SPRINGFIELD, MO. ? Ritch Price hopes Kansas University’s late season baseball surge doesn’t run into a roadblock tonight at Southwest Missouri State.
First pitch for the Jayhawks’ last nonconference game will be at 7 p.m. at Hammons Field. It’s a makeup game of a March 23 rainout.
“If I had a preference, we wouldn’t be playing,” said Price, KU’s third-year coach, “but we’re going there to win.”
Price concedes the possibility the Jayhawks might suffer an emotional letdown after taking two of three games from then-No. 3-ranked Texas last weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
“The last three weeks we’ve come to play every game,” Price said, “so hopefully that won’t happen.”
The Jayhawks (33-22) have won six of their last seven games and nine of their last 11, and Price has stressed to his players that every game was important at this stage of the season.
“We’ve put ourselves in position to qualify for the Big 12 tournament,” Price said, “and it’s possible we could get into the NCAA Tournament, too. You never know what will happen on Selection Sunday.”
Kansas has six more conference games remaining — three this weekend at Missouri and three against Oklahoma State on May 20-22 at Hoglund Ballpark. The league tourney will be May 25-29 in Oklahoma City.
Tracy Bunge isn’t seeing spots in front of her eyes. Kansas University’s softball coach is seeing zeroes.
KU has been shut out in five of its last six games, all road losses.
“We need to score some runs,” Bunge said.
The Jayhawks (20-15 overall, 0-2 Big 12 Conference) will be hoping to re-discover their offense today when they play host to Nebraska. Game time will be 4 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark.
KU’s new softball facility has been hitter-friendly so far — especially with the wind blowing out — but if Nebraska (22-11, 2-0) uses Peaches James on the mound today, scoring could be difficult. In the Jayhawk Classic earlier this month, James tossed a two-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Jayhawks.
However, in the same tourney, KU touched NU pitcher Summer Tobias for home runs by Serena Settlemier and Sandy Smith in a 3-0 victory that also was highlighted by freshman Kassie Humphreys’ one-hit pitching.
Bunge said she was undecided whether to pitch Humphreys (9-5, 1.71 earned-run average) or senior Kara Pierce (11-7, 2.03 ERA) against the Huskers today.
Humphreys returned to the mound for the first time in more than a week when the Jayhawks opened Big 12 play Saturday at Baylor. Humphreys had been out because of an undisclosed injury.
Pierce and Humphreys each pitched against BU, and each was a 2-0 loser. KU was no-hit by Baylor’s Cristin Vitek in one game and managed only three singles and a double by Heather Stanley in the other loss.
KU’s lone runs in the last six games came on a two-run home run by Settlemier in a 5-2 loss last week at Oregon State. Although batting only .253, Settlemier has a team-leading 10 home runs, 17 RBIs and .410 on-base percentage.
Destiny Frankenstein is the Jayhawks’ only plus-.300 hitter. The sophomore shortstop is hitting .304 with a team-high six doubles. KU’s team batting average has dipped to .215 during the recent slump.
Kansas has four more home games scheduled during the next five days. The Jayhawks will entertain Creighton in a 2 p.m. doubleheader Thursday, then resume conference play with single games Saturday and Sunday against Texas Tech.
Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotosSt. Louis ? Kansas University won’t have to put on a Harlem Globetrotter-like dribbling exhibition to break Alabama-Birmingham’s press.
Frantic, behind-the-back ball movement is not the best way to combat the ”fastest 40 minutes of basketball”/”40 minutes of hell” defense.
“People don’t understand. The way to beat a press is not to dribble through it. You pass the ball,” KU junior guard Keith Langford said, referring to the press the No. 9-seeded Blazers (22-9) will throw at KU (23-8) in a 6:10 p.m. Sweet 16 contest tonight at Edward Jones Dome. “You don’t have to dribble or make fancy moves. Pass it.”
KU’s starters had plenty of practice breaking the press this week, learning pinpoint passing precision was vital against seven or eight defenders at a time.
That’s right: KU coach Bill Self used eight reserves against the five starters.
Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo“We’ve practiced against five, six, seven, eight players on the court. I think our guys have gotten the message,” Self said. “UAB gets after you and makes you feel like there are more than five on the court.”
The Jayhawks have had mixed success breaking the simulated UAB press this week.
“At first, it was crazy because there are so many bodies out there,” freshman center David Padgett said. “We’ve turned it over a couple times, but broken it (press) a couple times, too. Obviously, five-on-eight, you will not score every time.”
“It’s a challenge,” junior power forward Wayne Simien said. “Coach calls their style of play, ’40 minutes of terror,’ so that gets the message across. We’ve just got to attack it.
“We have a lot of guys on our team who have experience playing at a fast pace.”
UAB’s press has forced 630 turnovers in 31 games, a 20.3 average. UAB, which averages 11.5 steals a game, has committed just 419 turnovers, or 13.5 a game.
