kansan.com
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Volume 125 Issue 83
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Jayhawks have fun playing Texas Tech
Sure, they wore their familiar home white jerseys Monday night against Texas Tech, but that wasn't the Jayhawks playing. If anything, it was the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus.
It's fitting, then, that the most embattled Kansas senior, guard Elijah Johnson, made Senior Night fun.
Saturday's game against West Virginia was an exhibition of athletic prowess, but in the first few minutes against the Red Raiders, it looked like the circus left town already. Tech destroyed the game's flow by drawing fouls and Kansas was struggling to score.
But then it all changed, because Kansas heeded freshman guard Ben McLemore's advice — when the Jayhawks play Kansas ball, they're playing fun ball.
First, standing behind the 3-point line, Johnson found senior forward Kevin Young for an alley-oop. Then, from the free-throw line, Johnson lofted a high floater to senior center Jeff Withey, who flushed the ball through the basket.
Kansas had five alley-oops in the first half and Johnson had nine assists, with 12 overall. He committed only two turnovers.
Young and his afro provided Energizer Bunny-type energy on his way to 14 points, including three dunks. Guard Travis Releford made the one 3-pointer he took, and got to the free throw line 10 times, making eight of those free throws.
With the way Kansas is playing,
its just as likely as anyone to wind up in the Final Four given all the upsets of top-10 teams this season.
It's just a shame that this edition of the circus will never play in Lawrence again.
Perhaps the most satisfying part of the night was seeing the seniors play to their roles. Johnson, criticized all year for his play at the point guard despite being a natural shooting guard, finished with 12 assists. Withey, skimmer than a stick when he arrived in Lawrence, had 22 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Withey even joined the fray making his first 3-pointer of his career. For those scoring at home, he made as many 3-pointers as the Red Raiders did all night.
In the second half, it sure didn't look like Kansas was concerned with scoring. Rather, it was concerned with making the best dunk, as teammates playfully tried to one-up each other' Sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe even tried a half-court alley-oop pass to freshman forward Jamari Traylor. The ball flew into the stands, but when you're flirting with a 40-point lead on Senior Night, why not have a little bit of fun?
Edited by Jordan Wisdom
But once a team gets that little dash of confidence, as the Jayhawks did in a thorough dismantling of Kansas State on Feb. 11, the whole basketball court opens up again.
It's a nice turnaround from the earlier portion of the Big 12 season. For the first half of conference play, The Jayhawks seemed to play a laboring brand of basketball.
KANSAS 79, TEXAS TECH 42
Jayhawks rout Red Raiders on Senior Night, look toward NCAA tournament
FIELDHOUSE FAREWELL
Senior guard Elijah Johnson drives past his opponent to get to the basket during the yesterday's game against Texas Tech in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 79-42.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
RYAN MCCARTHY rmccarthy@kansan.com
It's rare to see four seniors start on a college basketball team today.
But when has Kansas been like other basketball programs?
All four of the seniors showed off some sweet moves on Senior Night as Kansas cruised to a comfortable 79-42 victory over Texas Tech that left Allen Fieldhouse buzzing well after the speeches wrapped up.
First, senior center Jeff Withey scraped the ceiling with one alley-oop and knocked down the lone 3-point attempt of his career.
It's a moment that will live as the memory for Withey's Senior Night.
"I knew it was going to go in,"
Withey said.
Then, senior forward Kevin Young nearly brushed his Afro on the rim during a reverse dunk in the first half while also making a few hustle plays to make it a meaningful night for him after a topsy-turvy career.
Young could not help mentioning the Afro to the home crowd one more time before ending his career in Allen Fieldhouse.
"I had a long speech prepared, but it got lost in my hair," Young joked as he opened his Senior Night speech.
Third, senior guard Travis Releford did all the things he's done while a layhawk; play great defense and make some swift moves in transition.
Releford's been around this area his entire life and understands
what Senior Night means more than anyone.
Even though the Jayhawks cruised against the Red Raiders and are looking toward the near future, tonight was about reflection and giving thanks.
"This is the best place to play, the best place to be," Releford said.
