Volume 125 Issue 53
kansan.com
Tuesday. November 27, 2012
TRIPLE THE FUN
COMMENTARY Jump shots help spread defense
Often a lost art in the highlight-driven college basketball world, the two-point jump shot is a beautiful thing when used correctly.
Coach Bill Self has been imploring the Kansas team, specifically senior guard Elijah Johnson, to quicken the offensive tempo. Last night, the Jayhawks used jump shooting to spread the San Jose State defense in the first half, allowing Kansas to create pace with its half-court offense.
Edited by Hannah Wise
WITHEY BLOCK PARTY
Kansas has enough athletes that it would be foolish to insist for freshman guard Ben McLemore to take flat-footed, two-handed set shots every possession like players did 50 years ago. Against San Jose State, the Jayhawks ability to hit mid-range jump shots opened up the floor down low for the big men. Kansas got good shots off early in the shot clock, resulting in 37 first half possessions.
The Jayhawks shot better from three-point range during the first half, especially compared to some of their other early-season three-point performances. They missed enough three-pointers that the Spartans could have sagged on defense if Kansas settled only for three pointers. But Kansas kept the Spartan defense honest with its jump shooting.
In the second half, Kansas' jump shooting cooled, one of the reasons San Jose State went on an unforgivable 16-0 run in the second half. Kansas must do a better job taking care of the ball around the perimeter. The Spartans jumped in front of Kansas' passing lanes, and it was San Jose State who looked like it wanted to push the tempo. Kansas had 37 possessions again in the second half, but because the Spartans' offense worked quickly.
The Jayhawks made only four of 18 three-pointers against San Jose State, but they shot 30 percent from three-point range in the first half. But Kansas stayed committed to taking open twopoint jump shots instead of forcing the ball to the hole, taking time off the shot clock and slowing the Jayhawks' pace to a plod.
That's fine, unless the three-pointers aren't falling, and then defenses can take away the low post game because they don't have to respect the three. When Kansas adds the jumper to its arsenal, it stops the defense from committing multiple defenders around the basket.
Unlike previous games, Kansas wasn't afraid to look for its jump shot, even when its three-pointers weren't falling. Against Southeast Missouri State, Kansas shot only 2-21 on three-pointers, and against Chattanooga, the Jayhawks missed 16 three-pointers. During these games, Kansas tried to shoot only behind the three-point line or right next to the basket.
Poetically, as bad as Kansas' jump shooting was in the second half, Johnson's two-point jumper with 1:16 left effectively ended the game. Seeing as the Spartans' were committed to stopping his drive, Johnson pulled up near the elbow and made the shot his team couldn't for most of the second half, putting Kansas up by nine and ensuring the Allen Fieldhouse crowd could chant "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" yet again.
Sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe made a leaning jumper from the free-throw line midway through the first half—a shot he didn't have the confidence to take last year. A few minutes earlier, freshman forward Perry Ellis made a jumper from just inside the three-point line. Later in the half, senior guard Travis Releford and McLemore made back-to-back midrange jumpers.
BRANDON SMITH/KANSAN
Freshman guard Ben McLemore and senior center Jeff Withey deny the shot attempt from junior forward Chris Cunningham. The Jayhawks had 16 blocks en route to a 70-57 victory over the San Jose State Spartans Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
Withey blocks 12 shots, becomes second Kansas player to record triple-double
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
With less than eight minutes remaining in the game, San Jose State's Xavier Jones drove to the basket before being stopped along the baseline by a pair of Kansas defenders, including senior center Jeff Withev.
The Spartans were trailing by 14 points, and Jones was forced to put up a shot.
Withe stretched out his arm as if he were reaching over a volleyball net to stop a spike, something he did many times while playing volleyball growing up in California. His forearm met Jones' shot with a distinctive thud.
The thud gave Withey his tenth block of the night and recorded his first career triple-double. This was the second time any Kansas player accomplished this feat.
"I've been wanting that for a while now and only me and Cole that have it, so it's pretty special to me," Withey said.
Withey finished his day with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocks, leading the Jayhawks in all three categories.
His 12 blocks set a new Kansas record.
"They kept on driving in and I just kept on blocking." Withey said. "It's what I do."
He was the lone consistent player all night for Kansas in its 70-57 win against San Jose State. The team got out to big leads at the outset of each half before watching the Spartans make runs to crawl back into the game.
"I thought Jeff was terrific," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Getting where he's scoring a little bit better, but more important, he's just active and did a good job covering up for a lot of mistakes, because we made a ton of them defensively."
