KU’s
basketball team will likely be 17-3 and ranked in the
top five nationally when the Jayhawks travel to Ames on
Saturday (Jan. 28) to play Iowa State.
The season is far from over, but Bill Self has his
short-handed team playing impeccable team basketball.
KU’s lack of depth forces all of the starters to play
close to 30 minutes per game; this could cause too much
wear and tear toward the end of the season.
The postseason conference tournament is a particular
disadvantage for a shallow team like KU. Playing two or
three tough games just a few days before the NCAA
Tournament will be a distinct disadvantage for this
Kansas team.
Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson have played superb
basketball for the Jayhawks, but it’s Jeff Withey’s
improvement that has made the biggest difference since
the semester break. Withey’s stamina and overall play
have both shown significant progress.
Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford complete the
starting five; they both play exceptional defense and
have had some outstanding offensive outings. Johnson is
starting to make some offensive drives to the basket,
which is taking some of the burden off Taylor.
KU’s starting five has spent so much time playing
together during games and practices that they can
anticipate the moves of their teammates on offense and
defense. Coach Self has his team playing big-time
basketball and each player knows his role and stays
within that role.
The guess here is that KU will be 19-3 when the
Jayhawks journey, for the last time, to friendly
Columbia to play Missouri on February 4. Round and round
it goes; where it stops, nobody knows.
If anyone had suggested three months ago that Charlie
Weis and Dave Campo would be on Kansas University’s
campus in January and in charge of the Jayhawks’
football program—that person would have been subject to
ridicule. This remarkable turn of events has propelled
KU football from the bottom of the futility pit to being
featured on prominent sports pages across the nation.
Two KU administrators are primarily responsible for
this amazing transformation and they’ve received scant
credit or praise from Kansas fans: Chancellor Bernadette
Gray-Little was instrumental in the hiring of Athletic
Director Sheahon Zenger and she has been wise enough to
let him do his job. And Zenger chose to avoid the
well-traveled road and followed his own vision on how to
raise the Jayhawks from the dregs of college football.
Coach Weis hasn’t won a game yet, but enthusiasm and
anticipation are at levels not seen at Kansas for many
years. The guess here is that Weis and his NFL-connected
coaching staff will turn KU’s program around much
quicker than expected. Chancellor Gray-Little and AD
Zenger deserve most of the credit for a remarkable
achievement in giving Kansas football a chance to excel.
The national letter-of-intent day for football is
coming up fast—Wednesday, February 1. This recruiting
class will be more interesting than most because of KU’s
late entry in the process.
K-State’s Bill Snyder will probably sign recruits
that are ranked toward the bottom of the Big 12 by the
so-called experts. It’s amazing how Snyder can keep
whipping Texas and a number of the other big names with
his average recruiting classes. Could it be that the
pundits don’t know what they’re talking and writing
about?
Kansas State’s basketball team has a crackerjack
starting lineup—a surprise in every game. Coach Frank
Martin seldom sends the same starting five out to start
back-to-back games; regardless, Martin’s method has
worked.
Martin has been consistent in his handling of three
players who have become regular starters on his
team—Will Spradling, Rodney McGruder, and Jamar Samuels.
McGruder has been sensational since the semester break,
leading K-State on offense and playing stellar defense.
Spradling and Samuels have been playing fundamentally
sound basketball on offense and defense.
Last Saturday K-State posted their first win over
Oklahoma State in Stillwater since 1993. In doing so,
the Wildcats are poised to move their record to 16-4 if
they win their next two games: at Texas Tech (Jan. 25)
and a home game on Saturday (Jan. 28) against Oklahoma.
K-State should win both of those games and will be well
on their way to at least 20-22 wins during the regular
season. That will be sufficient to gain an invitation to
the NCAA Tournament.
Martin suspended center Jordan Henriquez before the
O-State game, but don’t expect it to last for long.
K-State needs Henriquez in the pivot on offense and
defense; without him, the Wildcats are vulnerable
against bigger teams.
Frank Martin’s style is hard to understand compared
to other coaches and teams, but his won and lost record
since he became K-State’s head coach speaks for itself.
Reach Mac Stevenson: macsteve@cox.net or call him at
(785) 826-9200.
(MAC STEVENSON LIVES IN SALINA, AND WRITES A WEEKLY
COLUMN FOR OVER TEN NEWSPAPERS IN KANSAS.)
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