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Volume 128 Issue 1
kansan.com
Monday, January 19, 2015
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THE UNIVERSITY, DAILY GANSAN
COMMENTARY
Young Jayhawks couldn't handle Hilton Magic
When asked about how the "younger guys" played in the
✓ guys played in the hostile environment of Hilton Coliseum, Kansas coach Bill said "terrible."
The Hilton Magic got the best of freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, Jr. as No. 9 Kansas (14-3, 3-1) suffered its first Big 12 loss of the season, losing 86-81 to No. 11 Iowa State (14-3, 3-1) on Saturday night.
"I don't think we played well at all," Self said. "I think the environment got into our mind where we didn't focus and execute very well."
Both freshmen have played a pivotal role for the Jayhawks this season, but tonight, neither of them had a game-changing performance.
The biggest surprise was the lack of playing time for Alexander.
Oubre scored 10 points as his final stat line, but before the 14-minute mark in the second half, he was held scoreless.
Alexander, who averages 18 minutes per game, played 14 minutes, the least amount of minutes he's played during conference play. Self said Alexander's motor on defense was the reason Alexander sat on the bench for 26 minutes.
The motor was a problem because Alexander was left to guard Iowa State's three-point shooting forward Georges Niang, who averaged 34 percent from beyond the arc before this game. Alexander couldn't keep up with Niang.
"When you're guarding a guy that's active on the perimeter, you have to at least close out or be in his face or do some things to try to guard him," Self said. "[Alexander] won't play consistently unless he plays with a motor."
Self said he refers to his whole team as "young," and thought they all played terrible.
That's where the majority would disagree. Sophomore guard Frank Mason and junior forward Perry Ellis were the reason the Jayhawks only lost by five.
Mason had a career-high 21 points, and Ellis held the team together before fouling out with four minutes left.
Halfway through the second half, the Jayhawks were down by 10 points and the Hilton Coliseum was as loud as a fighter jet engine, but that didn't faze Ellis. Ellis scored six of the next eight points to bring the Jayhawks within two.
Ellis hasn't played like the key to the Jayhawks recently. After scoring 26 points in his first three contests in the Big 12, Ellis nearly equaled his Big 12 total. Ellis scored 19 points and 11 rebounds, which are both season-highs in the Big 12. He said the difference tonight was going out there and having some fun.
A confident Ellis would help this young team tremendously. The Jayhawks have a short turnaround as they play Oklahoma on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
"Just playing and not thinking, that's the key thing," Ellis said after the loss.
— Edited by Brian Hillix
RUN OVER
Kansas can't stop loud Iowa State in transition, suffers first Big 12 loss, 86-81
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
In front of an Iowa State crowd that Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said made his ears hurt, the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (14-3, 3-1) found themselves in a bit of hole.
Trailing by 10 with a little more than 13 minutes left to play in the game, and with sophomore guard Frank Mason limping toward the locker room with a leg cramp, prospects of a key road win at Hilton Coliseum looked bleak, and it wouldn't end well: 86-81 in favor of No. 11 Iowa State (14-3 , 3-1).
In a span of four minutes, and following a Kelly Oubre Jr. dunk assisted by freshman guard Devonte'
Like so many Kansas teams that preceded it, this team would not go down without administering a few punches of its own. It just wasn't enough to win like in previous years. No banked-in three-point buzzer-beaters (Ben McLemore in 2013) or three-point flurries in the final minutes (Elijah Johnson in 2013) to help squeak out a win.
Graham, the Jayhawks had whittled the double-digit Cyclone lead to two — as you had expected them to do, perhaps.
Hilton Coliseum, which had seen these same hopes obliterated before time and time again by the crimson and blue, was on edge — as groans replaced cheers, which had replaced boos.
"We ended up sending three back," Kansas coach Bill Self said of Iowa State's fast-paced attack. "But unfortunately, two of three couldn't seem to remember to get back."
But that's when Iowa State ran. And that's when Kansas couldn't keep up.
Six-foot-nine forward Jameel McKay, with dreadlocks proportional in length to his limbs, knifed past Kansas defenders, took the pass from Monte Morris, and flushed it.
Kansas would respond, however.
Oubre slammed one himself again a minute later on an offensive board. The drawback — he failed to get back on defense.
Not five seconds after, McKay was airborne again for another easy two.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Frank Mason fends off Iowa State's Bruce Delean-Jones.
Then, after Kansas missed a jumper that would have cut the Iowa State lead to three, in just eight seconds, McKay finished off the hattrick. Self called timeout as the game started to get away.
Junior forward Perry Ellis drives past an Iowa State defender Saturday.