Last weekend, in Columbus, Ohio, the relentless pressure paced the Blazers to an 102-100 first-round win over No. 8-seeded Washington and a shocking 76-75 win over top-seeded Kentucky.
“It’s a good press,” KU freshman J.R. Giddens said. “It’s been tough breaking it at practice. I’ve lost 15 pounds in practice this week I’ve been sweating so much.”
Kentucky, the overall No. 1 seed in the 65-team tournament, committed 16 turnovers against UAB. Self compares the Blazers to Illinois-Chicago and TCU, teams the Jayhawks had 25 and 20 turnovers against.
“They execute their defense, so they make sure they have the most pressure on you at all times,” said Self, whose team has committed 453 turnovers this year (14.6 per game) while forcing 447 (14.4). “Regardless of who is guarding who or what they are in, they always want to have heat on the basketball.
“We turned it over a ton against TCU and UIC and didn’t get the ball inside very well against either one of them. We have to do a better job of that. If we forget about our big guys, it’ll be a long night.”
If KU beats the pressure tonight against UAB guards Mo Finley and Carldell Johnson, the Jayhawks’ big men could have a lot of dunks.
“If they trap us and we are able to beat it, it leaves numbers situation for us downcourt. Hopefully we’ll get that done,” Padgett said.
“What we have to do is break that initial rush, and if you break that rush you can have numbers behind it. That is the case with any team that presses,” Self said.
“We are going to have to take advantage of opportunities when we have numbers. There is no doubt about that.”
The man who will lead the way tonight is junior point guard Aaron Miles, who has 224 assists against 78 turnovers.
“Aaron has to have a good game for us,” Self said. “There have been times this year when Aaron was sped up and he didn’t play quite as well. I would just as soon have him versus everybody in America. I wish we had two or three guys with point-guard skills so we don’t wear Aaron out. We have to make sure Aaron wants the ball, but also watch so we don’t wear him out making sure he gets it every possession.”
The Jayhawks have confidence in ballhandlers Miles, Langford, Michael Lee and Jeff Hawkins.
“Our main focus will be to be strong with the ball,” Miles said. “They have great players that are big and strong and like to scrap, so we need to be strong with the ball.
“Maybe the most pressure is on the point guard, but it’s a team game. We all have to work on breaking the press.”
That includes guards and big guys, too.
“If we just rely on our guards getting the ball upcourt it will be a long night,” Padgett said. “We’ve got to help get the ball up the court, to get past their press.”
It’ll be heavenly if the Jayhawks conquer “40 minutes of hell” tonight. The winner meets the winner of the Nevada-Georgia Tech game for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday.
“Us performing well and another team dominating us, that would be 40 minutes of hell,” Self said. “40 minutes of ecstasy is just the opposite.”
AP PhotoNo, dropping nine straight games hasn’t made Lynette Woodard delirious.
Kansas University’s interim women’s basketball head coach really thinks the Jayhawks can win one more game.
“I believe we can do it,” Woodard said. “I’m going to keep believing we can do it to the end.”
If 12th-seeded KU doesn’t win today in its 2:30 p.m. Big 12 Conference tournament game against fifth-seeded Baylor at Reunion Arena in Dallas, then a tumultuous and disappointing season will conclude.
“It’s hard to forget,” KU point guard Erica Hallman said of the Jayhawks 9-18 season, which saw legendary Kansas coach Marian Washington take an indefinite leave of absence because of health reasons Jan. 29 and then retire Feb. 27.
AP Photo“But we have to (forget) to be on an even playing field,” she added, “because right now we’re not.”
Indeed Kansas — which won only two conference games this year, marking the fourth straight season the Jayhawks have finished ninth or lower in the league — will have quite a challenge against No. 14 Baylor.
In their only meeting this season, the Bears blew out the Jayhawks, 85-66, despite Kansas coming out hot and holding a 40-37 halftime lead.
“The first half we were attacking like we were supposed to. Everything was going good,” KU’s leading scorer Crystal Kemp said. “Then they started a little streak that carried them to the end.”
That seems to be a common theme for a Kansas team that has hung around in many of their games against top teams this season but struggled against lower-ranked opponents.
KU players said, though, everything that has happened in the past five months won’t matter much if they win today.
“It would be great,” Hallman said. “At least we would know that we peaked somewhere.
“Last year was kind of the same thing, and we went down there and wound up winning a game. Hopefully, it’s the same thing and we can upset Baylor and go out and play hard.”
Woodard said her team feels the pressure to win, but said KU players shouldn’t worry about playing for her today.
Washington’s departure allowed Woodard her first coaching opportunity. But, unlike her brilliant playing career at KU, the Jayhawks won only one of the 10 games she coached.
Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins said he will start his search for a new coach shortly after the season.
But Woodard said that has yet to happen, and as long as there are games to be played, the Jayhawks will fight.
“If there is any time to come together it is now. I believe this,” Woodard said emphatically, “and told them today that I thought it would be the Texas A&M game. I thought it was going to be the Nebraska game.
