Volume 125 Issue 41
kansan.com
Thursday, November 1, 2012
COMMENTARY
Enjoy Ben while you can
By Kory Carpenter kcarpenter@kansan.com
Glorified scrimmages against the Emporia States of the world mean about as much as pick-up games at the Rec Center, we know that. But while watching freshman guard Ben McLemore's debut Tuesday night, all I could think about was what might have been different on that rainy Monday night in New Orleans last April.
Edited by Madison Schultz
No offense to Conner Teahan, but Ben McLemore is no Conner Teahan.
FRESHMEN FIRST LOOK
We heard the praise from coaches and players for the better part of a year as McLemore sat out last season because of eligibility issues stemming from high school. He began practicing at the end of the first semester and began wowing folks soon after. His athleticism is unmatched by most everyone he'll play against this season. His jump shot is effortless. He's long, quick, and makes things like his two-handed put-back dunk that ended up on SportsCenter's Top 10 list Tuesday look easy.
But I doubt it.
Again, taking too much away from a scrimmage against a team full of Hornets from Emporia isn't the smartest thing to do. Just look at Naadir Tharpe's 19 points in an exhibition against Fort Hays State last year.
Of course, there's a whole lot of games between Emporia State and the NBA draft. McLemore may prove he needs more seasoning at the college level. He may not be as good as advertised, and NBA scouts may not want to pick him up next summer.
DBA Coach in the MLB
NBADraft.net has McLemore
being taken 10th by the
Minnesota Timberwolves in
next June's draft.
But Ben McLemore is no Naadir Tharpe.
And it's a shame McLemore won't be here when the heavy hitters arrive next season. I can't imagine watching McLemore playing next to guards Wayne Selden (25th nationally according to rivals.com in the 2013 class) or Brannen Greene (24th) or point guard Conner Frankamp (30th) in Bill Self's backcourt next year and beyond. The big-play potential would make McLemore's putback dunk Tuesday look like layup drills in a middle school practice. Along with an older Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, and whomever else Bill Self potentially signs in this recruiting class, McLemore could be the best player on a Final Four or national championship team in 2014 or 2015.
Don't count on it, though.
Jeff Goodman at CBSSports.
com has him at fifth on his latest mock draft.
And with a veteran like Elijah Johnson running the offense and an All-Big 12 candidate in Jeff Withey down low drawing defenders to the paint, McLemore will have free reign to do what he does best: make plays that end up on Youtube and score with relative ease.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
FIGHTING FOR MINUTES
Jayhawk freshmen using aggressive defense to stay on the court
Freshman Guard Rio Adams defends Emporia State senior guard Christ Sights during the first half of the exhibition game against Emporia State. Kansas won the exhibition against Emporia State 88-54.
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
200 minutes.
That is all the time Kansas coach Bill Self has to distribute each game to the 12 players currently fighting for minutes.
And they didn't do it with flashy shooting or by throwing down monster dunks.
Instead, they made their statement with tenacity when the opponents had the ball.
"The two best players for us, per minute, were Anrio Adams and Landon Lucas." Self said.
On Tuesday night, freshmen Landen Lucas and Anrio Adams staked their claim that they merit an extended look as the Kansas men's basketball team works to trim down its rotation.
ing to defend Thomas Robinson under his belt, and freshman forward Perry Ellis, who has the best offensive game of any Jayhawk forward.
"On defense, I feel like I need to be more versatile in what I can guard so that coach doesn't feel like I can only guard one position," Lucas said.
"It's going to be a big thing
Under Self, the Jayhawks have annually been one of the top defensive teams in the nation.
Adams' achievements didn't show up in the stat sheet in the same way that Lucas' did, but the guard made an impact on the game with his defensive presence.
Lucas believes that will be the key to maximizing his playing time.
"They got more done as far as from a coaching standpoint. You look at points, which a lot of people look at, but if you look at who made the most out of their possessions."
Lucas led the team with nine rebounds, despite playing 12 minutes in the game.
Lucas' fight for minutes will be a challenge because he's going up against senior forward Kevin Young, who played a big role coming off the bench last season, freshman forward Jamari Traylor, who has a semester of attempt-
Self said Lucas' only turnover, an offensive foul called against his screen, was really more on the hands of freshman guard Ben McLemore because he didn't wait for Lucas to set the screen before moving.
that's going to separate me from the other guards," Adams said. "We have a lot of guards that can score that are a lot bigger than me as far as the two goes, because I'm a combo. So I just feel like for me to be on the court, I've got to give more effort on defense."
Monday night's contest with Washburn will be the final chance for the freshmen to make their preseason impressions on Self. After that, minutes will be cut quick as the Jayhawks face Michigan State in their second game of the season.
"Anrio Adams, if he can eat up the ball like that, he could add a different element to our game." Self said. "Especially playing at home with the crowd and get the crowd into it because he really played hard."
