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Volume 128 Issue 56
kansan.com
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Alexander has potential to be basketball MVP
The most important player on the Kansas men's basketball team is up for debate and you could lobby for an assortment of players from this year's roster.
One could argue for junior forward Perry Ellis for his penchant to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim offensively. Even freshman guard Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk would get some votes for being the best two-way player on the team and for his sharpshooting, which Kansas has been devoid of to start the season
Freshman forward Cliff Alexander,however,should be at the forefront.
Crashing the glass a la Dennis Rodman, Alexander is able to prolong possessions with his offensive rebounds, ranking 64th in the country in that area as he snags 15.2 percent of possible rebounds.
While Kansas collectively sits in the top-30 nationally in that department, Alexander is the main reason for that, registering seven offensive rebounds in the last two games.
Being proactive on the boards can prevent a struggling offense from stagnating. It was no coincidence Kansas posted its best points per possession output (1.28) when it grabbed 62.1 percent of its misses against Tennessee.
Against Michigan State, Alexander snatched an offensive rebound after Wayne Selden Jr. misfired on a jumper, and then followed up his own miss with another board. The sequence embodied what value he truly brings.
Almost every high caliber defensive team possesses a competent rim protector and as Cliff Alexander comes along Bill Self's slow but steady freshman learning curve, his 7-foot-3 wingspan will also pay dividends as joel Embiid's did before him.
After a cluster of commotion about him still not starting a game. Alexander began the second half with the starters and proved his worth registering a block on the first possession of the second half.
Self boldly pulled Alexander for junior forward Jamari Traylor late in the game Sunday. It's imperative for Kansas to exercise its best chance to win with its most optimal lineup, whether Self believes certain players need bench time to develop or not.
Alexander is still a project on pick and roll defense, as MSU exploited his inexperience guarding the perimeter and pulling him away from the basket. Denzel Valentine connected on a three, recognizing Alexander had sagged back and failed to contest the shot after Alexander's man had screened Selden at the top of the key.
Kansas' defense inside was disillusioned after Kentucky seemingly pushed them around with one finger to a victory. However, the defense has seemingly resurfaced and has been more of a success
SEE COLUMN PAGE 8
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Bowen makes strong case to be coach, has players' support
Is Clint Bowen the guy?
That has become the hottest Kansas football question this year.
Bowen should receive serious consideration. Since Clint Bowen took over as interim head coach for Charlie Weis after a 23-0 loss in the conference opener to Texas, Bowen has done everything he's been asked to do: He's given Kansas a chance to win games. He led Kansas to a conference win in his fifth game as coach and nearly led the team to an upset against TCU, the then-No. 4 team in the country.
Kansas will undoubtedly take its time to find the perfect man for the job, as it should. The hiring of former coaches Turner Gill and Weis were both as abrupt as their firings. The next head coach needs to have full support from everyone inside and outside of the program, according to Bowen.
"Whoever they choose, everyone that is a fan of KU needs to get behind it." Bowen said. "We have everything we need to be a successful program, and it will happen."
It will take time to rebuild a program from the ground up, as the Kansas State Wildcats have shown, which is why having a coach the players support is crucial.
Bowen makes the cut.
"Iwould love to come back and finish my career playing for Clint Bowen," junior quarterback Michael Cummings said.
Add senior linebacker Ben Heeney to the list of Kansas' greats who supports Bowen.
"The first step is hiring the guy we have got right now." Heeney said. "He's got this thing moving in the right direction."
Bowen also has the support of alumni. Around 200
former players came to support Bowen in his home debut against Oklahoma State on Oct. 11.
In just two months, Bowen has brought a new light to the Kansas football program. A light that hadn't even flickered in Weis' two years in charge.
"The first step is hiring the guy we have got right now. He's got this thing moving in the right direction."
BEN HEENEY
Senior linebacker
Under Weis, the Kansas offense appeared stagnant and had a revolving door at quarterback. Bowen saw something in Cummings, who had been lurking in the back end of the depth chart under Weis, and he became Kansas' most prolific passer since Todd Reesing.
With Weis calling the plays on offense, Kansas failed miserably. Bowen elected to defer the offensive play-calling duties to the far superior offensive mind in wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau. The offense averaged four more points per game once Bowen took over as head coach, and that came against much tougher competition.
Bowen led the team out on the field on game days and participated in team sprints in practice. He chest-bumped guys on the sideline after big plays and was more hands on. Weis was stationary on the sideline at game days and moved around in a golf cart at practice.
Despite all that, Bowen's future with the program remains in question. When Bowen walked away from Bill Snyder Family Stadium after a 51-13 loss to in-state rival Kansas State, he had no idea whether he had done enough to land his
dream job of being the head coach at his alma mater.
For the sixth consecutive year, Kansas found itself on the losing end of the instate rivalry. The seniors, who ended up winning just nine games total, will never know what it's like to defeat the Wildcats.
So Kansas sits as it does every December, reflecting on another underachieving year, while the Wildcats continue to succeed.
"It's not difficult, there is a plan out there," Bowen said. "It's a matter of setting a culture in your program in which K-State has done, and I think we are heading in that direction."
Bowen may not know what he's doing in the long term, but he knows what's he doing next.
"We are going to get our players in the weight room and get them ready for finals," Bowen said.
Edited by Jacob Clemen
BOWEN
*221.6
256
1. 875
1. 125
85
231
HAS BOWEN EARNED THE JOB?
*1.125
Below is a side-by-side statistical breakdown of Clint Bowen's eight games compared to Charlie Weis' four games as head coach in 2014. It is important to note that Weis didn't face a ranked team, while Bowen faced five. Many categories are even, with Weis having a big edge in the running yards category and Bowen with a major advantage in passing yards. Of course, stats don't measure energy, passion or likability, areas in which Bowen would come out on top.
STATISTICS
2
37
*19
PASSING YARDS PER GAME:
OPPOSING PASSING YARDS PER GAME:
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS PER GAME:
OPPOSING PASSING TOUCHDOWNS PER GAME:
RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS PER GAME-
OPPOSING RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
OPPOSING RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS PER GAME:
TOTAL POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME:
TOTAL POINTS FOR PER GAME:
WEIS
162. 5
*218.25
*1.25
*1.75'
*193.5
*166.75
0. 5
*1.5
*25.5
*Winner of each category
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