Rare air: Sultanova, Mills soar in Coloradokansas notebookSelf will

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, May 18, 2008

It's going to be "the party of the summer," Kansas basketball coach Bill Self says, a chance to rub shoulders with some of KU basketball's big names, and a small number tickets are still available.

Self is throwing the inaugural "Bill's Basketball Boogie" at the Kansas Speedway on June 7, an event that will also function as the primary fundraising event for Self's Assists Foundation. One of the foundation's major goals is to encourage active lifestyles, especially among children.

Proceeds from the Boogie will go directly to the Assists Foundation, which intends to use the funds "to create a campus that provides wellness education and access to sports facilities for our area youth."

A limited number of tickets are available for $250, by accessing www.basketballboogie.org and clicking the tickets link.The Boogie will include a car giveaway, silent auction, celebrity basketball game featuring KU alumni and coaches, a concert and a live auction.

The Assists Foundation expects the Boogie to raise more than $1 million.

Mangenius?

Kansas football coach Mark Mangino recently participated in a thoughtful forum with The National Football Foundation and The Football Writers Association of America to discuss an array of college football-related topics.

Here are some of the highlights:

n On how he prepares incoming freshmen ...

"One of the things we started about four years ago was a program that we call Character First. I got together with thedean of students, who also has a degree in psychology, and we puttogether a program to challenge our kids the way they think and the way they make decisions. We do it in the offseason, and a lot of it isexercises where the kids have to work out problems amongst themselves.

"What you'll find out is who are good problem solvers, who are theleaders that will take the reins and try to initiate solutions to the problems, and you'll find out who doesn't care about it.

n On how he handles agents and NFL preparation ...

"Well, certainly we haven't had that problem until recently (laughter). We didn't have a whole lot of agents or NFL people coming around. They're starting to now (laughter).

"I think, number one, you kind of have an idea of who the kids are that are going to get the attention of the NFL and rogue agents because agents that have a great reputation and do things right are notbothering these kids. But the first thing you do is you talk to them and you have a practical conversation about all the things that can go wrongif you don't handle yourself properly."

n On the kinds of players he recruits ...

"When I first arrived at Kansas, we had a low level of talent. That's the politically correct way to say it. Others in here have said we stunk. Sowe made a decision we were going to get some really talented players, some good junior college guys, and we really did a lousy job of checking their character and their background, and we found out it wasn't really much fun being around those guys.

"We made a conscious decision in the winter of 2004 that we were going todo extensive background checks, even if we had to hire an outside firm, which we do sometimes."

Tully Corcoran covers Kansas sports for The Topeka Capital- Journal. He can be reached at (785) 295-5652 and tully.corcoran@cjonline.com.From staff and wire reports

The elevation is great in Boulder, Colo., but Kansas' Kate Sultanova got a little bit higher, and K-State's Candice Mills flew a little bit farther, than anyone else on Saturday at the Big 12 championships in Boulder.

Sultanova, a Kansas senior, won her second Big 12 pole vault championship as the only vaulter to clear the bar at 13 feet, 5 1/4 inches.

"I tried to concentrate and not think about the elevation," Sultanova said. "It's a good feeling."

Sultanova is the first two-time women's pole vault champion in conference history.

Mills won the long jump title with two jumps of 20 feet, 10 inches. The win was Mills' first Big 12 title.

"I have been jumping tremendousely lately in practice and I expected to do well here," she said. "Finally it was my time as a senior to go out on top."

Mills is the second Wildcat to ever win the long jump. Her previous best jump was 20 feet .5 inches.

But the star of the day may have been a freshman.

Nebraska freshman heptathlete Megan Wheatley had been treading water in an effort to tear up the track.

With a stress fracture in her left foot keeping her off the track most of the season, she kept fit through workouts in the swimming pool.

Wheatley made quite a splash Saturday at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning the heptathlon title with a final score of 5,643 points, breaking a 15-year-old Potts Field record.

She's the fourth straight Cornhusker heptathlete to win the conference title.

"It's quite an honor," Wheatley said. "It really stamps Nebraska's dominance in the multi-event."

Her performance helped the Cornhuskers take the overall women's team lead heading into the final day of the championships. They're vying for their first title since 2005, and have a 331/2-point cushion on second place Kansas State.