The blocks spurred the Jayhawks' fast break offense, allowing them the opportunity to get out in front of the San Jose State defenders.
The Jayhawks didn't take advantage of all their opportunities to run the court like Self wanted.
At the end of the day, Self was disappointed with the team's pace, despite the fact that it finished with seven more possessions than its season average.
"They were just phenomenal around the rim," San Jose State coach George Nessman said. "On the sideline, I thought that some of those shots were about to go in and then bang, they're going the other way. Some of those blocks were like outlet passes for their fast break."
While he made it hard on San Jose State to throw up a shot, Withey's aggressiveness to make the block occasionally drew him out of position, allowing a Spartan defender to slide behind him and grab an offensive rebound.
San Jose State finished the day out-rebounding the Jayhawks, grabbing 18 off the offensive glass.
"When you block 16 shots,the
other team gets a lot more offensive rebounds, so that's skewed a little bit because if you block it out of bounds, that's an offensive rebound." Self said.
When Withey couldn't grab the rebound, he didn't have much help from his teammates as the balls ricocheted back off of the rim or the glass.
"Most of the time, I'm guilty of it too," senior guard Elijah Johnson said. "We get caught standing around watching Jeff, like a fan or something. That's when we need to snap back into it because he can't do everything on his own. Jeff saved us a lot of times."
ZACH PETERS TO LEAVE KANSAS
Kansas athletics announced that freshman forward Zach Peters will leave the program after the fall semester. The news came after the game against San Jose State Monday night.
Peters' season was derailed by
multiple concussions and a shoulder injury, which forced him to redshirt this season.
"I was looking forward to a great college experience here," Peters said in a press release. "But with all the injuries, including the concussions, that I have dealt with lately, I feel like in order for me to move on and be able to get over all this, I need to go home and basically heal."
Self said if it were his son, he would've made the same decision.
Peters will not transfer and attempt to play somewhere else. instead returning home to recover.
"I don't think this is a bad move on his part at all," Self said. "I know his family was hoping it could work out differently, but I don't think that he was feeling it, there was too much concern about getting hit again."
—Edited by Emma McElhaney
TARA RRYANT/KANSAN
Coach Charlie Weis prepares for the last game of the season against West Virginia on Saturday, Dec. 1. Weis said that even after a weekend off for Thanksgiving, the players are ready for the game.
BLAKE SCHUSTER
Weis preps for WVU
FOOTBALL
bschuster@kansan.com
That most likely wasn't what Weis said at the dinner table on Thursday, but he was certainly thinking it.
After a crushing 51-23 defeat on senior night in Lawrence, it would have been challenging to get the Jayhawks mentally prepared for quarterback Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense.
Charlie Weis is thankful Kansas didn't have a football game Saturday.
"You only can get the guys up psychologically in a short time span so many times without them being flat," Weis said during Monday's Big 12 teleconference call. "I think we were set up to be flat last week. Now they've had a chance to get away and get it out of their system."
Instead the Jayhawks' systems were filled with turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, but Weis planned to help the players digest that with a
"Two things are accomplished," Weis said. "We got a good practice in on a Monday, and it got them out of the Thanksgiving doldrums that you have by laying around the couch and eating too much."
5:30 a.m. practice yesterday morning to get their heads and stomachs back on track.
Monday's are typically a day off for the players, but because Weis allowed his team to return to Lawrence on Sunday night, the vaunted Sunday scrimmage was pushed back a few hours.
Although it's not as if Kansas is lagging in it's preparation for West Virginia. Weis actually gave the team a head start before cutting the players lose for the break. The Jayhawks spent two practices last week getting familiar with WVU. Weis also said he's sure the team spent Friday watching the Mountaineers' 31-24 victory over Iowa State, the team that whipped Kansas two weeks ago.
If they did watch West Virginia, players probably took notice of
Tavon Austin, WVU's versatile wide out, who also gets plenty of action in the backfield.
Austin accounted for 261 yards and a touchdown against the Cyclones, including his kick and punt returns.
"He's faster than most people on the field," Weis said. "That's unusual talent, unusual speed and he's a very dynamic player. He's a pain in the butt that you always have to account for."
But he's not the Jayhawks' biggest concern.
Kansas will continue its WVU preparation with the same question it has every week: How can we attack the ground this Saturday?
"We try to figure out how we are going to run the ball against West Virginia," Weis said. "Then the rest of the game plan just falls off of that."
Weis probably didn't say thanks for this either, but more often than not, he finds that answer.
Edited by Laken Rapier