Friday Night Lights: The Rematch

There's nothing like some high school football to get the competitive juices flowing on the eve of college football season. The anticipation for this rematch will be more than a year in the making. Last year, Rockhurst narrowly defeated Hutchinson 28-21 at Dasta Stadium, bringing the Salt Hawks' 36-game winning streak to a halt. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the outcome, it was an epic matchup between two powerhouses on opposite sides of the state line.

In one of the most physical games of the season, Rockhurst often found themselves on the wrong end of some vicious hits. Hutchinson came in with a chip on their shoulder, and outplayed an overconfident Rockhurst team for most of the night. Coach Tony Severino called Hutchinson "as good of a football team we've seen in five years." Last year, Rockhurst had the athletes and Hutchinson had the toughness. But after Rockhurst lost most of their offensive firepower, that doesn't seem to be the case for the rematch on Friday night. This is the Metro Sports Game of the Week, and will be televised at 7:00pm and replayed at 11:00pm.

Notable players for Rockhurst:

- Sal Belfonte: He's a do-it-all kid, always in the middle of the action on both sides of the ball.

- Dexter McDonald: Illinois-bound corner is Rockhurst's most talented athlete.

Notable players for Hutchinson:

- Geneo Grissom: Solid verbal commit for the Kansas Jayhawks. Should wreck havoc all season from the defensive end spot.

- Deveon Dinwiddie: Playmaker in the backfield with 4.4 speed. Dangerous in the return game as well.

Highlights from last year: September 5, 2008

Kansas Football: Open Practice 8/26

It is quite remarkable to see the turnaround in the Kansas football program since Mark Mangino took the reigns. The Jayhawks expect to contend for the Big XII north title, and send the talented senior class out with a bang. As the countdown to kickoff draws near - less than ten days now - the Jayhawks hosted an open practice on Wednesday afternoon. The rain held off just enough for fans to catch a glimpse of this year's squad. Granted, there are still a handful of question marks on both sides of the ball. But only time will tell if this Kansas team is underrated or overhyped. Here are my top three things to keep an eye on as history awaits.

#1: The most talented incoming class ever
The Orange Bowl victory did not lead to immediate success on the recruiting trail. But the Jayhawks more than made up for it this past season. A well-rounded class of 24 signees will try to help build the foundation of a winning tradition. The Jayhawks continued to mine the state of Texas, signing 12 from the Lonestar State. Highlighting the newcomers were Toben Opurum and Bradley McDougald. These two marked recruiting victories over the likes of Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin among others. At his size, Opurum likely would have been a fullback or short yardage back for the Irish. And Ohio State would have redshirted McDougald, before making him a defensive back for sure.

But Kansas' unique recruiting pitch landed both of these potential stars: the chance to be an impact player on offense as a freshman. It will be interesting to see if a successful year will lead to another recruiting boost down the road. It's easy to see the talent level has been consistently upgraded each year. Now I'm not claiming Kansas will compete with the powerhouses of the college football world. But small victories here and there can do wonders for a program on the rise. Let's hope the Jayhawks can snowball this season's accomplishments into success for years to come.

#2: The Juco Effect

Signing players from the junior college ranks somewhat levels the playing field for less prestigious programs: Enter Mark Mangino (2002). The Jayhawks have been quite active in this aspect of recruiting every year. Because of their background, Jucos are always a risk, and a balancing act for coaching staffs. Signing a bunch in one year can be a band-aid for a program, but often hamper future player development. Recently, Kansas has been able to land more talented kids right out of high school, so their reliance on Juco prospects has dwindled. Let's take a historical look at the Jayhawks' Juco recruiting over the course of the Mangino regime.

2002

Thumbs up: Aside from the two disappointing recruits on the defensive line (both 4-star recruits) Mangino's inaugural class included one of his better safties, Rodney Fowler. But most important was landing the cornerstone of the entire program, Bill Whittemore. He transformed the Jayhawks from laughing stock to bowl eligible in two years. Though you won't find his name in the record books too often, no one left a bigger impact on the Jayhawk program over the course of two years. Arguably, KU's recent run of success is a result of Whittemore paving the way.

