THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009
KU 73, TAMU 53
7A
BALL REWIND Marcus improves his jump shot
Freshman forward Marcus Morris attempts a shot under pressure. Morris finished with 10 points and an assist as he regained his swagger against Texas A&M Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
BY TAYLOR BERN
tbern@kansan.com
Jerry Wann / KANSAN
The confidence built every practice. Every flick of the wrist and subsequent swish let Marcus Morris know that yes, indeed, he could still shoot the ball.
Morris, freshman forward, has been taking extra time in practice to regain his form and build confidence in his long-range game.
In the last two games, Morris is 3-of-4 on three-pointers, including back-to-back treys in the second half of Monday's 73-53 victory over Texas A&M.
"It gets me energized." Morris said. "You shoot the three and then hear the crowd go, 'Ahhh.'"
Morris said he took pride in his jump shot in high school. When he arrived at Kansas it seemed as if he left his jumper back in Philadelphia.
Before Big 12 play started, Morris met with the coaching staff to discuss his role on the team.
"They said they need me to play and need me to knock down shots," Morris said. "I just told them I'd get into the gym, so me and Coach Dooley and Coach Manning have been in the gym early."
Morris said he tried to shoot at least 200 pull-up jumpers and 200 three-pointers before and after practice. The extra work has resulted in more confidence come game time, which became evident in Saturday's game at Colorado.
KANSAN
his hand sole Aldrich
Morris hit his lone three-pointer in that game and finished with 10 points. Against A&M, the freshman was 2-of-3 behind the three-
point line for 10 points. He also chipped in two steals and an assist in 20 minutes.
"I know on some team's scouting reports they see that I haven't shot the three well, so they were giving me space, as Texas A&M did," Morris said. "I basically made them pay for it."
Besides the desire to recapture his jumper, Morris said he started putting extra work into his shot because of how well it opens up the court. When the opposing forward must climb to the top of the key to guard Marcus, it opens up paint space for the center — Cole Aldrich or twin brother Markieff
Now that he's got his range back, Morris doesn't want to give it up.
to operate.
Still, it will be tough for Marcus to give up that jumper from the top of the key.
Aldrich scored 10 of his 16 points after Morris drilled his treys. It didn't seem to matter how much room Markieff had to work, as he was 0-for-2 before and after his brother's shots.
Since it's nearly impossible to tell them apart without a program, Coach Bill Self answered a question about Marcus with an assessment of both.
the top of the key. I don't know whi"
— Edited by Susan Melgren
"If those guys play in that 20 minute range, it seems like their energy level is a little bit higher." Self said. "I think they've both gotten a lot better in the last month."
That's less evident in Markieff's play, but perhaps all he needs is a little more time with Dooley and Manning.
him up top, allowing him to drive past and attack the rim.
WIEBE (CONTINUED FROM 12A)
Self pointed out that both twins still need work at the free-throw line — they combined for 4-of-9 — and that Marcus must get more aggressive on the boards.
Marcus said his aggression should amp up once teams guard
they looked equally as lost on the defensive end.
"That's my spot on the court," Morris said. "I like shooting from
By the time Kansas had gotten off to its usual explosive start at home, leading 20-6 with just over eight minutes of the first half gone, Turgeon's face was fraught with the displeasure. By the time Texas A&M stumbled into halftime trailing 40-23, the game's outcome had already been decided.
The Jayhawks just wanted it more. And as much as Turgeon was glad to be back, he was equally appalled by the way his team represented itself in a building so close to his own heart.
"I love this place," Turgeon said before allowing frustration to poke
Weston White/KANSAN
through his calm exterior. "It's really disappointing because you asked about effort. That's one thing I played with, and my team didn't play with it tonight."
Make no mistake. Turgeon, as a player, isn't accustomed to leaving Allen Fieldhouse with a bitter taste in his mouth. Along with Danny Manning, his counterpart on the opposing bench, the 5-foot-11 Turgeon helped lead the Jayhawks to a 55-game home winning streak from 1984 to 1988 that is still the second lonestreet in Kansas history.
from the bench Monday night against Texas A&M. with 16 points against the Aggies.
Before the game, Turgeon showed his oldest son what all the accolades are all about. He walked him through the Booth Family Hall
And as much as this one probably hurt him, Turgeon still has time to make his next return a more triumphant one. Two years from now the Aggies will be his team, and a trip back home will be old hat.
"I'm glad it's behind us," he said of his first trip back on the opposing team's bench. "Let's hope next time we come here we play a little better."
of Athletics. He showed him the banners, the trophies and the floor on which he helped rebuild a struggling program.
Edited by Melissa Johnson
Weston White/KANSAN
Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon scratches his head one of his players was called for traveling. The game was a homecoming for Turgeon, who played basketball at Kansas.
@KANSAN.COM
For more coverage, check out Case Keefer's "Blog" Allen on Kansan.com. Also listen to the postgame edition of The Jay Report podcast.
BEWARE OF "THE BLOG"
VIEW FROM PRESS ROW
IT WAS OVER WHEN...
Texas A&M committed its fifth turnover of the game with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. Aggie guard Josh Carter lost his handle on the ball and it rolled out of bounds. Moments later, freshman guard Tyshawn
Taylor drove the lane and made a layup to extend Kansas's lead to 18-4. Texas &M finished with 20 turnovers, an unacceptable number for a team trying to win at Allen Fieldhouse.
GAME TO REMEMBER...
Little
Junior guard Mario Little. A week ago, Little was unsure if he'd play the rest of the season. The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year considered applying for a redshirt after dealing with a stress fracture in his lower left leg and a broken left hand. Perhaps Little made the right decision when he bypassed that option. Little scored 15 points and had four rebounds in the victory. He made his first four shots and sparked the Jayhawks during their 31-10 start to the game.
GAME TO FORGET...
Freshman forward Markieff Morris. Markieff grabbed 16 rebounds in his first game as a Jayhawk in November. Since then, almost nothing has gone right for the bigger Morris twin. Problem is Markieff can't play for a long period of time without picking up foolish fouls. He finished with two points and two fouls Monday. He recorded both his fouls in his first five minutes of playing time.
Morris
STAT OF THE NIGHT...
12. That's the number of Jayhawks who checked into the game at some point. If more
than nine players appear, it's usually a pretty good indicator of dominance.
Case Keefer
PRIME PLAYS
FIRST HALF
4:20 - Unwilling to settle for an ordinary two points, Tyshawn Taylor extended his arms and legs and made a typical layup in the lane look spectacular.
8:33 - Mario Little hit his third shot of the game, a wide open three-pointer from the left wing. The shot put Kansas up 29-10 and forced Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon to burn a timeout.
3:42 - 40 feet from the basket, Texas A&M's B.J. Holmes traveled. It was the 12th turnover of the half -- the Aggies went into halftime with 14 -- and epitomized their offensive futility.
0:01 - Rushing to beat the buzzer, Mario Little's layup attempt delinked off the rim. It was his first miss of the game, until referee Ed Hightower ruled that the buzzer had already gone off. Little finished a perfect 6-of-6 for 15 points.
9:51 He was great on offense, but Mario Little can play some defense, too. After knocking down a jumper, Little hustled back on defense and forced a jump ball.
4:47 The game was in hand and an impressive victory assured, but Kansas still hustled after every loose ball late in the game. On this play, Brady Morningstar and Sherron Collins dove at and on top of the scorer's table, both of them narrowly avoiding injury in the process.
14:50 - If one is good, two is better. And two straight three-pointers from Marcus Morris is great for Kansas. Morris' second trey forced an Aggie timeout and sent Kansas' bench into hysterics. Chase Buford sprinted from the end of the bench and was the first to chest bump Morris.
— Taylor Bern
SELF ACCUSED OF RECRUITING VIOLATION
GAME NOTES
According to the Springfield News-Leader, Kansas coach Bill Self violated NCAA recruiting rules this weekend by engaging in a conversation with John Wall.
Wall, rivals.com's top-ranked recruit in the country, played in a tournament in Springfield, Mo., this weekend for his high school, Word of God Academy in Raleigh, N.C. Self attended Wall's game Friday night. The story in the News-Leader reported that Self walked outside of Wall's locker room to congratulate the 6-foot-4 guard on a victory.
Although the conversation was brief, coaches are not allowed to speak with recruits during NCAA-designated "evaluation periods." The Kansas Athletics Department is looking into the allegation.
According to rivals.com, Wall is considering Baylor, North Carolina State, Memphis, Duke and Kansas. He will decide after his high school season in the spring.
Out of the 6,000 or so Kansas fans in attendance for Saturday's 73-56 victory against Colorado at
A SPECIAL GUEST
It was former Jayhawk Darnell Jackson. Jackson, the starting power forward on last year's national championship team, attended the game in Boulder, Colo., because the Cleveland Cavaliers had an off-day.
Coors Events Center, one received special treatment from the Jayhawks.
Jackson, who has appeared in 17 games for the Cavaliers, did not tell anyone except sophomore center Cole Aldrich that he planned to attend the game. He briefly addressed the team in the locker room after the game.
TAYLOR HONORED...
AGAIN
Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor got off to a scorching start in Big 12 Conference play and the Big 12 noticed.
Taylor won his third Phillips 66 Big 12 Freshman of the Week award Monday for his part in victories against Kansas State and Colorado. Taylor averaged 17 points in the two games.
Oklahoma guard Austin Johnson took home the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week award.
Case Keefer