KU cut its list of walk-on hopefuls from 27 to 13 on Monday, with a second practice slated for today. Survivors are: KU students Shane Arnold, Grant Creighton, Troy Jefferson, Roberto Laratro, Adam Mason, Curtis Moore, Jesse Newell, Brett Nixon, Angelo Phillips, Austin Pratt, Eli Ringel, Jake Waytula and Brad Witherspoon.
If Newell’s name is familiar … he’s the Journal-World writer who has been chronicling his quest to make the squad. Newell won’t attend today’s practice session. He’s in Houston attending the World Series.
“I think that was a great choice,” assistant Tim Jankovich quipped of Newell picking baseball over hoops. “He was faced with two once-in-a-lifetime situations and he picked the sure thing, which I think was really smart on his part.”
Jankovich said there was a chance KU could keep a player or perhaps keep some of the players’ names on file in case they were needed at practice.
“The other night was just a warmup compared to the second practice,” Jankovich said. “We’ll work their tails off (today). One of the qualities we look for in a walk-on is be incredibly tough, energetic. One of the only ways we can figure that out in a short period of time is have a real challenging, difficult practice.”
