Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe is still a part of the KU program, but isn't a lock to play for the Jayhawks in the fall.
Speaking at the Jayhawk Summer Tour stop Sunday at the Kansas Museum of History, Kansas coach Mark Mangino explained Briscoe's situation.
"He's on the team and he's day to day," Mangino said. "He's got work to do and he's got to take care of it. It's up to him."
That work is presumably academic.
...Mangino indicated Sunday KU's quarterback depth chart would be Todd Reesing, redshirt freshman Kale Pick and freshman Jordan Webb.
Mangino reiterated his plan not to use Kerry Meier at quarterback.
"We're trying to phase Kerry out of that job," he said. TCJ*
Following is a list of the remaining stops on the Jayhawk Summer Tour. You can find more information by visiting kualumni.org.
Wichita: July 30, 2009 Head Coach Mark Mangino will address the Jayhawks in Wichita. Larry Bud’s will host the event. Inflatable games, food and beverage will be available.
Emporia: July 31, 2009 Members of the KU Alumni Association and football staff will be on hand for the rally in Emporia. Commemorative football items and inflatable kids’ games will highlight the stop in Emporia.
Kansas City: August 21, 2009. Corinth Square, Prairie Village, Kan. Jayhawk fans can flock to 83rd and Mission to hear from women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson and head football coach Mark Mangino. Inflatable games, Jayhawk apparel and 2009 commemorative items will be available. KU Athletics
Maybe somebody will ask Colt McCoy whether he’s saving himself for marriage, or hunt down coaches who didn’t vote for Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford or McCoy on a preseason all-conference team.
But chances are the Big 12 media days that start today outside Dallas won’t rise to the circus atmosphere of last week’s Southeastern Conference meetings, where Florida quarterback Tim Tebow fessed up to being a virgin (why ask?) and Ol’ Ball Coach Steve Spurrier assured his South Carolina lads a major beatdown by the Gators by admitting his omission of Tebow from the preseason All-SEC team.
Then again, the Big 12 might want to call some attention to itself if that will help it land a TV deal similar to what the SEC announced last week ? big exposure from ESPN ? and what the Big Ten already has.
Mostly, what’s expected is three days of sound-bite perspectives about a 2009 season that again should be made top-heavy by the Longhorns and Sooners, with some new faces in supporting roles.
This year’s Texas Tech could be Oklahoma State: loaded on offense, and with defensive coordinator Bill Young, possessing a crafty veteran who knows what it takes to win in the Big 12.
This year’s Missouri could be Kansas: a window-of-opportunity season led by a record-setting quarterback.
That position is a good place to start any discussion of the Big 12. Quarterback play in this conference has been sensational the last few seasons and will be again this season. KC Star: In Big 12, QBs are the story*
What about the North? Bill Snyder may be back at Kansas State attempting Manhattan Miracle II, but it's not exactly 1999 for the North.
Teams from the South have won the last five Big 12 title games by a combined margin of 233-51. The South dominated the preseason all-conference team with 21 of 26 picks.
Sure, the North looked ready for a breakthrough in 2007 with Missouri and Kansas. Now it's reverted to the status quo. Maybe Nebraska, in Bo Pelini's second season, can return to being, well, Nebraska.
It won't be long before Self gets an opportunity to coach in the NBA. San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford is one of Self's closest friends - they were groomsmen in each others' weddings - and surely would try to gauge Self's interest if the Spurs ever make a coaching change.
Kansas University will rank atop more preseason college basketball polls than any other school. Somebody has to rank first, but it’s not as if KU is as easy a choice as North Carolina was a year ago. The reason: experience. North Carolina had far more of it going into last season than the Jayhawks have heading into the 2009-2010 season.
Roy Williams entered last season coaching a roster that already had a whopping 14,265 minutes of Div. I experience from basketball players on scholarship, led by Tyler Hansbrough’s 3,365 minutes. Seven players had more than 1,000 minutes going into last season.
Bill Self’s roster features three players with more than 1,000 minutes of Div. I basketball floor time: Sherron Collins (2,884), Cole Aldrich (1,367) and Brady Morningstar (1,153).
A more experienced team means a smarter team. College basketball veterans use their superior physical, mental and emotional maturity to their advantage. They also play hungrier because many of the players know their careers are winding to a close.
KU’s 2008 national champions brought 11,871 minutes into that season, compared to the 8,906 this year’s roster has going into the Nov. 13 season opener against Hofstra in Allen Fieldhouse. The 2007-2008 team had five players (Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson) who already had logged at least 1,000 minutes of Div. I time. LJW Keegan: Jayhawks lacking minutes
“For me, the point is that licensing in general has just become a much more significant part of our culture,” Mucci said. “Now, it seems like everybody and his brother are selling and buying.”
And it’s nice that KU gets to see some revenue out of it, he said.
KU only gets to see a small portion of that $47.3 million, however ? the 2008 sales translate to about $1.2 million for Kansas Athletics, and about $752,000 for KU. The school gets a percentage of the wholesale cost for every item sold, said Jim Marchiony, associate athletic director.
In addition, the school gets the benefit of its logo being worn by people all over the country, Marchiony said.
“The more T-shirts and products that are out there with our name, the more exposure they receive,” he said. “That’s good for the university.”
Kansas Athletics placed the extra cash into its general operating budget, Marchiony said, where it will help fund every aspect of the athletic department’s operations ? from student-athlete scholarships to coaches’ salaries. LJW
There’s no rest on tap for future Kansas University basketball guard Royce Woolridge’s Arizona Magic AAU team.
“I’m filling up the car now. We’re going to get something to eat, drive five hours, then get up at 6 (a.m.) for the Duel in the Desert in Phoenix,” Magic coach Kenny Mullins said at 5 p.m. PDT Sunday in Las Vegas.
Mullins’ squad ? which hit the road in a car caravan on the heels of an impressive 6-1 Final Four performance at the 104-team Star Vision Sports Center Stage Tournament ? has an 8 a.m. opening-round Duel in the Desert tipoff today.
