Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks go next level Three former players invited to NFL scouting combine.FOOTBALL | 2B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Team finishes in fourth Monday's scores helped Kansas in Rice Intercollegiate MEN'S GOLE | 4B
PAGE 1B
DRIVING TO VICTORY
COMMENTARY
Pregame rituals help prep players
BY NICOLAS ROESLER
broesler@kansan.com
Every important action has an equally important moment leading up to it. Whether a person calls this moment a pregame ritual, routine or superstition, it is important to anybody's mental psache.
There are plenty of these pregame rituals happening before every basketball game in the men's locker room.
"I talk to my mother before every single game," sophomore forward Marcus Morris said. "I've done that since high school and I still do it now."
Most pre-game rituals are, as in Morris' case, a very personal thing. Basketball players might be in their own world for a while before games. They're constantly making sure their shoes are laced up properly, or their socks are pulled up the same length. Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics, for instance, shaves his head obsessively before every game.
Then there are the group rituals where everyone on a team gets involved. The most recent group pre-game trial to date is that of the NFL's New Orleans Saints. The chant involves Drew Brees at the epicenter of a circle of rowdy players answering Brees' alpha-dog bark with shouts of their own.
"It's a funny song. It's a hyper song to get us riled up." Morris said.
The KU men's basketball team is not so serious. Before a game, while players eagerly await the tip-off, there is a moment of fun stress release in the locker room. The song "O Let's Do It" by Waka Flocka can be heard rattling the lockers hours before game time, Morris said.
Aside from getting amped up for a game, pre-game rituals can be beneficial for other reasons.
"It's very helpful for players to have consistent rituals, both for pre-game preparation and during competition," Mary Fry, an associate professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences at the University, said. "Rituals help athletes maximize their performance under pressure. Without rituals many athletes have a tendency to speed up or slow down their regular play, making them more susceptible to making errors."
Routines can help athletes direct their attention to the task at hand while blocking out distractions, Fry said. This would be important, for example, when shooting a free throw in an opposing team's stadium that has a panda bear dancing in the background, as there was in the Texas A&M tame.
Fry said practicing mental skills, as well as physical skills, was important when athletes were trying to perform their best.
Junior center Cole Aldrich downplays his pregame routine. He said he gets dressed the same way every game, but doesn't have a pump-up song or anything else like some of his teammates have.
"Some guys will sit in the locker room with their headphones on," Aldrich said. "But I just like to conversation."
Whether conversation counts as a ritual or not, it has worked for Aldrich.
Edited by Megan Heacock
Jayhawks collect crucial win
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Davis/CU Independent
Freshman guard Monica Engelman (13) drives past Colorado's freshman guard Meagan Malcolm-Peck (14) during the CU versus KU game at Coors Events Center on Tuesday.
Perfect performance from Carolyn Davis tramples Buffaloes
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Kansas triumphed 79-72 at Colorado Tuesday and moved to 5-6 in the Big 12 because Carolyn Davis, a freshman forward, opted for immaculacy.
Davis was nothing less than perfect. 10-of-10 from the field. Eight of-eight from the stripe.
"I'll take it home and hang it up," Davis said of her flawless boxscore.
She must have been eager to validate her second Big 12 Freshman of the Week honor in three weeks. After posting career highs in 29 points and 14 rebounds in an 85-82 double-overtime loss against Texas Saturday, Davis threatened those marks in her very next game. Without missing a single shot, she finished with 28 points and nine rebounds Wednesday as coach Bonnie Henrickson operated her offense primarily through the 6-foot-3 Houston native. She used Davis as the focal point to challenge Colorado's two-three zone defense.
"The offense we have separates the zone," Davis said. "We have Monica and Sade on the outside so eventually they have to open up the lanes for me."
But Colorado senior Bianca Smith struck before Davis. She started 3-of-4 from the field, knocking down long range shots with ease and leading her team to a 19-8 advantage.
After a scorching start, Smith missed her next eight shot attempts. The Buffaloes did not stampede; rather, they pranced.
After the run, Colorado converted just three of its next 20 shots, including a buzzer-beating three by senior Brittany Spears. The Buffaloes' drought helped the Jayhawks on their way to a 25-7 run to claim a 33-26 lead at the half.
Then Davis wasted no time negating Spears' lucky three. Just 21 seconds into the half, she converted a layup and free throw. A trip to the locker room at halftime only seemed to keep her warm, not cool her off.
The Buffaloes committed 23
SEE WOMEN'S ON PAGE 3B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks are a work in progress
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/cthibodeaux
After the oddity that was Kansas versus Texas A&M Monday, the Jayhawks have much to rejoice about, but also much to improve.
Kansas looked out of sync offensively and gave up 20 offensive rebounds. But the layhawks won a game after 35 minutes of looking like the lesser team and are now defeated in the Big 12 through 11 games.
The night gave the layhawks good and bad factors to dwell on this week.
THE GOOD
Buried in the game's rubble is junior center Cole Aldrich's single season block record. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds in the game and his five blocks gave him 98 for the season, passing Greg Ostertag's previous record of 97.
Aldrich credits his teammates' help for his success. He also said the team had come together to win some close games on top of hostile road environments.
"We've shown a lot of heart over the past six road games that we've had in conference," Aldrich said. "We've just got to continue to do that."
Kansas is sitting pretty at 11-0 in the Big 12 with two overtime victories on the road against No.7 Kansas State and Colorado. They beat up on No.15 Texas and just barely outlasted No. 24 Texas A&M.
Kansas coach Bill Self said that his team hadn't won the championship yet, but that undefeated in the top conference was a nice place to be right now.
"For us to be where we are, I'm really happy about it but it's also shocking." Self said. "There are too many good teams."
Against Texas A&M, Kansas can attribute its success to factors other
than offense — its mainstay this season.
"We didn't turn it over and we got fouled," he said. "Even though it wasn't pretty, those were two things that happened from a positive situation offensively for us."
With senior guard Sherron Collins a non-factor offensive, Self was encouraged by his team's grit in the final minutes.
The Jayhawks have not shot well from the free throw line as of late and didn't shoot well against the Aggies hitting only 18-for-26. But Texas A&M made only five free throws.
Looking at the difference of the game, freshman guard Xavier Henry said the points off fouls were the main factor. He had a few clutch free throws to put the game away.
Freshman
guard
Xavier
Henry
leaps for a
rebound.
Henry
scored
12 points
and pulled
in six
rebounds
Monday
night.
"We only won by a few, so it was just taking advantage of every
SEE JAYHAWKS ON PAGE 6B
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN