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Volume 128 Issue 45
kansan.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY & ANSAN
COMMENTARY Plenty to learn about basketball team tonight
When the Kansas basketball team opened play last Monday, coach Bill Self and fans alike learned bits and pieces about a team that welcomes many fresh faces and new roles for almost the entire squad. Tonight, when the Jayhawks take on Emporia State University at Allen Fieldhouse to close out a two-game preseason slate, much of the same is expected.
Last game, the fans saw five-star recruit Cliff Alexander lajayhaws frontcourt that didn't seem to miss Joel Embiid. Sophomore guard Frank Mason produced a well-rounded stat-line and played leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last season. Fieldhouse gave freshman guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk a warm welcome and he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to reward them.
5-pointers to reward them.
That was all against the NCAA Division II Washburn Ichabods. It will be much of the same against Emporia State. A big win, some learning points before Friday's regular season opener, but nothing etched into stone.
We'll start with junior forward Perry Ellis, who was preseason All-American candidate this season. He was lackluster against the Ichabods. Ellis simply didn't make his presence known. This is the guy who should be leading this team in 2014, but instead, he was only 2-for-6 from the floor and struggled on defense as well, especially on the pick-and-roll.
Self named Mykhaliuk the probable starter at shooting guard Monday. He'll be beside Mason and Wayne Selden Jr., who is serving as the team's third point guard. Mykhaliuk, a 17-year-old, has experience against much older players in his international role, and he's impressed Self at practice. Mykhaliuk and Mason have real chances to etch their names into Friday's starting lineup if they can perform well tonight.
Secondly, the Jayhawks need to find the guys they're going to roll with at the guard positions this year. On Monday, Self said there is no real separation among the six guards who could see significant minutes. While it's absurd to think this can be sorted out in the preseason, the process needs to take another step toward a decision tonight.
Additionally, it will be important to see if Alexander can have his way against Emporia State as he did with Washburn. Lastly, watch for Selden to get some run at point guard, as he did last game with Conner Frankamp departed.
Three of Ellis' shots carne from behind the arc. That's not what his role on this team is and it shouldn't be a recurring part of his game. He needs to take more shots off the dribble — where he thrives — and get more aggressive on both ends of the floor against Emporia State.
While tonight is just another exhibition, it will paint a clearer picture as the regular season quickly approaches.
Edited by Kelsi Kirwin
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Freshman running back Corey Avery powers through an Iowa State defender. Avery posted 103 rushing yards in the victory against ISU on Saturday.
ALL DAY AVERY DAY
Freshman Corey Avery consistently performs well in an inconsistent season
STELLA LIANG
@stelly_liang
If there is a way for a player on a Kansas team, which for much of the season craved offensive production, to quietly rush for a career-high 103 yards and a touchdown, Avery did it.
Buried beneath the overall effectiveness of the offense and defense Saturday was the play of running back Corey Avery.
But Avery is taking it all in stride.
"I feel very good about [the milestone]," Avery said. "I got loose today, on my way to my first 100-yard rushing game."
Perhaps the feat was relatively buried because the team has come to expect such production from its freshman. He has been one of the most consistent performers this season, leading the team with five touchdowns. Perhaps it's because he expects this from himself.
On Saturday, Avery was a big part of Kansas' controlling Iowa State in the first quarter. During the opening drive on a fourth and one after Kansas came out moving the ball effectively, Avery gained 12 yards for the first down.
He attributes his consistency to working hard and listening to his coaches.
Not even expected to play much before the season started, Avery and junior transfer DeAndre Mann were handed the keys to the rushing game when senior running backs Brandon Bourbon and Taylor Cox were lost for the season with injuries within days of each other.
"I just continue to work hard throughout practice," Avery said. "I continue to do what my coaches taught us to do, just able to stay focused."
Avery, a Dallas native, has not played with the nerves some freshmen show on the field. In his first game, against Southeast Missouri State, Avery rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, H-
lost his first and only fumble on Oct. 18 at Texas Tech.