“I thought we could do something miraculous in Colorado. I thought we could do it at Iowa State. I believed all the way. There was no doubt in my mind.
“But if you were to ask me which one I would take now, I’d take Baylor over all of them.”
LINCOLN, NEB. ? Kansas University’s volleyball team will try to prolong its “November to Remember” tonight against No. 10 Nebraska.
In keeping with their theme — chosen to inspire a first-ever NCAA Tournament berth — the Jayhawks have sparkled in November, winning all four matches they’ve played. It is the longest Big 12 Conference winning streak in school history.
Nebraska undoubtedly will be the toughest foe of the month. Kansas (18-9 overall, 10-6 Big 12) has won only one of 71 matches against the Cornhuskers, with the only victory during the schools’ first-ever meeting in 1975.
“A win there would be huge,” junior outside hitter Lindsey Morris said. “Anytime you can win against Nebraska it’s huge because not many teams beat them. It’d be really exciting if we can do it.”
The Jayhawks nearly beat the Huskers last month in Lawrence, but fell 3-1 (29-31, 30-25, 28-30, 24-30). It was the first time Kansas has taken a game from Nebraska since 1998. Service errors and missed blocks were the difference in Game 1 and Game 3.
Since falling to the Huskers, Kansas has won seven of 10 matches and climbed into a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 with four matches remaining.
Meanwhile, the second-place Huskers (23-4, 14-3) have struggled. They squeaked past Texas, 3-2, and lost to No. 5 Kansas State, 3-1, last week. They might be vulnerable, but Morris said Nebraska still would be tough to beat.
“We took them a couple of games more than we ever have last time,” she said. “I think they’re playing better, but I know we’re also playing better now, so it should be a good match.”
KU’s Jill Dorsey, Ashley Michael, Lindsey Morris and Sarah Rome were among 50 players named to the Big 12 Conference all-academic team. All four achieved at least a 3.2 grade-point average last semester.
Bill Snead/Journal-World PhotoThe football rivalry between Kansas University and Kansas State isn’t what it used to be.
At least not for KU, which will face K-State in a 1:10 p.m. game Saturday at KSU Stadium in Manhattan. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 61-34-5, but the Wildcats have won the last 10 in a row.
Former coach Glen Mason arrived at KU in 1988 and had a one-year headstart on K-State coach Bill Snyder.
Mason won four of his first five games against KSU before Snyder closed the gap.
Kansas won the 1992 game in Lawrence, 31-7, and set a school record by limiting the Wildcats to minus-56 yards rushing.
But Snyder’s squad won, 10-9, a year later in Manhattan and claimed a 21-13 victory in 1994 in Lawrence. K-State fans tore down the goalposts in Memorial Stadium after that televised Thursday night game.
“In my early years there it was a big game,” said KU coach Mark Mangino, who was on Snyder’s staff from 1991 to 1998. “We got pumped up for it at K-State. It was a big game that was truly a rivalry. Then as K-State started to get better and better, we started to win the game with regularity.
“It started to be a game that was a little bit of a rivalry, but there were other games we felt we needed to win if we were going to have a chance to compete for championships. It lost its luster a little; there’s no question about it. What we are trying to do here at KU is do our part to make it a good in-state rivalry. We have to hold our end of the bargain up.”
The Jayhawks haven’t done that in years. Even in 1995, when both teams were ranked in the top-25, the Wildcats pummeled the Jayhawks, 41-7, at Manhattan.
That began a stretch of eight straight blowouts, in which KSU outscored KU 387-69. K-State has scored 40 or more points in seven of the last eight games and 50 or more in four of the last five.
Former KU coach Terry Allen never beat the Wildcats in five seasons.
Last year, Mangino’s first, marked the nadir in a series that dates back to 1902. No. 14 Kansas State hammered the Jayhawks, 64-0, at Memorial Stadium.
Pick a glaring stat, any glaring stat:
Snyder, however, said the Wildcats still considered the Sunflower Showdown a big game.
“How serious do they take the ball game? As serious as they take any game that they play,” Snyder said Monday during the Big 12 teleconference. “How motivated have they been to play the game year in and year out? As motivated as you can be for any ballgame. It hasn’t been apparent to me that there has been any kind of letdown or any lack of focus on preparation for a football game with the University of Kansas.”
Saturday’s game will mark the first time since 1995 that Kansas (5-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12) will enter the game with a better record than Kansas State (5-3, 1-2).
That hasn’t changed the way most people view the rivalry. Kansas State was installed as a 20 1/2-point favorite.
While KU fans would like some payback after 10 straight losses, Mangino’s motives are far different.
“Just because I’m the coach at Kansas, in no way, shape or form does that mean that I have a dislike for Kansas State or feel an overwhelming need to defeat them,” he said Saturday after KU’s 28-21 victory over Baylor. “I want to go down there and play well and win because it’s important for our program.
