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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Withey starting to settle in
After transferring from Arizona, freshman center makes adjustments to new weather, team
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Jeff Withe arrived in Lawrence a week ago without a coat.
Withey, a 6-foot-10 center and the newest Jayhawk after transferring from Arizona, never needed one growing up in San Diego or during his first college semester in Tucson, Ariz. Luckily for Withey, Adidas provides student athletes with free Kansas winter gear.
Even with the coat, Withey isn't comfortable with the below-freezing conditions Kansas endures this time of year. But he's not going to let the weather
— or anything else — temper his enthusiasm about the opportunity he has at Kansas.
PAGE 1B
"I'm just excited to be here." Withey said. "I just wish I could play right now"
For now, Withey will have to settle for practicing with the Jayhawks and watching games from the end of the bench in a shirt and tie. Because he transferred, Withey will not be eligible to play for the Jayhawks until the end of the Fall 2009 semester.
Withey's height isn't going anywhere, and his potential can only grow with a year's worth of practices. That leaves Withey's 220-pound size, which Self said he hoped would increase.
Kansas coach Bill Self doesn't necessarily view the delay as a negative. When Self looks at Withe, he sees the same thing everyone else does — a tall, skinny 18-year-old full of potential.
"He needs to put on some weight," Self said. "I really believe we can get 20 pounds on him by the time he's eligible. I think he's going to have a chance to impact our program as one of those big guys in some capacity."
SEE WITHEY ON PAGE 5B
Freshman transfer Jeff Withey will be watching games from the bench in his suit and tie until next January, when he become eligible to join the Jayhawks. Withey, who will sit out for a year after transferring to Kansas from Arizona, will be able to practice with the Jayhawks during the rest of this season, but can't begin playing in games until next year.
OTHER NOTABLE KU TRANSFERS
Weston White/KANSAN
Rodrick Stewart (USC)
Stewart was part of the team
Bank
Kansas' third national title in San Antonio last March.
Unfortunately,
Stewart's defensive ability and
toughness were relegated to the bench at the Final Four when he dislocated his knee cap in practice
Luke Axtell (Texas)
Roy Williams coaxed this
6-foot-10
sharp-shooter to campus
from Austin in 2000, but he
never lived up to his potential
because of illn
Lester Earl (LSU)
Earl arrived at Kansas in 1998 under a cloud of media scrutiny after allegations that he received money from LSU coaches.
Despite his athletic ability, Earl never dominated as he was expected to in Lawrence.
Jerod Haase (California)
Roy Williams haease played with Jason Kidd at California before coming to Kansas in the mid 1990s. He now sits next
One of the defining players of the
to Williams as a North Carolina assistant coach.
Rex Walters (Northwestern) Walters transferred to Kansas
in 1991. He helped Roy Williams' team reach the final Four in 1993 and went on to play seven years in the NBA. He is now the coach.
the coach at San Francisco
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Henrickson looks for increased effort
Rebounds and points needed in tonight's game against Nebraska
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
An alarming trend taking hold
of coach Bonnie Henrickson's team, and it has nothing to do with Kansas' shooting problems.
— and shooting
just 28 percent,
including a few
missed layups —
After losing to Texas Tech 57-49
"We've done that," Henrickson said. "that's not the first night it's
Henrickson said.
"When we are struggling from the field, we just have to have another solution, another answer."
the most disappointing and inexplicable part of Saturday's game was not only the Jayhawks' lack of offensive rebounds, but also their continued lack of effort in that category.
any easier by grabbing only two offensive rebounds.
On a night when they nut just 20 percent of their first-half shots, the lajhaywhats didn't make things
LACHELDA JACOBS Junior guard
happened. We've got a lot of confidence in the guy taking the shot... But we're not getting in — we're not being tough."
Toughness is what the Jayhawks will need tonight, though, when they head to Nebraska
Kansas entered the matchup ranked second in the Big 12 in team field-goal percentage but, as junior guard LaChelda Jacobs said, "You're going to have nights
for a 7 p.m. game.
No player seemed worried after the Texas Tech game about the Jayhawks' poor shooting night.
Every player, though, voiced concern about Kansas' perceived lack of effort on the offensive boards. That Kansas missed 20 first-half shots, yet grabbed only two offensive rebounds, pretty much tells the story.
where you don't shoot the ball well."
"It's heart, it's a desire, it's an intensity, it's a pride factor," junior guard Kelly Kohn said. "It takes a little bit of skill and athleticism but, at the same time, you have to have the mindset of 'That's my ball'"
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 5B
Texas Tech Forward Dominci Seals guards> the ball after rebounds from an unsuccessful Kansas layup during Saturday's game in Allen Fied房屋.The layhaws' inability to successfully grab rebounds was a major factor in their 57-49 loss to the Lady Raiders.
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Taylor not playing like a true freshman
4
Conventional wisdom says a lot of things, especially about sports.
One frequently cited truism is the existence of a freshman wall. This imaginary barrier usually pops up once freshmen are subjected to the rigors of conference play. Their play drops off, and their inexperience results in more egregious errors. If conventional wisdom is correct, then this is the time of year when Kansas' sizable freshman class ought to run headfirst into this wall.
But despite the name, conventional wisdom is frequently misguided.
Take the notion that a freshman is bound to hit a wall somewhere during early conference play.
Tyshawn Taylor doesn't seem to think much of that. In fact, he seems dead-set on disproving it.
Since Big 12 play began against Kansas State, Taylor has continued as the most effective freshman in the conference.
In those games, Taylor has played an average of 29 minutes. Playing time has helped cement him as a steady force next to preseason All-Big 12 guard Sherron Collins. Taylor's ability to handle the ball has allowed Collins the freedom to operate in the open court and find his own shot. Without Taylor playing well at point guard, Collins would likely find it more difficult to score at the rate he has. Taylor's defense has also eased the burden on Collins' shoulders.
But Taylor's contributions to the young Jayhawks go far beyond the intangible.
Taylor has scored an average of 15 points per game since conference play began, up five from his season average — which ranks third behind Collins and Cole Aldrich. Were he forcing up shots outside the natural flow of the offense, his scoring average would be less impressive. But that's not the case.
Taylor is shooting a ridiculous 75 percent from the floor. Taylor could probably score more than he already does if he looked for his shot more often. But his most important statistic since the team has begun conference play isn't his scoring average, assists total or steals total. No, the most important statistic Taylor is partially responsible for is 3-0. That is the record Kansas has amassed to begin Big 12 play.
If Taylor were slamming into some talent-depreciating wall, Kansas wouldn't have dispatched Kansas State as easily as it did. Nor would the lajhawks have trounced Colorado, easily walking away with their first road victory of the season. On Monday night, Taylor scored in the first half, helping Kansas distance itself from Texas A&M. He was quiet in the second half, in part because he didn't need to make much noise.
In that, Taylor's best attribute becomes clear. He is perfectly willing and able to do what needs to be done in order to win.
It's that same selflessness that has enabled Taylor to tear down the freshman wall.
Edited by Grant Treaster