22 FEATURE
Passing out the grades
By Corey Thibodeaux
These grades are based on season expectations in comparison to the actual performance. Just because one player has a higher grade than another doesn't mean he did better; he just outperformed his own expectations. The Jayhawks were a very deep team this year, so consistency doesnt hold too much value unless it was extreme on either end.
Marcus Morris
No one put himself on the radar more dramatically than Morris did this season. Last year, even he admitted that he was lazy and had moments when he left everyone watching disappointed. But with a fierce offseason workout, Morris was able to hone his athleticism into a dominant force in the middle and he became the third leading scorer on the team. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds and, with Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and possibly Xavier Henry leaving for the NBA, he is the best returning starter for next year's team.
Sherron Collins
He was great. Collins left the game against Memphis with cramps and came out of the locker room to help seal the victory. He had identical and one go-ahead shots in wins against Cornell and at Kansas State. In his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, it was a teary good-bye and Collins helped send K-State packing, 82-65. He was everything this team needed, but there were times when he hurt the team more than helped it. By no means should the loss against Northern Iowa fall solely upon his shoulders, but in a game where Collins needed to be the leader, he shot 4-for-15 from the floor, scored 10 points and turned the ball over five times
Xavier Henry
He showed flashes of brilliance many times this season. But being wedged into a team with Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, it was hard to take the reins. Henry came in and immediately made his presence felt with 27 points in his first regular season game against Hofstra and he later had 31 points against LaSalle. When Big 1.2 play started, he went into a slump for about eight games, but broke out of it later. He was a freshman. Henry came here to become a better basketball player and the fact that his defense improved and he never once demanded any kind of attention speaks volumes to his improvement.
Cole Aldrich
When you look at his body of work from last season and compare it to this season, it's hard to say Aldrich jumped up another level. In the first part of this season, he was going through some issues, such as his bronchitis affecting his play and his ill grandmother affecting his emotions. Then he began to round into shape and ended up demolishing the Kansas block record with 125. But he rarely took a game upon his shoulders when his team needed
Markieff Morris, Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar
Only one thing kept these guys from truly excelling this season: playtime. When they were in the game, they were highly effective for the most part. Morris was just a step below his brother in post-effectiveness, but he couldn't quit fouling. Reed came on strong late in the season shooting the ball, but you could see his improvement on the defensive end throughout the year. Morningstar did what he usually does guarding the perimeter. His scoring just wasn't there this year, but he passed up most of his shots for his teammates.
Tyshawn Taylor
The balance of highs and lows equals a break-even season. Of course, Taylor started the season injuring his hand in a skirmish and he had some issues with Facebook posts, contributing to a horrible start to the season. But he eventually turned his season around and had a seven-game stretch where he had a 34:6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Taylor's offensive game picked up at the end of the regular season, but during the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments, he couldn't make a lay-up, including a 0-for-6 performance against Northern Iowa.
GAME OF THE YEAR All three games against Kansas State
This is not because of the rivalry. The three Kansas wins each had a different significance this season. With the toughest competition all season, Kansas responded to each game with utmost poise
In Manhattan — This game was the best of the season, plain and simple. It was College Game-day. The normal 40 minutes wasn't enough to determine a winner between these top-five teams. When the game reached overtime, it was quite the nail-biter until Sherron Collins took it upon himself to get to the rim, score and get fouled. The go-ahead bucket was one of the shining moments of the Jayhawks season.
In Kansas City, Mo. — Kansas and K-State were on a crash course to this game since the Big 12 Tournament began. With the title at stake, both teams gave it all they had. The Jayhawks just had more to give. There were no big runs, there were no defining plays; it was just good basketball throughout.
In Lawrence — Sherron Collins' senior night couldn't have been any better. In the Jayhawks crushed the Wildcats, 82-65, in a teary Allen Field-house sendoff for the senior guard. No team could have beaten the Jayhawks that night, as they came right out of the gate and rode their emotion all the way to victory. The game also clinched the regular season B12 title outright for Kansas.
LOOKING AHEAD
The 2008 team needed two first-round losses before it had enough hunger to take the NCAA title for themselves. For that reason, the 2010-11 team will outperform this season's team. Collins and Aldrich are gone, but there is plenty of talent left over. If recruit Josh Selby ends up signing with Kansas, the backcourt will have a combination of Selby, a more experienced Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson, and CJ Henry, who showed flashes of good things this year. Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar will have more of a leading role, but maybe the same amount of playing time.
The power forward slot belongs to Marcus Morris. That is about the only sure thing next year and he will be counted on to lead. Markieff Morris will most likely have a big role as well. On defense, Jeff Withey has the length to cause serious Issues against the opposition. But if Thomas Robinson can make the same jump Aldrich and the Morris twins made from freshman to sophomore year, he could be scary. Robinson showed explosive athleticism and he was aggressive on offense, but he fouled and turned the ball over too much. If he can fix those issues, the Jayhawks will be a preseason Top-10 team.
THE WAVE APRIL 7,2010
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN