THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
LIFE OF BRIAN
PAGE 10A
BRIAN WACKER
bwacker@kansan.com
Recruits give Mangino, fans reason to smile
Per the usual for any collegiate football coach, Mark Mangino was all smiles Wednesday as he talked about his 2006 recruiting class.
But this year, he has reason to be smiling.
In a year that will see Kansas lose its entire starting linebacking corps (Banks Floodman, Nick Reid, Kevin Kane), both starting quarterbacks who were worth a spit (Jason Swanson and Brian Luke) and half of the starting secondary (Theo Baines and Charles Gordon) to graduation and the NFL draft, anyone can see that the Jayhawks have a lot of holes to fill. Next year might be one of those dreaded "rebuilding" seasons.
But with this recruiting class, Mangino and his staff have brought in players who can plug those holes.
Granted, the evaluation of players in high school can only go so far in knowing how well they will play in the Big 12 Conference, and Mangino would admit that. But there's lot of room for optimism with this class, which ESPN.com ranked as No. 36 in the nation.
That ranking qualifies Kansas for the middle or the gridiron in terms of Big 12 recruitment rankings, but it does rank higher than quite a few notables: Louisville (41st), N.C. State (45th) and West Virginia (48th) are consistent mainstays of Top 25 polls during the season. Of course, the most delicious of the recruiting rankings for Kansas fans are Missouri (52nd) and Kansas State (60th).
Here's a quick glance at a few of standouts in Kansas' class:
Ian Wolfe. At 6 feet 6 inches, 270 pounds, the offensive tackle may need to put on a bit more weight, but he's a smart football player with great speed and agility. ESPN has him ranked No. 14 in the nation at his position. He chose the Jayhawks against Big 10 power Wisconsin.
Anthony Webb. As a 6-foot-1-inch safety, he's tall for his position. With a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, Mangino raved about his quick feet and ability to change direction. That speed will be welcome in a depleted secondary, where Mangino said Webb would have the opportunity to compete for a starting job. Rivals.com gave him a four-star rating and ranked him No.23 in the nation at his position. His high school coach said his instinct and skills were "cat-like."
Todd Reesing. Already enrolled at Kansas for the spring semester, this quarterback may be the most intriguing prospect in the class. As a junior, he was the Associated Press Texas State 4A Offensive Player of the Year, beating out Matthew Stafford, whom Rivals.com ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the nation. In his high school career, he passed for 6,500 yards and an insane 70 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. But at 5
SEE WACKER ON PAGE 8A
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 77-71
George Lonn/KANSAN
Speed bump
Buffs slow Jayhawks' road to tournament
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
A game that was supposed to snap Kansas out of a losing streak, instead turned into a 77-71 Colorado victory and left Kansas' three seniors looking for answers.
"This is our road to the NCAA tournament and we can't lose games like this," senior guard Kaylee Brown said.
After starting with a 13-0 record and a victory against nationally ranked Texas, Kansas has deflated, winning just one of its last seven games. The Jayhawks are now 13-6 and 2-6 in the Big 12 Conference.
Brown, senior guard Erica Hallman, as well as senior forward Crystal Kemp, played a full 40 minutes and finished in double-digit scoring. Brown led all scorers with a career-high 24 points. Afterward, she said the career high was no consolation for the loss.
The home loss damages Kansas' hopes of playing in the NCAA tournament. The team will now have to win twice on the road to finish with an 8-8 conference record, which was last year's standard for making the tournament.
"That is ultimately our goal," Hallman said. "We've got to get better if we even want to think of the NIT at this point."
On a night when Kansas' defense was suspect, the offense lacked the firepower to stay in a shootout with Colorado.
In the opening minutes, both teams scored at will putting up 16 points in the first four minutes.
During the first time-out, Colorado was able to tighten up defensively, but Kansas could not. The Buffaloes started pulling away.
The Buffaloes improved their record to 2-7 in Big 12 play. Both victories have come against Kansas.
"We knew we wanted to get it down to a decent deficit before halftime, but we couldn't do that," Kemp said of the 12-point Colorado lead.
Senior guard Kaylee Brown looks to pass inside against Colorado during Wednesday night's game in Allen Fieldhouse. Brown led the Jayhawks with 24 points and was 5-5 from the free-throw line. Colorado defeated the Jayhawks 77-71.
Kansas twice was able to chip away at that lead, first cutting it to four points at the start of the second half. Colorado answered with scoring inside from forward Jackie McFarland, who had 11 of her 16 points in the second half.
SEE SPEEDBUMP ON PAGE 8A
Defense hurts 'Hawks
BY RVN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITHER
If losing by 50 isn't rock bottom, this certainly is.
defensive category.
