¢ A KU soccer signee from Geneva, Ill., liked Lawrence enough to overcome her initial dull impressions about Kansas, the Kane County Chronicle reports._There aren’t many places in Kansas that Kaitlyn Cunningham would volunteer to spend the next four years of her life.__Reviews of a trip to the state for a soccer showcase a couple of years back will not be appearing in promotional literature for the Kansas Travel and Tourism Division.__”My club team and I were actually making fun of Kansas, saying how boring it was out there,” Cunningham said.__Not long afterward, Cunningham made a trip to Lawrence, Kan., home of the University of Kansas. Suddenly, the Sunflower State looked much better._¢ A KU grad who has been senior vice president and art director of Playboy magazine is retiring, according to a press release. Tom Staebler has worked at Playboy since 1968._”Tom Staebler’s incredible art direction has been a crucial part of the mix that has made Playboy the best selling men’s magazine for decades,” said Hugh Hefner, Playboy’s Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer. “We will miss him as the magazine’s art director, but he will always be a part of the Playboy family. We are fortunate that Playboy magazine will continue to benefit from Tom’s expertise through his new consulting role.”_¢ Gonzaga University has become a “mini version of Tuscon, or Lawrence, Kan.,” in terms of its support for basketball, according to a columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. The bulk of the column is about the future of Santa Clara University’s basketball program._ “The board of trustees does not make a decision without saying, ‘How does this affect basketball?'” one league source said. “The economics of Gonzaga basketball are unique.”_