Volume 126 Issue 50
kansan.com
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
COMMENTARY
Embiid replaces Traylor in Iona victory
By Blair Sheade
bsheade@kansan.com
Allen Fieldhouse had the wind knocked out of its sail four minutes into the game Tuesday night.
Not because Iona took a three-point lead with 15 minutes left in the first half, but because of foul trouble that forced starting transfer senior center Tarik Black to the bench with two fouls.
The first to replace Black off the bench was sophomore center Jamari Traylor, who had only one board, one assist, one block and one moving screen foul in a matter of two minutes and 30 seconds.
"We need him to get better," coach Bill Self said about Black's performance.
After Trayler turned the ball over on two outlet passes, Self had enough and replaced Trayler with freshman center Joel Embid with 12 and a half minutes left in the first
Once Embid stepped on the floor, the offensive scoring exploded. Sophomore power forward Perry Ellis found more opportunities to succeed without Black on the court.
Ellis scored only two points and had zero rebounds while Black was on the floor. The reason could be that Black took up too much space in the paint for Ellis to find room to make plays. Or it could be that Black's inability to move without the ball caused Ellis not to play close to the basket. Or perhaps Embild was a better combination with Ellis.
Whatever the factor may be, Ellis scored 13 first half points, which was the third time this season Ellis had double-digit first half points, and grabbed four boards without Black.
Ellis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds.
"I expected that Perry could be our leading scorer," Self said.
Ellis wasn't the only beneficiary without Black on the floor — Embiid had his breakthrough game last night and oh boy, did he shine.
The first time Embild touched the ball, he drove to the rim from the top of the key and finished with a finesse finger roll that no one expected from a seven-footer. The crowd went crazy after the play and that was only the start.
Toward the end of the first half, Embiid set up on the low block and posted up for a pro-style hook shot that hit nothing but net. The next play, Embid drove baseline, spun off a defender, then went up and under for the finish. Embiid showed great hands and footwork last night.
"The kid is an NBA player and has a bright future ahead of him," Iona coach Tim Cluess said about Embid.
Embid ended the first half with eight points and four rebounds in 12 minutes.
"It was good to see Joel make some shots because he has been rushed up to this point," Self said. "He has a chance to be a special player without question."
Last night the fans saw a star emerge within Embiid.
In the second half, Embid had the freak athlete play of the game. Junior guard Nadir Tharpe threw up a lap pass to the top right hand corner of the backboard and Embiid came out of thin air and flushed the alley-oop.
Defensively, Embid had a solid performance with two blocks and his long arms caused a lot of problems for the offense.
Bembid finished the game with a career-high 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Self said that there is a chance for him to start by the end of the season.
Edited by Chas Strobel
4.
FAMILY MATTERS
EMBIID IMPRESSES
Father of Joel Embiid sees his son play basketball for the first time
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
Thomas Embiid landed in Kansas City around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening. It was the first time he'd seen the Midwest.
Really, it would be the first of many firsts. He arrived in Lawrence an hour or so later and took his first step in Allen Fieldhouse. He watched the fans pile in and the building fill to capacity. Then he witnessed his son, Joel, score 16 points as No. 2 Kansas defeated Iowa 86-66.
It was the first time Thomas Embiid had ever seen his child play basketball.
"I am very,very impressed," the elder Embiid said afterwards.
"He's a monster in there," Iona coach Tim Cluess said. "I don't think we had the bodies to lean on him. Defensively we lost him, which I don't know how, he's pretty easy to find."
He wasn't alone.
Kansas coaches felt Embold could develop into an assertive center. Not many expected that development to show in his third college game.
The undersized Gaels tried to pester the seven-footer, but Embiid kept going over them. Way over.
Early in the second half, Naadir Tharpe set up behind the 3-point line and tossed a quick lob to Embiid who stationed himself near the paint. He simply had to hop in order to throw it down.
Embiid's father wasn't exactly aware of how far loel had come after playing basketball for just three years. Perhaps for lack of a stronger English vocabulary, Thomas Embiid could only describe his reaction as "surprised."
What's most noticeable is how Embiid changed the game, becoming the big body force Kansas needed after Jeff Withey graduated last year.
Aside from three fouls and four
turnovers, Embid put on a near flawless performance. He shot 7-7 from the field, recorded 13 rebounds and made two blocks. It was Embiid's first collegiate double-double.
