Volume 124 Issue 127
kansan.com
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Self took this team to the National Championship, capping a 32-victory season. That's not too bad for a "down year," if you ask me.
The 2012 jayhawks were neither the deepest nor the most talented club Bill Self has seen in his time at Kansas. In fact, they're probably the least talented, but when it's all said and done, I would take this year's team over the previous two in a heartbeat.
COMMENTARY
With just one returning starter in Tyshawn Taylor and a role-playerturned-superstar in Thomas Robinson, this Kansas team achieved what nobody thought was possible before the season. When the Jayhawks fell to Davidson on Dec. 19 in Kansas City, many pundits questioned whether Kansas could make the NCAA Tournament this year, much less win a Big 12 title.
The only problem was that this Kentucky team was a true college basketball power, featuring an unselfish collection of NBA-caliber talent.
Much more than expected
No, Kansas didn't get to cut down the nets in New Orleans, but the Jayhawks played like champions even in defeat. So, although there will not be a new championship banner in Allen Fieldhouse next season, Kansas fans have great reason to be proud.
Edited by Katie James
When the final buzzer sounded at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the realization that the best Kansas team since 2008 had played its last game instantly hit me - yes, the best.
Whether it was the 19-point comeback against Missouri, or the series of come-from-behind wins in the NCAA Tournament, the Jayhawks bought into what Self had preached all season long.
Three months ago, very few Kansas fans would have expected the Jayhawks to reach New Orleans, but the constant improvements of Elijah Johnson, Jeff Withey and Tyshawn Taylor made this improbable scenario a reality.
Even when Kansas found itself down 16 with 10 minutes left in the game against Kentucky, the Jayhawks did not quit and followed the blueprint of the Missouri comeback to cut the lead to five.
The Jayhawks responded to that adversity, and resilience became a theme for this Kansas squad. There was never a deficit too big in the minds of Kansas, who seemingly played its best when backed against a wall.
Kansas' well-documented 69-67 tournament loss to Northern Iowa truly shows the difference between this team and the 2009-10 edition. Yes, that was an ultra-talented group led by Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry, Cole Aldrich and the Morris twins; however, that team thought it could just show up and win and paid dearly for that mentality.
It might have been the constant label of "underdog," but this team played with an edge that I have not seen in my four years at Kansas, and for that, I will miss watching these jayhawks.
WARM WELCOME
A THANK YOU TO FANS
Jayhawks 'lasted until the very end'
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
With the long lines of people waiting outside Allen Filedhouse Tuesday, it looked as if the Kansas basketball team would be playing a home game later in the evening.
But instead of gathering to cheer the Jayhawks to victory, this crowd gathered to congratulate the Jayhawks for a season where they surpassed everyone's expectations by advancing to the National Championship game.
"It it just means so much to us for you guys having our backs," senior guard Conner Teahan told the crowd. "It really made us the team we are now, because we didn't want to let you guys down."
Four players from the team addressed the crowd: senior guards Teahan, Tyshawn Taylor and Jordan Juenemann, along with junior forward Thomas Robinson, who most likely played his last game for Kansas Monday night, as he is expected to enter the NBA draft this spring.
When Robinson spoke, some fans in the crowd tried to entice him to stick around for one more season.
"I wish that he would play for one more year," Taylor Teague, a Dallas senior, said about Robinson. "But he has to move on. I'll support him wherever he goes."
The fans filed into Allen Fieldhouse almost an hour before the team arrived and were treated to a replay of the Jayhawks' Final Four victory over Ohio State.
"I was thinking about their faces, and just how excited they would be to see us and know how much they mean to us and how much we support them," Kathryn McDonald, a Frisco, Texas, senior, said.
The season may have ended in disappointment, as the Jayhawks failed to capture their sixth national title.
However, the hard-to-please Jayhawk fans were rather pleased with how the season unfolded, especially after previous teams failed to match fans' lofty expectations.
"Our season this year turned out a lot better," Caleb MacIntosh, a Caney freshman, said. "I'm sure last year people had higher hopes because of who we had. Overall, I think I'd prefer this year just because of how far and unexpected it went."
