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FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008 PAGE 1B
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COMMENTARY
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas succeeds without go-to guy
As Kansas heads into the thick of March Madness, both the media and fans may question who the Jayhawks "go-to guy" is. It is often assumed that a team must have a clear-cut person who is the No. 1 player on the team. If a team does not have this clear-cut, go-to guy, there will be a problem.
When the Associated Press voted for who would comprise the Big 12 alleague first team, 17 of the 19 voters chose Kansas players, but none of those played made the team. Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur and junior guards Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers all
Kansas' roster has plenty of star power and doesn't need one particular player to carry the Jayhawks'weight throughout the postseason.
made the second team.
Sophomore guard Sherron Collins is reasserting himself in the Kansas lineup after injuries earlier this year. Collins scored 13 points and had seven assists against Texas A&M.
Upon hearing the news, Kansas' leading scorer Arthur didn't worry too much about none of Kansas' player's making the first team.
"I think it says that we are balanced. We have eight stars," said Arthur in Kansas' press conference Monday. "Anybody can show up on any
When the Big 12 coaches voted for their all-league first team, they voted differently. They chose Rush and Arthur for the first team, Chalmers for the second team and senior forward Darnell Jackson for the third team.
— Edited by Jared Duncan
day. It's not a big deal at all."
Given these postseason accolades, it makes it very unclear as to who Kansas' go-to guy really is. When you look at statistics, it's even less clear who this mysterious go-to guy should be. After all, seven players have led the team as the high scorer in games. Jackson, who was Kansas' high scorer in eight games this season, is Kansas' fourth-leading scorer, averaging 11.8 points per game.
Going into the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA tournament, who is Kansas' go-to guy? Rush? Arthur? Collins? Chalmers? Jackson? Senior guard Russell Robinson?
As of late, some could even question whether sophomore guard Sherron Collins is Kansas' go-to guy. Over the past three games, Collins is averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals, and he was chosen as the co-Big 12 Player of the Week. Rush and Jackson have also been selected as conference players of the week this season.
The answer is no one. Kansas does not need one of these players to be the beacon of light that rescues the team in postseason. Not even reigning two-time national champion Florida had one of these dominant players last season. Like Kansas, Florida had seven different players as the high scorer in games last season. Throughout the NCAA tournament, the Gators had four different players finish as the high scorer.
Still think Kansas needs a go-to guy? There's a man by the name of Frank Martin in Manhattan, Kan., who can tell you all about the go-to guy. Martin practically wrote the book on the go-to guy this season with his star player, freshman forward Michael Beasley.
Kansas may not have a player on its roster who appears to be a cut above the rest, but what can you expect from a teamwith four McDonald's High School All-Americans and seven Rivals.com five-star prospects? Kansas has plenty of star power and doesn't need one particular player to carry the Jayhawks' weight throughout the postseason.
Jon Goering/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Bringing toughness back
Collins makes strong resurgence after injuries
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
Amid all the "Lazy Sunday" remakes, "Seinfeld" outtakes and other YouTube wonders, a video features a high school player throwing a basketball off a backboard, leaping into the air, dreads flowing, and then dunking with his left hand, yes, his left.
Interested in watching it? Just type in Sherron Collins.
Back then, he was high school Sherron, a chiseled hunk of athleticism who could do whatever he wanted on a basketball court. Recently, the player from that video started to return. Collins is averaging 14.7 points a game in the last three games, and is one of the major reasons the Jayhawks are playing their best ball of the season as they prepare to play Nebraska in the Big 12 Tournament tonight at 6.
With Collins playing so well, Kansas coach Bill Self admitted the sophomore guard was close to being the player he thought held be at the beginning of the year. The key word there is "close." Collins still isn't the speedy kid with flowing dreadlocks who Anthony Longstreet, Collin's high school coach, remembers from Crane Tech High School.
"Kansas." Longstreet said, "still hasn't seen how fast he is."
One could say Collins was quick in high school. He made varsity as a freshman, once scored 45 points against Young High School and developed the best first step in the city. Collins dribbled, drove and at 5-foot-11, dunked with ease.
"He was the best I've ever coached." Longstreet said.
Injuries ruined the early part of this year for Collins. It started with a stress fracture during the second game of the season. He wore a pink cast for a couple of weeks and didn't return until mid-December. Then he had a sprained ankle, a screw placed in his foot, knee problems and a chipped bone in his ankle.
Sometimes between that YouTube dunk in the McDonald's All-American game in March 2006 and his first game at Kansas that fall, Collins changed, and jayhawk fans still haven't gotten to see high school Sherron.
His weight ballooned from 185 pounds in high school to about 225 the summer before his freshman year in college. Collins shed enough of the excess baggage to average 11.3 points a game in league play and star in a few midseason conference games. But by the end of year, his play tailed off largely because his weight went back up.
"I chipped a little piece off," Collins said.
"It went away in about two weeks."
, "My mind would tell me I could do it", Collins said, "and my body would be like 'nah.'"
He played arguably the worst game of the season against Oklahoma State three weeks ago, attempting just one field goal in 11 minutes. His knee bothered him that game. Self called him a shell of what he used to be.
for the Jayhawks to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Afterwards, Collins really started to get frustrated. Hed stayed positive all season, barking orders at teammates when he had to sit and laughing when roommate, sophomore guard Brady Morningstar, or coaches made fun of his cast. But this one hurt.
