Volume 126 Issue 84
kansan.com
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
COMMENTARY Tharpe pushes past struggles
Naadir Tharpe was given the reins to an enormously talented team. A look to his left and he sees a 7-foot phenom, potentially the first pick in the NBA draft. A look to his right, one of the best players in Kansas high school basketball history. Straight ahead, a player many crowned as the best college freshman since Kevin Durant before he even put on a layhawk uniform.
The only question mark on this team was Tharpe, especially because Kansas has a lineage of strong point guard play. Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor have created big shoes to fill. Unlike Tharpe, each player developed by fire early in their careers.
Taylor started as a freshman and averaged 26 minutes per game. Collins played an important sixth man role, clocking in at 22 minutes per game. Robinson's expectations were far more tempered, but he still contributed to the tune of 10 minutes per contest and was able to find his footing.
able to find his Naeir Tharpe
Meanwhile, Naadir Tharpe was the ninth man in an eigh-
man rotation in his first season.
It wasn't because the minutes
weren't available. Former walkon
Conner Teahan was Kansas' sixth man, after all. It was be-
cause Tharpe was not ready to be the kind of point guard Kansas coach Bill Self needed him to be, even in limited minutes.
Tarpe only managed around five minutes per game, and those minutes usually consisted of mop-up duty. He shot 29 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc. He had one more turnover than assists that year.
Flash forward to Monday's victory against Oklahoma. On a team with Joel Embilid and Andrew Wiggins, Tharpe was the one demanding the ball. He milked the shot clock to its final seconds and managed to create shots in traffic. With the multiple-possession lead contingent on successfully converting free throws, Tharpe made four in a row with the "Rock Chalk" chant at his back and signs celebrating 10 straight Big 12 conference titles visible in the nearby bleachers.
The box score tells volumes about Tharpe's performance. He scored 19 points on seven shots and had five assists with only one turnover. But the box score does not demonstrate how much of a leader Tharpe was become. Fans forget it were more months ago that Self, fed up with both Tharpe and the team's meek mentality, benched Tharpe in favor of freshman guard Frank Mason. Now, Tharpe hasn't just earned the team's respect; he has commanded it.
All the freshmen talent in the world does not substitute for the importance of a locker room leader. Wiggins and Embiid may soon sign lucrative NBA contracts, but they still need someone to keep them up to speed. Earlier in the season, this position was vacant. Self was taking applications, but no one seemed to have the qualifications. All that has changed. Self found the right man for the job.
As a freshman, Tharpe was timid and not ready, both mentally and physically, for the pressure of leading a blue blood program.
Just two years later, he is the unquestioned leader of a squad that just clinched a share of its 10th straight conference title.
Edited by Kate Shelton
After drawing a key foul late in the game, Kansas forward Chelsea Gardner gets congratulated and helped up by teammates during an NCAA college basketball game between Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Kansas at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. Oklahoma State defeated Kansas 76-74.
Jayhawks look to finish sweep of K-State
KYLE PAPPAS
sports@kansan.com
After suffering two close losses on the road, the Kansas women's basketball team returns to Allen Fieldhouse tonight for the second installation of this year's Sunflower Showdown. Kansas looks to make it a clean sweep after defeating the Wildcats 71-64 in Manhattan on Jan. 25.
The Jayhawks (12-15, 5-10 Big 12) are coming off a tough loss to Oklahoma on Saturday in a game which coach Bonnie Henrickson said her team never gave Oklahoma a challenge. They were outrebounded by a 48-25 margin and let another second-half lead slip from their grasp.
Junior forward Chelsea Gardner was more or less neutralized, though senior guard Markisha Hawkins stepped up and notched a career-high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds. Senior guard CeCe Harper and junior guard Natalie Knight contributed as well; the three guards combined for 45 of Kansas' 61 total points.
The Kansas defense was quite stingy throughout and held the Big 12's best-shooting team to only 34 percent shooting. The Sooners were 0-11 from behind the arc as well, marking the first time this season the Jayhawks have held an opponent scoreless from deep. Still, Kansas' lack of physicality in the paint
Ninth in the conference standings, Kansas State (10-16, 4-11 Big 12) enters tonight's matchup having lost its past two contests as well. The Wildcats were dismantled by No. 13 West Virginia last week at home 40-61 and have scored 60 points or less in three consecutive games.
