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Volume 128 Issue 101
kansan.com
Thursday, April 2. 2015
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
COMMENTARY Kelly Oubre Jr. made the right choice
One year ago yesterday, Andrew Wiggins declared for
the NBA draft. Everyone in the world knew Wiggins was going pro after his freshman year, but there was another freshman on the fence about leaving school early and entering into the NBA draft Joel Eimblii
No one knew if Embiid was going to stay another season or if he was taking his talents to the NBA. In the end, Embiid declared for the NBA draft and was picked third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
This season there was a similar discussion about freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. Would he stay in Lawrence for another season or would he enter his name among all the great college basketball players in America? Ultimately, Oubre chose the NBA over his sophomore season.
It's a great idea for Oubre to make the leap into the professional basketball world. Nine times out of 10, an NBA prospect with his physical features, talent level and potential will go pro.
One scout told me Oubre was the best NBA prospect on the Jayhawks roster this season, over Cliff Alexander and Perry Ellis. The same scout said Oubre will be a top-10 pick, but he needs to improve his shooting consistency to make an impact at the next level.
Oubre shot 44 percent from the field, averaging nine points and five rebounded. Oubre struggled from behind the arc, where he only hit 32 three-pointers on 82 attempts.
Thirty-eight percent from three isn't terrible, but to become a star at the NBA level, Oubre will have to improve his shot. It looks like Oubre's jump shot is unconventional, but the NBA scout said Oubre's shot is a fine-looking stroke for a left-hander.
The NBA scout compared Oubre, at 6-foot-7 and with a wingspan well over 7 feet, to Indiana Pacers guard Paul George because they possess similar body structure, which teams love.
Oubre made a great decision not to rush into something he would regret. He said he consulted past players, such as Joel Embid, about how to handle the process and what to expect.
The 2014-15 season will be the last time fans see Oubre in a Kansas uniform, but he made the mature decision to continue working toward his degree. Over the past year, it's been a pleasure to cover Oubre, and he's shown nothing but maturity and class for the University of Kansas.
"Getting my degree from Kansas will be the biggest accomplishment of my life, bigger than making it to the NBA," Oubre said in the statement.
Edited by Mackenzie Clark
Jayhawks beat Shockers in Wichita,13-12
Pitcher Ben Krauth throws against the Utah batter. Kansas baseball defeated Utah 7-5 on March 6. The three-game series ended Sunday.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
The Kansas baseball team traveled down to Wichita on Wednesday and left with a victory in a game that had everything.
Jayhawks started the game as well as they could have hoped for after scoring five runs in the top of the first. The half-inning saw three hits from the Jayhawks including a two-out grand-slam from senior Dakota Smith.
The Shockers were not impressed and answered the Jayhawks' scoring barrage with a four-run inning off of four hits. Jayhawks' starting pitcher junior Hayden Edwards had a game to forget as he was pulled before the end of the first inning and replaced by sophomore Sean Rackoski after a three RBI double by Wichita State junior Sam Hilliard.
Following a three-up, threedown inning by the Jayhawks, the Shockers replicated their first inning performance in the bottom of the second. The Shockers tied the game at 5-5 early in the inning and took
the lead after junior Ryan Tinkham hit a two-run shot over the center field fence.
Fans at Eck Stadium in Wichita saw a slight break in the action with a scoring
The Jayhawks seemed to be having another three-up, three-down inning in the fourth until a solo homer
drought in the third but the wait wouldn't last long.
by sophomore Joven Afenir brought his team within one run.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, the Shockers again responded with runs of their own. The Shockers took advantage of three wild pitches by Kansas freshman Casey Douglas, including two batters hit by pitches, to put four more runs on the board and lead 6-11.
Kansas junior Tommy Mirabelli put a dent in Wichita's lead in the top of the sixth with yet another home run to bring the game within three. However, the Shockers would respond yet again in the bottom of the inning with one run off two hits, making the game 8-12.
The Jayhawks kept fighting their way back into the game in the seventh with freshman Matt McLaughlin singling to right field and then scoring with help from a sacrifice fly from junior Blair Beck. For the first time in the game the Jayhawks wouldn't allow a response from the Shockers and held them to no hits or runs in the bottom half of the inning
The comeback continued
in the eighth as the Jayhawks turned the tables and took advantage of wild pitches of their own. After loading the bases, Smith found home after a pitch got behind the Shockers' catcher. Two batters later, McLaughlin would tie the game up with a two RBI single to right field to make the score 12-12 going into the bottom of the eighth.
The tie game held all the way to the end of regulation after the layhawks escaped the bottom of the ninth with two Shockers on base and no outs.
