New Jersey standout running back Tevin Shaw has joined the 2012 Kansas Football signing class Jayhawk head coach Charlie Weis announced Monday. Shaw, who attends Piscataway High School, is the 18th player to sign with KU in the February signing period, in addition to three January transfers, pushing Weis’ first class haul to a total of 21 athletes.

Shaw dominated the state of New Jersey in 2011 racking up First Team All-State honors, in addition to being named the Middlesex County Player of the Year by the Newark Star-Ledger. He rushed for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior and led his team to the New Jersey Section 2, Group 4 title for the second-straight season. In the title game versus Elizabeth, Shaw set a school record with 304 rushing yards. He also scored three TDs, including the game winner.

Shaw owns the Piscataway High School records for career rushing yards (2,848), rushing touchdowns (45) and longest rush (98 yards). Coached by Dan Higgins at Piscataway, Shaw was also an outstanding defensive player, tallying 90 tackles and seven interceptions in 2011 on his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors by the Somerville News Tribune.

Also a standout wrestler, Shaw placed second in the New Jersey State Wrestling Championships as a junior, wrestling at 171 pounds. He holds the school record for wins with 120 and is currently 25-0 as a senior wrestling in the 185-pound weight class. He has led the PHS wrestling team to the County Championship in each of the last three years, earning MVP honors in 2011. Additionally, Shaw competes in track and field, running both the 100 and 200 meters and is a member of the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relay teams.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas center Jeff Withey has been selected Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week, for games of Feb. 7-12 in voting by a panel of media covering the league. It is the first conference weekly accolade for Withey and sixth time in 2011-12 that a Jayhawk has earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

Withey had a career week as Kansas won at No. 6 Baylor (68-54) and against Oklahoma State (81-66). The 7-0 San Diego, Calif., junior began with a career-best 25 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocks at Baylor. He made 8-of-10 (.800) shots from the floor in that game. He then grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds versus Oklahoma State to go along with 18 points and seven blocks.

Withey is the second Big 12 player to grab at least 20 boards in a game this season joining Kansas junior teammate Thomas Robinson who had 21 rebounds against North Dakota (12/31). Withey shot 60.9 percent from the floor on the week, while connecting at a .789 clip from the free-throw line. He is averaging 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds and leads the Big 12 in blocks (79) and blocks per game (3.2). His 44 rejections in league play is double the total of the next closest player.

Withey joins Robinson, senior Tyshawn Taylor and junior Travis Releford in earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season. Robinson has won the award three times, while Taylor, Releford and Withey once this season. This is the first time in conference history that four different players from the same school have been named Big 12 Player of the Week during the same season.

— KU Sports Information —

Nothing was going to stop Kansas (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) in the first half, not even 5-foot-9 Keiton Page.

The senior guard for Oklahoma State tried setting a screen on Thomas Robinson, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-10, 237-pound forward, who steamrolled right over him.

“That was the game plan going in, for me to set more screens,” Page said. “He got a hold of me over in front of the Kansas bench. It didn’t feel too good.”

That pretty much summed up the first half Saturday, when Page scored 10 of his 19 points. Kansas held a commanding 51-24 lead heading into the locker room and withstood a big second-half comeback by the Cowboys for an 81-66 win.

“We’ve been through this before,” said Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford. “We’ve been punched in the mouth before. Our guys didn’t like the taste of it at halftime.”

The first half was similar to the one Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-7 Big 12) played against Baylor on Jan. 14. The Bears led 46-31 at halftime and went on to win 106-65.

This time, the Cowboys fought to within 12 at one point in the second half.

“Our guys decided to change it a little bit,” Ford said. “It could have gotten worse, the day they were having. I told our team, Kansas is a Final Four-type team.”

Markel Brown led Oklahoma State with 21 points.

“They attacked the area and we didn’t fight back until the second half,” Brown said. “We had to turn it around the second half and show we’re capable of playing with anybody.”

Jeff Withey finished with 18 points and a career-best 20 rebounds, while Robinson burnished his player of the year credentials with 24 points and 14 boards for Kansas (20-5, 10-2).

Tyshawn Taylor added 12 points, Elijah Johnson had 11 and Travis Releford 10.

Kansas spent the afternoon honoring the 1952 national championship team.

The Jayhawks wore throwback uniforms, the cheerleaders were dressed in skirts that touched the floor, and a pregame video montage showed grainy, black-and-white clips of the team that knocked off St. John’s in the final for the school’s third national title.

Several members of the team were introduced at halftime, including Bill Hougland and Clyde Lovellette, who was the MVP of the Final Four and later became a four-time All-Star in the NBA.

Also on hand were Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who are good friends with Jayhawks football coach Charlie Weis. The three of them, whose ties extend to their days with the New England Patriots, sat together along the baseline.

They had plenty to cheer about in the first half.

The Jayhawks led 16-13 about 8 minutes into the game when they started to ramp things up, turning missed shots and turnovers into easy baskets at the other end. The few times the Cowboys got back on defense, Kansas simply ran its offense to create easy looks at the basket.

The lead eclipsed 20 when Releford scored off a nifty feed from Taylor with 5:17 to play, and Elijah Johnson’s 3 and a pair of foul shots by Robinson made it 51-22 late in the half.

