THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21. 2007
SPORTS
3B
FREE THROWS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
camping group. The spinners were inspired by something that students did during games in the fieldhouse in the 1990s.
"I just remember seeing them on TV a long time ago, and a bunch of people had them," Davis said. "I've always wanted to make them, so I did."
St. Louis junior Josh Bender is in Davis' group. He said that the first time they brought the spinners, they recorded the game to watch for themselves at home later.
"The first guy to shoot was Acie Law. After he shot and missed it, he looked so [freakin'] confused," Bender said. "We probably watched that at least 10 times."
The opportunity to mess with opposing players is one reason why some groups sit behind the baskets instead of in the student seating that wraps around the Kansas bench.
There's room for more students behind the north basket than the south basket, which shares its space with the band. Both sections come alive during free throws, and Haynes feels that they do better work than the behind-the-bench crowd during the game as well.
"It's louder, and we get more into it then the guys who sit over there," he said.
Putting the blinders on
At the fieldhouse, the free-throw line is located 19 feet away from the baseline. It's the same at every other arena in America. The only difference is in the shooter's surroundings.
At Psych Solutions, clinical psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers works with athletes. He said the goal is to develop a consistent approach.
"Some guys dribble the ball a certain way or hold it for a certain amount of time," he said. "What that's doing is enhancing their concentration."
Jayhawk players often talk of "putting the blinders on," or going into a mode where they can tune out the crowd and the distractions around them.
"You've got to have that mentality to block it out," sophomore guard Brandon Rush said. "It's tough on the road. You can't focus as well when the crowd's going crazy."
Bowers said while some athletes respond negatively to that pressure, others use it as motivation.
"Some athletes have told me that they find it complementary to them that the fans are so worried about them that they go through the trouble of trying to intimidate them," he said. "They use that as their confidence booster."
Most elite players are able to effectively tune out even the loudest noises. In the NBA, players make the exact same percentage of free throws both at home and on the road. In college, though, some teams struggle more than others.
Zen and the art of free-throw shooting
This Saturday should be a good day for the students. Iowa State is coming to town, and the Cyclones are the worst team in the Big 12 at adjusting to the pressures of shooting free throws in the fieldhouse (see chart).
Opposing teams each have their own strategies for coping with the atmosphere. Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said that any advantage is
mostly an imaginary one.
“There been such an unbelievable amount of attention paid to home court,” he told reporters. “It’s become a much greater advantage than it actually is. It’s basically in the minds of players, which is a tough thing to combat sometimes.”
That mental obstacle becomes especially large when coming to the fieldhouse, where a packed student section is waiting to greet opponents when they come out for their pregame shoot around.
Whether or not repeated visits to Lawrence make a difference can't be determined. Because The Kansan only analyzed data from 2005 on, it's hard to draw conclusions for the Big 12 South teams, who only visit every other year.
South teams historically haven't fared well in the fieldhouse. They have a record of 1-31, with Texas A&M being the only team to leave victorious. Aggie coach Billy Gillespie thinks that may have more to do with the team that plays at the fieldhouse than the atmosphere.
"They have a great team every single year," he said. "You've got plenty to worry about before you even get to the crowd."
Gillespie's team is one of two that actually improves under the pressure. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have both shot better than their average in the fieldhouse. The same can't be said of Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado and Iowa State, which see a significant decline.
Kansas State is another team that shoots as well in the fieldhouse as it does anywhere else. Coach Bob Huggins received a piece of advice from legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire.
"I asked him when they got good, and he said. "When we walked into any venue with no fear," Huggins said. "I think there's tremendous truth to that."
The perfect distraction
So what's the best way for fans to distract the shooter? Nobody knows for sure. Scientist and Slate magazine writer Daniel Engber theorizes that it's when everyone in the crowd holds up their arms one way, then waves them the other way right before the shot.
"When we see a moving background, we tend to assume that we're the ones moving and that the background is staying put," he wrote.
This means that players would try to compensate by shooting too far right or left.
Bowers thinks that sometimes fans hurt themselves by waiting too long to move.
"There's no data to support the different crowd techniques," he said. "Many of the physical gestures that the fans do actually happen after the ball has been released."
He did offer one idea for students, though.
"Silence can be just as intimidating as noise," he said.
A jam-packed Allen Fieldhouse crowd that falls completely silent? Now that would be frightening.
