Think back five months--Kansas State was the sexy pick to win the Big 12 basketball title, Baylor was expected by many to be a top ten team, and Kansas was picked anywhere from seventh to nowhere in the preseason Top 25. A regular season and postseason later, the Jayhawks are owners of a 35-3 record, a seventh straight conference crown, their fourth conference postseason title in five years, another number one seed entering the NCAA Tournament, and the most wins over a five-year period of any program in NCAA history. They also are front-page news today given their upset loss to 11th seeded VCU--an ignominious end to what had been another storied season in Lawrence.
Let's look back and evaluate what worked, and what didn't, in this season which ended well before the expectations of Kansas fans, and the basketball public.
Slam dunks:
The Morris twins. The brothers from Philadelphia made continued progress and are now set to become first round draft picks should they choose to go to the NBA. They were consistent all season and this team was clearly their team. Marcus ended up as Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus 2nd Team All American; Markieff played his way up NBA draft board projections.
Brady Morningstar. Morningstar, the kid that many Kansas fans questioned early in the season, turned his overall game around just in time for the conference season and was KU’s best all-around performer--defense, passing, shooting and consistency. The ball moved better on offense when B-Star was in the lineup, and he was always the guy assigned to the opponents' offensive threat. He forced guys named Jordan Hamilton, LaceDarius Dunn and Alec Burks, among others, into sub-par games.
Thomas Robinson. Robinson showed flashes during his freshman year of what he would become this year. He flourished under the guidance of assistant coach Danny Manning and was the energy guy off the bench for the Jayhawks. Robinson’s horrible family tragedy, off the court, endeared himself to Kansas fans and helped pull the team even closer together.
Bill Self. Self dealt with suspensions, injuries, off-court tragedy, and a roster stocked with highly recruited kids, leading KU to a seventh-straight conference championship, a fourth postseason conference crown in five years, a number one seed and conference Coach of the Year honors. His team ultimately finished the year tied as the second winningest squad in Kansas basketball history.
Danny Manning and Andrea Hudy. The coaching delivered by Manning to Kansas’ big men, coupled with Hudy’s strength and conditioning program, have made on-court studs of the Morris twins and Robinson.
Missed shots:
Josh Selby. The list has to start here--Selby sat out nine game for impermissible benefits, then was injured just as his game was beginning to develop some consistency. He never recovered and pressed noticeably in the late season/post-season run. Selby did not develop into the missing piece which Self recruited.
Travis Releford and Mario Little. Releford had a very solid non-conference run until he got hurt in the Michigan game. The redshirt sophomore never was the same player and Kansas missed his length and long-range shooting ability the rest of the season. Little was the beneficiary of Releford’s minutes and was the guy who hit the game-winning free throws in KU’s win over UCLA. However, Little never fulfilled the promise of his National Junior College Player of the Year status coming out of Chipola Junior College.
Streaky:
Elijah Johnson. The athletic Johnson seemed to regress early in the season as he battled for minutes, then re-discovered his confidence and his ability to defend, on the ball, when Tyshawn Taylor was suspended. Johnson eventually ceded his starting role back to Taylor but played valuable minutes in the postseason. It remains to be seen whether Johnson can progress to fully realize the potential of his five-star rating coming out of high school.
Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor’s season was mercurial, both on and off the court. He finished with a flourish and was arguably Kansas’ most valuable performer in NCAA Tournament wins over Boston University, Illinois and Richmond. Yet, during the season, he had a stretch where he was a turnover-waiting-to-happen and also endured a two-game suspension. Taylor seemed to be the guy who most exasperated Self, yet also the guy who Self knew the Jayhawks needed in order to be an elite team.
Tyrel Reed. I will admit that I love kids like Reed as no one seemed to care more than the kid from Burlington, KS. One of the most unfortunate byproducts of Kansas’ loss to VCU is that Reed will fall one game short of tying Shane Battier of Duke for most wins by a collegiate player. But, I list Reed here as his foot injury dogged him late in the season and likely caused his shooting woes in tournament games against Illinois, Richmond and VCU when he went 4 for 20. Reed played the most minutes of any Jayhawk this season and hit several key three-pointers during the conference schedule. One has to question, though, the number of minutes Reed logged in the NCAA Tournament if his foot truly did affect his performance as much as it appeared.
Incomplete:
Jeff Withey. Withey rarely saw the court and, when he did, there were flashes of quality minutes sandwiched in the middle of appearances where he appeared lost and over-matched. The biggest question with Withey is whether he has the toughness to garner minutes next year in Self’s system. If the twins and Robinson return, that won’t happen. If one or more of those guys leave, then Withey will have to produce.
Next year:
Is there a team in the country with as many post-season questions as Kansas? Will the Morris twins go pro? What of Thomas Robinson--will his family situation and rising draft stock cause him to declare early? Josh Selby was considered a for sure one-and-done but didn't have the season expected of him--does he return or take his chances professionally? And, if his buddies leave, does Taylor stay for his senior season?
The Kansas lineup could feature the Morris twins, Robinson, Selby, Johnson and Taylor. Or, Self could end up starting Withey, Releford, redshirt Conner Teahan, Johnson and someone else, if all those on the NBA draft boards decide to exit.
On the recruiting front, KU will welcome four-star recruit--point guard Naadir Tharpe. After that, the possibilities are murky--Ben McLemore is still considering KU and Missouri and DeAndre Daniels, once considered a lock for Kansas, now has Duke in the recruiting picture. There is also some noise that Kansas could be in the mix for Otto Porter, a top 50, 6'9", 200 pound forward from Sikeston, MO.
Kansas faced similar questions coming out of their 2008 national championship run given graduations and the early exits of Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur. We'll see if Self can work his magic, once again, and put the Jayhawks in contention for another league title and high seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2011-2012.
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