kansan.com
Volume 125 Issue 40
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
COMMENTARY
The Jayhawks need Johnson
"Elijah was substantially late to a class today," Self said.
So Johnson didn't start, and he wasn't the first player off the bench, either. That honor went to freshman Perry Ellis, who showed KU fans why they've been so excited about him since he left the womb in Wichita.
But when the five-minute, self-inflicted suspension was lifted and Johnson finally did check into the game, the entire dynamic changed for Kansas.
You see, Kansas was trailing 10-6 when Johnson left the Jayhawks' bench and trotted onto the court. While this was no time to panic, there's no question the team started flat without its senior point guard.
In case anyone was wondering how important Elijah Johnson is to this year's team, it only took four minutes and eight seconds of Tuesday's game to find out.
Mysteriously, amidst the typical newspaper-confetti rain shower and starting lineup hoopla Johnson's name was never called. And no, this wasn't a mistake by the Allen Fieldhouse public address announcer, either.
Edited by Allison Kohn
No, that title goes to the number of turnovers next to his name on the box score: one.
So when that newspaper-confetti flutters about Allen Fieldhouse for the rest of the season, Kansas fans better hope that it's being thrown for Johnson's name. Otherwise, it will be a lengthy struggle of a season for a team that desperately needs its senior point guard to be on the floor.
Johnson ran a Kansas offense that had 11 players play 10 or more minutes. He ran an offense that had seven freshmen get into the game. And to only have one turnover, for the Jayhawks to only have 15 turnovers total, is a good sign for Kansas.
And then Johnson showed why he's the Jayhawks' most indispensable player.
It didn't stop there, either, as Johnson had three assists, one rebound and a layup in the game's next three minutes as well.
While the run from Johnson and the lajayhaws was an impressive indicator of the talented senior's importance, it wasn't his most impressive feat of the night.
Bill Self would later explain the decision not to start his senior point guard.
"Hes probably the most key performer we have." Self said. "He needs to be a 33- or 34-minute guy"
With 11 minutes left in the first half, Johnson made his first shot of the 2012-2013 season, putting up three points and giving Kansas a 16-14 lead. The Jayhawks would keep that lead the rest of the game in their 88-54 win over Emporia State.
WELCOME TO THE PHOG
In those first five minutes that Johnson played, the Jayhawks went on a 13-4 run. Johnson had a rebound, two assists and the three-point basket in the run that put the "Kansas" back in Kansas basketball.
Kansas players react after freshman guard Ben McLemore dunks during the second half of the exhibition game against Emporia State. Kansas won the exhibition against Emporia State 88-54.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Freshman Perry Ellis stands out during the Jayhawk's home opener
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
The stage wasn't big, the opponent wasn't of note and at the end of the day, the game didn't count.
However, freshman forward Perry Ellis managed to answer the question of who would be the one to step in and shoulder the majority of the team's scoring in the front court, a role that was left wide open following the departure of All-American Thomas Robinson.
And Ellis did it by finishing the Jayhawks 88-54 victory against Emporia State a perfect five-for-the field. from the field.
"I if he could just become aggressive as far as a mind set, not shooting the ball, but just a mind set, he's so gifted offensively. It just comes so natural to him, that he could
be a really good player early in his career," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
After a sluggish start marred by turnovers at the hands of the many young Kansas players, the team quickly found themselves facing a six-point deficit with just under three minutes elapsed in the game.
Last year, the team would try to invigorate the offense by pounding the ball inside to Robinson in the post. This years' team took a different approach.
sessions which sent the Jayhawks on a 27-5 run and they never looked back.
The Jahayhaws started pulling up and shooting jump shots, sparked by back-to-back jumpers from Ellis.
However, Self doesn't think Ellis is reaching his potential on the court as he never had to play as hard in high school, where he was able to score easy baskets because he had considerably more talent than his opponents.
His buckets brought the team back to life. And then they kicked it into high gear when senior guard Elijah Johnson and freshman guard Andrew White III knocked down 3-point shots on consecutive pos-
Ellis provided steady play all across the hardwood, finishing the day leading the team with 15 points and added seven rebounds in just 16 minutes of work.
"If we can just get a little more consistent inside scoring, that will bode well for us," Self said "But we can't be a team that just falls in love with the jump shot. I've never played outside in, and I certainly don't want to start now."
But while they started shooting four-for-six from beyond the arc, they went cold and finished the first period by missing their last four 3-point attempts.