“I had eight wonderful years at Kansas State as an assistant coach. I got a chance to be part of what is arguably the best turnaround in college football history. I met some great people. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but some people from Manhattan were sitting in our box today watching the game with my wife. We have a lot of friends there, people we really care about.”
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A&M kickoff set: KU’s game against Texas A&M will start at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at College Station, Texas, and won’t be televised.
Six years ago, Oklahoma was the doormat of Big 12 Conference women’s basketball, winning only one league game. Today the Sooners are the highest ranked team in the conference.
Today Kansas is the Big 12 shoe-wiper, but KU coach Marian Washington has a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 12 nationally by one publication.
“You’ve got to have the players to stay in the hunt for things,” said Washington, who is suffering through the worst of her 29 years on Mount Oread.
Kansas has been the hunted in the Big 12 this year, serving as prey in 10 straight defeats, none by fewer than seven points. And the prospects of stealing a victory before the season ends are not good.
Iowa State, one of seven ranked Big 12 teams the Cyclones are No. 12 in this week’s AP poll will be here tonight.
Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas’ all-time record against the Cyclones in Lawrence is 20-2, but this is hardly a vintage KU team while ISU has three of the best players in the league in guard Lindsey Wilson, center Angie Welle and forward Tracy Gahan.
Prolonged shooting slumps have been the trademark of this year’s Kansas team, already the losingest in school history.
For example, the 5-18 Jayhawks made only 5 of 26 shots during the first half at Oklahoma last Saturday and fell behind 34-12, but made 17 of 28 attempts in the second half. OU won, 79-57.
Until the defeat in Norman, no KU team had ever lost more than 17 games.
After tonight’s contest, the Jayhawks will have five conference outings remaining only two against non-ranked clubs. Still left are a trip to Iowa State and home games with No. 11 Kansas State and No. 17 Texas. The unranked foes left are Nebraska here and Missouri in Columbia.
Six years ago, Oklahoma was the doormat of Big 12 Conference women’s basketball, winning only one league game. Today the Sooners are the highest ranked team in the conference.
Today Kansas is the Big 12 shoe-wiper, but KU coach Marian Washington has a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 12 nationally by one publication.
“You’ve got to have the players to stay in the hunt for things,” said Washington, who is suffering through the worst of her 29 years on Mount Oread.
Kansas has been the hunted in the Big 12 this year, serving as prey in 10 straight defeats, none by fewer than seven points. And the prospects of stealing a victory before the season ends are not good.
Iowa State, one of seven ranked Big 12 teams the Cyclones are No. 12 in this week’s AP poll will be here tonight.
Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas’ all-time record against the Cyclones in Lawrence is 20-2, but this is hardly a vintage KU team while ISU has three of the best players in the league in guard Lindsey Wilson, center Angie Welle and forward Tracy Gahan.
Prolonged shooting slumps have been the trademark of this year’s Kansas team, already the losingest in school history.
For example, the 5-18 Jayhawks made only 5 of 26 shots during the first half at Oklahoma last Saturday and fell behind 34-12, but made 17 of 28 attempts in the second half. OU won, 79-57.
Until the defeat in Norman, no KU team had ever lost more than 17 games.
After tonight’s contest, the Jayhawks will have five conference outings remaining only two against non-ranked clubs. Still left are a trip to Iowa State and home games with No. 11 Kansas State and No. 17 Texas. The unranked foes left are Nebraska here and Missouri in Columbia.
Six years ago, Oklahoma was the doormat of Big 12 Conference women’s basketball, winning only one league game. Today the Sooners are the highest ranked team in the conference.
Today Kansas is the Big 12 shoe-wiper, but KU coach Marian Washington has a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 12 nationally by one publication.
“You’ve got to have the players to stay in the hunt for things,” said Washington, who is suffering through the worst of her 29 years on Mount Oread.
Kansas has been the hunted in the Big 12 this year, serving as prey in 10 straight defeats, none by fewer than seven points. And the prospects of stealing a victory before the season ends are not good.
Iowa State, one of seven ranked Big 12 teams the Cyclones are No. 12 in this week’s AP poll will be here tonight.
Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas’ all-time record against the Cyclones in Lawrence is 20-2, but this is hardly a vintage KU team while ISU has three of the best players in the league in guard Lindsey Wilson, center Angie Welle and forward Tracy Gahan.
Prolonged shooting slumps have been the trademark of this year’s Kansas team, already the losingest in school history.
For example, the 5-18 Jayhawks made only 5 of 26 shots during the first half at Oklahoma last Saturday and fell behind 34-12, but made 17 of 28 attempts in the second half. OU won, 79-57.
Until the defeat in Norman, no KU team had ever lost more than 17 games.
After tonight’s contest, the Jayhawks will have five conference outings remaining only two against non-ranked clubs. Still left are a trip to Iowa State and home games with No. 11 Kansas State and No. 17 Texas. The unranked foes left are Nebraska here and Missouri in Columbia.
Six years ago, Oklahoma was the doormat of Big 12 Conference women’s basketball, winning only one league game. Today the Sooners are the highest ranked team in the conference.
