Volume 126 Issue 80
kansan.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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COMMENTARY Red Raiders forgot about Andrew Wiggins
No Andrew, that's what you did. Your team was playing one of its worst games all season, which isn't to knock the Jayhawks as much as stand in awe.
BASKETBALL
Now there's a two-game lead in the Big 12 race. Kansas now has a chance to win 10 straight conference titles at home on Monday, and now we know where the ball is going at the end of a close game, intentional or not.
They just left him all alone on the wing, too mesmerized by
Still, this was an Andrew Wiggins victory. One that Kansas fans will remember long after he's gone.
You can bet Texas Tech won't forget him either.
No. 8 Kansas 64, Texas Tech 63.
too misnomerized by the ball to even notice he was there in the first place. Maybe they shot a glance behind them because, well, there must've been five Jayhawks on the court. Maybe they didn't realize whom it was they forgot about.
It only took Embidsead field goal attempts to reach 18 points. It took Wiggins 11 attempts to reach 19. Both made six shots from the free throw line.
When Joel Embiid lost the handle under the basket on Kansas' final possession, Wiggins was able to jog into the lane unnoticed, pick up the loose ball and put it back up.
"Good players make good plays down the stretch," Wiggins told the media after his game-winner. "That's what we did."
Edited by Jack Freigh
Naadir Tharpe couldn't hold onto the ball, Wayne Selden shot just two-of-eight from the field and Perry Ellis didn't hit anything besides four free throws. And Kansas won. Against a tough Texas Tech team – which previously knocked off Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Baylor – that only seems to get better with Tubby Smith at the helm, Kansas closed out.
"We were lucky," Kansas coach Bill Self said afterward. "We were fortunate we won."
It took him some time to readjust, but once he did it felt like January again. He was knocking down turnaround jumpers with ease, owning the paint and blocking shots.
Rather, freshmen. Because as much as the win is credited to Wiggins, the man who kept Kansas alive was Joel Embiid.
They were fortunate Tech left Wiggins open. That Tech felt it could somehow collapse to the paint and stop Wiggins from joining them, or that the Red Raiders wouldn't let the freshman factor in the final play.
After sitting out last game against TCU for some healing time, Embiid returned to the starting lineup and reminded Kansas fans just how nice it is to have a center who is bigger than everyone else, let alone better.
Texas Tech's Robert Turner defends Kansas' Naadir Tharoe (10) during their NCAA college basketball game in Lubbock, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 18.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LUBBOCK, Texas — Kansas coach Bill Self felt more than a little fortunate that his No. 8 Jayhawks pulled out a 64-63 win against a very tough Texas Tech team.
Andrew Wiggins' layup with 2 seconds left lifted Kansas to victory on Tuesday night.
"I think sometimes you could say they were a little lucky," he said of the Red Raiders. "They threw some in at the end of the shot clock that maybe weren't the highest percentage shots, and we were a little lucky that the ball just happened to bounce to Wigs there at the end. That's part of it.
The freshman finished with 19 points, and Joel Embiid matched his career high with
18 to lead the Jayhawks (20-6, 11-2). Kansas reached 20 wins for the 25th consecutive season, and 11 conference victories for the 20th straight year.
Jordan Tolbert scored 16 points and Dejan Kravic added 13 to lead Texas Tech (13-13,5-8).
Texas Tech's Robert Turner sank two free throws with 16 seconds left to put the Red Raiders up 63-62, but Kansas brought the ball up and got it inside to Wiggins for the win.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Jayhawks own a twogame lead in the Big 12 after Texas fell 85-76 at Iowa State on Tuesday night.
"It's big, it's big, but it doesn't mean anything unless we win Saturday," Self said of Kansas' home game against the Long-horns.
"That's the game that would
give us some serious breathing room, although we've got a little bit now, and it was big tonight.
The score was tied nine times and the lead changed 13 times.
"I was impressed with Tubby (Smith's) team and how hard they played and how well they defended, how well they rebounded," Self said. "They're going to get better. The guy knows how to win. He's a proven winner. Those kids played hard."
Kansas held an early 10-point lead but Texas Tech started hammering the ball inside to make the game tight.
Tolbert made a bucket as the shot clock expired with 2:51 left to put the Red Raiders up 59-55. But Wayne Seldon, Jr. hit a clutch 3-pointer
to pull within 59-58. Turner answered with a basket, and Embiid sank two free throws to make it 61-60 with 1:22 remaining.
On the Red Raiders' next possession, a scrum led to Kansas getting the ball.
Embiid dunked it to put the Jayhawks up 62-61.
Turner then made his free throws, and Kansas called a timeout to draw up the play to Wiggins.
Kansas scored 22 points from the free throw line, and Texas Tech netted only nine. Texas Tech came out after halftime and hit four of its first five shots.
Kansas made only one basket in four attempts, allowing the Red Raiders to take their first lead since early in the game, 37-32.
Jordan Tolbert capped Texas Tech's 8-2 run.
But the Red Raiders' effective defense also created foul trouble.
With more than 13 minutes remaining, Jaye Crockett, Kravic and Kader Tapsoba each had three fouls.
