THE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2007
NEWS
7A
BASKETBALL
Arthur, Collins shoulder great expectations this season
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
Sarah Leonard/XANSAN
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur dribbles the ball down the baseline after pulling down a rebound during Late Night in the Phog. Arthur was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team by league coaches and is expected to be a key performer for the Jayhawks this season.
Much of the preseason hype for Kansas basketball last season centered on incoming freshmen Sherron Collins and Darrell "Shady" Arthur.
A year later, and it's the same story. Within three minutes of coach Bill Self's first press conference of the 2007 season, he was discussing his duo of highly heralded sophomores.
"Shady and Sherron need to elevate their games consistently to play at the highest level from a production standpoint and make the same kind of jump that Julian and Mario made last year," Self said. "If we're able to do that and stay healthy then I think this is going to be an awfully fun team to coach."
Self isn't the only one with rising expectations for Arthur and Collins, who were the Jayhawks' fourth and fifth leading scorers from a year
ago. The Big 12 conference coaches showed they also think the sophomores will stand out in the 2007- 2008 season with preseason accolades.
Arthur was named to the All-Big 12 team, while Collins garnered an honorable mention. Self said that although the preseason awards were meaningless, there was no denying that opponents have a reason to fear Arthur after a productive off-season.
"I think he's the most improved, most matured player from a year ago, hands down," Self said. "His body has matured and he's always a great athlete, but I think he's gotten stronger and certainly more confident."
"Shady" endeared himself to Kansas fans early last season. Starting for an injured Sasha Kaun, Arthur scored more than 20 points in two of Kansas' first three games. He finished off his incredible November
with a 19-point, nine-rebound performance against eventual national champion Florida.
But that would be the high point of Arthur's season. Although he remained a vital component of Kansas' frontcourt rotation, he never recorded more than 19 points again and often got into foul trouble. Arthur said he wouldn't fall into a similar slump this season.
"Last year, I hit a wall. I just kind of backed up and didn't keep attacking like I was and didn't keep doing the good things I was doing to start off," Arthur said. "Hopefully, this year I'll be better. I'm a lot better with the team and have more chemistry with the team."
Another problem the Jayhawks are hoping doesn't present itself again this season is Collins' weight. It wasn't until the middle of the season last year that the 5-foot-11 guard was able to reach his full potential
because of his size.
Rumors have circulated that Collins faced a similar predicament coming into this season. But before Late Night in the Phog, Collins said that wasn't true and that he was happy with his conditioning. Self echoed those sentiments and praised Collins for his continued effort in watching his weight.
"I think he's worked really hard. Nobody in this athletics department burns more calories a day than Sherron," Self said. "What everyone else does, he does extra regardless of the situation."
Most of the Kansas basketball players made it clear that anything less than a Final Four appearance would be a disappointment this season. To achieve that lofty goal the Jayhawks will have to rely more on the two sophomores, Arthur and Collins.
Edited by Jeff Briscoe
first season averages
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Sherron Collins powers up for two during a team scrimmage at Late Night in the Phog on Friday. Self has high expectations for Collins and his role in helping the Jayhawks make a Final Four appearance this year.
PLAYER MINUTES POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS TURNOVERS A/T RATIO STEALS BLOCKS FOULS FIELD GOAL % FREE THROW % THREE-POINT %
Sherron Collins 22.3 9.3 2.3 2.9 1.7 1.78 0.7 0.0 1.8 47.8 76.6 40.5
Darrell Arthur 19.0 9.8 4.7 0.4 1.4 0.33 0.9 1.5 2.7 53.8 64.6 0.0
football notebook
ANOTHER ESPN APPEARANCE
1. 什么是激光雷达？
Kansas will appear on national television for the second consecutive week when it visits Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Oct. 27. The game will be televised on ESPN2, Sunflower Broadband channel 34. ESPN, Sunflower Broadband channel 33, will broadcast this Saturday's game against Colorado at 4:45 p.m.
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
Mike Rivera in a teleconference Monday. The Jayhawk defense held
a potent Baylor pass offense to just 154 yards and forced four interceptions. Harris made six tackles and recorded the first interception of his young career
Kansas coach Mark Mangino was quick to praise his defense for its performance last Saturday against Baylor, crediting freshman cornerchick Harris Chris and junior
Rivera
TOUGH BUFFS
and Rivera made eight tackles and broke up a pass.
Heading into Saturday's game, Mangino has handed out some accolades to the Jayhawks' next opponent. He said he expected Colorado to present Kansas with a challenge on both sides of the ball. Mangino specifically said senior linebacker Jordan Dizon and freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins were strong points of Colorado's team. So far this season,
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players might lose focus, but didn't spend the downtime pumping any inspiration into the team. "I wasn't giving any pep talks," Mangino said.
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Dizon is averaging 12.7 tackles per game, which is tops in the nation. Hawkins has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) but led the Buffaloes to an impressive victory against Oklahoma in Boulder, Colo.
TIME TO THINK
While Kansas players killed time in a variety of ways during last Saturday's weather delays, Mangino simply paced the locker room with his hands in his pockets. The coach said he was worried the
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