8B
KANSAN.COM
LATE NIGHT IN THE PHOG
daily debate
Who is the most improved men's player?
Missy Minear/KANSAN
Now-senior forward Landen Lucas looks to the basket for a shot against Maryland. Missy Minear/KANSAS
SHAUN GOODWIN
@Shaungoodwin96
LANDEN LUCAS
An ESPN four-star recruit, 20th at power forward and 92nd overall in the recruiting class of 2012. Landen Lucas was stacked up against players such as Georges Niang and Kansas' own Perry Ellis. With offers from strong basketball schools such as Stanford, California and Washington, it was fortunate that Lucas decided to become a Jayhawk.
Lucas came to Kansas as a relatively unknown quantity from Westview High School in Portland, Ore. He finished his high school career averaging 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game, yet redshirted his freshman year at Kansas. After the 2013-14 season as a redshirt freshman, Lucas was averaging 4.9 minutes per game, yet was establishing himself as a powerful presence in the paint. In a 91-69 win over TCU, Lucas played a career-high 13 minutes and scored seven points as he stepped in for Tarik Black, planting a seed in the back of Kansas fans' minds.
Granted, after his first year playing in Allen Fieldhouse, Lucas still had a lot to work on. In particular, his post play needed work, considering that Bill Self was utilizing him as a post player. Being 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, and by far one of the toughest players on the team, he was the perfect type of player to fit into this role; all he had to do was improve his reactions and athleticism. With the stamina and grit to run end to end, play after play, to be underneath the basket, the post player requires a special kind of athlete.
Throughout his sophomore year, Lucas saw his playing time increase by over 400 percent to 485 minutes, compared to 107 minutes his freshman year. He followed that up his junior year with 664 minutes in 36 games, averaging 18.4 minutes per game.
Most importantly, in his junior year, he started 19 of the last 20 games of the season, with the only exception being senior night. After two years of hard work, the results started to show as he led the Jayhawks in rebounding with 6.8 per game, good for seventh-best in the Big 12. This led to him earning an All-Big 12 honorable mention, one of five Jayhawks to be recognized.
This is the kind of player Bill Self was looking for when Lucas came to Kansas. A player who can get up and down the court relentlessly, a player who is willing to sacrifice his body on every play to win the ball back for his team, and can be a rock on defense. In my opinion, we haven't seen such a player so consistently dominant in the paint since Jeff Withey, and heading into his final year, I believe Lucas won't be an unsung hero, but a leader for this team.
Missy Minear/KANSAN Now-senior guard Frank Mason III drives to the basket against Kansas State.
When Frank Mason III arrived to Lawrence to begin his collegiate basketball career, he wasn't treated as the dynamic, star point guard that he is today. He was limited to 16 minutes per game and wasn't seen as an x-factor for the team. However, with players like Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid on the roster it was easy to fall into the shadows.
spotlight on himself and the Kansas basketball team.
son is the player who has improved most since their freshman year.
In his freshman year, coming off the bench, Mason averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. In his sophomore year, Mason more than doubled his scoring to 12.6 points per game, and increased assists and rebounds by around three apiece. Last year, Mason kept his scoring about the same, but became more efficient as a point guard, posting over four assists per game.
He is now a leader and is as close to a professional as one can be in college basketball.
▶ TOMMY SOPIC
@tsop44
Mason soon became a fan favorite.
While his numbers have almost tripled since he started at Kansas, that
Mason is also a very decorated athlete, winning three-straight Big 12 titles and placing first in many categories in the conference, such as defensive wins shared, minutes played and games played. Not many other athletes have achieved what Mason has.
Over the summer of his sophomore year, Mason led his team to represent Team USA over seas in the World University Games. He scored 18 points in the tournament's gold medal game, securing victory for the team. Having the pressure of wearing your nations colors would be enough for most athletes to crack, but Mason proved his strength and character by being one of the best players in the tournament,
In his freshman year, Mason shined even with reduced minutes in more ways than just scoring. ESPN recounted a time when, against Florida, Andrew Wiggins held the ball over his head and screamed for someone to help him. Mason was that help, and he avoided any turnovers for the rest of the game with his amazing ball control.
The difference between Mason and most incoming freshmen superstars is that Mason wasn't handed the title of captain or given the game ball from the start. He worked consistently for three years to get where he is now. Looking at what he has accomplished, it has definitely paid off.
FRANK MASON III
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