HomeKU Today 2004Sports

Piecing it all together
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Kansas University's offense set 12 single-season school records in 2003, including standards for points (384), first downs (286), touchdown passes (25) and total yards (5,479). The Jayhawks expect offense to be a strength again in 2004.

Could this be the year?
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Only one of the 326 NCAA Division One men's basketball teams will be crowned 2005 national champion. Aaron Miles' dream is for that team to be senior-laden Kansas. "Nothing is guaranteed, but we are going to work our butt off to try to achieve that," Miles said of claiming the crown at the 2005 NCAA Final Four in nearby St. Louis.

New coach hopes to tap into hoops ‘excitement'
Saturday, August 14, 2004
For the second straight season, Kansas University basketball fans will witness the beginning of a new era. New women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson won't face the hoopla that accompanied Bill Self when he took over for Roy Williams last year, but there still is a bit of enthusiasm surrounding Henrickson who replaced Hall of Fame coach Marian Washington in March.

Watkins 'critical piece of puzzle'
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Travis Watkins played with a nagging foot injury during his sophomore year and missed most of his junior year. Kansas University defensive coordinator Bill Young would like to see the tackle spend more time on the field, and less on the sideline, this fall.

League loaded with offensive talent
Saturday, August 14, 2004
With the incumbent Heisman Trophy winner -- Oklahoma quarterback Jason White -- returning, the preseason pick for Big 12 Conference offensive player of the year ought to be a lock. But is it?

Quarterback Gradkowski key to Rockets' success
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Bruce Gradkowski set Toledo school records for completion percentage and touchdown passes as a sophomore in 2003. Rockets coach Tom Amstutz wants even better things from the junior this fall. "We have high expectations for Bruce because he has a year in as a starting quarterback," Amstutz said.

KU plans to back up success
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Nobody on Kansas University's soccer team believes its run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and No. 13 final national ranking in 2003 was a fluke. The question, however, is whether the rest of the country is convinced KU's superb season was legit.

Heart of KU's order gutted
Saturday, August 14, 2004
While Kansas University's baseball team didn't reach its goal of 40 victories last season -- or the ultimate prize of a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series -- coach Ritch Price said his team still had a high level of success in just his second season in Lawrence.

Kansas suffers heavy losses
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Perhaps no Kansas University sports team was hit so hard by graduation as tennis. Fortunately for KU, second-year coach Amy Hall feels the losses -- as large as they are -- can be absorbed with minimal damage, thanks to returning talent and a ballyhooed incoming class.

Bunge buoyed by freshman class
Saturday, August 14, 2004
A Tucson twosome, a Topeka backstop and a California southpaw have Kansas University softball coach Tracy Bunge smiling. Three of the four -- all freshmen -- figure to cure what ailed the Jayhawks in 2004, and the other is likely to plug the most important graduation loss.

Jayhawks' facilities improving
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Ritch Price had more on his mind this summer than recruiting. Kansas University's baseball coach also was plugged into raising money for a proposed indoor workout facility at Hoglund Ballpark.

Wildcats counting on Basanez's return to form
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Brett Basanez was the best freshman quarterback in the country in 2002. Last season was a different story for Northwestern's offensive leader. With receivers Mark Philmore and Ashton Aikens sidelined by injuries and defenses determined to stop him, Basanez slumped to 1,916 yards passing with four touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Conference meet motivating
Saturday, August 14, 2004
For the Kansas University track and field program, one of its darker moments in recent memory came at the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, April 29-May 1. In a difficult weekend, the men's team placed 12th and the women 10th.

Randall blessed with experienced squad
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Ross Randall's silver anniversary season as Kansas University men's golf coach started much better than it ended. Randall's Jayhawks, who tied a school record by winning three tournaments during the regular season, placed fifth at the Big 12 meet and 16th at NCAA Regionals, missing qualifying for the finals by six slots.

Summer work proves beneficial
Saturday, August 14, 2004
It's a promising sign of togetherness in the eyes of Kansas University swimming coach Clark Campbell. Athletes aren't forced to stick around Lawrence during the summer months, but roughly two-thirds of the KU women's swimming and diving team did anyway, training with the Lawrence Aquahawks club team, training with themselves and preparing for another expected solid year of swimming on Mount Oread.

Revamped KUAC board figuring out its role
Saturday, August 14, 2004
For years, Kansas University athletics was governed by a 24-member board. Now, the KU Athletic Corp. board consists of six voting members and 18 advisors. The change was made in April, but implementation won't begin until the fall semester.

Golden Hurricane won't surprise anyone
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Steve Kragthorpe won't be able to sneak up on anyone this season. Tulsa's first-year coach guided the biggest turnaround in Division One football in 2003 when the Golden Hurricane -- which won a total of two games in 2001 and 2002 -- finished 8-5, wound up second in the WAC at 6-2 and made its first bowl appearance in 12 years.

Jayhawks hope to keep climbing
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Kansas University's volleyball team is coming off the finest season in school history. Coach Ray Bechard's Jayhawks tied for third place in the Big 12 Conference -- the program's best Big 12 finish ever -- and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

Self's incoming freshman class loaded
Saturday, August 14, 2004
It'll take a long time to introduce Kansas University's men's basketball newcomers at this year's "Late Night in the Phog." A whopping six players have been added to the roster. Bill Self's sensational sextet has been ranked the No. 2 class in the country (behind Kentucky) by rivals.com.

Coach to inherit solid core
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Megan Menzel's surprise departure in July left the Kansas University athletic department looking for a new women's golf coach. After two years at KU, Menzel resigned, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family.

Catloth: Jayhawks should contend again
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Kansas University rowing coach Rob Catloth knows looks can be deceiving. To the common observer it may have appeared that his squad struggled in 2003, but the 10th-year coach said that's hardly the case. Sure, the Jayhawks were absent from the Top 25 rankings and didn't log as many first-place finishes as in previous seasons, but Catloth said that simply was a case of KU's region being the toughest in the nation.