6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY JAIRY KANSAN
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007
ALLEY-OOP (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
said.
Wright, sophomore guard Brandon Rush, freshman forward Darrrell Arthur and junior forward Darnell Jackson can run quickly enough in transition to beat their opponents to the basket for alley-oop opportunities. Plus, nearly everyone on the team has the athleticism to rise high enough to grab the ball when it's next to the hoop. Even Collins, who is 5 feet 11 inches, can dark. He throw an alley-oop to himself off the backboard in last year's McDonald's All-American game.
The lajhawks have as many players capable of throwing the lob pass as those who can finish it. It's not out of the ordinary to see junior center Sasha Kaun pinpoint a pass to another big man.
That said, throwing an alleyoop is not easy. It requires a perfectly timed and placed pass. In a hallcourt set, the passer has to be able to see the play developing amidst action from the other nine players on the court. In transition, the passer has to be able to dribble past defenders speedily and heave the ball in mid run. The best thing to do in either situation is place the ball near the rim.
"I don't worry about throwing it hard or sof." Collins said. "I just throw it anywhere and they get it!"
The receiver's job is a little bit tougher than the passer's. In the half-court set, they have to create separation from their defender,
usually by going back door or with
the help of a screen. In transition,
they have to beat the entire
defense down the floor.
Then comes the really tricky part. Basketball players have a harder task than wide receivers when it comes to snaring jobs. They often collide with other bodies in mid-air while trying to finish the alley-oop. Wright did this to perfection against Missouri. He finished two alley-oops while being fouled.
A well-executed alley-op car double a team's momentum. It democalizes the opponent and enlilvents the crowd.
Weight especially likes to do the special plays for the fans, but he knows the real purpose of any alley oop.
"You have to finish the ball!" he said. "That's the main thing. Don't worry if the crowd will go ooh-aah! If you have a chance to make the basket, make the basket."
"It's pretty hard," he said. "You must have to be focused once you catch the ball. You don't always have to dunk it. Sometimes you just have to catch and hold onto the ball."
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@ kansan.com.
Edited by Will McCullough
DAVISON (CONTINUED FROM TB)
Maybe Nebraska was pressing or in awe of Kansas? Who knows, but I do expect Saturday's game to be a little bit more of a contest.
Nebraska is thinking postseason now after its 11 point win against Kansas State on Wednesday. While it sounds like a stretch, it's really not. The Cornhuskers are in a similar situation that Texas A&M was in last year. Nebraska is 4-6 in 12 play (A&M was 3-6 after nine games last season). And, outside of Kansas, the remainder of Nebraskas schedule has all winable games. If they get on a run to end the season and put up a respectable performance in the Big 12 tournament, Nebraska could sneak into the Big Dance.
I doubt it will happen, but I
know Nebraska will come out playing with a purpose Saturday, especially after Kansas embarrassed it at home. Plus, Marie had the game of his life Wednesday with 41 points against the Wildcats. Maybe he wasn't joking when he declared himself for the NBA draft last year.
So, while Nebraska fans usually only travel to football games, I expect a few will make the three-and-a-half hour drive down to Lawrence in their beloved Starter jackets. It's too bad they'll have to make the same three and a half hour drive back after seeing their team lose.
Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.
KANSAS VS. KANSAS STATE 1 P.M. SUNDAY, ALLEN FIELDHOUSE
》 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
OFFENSE
Everything Kansas State does offensively goes through senior guard Clare Coggins. Coggins is not a great shooter, but she fits the Wildcat offense well enough to score 14 points per game. Guards Kimberly Dietz and Shalee Lehning gave Kansas problems in the teams' first meeting, combining to score 31 points and gather 11 rebounds. Dietz, a junior, and Lehning, a sophomore, make up for the lack of offensive firepower the Wildcats possess in the post. Kansas' offense has been wildly inconsistent this season. From game-to-game and half-to-half, the Jayhawks fluctuate between being incredibly efficient and remarkably poor on the offensive end. Kelly Kohn played excellent basketball during Kansas' winning streak, but shot 0-8 from the field in the loss to Missouri. Neither offense is stellar, but the Kansas offense is just too inconsistent to rely on.
Advantage:
DEFENSE
Kansas State lost its best defender when Marlies Gipson went down with a knee injury, but her replacements have performed admirably in her place. Freshman forward Ashley Sweat uses her lanky 6-foot-2 frame to block shots and create havoc in the paint. Kansas has finally found defensive success in the post as well. Freshman forward Porscha Weddington and junior forward Taylor Mcintosh have been formidable in recent games. Mcintosh has exercised more discipline and managed to stay out of foul trouble, while Weddington stops taller opponents with her athleticism and her arm. Both teams play strong perimeter defense. Kansas senior guards Sharita Smith and Shaquina Mosley use their quickness to create frequent turnovers. Kansas State relies on upperclassmen guards Kimberly Dietz and Clare Coggins to disrupt passing lanes and apply pressure on outside shooters.
