005
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2005
J.R. GIDDENS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5A
r/KANSAN
n. It's a
night he
self said.
but doing
he wasn't
g things
it it is not
iddens to g, passing teammates dep shoot-
ammates," would say,
Kit Leffler/KANSAN
of Plan
Map
with us!
9080 Iowa
830-8291
Mass st.
2. 50
STUDY
tes
(e) you enroll
nes are available
Kansan file photo
"Keep shooting, J, the next one's falling, tonight is your night."
But the shots didn't fall.
Giddens reached a low point after the Jayhawks' home game against Iowa State, Kansas' second straight loss. He went 1-11 from behind the arc, and Kansas fans booed him at the end of the game.
"I felt horrible," Giddens said. "I didn't even feel comfortable in my own gym. I felt like people cringed and were like 'J.R. is going to take a shot and he is going to miss.'"
In the four games after the Iowa State game, Giddens sank only four three-point shots. He didn't feel like he was taking bad shots; they just weren't falling.
Johnson said he could see a
change in Giddens' demeanor just from watching him on television. In high school, Johnson used to make Giddens make 1,000 shots a day, part of the reason he was such a confident shooter.
Above: Kansas fans were critical of Giddens for most of the season. He was received by boos after a loss at home to Iowa State. He said it was difficult to not do well in his own gym.
Left: Giddens slashes through two defenders during the season-ending loss to Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament.
"I was focusing so much on making shots and people booing me that I lost confidence in myself." Giddens said.
"I could tell his mental focus was off a bit when I talked to him," Johnson said. "A lot of them just weren't falling, but I told him he just had to get his confidence back."
Giddens agreed.
Anyone who has watched Giddens on the basketball court knows that he is not a player who lacks confidence.
The man who tugs at the No. 15 on his jersey every time he hits a three-point shot, throws down a monster jam or assists a play, is known for his energy on the court. That energy, however, can easily be misinterpreted for cockiness, Giddens said.
Giddens said he tried to tone down his emotions on the court this season. Fans didn't appreciate the jersey tugging and chest pounding from a player whose shots were clanking off the rim.
"I yell and do all of that stuff and people are like 'Oh he is selfish,'" he said. "But they weren't saying that when I was making shots."
"My first year here was so beautiful," Giddens said. "But the fans went from liking me to hating me real fast, even though I was out there trying and giving my all."
Johnson said Giddens' on-the-court personality matched his persona off of it.
"That is how he is on the court and off the court," Johnson said. "His antics may be misinterpreted sometimes. He can come off cocky, but really he is just glad to be at Kansas. The basketball court is almost like a stage for him to let loose and show his emotions."
The shots may not have fallen, but his rebounds, assists, blocks and steals all increased, not to mention his defense. By the end of the season, Self was putting Giddens on the opposing team's best offensive player.
For as much negativity as Giddens received this past season, he knows he is a better basketball player, mentally and physically.
defensive player," Giddens said. "Overall, I was a better player, I just didn't make shots."
"Coach Self made me a better
At the end of the season, Self told Giddens they couldn't change what happened this past season. They do, however, control next year.
"He needs time to get in the gym and work on ball handling and passing and be a better basketball player, and not just shoot the ball," self said.
Self isn't shy about telling Giddens what he needs to do. They even have a name for their relationship.
season would help Giddens become stronger mentally.
"We have a no-bullshit relationship," Giddens said. "If he feels anything he needs to say to me, he can say it. If I feel anything, I can walk into his office and do the same."
"Yeah, his shooting percent was down and that is what everyone rests his lulls on," Johnson said "But overall, he improved and he battled through it pretty well for a 19-year-old kid."
Looking ahead
Before the car can even pull into the parking lot at Jayhawks Towers, Giddens has consumed the entire footlong meatball sub. He hurries up to his fourth floor apartment to catch the tip-off of the NCAA National Championship game.
During commercials, Giddens stands in the middle of the room practicing his favorite basketball moves with a volleyball.
Giddens is one of the few Jayhawks watching the game. He doesn't, however, seem to enjoy it.
He sits in front of the television like a distracted six year old who has eaten too much sugar.
"It's less bouncy, better for inside." Giddens said.
His favorite move is one where he goes between the legs twice, palms the ball in one hand and potentially blows by his defender.
