MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2002
KANSAS BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Collison returns to team leadership role for this season
By Jessica Scott
jlscott@kansan.com
Kansas sportswinter
Forget the honors attached to Nick Collison's name. Ignore the preseason hype, the possibilities for his final year and the expectations of him leading Kansas to another Final Four.
Roy Williams is just glad to see his face around campus.
After a season that earned Collison an honorable mention All-American nomination, this Kansas senior faced a decision that makes any 21-year-old envious become an instant millionaire in the NBA or become one of college basketball's premier seniors.
Lucky for Williams and Kansas
fans, Collison and teammate Kirk Hinrich chose the latter.
"They're two kids that could have run and taken the money." Williams said. "They decided they're enjoying college basketball."
But, Williams said, his involvement in their decision was not necessarily appreciated by everyone.
"Their families got mad at me because I was trying to give them the truth and tell them where I thought they were going to be drafted," he said. "Both moms were going to chew my rear end."
Fast forward six months and the decisions today appear to be the right ones. The Jayhawks, with Collison leading the way, are looking to fulfill the unfinished
business from last year's NCAA Tournament.
As Kansas' returning leader in categories such as scoring, field goals, field goal percentage, rebounding and blocks, Collison said his team needed to push a little harder for a repeat performance.
"We have been there and we want to go a couple steps further and win the whole thing," he said. "We see how close we actually were and see that it can be done. We have that much more incentive to play harder this year."
Besides the two seniors, Kansas returns only one other starter, sophomore Aaron Miles. Sophomores Keith Langford and Wayne Simien round out the starting lineup.
Add this to the loss of All-American Drew Gooden and Kansas obviously needs a leader to emerge. Hinrich said he expected Colli-
Collison
son to help carry the load of the team, a role previously filled by Gooden.
"I think Nick and I are going to be the leaders of this team," Hinrich said. "We are going to be the ones who are called upon when the times are tough to make sure this队 stays on the right track."
While he realizes the increased pressure to lead the team, Collison
NICKCOLLISON-#4
Senior
Forward
Height: 6-foot-9inches
Weight: 255 pounds
Hometown: Iowa Falls, Iowa
Preseason Honors
Playboy Preseason All-American Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Dick Vitate Preseason first-team All-American
Collison's Career Highs
Points: 28 vs. Missouri, March 3,
2002
Rebounds: 19 vs. Seton Hall, Nov
sud we would not sweat the loss of such a large chunk of scoring. This mentality is what Collision is
21. 2001
Field Goals: 12 vs. Oregon, March 24, 2002.
Three-Point Field Goals: 1, several times
Field Goal Attempts: 20 vs Oregon March 24, 2002
Three-Point Attempts: 3 vs. Iowa,
Feb. 3, 2000
March 5, 2001 Free Throw Attempts: 14 vs. Illinois, March 23, 2001
Free Throws: 10 vs. Missouri, March 3, 2002
Assists: 7 vs. Colorado, Feb. 21, 2001
Steals: 4, three times
Minutes Played: 36, twice
Blocked Shots: 6, four times
- Edited by Chris Wintering
known for in the Kansas program.
Hinrich leads by example with hard work, discipline, dedication
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
At the end of every season, senior guard Kirk Hinrich and coach Roy Williams have had a conversation.
Player and coach discuss Hinrich's weaknesses and how to overcome them during the summer.
reporters.
"He's been more diligent, more disciplined, more dedicated to improving different areas of his game each year than anybody I've ever coached," Williams said to
Now Hinrich is passing his blue collar attitude on to his teammates.
If Hinrich's preseason accolades — selected to Playboy's and Dick Vitale's first team All-America — are any indication, that is going to be a short conversation come April.
"I'm just going to go out there and play hard every night like I have in the past," Hinrich said at a press conference.
"I think even more now that everyone is looking to me now for leadership, especially our young guys."
Sophomore guard Aaron Miles has heard the message loud and clear.
only people impressed with Hinrich's work ethic.
"When he does things, I watch him and try to pick up some of the things he does on the court," Miles said. "He's a tremendous player. He's going to the NBA, and that's somewhere I want to go."
Miles and Williams aren't the
While working at Michael Jordan's basketball camp this summer, his
Hinrich
grueling workouts caught the eye of the NBA players on staff.
Maybe that shouldn't be surprising considering his upbringing.
Each day after scrimmages between the camp counselors, all the players would drag themselves back to their dorms for a little rest and relaxation — all except for one.
Hinrich remained in the gym, shooting baskets and completing his personal workout long after the others had gone.
During his senior season as a Wolverine, he led his team to the class 4A state championship by scoring 23.2 points and 4.3 steals per game.
The son of a coach. Hinrich learned the fundamentals of basketball and hard work at an early age, while cheering for and then starring on his father Jim's Sioux City (Iowa) West High School team.
He and Jayhawk teammate Nick Collison were named Co-Iowa Mr. Basketball.
Despite all that, Williams said Hinrich was nowhere near a finished product when he came to Kansas as a freshman.
"When he came out he was not a quote 'McDonald's All-American,'" Williams said. "Now I
KIRK HINRICH-#10
Senior
Guard
**Height:** 6-foot-3-inches
**Weight:** 190 pounds
Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa
Preseason Honors
Playboy Preseason All-American Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Dick Vitale Preseason first-team All-American
Hinrich's Career Highs Points: 28 vs. Texas Tech, Feb. 9.
2002
2002
Rebounds: 12 vs. Colorado, Jan.
5. 2002
Field Goals: 9, three times
Field Goal Attempts: 19 vs.
Missouri, March 3, 2002
Three-Point Field Goals: 5, four
times
Three-Point Attempts: 10 vs.
Baylor, Feb. 12, 2001
Free Throws: 10 vs. Kansas
State, Feb. 4, 2002
Free Throw Attempts: 10 vs.
Kansas State, Feb. 4, 2002
Assists: 11, three times
Steals: 5, twice
Blocked Shots: 3, twice
Minutes Played: 39, twice
think he's the best college pointguard in America."
That means at the end of this season Williams and Hinrich will be talking about the NBA.
In spite of assurances that they would be selected in the first round of last year's NBA draft, Hinrich and Collison decided to return for their senior year.
That is the most impressive
thing of all to Williams.
"They'll both get their degrees in four years, and they played their butts off for four years, and they're two kids who could have taken the money and run," Williams said. "Don't forget to enjoy these kinds of kids when you watch them and when you talk to them."
— Edited by Chris Wintering