"I mean no [difference with Cummings in at quarterback] because in practice we rotate with all the quarterbacks," Avery said. "We do different linemen and different quarterbacks so we can be used to every quarterback and every running back with exchanges."
He has managed to keep a hold on the running game even though so many things have changed around him. In his young career, he has experienced a head coaching change and the recent switch of play-calling duties given to newly promoted co-offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau from John Reagan. Senior Tony Pierson has returned to the backfield; Mann has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. Junior Michael Cummings replaced sophomore Montell Cozart at quarterback.
Five plays later, Avery ran through the Iowa State defense for 14 yards and the touchdown. He ran around a cornerback and a safety for the score, the beginning of a 17-point Kansas first quarter.
"The first draw, our first possession, we needed a touchdown," Avery said. "They called the play ... I cut back, scored. [It was] big momentum for us."
Interim head coach Clint Bowen said Avery and the rest of the offense came out unbelievably to start the game.
"The players went out and made play after play converting
those third downs over and over, controlled the first quarter, controlled the early part of the game, were able to be effective throwing the ball and running the ball," Bowen said.
Coming out of high school, Avery was a four-star recruit, according to ESPN.com. In his senior year, he scored 22 touchdowns and rushed for over 1,600 yards. He had offers from seven other Big 12 schools, including Baylor and Texas.
this season with the ever-changing backfield, Kansas is happy Avery chose to become a Jayhawk.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
Kansas closes preseason with Emporia State
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben_Felderstein
The Jayhawks will conclude their preseason schedule tonight as they take on Emporia State in Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Kansas is coming off an easy victory against Washburn and will look to finish its preseason strong.
Kansas is 19-3 all-time against Emporia State, including nine straight victories. The series' first installment was in 1904, when the Jayhawks fell to the Hornets, 25-13.
Times are different now, as Kansas is ranked No. 5 in the nation and will look to improve its exhibition record to 65-10, and 33-2 under coach Bill Self. Kansas last faced Washburn in 2012 when Kansas cruised to an easy 88-54 victory. Junior forward Perry Ellis scored 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor.
Emporia State is coming off last season's sixth place finish in the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, with an 18-13 (10-9) record. The Hornets are returning two key starters in junior guards Terrence Moore and Micah Swank. Moore averaged 17.6 points and 4 rebounds per contest last season, while Swank scored 6.3 points per game.
Sophmore point guard Frank Mason maneuvers around the Washburn defense. Mason played 24 minutes in the matchup, more than anyone else on the Kansas team.
Similar to the game against Washburn, Kansas will have
a tremendous size advantage against Emporia State, as it only has one player over 6 feet 8 inches. Freshman Cliff Alexander will look to exploit this advantage again, as he was able to score with ease against the smaller Washburn forwards.
Self uses these preseason games to get everyone involved and ready for the season. It is a time for players to prove what they have for the upcoming season. Last game, Self started all returners with the exception of freshman Devonte' Graham.
"There weren't any factors that went into the starting lineup." Self said. "I wanted to get all returners in there. Brannen [Greene] had a rough defensive practice before the game so I threw Devonte' in there."
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
There is no way to know what Self has planned for tipoff, but it is likely that there will be plenty of combinations.
"We have a lot of different lineup options," Self said. "We can play big with Wayne [Selden Jr.] at the point, and Cliff [Alexander] and Jamari [Traylor] at the four and five. We can also play small with three small guards and Wayne at the four."
Whichever combination Self has out there, it will likely be effective against a weaker Emporia State team with significantly less talent. Self and Kansas have one of the
deepest rosters they have had in years, and tonight's game will hopefully give spectators a bit more of a look into Self's plan for the rotation this season.
"They seem to have the
strength, the unselfishness,
and the thing that I saw this
year from them that maybe I
didn't see a couple years ago
is defensively." Washburn
coach Bob Chipman said. "I
think the depth is what you
Vo
talked about, that allows you to play at that special level on defense and just keep throwing guys in there and keep guys fresh."
Edited by Miranda Davis
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