2003

Thumbs down: This was one of the bigger disappointments during the Mangino era. Where do I begin? How about with 9 out of 11 Juco signees being complete busts? Markeith Childress, Richard Estrella, Phil Tuihalamaka, Johnny Urritia... never heard of 'em. Marcus Hicks and Zach Mims were not highly ranked, but still never made an impact. John McCoy, an admirable military veteran, but never translated well to the gridiron. Chuck Jones and Monroe Weekly actually played in some significant games during their time, but both brought along tons of baggage. Eventually, both left the program, and neither one was worth the headaches. Then there was oft-injured Gabe Toomey, who never quite lived up to the hype from his redshirt freshman days at Oklahoma. At times he performed well - leading tackler (121) as a sophomore. Though never at full strength, Toomey couldn't find a home in the linebacking corps, eventually being replaced by then-true freshman Kevin Kane. Finally, the crown jewel of the class of 2003: Joe Vaughn. After being named Big XII offensive newcomer of the year, Vaughn helped the Jayhawks to their first bowl game since 1995. After graduation, Vaughn remained a current member of the strength and conditioning staff, and remains a great ambassador for the University of Kansas. But not even Vaughn's success can overcome what was an embarassing failure of Jayhawk Jucos in 2003.

2004

Thumbs up: Five out of six were legitimate contributors. The only bust was PK Jeff Edwards. No lost sleep there... Let's start with the cream of the crop: Jermial Ashley and Charleton Keith. In my opinion, they were the best DL teammates since the days of Gilbert Brown and Dana Stubblefield. Theo Baines played pretty well over his two seasons at Kansas. He was clearly an upgrade over the Amadi brothers (ugh). Baines was a decent playmaker, but he never ended up being the shutdown corner most anticipated. Though injuries never allowed Rodney Harris to finish his career, he would have been an All-Big XII caliber safety. So I'm giving Mangino & Co. the benefit of the doubt for landing this diamond in the rough. Same goes for Jason Swanson... though he only played a handful of games, he definitely left some unforgettable memories behind: clinching TD throws to Mark Simmons against Kansas State and Nebraska. He also finished his career on a high note, leading the Jayhawks to a Fort Worth Bowl victory in his final game. Swanson had to overcome his share of demons, but always seemed to come up with the big play in the clutch.

2005

Thumbs up: This class of eight was a mixed bag. Marcus Anderson, Clavens Charles, Jake Cox... bust, bust and bust. The next four defenders all played their fair share. It might sound harsh to label Rodney Allen and Wayne Wilder as "so-so", but both came in with some heavy expectations, and were not nearly as good as their predecessors, Ashley and Keith. Eric Washington suffered a devastating injury against Nebraska and never returned to action. He was talented, but more of a situational sub (not the starter they brought him in to be.) That leaves wideout Brian Murph. He was a definite borderline player, but I decided to award him "stud" status. Murph always drew the opposing team's #1 corner and constantly had to deal with quarterback controversies. Plus, his punt return for a TD in the Fort Worth Bowl put an early nail in Houston's coffin that night. He was a great playmaker, but never had much help around him.

2006

Thumbs down: Strike one. Strike two. Strike three. And one for good measure. The Jayhawks completely whiffed on Jucos in 2006. Arceo and McCoy never saw the field. Blake Bueltel couldn't handle the physicality of Division I football, after attempting to play cornerback weighing only 165 pounds. He quit the team before conference play opened up, after losing his starting spot to then-freshman Anthony Webb (ouch). Mark Jones definitely looked the part. Some thought he had the potential to play professionally one day. Jones never could beat out starter Derek Fine (which was okay by me). He never amounted to anything more than an extra blocker on goal line packages, mainly because he had meat hooks for hands.

2007

Thumbs up: The Jayhawks didn't need much this year, but brought in a trio highly talented prospects. Chet Hartley was a fixture on the offensive line during his entire career. And despite injuries (recurring theme?) Kendrick Harper exceeded most expectations. A great compliment to Aqib Talib, Harper could lay some wood too, which holds a lot of weight in my book. Though Patrick Resby wasn't a bust by any means, it still baffles me how he couldn't beat out then-sophomore Justin Thornton, who got burned left and right all season long. Though never an impact player, Resby was a great teammate and contributed as a reserve, as well as on special teams.

2008

Thumbs down: No offense to Roderick Harris and Alonso Rojas. They still have two years remaining to contribute, but nothing they do can neutralize the gigantic mistakes that were Jocques Crawford and Nathan D'Cuhna. The hype for both of these two was ridiculous coming in. The National Juco POY and a mammoth offensive tackle that would protect Todd Reesing for his final two years in Lawrence. That was the type of impact Jayhawk fans expected from these two 4-star prospects. What we ended up with was a big-mouthed troublemaker and an overmatched Australian. Neither is currently with the program, and this was clearly a case of "addition by subtraction" for the Jayhawks. Good riddance...