Kansas wound up shooting 64.5 percent before the break, outrebounding the Cowboys by a staggering 22-6. The Jayhawks also doled out 13 assists to just three turnovers — six of them by Taylor, whose ball-handling and decision-making has improved dramatically this season.

Oklahoma State tried to get back in the game in the second half, clamping down on defense and doing a better job of hanging onto the ball on offense.

Page’s 3-pointer with 8:01 left trimmed Kansas’ lead to 66-52, and a basket by Le’Bryan Nash a couple minutes later made it 68-56, the smallest gap for the Cowboys since 28-17.

Kansas managed to get things under control in time to wrap up its 10th conference win.

The Jayhawks remained in a tie for the Big 12 lead with fourth-ranked Missouri, which knocked off Baylor earlier in the day, despite the poor second half.

“We played awful,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “The first half was about the best that we could play, but we’re so immature at this point. We took the second half for granted and played miserably down the stretch.”

— Associated Press —

Whatever Tyshawn Taylor and the rest of his Kansas teammates did to motivate 7-foot Jeff Withey certainly worked.

“In practice every day, punching him in his chest, jumping on him, trying to get him fired up,” Taylor said. “He came out and played amazing.”

Withey, coming of a scoreless game, rebounded with a career-high 25 points for the Jayhawks (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) in another convincing victory over sixth-ranked Baylor, 68-54 on Wednesday night, to regain a share of the Big 12 lead.

“I don’t know why Withey likes playing against us so much, but he looks like an All-American when he does,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Withey, who finished 8-of-10 shooting and made 9 of 11 free throws, had already surpassed his career high by halftime, when Kansas didn’t lead until the final minute. He then ignited a 14-0 run early in the second half when the Jayhawks (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) took total control of the Top-10 rematch.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who had his own way of motivating Withey, called it was one of the best offensive games by a Kansas big man in quite some time.

“Coach definitely got into my head and just told me that I need to be able to play,” Withey said. “I can’t go games where I don’t score. … My teammates definitely trusted me. They made great plays and got me open.”

Baylor (21-3, 8-3) was 17-0 with the longest winning streak in school history before a 92-74 loss at Kansas just more than three weeks ago. The Bears followed that with a one-point home loss to Missouri, where they play their next game Saturday.

The Jayhawks, coming off a 74-71 loss at fourth-ranked Missouri on Saturday when Withey missed his only shot, grabbed a share of the Big 12 lead with the Tigers. Kansas hasn’t lost consecutive games in more than six years — a span of 228 games since January 2006.

In the Jan. 16 game against Baylor, Taylor and Thomas Robinson had combined for 55 points and both matched career highs for field goals made. Taylor had a career-best 28 points in that game and Robinson had 27.

Taylor finished with 19 points this time, his ninth consecutive game with at least 15. Robinson, the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double, had 15 points with 11 rebounds.

The Jayhawks went ahead for the first time, and to stay, during a 14-3 run over the final 4½ minutes of the first half with Robinson sitting on the bench after his second foul.

Withey had already matched his previous career high of 15 points on a free throw with 2½ minutes left in the first half to get Kansas within 30-25. He then blocked a shot, which led to a 3-pointer by Conner Teahan. Withey then made a tying layup with 1:34 left.

The Jayhawks finally led on Teahan’s 3-pointer in the final minute for a 33-30 halftime lead.

After the first half-ending spurt, Withey had a turnover to start the second half before Pierre Jackson came away from a scrum on the floor with the ball for a Baylor layup.

Kansas then scored 14 points in a row, a stretch started by Withey’s layup before he added a three-point play.

Withey then had consecutive steals that led to jumpers by Robinson, who fouled making the second basket. He converted the three-point play and it became a seven-point possession when Quincy Miller’s foul was called flagrant after officials looked at replay.

After Withey made the technical free throw, Tyshawn Taylor’s 3-pointer with 16½ minutes left pushed Kansas to a 47-32 lead.

“That seven-point possession took a lot out of us,” Jackson said. “We just didn’t answer back after that.”

Jackson led Baylor with 16 points, while Quincy Acy and Cory Jefferson had 11 each.

Baylor worked the already raucous sellout crowd into a frenzy by scoring the first seven points. Self called timeout less than 2 minutes into the game.

The opening play was an alley-oop pass from Jackson to Perry Jones III for a slam dunk. Jackson then penetrated for a short floater, and the Bears were up 7-0 when Jackson had another assist, a bounce pass to Quincy Miller for a 3-pointer from the right wing.

Neither Jones, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, nor Miller had another field goal. Miller came out for good after his flagrant foul with 16:38 left.

After making its first three shots, Baylor missed the next five and Kansas got even at 7-all when Withey made two free throws. But the Bears pushed back ahead 19-9 after Jackson’s alley-oop pass to Acy for another rim-rattling dunk that reignited the fans, before Jackson stole the ball from Withey and scored on a baseline floater.

“We’re all embarrassed and disappointed by our play,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Up 10 with 9:41 to go, and really the end of the first half was the beginning of the turning point. … We should have finished with momentum going into the locker room. We didn’t.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson was named to the 2012 midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy it was announced Monday morning.

