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COMMENTARY
PAGE 1B
Flying Tomato continues to rule
TIME TO SHINE
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
You hear the debate often. Who's the most dominant male athlete in an individual sport of the generation?
It's a two-man argument, usually. In one camp, you have Tiger Woods fans, supporting the man who may be the greatest golfer in the history of the oldest sport on the planet. In the other, you have Roger Federer devotees, supporting the man who may be the greatest tennis player in the history of the sport.
And then there's a third camp that never gets mentioned, save for maybe every four years. I'm here to represent them.
Shaun "the Flying Tomato" White is the most dominant male athlete in an individual sport in our generation. The American snowboarder, who turned 23 in September, just won his second Olympic gold medal in the half-pipe. It's an easy argument against him, because he's won at the Olympics just twice, but that's only because it's the only snowboarding contest that anyone follows.
Even taking that into account, just look at White's scores. In 2006, his 46 weight (out of 50) became the new Olympic record. In 2009 at the US Snowboarding Grand Prix, he unleashed a near perfect run, scoring a 49.5, the highest in history. Just a couple nights ago, White broke his own Olympic record, posting a 48.4 on his final lap, after already clinching it with his first.
On his first finals lap, White broke out 46.8 points, matching his 2006 score. After all the other competitors had gone twice, that score assured him of gold, but he went big on what was nothing more than a victory lap regardless.
With absolutely nothing hanging in the balance, White uncorked a Double McTwist 1260', flipping twice and completing three-and-a-half rotations in the air. Just YouTube it, It's worth your time.
"I wanted a victory lap that would be remembered," White said. "I achieved that."
*Yea, I'd like a Double McTwist 1260, a medium fry and a chocolate shake. Thanks.
"It's impossible to beat Shaun"
Piirioen said, "unless he falls"
Finland's Peetu Piiroinen, who came in second to White in this year's Olympics, summed up the Flying Tomato's dominance pretty easily.
Apart from the obligatory "well it's certainly impossible with that attitude!" joke, this quote is telling. When the man who has just been crowned second-best in the world admits that, barring a mistake on White's behalf, he can't beat him, that's when you know
Shaun White is the most dominant individual athlete in the world.
Edited by Kelly Gibson
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor and freshman guard Xavier Henry talk as they walk off the floor following Kansas' 59-54 victory over Texas A&M Monday night. Taylor will return to the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Colorado.
Self shuffles starting lineup
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
The Jayhaws are tired. So to put more pizzazz in the lineup, coach Bill Self is going to start sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor against Colorado Saturday.
Self's last straw came Monday at Texas A&M. Kansas was outrebounded and out-played for most of that game.
"I thought we played tired." Self said.
And in their last game against Colorado Feb. 3, the Jayhawks gasped and heeded to a 72-66 overtime victory.
The Jayhawks will get some help with a game location away from the mile-high city.
"Not being in that altitude definitely helps because you run up
and down the court twice and you're dying of air," junior center Cole Aldrich said.
The Saturday and Monday games weren't kind to the Jayhawks. Self said taking days off during the week and playing two quick games gets the team out of its rhythm and maybe this roster switch will fix that.
"My goal for Saturday is for us to play fresh and to play with great energy," Self said. "To help us out with that to start the game, I'm going back to starting Tyshawn."
Taylor has been a contributing player off the bench since Jan. 20 when Kansas played Baylor. Junior guard Brady Morningstar gave stability to the lineup and Taylor had off-the-court issues and wasn't playing with his head.
But since that benching, Taylor said he had received the message
his coach was trying to send.
I think I've been doing good things on defense and stuff like that. I'm just going to continue that as a starter."
"I think it definitely was a motivation factor just to see what he could get out of me," Taylor said.
In the past five games,
that much," Taylor said. "I haven't been doing anything amazing or spectacular but I've been doing the things he wanted me to do — the little things."
"My goal for Saturday is for us to play fresh and to play with great energy."
Taylor has committed eight turnovers but only has ten assists.
But his biggest contributions don't show up on the stat sheet. He has enough speed to chase down defenders, either setting his feet for an offensive foul or poking the ball away forcing a turnover.
BILL SELF Kansas coach
"I haven't really been scoring
Taylor will start over Morningstar, who has 16 points in his last five games combined. Self said Morningstar will handle the
little things."
swap professionally and the numbers aren't why the change is happening.
"This is not a reflection of Brady playing poorly," Self said. "I just think that we have to get more out of Tyshawn moving forward to give us a chance to do what we want to do. He's got to become
one of the premier players on our team."
The way senior guard Sherron Collins sees it, there is only one difference between the two players.
"Tyshawn brings the element of speed," he said.
"I think it gives Tyshawn a confidence boost; it puts a chip back on his shoulder," Collins said. "It just felt like someone took it from him, which he brought on himself."
Collins said whether it's Morningstar or Taylor starting, the team runs the same. But in the long run, it will help Taylor learn from his mistakes and help the team in the long run.
Edited by Kelly Gibson
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Passing basketball inside fuels Jayhawks' success
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
twitter.com/maxrothman
Carving a zone defense's interior requires a certain passing touch.
Freshman forward Carolyn Davis has catapulted herself into the upper echelon of Big 12 post players. Junior center Krysten Boogaard has been sturdy and productive when Davis gets in foul trouble or needs a breather. Kansas has a clear plan as it visits Texas Tech at 5 p.m. on Sunday:
Freshman Forward Carolyn Davis blocks a shot attempt by Texas' Ashley Gayle in the first half. Davis contributed a career high 29 points and 5 blocks in Kansas' double overtime loss to Texas Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
"You want to be able to throw a ball that leads them into a shot and sends them into a direction where there's no traffic," coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "When they're open, they've got the best chance to make a shot."
Get the ball inside and do so wisely.
It is evident that Kansas has improved its entry passing and Davis and Boogaard are the statistical beneficiaries. In February, the two have combined to shoot 71 percent. Such a high conversion rate directly correlates to the guards' improved technique in sneaking passes into crowds. Rather than relying on shooters to hopefully catch fire, Kansas prioritizes high-percentage shots in the paint, which are set up by
KANSAS
AT TEXAS TECH
5 p.m. on Sunday
precision passing.
But getting Davis and Boogaard a multitude of touches happens much easier in practice than in the midst of a Big 12 showdown. Conference defenders are athletic and hungry for turnovers. So instead of lazily tossing passes inside and hoping for the best, Kansas guards do all they can to avoid predictability.
"To get around, you have to
SEE WOMEN'S ON PAGE 3B