WITHEY NAMED TO AWARD LIST
Senior Center Jeff Withey has been named one of the 30 candidates for the 2012-2013 Senior CLASS Award. Withey is joined on the finalist list by Kansas women's senior guard Angel Goodrich.
The lists will be reduced down to the top 10 midway through the regular season before the winners are announced at the Final Four.
If Withey wins, he will join Wayne Simien, the 2005 winner, as the only Kansas players to win the award, which began in 2001. Three other former Jayhawks, Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich and Tyrel Reed, have also been named to the Senior CLASS First Team.
— Edited by Stéphane Roque
FOOTBALL
Sims turning heads with rushing numbers
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
As head coach Charlie Weis put it, the 2012 season might as well be titled "Groundhog Day." Every week is the same: breaking down film, practicing, press conferences, all leading to a Saturday loss—and a James Sims 100-yard performance.
Running back James Sims sprints downfield. Sims ran for 178 yards in Saturdays defeat against Texas.
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
OK, maybe not every week; after all Sims only gained 90 yards and two touchdowns in his season debut at Northern Illinois, but since then? It's an easy bet he'll break the century mark.
And here's the thing, everyone
— even the opposing teams — knows it's coming. It wasn't until Sims' gutsy performance against Oklahoma State that Lawrence outsiders began taking notice. Yet Weis has said all season that if there's a better running back in the Big 12 he hasn't seen him. Many are now beginning to echo that sentiment.
"I think over the past couple of years he's definitely shown flashes," senior left tackle Tanner Hawkinson said. "The way he's been running I agree with that statement."
back he sought and Kansas had a bruiser that became hard to tackle on the field and harder to miss off it.
game -- after not playing in the season-opening loss to North Dakota State.
There were more flashes that year too. When Kansas came back to beat Colorado in the NCAA's biggest fourth quarter comeback, Sims scored four touchdowns in the final 19 minutes.
There were flashes against Georgia Tech Sims' freshman year, when the Tejhawks upset the 16th ranked team in the country and the rookie had his first 100-yard
And there was definitely a flash when Sims first visited Lawrence as a senior in high school. A flash in his mind as he stared at Memorial Stadium and realized the opportunities ahead.
Sims arrived in the fall of 2010 sporting a flattop look with a spot of red dye on the right side. Walking down Jayhawk Boulevard it was easier to spot the hair than the man wearing it.
It was Mark Mangino's regime that Sims was attracted to. And it was Sims' former coach, David Beaty, joining the Jayhawks' staff that sealed the deal. Yet Kansas wasn't the only school pursing Sims. The Mid-American Conference champions University at Buffalo came calling, but Sims had to say no to its likeable head coach, Turner Gill.
"I came on an unofficial up here and I just fell in love with the campus and coaching staff", Sims said.
Not long after committing to Kansas, Mangino was ousted and Gill stepped in.
"It was a little difficult at first," Sims said of playing for Gill. "Coach Gill understood where I was coming from when he was at Buffalo and we ended up together anyway."
Gill finally had the running
He was trying to be different and stand out.
By the end of his first season, he most certainly did. Sims led the Jayhawks in rushing with 742 yards and nine touchdowns. His sophomore year yielded the same results — more than 700 yards, nine touchdowns and back to back seasons as the Jayhawks' best runner.
Everything was primed for an even bigger season in 2012, until a OUI arrest last April put his starting role in jeopardy.
Sims was suspended three games by Weis and with Tony Pierson's emergence as a speedy back. Sims would need to outwork his teammates to get his starting role back.
"It pushed me to get better each day," Sims said. "Just knowing that I made a mistake and it cost me college games that you know you won't get back."
Sims began making changes over the summer. He dropped ten pounds, cut the flattop and added more muscle. It's allowed him to
gain some extra speed, run harder and to turn those flashes into full games.
Yet his first home game of the season was eerily similar to one of his freshman year flashes.
Kansas was down 20-0 entering the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State and it seemed the Jayhawks would be shutout after holding the top offense in the nation to its fewest points all year — until it all began clicking for Sims.
He broke off a 30-yard run, followed by a 28-yard touchdown. Kansas was right back in it. Colorado was on Sims' mind during the comeback, but not the Cowboys. Oklahoma State was
able to close out a 20-14 victory — Sims had 138 yards.
The game officially put Sims on the map and gave the Jayhawks something to get excited about. Sims matched up against the supposed best back in the Big 12, Joseph Randle, and made him look insignificant by comparison. The adoration began pouring with Sims paying no mind.
4
As if standing out in the Big 12 wasn't enough, Sims said the flattop might return for his senior year.
"I'm not worried about being the best back," Sims said. "Just going out and having fun."
—Edited by Laken Rapier