Saturday, April 7, 2012

Grading the Jayhawks

Thirty nine games and 5.5 months later, the 2011-2012 season is over.  Let's take a moment to grade this edition of the Kansas Jayhawks.

Thomas Robinson.  A+.  Some will quibble that a national title should move Robinson from an "A" to an "A+," but let's not get greedy--this was a masterpiece of a season from T-Rob.  Robinson was expected to be a star but few could have anticipated that he would be in the mix, throughout the season, for Player of the Year honors.  Robinson was a unanimous All-American choice and played himself into a spot as a top five NBA pick in the upcoming draft.  His jersey will be hung soon from the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse.

Tyshawn Taylor.  A-.  The Tyshawn Taylor that started the season looked, to Kansas fans, like the Tyshawn Taylor of the past three years--flashes of brilliance sandwiched around two turnovers.  Then, when conference season started, Taylor elevated his game to All-American levels and was talked about as a potential Player of the Year candidate in the Big 12.  His stat lines were numbers not put up, by a Kansas guard, since the days of Darnell Valentine.  Taylor finished his career as a third-team All-American and one of the best, most athletic guards in Kansas history.

Elijah Johnson.  B+.  Taylor's running mate also had a late season surge and was "the guy" during Kansas' tournament run.  Johnson hit huge baskets against Purdue and also versus North Carolina State, which is why I elevated his grade from a "B" to a "B+."  He attacked the basket with strength and speed not exhibited since his freshman year and showed why he was so highly recruited out of high school.  Johnson also exhibited far more confidence off of the court and was a fun interview during the post-season.  Given his tournament play and burgeoning confidence, I expect Johnson to be all-league next year and potentially vie for other post-season honors.

Jeff Withey.  B.  On February 4 in Columbia, Jeff Withey scored zero points against Missouri.  Four nights later, against Baylor, the KU big man had a career night with 25 points and his season, along with the Jayhawks, changed dramatically.  Withey became much more aggressive, after the MU loss, and ended up becoming the NCAA Tournament single game shot block record holder, after winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.  Withey must hone his offensive game in the offseason but now has improved to where he will contend for all-league honors in 2013.

Travis Releford.  B-.   Releford is the consummate glue guy--he sets solid picks, goes aggresssively after loose balls, usually draws the most important defensive assignment, and can score, particularly in transition.  My one beef with Releford is his sometime hesitancy to score.  T-Rely was definitely the fourth scoring option after Robinson, Taylor and Johnson but oft seemed to wait to pull the trigger.  He, along with Withey and Johnson, will form a formidable returning threesome next season.

Kevin Young.  C+.  I have to believe that Bill Self was expecting more consistency from Young when he was recruited in as a transfer.  Young had moments of brilliance, e.g., his game against Ohio State in December, and moments where he looked lost or made a bonehead play--who will forget his inability to finish a dunk against North Carolina followed up by a horrible foul on the defensive end?  Young brings energy off the bench and is the team's best at going after loose balls.  A consistent Young, who rebounds and improves defensively, would be huge for KU next year.

Connor Teahan.  B-.  You really have to admire Teahan--a former walk-on who arguably was not a Division 1 caliber player.  Yet Teahan worked hard during his time at KU and developed into a solid defender, proving that he was more than a three-point shooter.  He also this year showed an ability to fake and drive the baseline, thus opening up teammates for easy looks or scoring the ball himself.

Justin Wesley.  C.  Wesley's minutes dwindled as the season progressed once it became obvious that Young would be the first big man off of the bench.  Wesley displayed moments of athleticism but was too often over-matched on the defensive end and picked up reach-in fouls easily.

Naadir Tharpe.  C-.  Tharpe was recruited in as a pure point guard and was expected to develop into a back-up who could give quality minutes from the bench playing behind Taylor and Johnson.  It didn't happen as Tharpe never overcame his penchant for turning the ball over.  He was loose with his dribble and too often fired a pass into the waiting arms of an opponent.  During non-conference action, he flashed moments of penetration coupled with a quick release on his outside shot.  We'll have to see what happens during this offseason for Tharpe.

The rest:  No one, outside of Jordan Juenamann, played over 2.5 minutes per game for the Jayhawks.  Juenamann graduates and the remaining roster of Christian Garrett, Merv Lindsay and Niko Roberts all will struggle to see any playing time.  One has to wonder if Lindsay, in particular, isn't a candidate for transferring to another program.

Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor.  Incomplete.  It's no coincidence that the Jayhawks' level of play improved in the second half of the year after McLemore and Traylor began practicing with the team.  B-Mac is the real deal and could/should crack the starting lineup next year.  While he's not said it publicly, there are reports that Self thinks McLemore was the best pro prospect on KU's roster.

Coaching staff.  A+.  Who can argue with the job that Self and his staff did this season?  Kansas was picked anywhere from first to fifth (yes, Jack Harry picked them fifth) in the league and no one nationally expected, before the season, that KU would end up in the national championship game.  This was, indeed, a Coach of the Year effort.  Looking ahead, Self now has two vacancies to fill with the departures of Barry Hinson and Danny Manning.  Rumor has it that former assistant Norm Roberts, now at Florida, may return.  And, Jerrance Howard, who was on Bruce Weber's staff at Illinois and is considered a terrific recruiter, is also being floated as a possibility.

Expectations were low heading into the 2011-2012 Kansas basketball season.  That will not be the case next year.  The return of Withey, Johnson and Releford plus the prospect of McLemore cracking the starting lineup has KU fans excited.  McDonald's All-American Perry Ellis will definitely be in the mix for starter minutes and the Kansas bench will be bolstered by Young's experience coupled with Traylor's year of practice development.  Throw in the other recruits--Andrew White, Zach Peters and Andrio Adams (verbal commitment)--and this should be another formidable Jayhawk team.

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