PAGE 11
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
MEN'S BASKETBALL
ALL DECADE TEAMS
Kansan basketball writers name their KU all-star teams
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
This All-Decade roster has players suited to each other's strengths and weaknesses on both offense and defense.
On offense, the backcourt and frontcourt would have played specific roles. Point guard Mario Chalmers would have run the offense because he averaged less than two turnovers per game and always had a calm demeanor. Shooting guard Brandon Rush could have spotted up around the perimeter to spread the floor for small forward Andrew Wiggins to attack the basket. Wayne Simien had his mid-range jumper
to complement Jeff Withey's knack to attack the post and the offensive boards.
The backcourt defense would have been just as good as its offense. Chalmers, who was part of the 2008 Big 12 Conference All-Defensive team, averaged just under three steals per game. Coach Self said that Brandon Rush was the best on-ball defender to play for him while at Kansas, and Wiggins always guarded the opponent's best offensive player. That's hard to compete against.
The frontcourt of Simien and Withey would have been dominate on defense, too. Withey, the two-time Big 12 Conference defensive player
of the year and all-time KU shot-block leader, would have anchored the team's defense. Simien was athletic enough to guard hybrid forwards away from the basket.
STARTERS:
C: Jeff Withey
PF: Wayne Simien
SF: Andrew Wiggins
SG: Brandon Rush
PG: Mario Chalmers
BENCH:
Sherron Collins Ben McLemore Cole Aldrich Thomas Robinson Darrell Arthur
BLAKE SCHUSTER
sports@kansan.com
The first three times I made this roster I couldn't find a spot for one of the Morrii. It seems like it should be easy enough, both played huge roles on wildly successful Kansas teams, but it didn't seem like either would fit here. How do you turn away Joel Embiid? How do you leave off Wayne Simien? Thomas Robinson is an All-American, surely he's secured his spot. Do you really need Jeff Withey?
The problem was that Embiid didn't have the experience. Not that he couldn't have done it, too, but with the production of
the Morris twins over multiple years, along with their physical presence, Embid just got beat out of the lineup. If Withey's offense didn't progress as much as it did his senior year, this isn't even a conversation. Marcus Morris was just a better college player over a longer stretch of time.
for this offense is a point guard who can distribute the ball. Aaron Miles' scoring ability doesn't matter as much as the fact he recorded more than 200 assists all four seasons he played for Kansas.
STARTERS:
And it wasn't until I found a spot for Marcus that I realized there wasn't one for Sherron Collins. It seems absurd that Collins doesn't make this team, and really there are a lot more cases for him to be on here than not. But with scorers like Wayne Simien, Andrew Wiggins, Ben McLemore and Brandon Rush, the best thing
C: Jeff Withey
PF: Wayne Simien
SF: Andrew Wiggins
SG: Brandon Rush
PG: Mario Chalmers
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BENCH:
Thomas Robinson
Marcus Morris
Keith Langford
Ben McLemore
Aaron Miles
BRIAN HILLIX sports@kansan.com
One of the best offensive players in the Self era, Collins averaged almost 18 points and five assists in his last two seasons. Chalmers and Rush are lock-down defenders who can also shoot from long range. Simien is a terrific scorer and rebounder, and Withey gets the edge over Embiid because he is less injury-prone. (Disclaimer: This is based off of their time at KU and not who I would want
for the future.)
Miles is the all-time assists leader at Kansas and was also a defensive force averaging nearly two steals per game in his career. McLemore is one of the best shooters Self has coached while Wiggins is the highest-scoring freshman in Kansas history (the thing keeping him from starting is his tendency to no-show in certain games). Robinson is a beast down low and one of the toughest players coached under Self. Embiid is a great
rim protector whose offensive game is improving by the day.
STARTERS:
C - Jeff Withey
PF - Wayne Simien
SF - Brandon Rush
SG - Mario Chalmers
PG - Sherron Collins
BENCH:
Joel Embiid
Thomas Robinson
Andrew Wiggins
Aaron Miles
Ben McLemore
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Wayne Simien dunked the ball during the second half of yesterday's game against Georgia Tech. Simien's 11 points paled in comparison to the 30 he scored in Friday's game against UAB.
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The University of Kansas
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www.business.ku.edu
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