Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BREW:JAYHAWKS GET'BRACKINSED'
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009
Individual star wasn't enough for Iowa State. COMMENTARY I 8A
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Childhood idol influences Little's game
Inspired by Michael Jordan, Little brings a midrange game to Kansas
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Take the tattoo on Mario Little's right bicep literally.
It's an Air Jordan logo with writing around it that reads, "quality inspired by the greatest player ever."
That fadeaway midrange jumper Little loves to shoot? Yeah, that's vintage Jordan. Little learned the shot by studying Jordan.
Unlike most of them, Little molded the majority of his game after the one he considers the greatest.
Like most youths growing up in Chicago, Little, junior guard, idolized Michael Jordan for leading the Bulls to six NBA Championships in the 1990s.
"I used to watch Hakeem Olajuwon, too." Little said. "He had a pretty nice one too. But I got it from Jordan."
Jordan's jumper has helped Kansas spring out to a 4-0 start in Big 12 Conference play. Little has made 11 consecutive shots from the field, a streak that's lasted more than three games.
JerryWang/KANSAN
Little has scored a combined 24 points in the layhawks' past two games despite playing only 26 minutes off the bench as he continues to get back into shape after injuries to his lower left leg and left hand.
The way he's done it is what impresses teammates and Kansas coach Bill Self. He's made only one three-pointer and a handful of layups. Most of the points have come from 15-to-18-foot jump shots.
"I really believe he shoots it better than what I thought before he got here," Self said. "He's got a nice stroke and it's soft."
Junior guard Mario Little leaps for a layup at the Jawhaws' Jan. 19 game against Texas A&M. Little enters Big 12 play with a streak of 11 consecutive shots made during his past three appearances.
Little wants to be like Mike,
but different from everyone else.
That's why Little has stuck with the
midrange game.
In high school, Little noticed a lot of players were relying on attacking the rim or gunning three-pointers from the perimeter. But his coaches told him not to conform.
It would make him unique. It would make him valuable. Little kept shooting turnaround jumpers and fadeaways from outside the paint.
"It's a shot I know I can'make nine times out of 10." Little said. "That's a shot I take if it's open."
Little's midrange jumper has added a new dimension to the Jayhawk attack. Junior guard Sherron Collins, sophomore center Cole Aldrich and freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor were accounting for nearly 60 percent of Kansas' points before Little returned.
Collins and Taylor score the majority of their points driving the lane or hitting three-pointers. Aldrich muscles out points below the basket. Little's offensive skill set is new to the team.
"He's kind of got a little old school game to him." Self said. "There are a lot more three-point shooters than there are midrange players right now."
Self and the Jayhawks have referred to Little as a "missing piece." At the beginning of the season Self expected Little, the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, to be one of Kansas' main sources of production.
It took longer than anticipated, but it seems Little — and his Jordan-inspired jumpers — has arrived and is here to stay.
— Edited by Susan Melgren
"If he continues to keep playing the way he is playing, then we are going to be really good." Taylor said. "This is what we've been waiting for."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sutherland showing wide array of skills
Freshman forward Aishah Sutherland leaps for a basket from inside the paint during the Jayhawk's game against the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. Sutherland scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the game.
Ryan McGeenev/KANSAN
BY JAYSON JENKS
Before the season, coach Bonnie Henrickson spoke of a player the likes of which Kansas hadn't signed in her five years on the job. But, in each description, Henrickson bracketed her praise with the word "potential."
jjenks@kansan.com
In the basketball sense of the word, Sutherland is a project — a player who needs time to develop and grasp the finer points of the college game.
“There aren't many players I've coached that can hang around the rim or hang on the rim and stand out there and knock down a three!" Henrickson said. "I've had separate players do it, but never coached a kid that you could say those two things about."
Freshman Aishah Sutherland came to Kansas an athlete; a forward who could dribble. shoot three-pointers and hang on the rim.
If Sutherland's athleticism landed her on the roster, inconsistent play in practice kept her off the court.
When the Jayhawks returned to Lawrence from winter break, Henrickson and Sutherland sat down for a peep talk.
The message? Re-establish the idea that consistent hard work in practice can lead to more minutes.
"No one should feel sorry for you," Henrickson said. "I beg you to play everyday."
