The cold weather certainly hasn't hurt the Kansas baseball team, thanks to its indoor practice facility at Hoglund Ballpark. 4B
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
Kansas takes on Texas Tech on Saturday. Gameday will prepare you for all the action.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS
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SPORTS
PAGE 1B
》 DO THE DREW
Cornish bound for bowl
KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH, 3 P.M., SATURDAY
While Bill Self's squad plays its next game in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, a record-setting Jayhawk will be involved in a different game in Houston.
Jon Cornish, Kansas all time single-season leading rusher, will play in the East West Shrine Bowl. He was the first Jayhawk invited since safety Carl Nesmith went in 2000. Cornish will compete for the West roster coached by Dan Reeves. Cornish will split time with fellow Big 12 running backs Stevie Hicks of Iowa State and Selvin Young of Texas. Jackie Battle of Houston is the last running back for the West squad.
WHO WILL IT BE?
The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. Saturday.
More than half of the players in the Shrine Bowl, 55 of 103, were drafted last year and 312 Shrine Bowl alumni were on an NFL roster at the beginning of last season.
Right now, Cornish is expected to be a late first-day to early second-day draft pick.
Edited by Sharla Shivers
While Cornish was the home run player for the football team the past two seasons, coach Mark Mangino has signed other running backs similar to Cornish with Jake Sharp, Angus Quigley, Carmen Boyd-Anderson and Gary Green in the backfield.
While the new offensive coordinator, Ed Warinner, who last coached the offensive line at Illinois, is not a home-run hire, it will be hard to do worse than Quartaro. Yes, Warinner comes from the worst team in the Big Ten, Illinois, which was 2-10. His offensive line, however, led the No.1 rushing team in the Big Ten and the No.10 team in the nation.
Kansan columnist Drew Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.
Football season is still eight months away, but there is room for excitement with Cornishis promise of an NFI career and a new offensive coordinator.
Cornish, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, improved his draft status with his ability to play special teams. Most NFL draft Web sites have Cornish in the No. 12 to 14 range. No KU players were drafted last year, but Cornish is likely to be picked this year.
When Warinner was previously at Kansas, he coached some of KU's better offensive lineman of late such as Joe Vaughn, Bob Whitaker and David Ochoa. He was also at Kansas when Cesar Rodriguez was a freshman.
Not to mention the offense will be free of the shackles former offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro put on them. Hopefully that means no more bubble screens or shovel passes. That is nothing against the spread offense, but Quartaro and the coaching staff invented ways to blow 16-point (Texas A&M), 17-point (Oklahoma State) and 18 point (Baylor) leads last season.
Boyd-Anderson, 6-4 foot 1, 200-pound back from Jacksonville, Texas, has the potential to become a play-maker like Cornish, who is 6-0, 205, for Mangino's team. Boyd-Anderson, who runs a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, should compete for playing time next season.
Photo Illustration by Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
Jayhawks look for players to step up in road battle with Red Raiders
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
The lajayhawks' grind-it-out victory against Iowa State last Saturday looked nothing like Monday's shootout against Missouri. And that's exactly the way coach Bill Selt likes it.
"The different styles will make the team better, because it makes you prepare for different ways to play" he said.
He's also seen differ-
omore forward Brandon Rush providing big defensive stops and then igniting the Jayhawk offense during overtime.
It could be time for another player to step into the spotlight this weekend. The team begins
"They'll be the best offensive team we've played this year in terms of execution."
ent players on his team step up. Freshman guard Sherron Collins busted Missouri's zone defense, finishing with a game high 23 points.
In Ames, Iowa, it was soph-
a week long trek to the Lone Star State on saturation when it faces Texas Tech at 3 p.m.
BILL SELF Kansas coach
a new look with their motion offense. Iowa State coach Bob Knight runs a system that has been imitated around the country, but never run exactly the way Knight's teams can.
The Red Raiders will give the Jay hawks
"His is a very, very detailed offense that is designed to take advantage of defensive break-downs." Self said. "They'll be the best offensive team we played this year in terms of execution."
Three players have emerged this year as scoring threats for the Red Raiders, Senior guard Jarrus Jackson and junior guard Martin Zacken each come into the game averaging double-digit points. They've been joined recently by senior forward Jon Plefka, who started the season slow but has scored 31 points in the last three games.
The motion system tries to set screens and move all five players around the court in an attempt to create an open shot. Self said that when the system is executed well, it is not designed to get the ball to a particular spot, but it can be moved anywhere on the court.
No matter how many points Jackson, Zeno and Pletka score, the face of the program is coach Bob Knight. Earlier this month, Knight became the winningest coach in the history of Division I men's basketball.
"it's an unbelievable accomplishment," Self said. "Not only to win that many games, but to stay in the business that long."
Knight will have to come up with an answer for Brandon Rush. The sophomore forward has been coming up big on both offense and defense recently.