2009

So what can we expect from these five newcomers? Given our history of Juco recruits, 25% became studs (10/40), 22% were so-so's (9/40) and 53% ended up being busts (21/40). Statistically speaking, we should end up with (1) stud, (1) so-so and (3) busts. Though none of them appear to be starters on the current depth chart, they will certainly get opportunities to prove themselves. This could be a sign of the Jayhawks' talent improvement from top to bottom. At first, Mangino brought in Juco players because the team needed immediate help (i.e. starters) at that position. Now, it appears he can be more selective, and bring in Juco players as a recruiting supplement than out of necessity. I am anxious to see if there will be a change in KU's recruiting dynamic now that Bill Snyder has returned to Manhattan, who is known for his steady, successful reliance on Juco players.

#3: What are realistic expectations for 2009-2010 Jayhawk football?
The days of morale victories are over. It's true that KU returned most of their skilled players from a year ago (and most of the other teams in the north didn't). But the Jayhawks still need to improve as a team in order to finally make it to the Big XII Championship game on December 5th. During the Orange Bowl season two years ago, KU only lost one conference game and still managed to miss out. As I look at the schedule, it will be a huge disappointment if the Jayhawks do not start the season 6-0. I know that games @UTEP and Southern Miss are not the typical non-con cupcakes we've come to expect over the years. But they are winnable games, especially for a team with north division title aspirations.

Conference road wins have been few and far between during Mangino's tenure. Getting wins in Boulder and Lubbock will be pivotal, especially if KU ends up dropping any winnable home games. Once again, the south division is expected to dominate the conference. So head-to-head matchups against north opponents Missouri and Nebraska should ultimately determine the north title. As far as expectations go, the Jayhawks should be disappointed with anything less than 9 regular season wins. Hopefully, they make their first Big XII Championship game appearance along the way. And who knows, could the Jayhawks shock the college football world again and rekindle the magic from 2007? It's certainly a possibility... something I have never said before with a straight face.

Boost Mobile Elite 24: All but rained out

Those expecting to see some Rucker Park fireworks over the weekend, were severely disappointed. A constant downpour led to a rain delay. Eventually, the game was moved to the nearby NY Gauchos AAU gym. ESPN ended up bailing due to the poor conditions, and did not cover the event at all.

Here is a complete rainout recap from Franklyn Calle of SLAM Online detailing what went down, as well as a review posted on Rivals.com from Adam Zagoria.

And of course, the highly anticipated highlights... featuring Jayhawk targets Harrison Barnes, Joe Jackson, Anthony Wroten, Doron Lamb and Josh Selby.

Boost Mobile Elite 24: Jayhawks galore?

Harlem, NY - On Friday, August 21st, two dozen high school hoopsters will showcase their skills at New York's famed Rucker Park. The glorified scrimmage will be televised on tape delay, on August 22nd at 6:00pm (ESPNU). Kansas will have several scholarships up for grabs, so it's time to reload. Here's my take for each of the prospects on the Jayhawk radar:

Harrison Barnes (center left)

Class: 2010

Position: Small forward

Height: 6'7"

Weight: 206

Hometown: Ames, IA

The Skinny: It's no secret that Barnes is the Jayhawks' #1 target. If you're going to land one, it better be the talented Ames, IA native. As the #1 overall prospect according to Scout.com and ESPN.com, his game is already polished. With a great head on his shoulders, Barnes oozes class. When it comes time for Barnes to make his decision, he will represent whichever school he chooses extremely well. It appears to be a four-horse race for Barnes' services: Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Stanford.

Josh Selby (top middle)

Class: 2010

Position: Point guard

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 180

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

The Skinny: Selby decommitted from the Tennessee Volunteers on July 19th. There are many rumors surrounding his supposed "wide open" recruitment. Some say his links to William Wesley will push him to 'Nike' schools like Kentucky or Oregon. Others think he will join his cousin Will Barton, at Memphis. Regardless of the speculation, many of the top programs in the nation have tossed their hat in the ring for this explosive point guard.

