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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 2014
PAGE 3B
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LUCAS, MICKELSON READY TO HELP
BEN CARROLL
@BCarroll91
Since 2011, KU basketball had the dominant 7-foot big man protecting the paint with Jeff Withey, who holds the Big 12 record for most career blocked shots, and of course Joel Embiid of last year. But this season, without an ideal center, certain Jayhawks will need to step up and play bigger roles than they have in the past.
Certain Jayhawks like sophomore forward Landen Lucas and redshirt junior forward Hunter Mickelson could be those players to make an immediate impact underneath the basket.
Coach Bill Self brought in freshman forward Cliff Alexander, the No. 3 recruit in ESPN's top 100, to play the five in most cases, but Self said Alexander still has a long way to go to be the dominant and physical player he expects him to be, leaving the door wide open for bench players to help Alexander play the role of the big man.
"Landen may have had the best spring and summer of anybody; he's had a good fall, too." Self said on basketball media day last month. "He's going to play. He and Cliff are probably, right now based on what I've seen, going head-to-head for a lot of major minutes."
Lucas hasn't seen much playingtime since high school, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been learning. Lucas said redshirting his freshman year taught him a lot by observing how players like Withey and Embiid handle themselves in game situations.
"I got a chance to watch people like Jeff and Kevin Young, who did small things, and you get an understanding of what coach is looking for and I think that this year I'll have a chance to apply that." Lucas said on media day. "It's great going against great players this whole time. It works for all of us because that competition, constantly day in and day out, gets you ready for
He has also been teaching the newcomers what it means to wear Kansas across their chest and be a part of the Jayhawk community.
when it is your turn."
"Landen has experience, he's a great player, a great guy and he brings a lot to the table," freshman forward Kelly Oubre said. "He's showed me a lot about myself and a lot about this program."
Lucas said he is ready to step into whatever role Self gives him and make the biggest impact he can.
Self said he doesn't see anyone beating junior forward Perry Ellis out in the four, and is looking for other players to prevent Ellis from playing
the center position and being the primary rebounder and shot blocker. Self hinted that Mickelson could be one of those guys down the road, but added that he will need to play bigger than what he's played in the past because of the needs of the team.
"The reality is Hunter, with his skill set, will have to do some more things in order to see playing time because of what our needs are based on our other personnel," Self said. "He's our best shot blocker. Cliff's going to be a good one, but Hunter blocked more shots his last year at Arkansas than [Embid]d did last year and in less minutes. So he's naturally a pretty good shot blocker."
Michelson said he is ready to play a bigger role with the Jayhawks after sitting out last year due to transfer rules. He went overseas this summer to sharpen his skills.
"They need a guy on defense; hopefully, I'll be a guy that can help out on defense, and if they need someone on offense, hopefully I can do that," Mickelson said. "I'm just an all around good teammate, good attitude, good energy. Just being there and helping everybody out whenever they need it.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
Frankamp's exit opens doors for Mason, Graham
DAN HARMSEN
@UDK Dan
Over the off-season, the Kansas backcourt became a lot less crowded than most anticipated it to be heading into the 2014-2015 season.
On May 1, coach Bill Self announced that point guard Naadir Tharpe would not be returning for his senior season due to extinuting circumstances in his personal life, and on Oct. 31, sophomore guard Conner Frankamp told Bill Self that he would be leaving the team immediately to finish out the semester before transferring schools in the spring.
In a span of six months, Kansas had lost what figured to be their top two guards.
Tharpe averaged 29.4 minutes per game last season, and would have been the most experienced returning player on this year's roster with 5 assists per game. Frankamp saw his playing time increase late in the season, as he added 10 and 12 points in Kansas' two NCAA tournament games against Eastern Kentucky and
Stanford, respectively.
That leaves sophomores Wayne Selden and Frank Mason, along with freshman Devonte' Graham left in the mix for the 1-guard spot.
Selden saw nearly 30 minutes per game last season, but played primarily on the wing.
"I'll probably have to play more point here and there," Seldon said following the news of Frankamp's departure. "We've got two great point guards here as well. I'm pretty good with that."
