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09
Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KAWAII
McCray earns game high But the senior struggled on defense. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 7B
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
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Briscoe declares for draft The wide receiver will forgo his senior year COLLEGE FOOTBALL | 3B
THE HUNT IS ON
PAGE 1B
Coaching search, speculations begin
BY JAYSON JENKS AND CLARK GOBLE
jjenks@kansan.com
cgoble@kansan.com
Shortly after meeting with players in the Anderson Family Football Complex to discuss the recent departure of coach Mark Mangino, Athletics Director Lew Perkins was quickly surrounded by reporters, cameras and microphones Thursday night.
Potential coaches
The questioners pressed for information on the specifics of the situation surrounding the embattled Mangino, whose "mutually satisfactory agreement" with the University resulted in his resignation.
Yet it didn't take long for the questioners to look a bit farther down the road, highlighting the recently vacated head coaching position left in the wake of Mangino's departure. The questions, then, turned to possible successors.
But Perkins said Thursday that
To read a bio of Turner Gill and the eight other potential coaches, see page 38.
there was no timetable for completion of the search
"I'd like to have it done today." Perkins said. "I think we just have to work very hard and try to get it done."
During his time at Kansas, Perkins has demonstrated that he will competitively pay coaches. He made Mangino one of the 20 highest-paid coaches in the nation, while also increasing Kansas coach Bill Self's salary last year.
But in the last few years alone, the Jayhawks have added a new football facility and new practice fields. A new scoreboard is expected to be added before next season.
Search for the coach
"I think this is a very attractive job." Perkins said. "I wouldn't be surprised, that this is out now, that all kinds of people will be inter- orated in the job."
ested in the job."
Perhaps the process has already started to take form.
According to a report published by CBS Sports, Buffalo football coach Turner Gill interviewed for Kansas' coaching position Sunday.
When contacted to confirm or deny the validity of the report, Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony declined to comment.
stating through a text message that 'there will be a million rumors out'
SEE COACHES ON PAGE 3B
Former coach Mark Mangino walks off the field after the Jayhawks' season ending 41-39 loss to Missouri in the Border Showdown.打下5-7 on the season amid an internal investigation, Mangino scored last week after eight games at Kansas.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Turner Gill is the top choice for Mangino's replacement
Now that we know as much about the terms of Mark Mangino's exit as we do about what exactly the investigation into his football program turned up, we can move on to a topic we're equally clueless about and no less eager to speculate on.
I'm talking about who should or who most likely will be the next football coach at Kansas
CBS' Tony Barnhart said on Saturday's pregame show for the SEC Championship game that Turner Gill was to interview with Kansas Sunday. ABC's Brent Musburger added during the second half of the Big 12 championship game that Gill is the leading candidate for the job. As he
should be.
Gill makes perfect sense on several levels. I understand that there is a wealth of quality prospects out there. Kansas football has been out of the game for a while, so fans can be forgiven for wanting to play the field.
The program went from slump-buster in 2001 to homely in 2003 and, finally, a head-turner after 2007. There's a little more credence to expectations for Perkins to target some sexy names. Call if a gut feeling, but Gill makes a lot of sense. He's young, 47, has Texas ties and is more than familiar with the Big 12.
A dual-threat quarterback for Nebraska from 1980 to 1983, Gill never lost a conference game as a starter and led his team to the national title during a senior season when he finished as a Heisman finalist.
As an assistant coach at Nebraska from 1992 to 2004, he
was on hand for three national titles and also coached Tommy Frazier and Heisman winner Eric Crouch. You've got to think Kale Pick, the fleet-footed sophomore who is a leading candidate to succeed Todd Reesing, is salivating over the prospect of Gill at Kansas.
Gill's faith is strong, and though that is more important to some than others, his off-field endeavors are encouraging. His involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the United Way, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association suggest that Gill would have little problem
polishing the program's image and effectively handling public speaking engagements — something Mangino left to be desired. The list goes on. In summation, sometimes you've got to take a chance.
Former Athletics Director Al Bohl did so with Mangino. Bohl was and is the only man in America to have offered Mangino a head coaching job. In many respects it worked wildly well, albeit at the expense of allegations that led to Mangino's "resignation."
The football program is starting over. New players, new coaches, new philosophy. Gill is the man for this job.
Before he began his first head coaching stint at Buffalo in 2006, it won just 10 games in its first seven years as a program. Afterward, it shared the MAC Eastern Division title in 2007 and shocked Ball State last year to win the conference championship. Pair these traits with Gill's ability to revitalize programs and the fact that Kansas is not in as dire straits as Buffalo in 2006 and you've got a recipe for success. Gill would be a special hire.
Follow Stephen Montemayor at twitter.com/smontemayor
— Edited by Amanda Thompson
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Markieff Morris leads Kansas to victory against the Bruins
The center scored 19 points in Kansas' 73-61 road victory
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
LOS ANGELES, Calif. Markieff Morris doesn't show emotion on the court. No matter the situation, he doesn't change his nonchalant demeanor.
"It's just how I am." Morris said. "I'm just laid back. I just like to smile when things are so bad."
The result was a season-high 19 points for Morris, leading Kansas to a 73-61 victory against UCLA. Sunday. He shot 8-for-11 from the floor and added six rebounds.
"I just ran with it," Morris said. "I just felt like I had a chip on my shoulder coming into the name."
But during practice last week, that attitude caught up to him. Kansas coach Bill Self accused Morris of a lack of aggression and a lazy attitude.
"Markieff was our best player today, without question," Self said. "I thought he played terrific."
The Jayhawks, now 7-0, won their second game away from Allen Fieldhouse. But once again,
"So it wasn't exactly an unbelievably well-played performance," Self said, "but it was two teams that tried hard to guard each other."
it wasn't a cakewalk.
The Jayhawks' leading scorer, freshman forward Xavier Henry, finished with 16 points on 5-for-9
Self said that he appreciated the way both teams scraped and clawed on the defensive end, but that it was a sloppy game overall. The Jayhawks finished with 14 turnovers and the Bruins had 15.
Henry said it was because the game didn't overwhelm him.
shooting including four 3 pointers. It was a far cry from his 11-point performance against Memphis when he shot 3-11.
This game didn't feel like a UCLA home game by any means. Nearly one third of the fans in the crowd were lajahawks, which is surprising halfway across the country. Each play was
"Markieff was our best player today, without question. I thought he played terrific."
"I didn't really feel any pressure," he said. "It wasn't as filled as I thought it would be at UCLA, but it was alright."
BILL SELF Kansas coach
Senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich flew under the radar again, but still had their numbers. Aldrich finished with 12 rebounds and three blocks while Collins had 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Collins had his second consecutive game with double figure shot attempts. And even though the hero of the game was Morris, Collins accounted for many of the
accompanied by a mixture of cheers and boos.
"I was still being aggressive," he said. "I just give people more shots. That's my job — either get in there or make a play, score or give my teammate an open shot."
plays the Jayhawks made Sunday.
Kansas took a lackadaisical approach at the start of the game, throwing the ball all over the court and turning the ball over eight times in the first half.
The lahwaws held the ball for the final shot with 36 seconds left in the first half and Collins missed an opportunity when he fumbled
SEE RECAP ON PAGE 5B
Weston White/KANSAN
Sophomore center Markieff Morris sinks a reverse layup off an assist from Cole Aldrich. Morris hit eight of 11 for 19 points in the Jayhawks' 73-61 victory against UCLA Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.
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