+
L
sports
+
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, NOV. 3, 2016
After a rough first half, Jackson sheds nervousness
CHRISTIAN S. HARDY
@ByHardy
Josh Jackson hopes the nerves are gone now. Even after the tension ahead of Late Night in the Phog bubbled up before dancing in front of Allen Fieldhouse, his nerves found a way to stick around. He hadn't felt his stomach turning like this since he played in his first high school game.
When he took the floor as a starter in his first game in a Kansas uniform on Tuesday, he couldn't stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong. All the mistakes — big and small — he could possibly make.
"It's just something every player goes through," Jackson said.
They all said the same thing: be more aggressive, play your game.
After his first half — when he missed a pair of shots, three free-throws, finished with zero points and turned the ball over three times — he tried to rid himself of the jitters. The best way, he thought, was advice. So he went to senior guard Frank Mason III, junior guard Devonte' Graham, the coaching staff — just about anyone he could find.
"Just got my head together a little bit, started to be more aggressive," Jackson said. "They told me how to get through it, and trying not to pay attention to [the nervousness], and just go out there and play."
So in the second half, he did. He shed the nervousness, started using ball-fakes to get into the lane, showed the athleticism that coach Bill Self has raved about in preseason practices. Over and over again, he made his way to the lane. Eventually, about six minutes into
the second half, Jackson made his first bucket. It was a two-pointer, a floater from the lane.
Jackson was being himself — the aggressive, get-to-the-heop No. 1 recruit he was supposed to be. Still, Self said it was sloppy, but at least he was knocking down shots.
He was driving the ball downhill, and that's what we need from him."
Frank Mason III Senior guard
"He was definitely more aggressive in the second half," Mason said. "He was driving the ball downhill, and that's what we need from him."
He finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a three-pointer. His 14 points were a third of Kansas' scoring in the first half, when the team scored 42 points on the way to a 92-74 win at Allen Fieldhouse.
But, Self saw some negatives in Jackson's performance, even after a strong second half where he essentially took over the game.
"He scored the ball some in the second half, but had a rough night," Self said. "I think that was good for our freshmen to kind of get them an eye-opening experience."
It seemed like an eye-opener, at least for Jackson. With the first game behind the No. 1 recruit, that freshman anxiousness might just be a thing of the past, left only in the first 20 minutes of the season.
"I think so," Jackson laughed when asked if he had rid himself of his stress. "I hope so."
Freshman guard Josh Jackson gets a layup in the second half against Washburn on Nov. 1. Kansas won 92-74.
Missu Minear/KANSAN
KU soccer bows out early in tournament loss to TCU
SKYLAR ROLSTAD @SkyRolSports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kansas' hopes of a repeat run to the Big 12 tournament final were dashed Wednesday night before
they really even took shape.
"I think our team's good enough to win this whole thing, and we're not going to get that opportunity," Kansas coach Mark Francis said.
The No. 24 Jayhawks lost Wednesday night to TCU,1-0, in the Big 12 soccer tournament quarterfinal.The lone goal for the Horned Frogs came off a scramble in the box in which TCU forward
Allison Ganter notched a point-blank score past Kansas goalkeeper Maddie Dobyns.
Kansas had started out the match with the attacking edge. After a few shots from promising
Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN
Senior defender Aurelie Gagnet fights for the ball against TCU forward Emma Heckendorn. The Jayhawks lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to TCU 1-0.
"It's so disappointing," Francis said. "I mean, the goal we gave up was really bad organization. It was just all-around bad."
areas went begging, the Jayhawks' handle on the match weakened. Ganter gave TCU the advantage in the 50th minute.
The TCU goal came after lightning in the area denied the game for 30 minutes.
During the remainder of the second half, Kansas had few chances to level the score. While Kansas stayed on the front foot for much of the half, it wasn't able to finish any of its chances.
"I'm gutted really for our players because I thought we did enough to win the game except score," Francis said. "I mean, we had so many opportunities."
Last season, Kansas made it all the way to the Big 12 tournament final in Kansas City, Mo., before losing 1-0 to Texas Tech. That season, the loss meant the season was over. This season, the
Jayhawks have another chance.
With the second-place finish in the Big 12 conference this regular season, Kansas will likely host a NCAA tournament game. The selection for the Women's College Cup tournament takes place next Monday.
The outlook on Kansas making the tournament looks favorable for the Jayhawks, but after this result it is unclear whether the team can host a tournament game.
One positive Kansas can take from the result is some rest before a potential tournament game.
"We'll practice this week," Francis said. "It will give us a little more down time, a little more rest. Hopefully we'll find out on Monday we're still playing and we'll figure who the next one is. Unfortunately, this one's over but nothing we can do about it now."
- Edited by Chandler Boese