After an inning of free baseball, the Jayhawk sophomore Michael Tinsley started off on the eleventh inning with a leadoff double. Coach Ritch Price opted to play small ball and brought Tinsley home with two sacrifice bunts to take their first lead since the beginning of the game. The go-ahead run would turn out to be the game-winning run as the Shockers couldn't get anything going in the bottom of the eleventh inning, giving the Jayhawks a 13-12 road win.
— Edited by Samantha Darling
FACE OF THE STREAK
Thomas Robinson vs. Sasha Kaun
PPG: 9.8
RPG: 7.3
APG: 1.0
THOMAS ROBINSON
During his three-year college career, highlighted by a spectacular junior season, Robinson played with infectious energy that rubbed off on his team. Robinson gobbled up rebounds and threw down monstrous dunks when he was on the court. He led Kansas to the NCAA Championship game against Kentucky in 2012, earning unanimous first-team AP All-American honors in the process.
VOTE FOR THE WINNER OF THIS MATCHUP AT KANSAN.COM BEGINNING AT NOON
SASHA KAUN
Kaun was Kansas' backup center during its 2008 National Championship run. Kaun averaged 7.1 points and recorded a career high of 49 blocks during the '08 season. Kaun was drafted 56th overall in 2008 by the Seattle Supersonics. Kaun was a force down low for Kansas, measuring 6-foot-11.
- First Team All-American in 2012
PPG: 6.7
FG%: .564
RPG: 4.2
- Ranked 3rd in Big 12 in field-goal percentage in 2007-08
- Ranked 6th in the Big 12 in total blocks
- Big 12 Player of the Year in 2012
- Ranked 6th in the Big 12 in total blocks
No.23 Jayhawks look to rebound against OSU
Junior left fielder Shannon McGinley hits the ball in the first game of the series against Texas on March 27. The Jawhaws lost 6-0 at Arrocha Field. Kansas will face Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., this weekend.
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
The No. 23 Jayhawks (29-5, 0-3) will head to Stillwater, Okla., this weekend in an attempt to rebound after being swept by the Texas Longhorns last weekend. They Jayhawks will face off against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (17-18, 1-2) in a three-game series that begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, continues at 5:30 p.m. Friday and concludes at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Jayhawks had perhaps their worst overall showing of the 2015 season last weekend against the Longhorns, suffering their first sweep of the season. Kansas allowed 24 runs and 35 hits over the three weekend games. The Jayhawks are still looking for their 30th win this season, which would mark the fifth straight time that feat has occurred for Kansas.
Offensively, junior Chaley Brickey, who leads the team with a .398 batting average, 43 hits and 41 RBIs, leads the Jayhawks. Freshman Daniella Chavez is coming on Sunday's game against Texas, where she
hit two home runs in a losing effort. Chavez is tied for the team-lead with eight home runs.
The Jayhawks' pitching staff struggled considerably last weekend against Texas, allowing 24 runs and 35 hits. Senior ace Alicia Pille suffered her first two losses of the year against the Longhorns. Pille still leads the pitching staff with a 2.27 ERA and has struck out 135 batters while allowing 94 hits and 49 runs.
Oklahoma State boasts a decent 17-18 record this season, including a 1-2 record in Big 12 conference play. The Cowgirls are coming off a weekend during which they lost two games to Baylor, then won the final matchup by a score of 1-0.
"Oklahoma State had a strong weekend at Baylor and they're going to be tough competition just like any other Big 12 team," said Kansas coach Megan Smith. "They have a lot of speed, which we haven't seen a lot of this season, so that's going to be something to prepare for.
"They are a solid team who had a tough weekend. We're
Senior outfielder Shelby Davis leads the Cowgirls with a .442 batting average and has recorded 46 hits, 16 RBIs and 26 scored runs. Junior infielder Tiffany Mikkelson ranks second on the team with a .400 batting average and has recorded 40 hits and has 29 scored runs, while leading the team with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.
expecting them to be pretty sharp this weekend;
Freshman Jessi Haffner
The Jayhawks hold a 4-1 record on the road during this
leads the Cowgirls' pitching staff with a 3.16 ERA. She has struck out 27 batters while allowing 40 runs and 53 hits in 44 innings pitched. Sophomore Brandi Needham ranks second on the pitching staff with a 3.71 ERA and has struck out 46 batters while allowing 130 hits and 67 runs.
The Cowgirls hold a 64-43 advantage in the all-time series against the Jayhawks.
season. They will need to improve on that record if they want to get a foothold in the conference race.
"The team has worked really hard this week and a lot of players have put in extra work to go this weekend." Brickey said during Wednesday's practice. "I think there's going to be a different team on the field than there was this past weekend."
Edited by Mackenzie Clark
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