A batch of college coaches likely will be in the stands, as they were over the weekend in Vegas.
Most of them would love to be recruiting Woolridge, who exploded for 33 points in a 73-71 victory over Team Odom on Saturday. They can’t, however, because the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior from Phoenix’s Sunnyslope High has been firmly committed to KU since May of 2008. LJW
Billy Donovan landed in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning to a message from his secretary, suggesting he call Florida's compliance office.
Shortly after he hung up with his compliance people, Donovan was back on the phone, explaining to Gary Charles, the president of Grassroots Basketball of America, why he wouldn't be attending the GBOA dinner that evening in honor of former shoe executive Sonny Vaccaro, an NCAA needler and basketball marketing guru considered the godfather of amateur hoops.
Donovan wasn't alone in his absence. Hours before his dinner, Charles received countless calls from coaches who said they wouldn't be coming.
The reason? The NCAA had sent out an e-mail blast that morning, strongly urging coaches to stay away.
"I was told that there could be repercussions for anyone who did go," Donovan said.
But five high-profile coaches did attend, including Bill Self of Kansas, Paul Hewitt of Georgia Tech and Norm Roberts of St. John's. "[My compliance officer] said you can go as long as you don't pay for dinner or are at an event with prospects," Roberts said. "I didn't pay and there weren't any prospects."
Self also told ESPN.com that he did not pay. Hewitt declined comment.
A coach who did attend the dinner told ESPN.com, "No one paid to my knowledge," adding that he had not yet been contacted by the NCAA but expected he would be.
Unsure where the $800 a table/$195 per-person funds were going and concerned that some of the money could end up in the coffers for GBOA, a start-up youth basketball organization that counts 35 summer-league teams among its members, the NCAA cautioned coaches that attending the dinner and paying the entry fee could be a violation.
In a copy of the memo obtained by ESPN.com, the NCAA warns coaches. "There is a concern that the donation to Coaches vs. Cancer by GBOA is somewhat suspect and that the money solicited from our coaches will go directly to benefit non-scholastic individuals and entities."
The memo continues, " ... we are asking that notice be given to our institutions to 'proceed with caution' on this one."
..."Losing the coaches was a big hit for us. Without the money [from the coaches] to pay for the banquet, I was forced to raise the price on my showcase," Charles added.
Indeed, on Wednesday stunned coaches forked over $160 per person (cash only) for the all-day GBOA Challenge. Many were at the Henderson International gym for just one game.
"When they said 160, I thought they meant $1.60," Florida International head coach Isiah Thomas said, laughing.
Charles did say some of the money would be used to fund GBOA's national programs, including travel and academic expenses. He added that a portion was earmarked to cover the cost of the banquet at the Palms Resort and Casino, with some of the proceeds also going to Coaches vs. Cancer. The plan called for each coach in attendance to receive the team packet for the GBOA Challenge the next day (the packet contains the names and phone numbers of all participating recruits; traditionally those books run as much as $300 at other summer recruiting events).
But the NCAA memo said it had contacted the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Coaches vs. Cancer and neither organization was contacted by GBOA. ESPN
“This is a big year for me and everybody else on the team. There are big expectations. I have something to prove. I had an OK year last year. I expect more out of myself so I’m trying to improve this summer.”
He says he hasn’t weighed himself in a while, but drinks protein shakes after his afternoon workout and before going to bed and knows he’s put on some “good weight and muscle.”
Morningstar says he’s completely recovered from June 9 surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot.
The owner of www.Mizzou.us is using the address to direct visitors away from their expected online lair ? a home page affiliated with the University of Missouri ? and lure them instead into the official, virtual world of the Kansas Jayhawks: KU.edu.
Word of the switch reached the Mizzou Alumni Association (www.Mizzou.com) Monday afternoon, drawing a few expressions of surprise, disappointment and, perhaps, maybe a little envy. Even MU’s official university site is www.Mizzou.edu.
“Wow,” said Jayson Meyer, director of alumni affairs. “Somebody’s pretty smart.”
...While the Journal-World was unsuccessful in its attempts to contact the site’s owner ? who listed an address of a mailbox at a UPS Store in Columbia, Mo. ? at least one person with a Jayhawk Boulevard office ruled out the entire 66045 zip code.
“This is not the work of KU,” said Jill Jess, associate director of university relations. “Of course, we all know the greater Jayhawk Nation can, at times, be a bit overzealous.” LJW
The Kansan discussed men and women’s basketball with athletics director Lew Perkins in an interview Wednesday, July 22 as part of an ongoing series discussing Kansas Athletics.
The athletics department will open a new practice facility this fall in the Wagnon Student Athlete Center, a result of the space gained by the football program’s move to the Anderson Family Football Complex. Now both teams have multiple facilities to practice, and following the women’s program’s run to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament final, both have big expectations. UDK
Calipari also is trying to get Kansas to play a major game in St. Louis in the near future. Andy Katz
Phillip Small has always wanted to be a head basketball coach.
The 26-year old Tennessee native will have his chance to do exactly that with Marion County’s most storied boys basketball program.
Vanguard High School principal Rick Lankford on Monday announced the hiring of Small, who will replace the recently retired Jim Haley, who won over 650 games and three state championships as the Knights’ boss since 1973.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said Small, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Leesburg High and also spent time at the University of Kansas as a student assistant under Roy Williams. “There isn’t a better spot for me than Vanguard. I’m right where I want to be. The tradition and foundation that Coach Haley has set here is tremendous.
“I have admired the Vanguard program from afar and I feel real comfortable being part of it. I feel like I already know the kids and the assistant coaches.” Ocala.com
A lot has been said about (Joe)Jackson and his recruitment during the past few weeks. Expect Jackson to make a visit to the University of Kentucky this fall - likely one of the football games during the month of October - but don't expect him to sign with UK. I just find it hard to believe that he's going to leave Memphis. So, I think when it's all said and done that Jackson will be playing for new Memphis coach Josh Pastner. LCJ Jody Demling
The preseason voting showed Nebraska as a slight favorite over Kansas in the Big 12 North. Does Hickman see it coming down to the Huskers and Jayhawks?
