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Men's Basketball

Friday, July 18, 2008

Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore

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United States reaches final

USA Basketball's Under 18 national team downed Canada, 82-66, on Thursday in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas U-18 championships in Formosa, Argentina.

KU freshman guard Travis Releford scored five points off 2-of-7 shooting with two steals and two assists.

The U.S. (4-0) will meet 4-0 Argentina tonight for the gold medal.

"For sure," Releford said, asked if the U.S. was ready for the title contest.

"Every game we've come out focused and that's what we try to do. I can't wait. We're ready."

Releford has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing for his country this summer.

"Off the court we're always having fun, laughing and joking all day long," he said.

Simien hobbled

Former KU power forward Wayne Simien suffered a hamstring injury at Atlanta Hawks training camp on Wednesday. The free agent will miss next week's Rocky Mountain Review, according to nba.com. Simien will host a camp for youths on July 29-31 at Free State High. Information is available at iamctg.org.

No ESPY for KU

Kansas University's basketball team, which was nominated for a pair of ESPY's (Best Team and Best Game), did not win either category at the TV network's annual awards ceremony on Wednesday in Los Angeles. The Boston Celtics were tapped best team and the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory over New England deemed best game. The ceremony will be shown at 8 p.m. Sunday, on ESPN. KU coach Bill Self and guard Mario Chalmers attended.

Miles scores 14

Former KU point guard Aaron Miles scored 14 points off 5-of-8 shooting with three assists and two turnovers in Dallas' 79-74 victory over Detroit on Thursday in Las Vegas summer-league action.

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Comments

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Thoughts...1. Hurry, Travis, we need you on Mt. Oread.2. KUx Simien needs to lose a ton of weight to reduce injuries. He's a huge guy, but that weight that allows him to bang makes him injury prone. Most guys eventually have to beef up and develop a power game to play. Wayne needs to slim way down and develop a finesse game, or he's never going to stay on the court long enough to make any money. I don't buy that injuries all all about bad luck. Many injuries relate to the failure of the mind to react effectively to situations posing injury risk. My guess is Wayne has too much tunnel vision (i.e., narrow focus). Perhaps Wayne could use a sports psychologist to reduce injuries by developing a better balance between broad and narrow focus. Whatever, he has to do something. He is a great talent who is not getting a chance to show his game.3. KU losing out to the Boston Celtics and the NY Giants isn't very surprising. Which media market has the most sports writers, viewers and ad revenues: Boston, MA; New York, NY; or Lawrence, KS?4. I've always thought KUx Miles could catch on somewhere, if he could just prove that he could score a little. Maybe this performance will help.

July 18, 2008 at 5:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

FlaHawk (anonymous) says...

Jaybate,Interesting assessment of Wayne Simien. Wayne does seemtohae a tunnelling/one dimension game, buit this served him well until he hit the NBA and might be hard to change. Certainly, any help in this area is worth a try, if he admits he has a problem. The key is does he acknowledge pain and the need to change.Wayne is cursed with a big body, which makes him a banger. Unfortunately, he has a long history of injuries that I think go back to HS. At the NBA level, he is not really athletic eough to play the three position and he can not shoot anyway. He has to play the 4 position (PF) and he is not as big or as quick as many. HIs defense is not great so being injury prone makes him a poor fit for most NBA clubs (IMHO).Fortunitally, he already has wealth. I just don;t see him sticking with any NBA teams. There is too much talent coming in each year and his real chance was foiled by illiness and injury in Miami. Hope he enjoyed SoBe while he was their.Wayne is a great guy, but his real chance in the NBA lasted his first two years. He is an excellent example of being a late first rounder and going to a great team and NOT playing and NOT developing. Rarely, does a player come from no where after being in the league this long and not getting minutes.Mario is in the opposite position withthe Heat. Of course, this Heat team sucks, but plenty of opportunity for 1st year players like Mario. Mario would not get the development time, if he went in first round to the Celtics like JR did.I hope I am wrong as Wayne deserves all the opportunities he can get as he is a hard worker and a native Kansan and of course, a ku jaywak!go wayne! go hawks!

July 18, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

afilmer (anonymous) says...

Gary-do you have an update on the twins eligibility? i'm starting to get scared.

July 18, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

geniusmannumber1 (anonymous) says...

That's right. If Wayne had been tougher mentally, that salmonella infection that cost him an entire season and almost killed him would have cleared right up.

