THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL|3B
Teamwork aids Jayhawk success
Kansas played a tough game against Missouri Saturday. Goodrich and Davis led the team to a 75-70 victory in overtime.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MARKIEFF REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
Marcus Morris was supposed to be this good. Maybe even a little better. He was supposed to be in the thick of the discussion for All-American honors (he is). He was supposed to be the favorite, or one of the favorites, to win Big 12 Player of the Year (he is). He was supposed to be on the fringe of the discussion as a potential national player of the year (he's not, really, but he could be if he closes on a hot streak).
Markieff Morris, though, has been every bit better than advertised. He used to be the other Morris
twin. Now he's Markieff. There were hints that he could produce at this level; moments over the last two seasons where he got big minutes and put up numbers to match. But for
Markieff to sustain this level of production, to the point where he is regarded as nearly as good an NBA prospect as his brother — well, it's a pleasant surprise for coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
"Marcus and Markieff can make plays that you just can't coach," Self said.
"He's been our best player in practice this week and certainly he played like that today."
In no week this season has Markieff's influence on the team been quite as obviously stated as the last one.
In Kansas' loss to Kansas State, Markieff disappeared. He was terrible, and he would tell you that. He finished with three points and zero rebounds and one crucial intentional foul and the Jayhawks floundered to an embarrassing loss to their interstate rival. Self said Markieff stepped up in the practices following that loss, and it showed Saturday.
Guess so. Markieff dominated
in practice this week and certainly he played like that today"
In Kansas' victory against Colorado, Markieff emerged as the best weapon Kansas had offensively and had almost as many offensive rebounds (eight) as Colorado's entire team (nine). He finished with career highs with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
"I think that as a team we had something to prove this game. It was embarrassing losing to Kansas State, and we do not want to do that again. We just got to get better and I guess it starts with me," he said after the Colorado game.
"Markieff goes three and zero against K-State to 26 and 15 today," Self said. "He's been our best player
BILL SELF coach
"I could tell that he was going to play well based on the way that he was practicing." Marco
practices this week, Marcus said, and was primed for a good game.
said. "He was totally dominating in practice and was dunking everything around the rim."
But Oklahoma State will provide a much stiffer test Monday. The Cowboys, unlike the Buffalooes, have in Marshall Moses a post that will likely at least win All-Big 12 honorable mention, and has a decent shot at reaching the second team. Markieff will draw the defensive assignment against Moses and will have to avoid the foul trouble that has plagued him at times throughout his career.
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But whether or not it means the Jayhawks can win the conference — Texas' Saturday loss gives the Jayhawks a small glimmer of hope — Markieff said he's not likely to stop working.
"We need them to lose another one," he said. "But if they don't lose another one, we aren't going to stop trying to get better every day."
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Edited by Becca Harsch
Junior forward Markieff Morris puts up a one-handed shot in the paint Saturday at Allen Fielhouse. Morris recorded a career-high 26 points in the Javhawk victory.
SOFTBALL
Jayhawks remain undefeated after invitational
BY HANNAH WISE hwise@kansan.com
The Kansas softball team works to maintain its undefeated streak after winning the Stetson Hatter Invitational.
"This team this year, we are a family. We are on the same page. We know what we want. We have one common goal and that is to win," senior pitcher Allie Clark said.
Clark went on to explain that the feelings that she gets around this softball team are ones she has not had since playing with her high school team. This team is close-knit. Each and every player is working to get better.
"I am so proud of all of our freshman this year. We have shown them that it is okay for them to step up. Our freshmen are loud in your face and we love it." Clark said.
The familial atmosphere allows players to pick up their teammates when they get down after missing a play. The team is young, but that hasn't been an issue for the Jayhawks so far.
PAGE 1B
This weekend gave the Jayhawks the opportunity to show what they can do.
"It is just very rare. I feel like we are very lucky to have that feeling, whatever it is. We call each other family. We are a family and it is just amazing." Clark said.
Friday, they made quick work of South Dakota State, winning 8-0 in six innings as well as hitting four home runs against Bethune-Cookman to win 7-4.
Saturday brought BCU back against the Jayhawks, concluding
with a commanding 17-7 win in six innings.
Over the first three innings, Stetson scored seven runs to Kansas' two runs, putting Stetson up 7-6 after the third inning.
