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Kansas head coach Bill Self has some excited words for the Jayhawks during a timeout in the second half on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 at the Galen Center.
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KU vs. USC
Los Angeles — There was to be more leg-room than usual on Kansas University’s red-eye charter flight from L.A. to Topeka early this morning.
“We came out with a full plane. We go back with half a plane,” KU director of operations Barry Hinson said with a smile.
Only three players — Jordan Juenemann (Olathe), Travis Releford and Conner Teahan (Kansas City) — were to board the charter following Thursday’s late KU-USC game.
California Jayhawks Jeff Withey, Merv Lindsay, Christian Garrett and Kevin Young, plus Las Vegas native Elijah Johnson, left USC’s Galen Center with relatives, as they’ll be spending Christmas on the West Coast.
The rest of the Jayhawks stayed with KU administrator Larry Keating at the team hotel (Marriott), with early wake-up calls for today and morning flights from LAX to hometowns across the country.
“The guys are all excited. Christmas is a time for families to be together, and our players want to be with their families,” Hinson said. “Coach (Bill Self) is adamant about families being together this time of year.
“It does provide some challenges,” Hinson added. “What we do is about two months out, we try to find the best rates for flights and try to get them home as quickly as we can. We’ve got some guys on the East Coast who can’t get back until Friday night. Thomas (Robinson) is flying to D.C., Tyshawn (Taylor) to New Jersey, Naadir (Tharpe) to Boston and Niko (Roberts) to Florida.”
Also, Justin Wesley is headed to Texas.
Everybody will be back in Lawrence for practice on Monday night.
The team’s annual holiday hoops clinic for boys and girls first through sixth grade will be 1-3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse. Pre-registration must be completed at billselfbasketball.com. No walk-up registration will be allowed. The clinic, hosted by current KU players, coaches and staff, will include fundamental instruction, a camp T-shirt, a Junior Jayhawk Basketball, a 2011-12 team picture and one general admission ticket to KU’s Dec. 29 home game against Howard. Additionally, there will be an autograph session with the current KU team and coaches following the clinic.
Upset specialists
The L.A. Times pointed out that, entering Thursday’s game, Pac-12 teams had won nine of 46 meetings against ranked teams from other leagues over the last three seasons. Of those nine wins, USC had four — over Texas, UNLV and Tennessee twice when each of those teams was ranked.
Lewis next to commit?
KU may have emerged as the leader for Isaiah Lewis, a 6-foot-3, 160-pound junior point guard from Christ the King High in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Lewis, who is ranked No. 52 nationally in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com, has a final list of KU, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Florida. He is a good buddy of No. 35-rated junior Brannen Greene, who committed to KU earlier this week. Greene is 6-8, 200 from Mary Persons High in Forsyth, Ga.
“Everyone is expecting me to go to Kansas because of Brannen,” Lewis told cbssports.com. “Everyone knows we are best friends, so it doesn’t matter to me. I may commit this month. I’m weighing all my options.”
Of KU he said: “I like how coach Self lets his guards play. It starts with the guards. The tradition is great and coach Self knows how to win.”
CBSsports.com says Lewis is “a high-level scorer who is very good in the mid-range. He has a good floater and pull-up jumper, and also knows how to get into the lane. Lewis has good athleticism, and has been developing into more of a facilitator than a scorer since moving over to the point. He said he is working on his 3-point shot.”
Peters update
Future KU basketball forward Zach Peters, a 6-9, 235-pound senior out of Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, finished the football season with 82 catches at wide receiver for 1,095 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed twice for 38 yards. Peters was second-team all-state and first-team all-district. Prestonwood last month fell in the state semifinal football game to Beaumont’s Kelly Catholic, 24-21, at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field.
On Wednesday, Peters scored 15 points in helping Prestonwood Christian claim a 62-42 victory over Grace Prep of Arlington, Texas, in the finals of the City of Palms Tournament in Florida. Prestonwood became the first Texas team to win the tournament, which started in 1973. Peters helped hold 7-footer Isaiah Austin to 10 points.
Randall update
Former KU forward Mark Randall, who works in community relations for the Denver Nuggets, recently was elected to the KU Alumni Association Board of Directors.
“I will be in Lawrence at least three times a year for those meetings, and I am excited about that. Our goal is to make sure the Alumni Association stays as strong as ever and to try to build the relationships we have with the community inside the university and out,” Randall told KU media relations. “We want to get people more aware of the Alumni Association and how it benefits current and past students as well as the university. Through the Alumni Association I have been able to learn even more about the university. Last September was my first meeting and I’m honored that they have asked me to serve on the board, which I get to do for five years.”