"In basketball, there are some possessions that are more important than others," Self said of the McKay stretch run. "When we had a chance to inch back, transition killed us. Our inability to get back or sort or talk led to points that they didn't earn."
DEVONTE' GRAHAM Freshman guard
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
"We just got to be more sound and play better help-defense."
On the night, Kansas outperformed Iowa State off turnovers (14-13), second chance points (15-5) and off the bench (19-14).
The Cyclones even shot the Jayhawks back into the game from the free-throw stripe late, hitting on just 15 of its 26 attempts.
It still wasn't enough.
Along with nine threepointers and 15 free throws, Iowa State won the game in transition, 21-10.
"They were a lot faster than us in transition," Self said. "That was probably the biggest difference in the game."
For Iowa State, it was part of the game plan.
"The big men boxed out and allowed the guards to get the rebounds and run," Iowa State guard Naz Long said following the 86-81 victory. "That's Hoi-ball."
But for Kansas, after
getting beat soundly in that category over the course of the game's entirety, it's back to the drawing board.
"We just got to be more sound and play better help-defense," Graham said.
But in the loss, it wasn't all lost for Kansas.
Even after being sidelined with a leg cramp, Mason bested his career-high set at Temple, 20 points, with 21 against the Cyclones. Graham emerged in his first road Big 12 game with 10 points, 4 assists, no turnovers and two steals.
The loss, no doubt, will sting, but it's a sudden.
jolting turnaround for Kansas, which returns home Monday to host Oklahoma.
Fred Hoiberg said in order for Iowa State to compete with Kansas for a Big 12 title, it needed to win this game.
The same can be said of Kansas for Iowa State now, as the Jayhawks look to top the Cyclones in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 2.
If not, the Cyclones may just run away with it, "it" being the hardware.
Edited by Brian Hillix
Meet the new faces of Kansas' football staff
AMIE JUST
@Amie_Just
The majority of the Kansas football coaching staff, hired by new head coach David Beaty, came together for an informal media session.
Following are the new coaches' names, positions, mini-bios and, if applicable, a memorable quote from the afternoon.
NON-POSITION COACHES
Je'Ney Jackson, director of football strength and conditioning
Jackson comes to Kansas after four years as the strength and conditioning coach for the men's basketball team at Indiana from 2010-14. He has coached at Kansas before, as the strength and conditioning assistant from 2005-06 and as the
cornerbacks coach from 2007-09.
"We're gonna run. We're gonna be in great shape."
OFFENSE:
Likens coached at Cal for the past two seasons. In 2013 he was the assistant head coach and coached outside receivers. In 2014, he retained his previous positions and was also the passing coordinator. He has coached at Louisiana Tech (assistant head coach and wide receivers), Central Connecticut State (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks), Southeast Missouri State (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and wide receivers). Temple (wide receivers) and North Alabama (wide receivers and running backs.)
Rob Likens, offensive coordinator
"I understand the challenge that it's going to be. We have to get the best out of our kids."
Zach Yenser, run game coordinator and offensive line
Tenser coached at Cal and Louisiana Tech under Likens. During the 2013-14 seasons he was the offensive line coach for Cal and in 2012 he was the assistant offensive line coach at Louisiana Tech.
"I don't care if you're the best offensive lineman out there, I want you to be tough, I want you to love football."
Klint Kubiak, wide receivers
Kubiai is the youngest coach on Kansas' staff and was the assistant wide receivers coach and also served as quality control for the Minnesota Vikings during 2013-14. He worked alongside Beaty for a short amount of time at Texas A&M.
Gary Hyman, tight ends/special teams coordinator
Hyman has been on the coaching scene since 2001. He coached at Delta College from 2001-08, coaching the wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks. Since his inaugural coaching stint, he has coached at USC, UTEP, South Dakota School of Mines and Texas A&M.
DEFENSE:
Kevin Kane, linebackers
Kane is a native son of the Kansas football program. He played linebacker for Kansas from 2002-05. After his playing career he coached
Calvin Thibodeaux, defensive line
at Kansas as a graduate assistant, helping out on the defensive side of the ball. Most recently, Kane coached at Northern Illinois from 2011-14, coaching a multitude of positions (tight ends/fullbacks, linebackers and special teams.)
Thibodeaux knows Big 12 football. He played for Oklahoma from 2002-06. This will be his first time back to the Big 12 since his playing days. His coaching career started in 2008, where he was a graduate assistant for Houston. His most recent venture was from 2012-14, when he coached defensive tackles for Tulsa.
"As a player, I played against KU, so I'm very familiar with the program. I followed them when they had success, won the Orange Bowl."
— Edited by Brian Hillix
Jackson
Likens
Yenser
Kubiak
Hyman
Kane
Thibodeaux