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Volume 128 Issue 83
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Heeney's Combine results fly under the radar
H ere on campus, Ben Heeney is an easily recognizable figure
to students. His beard has a bit to do with that.
Heeney has also anchored the Kansas football defense for the last four years, honing his spot at middle linebacker and defensive leader.
But when Heeney stepped in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine this weekend, he was just another face lost in the crowd.
People who hadn't heard of Heeney before Sunday certainly have by now. The Hutchison native forced scouts to take a closer look, if they weren't looking already.
Heeney, a former Kansas linebacker, finished first in three different events for linebackers: the three-cone drill with a time of 6.68 seconds, a four-second 20-yard shuttle, and a 11.06-second 60-yard shuttle.
His 60-yard shuttle was actually the fastest time for a linebacker since 2006.
Adding on to his day in Indianapolis, Heeney also recorded a 120-inch broad jump to finish 14th among linebackers. He placed 19th in the vertical jump with a leap of 33.5 inches. Heeney also pushed 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press to finish 24th.
In the main event, the 40- yard dash, Heeney clocked in at 4.59 seconds to rank him fourth among linebackers.
Yet, Heeney wasn't mentioned on ESPN — or really any national outlets for that matter.
That being said, had Heeney been from a more prestigious program — say, Texas or Alabama — he would have been Sunday's talk of the day. Heck, had he gone to Baylor, he may have had his name featured on ESPN's front page.
Sure, the Combine is more for players to impress NFL scouts to increase their draft stock rather than gain some facetime from the media.
At the end of the day, the NFL Combine was a success for the bearded Jayhawk, even if it wasn't all over national media. Maybe now he'll be more recognizable somewhere other than Jayhawk Boulevard.
Heeney will certainly not be a top pick. The biggest question surrounding Heeney coming into the Conbine was if he would be drafted at all. After turning many scouts' heads in Indianapolis, Heeney made a case to be drafted come April, even if he's just a late round flier.
Instead, the main topic from the Combine is whether Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston should be the No.1 overall draft pick, something that will be debated in the months leading up to the NFL Draft, which starts on April 30.
Edited by Emma LeSault
Junior forward Perry Ellis drives to the basket during Monday night's game against Kansas State. Kansas lost 70-63
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
ALL CLAWED UP
Kansas unable to help Ellis in 70-63 loss to Kansas State
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben_Felderstein
With 25 seconds remaining in the game, Kansas State fans began gathering their coats, waiting for the final buzzer to sound. They weren't waiting to leave; they were waiting to storm the court.
For the fourth time this year, the No. 8 ranked Kansas Jayhawks left a visitor's arena while their opponent remained on the court, its students celebrating. Following a 70-63 victory over Kansas, the Wildcats' starters stood on the scorer's table leading the crowd in their alma mater.
"It hurts," junior forward Perry Ellis said, "Being a player and seeing a court storming, it definitely hurts. No one wants that."
As Kansas was chipping away at Kansas State's lead, lowering the difference to three, Nino Williams hit an open-elbow jumper to seal the victory for Kansas State. Toward the end of regulation, Kansas' offense went silent. After blowing multiple sixpoint leads and having the lead for a total of 27:03, the Jayhawks were unable to find scoring to spark a comeback of their own.
"We were up six multiple times, but didn't make the play down the stretch," coach Bill Self said. "They made the plays. Nino [Williams] hit everything late."
Kansas' inability to make plays was due in part to the fact that Perry Ellis did not have a field goal attempt in the final seven minutes of the game. Ellis' final shot was a missed jumper right outside the paint with 7:06 to play while his final made field goal went in with 10:48 to play.
"They played [Ellis] really well down the stretch," Self said. "He didn't score in the final 10 minutes."
For the first time this see
son, Ellis strung together consecutive 20-point outings, tallying 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Ellis recorded all of Kansas' first nine points in the first five minutes of the game.
With 16:20 to play in the second half, Ellis rose up for an alley-oop slam. He caught sophomore guard Frank Mason III's pass but could not finish the dunk. This play was nearly identical to Ellis' and one finish in Saturday's win against TCU. If Ellis had finished the slam, the momentum of Monday night's game may have been different.