Cory Joseph (bottom middle)

Class: 2010

Position: Point guard

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 175

Hometown: Henderson, NV

The Skinny: Though Joseph hasn't been officially offered a scholarship from Bill Self yet, assistant coach Danny Manning has been heavily involved in his recruitment. From my observation, Joseph is quite comparable to former Bill Self recruit Deron Williams. The point guard from Canada recently "trimmed" his list to a whopping 16 schools. As of right now, he appears to be favoring Memphis, but it's only a matter of time before his remaining options starting turning up the heat.

Terrence Jones (not pictured above)

Class: 2010

Position: Power forward

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 220

Hometown: Portland, OR

The Skinny: The wildly talented Jones hails from Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon. That should sound familar, as former Jayhawk guards Aaron Miles and Michael Lee played their high school ball there as well. He's already led his team to back-to-back Class 5A championships. His point forward skill-set resembles another former Jayhawk, Julian Wright. So Jones will be a similar matchup nightmare in college. Kansas just recently offered Jones a scholarship, and it appears the coaching staff is making him a priority. Let's face it, he's far too talented for the Jayhawks to pass up.

Joe Jackson (middle left)

Class: 2010

Position: Point guard

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 150

Hometown: Memphis, TN

The Skinny: As one of the better scoring point guard prospects, Jackson is an ideal floor general. Despite a frail 150-pound frame, he can get to the rim with ease. Though he may need to improve his strength if he plans on playing with the same aggressiveness at the next level. Jackson clearly feels a lot of pressure to commit to the local Memphis Tigers, but has insisted he will wait until next spring to make his final decision. We'll see just how many schools are willing to wait on this "mighty mouse".

Doron Lamb (top right)

Class: 2010

Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6'4"

Weight: 175

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

The Skinny: A transplant from the Big Apple, Lamb will finish out his high school career at vaunted Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Though Kentucky is rumored to be a heavy favorite for Lamb, his head coach Steve Smith insisted visits to Oklahoma and Kansas are in the works before pulling the trigger. Despite his desire to play point guard in college, Bill Self could easily suggest Lamb take a Chalmers-esque route to the NBA. We'll see if Kansas can re-open a New York recruiting pipeline and eventually land the obvious favorite of the partisan Rucker Park crowd on August 21st.

Roscoe Smith (bottom left)

Class: 2010

Position: Small forward

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 180

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

The Skinny: The other half of Oak Hill Academy's dynamic duo is a star in the making. Another blue-chipper from the recruiting hotbed of Baltimore, Roscoe Smith has a laundry list of schools after him. Though he hasn't given a thought to his recruitment up to this point, Smith said he felt honored to be offered scholarships from so many high-profile programs, including Duke. It will be interesting to see if Smith ends up being a package deal with either Doron Lamb (high school teammate) or Josh Selby (fellow Baltimore prospect).

Anthony Wroten Jr. (top left)
Class: 2011

Position: Point guard

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 180

Hometown: Seattle, WA

The Skinny: An elite prospect for the class of 2011, Wroten has a world of potential. But with nearly every Big East school offering an early scholarship (not to mention the entire Pac10) do the Jayhawks have a realistic shot landing Wroten? First, the biggest obstacle to landing kids from the West Coast is convincing them to leave home and come to the Midwest. Given his interest in schools across the country, Wroten is clearly not attached to the Pacific locale (check). Second, three years down the road, the only guard assured to be on the squad will be then-sophomore and incoming 2010 recruit Royce Woolridge. It is not that far-fetched that Kansas could lose Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson and C.J. Henry by the time Wroten stepped on campus. I know I'm looking way ahead, but this could be the first time in his Kansas tenure that Bill Self could dangle legitimate "playing time" to a point guard prospect. Hopefully by then, Self can flash two shiny rings to help seal the deal... Checkmate?

Perry Ellis (bottom right)

Class: 2012

Position: Small forward

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 210

Hometown: Wichita, KS

The Skinny: This is a no-brainer... Lawrence bound. It's not very often that the #1 overall prospect hails from the state of Kansas. But that will be just the case when Ellis finishes his high school career. The kid from Wichita has been dreaming of donning crimson and blue his entire life. After being selected the Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year as a freshman, Ellis will continue to rake in the scholarship offers. It would certainly help if Kansas could get an early commitment from Ellis, though verbals haven't meant anything over the past couple years. I know his recruitment has only just begun, but the longer it drags out, the more our chances dwindle. I have confidence that Self won't let him out of the backyard, but if there was ever such a thing as a five star "shoe-in", it would have to be Ellis, right?