Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kansas pulls ahead of Iowa The team wins first road game this season. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 3B
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19,2009
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COMMENTARY
Mangino could be difficult to replace
PAGE 1B
Of course, hiring a new head coach is always something of a crap shoot. Do you go with the hot shot young coordinator, or do you opt for the coach who's won big at smaller schools? Perhaps you take a gamble on a virtual unknown, or maybe you throw money at a big name candidate. Whatever route you choose, there are multiple examples of similar choices that could fail.
For as long as he's been on campus, there have been whispers that Mark Mangino may not be the most agreeable character. But they were subtle musings, the kind of thing everyone seems to think here, yet no one says. And even now, we don't know much that's any more concrete than that. The whispers have gotten louder, certainly. But I certainly don't know whether they're true or not.
And I know that scares me, because Kansas would have a very difficult time finding a head coach who could match Mangino's success
What I do know is this: In light of the football team's recent struggles, it would not be altogether surprising if this controversy, ultimately, results in Mangino losing his job.
Rich Rodriguez, only in his second year at Michigan, had a bevy of success coaching West Virginia. But his winning ways have, thus far, not followed him to Ann Arbor.
Charlie Weis had never been a head coach before Notre Dame handed him the reigns to its storied program. Another disappointing season with first-ever lows, and Weis looks to be on his way out.
Edited by Alicia Banister
And these programs are two of the most prevalent in the history of college football. They have tradition — and more importantly, resources that Kansas football could never hope to match. Most importantly, both have the ability to recruit the entire nation.
That's a luxury Kansas doesn't share. Nor does Kansas have the most bountiful of local recruiting grounds. Instead, the Jayhawks are forced to compete against schools which are bigger, closer and more football-centric for middle-tier Texas preps.
That's the program that Lew Perkins would have to sell a potential head coach on. And no matter how gifted a pitch man Perkins is reputed to be, the facts dictate that Kansas would have to settle, somewhat, in its hypothetical search. There would be no proven BCS-conference winners, and no highly-toured coordinators who have aspirations of landing bigger jobs.
All of this is not to say that Kansas cannot be a quality football program. What it does says is that the program ought to be viewed with perspective.
The stadium is too small. And even with its small size, the fanbase clearly doesn't value the football program enough to fill it weekly.
All of this talk is, admittedly, a bit premature. I don't know what Mangino did or didn't do and I don't know what will happen once the facts do become clear. But even amidst the malaise, I remember what Kansas football was before Mangino arrived. And, what's worse, I know how easily it could be that again.
The new facilities are great, and necessary, add-ons. But they're still nothing compared to the palaces that exist elsewhere in the Big 12.
And again, Kansas' location dictates that, almost certainly, it will never attract blue chin recruits.
FOOTBALL
Mangino: 'I have done nothing inappropriate'
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Coach Mark Mangino spoke with the media after yesterday evening's practice, and once again answered a handful of questions about the ongoing internal investigation launched by the Athletics Department.
When questioned about
reports alleging he poked senior
"I have done nothing inappropriate and I cannot speak
reports taught
linebacker
Arist Wright,
Mangino
declined to
discuss the
situation.
Mangino
about the internal processes taking place."
During the exchange with reporters, Mangino repeatedly emphasized that his focus rests on Texas — Kansas' next opponent. It was a point senior Kerry Meier echoed.
"To tell you the truth, as soon as we step on the field its like nothing has happened. I think
that's the right way we need to approach it."
Mangino also routinely avoued details or specifics involving the current investigation yesterday.
"This is an internal process and I respect the process," Mangino said. "Even though someone thought it was appropriate to leak information, it is still an internal
Linebacker Huldon Tharp has impressed veteran teammates like captain Darrell Stuckey. See story on 10B.
THARP EXCELS
DESPITE YOUTH
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
IOWA STATE UNKIND
Ronnie Miller/AMES TRIBUNE
Sophomore outside hitter Allison Mayfield attempts to keep the ball in play during Wednesday's match against Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Jayhawks were swept by the Cyclones, losing all three matches.
Jayhawks can't beat Cyclones
No. 8 Iowa State overpowers Kansas in all three matches
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
The Kansas volleyball team suffered a setback Wednesday night as No. 8 Iowa State swept Kansas 3-0 in Ames, Iowa. It was the seventh time the Jayhawks have been swept for the season and the fifth
time on the road.
Although Kansas played evenly with Iowa State at times, the Jayhawks were never able to stay with Iowa State for a full set, sophomore outside hitter Allison Mayfield said.
"In all three games it was tied at some point, but we just couldn't push through the full 25 points," Mayfield said.
Sophomore setter Nicole Tate said she thought the team didn't give it their all at times.
"We just didn't follow through with the game plan that the coaches gave us, and it just wasn't an all-around effort from the whole team," Tate said
Coach Ray Bechard said he didn't fault Kansas' effort, but said he thought Kansas just ran into a team that is playing exceptionally well.
"There is a great will on this group to finish strong and try to extend this season," Bechard said. "But there are times when execution wasn't quite where it needed to beat a team in the top 10."
Iowa State was consistently good through the entire set,
which made it hard to overcome. Bechard said.
"They'd get a two, three, four point lead and they are very tough to catch." Bechard said.
Kansas started out the first set quickly, pulling out to a 6-2 lead early, but Iowa State used an 11-1 run to take a 18-12 lead in the middle of the set. Kansas could never recover as it lost the set 17-25.
Mayfield and senior middle blocker Paige Mazour tie for the Kansas lead with 10 kills each. No jayhawk had double-digit digs,
SCORES
Kansas 17 20 20
Iowa State 25 25 25
UP NEXT
No. 9 Nebraska at Kanas
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 21
WHERE: Horejsi Family
Athletics Center
Senior guard Sherron Collins raises his hands after the game against Memphis Tuesday. Collins was plagued with cramps during the second half but came back to lead the Jayhawks to a 57-59 victory.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 4B
Weston White/KANSAN
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Inexperienced guards must learn to make plays when Collins is off court
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
thibodeaux@kansan.com
The Jayhawks will have to recover quickly from Tuesday's drama when they play host to Central Arkansas (1-1) tonight.
Kansas continues the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase against a team the school has never faced in its history. The Jayhawks will be looking for more offense, as they were held to just 57 points in the victory over Memphis.
Scoring almost half of what they scored against Hofstra, Kansas saw a significant decrease in offensive
production with Sherron Collins out, coach Bill Self said.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of strong play from the
"We don't really understand yet how we're going to score," Self said. "It's amazing to me how one person taken out of your lineup changes how the ball moves."
With Collins out of the game, the team must rely on its young guards to distribute the ball. To this point in the season, the younger guards have struggled to keep passing the ball, Self said. He added that it is an easy problem to fix.
KANSAS VS.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
DAY: Thursday
DATE: Nov. 19, 2009
LOCATION: Lawrence
TIME: 7 p.m.
TV: Jayhawk TV
SEE MEN'S ON PAGE 4B