Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Volume 125 Issue 117
kansan.com
COMMENTARY Wiggins could determine Jayhawks' success
One week could determine the difference between good and great for the
2013-2014 Kansas basketball season.
Andrew Wiggins, the top recruit in the 2013 class, seems ready to end his prolonged decision making process.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Wiggin's mother will head from Canada to West Virginia to support him for the announcement, which will come "sometime in the next week or so."
The general consensus among recruiting experts is that Wiggins will choose one of four schools: Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
I'm not here to speculate on which school Wiggins will choose. I would spew forth nothing of worth if I were to do that. With recruiting, it's a complete guess game until the very end, regardless.
However, I will say that Wiggins could elevate Jayhawk basketball back to top-five status to start the season. That's not to say Kansas won't finish the year without him. But the instant gratification and results of what Wiggins will bring could prove immeasurable.
The 6-foot-7-inch small forward, who has been called the best prospect in years, would fit in perfectly for a Kansas team that could use a star in its lineup next season.
Sure, Naadir Tharpe will be back as point guard and facilitator. Perry Ellis flourished in post-season play at power forward. Big man Jamari Taylor looked promising at times, and Bill Self has spoken highly of Landen Lucas as well.
There's Wayne Selden, an incoming freshman who played in the McDonald's All-American game who will fit in nicely at shooting guard. There's Wichita's stellar shooter Conner Frankamp, whose highlight tape is non-stop barrage of deep 3-pointers and impressive drives to the basket. Not to mention center Joel Embid who has soared in recruiting rankings this season.
But none of those guys will be able to change a game — change a team — like Andrew Wiggins. Sure, the hype is high, but those who have seen the man play almost unanimously declare his talent will count as a gargantuan addition to any team that lands him.
Wiggins would slide perfectly into that small forward spot for Kansas, and the eyes of every opponent would focus on him. That's when Conner Frankamp's 3-point shooting could become deadly. When Perry Ellis will be able to win one-on-ones in the post. When Naadir Tharpe will best be able to blow by his defender.
Of course, all of this means nothing if Wiggins chooses another school. That's just the way recruiting goes. For now, this is Kansas' first must-win game of the 2013-2014 season.
Edited by Brian Sisk
1
Kansas continues solid play amid power outage at Eck Stadium
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
The Jayhawks turned out the lights on any doubts this season, beating Wichita State 7-5 in a hotly contested match at the Shockers' Eck Stadium.
Kansas hung five runs in the fifth, three of which coming off a bases clearing triple from sophomore right fielder Connor McKay. The Jayhawks survived a 20-minute delay when the lights of Eck Stadium went dark.
"Ive really only seen that in the Super Bowl," McKay said. "We took it with a grain of salt. As soon as the lights, came back on we checked it back in. It obviously wasn't hard for Dakota, he put a good swing on that ball and got us another RBI."
Sophomore rightfieldder Dakota Smith scored
Sophomore leftfielder Michael Suiter on a sacrifice fly in the at-bat after light was restored.
The Jayhawks started their surge early with an RBI single from senior third baseman Jordan Dreiling. Kansas fell behind after two one-run Wichita State innings in the second and third innings before it regained the lead with five in the fifth.
In the fifth, McKay hit a bases clearing three-RBI triple, his first triple of the season. The sophomore continued his hot play at the plate after hitting a double off the right-centerfield wall against Baylor.
"That was huge," coach Ritch Price said. "He's a guy that beats himself up. He has great tools, but he's still learning how to play this game at a really high level and compete with Big 12 pitching. He's starting to make those adjustments
and give himself a chance to be successful."
Wichita State didn't fall easily. With two runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth, the lead narrowed to 7-5, prompting Kansas coach Ritch Price to bring in Junior closer Jordan Piche'.
"He's the best guy in the country," Price said. "And the key to our success this season has been his performance at the back end of games. He's having one of the greatest years that a relief pitcher has had at the University of Kansas."
Piche' got his 10th save of the season after he faced four batters and struck out two, including the final out. Piche's 10 saves lead the Big 12 conference. The junior entered the game with runners on first and third base and two outs. Piche' wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's a tough one to come
into, but I like those situations and feel like I thrive on them," Piche' said. "My mindset was throw first pitch strikes and really get ahead on the guy. I really got them off balance and sure enough got them and got out of a tough situation."
Piche' didn't just get out of a tough situation. He got the exclamation point of a strike-out that sent Shockers' leftfielder Mikel Mucha to the bench to seal the save.
"That's just a great feeling," Piche' said. "It really tops the night off."
Piche' has faced a heavier workload of late, but said he felt fine after the victory over Wichita State. The Kansas coaching staff is keeping a close eye on the handling of their key closer.
of those guys that's in great shape. He's so efficient that he throws less pitches than most guys on the mound. That's why he can go multiple days and not be sore."
"We're trying to be really careful with him," Price said. "He's really fortunate to be one
Wichita State is the next game in a long line of resurgence for the Jayhawks.
"For us, that was a must win game as we continue to build our resume to make the NCAA tournament," Price said. "After the huge three-game sweep over Baylor, we couldn't afford to come in here and take a step back tonight. That sets up a huge weekend against the Wildcats for us this weekend."
The Jayhawks face the Kansas State Wildcats in their Big 12 finale at Hoglund Ballpark this weekend.
Edited by Dylan Lysen
ECK STADIUM, 6:30 P.M., WICHITA
PITCHING
Jordan Piche' continues his dominance on the mound. Appearing in four straight games, he now has 10 saves on the year to lead the Big 12 conference. Piche' is making a strong case for closer of the year honors having already captured three-straight Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards. The Jayhawks starting rotation has continued solid play and are a large reason the team is hot at the moment.
FIELDING
Kansas recorded another solid night in the field. The middle infield combo of senior shortstop Kevin Kuntz and sophomore second baseman Justin Protacio have been as solid as any in the country. The Jayhawks will need this to continue if they want a chance at the Big 12 title.
The Jayhawks' Sophomore designated hitter Connor McKay hit a base-clearing RBI triple in the fifth inning against Wichita State to jump start the Jayhawks. McKay has been hot at the plate of late hitting an RBI double off the wall in the Baylor series to help Kansas to victory. The Jayhawks face one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball in the Kansas State Wildcats over the weekend.
HITTING