Today Kansas is the Big 12 shoe-wiper, but KU coach Marian Washington has a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 12 nationally by one publication.
“You’ve got to have the players to stay in the hunt for things,” said Washington, who is suffering through the worst of her 29 years on Mount Oread.
Kansas has been the hunted in the Big 12 this year, serving as prey in 10 straight defeats, none by fewer than seven points. And the prospects of stealing a victory before the season ends are not good.
Iowa State, one of seven ranked Big 12 teams the Cyclones are No. 12 in this week’s AP poll will be here tonight.
Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas’ all-time record against the Cyclones in Lawrence is 20-2, but this is hardly a vintage KU team while ISU has three of the best players in the league in guard Lindsey Wilson, center Angie Welle and forward Tracy Gahan.
Prolonged shooting slumps have been the trademark of this year’s Kansas team, already the losingest in school history.
For example, the 5-18 Jayhawks made only 5 of 26 shots during the first half at Oklahoma last Saturday and fell behind 34-12, but made 17 of 28 attempts in the second half. OU won, 79-57.
Until the defeat in Norman, no KU team had ever lost more than 17 games.
After tonight’s contest, the Jayhawks will have five conference outings remaining only two against non-ranked clubs. Still left are a trip to Iowa State and home games with No. 11 Kansas State and No. 17 Texas. The unranked foes left are Nebraska here and Missouri in Columbia.
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoThe Kansas University air force has three pilots. It’s looking for a fourth.
But pilots, these days, are scarce.
“There’s been a shortage coming on for a number of years now,” said Bob Custer, KU’s chief pilot. “The old guys like me I’m 58 are moving on to the corporations and the airlines, and the military isn’t losing as many (to private-sector jobs) as it used to. They’re not training as many, either.”
KU needs a fourth pilot because its Cessna Citation Bravo jet requires a pilot and co-pilot. So when it’s in the air, there’s only one pilot available for the university’s propeller-driven Beechcraft King Air C90.
Oftentimes, the one remaining pilot is either off-duty, in training or tied to other chores.
“Having just one pilot available when the Citation is in the air leaves us shorthanded,” said Jim Stogsdale, assistant director of administration at KU.
“There have been a few times when we’ve had to charter a flight,” he said. “That gets expensive, it’s something like two or three dollars a mile.”
Asked about the fourth pilot’s salary, Stogsdale said university officials “don’t have a firm dollar amount in mind.” But it’s expected to fall somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
That’s not top dollar for a full-time pilot nowadays, but the KU job has a few perks that, for pilots, offset the money factor.
“Unlike a lot of the corporate jobs, we don’t have a lot of overnight trips; we have a few, but, usually, you’re home at night,” Custer said. “The planes are well-maintained we don’t let things slide like they do some other places. And we don’t fly in weather we shouldn’t be flying in. We go by the book.”
And every once in a while, the passenger list includes someone worth telling the grandchildren about. Custer once picked up U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Kansas City for an appearance at KU. And in 1999 he brought South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu here from Atlanta. He took him back, too.
KU’s men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is a regular passenger.
“Oh, he’s a nice guy. Very considerate. A pleasant guy to be around,” Custer said.
KU pilot Randy Pedersen likes taking Williams to various functions, though, at first, Williams seemed like just another coach.
“Everybody in Kansas has heard of Roy Williams, but I came here from California,” Pedersen said. “So the first time they told me I was taking Roy Williams, I said, ‘OK, but who’s Roy Williams?’
“They looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘WHO’S ROY WILLIAMS!”
He now knows.
But most passengers, by far, are KU Medical Center doctors consulting with their peers in western Kansas.
Of the Beechcraft King Air C90’s top three destinations, Hays is No. 1, Wichita is second, and Garden City is third.
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoThe Kansas University air force has three pilots. It’s looking for a fourth.
But pilots, these days, are scarce.
“There’s been a shortage coming on for a number of years now,” said Bob Custer, KU’s chief pilot. “The old guys like me I’m 58 are moving on to the corporations and the airlines, and the military isn’t losing as many (to private-sector jobs) as it used to. They’re not training as many, either.”
KU needs a fourth pilot because its Cessna Citation Bravo jet requires a pilot and co-pilot. So when it’s in the air, there’s only one pilot available for the university’s propeller-driven Beechcraft King Air C90.
Oftentimes, the one remaining pilot is either off-duty, in training or tied to other chores.
“Having just one pilot available when the Citation is in the air leaves us shorthanded,” said Jim Stogsdale, assistant director of administration at KU.
“There have been a few times when we’ve had to charter a flight,” he said. “That gets expensive, it’s something like two or three dollars a mile.”
Asked about the fourth pilot’s salary, Stogsdale said university officials “don’t have a firm dollar amount in mind.” But it’s expected to fall somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
That’s not top dollar for a full-time pilot nowadays, but the KU job has a few perks that, for pilots, offset the money factor.
