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FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Point guard Devonte' Graham looks for an open pass against Baylor
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Frank Mason takes a deep three.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Guard Wayne Selden Jr. drives to the basket.
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"I'm not saying that it will for sure happen, but as of now Devonte' and Frank will start next to each other," Self said at Big 12 Media Day. "It gives us more speed, and we'll create more easy baskets for our big guys because we'll have better passers in the game."
Kansas coach Bill Self surprised everyone at Big 12 Media Day in Kansas City on Oct. 20 when he revealed that sophomore guard Devonte' Graham would start. It wasnt the move that was surprising — it was that people didn't expect Self to commit so early.
Guards Graham, Selden and Mason could give Kansas one of the top backcourts in the nation
When Kansas announces the starting lineup for the exhibition contest against Pittsburgh State, it will have Graham, junior Frank Mason III and junior Wayne Selden all in the backcourt.
The lineup features two guys who consistently bring the ball up the court in Graham and Mason, meaning it's going to be tough for opposing teams to pressure the ball up the floor if they don't know who is bringing it up at any given moment.
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"I know [Mason] likes it because I think we both like not having to bring the ball up every time," Graham said. "Even though we're both point guards it gets tiring. Once we get to play together we can both kind of take
But don't expect Selden to run away from the ball just because he's switching positions. If Graham or Mason are in foul trouble or need some help bringing the ball up, Selden is capable of keeping the up-tempo pace.
But arguably the most underrated aspect of Graham being inserted in the starting lineup is the move for Selden. The 6-foot-5 junior will now move away from the two guard and play the three.
"We can also [play up tempo] even if Frank is in the game with Wayne, because Wayne can bring the ball up," Graham said.
As the shooting guard, Selden made just 30 three-point shots in his sophomore campaign. Moving him over to the small forward position should help him take advantage of his athleticism
turns getting the outlet pass and stuff like that."
Kansas' starting lineup is going to be littered with athletic guards who all could bring the ball up if needed to keep the pace.
Coming into the season last year, there were many questions about the point guard position. Mason wasn't a true point guard, and Graham was an unknown as a freshman.
But the two quickly erased all doubt, as Mason was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Mason averaged 12.6 points per game in 36 starts. He had a 21-game streak of scoring double-digits.
"We go where [Mason] goes. We follow him," Selden said. "He's our leader; he's the point guard he finally come into that role as a — basically as a sophomore he came into that role. We're going with him."
Graham burst onto the scene as a freshman. He posted a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play and led the Jayhawks in assists on 11 different occasions.
"I think that will free Frank up to even score more," Self said at Big 12 Media Day. "Frank's a much better player than he was last year. He's going to continue to get better because the understanding of the game is going to get better."
Having Graham in the starting rotation will help Mason move off the ball at times, which is his natural position. Though Mason may have the physical stature of a point guard, his ability to score is much more suited for the two guard position.
If the three of them can play efficiently together, there is no question the Jayhawks will have one of the better backcourts in college basketball. As Kansas has learned the hard way the past few years, a talented backcourt is the key to making a deep tournament run.
Edited by Derek Skillett
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