I don't think I played well because he was there." Embid said of his father. "Coach always gives me his trust and it's making me more confident."
Embiid wasn't the only Jayhawk to benefit from Iona's lack of size. Perry Ellis recorded his second straight game with at least 20 points (21). Through three games he's averaging 19 points.
"We can't stop him," Embiid said about guarding Ellis in practice. "You would think sometimes he would go off his left shoulder but then he will go off of his right shoulder. He's very hard to guard."
Ellis said his skill set is tough to handle when facing a zone defense like the one lona runs. That zone also allowed the jayhawks to shoot 57 percent from the field and Embiid to tear the Gaels up inside.
Most of Embidid's shots came without much of a challenge. Just a quick pass down low and an easy lay in. Others made it seem like the freshman was unguardable. Like the reverse layup he scored under the basket that rolled off his fingertips and through the rim — all while Embid was looking in the opposite direction. Or when he sidestepped a few defenders while gliding to the rack.
This was a first for Embid too. His father said Joel came to America to improve himself. As far as Kansas coach Bill Self is concerned, there's still a few more firsts to go.
"You guys saw just a small glimpse of Embiid's feet tonight." Self said. "He's just figuring stuff out. I still think we haven't scratched the surface."
- Edited by Chas Strobel
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Freshman center Joel Embid readies himself for a free throw. At the free throw line, the Jayhawks shot 16 for 25, which is just below their 69.2 percent season average.
FOOTBALL
Pierson suffers head injury, may sit out remaining games
Junior wide receiver Tony Pierson, Kansas' top receiver, drops the ball against Texas Tech on Oct. 5. Pierson was concussed during that game and showed signs of concussion in Saturday's victory over West Virginia.
MAX GOODWIN
Junior Tony Pierson is the leading receiver for Kansas, despite missing four games this season. Pierson takes pressure off the Jayhawks' running attack by forcing the defense to contain him on the outside.
mgoodwin@kansan.com
That's why Charlie Weis faces a difficult decision: whether or not to get Pierson back on the field as soon as possible after he left Saturday's victory over West Virginia with signs of concussion for the third time this season.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
"In the age of concussions, somebody has to make a stand," Weis said, as part of an explanation for why Pierson was not listed on the depth chart Tuesday.
"The age of concussions" has reached all levels of the sport. In the last two years, the nation's largest youth football league, Pop Warner, has seen its largest drop in participation since it began keeping track, according to ESPN.
In 2010, the NCAA adopted a policy that requires all programs to have a concussion management plan on file, but there is no established protocol for how medical staff should treat a concussion.
In August, the NFL and players reached a $765 million settlement on a lawsuit over concussion-related brain injuries. There have been tragedies, like the suicide of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, linked to chronic brain damage from playing football.
Former Kansas fullback Christopher Powell, who played from 1990-1994, recently filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. Powell alleged that the NCAA failed to adequately protect athletes from head trauma.
"I think that because of some of the tragedies that have occurred, you know, players killing themselves and things like that, it's going to head in the direction that when a guy goes out with a concussion it's going to be long periods before they return." Weis said.
For Tony Pierson, the issue is not just that he is recovering from a concussion, but that he has already returned twice from concussion symptoms and has then had to leave the game once again.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website for the USA Football's Heads Up campaign for concussion awareness in the sports says that "If an athlete has a concussion, his brain needs time to heal. A repeat concussion occurs before the brain recovers from the first — usually within a short time
period (hours, days, weeks) can slow recovery or increase the chances for long-term problems. In rare cases, repeat concussions can result in brain swelling or permanent brain damage."
Weis knows that having Pierson on the field is best for the team, but it could be risking his long-term health.
"The best thing for Tony's health, therefore the right thing to do, is instead of coming out and putting him down on the depth chart ... at
Weis said that as a coach, he is in a position to take steps toward caution.
the end of the day, the right thing is for me and the training staff to sit there and say, "Tony, you might be able to go, but you're sitting down the next two weeks. We're going to make sure this head of yours clears up." Weis said.
So Pierson will not likely be seen on the field for the final games of the season against Iowa State and Kansas State. That will give him
at least three months to recover before taking the field again for spring practices.
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"If we really want to practice what we preach, instead of being hypocritical, I think that we have to be the trendsetters." Weis said. "It's tough now, you're losing football games and one of your best players. Maybe he can go, maybe he can't go, but really for what? What do you gain and at what risk?"
Edited by Chas Strobel