“Unlike a lot of the corporate jobs, we don’t have a lot of overnight trips; we have a few, but, usually, you’re home at night,” Custer said. “The planes are well-maintained we don’t let things slide like they do some other places. And we don’t fly in weather we shouldn’t be flying in. We go by the book.”
And every once in a while, the passenger list includes someone worth telling the grandchildren about. Custer once picked up U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Kansas City for an appearance at KU. And in 1999 he brought South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu here from Atlanta. He took him back, too.
KU’s men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is a regular passenger.
“Oh, he’s a nice guy. Very considerate. A pleasant guy to be around,” Custer said.
KU pilot Randy Pedersen likes taking Williams to various functions, though, at first, Williams seemed like just another coach.
“Everybody in Kansas has heard of Roy Williams, but I came here from California,” Pedersen said. “So the first time they told me I was taking Roy Williams, I said, ‘OK, but who’s Roy Williams?’
“They looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘WHO’S ROY WILLIAMS!”
He now knows.
But most passengers, by far, are KU Medical Center doctors consulting with their peers in western Kansas.
Of the Beechcraft King Air C90’s top three destinations, Hays is No. 1, Wichita is second, and Garden City is third.
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoThe Kansas University air force has three pilots. It’s looking for a fourth.
But pilots, these days, are scarce.
“There’s been a shortage coming on for a number of years now,” said Bob Custer, KU’s chief pilot. “The old guys like me I’m 58 are moving on to the corporations and the airlines, and the military isn’t losing as many (to private-sector jobs) as it used to. They’re not training as many, either.”
KU needs a fourth pilot because its Cessna Citation Bravo jet requires a pilot and co-pilot. So when it’s in the air, there’s only one pilot available for the university’s propeller-driven Beechcraft King Air C90.
Oftentimes, the one remaining pilot is either off-duty, in training or tied to other chores.
“Having just one pilot available when the Citation is in the air leaves us shorthanded,” said Jim Stogsdale, assistant director of administration at KU.
“There have been a few times when we’ve had to charter a flight,” he said. “That gets expensive, it’s something like two or three dollars a mile.”
Asked about the fourth pilot’s salary, Stogsdale said university officials “don’t have a firm dollar amount in mind.” But it’s expected to fall somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
That’s not top dollar for a full-time pilot nowadays, but the KU job has a few perks that, for pilots, offset the money factor.
“Unlike a lot of the corporate jobs, we don’t have a lot of overnight trips; we have a few, but, usually, you’re home at night,” Custer said. “The planes are well-maintained we don’t let things slide like they do some other places. And we don’t fly in weather we shouldn’t be flying in. We go by the book.”
And every once in a while, the passenger list includes someone worth telling the grandchildren about. Custer once picked up U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Kansas City for an appearance at KU. And in 1999 he brought South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu here from Atlanta. He took him back, too.
KU’s men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is a regular passenger.
“Oh, he’s a nice guy. Very considerate. A pleasant guy to be around,” Custer said.
KU pilot Randy Pedersen likes taking Williams to various functions, though, at first, Williams seemed like just another coach.
“Everybody in Kansas has heard of Roy Williams, but I came here from California,” Pedersen said. “So the first time they told me I was taking Roy Williams, I said, ‘OK, but who’s Roy Williams?’
“They looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘WHO’S ROY WILLIAMS!”
He now knows.
But most passengers, by far, are KU Medical Center doctors consulting with their peers in western Kansas.
Of the Beechcraft King Air C90’s top three destinations, Hays is No. 1, Wichita is second, and Garden City is third.
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoThe Kansas University air force has three pilots. It’s looking for a fourth.
But pilots, these days, are scarce.
“There’s been a shortage coming on for a number of years now,” said Bob Custer, KU’s chief pilot. “The old guys like me I’m 58 are moving on to the corporations and the airlines, and the military isn’t losing as many (to private-sector jobs) as it used to. They’re not training as many, either.”
KU needs a fourth pilot because its Cessna Citation Bravo jet requires a pilot and co-pilot. So when it’s in the air, there’s only one pilot available for the university’s propeller-driven Beechcraft King Air C90.
Oftentimes, the one remaining pilot is either off-duty, in training or tied to other chores.
“Having just one pilot available when the Citation is in the air leaves us shorthanded,” said Jim Stogsdale, assistant director of administration at KU.
“There have been a few times when we’ve had to charter a flight,” he said. “That gets expensive, it’s something like two or three dollars a mile.”
Asked about the fourth pilot’s salary, Stogsdale said university officials “don’t have a firm dollar amount in mind.” But it’s expected to fall somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
That’s not top dollar for a full-time pilot nowadays, but the KU job has a few perks that, for pilots, offset the money factor.
“Unlike a lot of the corporate jobs, we don’t have a lot of overnight trips; we have a few, but, usually, you’re home at night,” Custer said. “The planes are well-maintained we don’t let things slide like they do some other places. And we don’t fly in weather we shouldn’t be flying in. We go by the book.”