"That is one you'll be seeing a lot of next year." Giddens says.
The championship game is intense, and Giddens appears irritated that North Carolina holds on to defeat Illinois and boasts the National Championship trophy.
He turns off the TV before CBS can play their annual NCAA Tournament highlight reel with "One Shining Moment" playing in the background.
It's not that Giddens was mad that the coach who recruited
People may say I am thinking about the NBA and stuff. But really I just want to focus on being the best leader and basketball player I can be.
Every day, Giddens is in the weight room, lifting, trying to get stronger. He practices with coaches on individual workouts. He works on his footwork. He has even made a deal with himself.
"Ninety percent of the shots take in practice or workouts are going to be off the dribble," Giddens said. "I'm going to work on my outside shot, but you can bet J.R. Giddens is going to shoot off the dribble more next year."
him won the coveted national championship trophy, although he admits he never received a phone call from Roy Williams to inform him of his departure
If anything, Johnson said this
for North Carolina.
He said it was just so hard to watch the tournament after the way the Jayhawks went out.
Slowly, Giddens is getting over the loss that he blames himself for. Like most of his teammates, Giddens broke down into tears after Kansas' 64-63 first-round loss to Bucknell.
"A lot of it was my fault we lost," Giddens "I feel like I let down the fans, my teammates and my family."
Giddens sat down to watch the McDonald's All-American high school game, a contest he competed in two years ago.
Three Kansas recruits represented the Jayhawks in the showcase: Micah Downs, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright.
Several weeks after the loss,
Chalmers stole the show. He scored 20 points and made five assists. He put on a defensive clinic, also collecting five steals and four rebounds. In a 10-second time span, Chalmers drained a three-point shot, stole the ensuing inbound pass and knocked down another three.
"Oh man," Giddens said. "That kid can play."
Thirty seconds later, his cell phone rings. A loud voice can be heard yelling on the other line.
It is Giddens' pal C.J. Giles, freshman forward.
"Did you see that, man?" Giles says to Giddens on the phone.
Clearly, the returning Jayhawks are excited about next year's team.
They are going to be young, but Self thinks they will be quicker, allowing them to be more effective in the press and in transition.
"We'll be so young and green and we won't know what we are doing," Self said. "But we will be fast and athletic, and that is fun to think about that."
After the McDonald's game is finished, Giddens looked relieved. The kind of relief a person has when they realize their luck is about to change.
"I just have to keep working hard this offseason to make sure that next year is better than this one." Giddens said.
He vows to be a more complete player. A leader. A guy who can go off the dribble, but is still a threat from the outside. The athlete who grabs an ally-oop pass out of the air and slams it down over a defender. The best defensive player on the team.
Giddens wants to be all of those. That is what drives J.R. Giddens.
Gildds will tough out his tired legs. He opens the door leading to the players lounge next to the Kansas locker room.
"People may say I am thinking about the NBA and stuff," Giddens said. "But really I just want to focus on being the best leader and basketball player I can be."
"My legs hurt so bad from this karate that we have been doing," Giddens said. "But we look good in three-on-three. People better watch out."
Two weeks ago, after another offseason work out, Giddens walks slow and stiff.
"Is anyone hungry?" Giddens asks his teammates.
YOU REALLY CAN FIND A CHALLENGING JOB THAT YOU'LL LOVE. YOUR PASSION CAN BE YOUR CAREER. SEE HOW. WWW.DREAMIT-DOIIT.COM
Dream!tDo!t
YOUR FUTURE IS THERE FOR THE MAKING.
MADIS MANUET DUALING INSTITUTE
LIBERTY HALL 644 Masss
749-1912
MILLIONS (PG)
4:30 7:00 9:30
OFF THE MAP (PG 13)
4:40 7:10 9:40
— Edited by Neeley Spellmeier
CASHCA$HCASHCA$H
CA$HCASHCA$HCASH
CASHCA$HCASHCA$H
CA$HCASHCA$HCASH
TOP CASH NOW
THRU FINALS
SELL YOUR TEXTBOOKS
at the store voted "Best on the Hill"
Jayhawk Bookstore ..at the top of Naismith Hill
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNI
Raise $$$ for your Non-Profit Organization.
Volunteer to work concessions at KU Athletic Events 5240462294
Call 864-7986 today to schedule a date to raise funds for your organization