Randall, 44, was a member of KU’s 1988 national title team and 1991 NCAA runner-up squad. He reports that he plays in an adult hockey league in his spare time.
KU coach Bill Self talks about signing of Andrew Wiggins May 14, 2013
Ben McLemore interview March 28, 2013
360 QTR of Cowboy Stadium March 28, 2013
Jayhawks arrive in Dallas March 27, 2013
Jeff Withey talks about the team staying loose March 23, 2013
Comments
Alohahawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Best wishes for safe flights, and a Merry Christmas to everyone - Coaches, players, family and friends.
Looking forward to that game against Howard on Dec. 29th.
johnnyhrdwd 1 year, 5 months ago
Maybe Peters should play football.
railer20 1 year, 5 months ago
my thoughts exactly! Our qb's would have a nice big target for four years.
dylans 1 year, 5 months ago
Hands off Weis.
memhawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Those will be the best flights these guys will have made the whole year! Hope the TSA is kind to our guys. Barry Hinson is such an under-acknowledged part of this team. Thanks for all of your contributions and dedication Barry!
jaybate 1 year, 5 months ago
Screw football!
Zack hung 15 on a footer and held him to 10!!!!!!!
This the best news I have had since Brannen signed.
Austin is a legit footer.
Zack, hang up the cleats.
When Manning finishes with you, you are in lottery money and KU is in ring city with the mates Self has lined up.
cshjhawk 1 year, 5 months ago
+1 Remember he did not play AAU ball and thus, he in the eyes of the ranking services is an unknown quantum. Good get by KU!
Alohahawk 1 year, 5 months ago
+1 I've been saying all along that Peters is going to be the steal of the 2012 recruit wars. Solid defender down low, who can rebound, and score if necesary.
As for football, I agree with Jaybate. I'd rather Peters kept strictly to BBall. He's going to prove far more valuable to HCBS than he would be on the gridiron. Only reason to have Zach play football would be to free up a scholarship for another BBall recruit.Don't know that that would be ethical, but it is legal through NCAA rules. And, if he actually played on the football team, no one could say anything.
SoCalAlum 1 year, 5 months ago
ditto Jaybate...Zach gets moves from Manning, +15 lbs from Hudy, and +3 inches from a left-behind pair of Cole Aldrich sneaks....and plenty of PT early on.
jaybate 1 year, 5 months ago
Lewis is 6-3 and 160?
Momma, feed yo blest child!
Question: can he feel a pick and turn and burn?
We don't need another PG project yet.
memhawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Yeah, doesn't Brannen have any friends that he can look straight in the eyes? And Lewis says he's "working on his three point shot"? If you're a PG ranked 52, you should not be making those statements. I agree JB, if he's a legit ranking of 52, he shouldn't be a project and it sound like he may be. KU isn't Bill's Basketball Academy for "trey challenged", under-sized point guards. We've got those guys on the bench already and there never seems to be a need except during practice for their "potential". But, then again, all I know is just what I read. It's getting easier, however, to pass judgement on our needs when we have such other talent in the wings.
jayhawktalk 1 year, 5 months ago
6'3" is an undersized PG?
It must be Christmas, 'cause it looks like people are putting together aggressive wishlists. A PG Greene can look in the eye... Not many 6'8" PG's around, but I guess it doesn't hurt to dream!
icthawkfan316 1 year, 5 months ago
I think a PG is exactly what we need from that class. EJ will play there next year then will be gone, and Tharpe will be a junior when Lewis would come in. With the uncertainty of Rio Adams, we'll need another one. Depending on what you think of the rankings, being ranked 52 doesn't make him that much of a project. It's a better ranking than Tyshawn had coming out of high school and Self has deemed him worthy of starting for 4 years. And he has another year to improve. Personally I like hearing that he's worked more on being a facilitator since moving to the point, given that he apparently has had a scorer's mentality in year's past. Seems like he fits right in Self's combo guard peg.
We seem to be set everywhere else. I think the only way you don't offer this kid is if it would take your last available scholarship and you had a legit footer that isn't a project on the hook.
rockchalkchalkin23 1 year, 5 months ago
+10 icthawk
yates33333 1 year, 5 months ago
Maybe he's not talking about Lewis. Maybe he's griping about Tharpe which is a mistake. Tharpe looks clever and fast. I hate to see JB worried about Lewis since JB knows basketball. I hope this is one of his rare brain farts.
jaybate 1 year, 5 months ago
yates,
I'm not down on Tharpe. He's a solid offensive PG, as a freshman, which is saying quite a lot, who is also a project on defense that Self cannot yet afford to play much; that makes him a project in my book.
