THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
SPORTS
3B
TOURNAMENT
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
to play games on Saturday and Monday in each of the past two weeks. That mirrors the NCAA tournament schedule, where teams sometimes play with less than 48 hours of rest.
"The tournament is a pretty trying and tiring time, depending on when your game is," Self said. "You could get a 10 p.m. game. Then you shoot around the next day at 2 p.m., and you've been up all night trying to get ready"
Kansas can thank the TV networks for that practice. ESPN scheduled the Jayhawks for Big Monday the past two weeks, and CBS has picked up this Saturday's game for telecast. That popularity also means the Jayhawks will face some of their toughest competition in the final days of the season.
The biggest storylines are out of the Jayhawks control, though. If Texas A&M loses against Texas tonight, it could allow the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 title outright. If the Aggies defeat the Longhorns, it raises questions about whether the Jayhawks can be seeded higher even though they lost to the Aggies earlier in the season.
For now, Kansas continues to work and focus on doing its part by winning Saturday.
"That's been a goal of ours since day one," Self said. "So I can't see them forgetting about that and moving on to something else."
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by James Pinick
McCray gets in the game
》 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman forward overcomes early-season struggles
BY ASHER FUSCO
Danielle McCray is the kind of shooter who seems to be able to make a shot from anywhere on the court. But in her first few games as a Jayhawk, the freshman quickly found a place she couldn't score from: the end of the bench.
Despite her shooting ability and offensive versatility, McCray found herself fighting to stay in the lineup and out of coach Bonnie Henrickson's dohouse.
M c ra y ' s problem was one that went beyond the basketball court. It was that she simply couldn't keep up with the pace of Division I basketball due to poor conditioning
tioning had little to do with laziness or a poor attitude. She suffered debilitating injuries to both legs. She underwent surgery on both shins the summer before her freshman season, setting her training back for one month.
"A lot of it was between her ears."
"I knew how good a player I could be if I could stay in shape. I felt that my physical condition was holding me back."
"I knew how good a player I could be if I could stay in shape," said McCray. "I felt that my physical condition was holding me back."
Once she recovered from her injuries, McCray had trouble convincing herself she was able to play basketball against such strong competition.
DANIELLE MCCRAY Freshman forward
The Olathe native impressed fans with her polished moves, but she labored running up and down the court for more than a few consecutive minutes. Her fatigue resulted in quick exits from several early-season games. The 5-foot-11 forward played seven minutes at Creighton, nine at Indiana and only four against Northern Illinois.
The low point of McCray's freshman season came when Henrickson chose to sit her for the entirety of the Jan. 6 loss to Baylor.
McCray's problems with condi
Henrickson said. "She was questioning whether or not she was capable of the conditioning required at this level."
Henrickson kept pushing McCray every day in practice, convinced the freshman possessed the toughness to fight through the sprints and drills. Henrickson was correct — McCray already had the inner strength, and would soon develop the physical endurance to compete in the Big 12 Conference.
That extra endurance came from special post-practice workouts and a healthier diet. Half-hour sessions on the stationary bike or elliptical machine started paying off when the pounds started falling off.
"I knew getting my weight down a few pounds was important," McCray said. "It would let me be quicker and better overall."
broken the 20 point mark in two of her last three games, and most importantly, has shown the ability to play full-throat for long periods of the game. McCray played 32 minutes at Colorado last Saturday and totaled 47 minutes in a double overtime victory against Kansas State on Feb. 18.
The change in body composition is noticeable. She retained the strength that allowed her to control the paint while she shed the extra weight that slowed down her perimeter defense. The newer, more streamlined version of McCray is almost always the most physically impressive player on the court, complete with bulging biceps and calves that were not quite as visible in November.
"I feel like I did before my injury," McCray said. "I'm so much quicker and stronger than I had been. It makes the game easier."
McCray has made an outstanding amount of progress since arriving on campus, but there is always work to be done, Henrickson said.
"We still want to change her body a little this spring and summer," Henrickson said. "To get her a little leaner with some more explosiveness."
McCray knows this can only mean one thing: a little more time on the elliptical. If her past determination provides any indication, she will be more than willing to step up to the task.
Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.
Edited by James Pinick
Freshman forward Danielle McCray pushes the ball up the court after an inbound pass. McCray has increased her playing time and production because of improved conditioning.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
KLEINMANN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
being around the basket and understanding angles." Campbell said. "I know the Kansas coaches saw that in him and knew he could get better.
He kept close contact with Self,
even though he knew he had probably never see significant playing time.