MOMENTUM
Despite a disappointing mid-week loss to Missouri, Kansas still deserves credit for its recent two-game winning streak. Shaquina Moseley is coming off a career-high 22 point scoring outburst, and the Jayhawks played a decent first half. In order to defeat Kansas State, the Jayhawks need Kelly Kohn to make shots in the same manner she did against Colorado and Texas. Kansas State was defeated by Colorado on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum. The bad news for Kansas State: Colorado rarely wins on the road. After such a disheartening defeat, the Wildcats will have their hands full with a Jayhawk team fueled by the Allen Fieldhouse atmosphere.
FOOTBALL Team announces dates for spring practices
The Kansas football team will begin its spring practices Mar. 14, it was announced Wednesday. The spring workouts will conclude with the annual spring game at 2 p.m. April 15 at Memorial Stadium. The team's practices at the fields near Hogglund Ballpark on March 16 and April 4 will be open to the public. Times for those open practices will be announced at a later date.
Kansan Staff Report
YOUTH WRESTLING Father intervenes match by throwing winner
AURORA, III. — A father bounded into a youth wrestling match, picked up his son's winning opponent and launched him off the mat, an episode caught on a home video.
After tossing the 11-year-old boy into the air Sunday, the angry father headed toward the cameraman, the father of the airborne boy.
"I was just wrestling, then the guy throws me," the boy, Nick Nasenbeny of suburban Aurora, told WMAQ-TV in Chicago. It was not known if the boy was injured.
Ray Hoffman, the father in the video, told the television station he reqrets his behavior.
All-Star game bans anti-gay Hardaway
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NBA banished Tim Hardaway from All-Star weekend in Las Vegas because of his anti-gay remarks.
Hardaway, who played in five AllStar games during the 1990s, was already in Las Vegas and scheduled to make a series of public appearances this week on behalf of the league. But after saying, "I hate gay people" during a radio interview, commissioner David Stern stepped in.
"It is inappropriate for him to be
representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," Stern said in a statement Thursday.
Hardayaw apologized for his comments, which came a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to say he was gay.
"As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause." Hardaway said Thursday in a statement issued by his agent. "I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions.
"I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society," he said. "I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."
Hardaway represented the NBA in Las Vegas this week at a Habitat for Humanity event and a fitness promotion. The former U.S. Olympian was originally scheduled to be an assistant coach at a wheelchair game
Thursday night and later appear at the far-oriented Jsmession.
On a Miami radio show Wednesday, Hardaway was asked how he would interact with a gay teammate.
"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team," the former Miami Heat star said. "And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."
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in Wednesday's loss, however. and getting her going against the Wildcats will be one of the keys to victory for the Jayhawks.
"She's got to develop some consistency in her offensive game," Henrickson said. "How she shoots it and how she takes it off the dribble are different every time."
Kansas hopes that taking advantage of a slumping Kansas State team, which has lost four of its last five, and a home court advantage, will lead it to victory. Sunday will be "Student Organization Day" and the Kansas-affiliated program with the most students will win five prizes.
WOMEN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"I'm expecting a great crowd with a great atmosphere," Henrickson said.
Kansan sportswriter Case Keefer can be contacted at ckeefer@kansan.com
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"You can't measure him in points," Self said. "He makes a lot of smart, subtle plays."
in rebounding, where he tallied a team high 11 points on Wednesday night against Colorado.
He also helps out on the defensive end, which came in handy against Colorado when junior center Sasha Kaun entered foul trouble early in the game. Like Kaun, Jackson prides himself on having a towering presence inside and blocking shots taken at close range. That's something the team was missing in January, and Self pointed it out to his big men.
"I really didn't like it when coach Self said we played soft," Jackson said. "So I just tried to bring that physical ability."
Jackson's knack for dominating opponents is even more impressive in light of his back injury. He has played the entire season with a nagging soreness, which limits the amount of time he can be on
the court.
"In the beginning, I was worrying about my back a lot, so I was out there playing timid," he said. "Now I'm taking care of myself, so I don't worry about it. I just keep telling myself, 'You're fine; you aren't hurting.'"
He continues to fight through both the physical and emotional pain as he becomes a regular contributor to the team. Self said that Jackson has played with more energy than hes had in a long time. Jackson can see his play improving as he continues to focus on basketball.
"It's like everything that has happened to me will make me a stronger person," he said. "I feel like I'm getting stronger as I go."
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by Kelly Lanigan
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