Kansas faced host team Stetson for the evening game, which went to eight innings. This was the first game that Kansas had fallen behind in all season. Kansas started the game strong with four runs in the first inning.
In the fourth inning, Stetson scored another run off of three singles to extend the lead 8-6.
In the final game of the invitational, the Jayhawks were pitted against Stetson again. This time, however, Kansas pulled off a commanding win at 8-0 in six innings.
"We kind of stuck it out last night going to extra innings, but coming out today and actually sticking it to Stetson was pretty big for us, so that is probably our highlight," Vickers said.
In the fifth inning, sophomore Maggie Hull hit her
During the extra inning, senior Brittany Hile hit her second home run of the day and her fourth of the weekend, advancing the score to 10-8. Freshman Kendra Cullum followed with walking in the final run, ending with a score of 11-8.
fourth double of the season, followed by a hit by freshman Ashley Newman, which caused a Stetson error. This gave Hull enough time to score from second base.
"I learned this weekend that they are a bunch of fighters. They go out and fight'til the end."
"That was the first time that we had been down all season and our girls fought back. We are really confident in our order one through nine so we felt really good about the bottom of our order being up and Brittany Hile came through big for us," coach Megan Smith said.
The Kansas offense had a
MEGAN SMITH coach
strong showing with a total of 56 hits from ten different players. The team ended the weekend with 14 home runs.
that they are a bunch of fighters. They go out and they fight 'til the end. They have a lot of heart and I think that is a big reason that we are doing so well," Smith said.
"I learned this weekend
The team plans to continue working on the little things, including getting back to the fundamentals while in Lawrence..
"We are going to keep them relaxed,keep them confident and we will get back at it next weekend." Smith said.
The team will head to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the UNCG Spartan Classic Feb. 25 to 27.
Edited by Emily Soetaert
WHERE WORLD CUP BASEBALL WAS FINAL
Howard Ting/KANSAN
Elsa Moyer, freshman outfielder, works on her technique during last Friday's practice.
COMMENTARY
Selby is on his way to the top
IAN MACKENNIE
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
This attention is more based off what he can do than what he's recently done.
Whether it's Colorado's defense or a spectator in the upper reaches of Allen Fieldhouse, everyone's focus gravitates to Josh Selby.
Now, no one is forgetting Selby's role as the savior against University of Southern California earlier this season. He dropped 21 points on 5-of-8 from three-point range, one that was the game winner that allowed the Jayhawks to nudge past the Trojans 70-68. It was Selby's first collegiate game. Some impression.
He followed his introduction with 18 points at California. Then inconsistency struck when Selby was unable to reach double figures in scoring in back-to-back games, if you omit Kansas' yearly game at UMKC.
Then he tagged Colorado with 17 points and five assists in its house earlier this season. That night at Colorado ignited Selby, as he strung together his most consistent three-game stretch, following with 12 points against Kansas State and 14 points at Texas Tech, with four assists in each game.
Then Selby suffered from a stress fracture in his right foot and missed the next three games. He returned at Kansas State, but only for 11 volatile minutes. Saturday against Colorado, he recorded 21 minutes and missed seven of his nine shots. But his five assists proved that he still reaps the defense's focus.
"It's good for him to be able to get some minutes and be able to play through some mistakes," coach Bill Self said.
When Selby drove to the hoop, the Buffaloes stampeded his way. Then he lobbed the ball in the air to unguarded Morris twins for crowd-awakening alley-oops.
Selby said that his foot injury is not yet 100 percent recovered and that when it is, the shots will start falling.
"He's a little rusty," junior forward Markieff Morris said. "He's going to get back to playing how he plays."
And once he does, Kansas has its missing piece. Sophomore forward Thomas Robinson will likely return before the end of the regular season to reshape Kansas' more than formidable front-court. Senior guards Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar carried the back-court's scoring in Selby's absence. Both players are as solid as they come, but lack the ability to create opportunities out of nothing. In a set play, Reed and Morningstar shine. If all breaks down, Selby can create shots out of nothing.
He forces a defense to temporarily shift its focus from all else. Soon he'll have his jump-shot back. Then, nothing but stress fractures and the like can hold Selby back.
Edited by Samantha Collins