Texas Tech sent the Jayhawks to the line often in the second half. Five free throws — by Jamari Traylor and Wiggins — on three possessions pulled Kansas within 46-45 with about 11 minutes remaining.
But the Jayhawks regained the lead for the first time in 11 minutes, 52-51, on a pair of free throws by Naadir Tharpe with 7:14 remaining.
But with Kravic back in, and after a turnover by Tharpe, the 7-foot senior tied the game at 53 on a layup with 5:34 left.
BASEBALL
Outfielder cultivates talent for third season
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
As his freshman year at Punahou High School winded down, football was on the mind of Michael Suiter.
In middle and high school, Suiter was always a multi-sport athlete. He put on pads in the fall, and laced up his spikes in the spring. Suiter was a gifted wide receiver and a slugging outfielder.
"I was really into football," Suiter said. "I was having fun with football, and I couldn't see myself going very far in baseball. I enjoyed it more. Football was more fun."
"Sophomore year it all clicked in," Mrs. Suiter said.
"He started on varsity, put
Suiter's mom, Mary Suiter told her son that he needed to give baseball one more shot.
"He's very athletic," Mrs. Suiter said. "He excelled in multiple sports, and baseball was too good of an opportunity to pass on."
Suiter was built to be an athlete. He has always excelled in everything he has done. During baseball media day, head coach Ritch Price described Suiter as "having the body of a Greek god."
After his sophomore season, Mrs. Suiter knew that her son had made the right choice.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Suiter took his mother's advice, and played for his school's baseball team the following spring.
"Right after freshman year, I started getting a lot better at baseball," Suiter said. "I ended up starting my sophomore year."
Suiter had an even more impressive junior campaign. He batted .533 and had a .750 slugging percentage. Suiter was named Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year and was selected as the Louisville Slugger Player of the Year in Hawaii. Punahou High went on to win the state championship that season as well.
together an amazing campaign and they [Punahou High School] won state. That's when Michael wanted to go for it."
Outfielder Michael Suiter hits a home run with two on base in the fifth inning on March 7.2012.
After Suter's senior season, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 37th round of
The most notable part of Suiter's junior year in high school came off of the diamond. Michael injured his ACL before football season and required surgery.
"He worked so hard to get back on the field," Mrs. Suiter said. "We watched him grind it out and go through physical therapy. It was a real high point to see his effort and determination."
"My quarterback at the time was Ka'lana Eldredge," Suiter said. "He threw a pass over the middle and my knee just popped."
Suiter had five months to do whatever he needed to get back on the field before baseball season.
As it turns out, his injury may have been a good thing. "I felt like it was a blessing in disguise," Sutter said. "I was able to focus on baseball, and the work ethic that it took really helped me and instilled how much I really wanted to play baseball."
the amateur draft. The Suiter family respectfully declined the offer and Suiter went on to play college ball.
"My husband said no," Mrs. Suiter said. "We wanted him to develop and experience college. The incentives were not high enough for Michael to pass up the opportunity to play Division I college baseball."
In Suiter's freshman year,
The Reds reached out to Mr. Suiter before they even contacted his son. Suiter was not unhappy with his father's decision, as he wanted to experience college.
Suiter's best friend, Ka'ana Eldredge went to Punahou with Suiter, but graduated and committed to Kansas a year earlier. Suiter and Price agree that Eldredge had a lot to do with the recruiting process.
Suiter committed to Kansas and was ready to experience a whole different side of the world.
"I wanted to experience something different than Hawaii," Suiter said. "Also, Skip [Coach Price] is a great guy. He was awesome, he offered me things I couldn't refuse."
Suiter was originally verbally committed to a different school. When the entire coaching staff at that school left, Suiter re-opened his status. He played summer ball in Alaska with the Matsue Miners, when Price reached out to him.
"He was a bull of a young man." Price said. "He had a great work ethic and he looked like a guy that could contribute."
he started 46 games in left field. He batted .226 with four homeruns and drove in 17. Suiter batted 5-13 in the Big 12 championship.
His second year with Kansas was even more impressive, batting .309, scoring 40 runs and knocking in 29. Suiter started in 58 games last year. Suiter was named to the 2013 All-Big 12 Second team, the 2013 Academic All-Big 12 team, the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 All-Tournament Team, and was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 11th.
"Michael's success has meant so much to us." Mrs. Suiter said. "He has been working so hard and it has meant the world to us."
Suiter will be slotted in the three-hole in Price's lineup this year. The team expects big things out of him.
Price is thrilled with the production Suiter has given Kansas so far.
"Batting in the three spot means a lot to me," Suiter said. "Guys who hit there are supposed to produce numbers, and I hope to do that."
"It takes a special guy to hit in the three spot," he said. "A guy like Michael batting third makes it easier for everyone else to contribute."
Suiter has already had a tremendous impact for the Jayhawks. But, Price thinks that better days are coming as Suiter looks forward to his junior season.
"He's got a chance to be something special," Price said. "I think he could be named to the All-big 12 First Team."
Edited by Cara Winkley
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