And every once in a while, the passenger list includes someone worth telling the grandchildren about. Custer once picked up U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in Kansas City for an appearance at KU. And in 1999 he brought South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu here from Atlanta. He took him back, too.
KU’s men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is a regular passenger.
“Oh, he’s a nice guy. Very considerate. A pleasant guy to be around,” Custer said.
KU pilot Randy Pedersen likes taking Williams to various functions, though, at first, Williams seemed like just another coach.
“Everybody in Kansas has heard of Roy Williams, but I came here from California,” Pedersen said. “So the first time they told me I was taking Roy Williams, I said, ‘OK, but who’s Roy Williams?’
“They looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘WHO’S ROY WILLIAMS!”
He now knows.
But most passengers, by far, are KU Medical Center doctors consulting with their peers in western Kansas.
Of the Beechcraft King Air C90’s top three destinations, Hays is No. 1, Wichita is second, and Garden City is third.
Down but not out.
That’s the message Kansas University women’s basketball coach Marian Washington has been preaching to the Jayhawks, who have struggled to a 9-13 overall record, 3-8 in the Big 12 heading into tonight’s game against No. 14 Texas Tech (18-4, 9-2). Tipoff is 7:05 tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.
TEXAS TECH (18-4, 9-2)F Plenette Pierson, 6-2, Soph.C Tanisha Ellison, 6-1, Jr.G Candi White, 5-7, Jr.G Jia Perkins, 5-8, Fr.G Katrisa O’Neal, 5-6, Sr. |
KANSAS (9-13, 3-8F Brooke Reves, 6-0, Sr.F Jaclyn Johnson, 6-1, Sr.G KC Hilgenkamp, 5-10, Jr.G Jennifer Jackson, 5-10, Sr.G Selena Scott, 5-6, Jr. |
| Tipoff: 7:05 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse. |
“There’s no question there are some great opportunities for us,” Washington said. “That’s basically what we talked about yesterday. We have to go out and play and send a message that we’re very capable to play with these nationally ranked teams.”
KU has seen plenty of those. Tonight’s game will be the third game against a ranked opponent in a string that has the Jayhawks facing four ranked teams in five games.
Kansas beat Texas and lost to Colorado in the other games against ranked opponents. Coming off a deflating 89-84 overtime loss at unranked Missouri, the Jayhawks will play host to No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday.
“It’s been tough,” Washington said. “Looking at the schedule before the season started, I thought January definitely was the easier portion of the schedule. It’s a concern because we’re having to depend on so few players, so we obviously can’t overwork them. But we have to have some goals, and I think it’s real important that we compete with these nationally ranked teams and get prepared as we get closer to the postseason.”
The Jayhawks are taking the loss to Mizzou hard. They led the Tigers by nine at halftime and by six with 1 1/2 minutes to play in regulation.
“It was disappointing,” Washington said. “We really had the game won, but we ended up turning the ball over. It’s so disheartening. We just made some errors that proved to be costly. But they’ve been able to rebound throughout this season, to their credit. I thought we played well enough to win, but at the same time there’s another game we have to be ready to play, and Texas Tech is it, and they’re one of the top teams in the country, so we can’t think about Missouri for long.”
Tech boasts three double-digit scorers. Plenette Pierson, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, leads the Red Raiders with 13.3 points and 7 rebounds a game, while Jia Perkins, a 5-8 freshman guard, adds 13.3 points per game. Katrisa O’Neal, a 5-6 senior guard, contributes 11.3 ppg.
During Tuesday’s regular Big 12 women’s basketball coaches’ teleconference, Kansas University’s Marian Washington was put in a bad situation.
She was asked to talk about the league’s participation in the NCAA Tournament, an event that almost certainly will exclude the Jayhawks for the first time in 10 years.
“I do think we have at least six, if not seven, teams that could go to the tournament this year,” Washington said. “I really think the committee that is looking at our conference has to respect our nonconference schedule and the way we are playing this season. The Big 12 tournament will provide a team that may be on the bubble a chance to step up and shine.”
It would be a stretch to say the Jayhawks (9-11 overall, 3-6 Big 12) are within reach of the bubble. With seven regular-season games remaining including tonight’s game against No. 19 Colorado (7:05 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse) KU would need to go 5-2 just to get over .500, and the Jayhawks still have tough home games against No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 9 Iowa State, a road trip to Nebraska and a home-and-home series with Missouri.
The only way Kansas could guarantee a 10th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament would be to win the Big 12 tournament and claim the league’s automatic NCAA berth.
The way the Jayhawks played Saturday in a stunning 70-60 victory over No. 21 Texas gave Washington hope.
“Let’s just say that our team has faced so many challenges this season,” Washington said, “beginning with injuries and then losing a player. It’s a situation where our club has needed to adjust and bounce back, and I’m very proud of them because they never stopped fighting. Against Texas, we did what we had to do and we put ourselves in position to win. I think this team realizes that we need to stick together.”