"I take pride in the defensive end.I have quick feet. It's part of being a leader, starting on the defensive end of the floor."
FRANK MASON Sophomore guard
Those two point guards: Frank Mason and Devonte' Graham, young but talented.
Mason spelled Tharpe at the point for 16.2 minutes
per game last season while Graham spent 2013-2014 with Brewster Academy, the same prep school Tharpe attended in 2010.
Self said that despite losing two solid ball handlers, some good can come out of this for his perimeter players.
"Somebody was going to be left out," Self said. "We've got seven good perimeter players, and really to be quite candid with you, there hasn't been a lot of separation."
It'll start for these guards, as it always does with Bill Self coached teams, on the defensive end of the floor.
"We are looking forward to being a good defensive team," Mason said. "I take pride in the defensive end. I have quick feet. It's part of being a leader, starting on the defensive end of the floor."
"Ive always been a point guard, and leadership has come naturally." Graham said. "I know things, I see things, I talk, I tell people how I think things should be. It starts with
Graham echoes Mason, saying that his leadership is most easily visible on defense.
defense, though."
This team is smaller than in years past, so it'll rely more heavily on the perimeter players and less on its big men, like Joel Embiid, to defend the rim.
"We don't have really tall guys inside so we want to get out and pressure," Mason said. Self thinks the defense will succeed.
"There isn't a seven-foot tall guy to cover mistakes like that," Self said. "But I do think we are going to be able to pressure the ball, deny one pass away, and I think you are going to see a pretty good defensive team."
Despite the losses of Tharpe and Frankamp, Self feels confident that his young guards can stand tall to the challenge.
"Frank can guard. Devonte' can really pressure." Self said. Kansas opens its exhibition slate today as it hosts Washburn.
Edited by Ashley Peralta
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sophomore guard Frank Mason goes for a layup during the Nov. 8, 2013 game against ULM.
Upcoming games to mark on your calendar
KYLE PAPPAS
@KylePap
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@ben felderstein
VS. KENTUCKY NOVEMBER 18
Kansas and Kentucky will face off in the fourth installment of the Champion's Classic in early November. This is a repeat of the first Champion's Classic game in
2012. Kansas is 1-2 all-time in the tournament and will look to get to .500 against Calipari and the Wildcats. Kentucky begins the season as the number one team in the nation while Kansas weighs in at number five. The Wildcats are returning both Harrison twins and have another top three recruiting class. Trey Lyles and Karl Towns lead a class of four five-star recruits.
VS. FLORIDA
Kansas and Florida will go head-to-head during this year's SEC-Big 12 matchup. College Gameday will return to Lawrence as the fifth and seventh preseason ranked teams face off, respectively. Two season ago, Kansas faced Texas for College Gameday and won a fast-paced, exciting game. Florida is bringing in the 13th ranked recruiting class with four nationally
DECEMBER 5
AT TEXAS JANUARY 24
ranked commits. Florida will be searching for on-the-court leadership, as they lost seniors Patric Young and Scottie Wilbekin.
Following contests against Iowa State and Oklahoma, Kansas concludes its toughest portion of its Big 12 schedule by traveling to Austin to take on Texas. The Jayhawks fell 69-81 in their last away game against against the Longhorns,
who were led by point guard Isaiah Taylor's 23 points. With the addition of top prospect Myles Turner, the Jan. 24 matchup is set to be among Kansas' toughest of the season. If the Jayhawks can finish this three-game stretch with two or more wins, they should be in the driver's seat for the conference title.
AT OKLAHOMA MARCH 7
It's not difficult to envision Kansas' final Big 12 game of
the season holding major championship implications. The Sooners return four of their five starters (including preseason All-Big 12 selection Buddy Hield) from last year's squad that finished second in the league with a 12-6 record. Though Kansas won its two matchups against Oklahoma last season, both contests were decided by single digits, and it struggled to contain the Sooners' offense at times. Don't be shocked if the Jayhawks' hopes for an 11th-straight league title rest on the outcome of their final conference matchup in Norman.
Edited by Brian Hillix
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