Sports
Good Knight
Texas Tech's Bobby-Knight seems to be simmering down. See how he handled his latest conflict with university administration. PAGE 3B
The University Daily Kansan
1B
Thursday, February 5, 2004
Signing day brings skill to team
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan省运动writer
The Kansas football team added 16 players on national signing day yesterday afternoon.
Combined with the four junior college players already on campus for the spring semester, the 20 players represent every position on the football field and are named one of the top 50 recruiting classes in the nation by www.rivals.com.
Coach Mark Mangino said that City College of San Francisco recruit Jason Swanson at quarterback, reminded him of former quarterback Bill Whitte more.
Swanson will be joined by Marcus Herford, who was named the nation's 25th best dual-threat quarterback by www.rivals.com.
"He's not a real big guy, but he's very intelligent," Mangino said. "He is mobile and can make plays happen with his arm, legs and intelligence."
Despite the athleticism to play multiple positions, he will start his Jayhawk career at quarterback, Mangino said.
2004 KANSAS FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Kansas signed the seventh best all-purpose running back in Gary Green II according to www.rivals.com. Green is one player Mangino said could turn into a star.
OFFENSIVE RECRUITS
The only wide receiver Kansas signed was Dexton Fields out of Dallas. Fields set a state record with five touchdown passes in a game as a high school senior.
QB Marcus Herford DeSoto, Tex. DE Jermail Ashley Fort Worth, Tex. (JUCO)
QB Jason Swanson San Diego, Calif. (JUCO) DE Chariton Keith Akron, Ohio (JUCO)
RB Gary Green II San Antonio, Tex. DT James McClinton Garland, Tex.
WR Dexton Fields Dallas, Tex. DL Anthony Collins Beaumont, Tex.
TE Josh Lawrence Lawrence (Walk-On) LB Mike Rivera Shawnee
TE Jim Reuber Plano, Tex. CB Theo Baines Rosenburg, Tex. (JUCO)
OL Ryan Cantrell Sugarland, Tex. CB Aqib Talib Richardson, Tex.
OL Todd Haselhorst Olathe S Raymond Brown St. Louis, Mo.
OL Scott Haverkamp Silver Lake S Rodney Harris Jr. Fontana, Calif. (JUCO-Sophomore)
PK Jeff Edwards Lenexa (Walk-On) P/K Kyle Tucker Katy, Tex.
The lack of offensive line depth was a worry for Mangino. He responded by adding three high school offensive linemen, including two of the top linemen in Kansas, Scott Haverkamp and Todd Haselhorst. Haselhorst could also wind up at defensive tackle, Mangino said.
Mangino said he felt the team only needed one high school defensive tackle, and James McClinton fits the bill. McClinton was named the third best defensive tackle in Texas by www.rivals.com and the 18th best player in the Dallas area by the Dallas Morning News.
Defensive end was a larger concern as the Jayhawks often failed to pressure the passer from the outside last season.
The other defensive end is Charlton Keith. Keith started as defensive end for
Jermail Ashley is enrolled at Kansas for the spring and is a skilled passrusher. Ashley recovered from an early injury to land four sacks and 14 quarterback pressures.
Minnesota, but when coaches wanted switched him to linebacker, Keith transferred to a Minnesota junior college to continue playing defensive end. Chris Dawson, Kansas strength coach, was at Minnesota when Keith started there. Mangino said that Dawson convinced him to recruit Keith. Keith was a late add to the Kansas class, recruited only a few weeks before signing day.
weeks before winter.
Mike Rivera represents the only linebacker in this class. Rivera was one of the first commits for Kansas in the early fall. He brings size, 6-feet-3-inches and 250 pounds, and speed, 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard-dash, to the linebacker position. Rivera is also competing with Haselhorst to be the top shot-putter in Kansas.
Kansas signed four defensive backs; two cornerbacks and two safeties. The junior college players, cornerback Theo Baines and safety Rodney Harris, Jr. are expected to step in almost immediately. Mangino said Baines, Ashley's teammate at Tyler Community College
was posting impressive numbers in the weight room.
Kansas also added two tight ends and two kickers to the roster.
Kansas football notebook
Often it's not who you get but who you lose. This year's losses were Brouce Mompremer and Alan Erving. Mompremer, *Rivals.com*'s number 13 ranked outside linebacker, signed with South Florida yesterday even though he had committed to Kansas when he visited in late January. Erving fell one course shy of finishing junior college in December. He signed a letter of intent with the Jayhawks, but because he didn't qualify, he was dropped from the recruits.
Gary Green II is quick, and it's in his blood. Gary Green Sr. played defensive back for the Chiefs. Mangino said Green could play defensive back, although he is a talented running back.
SEE SIGNING ON PAGE 8B
sports commentary
Kevin Flanerty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Mangino's recruiting successful
Football Coach Mark Mangino's recruiting this year was successful for several reasons. The Jayhawks landed a top-notch defensive tackle, running back and junior college quarterback while adding depth at several different positions. Mangino also struggled at positions of need such as cornerback and defensive tackle. Here is a breakdown of the class.
Biggest Catch
While both Gary Green II and Jason Swanson were huge signings, the most important catch was defensive tackle James McClinton. The Jayhawks struggled on the defensive line last season, and McClinton, as the third best defensive tackle in Texas, could help out immediately.
SEE RECRUITING ON PAGE 8B
Jared Soares/Kansan
Freshman guard Omar Wilkes celebrated a free throw by junior guard Aaron Miles during the second half of Kansas' victory against Missouri. Wilkes is the son of Los Angeles Laker great Jamaal Wilkes.
