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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009
Briscoe honored by Big 12 Junior wide receiver named first team all-conference. FOOTBALL |9A
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GOLIATH, BEWARE
Sophomore forward Markieff Morris dunks the ball Friday against Tennessee Tech. Kansas will play 0-9 Alcorn State tonight. The Jayhawks are determined not to let overconfidence hurt their performance in the game.
Kansas to face Alcorn State
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
The layhawks couldn't have a more lop sided matchup.
Kansas plays host to 0-9 Alcorn State tonight, but despite its poor record, Kansas is not taking its opponent lightly.
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor said all it takes is a bad shooting night and a streaky opponent and the Jayhawks are looking at a loss.
"I do think that's human nature," Taylor said. "I think the great teams, it's not as much. You still try to play every possession."
"We can't come in here thinking that we can't be beat because we can. College basketball is funny like that. We can come
in here and miss a bunch of shots and they can be on fire"
The tallest player for Alcorn State is 6-foot-8, just like Tennessee Tech. Junior center Cole Aldrich said he's excited to expand off his 14 point, 10 rebound performance.
Like his teammates, Aldrich isn't considering his opponents pushovers either.
"It's come to that day and age where you have a team you may think is struggling but anybody can play with anybody," Aldrich said. "The talent level now is that much better."
The Jawhaws have feasted on what seem to be weaker opponents, Kansas coach Bill Self said, and the true non-conference tests are coming in the next couple of weeks. He
also said the team isn't as far along as he projected.
"I don't think we've gotten out of it what I had hoped yet," Self said. "But I don't know that because I don't know how good the teams are we plowed vet."
Self said the team needs to work largely on rebounding and playing good defense and offense at the same time. He also wants Sherron Collins to be a little bit more aggressive.
"We've got a preseason All-American that has taken seven shots the last four games," Self said. "His teammates have been told that, but they also need to recognize that. That's not the way we're going to win big games."
Taylor said that Collins is trying to make
KANSAS VS. ALCORN STATE
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Allen Fieldhouse
WATCH: Jayhawk TV
"He doesn't want to look selfish or he tries not to shoot it as much and he turns down open shots," Taylor said.
himself a good teammate but in an exces sive way.
When the open shots are passed up, it opens the door for some unsung heroes. When called upon, players coming off the
SEE PREVIEW ON PAGE 4A
Goodrich, rising star for Kansas, takes control of court
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Senior guards Sade Morris and Danielle McCray are in the midst of their last hurrah in a Kansas uniform. Its a duo of two fabled careers, each accomplishing 1,000 career points and holding lofty expectations in their final season.
But instead of putting all the weight on their shoulders alone, they're turning to their guardian Angel for help — and she's just a freshman.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson says freshman guard Angel Goodrich has a calming influence on the team. "I think it's contagious." Henrickson said.
That's her, getting the ball right off of the rebound and blazing down the court to find an open shooter. That's her again, starting the whole operation, calculating defenses like a mad scientist, schematically maneuvering through defenses like a chess player and foreseeing not just the next play but the next three plays before they happen. And again, she's just a freshman.
If you focus your eyes and pay close attention you just might see her zipping by.
"She sees plays before they even develop." Morris said.
Ryan Waqqoner/KANSAN
That's point guard Angel Goodrich for you. She doesn't
believe in tempering ambitions because of age, as she has made the adjustment from high school basketball in Oklahoma to Division I college basketball in Kansas relatively seamlessly.
In her first year as the team's quarterback Goodrich has sparkled, flashing doses of bursting speed, steady ball control and remarkably calm nerves for a rookie trailblazer.
Morris and McCray are giving thanks, along with the rest of their teammates.
--for the Junkanoo Jam tournment, many of Goodrich's teammates were joking around and impersonating Michael Jackson. They laughed and showed the personality that can often be overlooked in a team atmosphere.
"It makes us a lot harder to guard," Morris said. "We have more than just two weapons."
The allocation of minutes speaks volumes to coach Bonnie Henrickson's confidence in Goodrich. Senior guard LaChelda Jacobs has seen a steady dip in her playing time as her freshman successor has risen to prominence. As a result, the entire team has taken positive mental notes on
She is averaging 7.4 points, 8.2 assists and 33 minutes per game, behind only McCray for the team lead.
"It means a lot that I'm getting so much playing time," Goodrich said.
Goodrich's laid-back approach and settled down.
"I think it's contagious," Henrickson said of Goodrich's calming influence on the team.
During a team practice last week before a trip to the Bahamas
But off to the side at her own hoop Goodrich was just shooting; no smiles, no jokes, just practice. It's a work ethic that has served
PAGE 10A
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SEE GOODRICH ON PAGE 4A
COMMENTARY
Self now has a few lineups to play with
No, you aren't the only one getting bored with these Kansas basketball blowouts.
Since the scare in St. Louis, Kansas has defeated its opponents by 50, 40 and 37. According to the National Weather Service, it will be 44 degrees at tip-off.
And yes, there will be another owl tonight against Alcorn State. Only one question remains in my mind — which will be higher: the temperature at tip-off or the final scoring margin?
I'll take the Jayhawks.
And unless they start this game at high noon and move Allen Fieldhouse 100 miles south, I won't budge.
Even though they might not bring the excitement of Missouri or Texas, the games in November and December might be just as crucial as those that come in January and February.
They provide a chance for coach Bill Self to toy with his lineup. This year is a little bit different, since Brady Morningstar and Jeff Withey will not be playing until January. But even so, Self can have some fun messing with big lineups and small lineups, shooting lineups and defensive lineups, bats-out of hell crazy lineups and calm line-ups.
Here's my best guess at those lineups for certain situations.
This is the lineup that intimidates smaller opponents. Point guard: Tyshawn Taylor (6-foot-3) Shooting guard: Xavier Henry (6-foot-6), Small forward: Marcus Morris (6-foot-8), Power forward: Thomas Robinson (6-foot-9), Center: Cole Aldrich (6-foot-11). Height-wise, that lineup would match up with several NBA teams.
My lineup for speed: PG: Sherron Collins, SG: Taylor, SF: Elijah Johnson, PF: Marcus Morris, C: Robinson. If Self wanted to, he could probably press with that lineup.
Shooters? PG: Collins, SG: Reed (Morningstar second semester). SF: Henry, PF: Marcus Morris, C: Markieff Morris. If that lineup got from deep. I'm not sure anyone in the country would come within 10 points of the lavwhaws.
Defenders? PG: Collins (he can guard if he wants to), SG: Taylor, SF: Henry, PF: Robinson, C: Aldrich. I think Self will use this lineup in the heart of the Big 12 season, when they need to lock down on defense.
And probably my favorite, the "Let's Cause Trouble" lineup: PG; Collins, SG; Johnson, SF; Henry, PF; Marcus Morris, C; Aldrich. There may not be enough shots to go around for this trigger happy group, but the NBA potential is crazy.
Self's go-to lineup for playing smart might become this one. It's steady, calm and reliable: PG: Collins, SG: Reed SF: Morningstar, PF: Marcus Morris (OK, not so reliable, but he's as reliable as they come at PF), C Aldrich.
So while there might be a few SportsCenter Top-10 caliber moments, the most important thing will be who's checking in for whom, and when.
Watch how versatile the Jayhawks really are.
Follow Clark Goble at www.twitter.com/cgble89.
Edited by Jacob Muselmann