"Since we've gone to Carolina, Brandon has played probably as well as anybody." Self said. "He's been a force on both ends."
The layhawks will be following up an 80-77 Border Showdown victory against
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 3B
TRACK AND FIELD
'Hawks prepare for home meet
BY TAYLOR BERN
Saturday, each individual will be looking to shine as the KU team plays host at the layhawk Invitational, its lone home meet of the indoor season.
The KU track and field team understands that early in the season, it's more about individual improvement than the team's placement.
The all day meet will be held at Anschutz Sports Pavilion. Junior captain Paul Hefferon said he hopes the meet will act as a confidence booster for the team.
"To me, it's like a celebration of the beginning of the season," Hefferon said. "Performing in front of a home crowd gives you confidence, compared to other
The team competed at the Illini Classic on Jan. 13, its second meet of the season. Junior jumper Libby Harmon said the team impressed with a slew of individual successes.
"For the second meet in the year, we did pretty well. We have a very talented group this year and we're taking steps in the right direction to having a very successful season," Harmon said.
meets where the crowd can be hos tile or apathetic toward you."
Freshman pole vaulter Britany Parkaver pulted a height of 12 A11 11/2, capturing first in the event and provisionally qualifying herself for the NCAA Indoor Meet. Sophomore thrower Egor Agatonov also took first place and met the NCAA provisional requirement with a toss of
Jayhawk Invitational Kansas Track and Field hosts the Jayhawk Invitational
Saturday
> Field events begin at 9 a.m., Track events begin at 10:30 a.m.
Jayhawk Invitational
Anschutz Sports Pavilion
68-6 1/2 in the weight throw. Both marks were new facility records.
Stephanie Horton took first place for the second time this season in the shot put, posting a 50 3/4 throw.
Heffernon won the 3,000 meters with a time of 8.21.32, while freshman lack Sachse earned first in the 800 meters at 1:53.28. Sophomore
In two weeks, the team will face off with other Big 12 Conference contenders at the Husker Invitational, but this weekend the focus is still on themselves, said senior throwing captain Cody Roberts.
"On Saturday we're going to have fun," Roberts said. "Just make it a competition within yourself and within your teammates and it'll be great."
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@kansan.com.
- Edited by Ashley Thompson
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>> WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks hungry for Iowa State win
BY CASE KEEFER
Despite the victory, Kansas is 0-4 in Big 12 Conference play.
Shaquina Mosley did it all in Wednesday night's win against Sacramento State.
Mosley, a senior guard, had a career-high 11 rebounds, a season-high seven assists and ten points. Her play elevated Kansas to snap its seven game losing streak. More importantly, her career night provided the layhawks with some much-needed momentum going into a conference game against Iowa State on Saturday.
"We ought to be the hungriest team for a win in America," Coach Bonnie Hentrickson said.
The game at Allen Fieldhouse win be Kansas' second shot at winning against the Cyclones. The lajhaways lost in Ames, Iowa, two weeks ago, 61-50.
In the defeat, Iowa State senior guard Lyndsey Medders led the team with 17 points and five assists. She shouldn't make as big of an impact this time around against Kansas senior guard Sharita Smith.
Smith has started two games in a row and has proven to be the jayhawks' most reliable defender.
Kansas also gave up a combined 30 points to junior forward Toccara Ross and sophomore forward Nicky Weiben. If the layhawks are going to stop the two forwards, they might have to do it without sophomore forward Maria Zimic.
"Sharita's defensive effort and intensity have worked for us when these young kids are floundering." Henrickson said. "It's good to have 'nurse leadership.'
Although medically cleared to play, Zinic missed Wednesday night's game because of a stress fracture in her tibia.
Zinc will not play unless she feels comfortable, Henrickson said.
In her absence, freshman forwards Sade Morris, Porscha Weddington and Danielle McCray will continue to see more minutes in their rotation. The three are confident they can team up with junior forward Taylor McIntosh to shut down the talented Iowa State front court.
Last time the teams faced, freshman guard Kelly Kohn shot 45 percent and had a team-high 12 points. Since then, Kohn has struggled with her shooting and has made only 21 of 63 field goals.
"She's just throwing it up there," Henrickson said. "She has to calm down and get her confidence back."
"We just have to buckle down and defend," Morris said, "If our defense leads our offense we will win the game."
If Kohn, the team's leading scorer with 11.2 points per game, continues to miss shots early against the Cyclones, the offensive burden will fall upon the shoulders of Mosley and McCray.
McCray scored 27 points in the jayhawks' last two games. On Saturday, however, she will be playing against one of the Big 12's best defenders, Nicky Weiben. Weiben has a total of 31 blocks this season.
Thanks to Mosley's burst of positive energy, the team is in good spirits and is confident about Saturday.
"We know the game will be close," Mosley said. "We just have got to keep fighting and pushing."
Kansan sportswriter Case Keefer can be contacted at ckeefer@kansan.com.
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