The Buffaloes (15-5, 6-3) are coming off an 85-66 victory over then-No. 20 Baylor. Mandy Nightingale, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, leads the Buffs with 14 points per game, while Britt Hartshorn, a 6-4 junior center, adds 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
“(Nightingale) is the type of player that can bring about nightmares for any coach,” Washington said. “She is a great shooter and a hard worker. If she is in position to score, she can be deadly. We need to make sure we keep her in our vision and try to be there when she gets the ball. If Colorado continues to improve, they are going to be a tough team, especially next year.”
The Buffs beat KU, 72-63, back on Jan. 20 in Boulder, Colo.
Kansas will travel to Missouri on Saturday.
The way things played out, it didn’t really matter.
But it certainly didn’t help Kansas University’s football team to have Carl Nesmith, the Jayhawks’ preseason All-America free safety by several publications, standing on the sideline Saturday for KU’s season-opening 31-17 loss at Southern Methodist.
Apparently Nesmith’s suspension for violation of team rules coach Terry Allen goes to great lengths to keep the specific infraction a closely guarded, in-house secret had been in the works for weeks.
But Allen waited until Saturday to announce the suspension.
Nesmith was arrested on July 27 on an outstanding traffic warrant of driving with a suspended license, but Allen declined to name the infraction that forced Nesmith out of the lineup at SMU.
“He was suspended because he broke team rules,” Allen said. “This is not a drug situation, as people sometimes think. He broke some rules and is still one of our captains.”
Did it matter Saturday? Probably not, except for the vocal leadership and physical presence Nesmith, a senior co-captain nicknamed The Butcher for his sometimes-brutal hits, would have added.
Nesmith was replaced in the starting lineup with oft-injured fifth-year senior Bilal Cook, who made his first career start and, though he was targeted on a couple of occasions, wasn’t KU’s only victim.
Kansas’ downfall Saturday was lack of offense and dismal punt-team play.
KU botched three straight first-quarter punt attempts and SMU turned the miscues into three scores and bolted to a 24-0, first-quarter lead.
Kansas played a losing game of catch-up the rest of the way.
The teams’ response to the early SMU lead skewed the statistics to appear almost even. While the Mustangs turned conservative, the Jayhawks had to put the ball in the air to try to catch up.
By game’s end, KU had 18 first downs to SMU’s 16 and 291 total yards to SMU’s 315.
But Kansas lost three of six fumbles while SMU fumbled twice but didn’t lose either.
What stunned Allen the most was the fact he didn’t see it coming. All through the preseason he lauded the crispness of the Jayhawks’ practices and said time and again they were farther ahead than any of his previous teams.
“This caught me as flat off my feet as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m as amazed as anyone.”
At least the Jayhawks have two weeks to regroup. They took Sunday off and will return to drills today.
Their home opener will be a week from Saturday against Alabama-Birmingham.
Upon further review: After reviewing tape of the Kansas-SMU game, Kansas’ defensive coaches revised the tackling leaders as follows: Marcus Rogers 13, De’Nard Whitfield and Algie Atkinson 8; Nate Dwyer 7, Tim Bowers and Kareem High 6; Bilal Cook and Quincy Roe 5; Andrew Davison 4. Dwyer had KU’s only sack Saturday.
More: Coach Allen analyzes the SMU loss at the Sept. 4 audio conference.
Manhattan ? Kansas State has a grand celebration planned this weekend to mark 100 years of KSU baseball.
Kansas University, the guest of honor, would love to spoil the party.
“We have talked about winning the state,” KU coach Bobby Randall said. “That would be a wonderful thing, but I’m sure K-State would like to think differently. They’ll be emotional. They had a rugged year. This is a chance for them to recoup some of their lost season. But we’re playing for something, too.”
Game times are 4 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, and the Wildcats have a special event planned every day.
A pregame alumni golf outing to Colbert Hills Golf Club is on tap today. On Saturday, Kansas State will announce its all-century team. Then Sunday, KU and KSU will wear replica vintage uniforms, and concession prices will be rolled back to 10 cents for hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn.
KSU also will use the weekend set to show off its renovated Frank Myers field, aka “The Frank.”
The old uniform gig will be something of a surprise to Randall.
K-State is paying for the one-use uniforms. If the Jayhawks want to keep them, they’ll have to purchase them for $34.
“Coach (Mike) Clark called and asked if we’d do it,” said Randall, a KSU alumnus. “We said sure. I think it’s fun for the players. They want to do it. It’s an experience. It doesn’t mean a thing to me, but it will be fun for the players. I don’t know what year they’re from. I don’t know if they’re replicas or what. I’ve been completely removed from it.”
Randall just hopes the Jayhawks (22-26 overall, 8-19 big 12) can remove themselves from the celebration surrounding the series.
“You can go into it with divided attention,” Randall said.
Randall plans to start Brandon O’Neal at pitcher tonight, Rusty Philbrick on Saturday and Pete Smart on Sunday.
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