PETER LAMBERT
Acie Law leads the Aggies to their biggest victory ever, Colorado stuns Oklahoma State, and it's rivalry week across the conference. Mark Dent looks at all the Big 12 action in Fastbreak.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 12A
> HORN BORN, HAWK BRED
Vitale talks candidly to columnist
Announcer's call leads to interview
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
"Hello. I'm looking for Travis," a familiar voice said when I answered my phone Saturday afternoon.
"Yeah, this is Travis."
"Hi Travis, this is Dick Vitale."
He wanted to talk about my column from last week
Soon I realized he wasn't thrilled about my criticism, but he defended himself with class and respect. It turned out to be a great conversation. Frankly, I was flattered.
Before it was over I asked for an interview. He agreed and told me to meet him inside Allen Fieldhouse when I got to the game. So without further introduction, here is the interview I had with Dick Vitale:
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Robinnett: You've been announcing basketball a long time and have seen a lot of games. How do you think the game has changed since you retired from coaching and began announcing?
Robinett: Yeah, I've heard you talk a lot about the lost art of the mid-range jump shot.
Vitale: It's been 28 years since I began broadcasting games. I still act like I'm 12 even though I'm 67. Basically the players have gotten a lot quicker and more athletic. I think there's so much in the way of weight training and all the specialization today. Physical training programs have made the athletes so much quicker and more agile. What the players haven't improved on are the fundamentals: passing and shooting the basketball.
Vitale: Well, you know everybody wants to jam. Everybody wants to be a Michael Jordan, play above the rim, and they forget about working on the elements and the parts of the game that make you a complete player.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Robinett: As basketball has evolved, your announcing style has to have evolved as well. How do you think your approach to announcing basketball games has changed over the years, or has it?
**Vitale:** Well you know I've always tried to take it with an attitude that you educate and you entertain. Were in the entertainment business. That's my job and I try to have a lot of fun.
SEE ROBINETT ON PAGE 8A
KANSAN FILE PHOTO Russell Robinson, junior guard, defends Texas A&M's Ace Law during last Saturday's loss to the Aggies. The Jayhawks play the Kansas State Wildcats at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.
'Hawks prep for'Cats
Self looks back to Texas A&M game to get ready for K-State
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
Sunday was a day off for the Jayhawk players, but coach Bill Self was busy analyzing the video of Saturday's loss to Texas A&M. After multiple viewings, he came to a conclusion.
It's likely to be the same story Wednesday when Kansas State visits Allen Fieldhouse. The two teams are tied for second place in the Big 12 Conference.
In practice this week, Self said the most important thing he will
"We actually played pretty good Saturday," he said. "That was two good teams playing."
The Jayhawks will also attempt to keep their focus throughout the second half of important games. Self said that every team loses its focus on occasion, but the players need to realize which possessions are critical. With the Jayhawks up 11 and only nine minutes remaining to play, they allowed the Aggies to slip back into the game.
"We're used to getting physical with teams," sophomore guard Brandon Rush said. "We can play physical ourselves."
emphasize is toughness. The Wildcats play a physical style that is similar to the Aggies.
"I thought A&M was a tired
The Jayhawks were also victimized by Aggie guard Acie Law. Law's performance — 23 points and the game-winning threepointer — was good enough to earn him the Big 12 Player of the Week honor.
team, and we had a chance to put the nail in," he said. "We've got to finish games better, and understand the importance of certain possessions."
"We let him get loose at the end of the game, and he was clutch," Rush said.
SEE MEN'S BASKETBALL ON PAGE 10A
>> WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas tries again for first Big 12 victory
BY ASHER FUSCO
In a season full of inconsistency, one constant has been Kansas' inability to defend near the basket. Texas Tech, Nebraska, Baylor and Iowa State have all enjoyed offensive success against the Kansas frontcourt.
Jackie McFarland will attempt to add Colorado to that list when the Buffalooes visit Allen Fieldhouse tonight. McFarland, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, has cemented herself as one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference, tallying nearly 19 points and 11 rebounds per game.
The Derby native is precisely the kind of player who has given the Jayhawks fits. She is tall and versatile, with the capability to occasionally step out and make a jump shot. McFarland is second in the conference in both scoring and rebounding, and first in field-goal percentage.