“I make no bold predictions,'' Hickman said, smiling. “I'll say nothing along those lines.''
NU plays at both Kansas and Missouri. A Mizzou beat writer asked Hickman what he thought about playing in Columbia.
“Obviously they are rambunctious fans,'' he said. “I got spit on a couple times the last time we went out there. But that's beside the point. If anything, that encourages you, it makes you angry and makes you want to win more.'' Link
Following is a list of the remaining stops on the Jayhawk Summer Tour. You can find more information by visiting kualumni.org.
Wichita: July 30, 2009 Head Coach Mark Mangino will address the Jayhawks in Wichita. Larry Bud’s will host the event. Inflatable games, food and beverage will be available.
Emporia: July 31, 2009 Members of the KU Alumni Association and football staff will be on hand for the rally in Emporia. Commemorative football items and inflatable kids’ games will highlight the stop in Emporia.
Kansas City: August 21, 2009. Corinth Square, Prairie Village, Kan. Jayhawk fans can flock to 83rd and Mission to hear from women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson and head football coach Mark Mangino. Inflatable games, Jayhawk apparel and 2009 commemorative items will be available. KU Athletics
Any love Kansas receives as the football team to beat in the North Division of the Big 12 is usually diminished by a document you can fold into your wallet.
The Jayhawks' schedule makes anyone outside Mark Mangino's shadow -- yes, that does accommodate several supporters -- dismiss KU as the favorite.
The proof is contained in the 2008 results. An 0-3 crossover record against South rivals forced KU to run the table within the division to have any shot at playing in the Big 12 title game. A loss at Nebraska prevented that and left KU 4-4 in the league after advancing to the Orange Bowl with one defeat a year earlier.
The challenge this year -- in particular, matchups against Oklahoma and Texas in the same season -- is daunting.
Those programs regularly contend for the national championship, and are expected to again this season.
"I wouldn't say that they've pulled away, because there are a lot of quality teams in this league that can win on any day," Mangino said at Tuesday's Big 12 Media Days. "But, they're two quality programs and there's people, like us at Kansas, that aspire to be in their shoes."
Only one other team in the North, however, must lace their cleats against both in the same season.
Iowa State also received that draw in the three-on, three-off arrangement the Big 12 generated in two-year cycles pitting North and South opponents. The format was created with the inception of the conference in 1996. Interestingly, the Jayhawks and Cyclones are the only division members not to represent the North yet in the title game.
Big 12 officials periodically research potential scheduling changes. Every possibility -- strength of schedule, longstanding rivalries, a succession of ever-changing combinations -- receives consideration. Mathematicians and statisticians are even consulted.
"But all of those things come down to everything being cyclical," said associate commissioner Tim Allen. "So what happens is you outsmart yourself. You start looking at doing things differently, and about the time you do that, the team you thought was going to be hot is now cold. All you've done is make you slap your forehead."
...Look at it this way: Every two years, the Sooners and Longhorns aren't on KU's schedule.
Teams in the South Division receive no such breaks.
"It's a tough year for Kansas," acknowledged Baylor free safety Jordan Lake. "But at the same time it's our reality every year." TCJ*
Mark Mangino's Kansas teams have been accused of playing soft schedules, and some say the Jayhawks might be soft on defense this year.
The coach just doesn't want people to think he has a soft team. The former Oklahoma assistant said that was the perception of Kansas before he took over seven years ago.
While he intended to toughen up the Jayhawks, he said it takes more than tough talk.
"It's not that you shout and holler and tell them they've got to be tougher and get after them," said Mangino, the first coach to lead Kansas to four bowl games. "You finish every drill. You finish every play. When you don't think you have anything else, you're able to give a little bit more." Link
So what if a similar situation comes up this year with Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri? What if they are all 4-4 and thus not on the BCS radar?
Draw straws? Or ask for a volunteer to go down and get waxed by Texas in the Big 12 title game?
The Big 12 apparently has already prepared for this potential calamity. A Big 12 official on Tuesday said the BCS ratings go as far down as you need. So the BCS tiebreaker would still come into play. Yes, even if KU is No. 51, Nebraska is 52 and Missouri is 55.
This is good to know, mostly because of what Mark Mangino faces this year.
Mangino's Kansas team is loaded. On paper, KU has the most talent, the most weapons, of any team in the North. The defense might be shaky at first, but quarterback Todd Reesing and receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier should be able to win most shootouts.
This could finally be Kansas' year to play for a Big 12 title without dribbling.
But there's this little matter of KU's South Division rotation: at Texas, at Texas Tech and home against Oklahoma.
If 5-3 wins the North, then the Jayhawks would have no room for error in the North if they go 0-3 against the South. That's a lot of pressure on a program that hasn't won a league title in 40 years.
KU's southern discomfort could bring 4-4 into the picture. Which could bring NU, Mizzou and Colorado into a madcap dash through November. Omaha.com
Any acclaim for Todd Reesing is richly deserved.
The undersized and big-hearted Texan is key to the 20 victories Kansas recorded the past two football seasons.
Mark Mangino knows this. He spoke again Tuesday in glowing terms about his senior quarterback when asked about Reesing at Big 12 Media Days. The points the KU coach stressed, however, will not be reprinted and distributed in any Heisman Trophy flyers just yet.
No sense stressing the postal meter before moving the chains.
"If we thought a campaign like that would be appropriate at some time, we would. But we don't think now is the time," Mangino said. "You've got to go out and play well, have a great start to your season and prove you belong in that group.
"If we believe that and felt that, we would (start a Heisman campaign). We wouldn't get into some overextended campaign, other than maybe writing a letter of endorsement to voters. We're not going to put up billboards in Times Square and all that. That's not what our program's about."
