Volume 126 Issue 59
kansan.com
Tuesday. December 10,2013
COMMENTARY
Fans upset by recruiting class
Kansas fans,you asked for this.
You were tired of Kentucky getting all the top recruits. You overlooked the successes of the Morris twins, Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor (all four-star recruits). Many of you asked yourself whether Bill Self had lost his recruiting touch.
Then Self brought in his statement class. Six freshman, three of who were five-stars, and one of who was Andrew Wiggins.
And now Kansas has lost to Villanova and Colorado. It struggled to beat UTEP. All of a sudden, this team is soft. It cannot handle defensive changes. It crumples under high expectations. Or maybe, Kansas is simply
Or maybe, Kansas is simply young.
Basketball fans discount youth, maintaining that talent should trump all. That couldn't be further from the truth. There's a reason that the tournament starts in March and not in December.
Villanova's top three scorers are upperclassmen. Their top freshman is sixth on the team in scoring. Colorado is very similar. The Buffaloes' leading scorer, Spencer Dinwiddie, is a junior. Their top four contributors all have at least a year of experience behind them.
On the court, both Villanova and Colorado proudly wore their experience like badges of honor. They grinded away at Kansas using various defensive schemes and superior ball control. Colorado dominated the battle of turnovers, only giving the ball away six times. Villanova cut off penetration, packed in the lane, and Kansas was unable to adjust. Experience won these games. Had talent been the sole indicator, Kansas would have two more notches in the victory column.
if these two games were symptoms, doctors would suggest you exhibited classic signs of youth. The prescription is simply time and experience, and those symptoms should subside.
Kansas is not alone in its struggles. Scouts and pundits are drooling over the big three freshmen, Wiggins, Duke's Jabari Parker and Kentucky's Julius Randle, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky have all underperformed with respect to preseason rankings. Each team has some non-freshmen to rely on (Perry Ellis, Rodney Hood, Willie Cauley-Stein), but their overall youth still inhibits their talent. All three teams have exhibited questionable defense and leadership. These are traits which are learned through competition, tough losses and lots of practice.
Wiggins hasn't demonstrated a killer instinct yet. Wayne Selden lacks overall consistency and is prone to disappearing. Joel Embibid has been a bright spot, but he still fouls too much. Frank Mason misses most of his outside shots and often tries to do too much. These struggles are fixable and can be attributed to youth, not talent. They all spent last year playing against teenagers. It should surprise no one that early strugles were inevitable.
A season is measured by how it ends, not by how it begins. It is the team that wins last, not the team that wins most, that will have the bragging rights. This is the young team with star recruits that all the fans wanted, but success in college basketball is a process, not a guarantee.
Fans asked for this. Now they just have to be patient.
Edited by Heather Nelson
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: THE JAYHAWKS AND GATORS FACE OFF IN GAINESVILLE PAGE 8
BIG 12-SEC CHALLENGE
PROMISING POST
Embiid, Kansas seek a road victory against No. 19 Florida
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
GAINESVILLE, FLA. - It just might have been Bill Self's best recruitment of a player not named Andrew Wiggins.
The Kansas coach heard of a raw seven-footer from Cameroon named Joel Embid who was demolishing opponents down in Florida. Self, always hungry for another big man, had to try to lure him to Lawrence.
The only problem was figuring out how to keep Embiid from committing to the University of Florida and famed coach Billy Donovan.
At the time, Embiid was the No. 25 recruit in the nation, according to Rivals.com, and was playing out of The Rock School
in Gamesville.
Self wasn't
just mining
in Donovans
backyard; he
was rummaging
through his
bedroom.
"Florida was involved," Self said of Embiid's recruitment
tickets," Embiid said. "I had a lot of fun out there."
On Nov. 12, 2012 Embid made his official visit to Kansas. Two weeks later he made his official visit to Florida. And two more weeks after that Embid committed to the Jayhawks.
But the Embid who takes the court in front of his host family and friends might not be the same one they remember from a few months ago.
1onight, the freshman center makes his return to Gainesville, and while there may still be some lingering effects from his decision to leave the state, Embid will be greeted with at least a few cheers.
Since coming to Kansas, Embid has developed as quickly as any other freshman on the current roster, perhaps even setting the pace.