For Kansas' past two nonconfer
ence games, it appeared Sutherland might have cracked into the playing rotation. Sutherland played 29 minutes in those two games, an increase from the 28 minutes she played in the previous 11 combined.
Indeed, Sutherland demonstrated some of those qualities Saturday by scoring nine points and grabbing 12 rebounds. But more than any stat will tell, Sutherland proved that she's capable of playing with Big 12-caliber athletes.
But less than three minutes into Saturday's game against Kansas State, Sutherland rose from Kansas' bench and knelt in front of the scorer's table — a surprising move to many except those who see her practice.
Then, Big 12 games started and Sutherland played just four minutes in one conference game and sat out for three others.
"Aishah is a beast when she wants to be," junior forward Danielle McCray said.
In preparing for K-State, Henrickn practiced Sutherland at the five position -- the spot most responsible for playing near the basket.
"I thought, 'Let me try this kid and reduce the offensive package and reduce the responsibilities.'" Henrickson said. "And we'll let her rely on her athleticism until she gets it all figured out."
Less than a minute after entering the game, Sutherland appeared frustrated when she posted up her defender and didn't get the ball.
She was frowning and calling for the ball. Her actions weren't those of a selfish player, but instead demonstrated the level of confidence Sutherland has in herself' and that which others have in her.
And, in helping Sutherland transition smoothly, Henrickson is going to continue practicing her at the five position. In doing so, Henrickson said Sutherland would have less responsibilities on offense, allowing her athleticism to flow more naturally.
"I was like, 'Ooooohh, I'm going to have to work harder in practice now,' Sutherland said. "But that's not a bad thing — it will make me better."
"I think she kind of hurt herself." McCray said of Sutherland's Saturday performance, "because now she can't come to practice being bad."
After the game, players shared those same thoughts with Sutherland inside the Kansas locker room. The idea caught her off guard, at least for a moment.
In the postgame interview Saturday, Sutherland kept her plans for helping the Jayhawks short and basic — something Hendrickson can appreciate.
"I provide rebounding and points," Sutherland said, before Henrickson finished the thought:
"Just keep it simple, man. The game's not that hard: rebound and points."
— Edited by Melissa Johnson
COMMENTARY
Blowout evokes call for change
Andrew Wiebe: But there's the catch. Grimes had not fired because his team had more talent. He wasn't fired because his girls won by triple digits.
Grimes was fired because he couldn't find it within himself to go along with The Covenant School's apology. He was fired because the private Christian academy he worked for represented more than just wins and losses.
HO
One of Covenant's stated goals for its athletes goes like this; to foster discernment and wisdom in the use of one's God-given talents. How much wisdom or discernment is there in a 100-0 victory over a school made up of students with learning differences?
First, why is a school with 50 students that's designed to help those with learning differences playing in a league with state title contenders? Dallas Academy has 20 girls, and the basketball team plays with eight. Many never played篮球 before.
As far as discement goes, Grimes showed none. He had to foresee the harsh reaction. But he did keep his integrity. Grimes ran a softer zone defense after the score reached 25-0 after three minutes
with learning differences, 100-0 in a high school girls basketball game on Jan. 13. Covenant administrators issued an apology, and a media frenzy about sportsmanship ensured. On Sunday, Covenant fired coach Micah Grimes for disagreeing with the school's opinion on the blowout
When Grimes was fired, my middling opinion completely shit ed. You play to win, and a coach shouldn't be fired because his team has more talent.
The Covenant School in Texas defeated Dallas Academy, a school made up of students
Pulling his kids back completely would have been disrespectful to Dallas Academy, and just passing the ball around would have wasted everyone's time.
It seems a game like this happens every couple years between mismatched girls' basketball teams. Why haven't high school athletic associations set out worst-case scenario rules for situations like this? Why can't athletic directors find suitable opponents for their teams' skill levels?
Dallas Academy hasn't won a game in four seasons and the school never should have allowed this game to take place.
Taylor Bern: My first reaction to this game was disbelief.
Disbelief that a team could play an entire game yet attempt only seven shots. Disbelief that an outcome this drastic was possible in league play.
But as I read more about the story, I found myself falling in the middle. Neither feeling for the zero nor cheering for the 100.
Wiebe: True. As easy as it is to pile the blame on Grimes, the real problem here is with the system.
Bern: I have a couple of problems with your argument.
More important question:
Where's the mercy rule?
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It just seems like this could have been avoided with some foresight.
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