Such are the perils of relying on outside shooting to carry the offense.
"Honestly, I feel like for him, he could even do better than that. And we all know that," freshman forward Landen Lucas said. "I think Coach (Self) is always pushing him, and you see these numbers that he has now, but I feel like he can do better than that."
Three other players, Johnson, White and freshman guard Ben McLemore joined Ellis by scoring in double digits with 12, 11 and 10 points respectively.
"If you sit back and look at the way they're just so unselfish with the ball, it's not about 'me', it' about
'we' with the Jayhawks,' Emporia State coach Shaun Vandiver said.
But the night belonged to Ellis, the in-state recruit that Kansas fans have heard so much about as he led his high school team, Wichita Heights, to four consecutive class 6A state titles.
As the season progresses, and he becomes more comfortable in the system, Ellis will continue to carve out a larger role in the Jayhawk offense.
"I just feel like he's trying to find his groove," freshman guard Annie Adams said. "He's quiet and silent. We're just trying to get him to play a lot more aggressive. And I think the time's going to come at the right time, he just got to catch flow"
Edited by Allison Kohn
FOOTBALL
Cummings seizes leadership opportunity
Junior wide receiver Josh Ford, freshman wide receiver Tre' Parmalee, sophomore tight end immay Mundine, junior wide receiver Chris Omigie, sophomore linebacker Victor Simmons and sophomore linebacker Michael Reynolds sing the alma mater to the student section on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousoughian@kansan.com
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Coming to Kansas from Killeen, Texas, freshman quarterback Michael Cummings has come a long way to get the opportunity he has now. At the start of the season, Cummings was listed as the top backup on the depth chart behind Dayne Crist and was projected to be behind Jake Heaps next season.
Before arriving in Lawrence, Cummings missed five games during his senior year at Killeen High School because of a torn ACL. In 2011, he was redshirted during his first year at Kansas.
Cummings now is the starting quarterback of the Jayhawks. It's a big opportunity for him to attest himself in front of his coaches and teammates. Kansas coach Charlie Weid said that at the end of the spring, he didn't look good. He's improved a lot, despite being unable to play for nearly two years.
"He just kept on working and kept on working until there finally came a point where he gave me an option," Weis said. "It wasn't until he gave me an option to put him in there. I'm not putting him in there because the fans say, 'Let's put him in there.' He got to give me the reason to believe that we could function well with him in a game. He's done that, and that's why he's in there."
Cummings sat out in the first four games of the season before he
received playing time in the second half against Kansas State. Against Oklahoma State, Cummings was sent into the game in the second half and helped the team score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter after not scoring in the first three quarters.
He threw his first career touchdown against the Cowboys when he found tight end Jimmy Mundine on a 21-yard catch-and-run play to get the Jayhawks rolling.
Norman, Okla., and at home against Texas, giving him more experience and familiarity, while the Jayhawks seek their first win since the beginning of the season against South Dakota State.
He's started the last two games: in
Even though Cummings has never taken a snap in a college football game, Weis said he likes what he's seen from Cummings in the four games the quarterback has played in this season.
"He's making progress enough where I'm not afraid to put him out
Cummings, who has been tabbed as calm and collected by quarter-backs coach Ron Powlus, has a good chance to earn his first career victory and help Kansas snap its 17-game conference losing streak on the road against Baylor this Saturday.
Baylor has allowed at least 35 points in its last five contests and are ninth in the Big 12 in points given up and total defense. Baylor's defense has been on the field longer than it would like because of the
there," Weis said.
offense, which has scored a lot. Even so, teams have managed to score against the Bears, a team that has given up an average 42.7 points per game.
FOOTBALL NOTES
"A win helps validate all the hard work and effort they've been doing." Weis said. "No matter what everyone sees, you can't believe you've truly turned a corner until you have something more definite to show for it."
- Right guard Aslam Sterling will start this week. He's started two games this season.
- Weis hopes that with Cummings taking the snaps, Kansas can finish on a better note after a long season.
- Wide receiver Daymond Patterson will be back this week.
He suffered a head injury against Oklahoma State.
- Left guards Damon Martin and Duane Zlatlik are co-starters. Martin started last week for the first time. The starter for this week has not been determined.
- Defensive end and captain Toben Opurum should be able to play this week. Linebacker Jake Love suffered an injury on the same play as Opurum. Love passed his concussion test, giving him a chance to be active this week.
Edited by Allison Kohn