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by James Pinick
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA 7 TONIGHT, ALLEN FIELDHOUSE
Oklahoma's Courtney Paris leads the Big 12 in scoring with 23 points per game. The sophomore center's dominance led her to First Team All-American status last season. With the way Paris is demolishing each team she faces this season, she is a legitimate candidate for player of the year. It's not only Paris that has been giving opponents nightmares, but the entire Sooner offense. Oklahoma (20-4, 10-3 Big 12) is ranked first in scoring offense, field goal percentage, and offensive rebounds in the conference.
OFFENSE:
This is in stark contrast to Kansas (9-17, 3-10 Big 12), which is last in both scoring offense and field goal percentage, and second to last in three-point field goal percentage. The Jayhawks offense did, however, perform admirably in the win over Kansas State on Sunday. Freshmen Danielle McCray, Kelly Kohn, and Sade Morris combined for 54 points to complement senior guard Shaquina Mosley's 21 points. Mosley's production has been steadily outstanding, she has scored 20 points or more in four of the last five games. Even if Kansas' offense can connect on all cylinders, it should be nothing compared to one of the premier offenses in the country.
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In its last four games, Kansas is 3-1. Oklahoma has also won three of its last four. The only difference is the Sooners at 10-3 are in a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 3-10 and last in the conference. Oklahoma has every reason to be playing its best basketball with seeding in the Big 12 tournament on the line. But there is no way a trip to Lawrence to face record-wise the worst team in the Big 12 is one that is circled on the Sooner's calendar.
On the other hand, the Jayhawks are riding high after finally getting the monkey off of their backs and breaking a twelve game losing streak to rival Kansas State. The young team is excited for the opportunity to face the eleventh ranked team in the nation that is loaded with talent. Kansas will be backed by an undeniable great atmosphere at Allen Fieldhouse. A season-high 4,902 fans showed up Sunday. With a chance to see Courtney Paris and former NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon's daughter, Abi Olajuwon, the attendance should be similar on Wednesday.
Courtney Paris also leads the Big 12 in rebounding with 16 per game and blocked shots with 4 per game. Twin sister Ashley Paris comes off of the bench to join Courtney in the frontcourt and averages seven rebounds per game. If one thing is for sure it's that Kansas will not be able to score points in the paint. The question is whether or not it will be able to defend down low, another area that was improved against Kansas State.
Earlier in the season when the Jayhawks lost nine straight Big 12 games, it was often due to abysmal performances in both holding opponent's points in the paint and getting easy baskets. But Sunday the Jayhawks did a better job and battled the Wildcats all afternoon, resulting in a narrow 30-28 loss in points in the paint. Danielle McCray has been elevating more ferociously on the boards and averages ten rebounds in the last three games. Kansas will need her to continue Wednesday. Overall, the Jayhawks stand little to no chance in being able to defend Paris and her Sooner teammates.
PRACTICE TEST EVENT
DEFENSE:
BASKETBALL
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
The 5-foot-11 McIntosh and 6-foot-1 Weddington supply plenty of athleticism in the post but stand several inches shorter than Paris. McIntosh, who is notorious for getting into foul trouble, will attempt to be disciplined enough to avoid committing quick fouls. Even if Weddington and McIntosh play the game of their lives, they may need some assistance from their teammates.
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"If we try to double team her, we'll just have two kids in her armpits," Henrickson said. "I really don't think there's a good way to play her."
Advantage:
Kansas' perimeter players will need to supply constant help defense in order to limit the star's productivity.
Smith and Mosley, senior guards, possess the agility necessary to rotate to the post and jump back out to defend Oklahoma's best shooter, guard Chelsi Welch.
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If controlling Paris turns out to be a lost cause, Kansas will turn to three freshmen in an effort to out score Oklahoma.
Freshmen Kelly Kohn, Sade Morris, and Danielle McCray are coming off of a game in which they combined to score 54 points on 19-of-35 shooting. McCray, a forward, was 6-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc.
Saturday, February 24th University of Kansas | Wescoe Hall
Tonight all of the Jayhawks will try to shift the spotlight from Paris to resurgent seniors Smith and Mosley during their last game at Allen Fieldhouse.
"Those two have a tremendous amount of pride," Hendrickson said. "I want them to walk away from this program knowing they were difference makers."
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Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@ kansan.com.
— Edited by James Pinick
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