, while they take away distractions, also seem to take away some of the traditional football stereotypes of big tough guys who curse and womanize whenever the opportunity arises. I am by no means saying that any player actually fits that stereotype, or that Gill's rules have made a change, but on paper they sound good.
Gill has defended these changes as ways of keeping distractions away before games, which is a completely valid point. Although the rules may sound odd at first, they start to make sense when you think about how distracted the average person is by his or her phone or the opposite sex.
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soulful good.
The way I see it, Gill is not going to turn this program and its reputation around dramatically within a year, which is to be expected. But what he can do is start to change the reputation of the athletes.
Some reporters have said that this will hurt recruiting, but I think if Kansas' trademark is producing well respected young men, that is not a bad reputation to have.
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Especially if the success on the field follows.
Edited by Tim Dwyer
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