Although junior forward Taylor McIntosh is a capable defender, she has struggled to stay out of foul trouble. Saturday at Texas A&M. McIntosh single-handedly kept the Jayhawks in the game during the first half, but left the game after being charged with her fourth toul early in the second half.
Freshmen forwards Porscha Weddington and Danielle McCray failed to provide adequate defense during a 13-0 run that ultimately decided the game.
If McIntosh winds up in foul trouble early, Weddington will be called upon to guard McFarland.
Weddington may be the most athletically gifted player on the Kansas team. Standing several inches shorter than many opponents, she has grabbed more than five rebounds per Big 12 contest thanks to her long reach. She possesses an outstanding leaping ability that allowed her to dunk in practice earlier this season.
However, Weddington's immense potential has not turned into consistent production at either end of the floor. Her tentative nature has hindered her scoring and she has surrendered easy baskets on multiple occasions.
"She's a very, very talented kid. Henrickson said. "If she had half the confidence in herself that we have in her I think wed see more production."
Outside of McFarland, Colorado does not possess much offensive firepower. For ward Jasmina Ilic has proven assertive but inefficient on the offensive end, shooting 31 percent from three point range. Point guard Whitney Houston is regarded as one of the best freshmen in the Big 12, but has more turnovers than assists.
Luckily for the Jayhawks, the Buffaloes rarely offer much in the way of defense. An ineffective Kansas offense could finally get a chance to put some points on the board against the last ranked defense in the Big 12 conference.
With McCray and senior guard Shaquina Mosley finding their offensive rhythm, tonight's game could be the Jayhawks' best chance to win a conference game.
The Buffaloes are 10-11 overall and 4-5 in conference play, good for eighth in the Big 12.
Kanss sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.
Edited by Joe Caponio
Danielle McCray, freshman forward, fights for position in a game at Nebaska on Jan. 27 McCray and the jailhawks face downtown tonight at 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
TENNIS
Lack of players leads to match forfeits, fifth loss
The Jayhawks were defeated by Syracuse 4-3 on Saturday, and then were downed by No. 19 Wake Forest 6-1 on Sunday. Injuries continued to torment the Jayhawks, who now stand 1-5 on the year.
BY RUSTIN DODD
Sophomore Ksenia Bukina did not play over the weekend, and the Jayhawks were forced to forfeit the No. 6 singles match and No. 3 doubles match in both duals. Bukina
The Kansas tennis team suffered two disappointing losses on its first road trip of the season.
and junior Step battled injuries all spring, leaving the lawyhats with only five healthy players. In collegiate tennis, six players are needed to compete.
and junior Stephanie Smith have working hard."
"We have a lot of work to do, but we can bounce back and be very competitive."
AMY HALL-HOLT Head coach
"Just having five healthy players, it's tough," said coach Amy Hall-Holt. "I'm going to keep on the girls. Things are going to turn around for us if we keep
-
The loss to Syracuse was especially heartening as Kansas won three out of the five singles matches that were played, but still lost the dual 4-3 because of two forfeited matches. The
Jayhawks suffered a similar fate during their 4-3 loss to Tulsa Jan. 21.
"I don't think it's going to last
The 1-5 start to the season is not what the team envisioned after a breakthrough 14-11 record in 2006, but Hall-Holt still saw some positives over the weekend.
much longer", Hall-Holt said, referring to the injury problems. "It wasn't an injury issue for Stephanie Smith this weekend. She was just very sick."
"We accomplished a lot this week end mentally," she said. "Our girls had good attitudes. Communication is getting better."
In addition to the injury problems, the Jayhawks have had to deal with a difficult early season schedule. Three
of their first six dual matches were against schools ranked in the top 40 of the Fila National Rankings.
V
Hall Holt said Wake Forest was the most talented team the Jayhawks have faced thus far.
Two layhawk players who played well were junior Lauren Hommell, and sophomore Yuliana Swiston. Hommell had a confidence-building straight-sets win against Syracuse.
"They are ranked 19th, and if you don't looked at the scores but the points, we played with them," she said. "We're really not that far behind, we're just beat up."
"We have a lot of work to do, but we can bounce back and be very competitive," Hall-Holt said.
and Svistum picked up the lone singles victory against Wake Forest. The No. 1 doubles team of Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath ran its record to 5-0 on Saturday against Syracuse, but suffered its first loss on Sunday to Wake Forest.
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd@kansan.com.
1
Edited by Darla Slipke
A