Robinson is currently the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double on the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds per game. His 16 double-doubles are the most in the Big 12 and rank second nationally. He has scored 20 or more points eight times this season to lead KU. Versus North Dakota (12/31) he recorded the first 30-point, 20-rebound performance by a Jayhawk since Feb. 13, 1961 by Wayne Hightower.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 20 outstanding players for its 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake in New Orleans at the USBWA’s College Basketball Awards Breakfast on March 30.

Earlier this season, Robinson was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 12, while also earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors three times this season.

Last season Marcus Morris was one of 10 finalists for the prestigious award. If Robinson is selected as a finalist, it will mark the third-straight year KU has had a finalist for the trophy.

— KU Sports Information —

Bill Self refused to let his team look past Oklahoma to a high-profile showdown with border rival Missouri, even though his own mind might have slipped that way a time or two.

Given the way No. 8 Kansas had played lately, they weren’t always pleasant thoughts.

That certainly changed Wednesday night, though, when Thomas Robinson had 20 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks in an 84-62 blowout of the Sooners.

“I’m leaving out of here more excited about our team than before the game started,” Self said. “I didn’t think the last couple of weeks we had been that good. We’re going to have to be better Saturday night than we were tonight, but we were pretty good.”

Pretty close to perfect, at least in the second half.

Tyshawn Taylor had 21 points, Jeff Withey added 15 and Travis Releford had 12 for Kansas (18-4, 8-1 Big 12), which responded to its first conference loss at Iowa State by outscoring turnover-prone Oklahoma 50-31 over the final 20 minutes.

“I don’t think it was difficult to focus on this game because of our last game,” Taylor said, adding: “Coach said in the locker room, ‘It’s something we can start focusing on now.’ ”

The Jayhawks haven’t lost to Oklahoma in the last nine meetings, and the last 10 at venerable Allen Fieldhouse, where they have won 19 straight overall. They have also gone 225 games without consecutive defeats, the longest streak in the nation. Duke is next at 110 games.

“They’re a terrific ball club. Bill does a great job,” said Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, who is no stranger to the Jayhawks from his days as a player and coach at Kansas State. “You can’t give them that opportunity to get up and get going like they did. They finished it pretty early in the second half.”

Romero Osby scored 19 points, Steven Pledger had 17 and Andrew Fitzgerald finished with 14 for the Sooners (13-8, 3-6), who were within 34-31 at halftime before Kansas hit its stride.

The game nearly got out of hand much earlier, when Elijah Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers and Taylor — after some encouragement from Self — carved into the lane for an acrobatic layup.

Robinson’s putback moments later gave the Jayhawks a 30-19 lead.

“Coach just told me that I’m not playing like the player I’m capable of being,” Robinson said. “He’s been stressing all week that I haven’t been aggressive.”

Kruger wisely called for a timeout, and his Sooners embarked on 12-2 run.

Cameron Clark’s basket started it and Pledger added a deep 3-pointer from the wing. The hot-shooting Pledger, who had 30 points in a win over Kansas State last weekend, capped the spurt with another 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the half, drawing the Sooners within 32-31.

Taylor’s two foul shots just before the buzzer restored the three-point cushion.

It turned out to be the closest Oklahoma got.

“I thought we battled pretty well for a half,” Kruger said. “Then we opened the second half not how we wanted to, or not how we needed to, for sure.”

Withey, who played just 8 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, scored the first basket of the second half, sending the Jayhawks on a 12-2 run that resulted in a 44-33 lead.

Robinson added an impressive dunk off a feed from Taylor, who finished with six assists, and Kansas kept drawing away. Taylor’s deep 3 from the wing as the shot clock wound down pushed the lead to 59-39 with 11:41 left in the game.

The lead reached 30 when Withey made a nice post move on C.J. Washington and drew a foul with 4:06 left. The 7-footer, an 86 percent free throw shooter, made both for an 80-49 lead.

“We took a lot of 3-pointers in the first half, kind of playing into their hands, how they wanted to play,” Taylor said. “I think we got a lot of fast-break points and in the paint just because of our defensive pressure, getting fast breaks.”

Self substituted liberally after that, allowing his starters to bask in the adoration of another sellout crowd and rest up before the first installment this season of the Border War.

The Jayhawks had been wary not to look ahead to their game against Missouri (20-2, 7-2), who had a couple of extra days to prepare after beating Texas on Monday night. They can now turn their full attention to one of the biggest regular-season matchups ever between the teams.

“If we’re tuned in defensively and we’re rebounding the ball, I think we can beat anybody, and I think that’s going to be our focus these next couple weekends, guarding and rebounding the ball,” Taylor said. “We have to win these games. We have to. They’re important.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas Head Football Coach Charlie Weis and his staff hit the ground running upon being hired in mid-December, collecting a total of 20 signatures for its 2012 football class released Wednesday.

KU received signatures from 17 players on Wednesday, in addition to the three players who were previously announced as mid-year transfers in Dayne Crist, Jake Heaps and Justin McCay. In all, the Jayhawks inked 11 offensive players and nine defensive players.