July 18, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Wayne is a tweener in the NBA. He's a 6-8 or 6-9 banger. In college, that allowed him to be a dominant scorer, because he wasn't banging into bigger guys every night. He was knicked up on occassion, but never for too long. In the NBA, though, instead of banging into some 6-7 power forward who he has 2 inches and 25 lbs on, he's banging into guys that are either 1) taller, 2) heavier 3) quicker and more athletic or 4) some ridiculous hybrid of the three (thinking of guys like Amare Stoudemire or Kevin Garnett). That takes quite a toll on a body that has had injury problems since HS. Even perfectly healthy, Wayne would struggle to find minutes at his size as a back to the basket player. Notice that a guy like Sean May has also struggled in the NBA as a much higher pick. He has many of the same problems as Wayne, but has been healthier.Miles may have ended up in the wrong camp to stick, but if he plays well, he may catch the eye of another team. Dallas' roster situation gives me the feeling that he is just a summer addition. I've always felt that Miles would be able to make a team, so I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't landed somewhere yet as a backup PG. He's a good passer and defender, and knows when to turn down his own shot (key since he isn't a good perimeter shooter). I'm still surprised that Keith Langford hasn't stuck consistently with a team. He's the perfect offensive sub who can come in and through in a few quick points while the starters rest. Every team needs that off the bench.

July 18, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

jaybate, I don't think Simien "is a great talent who is not getting a chance to show his game."He WAS a great college player. He was never going to be a great PRO. The difference? He had the SKILLS (read hard work and dedication to perfect his abilities) to succeed in college but not the pure athleticism to keep up in the league.

July 18, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

hawkfan4life (anonymous) says...

Go A. Miles!!

July 18, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

WilburNether (anonymous) says...

Just as there are many fine high school players who do not make it in Division I, so too are there fine college players who will not make it at the next level. I'm afraid Simien is one of them.He lacks the size to play the 4 in the NBA. He was listed in college at 6-9, and is actually around 6-7. Listed heights are almost always exaggerated by a couple of inches. (See Michael Beasley, whom K-State listed at 6-10, and was actually measured by the NBA at 6-8.) There are plenty of guys who are bigger and more athletic at the 4-spot than Simien.And he lacks the quickness, ball-handling ability, and outside game to play the 3. Simien's outside game consists solely of shooting open jump shots. He rarely, if ever, made offensive moves toward the basket from outside of 6 feet or so while he was at KU, and he would have to develop an entirely new game (for him) if he's going to make it at small forward in the NBA.Great kid, very good college player, but a classic tweener who lacks the size and skills to find a position at the next level. I hope he makes it, but I very much doubt that he will.

July 18, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

ESUjayhawk (anonymous) says...

14 points is not really an outbreak game... Just saying

July 18, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

imnotpaulpierce (anonymous) says...

Did FlaHawk just say that Simien can't shoot? The guy had a sick a mid-range jump shot. He never missed from 15-18 feet.

July 18, 2008 at 11:46 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KanKu (anonymous) says...

Simien could succeed in the pros. David West is the perfect example of why--not prototype size but is tough and is a shot maker. Untimely injuries is Simien's biggest problem.

July 18, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

"The guy had a sick a mid-range jump shot. He never missed from 15-18 feet."Um...Bucknell.

July 18, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Hawklin (anonymous) says...

I think Salmonella poisoning took care of all the weight Big Dub had. Try to keep up Jaybate.

July 18, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Nutflush21 (anonymous) says...

Dear ESPYS, Last years super bowl was one of the worst games ever until the fourth quarter. Since the award is for best game and not best 15 minutes, it should not have been nominated.Regards, Fans of awards shows that people acutally watch.

July 18, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

garybedore (Gary Bedore) says...

Gary-do you have an update on the twins eligibility? i'm starting to get scared.-- They are not yet qualified. Self believes they will qualify. Twins believe they will qualify. It will be a while as like all players they must ultimately be cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.Don't get scared, be happy. You just won a national title.

July 18, 2008 at 2:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

Man, Wayne just can't buy a break!Perhaps Jaybate is right and the injuries are something that's in his nature, or perhaps he's just had an incredible run of bad luck, but either way it's a shame that he still hasn't had the chance to show what he can really do.Even if people are right that he's a tweener and won't make it big in the NBA, he still has more ability than he's been able to show so far. It would be nice to see what he can do when he's actually healthy.

July 18, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

afilmer (anonymous) says...

thanks gary,i just kept hearing that the jennings kid was to clear last week and all i hear is people believing they will qualify. i will be content with our national championship.

July 18, 2008 at 3:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )