Season tickets selling

As of Thursday, KU had sold 21,000 season tickets, including just over 11,000 full-price reserve tickets.

KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said both figures were higher than this time a year ago.

“The mood is good about the sale of tickets, but we’re not satisfied at all,” Marchiony said. “We’re going to keep trying, keep pushing. The sky’s the limit.”

Marchiony lauded the activity of Williams Fund donors, who bought 3,000 more full-priced reserve tickets this year than in 2004.

In all, KU has had about an 80 percent renewal rate, a figure Marchiony said was close to what many schools posted.

Summer workouts over

The optional summer-workout program with strength coach Chris Dawson wrapped up last week, and all signs show participation was high and the work was rewarding.

“Chris Dawson has taken a few days off and hasn’t said much about it,” KU coach Mark Mangino said, “but every indication is that he was very impressed. Our numbers have improved in every area in terms of power, strength and speed.”

No Charles after all

Some confusion circulated as to whether Clavens Charles, a junior-college transfer who earlier this year announced his intention to play at Kansas, actually would suit up this fall.

Mangino said Thursday that he wouldn’t.

“Clavens will not be here,” Mangino said, adding that Charles, a defensive back, never signed but only committed. “It was his intention to come here, and it was our intention to have him here, but he had some issues to take care of, and we thought it was best if he went another way.”