Weis and his staff put together one of the top quarterback classes of all-time with Crist and Heaps both rated as five-star players by Rivals.com and Scout.com as high school seniors and City College of San Francisco signal caller Taylor Baty joining the mix on Wednesday as a three-star prospect by both websites.

KU signed junior college All-Americans in running back Taylor Cox and defensive lineman Jordan Tavai. Tavai was one of four defensive linemen to join the Jayhawks on Wednesday as Keon Stowers and Ty McKinney arrive in Lawrence by way of junior college and Tyler Holmes comes to KU straight from high school.

Six players from the state of Texas are going to become Jayhawks, including Dallas-Ft. Worth area natives Courtney Arnick, Holmes and McKinney; Houston area natives Greg Allen and Ty’ree Williams and Waco area native Jordan Smith.

Kansas signed three players from the California in Los Angeles area players Crist and Tavai and San Francisco area native Baty.

KU’s Sunflower state signees include Brian Beckman (Blue Valley West) and Tre Parmalee (Bishop Miege), both of Overland Park.

2012 Kansas Football Signees

Player                        Pos. Ht.    Wt.   Yr.    Exp. Hometown (Previous School)

Dayne Crist*            QB   6-4   235  Sr.   TR    Canoga Park, Calif. (Notre Dame)

Jake Heaps*            QB   6-1   200  Jr.    TR    Issaquah, Wash. (BYU)

Justin McCay*          WR   6-3   220  So.   TR    Kansas City, Mo. (Oklahoma)

* Already on campus this spring

Player                        Pos. Ht.    Wt.   Yr.    Exp. Hometown (Previous School)

Greg Allen               DB   5-11 190  Fr.   HS    Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor HS)

Courtney Arnick        LB    6-2   205  Fr.   HS    Dallas, Texas (Carter HS)

Turner Baty             QB   6-2   220  So.   JC    Redwood City, Calif. (City College of San Francisco)

Brian Beckman         OL    6-6   315  Fr.   HS    Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS)

Charles Brooks         TE    6-6   240  Jr.    JC    St. Louis, Mo. (Scottsdale CC)

Sean Connolly          OL    6-7   290  Fr.   HS    Kirtland Hills, Ohio (St. Edward HS)

Taylor Cox               RB    5-11 206  Jr.    JC    Mill Creek, Wash. (College of the Siskiyous)

Josh Ford                WR   6-3   190  Jr.    JC    Landover, Md. (Arizona Western CC)

Tyler Holmes            DL    6-3   280  Fr.   HS    Garland, Texas (Sachse HS)

Schyler Miles            LB    6-2   220  Fr.   HS    Tampa, Fla. (Berkeley Prep HS)

Ty McKinney            DL    6-3   310  Jr.    JC    Athens, Texas (Trinity Valley CC)

Nasir Moore             DB   6-1   185  Jr.    JC    Suwanee, Ga. (East Los Angeles College)

Tre Parmalee           WR   5-10 170  Fr.   HS    Overland Park, Kan. (Bishop Miege HS)

Jordan Smith           TE    6-5   240  Fr.   HS    McGregor, Texas (Reicher Catholic HS)

Keon Stowers          DL    6-3   280  So.   JC    Rock Hill, S.C. (Georgia Military College)

Jordan Tavai            DL    6-3   290  Jr.    JC    Redondo Beach, Calif. (El Camino CC)

Ty’ree Williams         DB   6-0   189  Fr.   HS    Stafford, Texas (Dulles HS)

*Dayne Crist

QB, 6-4, 235, Sr., TR

Canoga Park, Calif.

(Notre Dame HS/Notre Dame)

Graduated from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in December 2011 with a degree in management-consulting … Appeared in 17 games for the Irish, including 10 starts … Threw for 2,327 yards, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 games at Notre Dame … Started the first nine games of the 2010 season before suffering a season-ending injury … Amassed 2,033 yards passing yards and 15 TDs prior to his injury … No. 2-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2008 according to Rivals.com … Selected to play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio following his senior season at Notre Dame HS … One of six finalists for the 2008 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award and was one of seven finalists for the Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year Award … Played for Kevin Rooney at Notre Dame High School … Also had offers out of high school from Florida State, USC, Iowa, Michigan, Stanford, Nebraska and Oregon … Son of Tim and Karen Crist.

*Jake Heaps

QB, 6-1, 200, Jr., TR

Issaquah, Wash.

(Skyline HS/BYU)

Transferred to Kansas from Brigham Young in January 2012 … Started the final 10 games of his freshman season at BYU (2010) and the first five games in 2011 … Set freshman school records for yards passing (2,316), attempts (383), completions (219) and touchdown passes (15) during the 2010 season … Led BYU to a 7-6 overall mark in 2010 and a win over UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl … Played in nine games in 2011, starting six … Completed 144-of-252 passes, good for 1,452 yards and nine TDs as a sophomore … No. 1-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2010 according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com … Earned Parade All-America honors following his senior season and was invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as the starting quarterback for the West team … Led his Skyline High School team to three consecutive state championships and a perfect 28-0 mark during his sophomore and junior campaigns … Played for Matt Taylor at Skyline HS … Also recruited by Oklahoma, Florida State, USC, Florida, UCLA, Georgia, Alabama, California, Tennessee, Washington and LSU out of high school … Son of Steve and Kelly Heaps … Married to wife Brooke.

