2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2007
》 COMMENTARY
Collins ultimate clutch player
$ \mathrm {h} $ under stand that he's just a freshman. Freshmen are not supposed to be this clutch. Freshmen are not supposed to — as the overused sports clinic goes — have ice water in their veins.
Most players would like to think the same of themselves. They say they live for the big moments. They want the ball when the game is on the line in a packed arena where they can't hear themselves think. They love pressure. They play their best when the lights are on.
Most players are liars.
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
CJMOORE@KANSAN.COM
But not Collins. He has proven that he revels in pressure situations. The Jayhawks have played five close games in conference play — the rest have been blowouts. These five games were all played on national television; the four-point victory at Iowa State, the three-point victory against Missouri at home, the five-point loss at Texas Tech, the three-point loss to Texas A&M and Monday's nine-point victory at Allen Fieldhouse West.
In these five games, Collins has averaged 16.2 points per game (6.2 points more than his average), shot 65.6 percent from the field, 52.4 percent from three-point range and went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line — all above his season averages.
Collins has been at his best in two of these games — Missouri and K-State — when the game was on the line. He scored seven of the layhawks' final nine points against the Tigers and scored 10 of his 20 points in the final 11 minutes Monday night. And without the freshman point guard, Kansas probably would have lost both games, especially the Missouri game.
Colms is the anti-jason Bennie, the 7-foot-3 waste of space freshman Wildcat (zero points, nine fouls and one rebound in two games against the layhawks). Unlike the Big Whiner from K-State, Collins just plays ball. In the clutch, Collins plays as though he's playing in a weekend pickup game. He doesn't get nervous. He doesn't realize his age. He doesn't have a deer-in-headlights look about him.
This happens to some players every once in a while. They get in what they like to call "the zone." The game slows down. They feel like they can't miss. Their nerves disappear.
This is pretty much every game for Collins. It's why he's going to go down as a Kansas legend some day and put the jayhawks back in the Final Four multiple times (knock on wood).
Collins' cool demeanor in pressure-packed situations makes him a unique player and he didn't need much else to make him unique. After all, Collins defies what he
should be able to do with his body type. He shouldn't have that many gears. He shouldn't be that quick and balanced. People who are 5-9 and weigh 200 pounds should be dunking doughnuts, not dunking basketballs (And yes, Collins is listed at 5-11 and Brittney Spears once claimed to be a virgin).
Earlier this season Bill Self was asked if he knew who he would go to at the end of a game when his team needed just one basket.
Self said, yeah, he knew. Hed go to Mario Chalmers. That made sense at the time. But if Self was asked this same question today and didn't answer Collins, he should be locked in his office and forced to watch the previous mentioned five games over and over and over again.
Self has had Collins finishing games as of late. He made the mistake of pulling Collins in the Texas A&M game after he turned the ball over trying to force feed the post. Collins had scored 18 points in that game and when he left the game, the Jayhawks didn't have anybody on the court who wanted to shoot down the stretch. Coincidentally — or not — the Jayhawks lost that game.
So when the NCAA tournament rolls around and Kansas needs a basket, Self should turn to Collins. He might just be a freshman, but he isn't scared.
Moore is a Shawnee senior in journalism.
— Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Tiger Woods earns award for leadership, sports
ST. LOUIS — Tiger Woods is the most influential black leader in sports, according to a list compiled by Sporting News announced Wednesday
GOLF
The top 10 list appears in the
edition now available on news-
stands. Charlotte Bobcats owner
Bob Johnson was second, followed
by Magic Johnson.
Woods dominates golf and is a major force off the course as well, the St. Louis-based publication noted, citing the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif., and the Start Something program,
which has enrolled more than 3 million children.
Bob Johnson is the first black sports owner. Magic Johnson has been influential in bringing businesses to the inner city, in addition to a Hall of Fame career that included five championships and three MVP awards.
Associated Press
Track at Big 12 Indoor Championships, All day, Ames, Iowa
athletics calendar
Softball vs. Kent State, 1 p.m.
Louisville, Ky.
FRIDAY
Softball vs. Louisville, 3 p.m.
Louisville, Ky.
Baseball vs. Stanford, 7 p.m.
Stanford, Calif.
pionships, All day, Ames, Iowa
at Last Ditch Qualifier, All day.
Columbus, Ohio
Swimming and diving
Track at Big 12 Indoor Cham
SATURDAY
Women's golf at FSU Chrysler Challenge, All day, Destin, Fla
Softball vs. Iowa, Noon,
Louisville, Ky.
Baseball vs. Stanford, 3 p.m. Stanford, Calif.
Men's basketball vs. Iowa
State, 5 p.m. Allen Fieldhouse
■ Women's basketball vs.
Colorado, 8 p.m. Boulder, Colo.
SUNDAY
Women's golf at FSU Chrysler Challenge. All day, Destin, Fla.
Baseball vs. Stanford, 1 p.m.
Stanford, Calif.
Softball vs. TBA, Louisville, Ky.
MLB
Red Sox still expecting player Ramirez's absence from spring training remains mystery
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Manny Ramirez's absence from Red Sox camp is becoming a bit of a mystery.
The enigmatic slugger received permission from the team to report late to spring training for family reasons — but he was slated to attend a car auction in New Jersey on Saturday, according to the promoter of the event.
It wasn't immediately clear if the club was aware of Ramirez's scheduled appearance at the Atlantic City Classic Cars Auction. Boston's first full squad workout is Thursday. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the deadline for players to report to camp is next Tuesday.
Ramirez was with her in Florida.
Boston general manager Theo Epstein said Wednesday that Ramirez has an excused absence and will report on March 1 for the second straight year. On Monday, pitcher Julian Tavarez. Ramirez's close friend, said the slugger's mother recently had surgery and
"He's got a family situation," Epstein said in Fort Myers, Fla. "I think the important thing from our perspective at this point is when he does show up on March 1 that he's ready to go, accountable to his teammates, accountable to the organization."
But later Wednesday, Ramirez's plans to appear at the car show surfaced in a report posted on The Boston Globe's Web site. It said Ramirez mother's condition might prevent him from attending — and it wasn't known when the appearance was initially scheduled.
Louise Cunningham, who works for G. Potter King, the Berlin, N.J., car dealer promoting the auction, told The Associated Press that Ramirez was still expected at the event.
"All we know, he's coming at noon on Saturday, nothing else," she said.
Ramirez is a collector of classic cars. His 1967 four-door Lincoln
Continental Sedan convertible is listed in Saturday's auction as number 1747A. In parentheses on the auction list is a note: Owned by Manny Ramirez.
Epstein said he spoke Tuesday with Ramirez's agent, Greg Genske. The GM also said manager Terry Francona had talked with Genske and Ramirez. But Epstein made no mention of the car show.
Another big-money outfielder, J.D. Drew, showed up at camp with no complaints about the Red Sox adding conditions to his new contract to protect them in case he re-i-makes his shoulder.
Drew said he's as healthy as he ever been in his career and he's sure his right shoulder will hold up throughout the duration of his $70 million, five-year deal.
"Absolutely," Drew said. "I've been in a situation over the last three years where I've changed some things in the way I kind of manage myself off the field, and that's really paid off."
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