Sometimes it comes before the sun while the Kansas University athlete is asleep, his or her body trying to shake off the previous day’s wretched combination of classes, weight training, practice and studying.

The woman on the other end leaves rigid instructions. You’re taking a drug test today. Be here in the next two hours. No exceptions.

She’s serious.

In an age where easy-going drug-testing policies unmercifully are abused — just ask major league baseball — the NCAA, Big 12 Conference and KU constantly are making sure student-athletes don’t go down the same path.

During the course of the school year, all three organizations will conduct unannounced, random drug tests on its student-athletes, to make sure the playing field is level, natural and pure. It often can mean being rude, like calling athletes when they’re deep in sleep, but tests on short notice are considered the most honest.

“With a two-hour window,” said Dr. Larry Magee, director of sports medicine at KU, “you can’t cover anything up.”

Lots to look for

The banned substances form a long list because illegal and performance-enhancing drugs are plentiful. In all, there are 26 anabolic agents on the NCAA banned list, as well as 34 stimulants, 18 diuretics, three street drugs and five peptide hormones, including human growth hormone, one of the substances New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi reportedly admitted to using to enhance his play.

KU, the Big 12 and the NCAA work semi-independently conducting tests on student-athletes in all sports. Depending on which institution is conducting the test, different procedures take place — and different punishments are dished out.

The NCAA, for example, automatically will suspend an athlete for one year if they test positive for an anabolic steroid agent, such as androstenedione. For drugs that don’t enhance performance, like marijuana or cocaine, the NCAA reports its findings to the school and lets the school deal with consequences.

KU has its own policy. A first-time offender for any banned substance, be it small traces of marijuana or large quantities of a powerful steroid, will be subject to a monthlong counseling program rather than any on-field suspensions. The offender then would be tested monthly, until 12 consecutive months without another failure go by.

“We want to have a punishment,” Dr. Magee said, “but we want it to be educational.”

A second-time offender would be suspended for 10 percent of a year’s competition, and placed back into counseling. A third-time offense results in dismissal and the loss of scholarship aid.

Student-athletes and coaches alike are glad the program is in place, even with its necessary inconveniences. But some still feel there’s progress to be made.

“Honestly, I wish they’d do a little better job of testing for steroids,” KU baseball coach Ritch Price said. “I think there’s a trickle-down effect involved. Players are watching big-leaguers and seeing (Barry) Bonds have all this success, and they’re tempted.”

‘Not a cure-all’

Price would know of shortcomings in the system. Not only does he coach a sport riddled with steroid problems at its highest level, with reports of Bonds and Giambi admitting to usage, but Price’s oldest son, Ritchie, is KU’s starting shortstop, and the younger Price admits he never has been tested in his 2 1/2 years on campus. Another former KU baseball player also claimed he never was asked to submit a sample during his time in Lawrence.

Those two likely are exceptions — Ritchie Price said he knew many of his teammates were tested multiple times a year — but any example does point out the sporadic nature of the testing isn’t guaranteed to catch everybody.

“It goes on, and you hear about teams where a lot of the players are taking stuff,” the younger Price said. “It’s something that everyone thinks about.”

Aware they are missing some student-athletes, KU officials recently implemented new regulations that require every incoming freshman to take a drug test as a way of determining who to keep an eye on, Dr. Magee said. Then if a player, like Price, should somehow miss the random testing during the course of his career, he would be required to test again during his junior year.

Magee said the testing regulations by all three institutions constantly were evolving, but he’s confident the system in place is the best possible.

As major league baseball continues to treat its massive black eye, college athletics can see first-hand just how important strict testing can be.

“Any sort of drug testing is a deterrent. It’s not a cure-all,” Dr. Magee said. “It’d be difficult to always catch everybody who’s using any illicit drugs. What you do, you set a system that’s a significant deterrent with significant punishment — so they know there’s a good chance they won’t get away with it.”