*Justin McCay

WR, 6-3, 220, So., TR

Kansas City, Mo.

(Bishop Miege HS/Oklahoma)

Transferred to Kansas from Oklahoma in January 2012 … Saw action in three games for the Sooners in 2011, while battling injuries … Redshirted during the 2010 season … Was the top-ranked player in the state of Kansas in 2009 according to Rivals.com … Rated a five-star recruit by Scout.com and a four-star recruit by Rivals.com … Selected to participate in the U.S. Army All-American game, where he teamed up with current KU quarterback Jake Heaps … Named to the 2009 Kansas Football Coaches Association All-State team as a senior after registering 46 receptions for 926 yards and 15 touchdowns and 18 carries for 252 yards and four touchdowns … Also recorded 12 kick returns for 426 yards (35.5 average) and two TDs along with five punt returns (18.2 average) and one touchdown in his final season with the Stags … Picked up first team all-state honors by the Topeka Capital Journal, the Wichita Eagle and the Kansas City Star … Played for current KU offensive line coach Tim Grunhard at Bishop Miege … Also considered Florida, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin out of high school … Son of Felicia Diane White and the late Robert Steven McCay.

Greg Allen

DB, 5-11, 190, Fr., HS

Houston, Texas

(Alief Taylor HS)

Recorded 58 total tackles, 13 pass breakups and one interception during senior season at Alief Taylor HS … Was a first team All-District honoree in both 2010 and 2011, earning District 18-5A Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011 … Earned honorable mention All-District honors in 2009 … Ranked as one of the top 25 defensive backs in Texas by Dave Campbell … Named to 2011 Pre-Season All-Greater Houston High School Football Team by Touchdown Club of Houston … A three-year letterwinner in football … Also competed in track and field at Alief Taylor, earning team MVP honors as a junior … Coached by J.D. Jordan at Alief Taylor … Selected Kansas over Utah, Ole Miss and Memphis … Son of Camella Allen … Born in New Orleans, La., but moved to Houston following Hurricane Katrina … His cousin, Shawn Allen, plays football at Grambling.

Courtney Arnick

LB, 6-2, 205, Fr., HS

Dallas, Texas

(Carter HS)

A three-star linebacker according to Rivals.com … Rated the 13th best linebacker in the Dallas Metro area by the Dallas Morning News … Earned unanimous first team District 11-4A honors following his senior season … Had a 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown in his school’s ‘Super Bowl’ rivalry game against Kimball HS during his senior season … Recorded 112 tackles (60 solos), 16 TFLs, three pass breakups and one interception in 2011 … Voted Carter’s team MVP as a senior … Named to ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth’s, District 11-4A’s, 2011 Preseason watch list … Served as team captain as a senior … Coached by Patrick Willams at Carter HS … Also competed in track and field, where he placed second at the district meet in the discus and fourth in the shot put as a junior … An excellent student, ranks seventh in his graduating class at Carter and is the senior class vice president … Also considered Boise State, Houston, Colorado State and Memphis … Son of Carla and Curlie Arnick … Brother, Curnelius, recently completed his collegiate career at Tulsa, where he was a four-year starter at linebacker and led the Golden Hurricane with 159 tackles in 2011.

Turner Baty

QB, 6-2, 220, So., JC

Redwood City, Calif.

(New Canaan Prep/CC of San Francisco)

Named Most Valuable Player of the California Community College Athletic Association state championship after leading City College of San Francisco to the title and a perfect 12-0 mark in 2011 … CCSF were named the 2011 JC Football National Champions … Completed 178 of 265 pass attempts, good for 62.2 percent … Threw for 2,410 yards and 23 touchdowns, with just five interceptions … Also recorded 249 yards rushing and seven TDs on the ground … Coached by George Rush at CCSF … Played his senior season at New Canaan Prep (Conn.), leading the Rams to their fourth-straight CIAC Championship … Named MVP of the state championship game after leading New Canaan Prep to a 28-0 win … Threw for 2,452 yards and 26 TDs in his one season at New Canaan … Spent his sophomore and junior seasons at Menlo-Atherton (Calif.) High School … Threw for 1,800 yards, with 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a junior … Also rushed for 200 yards and two TDs … Helped lead Menlo-Atherton to a 22-4 overall mark and a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play during his two seasons with the Bears … Son of Kathleen Baty and Greg Baty … Father, Greg, played tight end at Stanford, while his grandfather played at Michigan.

Brian Beckman

OL, 6-6, 315, Fr., HS

Overland Park, Kan.

(Blue Valley West HS)

Named the top offensive lineman prospect and third overall prospect in the state of Kansas by Rivals.com heading into senior campaign … Missed his senior season at Blue Valley West due to injury … Earned honorable mention All-Eastern Kansas League honors as a junior … Coached by Scott Wright at BVWHS … Also lettered in track and field at Blue Valley West and taking second in the discus and third in the shot put at 2011 Kansas State Track and Field Championships … An outstanding student … Member of the National Honor Society, the BVWHS Honor Roll and the German Club … Plans to major in English at KU … Chose Kansas over Kansas State … Son of Cathy and Bruce Beckman … Father, Bruce, was a wrestler at Nebraska.