Kansas coach Bill Self also expressed his disappointment that this was the last time this group of players would be together at center court of Allen Fieldhouse in front of their faithful fans.
"I know you're attached to them, I'm attached to them," Self said to the crowd. "The reality of it is, you're never going to see these guys play together again, and to to me that's the thing that's most sad. So when you get attached, you want it to last as long as possible, and these guys lasted to the very, very end."
For a senior class that entered Kansas on the heels of a national championship, this class proved its worth, capturing four outright Big 12 conference championships and winning two Big 12 tournament titles.
And while the layhawks didn't win it all this season, because the team went to the Final Four, it will forever have a spot in Kansas basketball history. Next season, Allen Fieldhouse will have another banner hanging from the rafters — one that will read "NCAA Final Four 2012."
"It was one of our greatest seasons, and it was because of you guys," senior guard Jordan Juenemann said to the crowd. "It's so cool how the sport of basketball, Kansas basketball, can bring so many together, and we just thank you for that."
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
IESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN
Coach Bill Self spoke to loyal fans who came to Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday night to show their support after the team lost to Kentucky in the National Championship on Monday. Thomas Robinson, along with three other players, also spoke to the crowd.
BASEBALL
Early error results in loss for Kansas
MAX LUSH
mlush@kansan.com
OMAHA. Neb. — The Kansas baseball team dug itself into a hole early during Tuesday night's game against Creighton. Kansas lost the game 7-3 after the Jayhawks' freshman pitcher Drew Morovick (2-2, 6.75) gave up two runs to Creighton in the bottom of the first inning.
Both runs were unearned, though, after freshman center fielder Dakota Smith dropped a fly ball with two outs and runners on second and third bases. Kansas (12-16) entered Tuesday night's game tied for 10th in the nation with a .979 fielding percentage, but Smith's costly error was the Jayhawks' third in four games.
Senior pitcher Jordan Jakubov pitches the ball during Tuesday evening's game against Creighton at theTD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. The Jayhawks lost 3-7.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
The Jayhawks can't afford to play sloppy defense if they want to be successful, as the team has struggled offensively so far this season. Kansas hitters either score in bunches or barely at all. They couldn't score enough runs again Tuesday at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., and lost to the Blue lays by four runs.
"We'll just get back in practice and start doing everything again that we usually do," Smith said. "We've been playing really good defense. We just struggled a couple plays throughout the game."
"It's huge," Kuntz said of Smith. "Like I just told him, you got to keep your head up, stuff like that's going to happen. You just got to keep practicing and battling, and you will work yourself out of it."
Zac Elgie led off the inning with a double down the left field line. Smith made up for his error by driving Elgie home with a single up the middle. Sophomore left fielder Tucker Tharp laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Smith to second base. Smith then scored on junior short stop Kevin Kuntz's single.
The Jayhawks tied the game at two in the third inning after three hits. Senior third baseman
Morovick, who pitched on Sunday, only threw two innings on the night and was tagged with Creighton's two unearned runs. Freshman Colin Toalson (0-0, 6.48) relieved Morovick in the third.
Creighton took back the lead in the fourth inning, scoring another two runs off of back-to-back doubles and a single. All three hits came with two outs in the inning.
Tharp helped the Jayhawks again in the fifth inning, blasting his first home run of the season into the Blue Jays' bullpen in left field to make the score 4-3. The solo shot was his second in his career at Kansas.
"I was glad to see him break out," coach Ritch Price said of Tharp. "It was good to see him come up and hammer a ball to left. We need somebody in the middle of our lineup to start
making a productive out for us."
The Jayhawks wouldn't score again and the Blue Jays scored three more times. Creighton added one run in the seventh and two in the eighth. Kansas used five pitchers total, and only senior Jordan Jakubov didn't give
up a run.
Price left Omaha unhappy with the performance in the game's most prized venue at the collegiate level.
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"To be honest with you, I was disappointed in every phase of the game today," Price said. "To walk
into the College World Series stadium in front of a great crowd, we did not play very well."
— Edited by Corinne Westeman