["Perry] was going to be aggressive." Bill Self said. "He likes to play K-State. Perry played well."
The layhawks had only one player other than Ellis score in double figures, with freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. putting up 14. Oubre only managed to shoot 5-of-13 from the field and turn the ball over twice.
While Ellis was alone down low for Kansas — with his fellow big men scoring only three points on zero field goals — Kansas State's big men combined for 23 points, knocking in eight field goals.
"Our bigs got a goose egg," Self said. "Forty minutes, and they got a goose egg."
Ellis was unable to carry Kansas on his shoulders, receiving little or no help from his teammates. The other eight Jayhawks who played shot only 30 percent from the field, posting a 12-of-40 mark. Ellis tallied 38 percent of Kansas' total scoring for the night, his highest total for the season.
Ellis' point-per-game average has steadily increased every game since he put up eight points at TCU on Jan. 28. Over the seven contests since, Ellis has averaged 18.1 points. Kansas' silent leader is getting hot at the right time.
However, if the Jayhawks are to win an 11th-straight conference title and make a deep run in March, they are going to need to be more consistent. Other than Ellis and Mason, it has been difficult to count on any other player. Since sophomore Wayne Selden Jr's five straight games
of scoring at least 14 points from Jan. 31 to Feb. 14, he hasn't scored more than seven points in the last three.
The Jayhawks are now only a half-game ahead of Iowa State in the Big 12 with three games remaining; home games against Texas this Saturday and West Virginia next
week and the season finale in Norman, Okla., against Oklahoma on March 7.
"There's no more margin for error," Ellis said, "We have to take each and every game like it's our last."
Edited by Emma LeGault
Wildcats defeat Jayhawks in Manhattan
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Frank Mason III attempts a basket in the loss to Kansas State on Monday night. Mason only scored 4 points during the game.
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
Excluding Ellis, though, who finished the night with 24 points and 9 rebounds in 38 minutes of action., is where certainties about other performances gray.
"There's no margin for error," Ellis said. "We have to take every game like it's the last."
the lone Kansan in the starting lineup, junior forward Perry Ellis, took nothing about Monday night's Sunflower Showdown lightly.
Following the Jayhawks 70-63 loss inside Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas coach Bill Self rubbed a hand over his face in search of other answers.
"They've all had a chance to play," Self said. "We've got to find some way [to be more consistent]."
consistently. As Kansas weathered the early-energy of the Kansas State crowd, Ellis, scored each of the Jayhawks' first nine points.
"We did a good job getting the ball to him," Self said, "And he would finish for us."
But Monday night, in front of an announced-capacity
crowd of 12,528, Ellis was the proverbial one-man band for the Jayhawks down low. As Kansas labored mightily from deep — just 2-of-10 from three-point range — it mustered an even less savory three points scored from supporting post players.
"We put ourselves in a tough situation. It's not surprising losing on the road."
BILL SELF Kansas coach
In ten minutes, freshman forward Cliff Alexander was held to 0-of-1 shooting, a turnover, and four fouls.
In eighteen minutes, junior forward Jamari Traylor hit one of his two free-throws, missed a shot outside his range and gifted Kansas State a turnover.
And in 14 minutes, sophomore forward Landen Lucas chipped in two rebounds and a deft over-the-top assist to Ellis, but was quiet otherwise.
"Our bigs got a goose egg," Self said. "If you're not going to score — which is fine — at least be a rebounder and a defender."
Ellis would not take a shot in the final seven minutes of the game, leaving the rest of the team, which shot 12-of-40 (30 percent) from the field, to win a game in a hostile road environment.
"He disappeared in the last ten minutes," Self said. "[Kansas State] did a great job on him."
The Jayhawks shooting percentage fell from 41.9 percent in the first-half to 36 percent in the second. For the best statistical three-pointing shooting team in the Big 12, eight second-half three-point attempts resulted in eight misses.
The Jayhawks led by as many as 8 points in this game, and six points multiple times, but without assistance from Alexander or the bench, it couldn't get over the hump.
we put ourselves in a tough situation," Self said. "It's not surprising losing on the road."
Edited by Miranda Davis
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