Charles Brooks

TE, 6-6, 240, Jr., JC

St. Louis, Mo.

(Maplewood HS/Scottsdale CC)

One of the top junior college tight ends  in 2011 by Rivals.com … Played in nine games during the 2011 season for Scottsdale Community College, catching 26 passes for 317 yards and five touchdowns … Missed two games with an injury … Coached by Doug Madoski at SCC … Did not start playing football until his senior year of high school … During his lone season at Maplewood HS he caught 33 passes for 769 yards and eight touchdowns … Helped lead his team to a near perfect season and the Missouri Class 2 State Semi-Finals … Member of the 2010 Class 2 All-State Football squad as well as All-Metro Football team … Suited up as a power forward for the school’s basketball team … Named MVP and All-South Central Athletic Association First Team member for 2008-09 basketball season … Chose Kansas over Ole Miss, New Mexico, Middle Tennessee and Florida International … Son of Anita Williams.

Sean Connolly

OL, 6-7, 290, Fr., HS

Kirtland Hills, Ohio

(St. Edward HS)

Helped St. Edward to a perfect 15-0 record and a Division I state championship during the 2010 campaign … St. Edward finished with an 8-4 mark during the 2011 season, falling in the regional semi-finals … Member of an offensive line that has three players moving on to BCS schools following graduation … Coached by Rick Fionti at St. Edward … Played varsity basketball during his freshman and sophomore years at St. Edward … Picked Kansas over Akron, Marshall and Wyoming … An outstanding student … Member of the St. Edward Honor Roll and is a student ambassador … Son of Melissa and Tim Connolly.

Taylor Cox

RB, 5-11, 206, Jr., JC

Mill Creek, Wash.

(Jackson HS/College of the Siskiyous)

Selected as an All-American by the California Community Colleges Football Association following his sophomore season … Rushed for 1,507 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games during 2011 season … Claims school records for rushing yards in a game (326), career (2,744) and touchdowns in career (31) … Tallied 1,237 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns on 212 carries as a freshman … Also had 31 receptions for 148 yards and three TDs in 2010 … Coached by Charlie Roche at College of Siskiyous … Named First Team All-Wesco during junior and senior seasons at running back as well as at cornerback at Jackson HS … Rushed for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns over his final two high school seasons … Also recorded 307 receiving yards and four touchdown catches … Rushed for over 200 yards in three games during his senior season … Helped lead Jackson to Wesco South Championship in 2008 … Played in Washington State Football Coaches Association All-State game in spring of 2009 … Chose KU over Utah State … Son of McCall Cox.

Josh Ford

WR, 6-3, 190, Jr., JC

Landover, Md.

(Coolidge HS/Arizona Western CC)

Earned All-ACCAC and All-Western States Football League first team honors in 2011 … As a sophomore at Arizona Western Community College he recorded 58 receptions, good for 845 yards and 10 touchdowns, which were all team highs … Had six catches for 117 yards and a TD in the 2011 El Toro Bowl, which was the NJCAA National Championship game … As a freshman at AWCC he hauled in 20 receptions, good for 252 yards and a touchdown … Suited up for Tom Minnick at AWCC … Played wide receiver and kick returner for the Colts of Calvin Coolidge HS in Washington, D.C. … Earned two letters in football and helped lead the Colts to a 9-3 mark during his junior season and the first round of the playoffs … Named team MVP as a senior … Also lettered as a sprinter for the Colts’ track & field team, earning Most Valuable Runner honors as a senior … Was a member of the top 4×200-meter relay team in the nation in 2009-10 … Son of Lynette Ford.

Tyler Holmes

DL, 6-3, 280, Fr., HS

Garland, Texas

(Sachse HS)

Recorded 104 tackles, five sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and three forced fumbles playing both defensive tackle and defensive end … Named first team All-District and was named Sachse HS team MVP and Defensive Lineman of the Year … Helped his team reach the second round of the Texas Class 5A State Playoffs during his senior year … Played for Mark Behrens at SHS … Chose Kansas over Western Kentucky and Central Arkansas … Would like to major in graphic design … Son of Linda and Tony Holmes … Father, Tony, played football at Arkansas … Uncle, Kevin Holmes, also played football at Arkansas.

Ty McKinney

DL, 6-3, 310, Jr., JC

Weatherford, Texas

(Zion Academy/Trinity Valley CC)

Tied for fourth during 2011 season in the Southwest Junior College Conference with four sacks, which also led his team … Compiled 27 total tackles, two of which were for a loss and added a fumble recovery during his sophomore campaign at Trinity Valley … Played for Brad Smiley at Trinity Valley CC … Recorded 39 stops and two fumble recoveries during his senior year at Zion Academy … Garnered Defensive Player of the Year honors for District 7-4A West following his 2009 season at Zion Academy … Named first team All-District as a junior and senior … Earned three letters in football … Plans to major in education at Kansas and would like to pursue a career in coaching … Also considered Houston, UTEP and Arkansas State … Son of Lyedea Caston and Alex McKinney … Brother, Adrick McKinney, played basketball at TCU … Uncle, Norman McKinney, played football at Texas State.

Schyler Miles

LB, 6-2, 220, Fr., HS

Tampa, Fla.

(Berkeley Prep HS)

Made 123 total stops and 60 solo tackles during senior season at Berkeley Prep … Forced four fumbles and also had four sacks … Led Berkeley Prep to an undefeated season in 2011 and Class 3A-District 5 title … Named to the Tampa Tribune’s and St. Pete Times All-State and All-Hillsborough County First Team as a linebacker … Rated the 27th best inside linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com … Saw action at fullback and tight end for the Berkeley offense, collected 52 rushing yards on 16 carries and 88 receiving yards on four catches … Played for Dominic Ciao at Berkeley Prep … Considered Florida, Notre Dame and West Virginia before choosing Kansas … Son of Susan Miles and Brandon Miles … Father, Brandon, competed in both football and wrestling at Indiana.

Nasir Moore

DB, 6-1, 185, Jr., JC

Suwanee, Ga.

(Peachtree Ridge HS/East Los Angeles College)

Played the 2011 season at East Los Angeles College where he was coached by Lynn Cain … Helped lead ELAC to an 8-3 mark and a win over Santa Monica in the American Division Championship Bowl game … Named Defensive Player of the Game honors in the American Division Championship Bowl game … Recorded 21 tackles, including 17 solo tackles, in 2011 … Also had 1.5 TFLs, eight interceptions, ten pass breakups and one sack … His eight interceptions were the most in the California Community College Athletic Association … Earned first team SCFA All-Mountain Conference at cornerback … Spent the 2010 season at West Hills Community College where he started two games at wide receiver … Started as a junior and senior at wide receiver at Peachtree Ridge High School … Also participated in track at PRHS … Chose Kansas after considering BYU and Utah … Son of Isis Spencer and Samir Moore.

Tre Parmalee

WR, 5-10, 170, Fr., HS

Overland Park, Kan.

(Bishop Miege HS)

Set every single-season receiving record at Bishop Miege in 2011 as he recorded 1,164 yards on 82 receptions to go along with 15 touchdowns … Earned first team All-State honors from the Kansas City Star, Wichita Eagle and the Topeka Capitol Journal … Also named to the Kansas City  Star’s All-Metro team … Took home the Otis Taylor Award, for the best wide receiver in Kansas City … Earned Top 11 honors from both the Topeka Capitol Journal and the Wichita Eagle … Named first team All-EKL as both a wide receiver and a defensive back … Tallied 57 tackles and five interceptions on defense … Played for current KU offensive line coach, Tim Grunhard, at Bishop Miege … Plans to major in Sports Management … Selected Kansas over Northern Illinois … Son of Angel and Bernie Parmalee … Father, Bernie, is currently the tight ends coach with the Kansas City Chiefs and had a nine year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.

Jordan Smith

TE, 6-5, 240, Fr., HS

McGregor, Texas

Reicher Catholic HS

Saw action for Reicher Catholic as both a wide receiver and tight end on offense and a defensive end on defense … Had 16 catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns as a senior … Also recorded three touchdowns for the RCHS defense in 2011 … Named first team All-State as a tight end … Was an honorable mention member of the Super Centex team on defense … Reeled in six catches for 109 yards during his junior year, averaging 18 yards per catch with two touchdowns … Member of the Reicher Catholic team that captured the state title in 2009 … Played for Mark Waggoner at Reicher Catholic … Also ran track at RCHS competing in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles … Son of Tonya and Steve Smith and Dennis Smith … Father, Dennis, played offensive line at Baylor before going on to play in the NFL for both the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins … Stepfather, Steve, played wide receiver at Midwestern State.

Keon Stowers

DL, 6-3, 280, So., JC

Rock Hill, S.C.

(Northwestern HS/Georgia Military College)

Made 26 total stops during his sophomore year at Georgia Military College, including 10 solo tackles … Also recorded three TFLs and two interceptions … Coached by Bert Williams at Georgia Military College … Earned All-Region honors his senior season at Northwestern HS … Recorded 95 tackles, eight TFLs, five sacks and three interceptions … Ranked the 13th best player in the state of South Carolina following his senior season … Also earned two letters in track and field … Placed second in the state meet in the discus his senior year … Would like to major in Physical Education at Kansas … Chose Kansas over Louisville, Iowa State, Indiana and South Alabama … Lists Larry Shaw as his mentor.

Jordan Tavai

DL, 6-3, 290, Jr., JC

Redondo Beach, Calif.

(Mira Costa HS/El Camino CC)

Named to the California Community College Football Coaches Association All-America team and All-Region IV as a defensive tackle following his sophomore season at El Camino … Unanimous selection as the 2011 All-Northern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the SFCA … Started all 10 games as a sophomore … Tallied 58 total tackles, seven TFLs, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick in leading El Camino to an 8-2 record and an appearance in the National Bowl … Started all 10 games as a freshman at El Camino … Recorded 30 tackles, six TFLs, 3.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick in 2010 … Coached by John Featherstone at El Camino CC … Recorded 86 tackles during his senior season at Mira Costa HS, including 66 solo tackles … Also had five sacks and two fumble recoveries … Named All-CIF and All-Bay League first team at defensive line as a senior … Considered Texas Tech, Washington State and Indiana before choosing Kansas … Son of Nua and Will Tavai … The oldest of six children … Brother, J.R., plays football at USC and played in seven games at defensive tackle as a freshman in 2011.

Ty’ree Williams

DB, 6-0, 189, Fr., HS

Stafford, Texas

(Dulles HS)

Earned two letters in football at Dulles HS … Recorded 37 tackles and three interceptions while playing cornerback … Also had three touchdown catches for DHS at wide receiver … Earned first team All-District honors following his senior season … Coached by Jim Creech at Dulles … A three-year letterwinner in baseball and a two-year letterwinner in basketball … An All-District honoree in baseball … Chose KU over SMU and North Texas … Would like to major in business at Kansas … Son of Debra Woods.

— KU Sports Information —

Royce White has been so bad from the free throw line lately that his struggles have literally turned into nightmares.

A few hours after waking up from a dream in which he couldn’t hit anything from the line, White sank the two biggest freebies of his career to give Iowa State a landmark win for coach Fred Hoiberg.

White had 18 points and nine rebounds as the Cyclones upset fifth-ranked Kansas 72-64 on Saturday, snapping the Jayhawks’ winning streak at 10 games.

White, the versatile big man who entered shooting an abysmal 39 percent from the line in Big 12 games, hit a pair that rattled in to put Iowa State up 64-59 with 1:47 left.

Kansas then threw the ball away and Chris Babb drained a backbreaking 3 to give the Cyclones an eight-point lead with 55.6 seconds left.

“I woke up this morning dreaming about missing free throws. So I was in the gym this morning and shot free throws trying to get it right,” White said. “Teammates keep encouraging me and telling me, ‘You can make free throws.'”

Tyshawn Taylor led five players in double figures with 16 points and 10 assists for Kansas (17-4, 7-1 Big 12), which hadn’t lost since Dec. 19 against Davidson.

Big 12 player of the year favorite Thomas Robinson had 13 points, but he committed five turnovers and the Jayhawks were outrebounded 36-23.

“I thought we got stops, but I didn’t think we cleaned up. How many times did they miss a shot and the ball go off of us and us not secure or whatever?” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Obviously, we didn’t do a good last 3 minutes defensively at all.”

Melvin Ejim had 15 points and Scott Christopherson added 14 for the Cyclones (15-6, 5-3), who had lost 13 straight to Kansas since their last victory in 2005. Iowa State students celebrated the program’s biggest win in years — and first over Kansas at home since 2004 — by storming the floor.

“It was a great win for our program. But like I told our guys, you know, you’ve got to expect to win your home games,” Hoiberg said. “I told the guys to enjoy it and get refocused.”

This was Kansas’ toughest true road test of the year so far — and it ended with the Jayhawks’ first true road loss of the season.

But Kansas caught the Cyclones napping to start the second half and took its biggest lead to that point, 45-39, thanks to an 11-0 run. Big man Anthony Booker brought Iowa State back, sinking a rare 3-pointer to put the Cyclones ahead 50-49 with 12:13 left.

Neither team could get much going over the next 6 minutes, but Tyrus McGee’s three-point play gave Iowa State a 56-53 lead with just over 6 minutes left. Robinson then blew an open dunk and White hit two layups — one a reverse he spun off the glass — to make it 60-55 Iowa State with 3:42 left.

“This was our first true road game with a good crowd, a good atmosphere. So, we’re going to be seeing that from now on,” Taylor said. “Our emphasis this week in practice is just going to be taking care of the ball and just rebound and rebound. You can’t lose on the boards like that.”

Iowa State fed off the energy of its second sellout crowd of the year and jumped on the Jayhawks early.

Booker drilled a 3 and Babb followed with a steal and layup that put Iowa State ahead 19-11, prompting Self to call timeout.

Kansas finally took a 31-29 lead on an impressive scoop through traffic from Taylor with 3:31 left before the break. Iowa State rallied to grab the halftime advantage, 37-33, despite committing 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

The Cyclones led in part because of their defense on Robinson. He was 1-of-6 shooting in the first half and traveled three times trying to free himself up for shots in the paint.

“Just not playing my game. Speeding up the game and not taking my time. I’m just not playing the same right now,” Robinson said.

Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each scored 10 points for Kansas.

Kansas certainly knew what Iowa State was capable of after the Cyclones threw a scare into the Jayhawks in Lawrence two weeks ago.

Iowa State led at halftime Jan. 14 and pushed its lead to as many as 12 points before Kansas stormed back for an 82-73 win. The Cyclones might have been able to pull off that upset had they shot better than 2 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half.

Iowa State didn’t let the opportunity pass by this time around — and it now has a marquee win that will look great on its resume come March.

“It definitely feels good to beat them. We felt like we should have won the first time,” said White, who finished 6 of 11 from the line. “We knew that it was basically a must-win for us.”

— Associated Press —