6A
KANSAS 107, FORT HAYS 68
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009
MEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
Ability to defend biggest concern
Weston White/KANSAN
Collins can relate to challenge freshmen face in first season
Freshman guard Xavier Henry passes from the floor after winning a scramble. Henry had one steal against Fort Hays State and finished with 14 points in his first game as a Jawhawk.
BY JAYSON JENKS
iienks@kansan.com
Four years ago senior guard Sherron Collins arrived in Lawrence as a highly touted prospect with a reputation for scoring. His ability to score, undoubtedly, was the reason Collins was so sought after by many schools.
Defensively? Well, that rarely crossed his thought process.
Follow Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/ JavsonJenks.
"I wasn't asked to guard really," Collins said. "I was just asked to score a lot."
Collins, then, can relate to Kansas' freshman corps - a group that showed highlight-worthy flashes on offense but sometimes failed to match those performances on the defensive end.
The ability to defend — and the ability to do so consistently throughout the game — is usually one of the biggest challenges college newcomers face.
It was a lesson freshman Elijah Johnson quickly learned from coach Bill Self during his first series of collegiate practices.
"It was hard at first," Johnson said. "Coach would yell at me every day at practice, and I wouldn't understand why. I was confused like, 'This has always worked.' But now I see what he means. They'll get you easily in college."
In the moments after Kansas' 107-68 exhibition victory against Fort Hays State, Collins easily — and quickly — pinpointed Kansas' most glaring flaw in the otherwise lopsided game; a lack of consistent defense.
Sure, Fort Hays State committed 21 turnovers and made just 34 percent of its shots. But the seasoned
Collins insisted that the defensive performance was generally less than acceptable.
The Jayhawks simply need to improve, he said.
"Defensively, we've got to get better," Collins said. "As a whole and with some individuals, we have to learn how to guard the ball better."
At halftime, despite Fort Hays State connecting on 30 percent of its attempts, Self entered Kansas' locker room and told his players that their defensive effort simply wasn't good enough.
Johnson said Self told the jayhawks to "turn up the intensity". Collins said he wouldn't repeat the entire version of Self's statements. Instead, he offered a paraphrased and most likely edited version of the coach's message.
"We weren't guarding, point blank. Period," Collins said. "We have to take pride in defending our home court. I think they scored
too many points in the fieldhouse in the first half, and coach didn't like it."
Indeed, Self wasn't thoroughly pleased with Kansas' defense. But it's early and there is certainly no reason for concern.
"Obviously, we don't guard yet," Self said. "But we can improve on that."
Much of the postgame attention centered on Johnson and fellow freshmen Xavier Henry and Thomas Robinson. And the trio certainly created a stir inside Allen Fieldhouse with three-point shots and highlight-worthy dunks.
But Collins said that Kansas offensive potential only offers more reason for the Jayhawks to improve defensively.
"The biggest challenge is hunkering down and playing defense," Collins said. "We've got to play defense because we're so talented from inside and outside that points are going to come from everywhere as you can see."
"Your head can spin until you get it. And the freshmen just don't get it yet."
— Edited by Anna Kathagnarath
Weston White/KANSAN
Freshman guard Elijah Johnson jumps to slam a dunk during the first half against Fort Hays State. Johnson finished with nine points shooting, 4-of-5 from the field. Kansas won 107-68.
OPENER (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
and Cole Aldrich, it was good for those two to see they have teammates to ease their burden.
"Tonight, I didn't do as much as I've always had to do," Collins said. "We have so much talent to take pressure off of me."
Collins led the team with 19 points, going three for six from three-point range in 27 minutes.
Freshman guard Xavier Henry's debut came with a three-pointer 1:05 into the game.
He finished with 14 points in 20 minutes. When under control, Henry looked dynamic. But there
were times when he was careless with the ball and recklessly barreling down the court.
Fresh man
guard Elijah
Johnson's
welcome-to-Allen
Field house
mement came
when he converted a steal into
a dunk with six minutes left to go in the first half.
"It felt great, it was unexplainable. Especially to have a breakout like that ..."
At the beginning of the second half, he received an alley-oop pass
ELIJAH JOHNSON Freshman guard
from Taylor that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
This night was just how Johnson
t was just how Johnson dreamed it would be
"It felt great, it was unexplainable," Johnson said. "Especially to have a breakout like that — I'll never forget it."
The offensive sparks were impressive, but they have
no bearing on the regular season, especially when better teams come along.
But this game meant a lot to the players, especially to Taylor, who treated this game just like any other.
"I feel like we have to approach every game the same way," Taylor said. "We're a team that has a lot of expectations, not because we asked for it but because of the situation that we're in."
Collins has the same approach, even for an exhibition game. This game was not just an opportunity to fool around.
"You've got to take every game seriously," he said. "Every time you step on the court, you have to get better."
Despite his team's effort, Self said he is going to work them a little harder in practice to get his team where it needs to be, especially on the defensive end.
"I feel like we should have been a little bit further along than what we are," he said, "but we make the game harder than what it is because we don't share the basketball as well as what most of our teams have done in the past."
Kansas plays Pittsburg State next in its final exhibition game Nov. 10.
- Edited by Samantha Foster