...With the voting flap that surfaced at the recent SEC Media Days regarding Tim Tebow's omission from the preseason all-conference ballot turned in by South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, Big 12 coaches are getting grilled about polls.
When asked, Mangino made the admission he doesn't vote in the coaches' rankings.
"One of the reasons why I don't is because I think it takes a lot of time," he said. "And I just don't feel good about taking a couple of hours every Sunday working on a poll when I should be getting my team ready to play." TCJ*
It’s amazing that Kansas QB Todd Reesing is so effective considering his 5-foot-11, slender frame. If he wasn’t wearing his KU polo, you’d assume he was with the daily newspaper. The Oklahoman*
Mangino has a new nickname for Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing: “The Chauffeur.”
“If you don’t have a chauffer the car isn’t going to move,” Mangino said. “He’s the one that makes it roll.”
Reesing was ranked among the top-10 players in the nation last season in passing yards, completions and pass efficiency. The 2009 campaign will be the last for the distinguished senior, who was passed over by most Division-I schools because of his lack of height.
Mangino said he’ll never forget the day that Reesing and his father visited Lawrence during a trip in the summer of 2005. Reesing, who was preparing for his senior season of high school, was also receiving interest from Duke.
“Todd was overlooked by most programs, there’s no question,” Mangino said. “Some kids would pout about that and feel bad for themselves and say, ‘You know, I caught a bad break in life.’
“Instead, he and his dad jumped in the car and went and visited the schools that had an interest in him. He did a good job of selling himself to me. He really had a swagger about him. He shook my hand and looked me right in the eye. He had a bounce in his step.
“When he [left], one of our coaches came down to office and asked me what I thought. I said, ‘He’s really small, but I like him. If we can get him, let’s get him.’ I just really like him. There’s something about him that exudes confidence. He’s like a stick of dynamite.” Jason King's Big 12 Notebook
As he considered Reesing's role in sparking Mizzou's fierce rival to 20 wins the last two seasons, Mangino reflected on KU's "merry-go-round" at the position before Reesing.
At one point, Mangino asked the media relations department to come up with a figure on how many different players started at QB for the Jayhawks in that span.
"We still can't nail down how many different guys," he said, recalling the low point: "We played a wide receiver who never played a down of college football in his life at quarterback ... in Lincoln, Nebraska. ... It was the closest thing to coaching suicide that you can imagine. But we didn't have anybody left." St Louis PD
Mangino said that the status of offensive tackle Ben Lueken, who sustained head injuries in an accident outside Jayhawker Towers in early April, is unclear at the moment.
“Ben’s doing well,” Mangino said. “His status is still up in the air. We’re still visiting with Ben and all the people, his family, medical people, our staff. We really don’t know just yet how that’s going to play out.”
The case involving the incident is still with the Douglas County district attorney.
“Anytime you have a situation that players are not conducting themselves the way they should, it’s disappointing,” Mangino said. “Ben, his situation is such that it still needs attention.”
Asked to clarify, Mangino said that he meant in regard to Lueken’s health.
...Mangino said that he will try to decide early in fall camp whether Kerry Meier can make a full transition from quarterback to wide receiver. Mangino said it would depend on his confidence in redshirt freshman quarterback Kale Pick and true freshman Jordan Webb after a week to 10 days of camp.
?Mangino also said junior transfer linebacker Vernon Brooks of Blinn (Texas) Junior College has joined the Jayhawks this summer. Brooks was offered scholarships by Oklahoma and Tennessee, according to Rivals.com. Mangino also said that Drew Dudley has moved back to linebacker from fullback.
...Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon expressed respect for Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, and it wasn’t grudging.
“We only sacked him one time in the past three years,” Weatherspoon said. “He’s a tough guy. He really likes to run around a little bit. At the same time, he’s poised when he’s doing that.
“He does a really good job finding the receivers downfield. It’s always a battle when we play KU.” KC Star Big 12 Buzz*
When Kansas wide receivers coach David Beaty was the football coach at Irving MacArthur High during 2002-05, his office would often be packed full of Division I-A coaches.
He admits now, looking back, that he gave some of those coaches preferential treatment in recruiting his kids. One of them was then-KU wide receivers coach Tim Beck. Beaty just couldn’t help it. Beck had been a coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, too, and that meant something.
“When Tim Beck walked in that door when he was at the University of Kansas, I didn’t care who I was talking to,” Beaty said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, give me a second. We have an appointment,’ whether we had one or not. We are a tight, proud fraternity down there.”
Once a member of the fraternity, always a member. When Beck left KU for Nebraska after the Jayhawks won the 2008 Orange Bowl, he recommended Beaty to Kansas coach Mark Mangino. Beaty, who had moved on to coach the receivers at Rice for two seasons, seemed an obvious replacement with his ties to the Metroplex.
On Tuesday at Big 12 football media days, just down the road from the office that Beaty once occupied at MacArthur High, Mangino let out a knowing smile.
Admittedly, I see the program through black-and-gold-tinted glasses. I firmly believe that Pinkel has upped the overall quality of talent in the program to the extent that they should contend even in what many see as a rebuilding season. I’m not quite as sure about Pinkel’s ability to maximize the talent on hand. Through the course of his eight years in Columbia, I honestly believe that only the 2007 squad reached its ceiling.
If Pinkel can replicate that coaching job, the Tigers will be a lot stronger than fans of other North programs want to believe. And if that’s the case, the schedule plays into Mizzou’s favor.
There are home gimmes against Bowling Green, Furman, Baylor and Iowa State. Division favorite Nebraska opens the Big 12 schedule in Columbia on a nationally televised Thursday night game. Texas comes to Columbia, and if the Tigers are going to ever knock off the Horns or Sooners, it’s going to happen at Memorial Stadium.