Kansas State star freshman Leticia Romero is in the top 10 in the Big 12 in both points and assists. Though only 5-foot-8, she's quick enough to successfully drive to the basket and also poses a threat from 3-point range. Defensively, Romero is one of the toughest assignments in the
and offensive inconsistency had the team heading back to Lawrence with a loss.
league, and Kansas' primary focus will surely be to prevent her from open looks.
Both teams have struggled following their first meeting of the season. The Jayhawks have recorded a 2-5 record over the past month and dropped to eighth in the conference standings; the Wildcats have gone 2-5 as well. Both will attempt to take advantage of one of their final opportunities to get on track prior to the Big 12 Tournament.
The last time these two met, Kansas dominated from beginning to end, not trailing for the final 35 minutes. Gardner blocked or altered several Kansas State shots in the paint while recording a double-double (21 points,
10 rebounds). The Jayhawks allowed Romero to score 17 points, but eight of those came in a meaningless final minute.
After an uninspired performance on the boards last game, expect it to be a point of emphasis for Henrickson's squad this time around. The Jayhawks will likely try to find Gardner early and often as the Wildcats have already proved they possess neither the strength or height to match her in the post. This one has all the makings of a huge bounce-back game for Kansas as it attempts to gain some momentum before March.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.
Edited by Stella Liang
MEN'S BASKETBALL
BIG 12 NOTEBOOK Conference coaches talk about players' performances
BLAIR SHEADE sports@kansan.com
BILL SELF — KANSAS
WIGGINS HANDLING THE HYPE WELL
After seven consecutive games of putting up double-digit scoring figures, freshman guard Andrew Wiggins is playing his best basketball all season. But is his performance living up to his hype? Coach Bill Self talks about how Wiggins handles the hype.
"I think there is no way he could be totally prepared for the hype," Self said. "Considering the guy should be a high school senior and he's playing a position he's never played before. I think he's handled everything beautiful."
Wiggins has made big strides throughout the season by improving his mental toughness and taking the ball to the rim more and by not settling for long-range shots.
"I think he's driving the ball better," Self said. "The biggest thing is that he's impacting the game more athletically on a bigger majority of possessions than he was earlier (in the season)."
TRAVIS FORD — OKLAHOMA STATE
THE COWBOYS GLAD TO GET SMART BACK
Oklahoma State won its first game with sophomore guard Marcus Smart back on the lineup after missing three games due to suspension. The Cowboys defeated Texas Tech by 22 points while Smart had 16 points and 10 assists. The win was the first victory after losing seven straight games.
"I think every time you
have a player of Smart's caliber that's been out and rejoins your team it's always a positive," coach Travis Ford said about Smart coming back from suspension. "He came back with a great mindset."
The feeling was a little different when Smart rejoined the team, because usually players are out with injury, but he was suspended. Everyone knew Smart would return with no hiccups because he's been practicing and staying in shape while suspended from the team.
"The feeling was different because the team played better," Ford said.
SCOTT DREW — BAYLOR
BEARS TURNING SEASON AROUND
On Feb. 8, Baylor was 2-8 in Big 12 Conference play. The Bears have won four consecutive games. One of those games gave Baylor some momentum for the remaining conference games. After defeating TCU, the Bears had a tough test against Kansas State. Baylor forced double overtime and came away with the win. Since then, the Bears had two solid wins against Oklahoma State and at West Virginia. Coach Scott Drew said the team had leadership all year round, and the hard work has finally paid off.
"It helped getting Kenny Chery back healthy," Drew said about the turnaround. "It's great getting him back in practice and getting used to playing with him again."
Another reason for the Baylor turn around was sophomore guard Kenny Chery coming back from an injury. He's averaging 14 points in the past four games.
RICK BARNES — TEXAS
BIG 12 IS AS GOOD AS EVER
At one point in the season, the Big 12 Conference had seven teams in the top 25. Some might say that the competition within the conference has never been better. Texas coach Rick Barnes said exactly that. Barnes said this year's conference is the strongest conference he's ever been a part of.
"We might have had better individual players in the league at different times," Barnes said. "In terms of quality of teams there is with absolutely no question this is the best its (Big 12) ever been. I have to think long and hard myself to think when I've been somewhere where it's been this good."
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Edited by Cara Winkley
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