With the NCAA tournament approaching, Longstreet hopes Collins can continue to progress with his health and fitness level. His energy off the bench will be crucial
Fortunately for Collins, a few days later something clicked. He can't remember exactly when or how it happened, but his body just started feeling good. His numbers went up, culminating in a 13-point, seven-assist performance against Texas & A.M., and with them so did the team's play. Kansas has blown out its last four opponents after losing two of three before the streak.
Collins said he was about 90 percent back from the injuries. He is still not where he wants to be, still not able to dunk in games and still not at the level Longstreet saw two years ago in Chicago. But Longstreet said Collins was getting closer. He watched the entire Kansas State game and liked what he saw.
"That's what we've been missing the entire year," Self said about Collins, "someone that explosive who can change the game."
Collins knows how to perform as a sixth man in big games since high school, from when he came off the bench as a freshman on a team that had five seniors. During the championship game of a Christmas tournament that season, he stole the ball and got trapped by two opponents. Collins broke through then ran into another defender.
"He did an Earl the Pearl spin move and got by him," Longstreet said.
Immediately after, Collins spun the other direction to evade another defender before
finally making a layup on the other end. His play helped rally his team from a 10-point deficit.
That was high school Sherron. It could be what Kansas fans see this March, but the stakes will be higher, and Collins' heroics could be even more impressive.
"When he gets to 100 percent," Longstreet said, "he'll be even quicker than he was in high school."
-Edited by Russell Davies
》 BASEBALL
Jayhawks to play 11 spring break games
BY SHAWN SHROYER shrover@kansan.com
The last time Kansas won eight straight games, it was a game into the 2006 NCAA West Regional. The Jayhawks up lossing the next two games, ending their season.
This time around, how Kansas builds on its current eight-game winning streak will go a long way toward determining the Jayhawks' postseason hopes for 2008.
To have any chance of making the NCAA tournament, Kansas has to hold its own with the top teams in the Big 12, and the Jayhawks (10-5) open conference play on the road this weekend against the best: the No. 19 Texas Longhorns (10-4).
The Jayhawks will play 11 games during spring break, starting with a series against the No. 19 Texas Longhorns. Kansas has garnered an eight-game winning streak in March
"It kicks off the Big 12 in a pretty sweet environment," senior shortstop Erik Morrison said. "That's going to be key to us to see how we can open up the Big 12 with a powerhouse."
Morrison and fellow seniors out fielders John Allman and Ryne Price have been tearing-up opposing pitchers as of late. During Kansas' winning streak, the trio went a combined 34-for-80, a 420 batting average, with six home runs, 29 runs and 42 RBIs.
Weston White/K/NSAN FILE PHOTO
Although the layhawks appear to be rolling full steam ahead, coach Ritch Price said there was still plenty of room for improvement.
"I still don't think we're game-ready to play yet," Price said. "We're not as sharp defensively as we need to be yet, and we're still not doing as good of a job with the off-speed pitches. I think that we will after we play a few more series."
Texas pitchers put Kansas bats to the test this weekend with left-hander Austin Wood (2-1) and right-handers Kenn Kasparek (1-1) and Cole Green (1-1). Kasparek and Green have 5.11 and 7.11 respective ERAs, and have been hitable this season, but Wood won't be as accommodating.
Wood figures to be the best pitcher Kansas has faced since Vanderbilt left-hander Mike Minor, who struck out nine layhaws in 6.2
innings. Wood has a 2.75 ERA and 15 strike-outs to five walks while holding opposing hitters to a .203 average.
While Texas is sticking with the same weekend rotation it's used all season, Kansas will introduce a new weekend rotation against the Longhorns.
Sophomore left-hander Wally Marciel (2-1) makes his return to the weekend rotation tonight at 6:05 after earning a weekend spot near the end of last season. Marciel leads all Kansas starters with a 2.55 ERA.
Junior left-handers Nick Czyz (1-2) and Sam Freeman (2-0) will pitch Saturday and Sunday. With 6.32 and 6.75 respective ERAs.
Czyz and Freeman have to be on top of their game against a Texas lineup that features three .400 hitters and seven batters hitting above .275.
Kansas opens the Classic against Illinois on Wednesday, then plays Dartmouth and Central Connecticut State on Thursday, Ohio State and UMBC on March 21, and will play three games with Northwestern on March 22 and 23.
But Kansas' series with Texas is just the start of a busy spring break for the Jayhawks. From March 19 to March 23 Kansas will play eight teams in the Florida Spring Classic in Bradenton, Fla.
Eight games in five days will stretch the pitching staff to its limits, so Price will need some of his less experienced pitchers to start during the week while keeping Marceli, Czyz and Freeman in the weekend rotation.
One pitcher who probably won't be taking the mound during the next week is junior left-hander Andy Marks. Marks is still rehabilitating after having surgery in the fall to repair a tear in his labrum. Price said Marks would travel with the team to Florida, but his season debut would likely have to wait until after spring break.
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- Edited by Russell Davies
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