There are some pitfalls on the slate, to be sure. Okie State should be high octane once again, but Mizzou has a score to settle with those guys. Nevada could be a tricky road test. Colorado and Kansas State are a pair of road tilts that could go either way. And then there are the two neutral-site rivalry games that bookend the season. The Illinois game will be a huge contest that will set the tone for the season and, in particular, for Blaine Gabbert as the new starting quarterback.
And as for Kansas ... I don’t sense nearly as much separation in the programs as I suspect most Jayhawk fans see entering the season. Without a doubt, the Jayhawks have more proven offensive contributors, particularly in Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. And if Mizzou has a disappointing season and enters the Arrowhead showdown without much to play for, then the Jayhawks would likely be a prohibitive favorite.
However, if the season goes like I feel like it will, the game will be another huge contest, possibly for the North title. And if the Tigers have progressed enough to get to that point, then I suspect the across-the-board talent will be enough to land Mizzou in Dallas to get drilled again by Oklahoma. KC Star*
My welcome to Division I football moment was in practice when (my teammate) failed to get behind the wedge (on a kick return). Joe (Mortensen) and Mike Rivera, our linebackers from last year, came through and just ran through my teammate. It was horrible. Then the next play, they kicked it to him again and the same thing happened. I was just like...those guys are two times my size and moving like that? It was like... "Welcome to college football.”
One of the most ironic things was my mother saying when she went to Texas A&M they were offering for her to tailgate with them. The Texas A&M fans were like... "You guys are guests in our house.” They were letting her cut in line at the concession stands. It’s crazy, because you don’t see things like that.
The moment I realized I belonged was my redshirt freshman year in spring ball. I was going against the receivers who had great years the year before. I felt really good about it. I felt, "Hey, I belong here.” →When I first broke my ankle, I was like... "I’ll never play college football again, I’ll never be able to play at the level I was playing at.” Then, to look at me now, and drive past I-70 in Kansas City, I’m from Kansas City, and you see a billboard with me on it. People say they can’t believe I’m on it, I still can’t believe I’m on there, it’s just a blessing.
As one of my hobbies I paint and draw a little bit. I paint random things. I like life, so it’s usually either portraits or landscapes. Or creative designs, faith-driven things. The Oklahoman: Welcome to my world with Darrell Stuckey*
Following is a list of the remaining stops on the Jayhawk Summer Tour. You can find more information by visiting kualumni.org.
Wichita: July 30, 2009 Head Coach Mark Mangino will address the Jayhawks in Wichita. Larry Bud’s will host the event. Inflatable games, food and beverage will be available.
Emporia: July 31, 2009 Members of the KU Alumni Association and football staff will be on hand for the rally in Emporia. Commemorative football items and inflatable kids’ games will highlight the stop in Emporia.
Kansas City: August 21, 2009. Corinth Square, Prairie Village, Kan. Jayhawk fans can flock to 83rd and Mission to hear from women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson and head football coach Mark Mangino. Inflatable games, Jayhawk apparel and 2009 commemorative items will be available. KU Athletics
Trying to earn more television money while maximizing exposure for his schools is taking much of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe's attention these days.
Beebe called working on settling that television question as the "major issue" that currently is facing him in his role as the conference's chief executive officer.
"I think that's fair to say because it was such a strong proponent of what put us together in the conference in the first place," Beebe said. "The origins of this conference was to get together to find a more valuable spot in the marketplace. We need all the platforms we can get for the quality of play that all of our student-athletes provide."
...Several reports indicate there has been discussion among the Big 12, Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast conferences to provide a new television network with programming from two or perhaps three of the conferences in a consortium. Beebe said that the Big 12 must be creative in looking for ways to remain viable in the changing economic marketplace.
"I think we have to look at strategic partnerships with whomever, whether it's on the media side or the content owners (conferences) to find out what would be best for us," Beebe said. "I don't discount any scenario in that regard. Looking at a partnership with other conferences is something we'll have to take a close look at. Maybe there's something there that would work out for all of us."
..."If there's going to be an expansion of games in the BCS, we're certainly going to be adamant about that including a bowl in our region," Beebe said. "This would be highly attractive with the kind of facility we have here. The Cotton Bowl is our Tier I partner and we would try to accommodate that."
Beebe said he hopes the conference will have agreements with its bowl partners by the start of the football season with plans to take them for approval to the conference's board of directors at its October meeting. ESPN
The most jaw-dropping aspect of Cowboys Stadium is the midfield video board.
The world's largest high-definition video board measures 160 feet long by 71 feet deep, and is suspended 90 feet above the playing surface. The board's cost was $40 million $40 million for a TV! The board weighs 1.2 million pounds. Imagine a structure the size of an office building, turned horizontally on its side and outfitted on two sides with a crystal-clear video image. It's unbelievably cool.
"This stadium is a work of art," said Donnie Duncan, the former Oklahoma athletic director who has been a Big 12 administrator since the league's inception. He now serves as the director of the Big 12 football championship.
The stadium's seating capacity is 80,000 but, because of flexibility at both ends, can be expanded to 100,000. There are 300 suites (including the first field-level suites ever at any major football venue) and 15,000 club seats.
Want a suite? The cost averages out to $25,000 per game.
On Tuesday, about 200 media members who convened this week for the Big 12
Media Days football function in Irving were given a tour of the new stadium, which, at 2.6 million square feet, is twice the size of the new Yankee Stadium.
Oklahoma fans get their first Cowboys Stadium experience on Sept. 5, when the Sooners and BYU clash in the first college game conducted at the stadium. The Dallas Cowboys' regular-season home opener is set for Sept. 20, when the New York Giants visit.
Each of the next two Big 12 championship football games will be played here this year on Dec. 5 and also in December 2010.
"I knew it would be a state-of-the-art facility," Duncan said. "Every aspect of this building is beautiful. As you drive past it, I don't know that there's a more beautiful stadium anywhere. It's just fabulous."
Asked whether Cowboys Stadium might someday become a permanent Big 12 championship site, Duncan replied, "There's a chance for anything, yeah. But there are a lot of factors. We have to have good games. We have to make money. Let's do a bang-up job this year, and then we'll go from there." Tulsa World: Amazing stadium has a new car smell*
Bob Stoops would like strength of schedule returned to the BCS formula but says he's not going to politick for it.
"I've always felt it encouraged better games early," Stoops said during Big 12 Media Days. "If that's what you want, you guys better start crying for it." The Oklahoman Big 12 Notebook*
Several Kansas University men’s basketball players are making steady progress in their return from injuries, Jayhawk coach Bill Self said Tuesday night.
? Freshman guard Elijah Johnson, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on June 23, “has been given the green light. He’s been released (for full activity),” Self said.
Senior forward Mario Little, who had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his lower left leg on April 16, is “full speed,” Self said.
Freshman center Jeff Withey, who suffered a severely sprained right thumb in mid-June, “is right to the point of being released,” Self said. LJW
There is room for one more foursome in the inaugural National Championship Classic Golf tournament, set for a 1 p.m. Friday at Alvamar. A banquet will follow at 6:30 p.m.
To enter the tournament, one can contact Ronda Green at 785-819-4653 or we2green@cox.net.
“We have 17 teams,” said former KU director of basketball operations Ronnie Chalmers. “Right now we have over 100 people to the banquet plus the golfers,” he added, noting everybody from KU’s NCAA title team figures to play except for Brandon Rush, who is in China with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Program and Sasha Kaun, who is playing with Russia’s national team overseas. LJW
Royce Wooldridge selected to All-Tourney team at the Desert Duel Summer Prep Memorial Link
Just a couple of summers ago, before hearing their names called as the NBA’s top draft picks, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose came to the same Shawnee gym that rising Raytown South freshman Ishmail Wainwright is playing in this week.
And just like Wainwright, whose AAU team plays in the eighth annual Price Chopper KC Prep National Invitational, they could not help but sneak peeks at all of the college recruiters in the stands.
Such was Wainwright’s distraction on Tuesday morning, the first day of the Invitational, as his Kansas City Cowboys team played in the 17-year-old division.
“I’m at the free-throw line, looking,” said Wainwright, who couldn’t help but smile broadly. “(And thinking), ‘I’m going to go to one of them.’ ”
This week, from Tuesday to Friday afternoon, Okun Fieldhouse at Mid-America Sports Complex plays host to the wall-to-wall hoops tournament organized by Tom Tietze and Christopher Rivers. The Invitational is known to attract some of the nation’s top prep recruits and boasts alumni such as Griffin, the 2009 NCAA player of the year, and Rose, the 2008-09 NBA rookie of the year.
Although by Rivers’ estimation, this is not the year for rock star senior recruits. Instead, the 2009 session features standout teams with younger players who have the potential to create the hype.
...According to Rivers, a representative from every Big 12 school will stop by, which could include Bill Self. Self, the Kansas coach, not only has a son playing in the Invitational but also a top recruit in Chaminade (St. Louis) junior Bradley Beal. Beal is a 6-foot-3 wing nationally ranked by Scout.com as the top shooting guard in the class of 2011.
KU appears to like Beal, and last winter, Self watched him in the Missouri Class 5 state championship game at Mizzou Arena. This week, Beal plays with the St. Louis Eagles 16s in the 17-year-old Gold division.
...WHO TO WATCH
Attending games at the Mid-America Sports Complex is like looking into a crystal ball to see the next great players. General public admission is $7. For more information on game times, visit tomtietzebasketball.net.
?Bradley Beal, St. Louis Eagles 16s, 2011 The 6-3 wing led his Chaminade Red Devils to the 2009 Missouri Class 5 state championship. Beal’s exceptionally mature offensive game features long-distance shooting as well as the ability to slash and get to the hoop. The Eagles play at 4:30 p.m. today.
?Rodney Hood, MBA Hoops, 2011 At 6-7, Hood has the skill set of a point forward, and as a lefty, he’s even more dangerous on the perimeter. MBA Hoops plays at 11:30 a.m. today.
?Cody Larson, South Dakota Schoolers, 2010 Larson, the 6-8 power forward from Sioux Falls, has already committed to Iowa. And with Wichita stud Perry Ellis (KC Cowboys) sidelined for the summer because of an ankle injury, Larson could be the best post player in the tournament. The SD Schoolers play at 12:45 p.m. today.
?Trevor Releford, KC Pump N Run, 2010 Releford’s breakout junior season for Bishop Miege nearly produced a state championship. The quick 5-11 guard runs his team like a true point but can take over offensively as well. KC Pump N Run plays at 11:30 a.m. today.
?LaQuinton Ross, MBA Hoops, 2011 This 6-8 wing from Mississippi ranks as the second-best shooting forward in the nation among rising juniors, according to Scout.com. According to tournament co-organizer Christopher Rivers, when Team MBA landed in Kansas City this week, Ross was visibly limping but “when he’s healthy, he’s one of the top in his class." KC Star*
Many in the Big 12 Conference know that to be mentioned in the same breath as the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, the Big 12's North Division must start holding up its part of the bargain.
The prevailing sentiment this week at the Big 12 football media days: It is time for the North to compete.
The South's dominance has been the talk for a few years, but coming off last season when the South was 15-3 against the North, it's hard to shake the national perception of "And you're saying that's a powerhouse conference?"
It doesn't help that 21 of the 26 players on this year's preseason all-Big 12 list come from the South Division.
"We have to prove that all of these teams, from top to bottom, can play with each other," Kansas senior quarterback Todd Reesing said. "That's what we strive for ? to get that recognition and be on the national scene, year in and year out."
For the foreseeable future, at least, the divisional imbalance appears alarming. The major polls have not yet been released, but preseason college yearbooks do not afford the North much respect.
The Sporting News' top 25 has No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Oklahoma challenging Florida for the top spot, and Oklahoma State at No. 10. Texas Tech checks in at No. 20, but readers might lose interest before getting to a Big 12 North team. That's Kansas, at No. 25.
Following is a list of the remaining stops on the Jayhawk Summer Tour. You can find more information by visiting kualumni.org.
Wichita: July 30, 2009 Head Coach Mark Mangino will address the Jayhawks in Wichita. Larry Bud’s will host the event. Inflatable games, food and beverage will be available.
Emporia: July 31, 2009 Members of the KU Alumni Association and football staff will be on hand for the rally in Emporia. Commemorative football items and inflatable kids’ games will highlight the stop in Emporia.
Kansas City: August 21, 2009. Corinth Square, Prairie Village, Kan. Jayhawk fans can flock to 83rd and Mission to hear from women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson and head football coach Mark Mangino. Inflatable games, Jayhawk apparel and 2009 commemorative items will be available. KU Athletics
How old is Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley? Well, he’s 23. But in college football years, he’s Methuselah.
Shipley arrived in Austin in 2004, which means he has now played with members of 10 Texas recruiting classes (guys from the class of 2000 would have been fifth-year seniors when Shipley was a freshman). He has been connected to a decade of Longhorn football.
...Kansas State expects its junior-college transfer quarterback, Daniel Thomas, to be eligible, coach Bill Snyder said. “He’s finishing up summer school classes,” Snyder said. “I think he has completed them. He’s not enrolled yet. That will take place quickly.”
...ESPN.com’s college football front page has a poll asking which team will win the Big 12 North.
What makes it fun is that it features a map that tallies the votes by state.
As you might expect, Missourians pick Missouri, Kansans pick Kansas, and Nebraska and much of the rest of the nation picks Nebraska. Curiously, Iowa State is not an option for voters.
In some less-obvious voting precincts: New Hampshire has 10 votes counted and is in a dead heat between Kansas and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Missouri is leading in Michigan and Hawaii.
In Kansas, K-State was running a distant fourth. The Jayhawks led with 46 percent, followed by Nebraska (26 percent), Missouri (15 percent) and K-State (11 percent). KC Star*
Around College Football
USC football Coach Pete Carroll employed a former NFL tactician last season to help with the team's punting and kicking game, an arrangement that may have violated NCAA rules that prohibit consultants from coaching, The Times has learned.
Carroll's action could widen a continuing investigation by the NCAA, the governing body of major college sports, which has been looking at USC football for more than three years and the school's basketball program for the last year. The probe has been examining specific allegations of improper payments to two players as well as the broader question of whether USC has lost "institutional control" of its athletics department.
The new issue involves the employment of Pete Rodriguez, who has coached for several professional franchises. In an interview with The Times, he acknowledged that he attended USC practices, monitored games and offered Carroll behind-the-scenes advice on matters ranging from the needs of individual players to avoiding penalties during punt returns.
"I would watch practice and tell Pete, 'Hey, this guy needs this and this,' " Rodriguez said. He said he believed that his work complied with National Collegiate Athletic Assn. regulations that cap the number of coaches a team can have and that restrict consultants.
But experts contacted by The Times said the type of assistance that Rodriguez described could constitute a serious violation.
"That's coaching," said J. Brent Clark, a onetime NCAA investigator who practices law in Oklahoma, when told of Rodriguez's statements.
"The rules are designed to level the playing field for all institutions regardless of the size of their budgets. It would make no sense for the rich and powerful to be able to compensate coaches with NFL backgrounds outside the coaching-limitation rules."
James Grant, USC's media relations director, issued a brief statement Wednesday in response to questions from The Times.
"We are aware of this issue and are looking into the matter. We will have no further comment at this time," the statement said. LA Times
NBA Indiana Pacers' Brandon Rush sings with the children of a migrant workers at a the Hongshan primary school in Beijing, China. NBA Cares, an NBA community outreach program, recently helped refurbish Hongshan Primary school, which teaches children of migrant workers in Beijing. -- PHOTO: AP
Kansas coach Bill Self said he expects junior guard Sherron Collins to get down to 207 pounds by the time the season starts. He said Collins was up to 229 at one point and then down to 213.
"He had some things going on and he had to shut it down for six weeks and let his body heal up from a long season," Self said. "He also had some personal things going on with his mother. She's fine and feels better."
Kansas remained the consensus No. 1 selection among the coaches who were on ESPNU on Sunday and Monday night. With the development of Tyshawn Taylor for the gold-medal-winning U.S. Under-19 team in New Zealand and the arrival of Xavier Henry, the Jayhawks now have at least four consistent scorers, as opposed to two last season.
Self said he expects some of the pressure to score to be taken off Collins and Cole Aldrich, the only two players who averaged double figures for KU last season. Andy Katz
For a guy whose North Carolina basketball team ran away with the NCAA championship and cranked out enough NBA draft picks to qualify for expansion franchise consideration, Roy Williams is getting zero respect these days.
The latest blow landed Wednesday, when The Sporting News revealed its 50 all-time greatest coaches and Ol' Roy was no more on the list than Rachael Ray.
...According to The Sporting News, Williams finished No. 51 on the all-time list. How's that for a royal bite on the bubble? Just a few less votes for No.50 Herb Brooks and Roy would have been in the field. Or if the Soviets had just won that Olympic hockey game.
Oh well. Roy's just going to have to work a little harder or be happy with the NIT (Nearly In There) in this case. He had a vote on the dadgum thing, so maybe he just didn't network enough with other members of the Electoral College.
...Poor old Maryland coach Gary Williams didn't even get a vote, not the first stinking one, according to The Sporting News. Lefty Driesell got some voting support, but no one broke a sweat for Gary, who won a national championship.
Hey, wait just a %&#! minute, as Gary might say.
Unless The Sporting News folks have the facts wrong about their own project, that has to mean Roy didn't vote for Gary.
Current recruiting news & college basketball news can now be found here.
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Kansas senior football standout Darrell Stuckey has been named as a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team it was announced this week.
The award honors football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. An 11-player team will be announced later in the year.
Stuckey has been one of the most community-involved student-athletes at Kansas in his Jayhawk tenure. His volunteer activities include speaking at schools, working with the Special Olympics, Habitat For Humanity and the Read With The Jayhawks programs among many others.
In 2009 Stuckey will represent the student body as he won a seat on the KU Student Senate during elections last spring.
Stuckey is also on the 2009 Lott Trophy Watch List, which recognizes players for their impact on the field and off the field.
Last year Stuckey was named a Big 12 Community of Champions member, while also earning his team’s co-Leadership Award.
On the field, Stuckey was an All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2008. He was second on the team in tackles with 98, while leading the team with five interceptions. KU AD
As Kansas football coach Mark Mangino stepped out of a Dodge pickup Thursday, he got a look at how much fan support has grown during his eight-season tenure.
About 300 fans packed the inside and the parking lot of Larry Bud's Sports Bar & Grill for the KU Football Kickoff Rally. The number of fans far exceeded that of Mangino's early years.
"I think it's terrific," Mangino said of the turnout. "I think the first time that I came to Wichita as the head coach here, I think the turnout for an event like this was about 30, 35 people. So we've made some progress.
"People are excited about our program, we're excited about our fan base looking forward to the season, and it's always great to come to Wichita."
The event began at 5 p.m. and Mangino arrived ten minutes before seven to take questions from the media then address the fans.
He opened with a joke after complaining about traffic problems that delayed his departure from Lawrence ?"Aren't we glad the people who planned that construction don't run the KU athletic department."
...Mangino was also asked about recruiting Wichita players ? North product Darius Parish is the only former City League player on the roster.
"If there's a good player in Wichita, we're going to recruit them if we feel like he fits with us," Mangino said. "We've had them in the base, but we have to feel like they're a good fit."
Much of Mangino's address spread optimism for a season in which the Jayhawks have been picked to finish second in the Big 12 North and have 14 returning starters.
Mangino didn't hold back in praising the fans who have supplemented his team's recent success, and acknowledged today's precarious economy in the process.
"I appreciate it," he said. "Especially if you cut back on your beer just so you can come to a game." Wichita Eagle
The mainstream media covering the Big 12 Conference, an esteemed assemblage in most instances, collectively believes Nebraska will win the league’s North Division.
What were those woeful, wasted wretches thinking?
With the exception of Kansas having a slight edge because of quarterback Todd Reesing and the division’s top two receivers, the North race appears as wide open as that state's prairie land.
In the league’s 13-year history, only two North teams ? Iowa State and Kansas ? haven’t won the division. But it’s safe to go ahead and remove Iowa State and Kansas State from this season’s North equation, with both breaking in new coaches (kind of) and their respective talent levels needing two or three more recruiting classes to merely stand in the shallow end of the pool. CU Athletics: Analyzing the North
Chalmers ? who hit the three-pointer that forced overtime against Memphis in KU’s ’08 title victory ? chuckled when asked what it’d take to make today a successful day.
“If I hit a hole-in-one,” Chalmers said, adding, “It’ll be a good day if everybody has fun. We’re all out for a good cause.”
The cause is the “Mario V. Chalmers Foundation,” that cites as its mission to “create and support community based programs that encourage the positive development of youth through sports and education and fund initiatives for breast cancer research and treatment.”
Mario’s dad, former KU director of basketball operations Ronnie Chalmers, explained the inspiration behind the foundation.
“It’s something Mario wanted to do when he decided he wanted to be an NBA player,” Ronnie Chalmers said of Mario, who just completed his rookie season with the Miami Heat. “He wanted to start a foundation, to do it in honor of a close friend who died his sophomore year at KU.”
That person is Pauline Peterson, mother of one of Mario’s YMCA and AAU teammates ? Paul Peterson of Anchorage.
She cheered her son and Mario as they grew up playing basketball.
“She was like a second mom to Mario,” Ronnie said of Pauline, who died after a battle with breast cancer. “My wife and she were good friends. Mario decided his foundation would be to support awareness and cure for breast cancer along with youth initiatives to make kids aware of making the right choices on and off the court.”
Mario added: “I am very happy to give back. This is a great opportunity, something I always wanted to do, especially in the name of Mrs. Peterson. This is a great way to kick it off.”
...Mario’s parents still own a house in Lawrence.
“It’s on the market,” Ronnie said, noting, “we are back and forth, probably 70 percent of the time in Miami and 30 percent in Lawrence. We’ll always be part of the Lawrence community, especially now with the establishment of this foundation. We wanted it based out of Lawrence. Lawrence is embedded in our lives forever.” LJW
Just got back from Big 12 football media day and all anyone wanted to talk to me about was Big 12 basketball and the fact that the conference - which has eight potential NCAA teams - might be the best conference in country. We know this much: f Craig Brackins of Iowa State, c Cole Aldrich and g Sherron Collins of Kansas, f Damion James of Texas, f James Anderson of Oklahoma State, g Willie Warren of Oklahoma and g Denis Clemente of Kansas State are all All-American candidates. NY Daily News Dick Weiss
Kansas University’s Danielle McCray was one of 25 women named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association’s "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Div. I Player of the Year.
The list is made up of top NCAA Div. I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
This year's list has 20 institutions and 10 conferences represented. Connecticut and Stanford each have three student-athletes on the list ? Tina Charles, Tiffany Hayes and Maya Moore from the Huskies, and Jayne Appel, Kayla Pederson and Jeannette Pohlen from the Cardinal.
The ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten and Pac-10 each have four student-athletes on the list, followed by the Big 12 (3), SEC (2), Atlantic-10 (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1) and West Coast (1).
Former Kansas great Lynette Woodard was the 1981 Wade Trophy winner, the only Jayhawk to capture the honor in its 32-year history. Woodard was the fourth overall winner of the award and took home the honor after averaging 24.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during her senior campaign. LJW KU AD press release
Current recruiting news & college basketball news can now be found here.
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