And if he wanted that, he could have gone somewhere else.
Kleinmann had plenty of schools vying for his services. Yale, North Carolina-Wilmington, William and Mary, South Florida and Valparaiso all expressed interest.
"There were probably some other schools that I might have wanted to go to or had a better deal to, but nothing ever clicked," Klemann said. "I wanted to be at Kansas."
The crown jewel, though, was Pacific. The Tigers, fresh off a second-round NCAA tournament loss to the Jayhawks, offered Kleinmann a scholarship. Kleinmann made an official visit to the Tigers' northern California campus, but Kansas beat Pacific again as he chose to be a Jayhawk.
Talking about practice
Outspoken NBA star Allen Iverson certainly wouldn't embrace the role that Kleinmann cherishes.
Why? Because being a walk-on is all about practice. Not about the game. Practice.
Essentially, that's all Kleinmann's
job is. Sure, sometimes he gets a couple minutes of playing time at the end of blowouts, but he's at Kansas to be a practice player.
Every day he goes up against players who are more talented than he is and tries to somehow make them better. Whether that is setting
hard screens, being physical or running until he can't breathe, Kleinmann tries to do it.
"He's a big body, so he gives it hard to Shady, Sasha and all of them," junior guard and fellow red-team mem-
analyst Billy Packer called the best walk-on in the history of college basketball.
"I learned a lot about my role, but I also learned how to treat people," Kleimmann said of what he learned from Moody. "I think that was the big part of him showing me how
"He's a good replica of the other players they're going to play against. He's a lot of help to us."
ber Jeremy Case said. "He's a good replica of the other players they're going to play against. He's a lot of help to us."
Frustration could easily creep into the mind of a walk-on. Think about it. Banging bodies with Sasha Kaun for more than two hours every day for, at the most, two minutes of game time? Not too many people would volunteer to do that.
JEREMY CASE Junior guard
But Kleinmann always keeps a positive outlook. It helped that he had former walk-on Christian Moody to emulate. Kleinmann arrived on campus watching Moody, whom CBS
to lead by example."
Kleinmann still gets discouraged sometimes, but he always finds ways to stay motivated. He thinks of practices as his games. Because he never has the chance to get
tired during games, he makes sure he works himself to exhaustion during practice. His goal, along with the other reserves who make up the red team in practice, is to make everyone else better.
"It it seems like when we have a really good game it's because the red team pushed them harder in the practice before," Kleimmann said. "So if you ever hear the blue team had a tough practice maybe that's because the red team had a really good one."
A Jayhawk for life
Former walk-on loa Branstrom is still on the sidelines for a team that wears blue. This time he's the coach, the bead man for Olathe Northwest High School's girls varsity team. He's been the school's only coach since it opened in 2003.
Branstrom, who played from 1994-97, is 10 years removed from his Jayhawk days, but they still remain a part of his life.
"It's amazing how many people know you. It's almost embarrassing." Branstrom said. "But it's a credit to how great KU fans are. I'm proud to be a layhawk."
One story of recognition sticks out in Branstrom's mind. He was attending church in Olathe, and a woman in her 60s called out his name and asked how he was doing. She started talking about Jayhawk basketball and said her mom was an even bigger fan than she was.
Branstrom was shocked when the next week the woman brought her mom to church with her. He said the woman's mom, who had to have been in her 80s, knew everything about him and even remembered his Senior Day speech.
In a few years, Kleimann will likely be telling the same stories. The architecture major will have a job out of basketball, but his experience as a jayhawk will never leave him.
"In general, for anyone who plays for KU, the doors are open," he said. "The qualities you learn playing basketball for KU carry over into whatever you want to do."
And it will be about more than having old women recognizing him in church. Branstrom said learning about the game and life from former Kansas coach Roy Williams benefited him in his career. Kleinmann sees the same for his future.
Still dreaming
Kleinmann still has two years left to be a lajayhawk. That means two more years of hard work, but also two years of benefits. Kleinmann could be part of a national championship team this season. And hey, not everyone gets a standing ovation when he or
Branstrom would advise Klemmmann mainly to enjoy the journey while he still can.
she walks into a restaurant
"It's demanding and tough."
Branstrom said. "Have little things to be competitive with and that keeps it fun. Just be thankful for what you're doing and what God gave you."
It wouldn't be too hard to persuade Kleinmann to do that.
"It's a fantasy come true," he said. "I can't help but smile every time I'm on the court. Who wouldn't enjoy playing in Allen Fieldhouse?"
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
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