Wednesday night, another opponent was able to feast on a Kansas defense now ranked last in the Big 12 Conference in nearly every
A frustrated Hallman said the problem was that Kansas started the game flat defensively, allowing 13 uncontested shots.
Colorado shot a scorching 61.9 percent from the field, the best percentage Kansas has given up this season. It's the third straight game opponents have shot better than 50 percent against the lavhawk defense.
"We've just got to get better defensively," senior guard Erica Hallman said. "We're getting killed."
Colorado sophomore guard Yari Escalera started the game with an open jump shot, one of many she would see on the night. The Buffaloes' guards,
SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 8A
SOFTBALL
Bunge excited about season
BY JONATHAN ANDERSON
janderson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
When the Kansas softball team was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 standings, coach Tracy Bunge knew the team had to improve.
"We are disappointed by our rankings." she said.
The team finished last season with a 31-24 record, including a 9-8 conference mark. Bunge said the team will rely on experience to improve its record.
"We have a lot of returning players on the infield," Bunge said. Eight letter winners from last season will return, seven of whom are starters. The perks of having a veteran roster would be knowing who was coming back and what identity the team would play with. Part of that identity will include a team that posted a school-record 973 fielding percentage last season.
Much of the leadership will be trusted in shortstop Destiny Frankenstein, infielder Jessica Moppin, outfielder Heather Stanley and pitcher Serena Settiemier, all of whom are seniors.
"Defense wins championships," Bunge said. "Defense should be a mainstay for this team. Between our defense and our pitching staff, we feel pretty good about what we are doing going into the season."
Bunge was optimistic both about the thunder that she thought would come from the bats of the lineup and about the team's ability to put the ball in play. That ability, paired with team experience, could allow the Jayhawks to reach their goal of playing near the top of the standings, she said.
"We want to go further than we did last year and compete in the top half of the Big 12," Bunge said. "We think we can make some noise and surprise some people."
KU will kick off the season Feb. 10 against Florida at the Wilson/DiMarini Tournament in Houston, Texas.
— Edited by Cynthia Hernandez
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman guard Mario Chirimba looks down court to pass during a fast break against Texas Tech Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse. Coach Bill Self said the team was having a lot more possessions and playing faster.
Rachel Sevmour/KANSAN
Rotation set for now
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTWRITER
In the last four games, Kansas has twice scored in the 80s and twice in the 90s. The Jayhawks have been running more and creating more fast break opportunities against their opponents.
It is all finally coming together for the Jayhawks.
After scoring 65 points against Kansas State, the Jayhawks have stepped up on offense, scoring over 80 points in each of the last five games.
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Kansas coach Bill Self said after Monday's game against Texas Tech that the team had been trying to play faster the whole season and that it was clicking now.
"This is how we have been trying to play for a while, as far as the pace is concerned." Self said. "Even on the road, we have had a lot more possessions and played faster."
One reason Kansas has been able to run more on opponents and get more fast breaks is because of the improved play of the big men.
Self has been able to settle in on a rotation and has started freshman forward Julian Wright and sophomore center Sasha Kaun together for the past three games. Against Texas Tech, Kaun had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore forward Darnell Jackson's play has also improved since conference play began. Jackson has scored in double figures the last four games.
"They are getting easy baskets," Self said. "The best way to get confidence is to get a layup, and then you think you're playing real well. These guys are playing to their strengths more now. They are getting out and running."
Self said the big men have been pivotal in Kansas scoring more points and getting more fast break opportunities.
Another reason Kansas has been able to put more points on the scoreboard is because of its improved shooting. The Jayhawks have shot 50 percent or better the past five games and in nine out of their last 11 games.
Freshman guard Mario Chalmers, who was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Monday, has averaged more than 14 points per game in
conference play. He has also helped Kansas run in the open floor. His 53 steals are already the fourth most by a KU freshman.
Poor shooting has been a big reason Kansas has faltered in losses this season. In its 61-49 loss to Arizona, Kansas shot just 33 percent. Against Kansas State, Kansas shot 32 percent.
"We're doing a good job of finding the open man, and we're hitting shots," sophomore guard Russell Robinson said. "We're sharing the ball more and not putting up bad shots."
Freshman guard Brandon Rush said it was more fun playing the style of basketball where Kansas got out and ran on other teams.
"It's fun out there right now," he said. "Everybody is crashing the boards, and that leads to quick baskets and fast breaks."
Kansas will get another opportunity to continue its hot shooting at noon on Sunday when it plays host to Oklahoma.
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Edited by Lindsey Gold
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