But if Tyrel Reed could come as far as he did on footwork and lateral movement on defense, Tharpe certainly can, too, and then we'll have a fine point guard...probably next year.
About Lewis, I thought I was mastering the obvious.
He is skinny as a French bean.
He's just moved to the point,
He's working on a trey that I inferred to be a weakness, or it wouldn't be mentioned as being worked on.
There was no mention of defensive prowess.
It sounds like a recipe for a project to me, a guy who may not be able to play even the two with narrowly scoped duties, as Tyshawn did his freshman season.
I think we need a guard that can play some next season the way Tyshawn did.
If Lewis has TT's blinding speed and defensive abilities and is ready to play a narrowly scoped role in the guard rotation, then maybe he's our guy.
Otherwise, I reckon we need a little more finished product, if possible.
If this is neuro-methane, so be it. :-)
icthawkfan316 1 year, 5 months ago
If we need a guard that can play some next season Lewis definitely isn't our guy...he's only a junior.
As for defensive prowess...these websites rarely mention that with any recruit. It might be OK.
konkeyDong 1 year, 5 months ago
If Lewis commits, then there may be something to the rumor that he, Greene, and Chris Walker have a pact to commit and play for the same school. That'd be great news for us, and would easily hand us a top 5 or better recruiting class for 2013 a year early. If Walker and Randle or Parker sign, then we've got the number 1 class, and KU is back in the saddle completely.
On the Peters front, I'm not ready to put an I told you so out to doubters just yet, but I do expect him to be moving up in his ranking. ESPN has already bumped him up a couple points. If he continues to play well and finishes out a good AAU season in the spring, he'll be back in the top 100 where he belongs.
drgnslayr 1 year, 5 months ago
Merry Christmas, to the entire Hawk Nation!
OakvilleJHawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Someday Jaybate, kushaw, ralster, drgnslayr, HEM, LAJayhawk, Alohahawk, 100, kuwells, Funhawk,Lewboski theend and bobbyfissure...we need to get together and solve the world's problems.
Anyone else that wants to join us is more than welcome!!
May the good Lord be good to all of ourselves, as we enter into the two thousand twelves !!
lighthawk 1 year, 5 months ago
OAK: When I hear the Rock Chalk chant and see the wave of the wheat I know the world got no problems.
unless of course you consider for the first time in 100 years MU Tigers are playing team ball, it's gonna be a ruckus in Columbia this year, what a year to end the feud.
We won the first game we played in WalMart arena and might as win the last one as the dawg, upset city. Where or where is Christain Moody?
RCJHGKU
Alohahawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Mahalo, Oakville...You made my Xmas. To see one's nom de plume included with the backbone of officianadoes (sp) on what we all consider the epitome of college basketball boards is a humbling feeling. (ie. It's nice to be recognized amongst one's peers.)
Who knows. Perhaps some day in the future they'll hang a banner in the rafters of the Phog, commemorating our insignificant roles while supporting the Jayhawks.
As for solving the world's problems, I'm not a politician. But I'm sure we'd all give it our best go. We sure couldn't do worse than our elected officials have.
Look at it this way: When it comes to filibustering, Jaybate would take over the podium till the following election rolled around. :-)
Mele Kalikimaka!!!! RCJHGKU!!!
jaybate 1 year, 5 months ago
We've already solved them.
Its just that no one's listening. :-)
lighthawk 1 year, 5 months ago
PS: where is 100 this year, I miss him?
jayhawker_97 1 year, 5 months ago
have a wonderful Christmas time to all KU bball team members! thank you for the great year!
bville_hawk 1 year, 5 months ago
Mark Randall plays adult HOCKEY???
jaybate 1 year, 5 months ago
Is this all nude hockey with really good looking women and men getting thrown in the penalty box for X-rated contact?
If so, I want to subscribe...maybe even get some ticks. :-)
lighthawk 1 year, 5 months ago
“We came out with a full plane. We go back with half a plane,” KU director of operations Barry Hinson said with a smile.
reminds me of the quote "come back with your shield or on it"
crimsoninracine 1 year, 5 months ago
I'm probably not smart enough to know the answer here, but why don't Lindsay or Garrett ever see the floor? Aren't they on scholarship? Are they simply that far behind everyone else? Lindsay is supposed to be a shooter, and I would think Garrett can shoot it, too. Just wondering why I never see them on the floor.
Hawk7682 1 year, 4 months ago
Most of you need to be more positive when posting about my Jayhawks...Tyshawn is going to play the way he does so deal with it. Also it would be awesome if Zach could play TE and be a star on the BB team...can anyone remember the name Antonio Gates? Just be fans not critics.
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