NEWS » on track. He needed one jump to make it through qualify

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas is capable of draining long-range shots.This much, Bill Self sees every day in practice. Actually, as far back as when the Kansas coach recruited players for a team ranked No. 7.Through a 2-1 start, however, the Jayhawks are shooting only 23.1 percent from 3-point range and have been outscored from behind the arc, 93-36.Their top backcourt bombers -- senior Frank Mason and juniors Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk -- have combined to go 9 of 37 entering a game Monday against Alabama Birmingham (2-1) as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic at Sprint Center.I know were better shooters than what weve shot, Self said. Devonte, Frank and Svi, none of them have gotten on a roll yet. I know we can become a pretty good shooting team.Against Siena on Nov. 18, an 86-65 win that counted as the Jayhawks host game in the CBE tournament, Kansas was outscored 24-3 at one point from 3-point range as the Saints trimmed a second-half deficit to five.Weve been shooting the ball well in practice, it just hasnt translated into games, said Mason, who led Kansas in scoring in each of its three games and averages 23 points despite making only two 3-pointers this season.Fatigue remains a factor the Jayhawks must confront.Another semifinal between Georgia (2-1) and George Washington (3-0) is scheduled Monday before the CBE championship round is played Tuesday.The Jayhawks opened the season traveling to Honolulu and New York for a split with Indiana and Duke and now face three games in five days.Throughout the opening stretch, and throughout the season actually, attention will be focused on Josh Jackson, a 6-foot-8 freshman guard who came to Kansas ranked as the nations top recruit by some services.Jackson has shown flashes, but also encountered foul problems in each game, averaging only 22 minutes while scoring at an 11.7-point clip.On occasion, Jackson has been clearly agitated by some calls, drawing a technical foul in the win over Duke.Hes an emotional youngster, but thats something hes got to do a better job with, Self said. I do think that hes got to control his emotions a little bit.Getting frustrated like that, sometimes its OK but its not thinking next play. Youve got to put that behind you. Hell get better at that.UAB is coping with the loss of Nick Norton, a starting junior point guard, who was lost for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in the season opener.In their first game without Norton, the Blazers had a 26-game homecourt winning streak snapped by Furman before rebounding to defeat Troy 74-51 on Nov. 17.UAB was picked as the consensus favorite in Conference USA after claiming the title last season and moving on to the NCAA Tournament before settling for a school-record 26 wins.William Lee, a 6-9 junior forward who is the reigning C-USA defensive player of the year, had seven rebounds and seven blocked shots in the win over Troy.Junior forward Chris Cokley paces the Blazers, averaging a team-high 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds.Sophomore guard Deion Lavender flirted with a triple-double against Troy, posting nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists. With Norton out, Lavender shared duties at the point with senior Denzell Watts.We did a better job of balancing the minutes and not relying strictly on Deion, said Robert Ehsan, who was promoted to head coach at UAB this season after Jerod Haase left for Stanford.Denzell was fantastic. Deion played off the ball as well, which he is an asset at. This is the kind of expectation that the coaches have for Deion, to be this productive. He had a great game. Toronto Blue Jays Pro Shop . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Toronto Blue Jays Store . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Blue Jays Jerseys China . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. EUGENE, Ore. -- LaShawn Merritt considers his 200-meter races to be more of a lark than anything else.Think of the possibilities if they ever become a serious pursuit.Already qualified for the Olympics in his real race, the 400, Merritt pulled away for an easy victory in the opening round of 200-meter qualifying at the rain-soaked U.S. Olympic Trials on Thursday, posting the nights third-best time at 20.09 seconds.He already has the worlds best time this year, at 19.78 seconds, and if world-record holder Usain Bolts hamstring injury turns out to be worse than expected -- well, who knows what could happen?Its not really a serious thing for me, said Merritt, who also owns the fastest time at 400 meters this year. I just want to have some fun with it, and if I have the ability to do it, I figure Ill do it. Ill try to make it as light as possible.Among those who take the 200 more seriously are worlds silver medalist Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers and Wallace Spearmon, who is trying to return to the upper-echelon of this race after struggling with injuries. All made it through their first-round heats with ease.Allyson Felix also views it as more work than play, and is trying to become the first woman to win Olympic gold in both events. Felix is already qualified at 400 meters and begins her quest in the 200, her specialty, on Friday.Merritt could become the first man to win a 200-400 Olympic double since Michael Johnson in 1996. But his specialty is the 400 and he still has some goals there.Among them: World record, he said. He won the Olympic gold in 2008, but pulled out of the first round in 2012 with a hamstring injury.In his world, the 200 is mainly good training.And yet, watching him pumping his fists as he hit the stretch, then steadily pulling away for a .44-second cushion over the second-place finisher, it was easy to see why hes at least giving this a try.If anybody can do it, LaShawn can do it, Gatlin said. To watch him run is amazing. I know hes got it in the tank. So lets see him put it out there.Gatlin, a more seasoned veteran than Merritt at both the distance and the art of the double, saved energy in his opener, especially with rain starting to soak the track at Hayward Field. He ran the 200 in 20.32 and finished .05 behind Ameer Webb. But all these prelim times go in the wastebasket almost as soon as theyre recordeed.ddddddddddddust play it smart, Gatlin said. Im on to the next round. Almost a blueprint of what I did in the 100. Go faster. Rise to the occasion.Other happenings on Day 6 of Olympic Trials:SHOT DIVA: Michelle Carter (Twitter handle (at)shotdiva) already had her Olympic spot wrapped up. Then, she did the same thing as at world indoor championships in the spring: She won the meet on the last throw of the night. Her mark of 64 feet, 3 1/4 inches beat out Raven Saunders and knocked Felisha Saunders into third. Said veteran Jill Camarena-Williams, who finished fifth in what she said would be her last Olympic Trials: I always wait to see Michelles last throw. I would never, ever leave.TRIPLE JUMP: Two-time NCAA champion Keturah Orji, who once dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast, will get a chance at another kind of title. She won the womens triple jump and will head to Rio. On the mens side, Christian Taylors quest for an Olympic repeat is on track. He needed one jump to make it through qualifying, and will try to secure his spot Saturday.THE TOUGHEST JUMP: Stephanie Garcia was in the mix for an Olympic spot in steeplechase until the final lap. First, she got passed for the third position. Then, in her quest to catch up, she stumbled over the last barrier and went tumbling. Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley got the trips to Rio. Garcia said she still earned a victory of sorts: I knew if I didnt make it, then I was going to make those who did work very, very hard, she said.MORE MEDALS: Among Olympic medal winners who made it through their qualifying rounds Thursday were Leonel Manzano (1,500), Bershawn Jackson (400 hurdles) and Dawn Harper-Nelson (100 hurdles). Harper-Nelson, the 2008 gold medalist, was in the same heat with American record holder Keni Harrison, but barely noticed. I tell my husband, `Tell me what lane Im in and what heat. The rest doesnt matter, Harper-Nelson said.QUOTABLE: With (Jamaicas) rules, hopefully theyll let him in. If not, it might be the first time the Olympic committee sends a personal invite to an athlete to come to the games. Theyd lose some money if he didnt show up. -- Spearmon, on the chances of Bolt making the Olympics despite his recent hamstring problems. ' ' '