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Marcus Mor this year. Let hi "Lot more s' dunks, lot mor
Morris sait layhawks' athleting lineup surp knock to Cole With athletes lie off the bench, might be scary
Senior guard the same, but ence between this year's a bit
"I think we said. "Not sayin' were slow, but faster not run guys every pos.
The layahaw able to utilize frenetic, up- the full-court tragethe players knight
Taylor, wh quickest play stand to be bene more breake year, Taylor a of the pace of his natural sp his hands. If adjusts to hi reason that plagued Taylor
"That's my said "I like
"Uus three Tyshawn Taylom sophmore E freshman Josl our front cour Markieff and ? I think it's just faster team
—and Bill Se with the recit Kansan to rea of them are e space of play.
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 Gunnnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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."
see how this thing works. Marcus Morris said the difference may be most noticeable on 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."
Sophomore forward Thomas
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.
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.
"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
Evan Palmer/ KANSAN 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 raked 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 Jahways 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 layhawks 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 Jayhawks 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.
Smith said.
The lajhawks were very attive on the pads, stealing bases at appropriate times and getting good leads which turned into runs scored.
tributing to KU's win was smart, effective base running, according to coach Megan Smith.
Complimenting the base run
Sophomore outfielder Rosie Hull helped ignite the team's offense, accounting for three RBIs including a run scored.
ning was the hitting clinic put on by the Jayhawk batters.
ing a run scorer.
"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.
The Jayhawks take the field next on Saturday with double header action against Seminole State Community College and Washburn at Arrocha Ballpark.
"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," Jones said.
Edited by Michael Bednar
7
Along with new rules and new 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.
Y
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.
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 when 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.
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.
Especially if the success on the field follows.
Edited by Tim Dwyer