Big 12 Team Preview #1: Kansas Jayhawks
Posted by KoryCarpenter on November 9th, 2012Over the last two weeks, we have brought you the obligatory team preview here at the Big 12 microsite. We finish up our segment with Kansas at the #1 position on our list.
The Skinny
- 2011-12 record: 32-7, 16-2 Big 12
- Key contributors lost: G Tyshawn Taylor, F Thomas Robinson
- Head coach: Bill Self, 10th season
- Projected finish: 1st
Bill Self is Looking for His Ninth Consecutive Big 12 Championship (AP)
Players change, expectations don’t. That’s what Bill Self has been telling people about coaching and playing at Kansas for at least the past few seasons. It’s not meant in a negative light, even though if it was, Self would have no one to blame but himself. What else do you expect when you give one of the most rabid fanbases in the country, at perhaps the most tradition rich school in the country, winning season after winning season? In the last six years, Kansas has more victories (197) than any school over a six-year stretch in history. That stat was largely unknown until C.J. Moore of CBSSports reported it during last season’s NCAA Tournament run. In the era of 1-and-done players and a good amount of parity, Self’s run has been remarkable.
Three things have helped him remain great in that time:
- Allen Fieldhouse. Losses to Texas A&M in 2006-07 and Texas last year are the only home losses for Kansas the last six seasons.
- Great players. From Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush to Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor, and Thomas Robinson. Self has great players coming to Lawrence nearly every season, and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins has noticed. “He’s a great coach. Of course, having all those players don’t hurt either,” Bob Huggins joked at Big 12 Media Day. “Just in case you were wondering, that doesn’t hurt.”
- Managing roster turnover. Building a team from a recruiting class into a championship contender is hard enough, no matter how many stars the players received in high school. But doing it multiple times without missing a beat is a whole different challenge.
Self calls it “bridging the gap.” There were the teams with Roy Williams’ recruits, like Wayne Simien and Aaron Miles and Keith Langford. The next few years and leading up to the 2008 national championship, Self’s core featured Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, to name a few. They won–a lot–and left in 2008, leaving Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich alone with a bunch of freshman unknowns. The unknowns are now referred to as the Marcus and Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor, and Thomas Robinson, all four currently in the NBA. That’s roughly three completely new teams Self has ushered in while at Kansas, no team finishing lower than second in the Big 12 or getting lower than a four seed in the NCAA Tournament (earning four 1-seeds in that span). A new team begins its season tonight against Southeast Missouri State. Three starters return from last year’s Final Four team, but just about everyone else on the roster is new.
The Personnel
Jeff Withey, Travis Releford, and Elijah Johnson all started last season and gained valuable experience during the team’s run to the Final Four in New Orleans. They’re going to need it, too. Because there’s almost no middle ground between the trio and the group of freshmen making their collegiate debuts tonight. As many as six freshmen could make their way into Self’s rotation, usually consisting of nine players. The group is led by high school All-Americans Ben McLemore and Perry Ellis, who will more than likely round out the starting five for the Jayhawks most of the season. Ellis, a 6’8″ forward was a four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and won four state titles for Wichita Heights high school. He’s shown a knack for getting to the ball in KU’s exhibitions and could provide much needed relief to Withey, who will receive plenty of attention in the post with the departure of Thomas Robinson. McLemore arrived in Lawrence last year but was ruled academically ineligible, stemming from questionable high school transcripts from the multiple schools he attended. With his size, speed, and shooting ability, he’s been projected as a first round pick in next June’s NBA draft by a number of outlets. Backing McLemore up on the wing looks to be sharp-shooting guard Andrew White III. The four-star recruit is more of a project than McLemore, but should provide much needed outside shooting help for the Jayhawks. At 6’6″, he’ll be able to get clean looks over most guards in the Big 12 and should see plenty of minutes this season.
As far as the freshmen are concerned, those three seem like the absolutes. Freshman forward Landen Lucas could potentially be a potent rebounder, an easy way to see the floor for any coach. Jamari Traylor had similar grade issues as McLemore and sat out last season as well, so his extra year of practice and conditioning should land him a spot in the rotation. Filling in somewhere in the middle are sophomore point guard Naadir Tharpe and senior guard Kevin Young. Tharpe played sparingly last season behind Taylor and Johnson. He’s undersized and struggled controlling the ball, but his knowledge of Self’s system is an advantage in his playing time battle with guys like White and Rio Adams, another freshman guard who comes from basketball powerhouse Rainer Beach in Seattle.
Jeff Withey is a Defensive Force With a New Found Offensive Game for KU (AP)
While the number of freshmen presents great preseason talk and will provide plenty of discussion over the course of the season, Kansas won’t get anywhere without Jeff Withey and Elijah Johnson. The Jayhawks have succeeded with great big men/guard duos the last eight seasons, from Taylor and Robinson to Collins and Aldrich to Chalmers and Arthur. Withey averaged 9.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.6 BPG last season, eventually breaking the NCAA Tournament record with 31 over six games. He thrived when Thomas Robinson was double- and sometimes triple- teamed. He scared opponents into staying on the perimeter cleaned up on the glass. Now it’s his turn to take Robinson’s role. History tells us he’ll do that. He’s reportedly added a 15-foot jump shot to his game as well.
Why They Might Be Better Than You Think
Most predictions have the Jayhawks winning the Big 12 and going deep into the NCAA Tournament, so I’m not sure how they’ll be better than that. How about, “How they might win the national championship.” If Withey emerges as a National Player of the Year Candidate, it will be due to his defense and shot blocking ability. A great shot blocker can completely change an offense’s game plan. Last season, I didn’t fully understand the hype surrounding Anthony Davis until watching him live in the national championship game. Anytime a Kansas guard drove within four feet of Davis, they hesitated. They cautiously tried to maneuver around him while losing any semblance of aggressiveness. I think Withey can do that this season. And when a great shot blocker is underneath the hoop, guards can play more aggressive defense knowing they have someone protecting the rim behind them. That’s a lot of words to say “Kansas could win the national title with great defense.”
Potential Roadblock
This could be the anti-Derek Jeter affect. I think Jeter was overrated for so many years that he was suddenly underrated, if that makes sense. Not many people thought Kansas would stay atop the Big 12 the last few seasons, and certainly not in 2008-09, either. Now, with plenty of question marks, there’s not a single pundit who will dare pick against Self in the Big 12. Most preseason top 25’s have the Jayhawks in the top 10, even the top 5 in some. They’ll be depending on a lot of freshman to stay in that range all season, and you can’t blindly pick any of those freshmen to play great all year. Add in the fact that Elijah Johnson has yet to play point guard in college and you can see plenty of roadblocks. Expect to see a few head-scratching losses early (think UMass in 2008-09) before the team begins to mesh in early January.
The Sleeper Candidate
Andrew White III hasn’t received the hype of fellow freshmen Ben McLemore or Perry Ellis, but he can shoot the ball as well as anyone on this year’s team. He has the size to get separation from defenders and could see plenty of open looks if Withey attracts double teams or Johnson is able to get to the lane as easily as Tyshawn Taylor did during his career. One thing Bill Self teams are always known for is their great ball movement. I don’t expect that to change this season, at least by conference play. If White can play good enough defense to stay on the floor consistently, he could put up big numbers from three-point range.
Final Projection
The Jayhawks have question marks, sure. But so does every other team in the country. They still play in the toughest venue in the America and they still have one of the best coaches as well. They won’t lose many games with those two. As long as the seniors play to their potential and a few of the freshmen step up, Self will have Kansas hoisting another Big 12 championship trophy and eying a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament come March.