Monday's teleconference call. "But they had an unbelievable recruiting class already."
"My host family has tickets and my high school coach has
And the last time Embid played in front of family or friends was against Iona and Towson when his father flew in from Cameroon to witness his son's new hobby for the first time.
In those two games, Embid tallied 24 points on 11-12 shooting with 21 rebounds.
"He really understands the game far beyond his years. He's got a chance to be a very special player."
Plus, Self had an in. When current Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts held the same position under Billy Donovan, he made solid contacts at The Rock School. Now it was time to call on them.
In eight games this season. Embiid is averaging 9.3 points
BILL SELF basketball coach
and 6.6
rebounds off
the bench.
His footwork
alone makes
coaches drol.
"Io has been great," Self said. "He's only played two years of ball so he's got
a long ways to go, but his ceiling is high and he's just a sponge."
This coming from a guy who didn't think Embiid would play a lot of minutes right away. For as much potential as Embiid has, Self naturally figured it would take a while for the center to transition to college basketball.
Yet in the last two games, Embild has played at least 20 minutes off the bench. Even Self was fooled by just how quickly the freshman can pick up the game.
"He really understands the game far beyond his years," Self said. "He's got a chance to be a very special player."
Edited by Heather Nelson
Freshman center Joel Embiid dunks the ball in during the Jayhawks' game against Duke. Embiid is averaging 9.3 points per game and 6.6 rebounds.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL
Kansas heads to NCAA regionals in LA
NO. 5 WASHINGTON HUSKIES (28-2, 18-2)
NEUTRAL COURT 2-0
**KEY HITTER:** Junior outside hitter Krista Vansant; 456
total kills. 4,34 kills per set
KEY BLOCKER: Sophomore middle blocker Liang
KEY PASSER: Senior libero Jenna Orlandini; 4.17 digs
Sybeldon; 1.30 blocks per set
@ No. 20 Illinois
KEY WINS:
vs. No. 6 Stanford
No. 24 Arizona
@ No. 25 Oregon
@ Colorado
the university of Washington Huskies run a 5-2 offense, which means the Huskies use two setters in its offense, with senior Jenni Nogueras (6.41 assist per set) and Katy Beats (5.42 APS). Also, Washington has dominating blocking middles. The Jayhawks ability to distribute the ball to all hitters and play runs around the opposing middle blockers will be the key to the Jayhawks winning against No. 5 Washington.
NO. 7 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJAMS (28-5, 16-4) NEUTRAL COURT-5-0
vs. No. 24 Arizona
@ No. 7 USC
KEY HITTER: Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Bricio. 3.42 kills per set
KEY BLOCKER: Senior middle blocker Alexis Ogard;
127 blocks per set
KEY PASSER: Senior libero Natalie Hagglund; 5.30
digs per set
KEY WINS:
@ No. 25 Oregon
@ No. 6 Stanford
KEY LOSSES:
vs. No. 5 Washington
@ Washington State
@ No.24 Arizona
the rogans senior libero Natalie Hagglund led the Pacific 12 Conference in digs per set, and the Jayhawks became familiar with insync passing teams, when Kansas faced 2012 All-American libero Kristen Hahn twice this season. The Jayhawks allowed 14 digs per set and will have to use their aggressive style of play to beat a tough defensive team.
NO. 21 BYU COUGARS (24-6, 15-3)
NEUTRAL: 3-2
Volu
KEY HITTER: Sophomore middle blocker Alexa Gray; 3.91 kills per set
KEY BLOCKER: Freshman middle blocker Whitney Young;
1.59 blocks.net
KEY PASSER: Sophomore libero Ciara Parker; 3.97 digs per set
KEY WINS:
vs. No. 17 Hawaii
Vs. No. 14 San Diego
vs. No. 8 Marquette
KEY LOSSES:
@ Bowling Green State
@ Santa Clara
The Cougars' young blocking ranks fourth in the NCAA with three blocks per set, but the Jayhawks' experience and senior leadership can give Kansas an advantage over BYU.
— Blair Sheade
THIS NEXT GAME IS DEC. 13, 7.P.M. CT, AT THE GALEN CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CALIF