Lack of playing time doesn't bother guard
By Ryan Green rgreene@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Coach Bill Self unloaded some of his rarely-used reserves off the bench, but freshman guard Omar Wilkes remained seated in his warmups. Then the student section kicked in.
With six minutes remaining in Kansas' Jan. 25 matchup with Colorado at Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks had the game won.
His girlfriend began crying out of happiness, but Wilkes was embarrassed. He didn't want his coach to feel pressure to put him in the game. It's an example of the team-first attitude Wilkes has taken as he is learning by watching from the bench as a freshman, despite sporadic frustration.
"We want Omar, We want Omar, We want Omar..."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but I've been handling it maturely, at least I think I am," Wilkes said. "I anticipated to play a little bit more, but you never really know what you're going to get with life. That's why Forrest said it's 'like a box of chocolates.'"
On the floor, Self puts Wilkes and fellow freshman guard Jeremy Case in the same category, as players who must show improvement in practice to earn minutes on the floor. Case saw some significant time towards the end of the first half against Missouri. To Self, Case is a point guard and Wilkes is more of a wingman, but they must follow the same procedure most first-year players do.
The guard from Los Angeles also never knew what he was going to get when he spurned local schools such as Cal, Stanford and UCLA to go halfway across the country to play for the Jayhawks—on and off the court.
"You come in with great expectations and you play early because competition allows you to," Self said. "If you don't play well, you can get frustrated and lose your confidence. Then you get into conference play and there is no more opportunities for experiment. You can either get frustrated or you can use everyday in practise as a time to get better and improve for the future."
Wilkes also learns a lot from his teammates. One in particular who he identifies with is junior guard Michael Lee. Lee played just 89 minutes in 27 games as a freshman, scoring a total of just 33 points. He blossomed as a sophomore to average 4.9 points per game in 37 contests, and became one of the Jayhawks' most clutch shooters.
"He tells me to just stay confident and know I can play," Wilkes said.
Jayhawks routed by Red Raiders
By Jesse Newell
jnewell@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
"The players got kind of intimidated by the crowd," said Lynette Woodard, interim coach. "We just really couldn't get anything running."
The Kansas women found it is even tougher when you shot 34 percent from the field.
Woodward suffered her first loss as head coach after taking over for Marian Washington last week.
Boasting an undefeated record at home, and drawing more than 12,000 fans per game, the Texas Tech women's basketball team makes the United Spirit Arena a tough place to play.
The Jayhawks never found their flow offensively and lost 67-44 to the No. 9 Red Raiders in Lubbock, Tex., in front of 12,562 fans. The 44 points were the fewest by Kansas this season.
Kansas hung close early on thanks to a Kandis Bonner lay-up that closed the gap to 10-13 after six minutes of play.
But, the Jayhawks could not keep pace. Texas Tech guard, Alesha Robertson, connected on a three-pointer to start an 11-1 Red Raider run, pushing the Texas Tech lead to 13 points.
"We called timeouts and were running our sets." Woodard said, "but we just lost focus and free-lanced most of the way."
The lack of execution hurt the Jay hawks, as they managed just seven points in the final 14 minutes of the half
trailing 34-17 into the break.
Woodard said she would look to instill more confidence in her team before its meeting with Nebraska on Saturday.
"They just have to realize." Woodard said, "that they can play with anyone if they discipline themselves."
Ervin's status for Saturday's game against Nebraska will be determined later this week in a meeting with Woodard.
Kansas showed new life in the second half, reeling off six straight points after a driving lay-in by guard Aquanita Burras.
Without Ervin, forward Tamara Ransburg rose to the occasion. The sophomore scored 13 points in 22 minutes to lead the layhawks.
Grant, who averages just over six points per game, scored 14 of Texas Tech's next 26 points to stretch the lead to 62-36.
Texas Tech — and especially guard Erin Grant — responded.
The 5-foot-8 Grant, scored a careerhigh 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and added six assists. She also dropped in a pair of three-pointers, doubling her season total.
The freshman, who is averaging 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds off the bench, did not make the trip to Lubbock with the team, citing personal reasons for her absence.
Kansas (9-10, 2-6) played the game without the services of forward Lauren Ervin.
— Edited by Paul Kramer
KANSAS (9-10)
NO.9 TEXAS TECH 67, KANSAS 44
KANSAS (9-10)
Waltz 0-3 0-0 0
Kemp 2-11 4-6 8
Ransburg 5-12 3-4 13
Burras 5-9 0-1 10
Graves 3-8 1-1 7
Smith 0-3 0-0 0
Brown 0-0 0-0 0
Menguc 0-0 0-0 0
Hallman 1-3 0-0 2
Roberts 0-1 0-0 0
Bonner 2-3 0-0 4
Totals 18-53 8-12 44
TEXAS TECH (19-3)
LK TO SPORTS; Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPORTS@KANSAN.COM
TEXAS TECH (19-3)
FG/FA FT/FTA TP
Jackson 1-3 0-0 2
Greenwalt 1-3 0-0 2
Grant 10-13 5-5 27
Ritchie 0-4 0-0 0
Robertson 5-15 0-0 12
Dabbs 1-4 1-4 3
Baughman 1-5 0-0 2
Ayers-Curry 1-3 4-4 6
Clark 0-3 1-4 1
Davis 6-7 0-1 12.
Totals 26-60 11-18 67
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