Thanks to the building where they've been lucky enough to play and now have a chance to bring home a ninth consecutive Big 12 conference title.
Still, the thoughtful and reserved Johnson knew by the end of the night that this was just a stepping stone for the importance of the upcoming season. Johnson said that the reality of playing their last home game hasn't hit the seniors yet because they're focused on what they still have to do.
And finally you have senior guard Elijah Johnson. A man fully scrutinized earlier this season who's finally settled into his role as a point guard being the ultimate facilitator on Senior Night.
Thanks to coaches, teammates family, friends and fans that have supported them through good times and bad.
But the players also thanked the students.
"It's time to rock out," he said. "It's time to get to business and I think we all know that."
Because the students are what separates this venue from every other place in college basketball.
The students are here at 8 a.m. on Sundays for the lottery. They spend their spare time studying in the hallways of the fieldhouse
making sure they don't get crossed off when roll is called.
They are the lifeblood of the crowd that fills the fieldhouse every year.
With 4:45 remaining in the game the student section belted out a final thank you to the seniors as the people in the front row held up a sign that was written on a few pieces of paper that read: "THANK YOU!"
"I think that they are important because they got to see us grow and we get to see them grow," Young said. "All of the posters and each of their celebrations they have for every one of us is amazing. We are really grateful for having them here with us"
Edited by Madison Schultz
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Team prepares for seniors' send-off
MAX GOODWIN
mggoodwin@kansan.com
Before the Kansas women's basketball team runs onto James Naismith Court tonight to face TCU in the final regular season game, senior guard Angel Goodrich will likely prepare for the game her usual way: by listening to music and joking with her teammates.
She said the emotion of it had not quite hit her. However, she did say that those moments — chilling in the locker room with her teammates before the start of a game
"Just the bonding times and being with the team and just hanging out is the one thing that I'm going to remember a lot because it was so much fun." Goodrich said.
— are the moments she will miss the most.
For Goodrich, forward Carolyn Davis and guard Monica Engelman — the team's three seniors — tonight will be the last time they go through that pregame routine at Allen Fieldhouse. It will be an emotional night, but before the tears begin to flow, the Jayhawks have some important business to take care of.
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Kansas will need a victory against TCU to assure that they remain in contention for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament, TCU is last in the Big 12, but they have surprised a few teams this season, including Kansas in the first half of the game on Feb. 13 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Jayhawks fell behind by 23 points before making a comeback victory in the second half.
"Its overwhelming. I think, and considering our situation of the game on top of senior night, there's a lot of mixed emotions" Davis said.
Win or lose, Kansas will face the Horned Frogs again on Friday in Dallas for the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
All three of the seniors arrived at Kansas with high expectations and have all been in the spotlight at times in their careers.
"They came here to be program changers and difference makers," coach Bonnie Henrickson said, "And all three have done that, kind of in a uniquely different way."
All three players were starters at last year's NCAA tournament, which was the team's first tournament appearance in Henrickson eight years of coaching at Kansas. Davis was out because of a knee injury but was able to watch as the
As individuals, they have all reached the career scoring mark of 1,000 points. Goodrich has recorded more assists than any other Jayhawk in school history. Davis is seventh on the career scoring list at Kansas and has the best field goal percentage in school history. Engelman has the highest free throw percentage in the Kansas record books.
Jayhawks made the Sweet 16, the furthest any women's team has advanced in school history.
Teammates and coaches all agree that Goodrich doesn't pay much attention to statistics; that's just not the type of person she is, which is why it's not the numbers that Goodrich will remember.
Edited by Taylor Lewis
"The connection I've had with these people, it's just been amazing," Goodrich said. "We have so much fun in the locker room, the times we travel. It's so much fun, and it's just crazy how it's going to be over soon. Just thinking about it, I'm going to miss these people so much when it's all said and done."
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Senior guard Angel Goodrich waits while free throws are taken during the final minutes of the 72-56 loss to West Virginia on Feb. 9. The Jayhawks are now 16-12 overall and 7-10 in the Big 12.
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