LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -So much for the rebuilding year at Kansas. It lasted about two months.
Now, with three weeks to go in what was supposed to be a teaching vehicle as much as a regular season, the inexperienced Jayhawks are chasing No. 2 Oklahoma for a fifth consecutive Big 12 title.
They’re even surprising their own coach. From all appearances, the NCAA championship won last year by a flock of NBA-bound upperclassmen is not going away without a fight.
“I’m a little bit surprised, but it’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s Kansas,” said junior guard Sherron Collins, the only player left who had any meaningful part in beating Memphis in the title game.
The players who left took more than 80 percent of the scoring from the 2007-08 squad that won a team-record 37 games. Every starter is now playing professionally.
No. 15 Jayhawks (20-5, 9-1).
Since losing to Massachusetts and Arizona in December, Kansas has won 12 of 14. The only thing keeping its Big 12 record unblemished was a last-shot 62-60 setback at No. 10 Missouri.
“Yeah, I’m pleasantly surprised a little bit,” coach Bill Self said.
“We don’t play great all the time, and we’re not going to. But they’ve done a good job and they’re learning how to compete harder. And they’re getting tougher.”
Collins, a bold and muscular point guard, has emerged as the team leader as well as leading scorer. The second key cog is center Cole Aldrich, an unusually agile 6-foot-11 sophomore. Although hampered by a face mask he has worn since breaking his nose on Jan. 28, Aldrich provides a forceful defensive presence inside and also 14.6 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. He is the only Big 12 player besides Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin averaging a double-double.
It is not too surprising Collins and Aldrich might emerge. The pleasant surprises have been freshmen Tyshawn Taylor and twins Marcus and Markieff Morris, sophomore Tyrel Reed and junior Brady Morningstar.
Mario Little, a highly regarded 6-5 junior college transfer, was expected to be the best player on the team.
-8 Marcus Morris. A playground star in Philadelphia, the improving Morris had 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals at Kansas State.
“Marcus was fabulous,” Self said. “His presence was felt almost every possession, and he is a complete player. He’s got a lot of talent and he can do a lot of different things. Getting a few shots to go down has really helped his confidence.”
Typically, the Jayhawks are also playing tough and unrelenting defense. Self is working hard to keep everyone involved.
Reed’s dramatic 3-pointer was the turning point in halting a Colorado rally on Jan. 31. Taylor leads the team with 30 steals. Morningstar tops the conference in 3-point shooting. He was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the victory at Kansas State, which Self called “as good a road win that we’ve had since I’ve been at Kansas, considering the circumstances, how young we are and the environment.”
The Jayhawks have two home games this week against teams they already have beaten on the road. Then, on Monday night, they’ll be at Oklahoma for what could be the Big 12’s game of the year. If the Sooners win at Texas on Saturday, they could be No. 1 when they tip off against the Jayhawks.
surprise. I felt we could reload, that we could be just as good.”
After juggling egos and keeping his future pros all moving in the same direction a year ago, Self has faced a different challenge coaching and cajoling a talented but largely unschooled mix of youngsters.
“I thought his job last year was as good as anybody in the country,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. “Now he’s taken a bunch of young guys. Is he the best coach in the country? I don’t know. But I can tell you this: When you talk about one of the best coaches in the country at any level, college or pro, his name is going to be mentioned.”
Add A Comment