Extra oomph: Ellis forceful in win over URI

By Gary Bedore     Nov 27, 2014

KANSAS 76, RHODE ISLAND 60

Nick Krug
Kansas forward Perry Ellis (34) delivers a put-back dunk over Rhode Island forward Jarelle Reischel (2) during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 at the HP Field House in Kissimmee, Florida.

Box score

? One of Kansas University’s most forceful dunkers thus far this basketball season has been the unlikeliest of candidates: calm, cool, collected, laid-back Perry Ellis.

“He’s a silent killer. He doesn’t talk, but he can go up and get a bucket,”  KU freshman forward Cliff Alexander said Thursday after watching the 6-foot-8 Ellis score a team-leading 17 points in the Jayhawks’ 76-60 first-round Orlando Classic victory over Rhode Island in HP Field House.

“I didn’t know he could get up like that. He kind of surprised me,” Alexander added, referring to Ellis’ one-handed putback jam of a Frank Mason miss with 6:30 left in the first half, KU up, 31-11.

Ellis also flushed a violent two-handed stuff off a pass from Devonté Graham (10 points, one assist, no turnovers) for KU’s final points of the tourney opener.

“I mean I’m trying to do the best I can to be aggressive. It’s just happening that way,” Ellis said of dunking with more force than he did his sophomore season. “I just try to keep attacking. That’s what coach is constantly telling me to do.”

Ellis’ 11 first-half points off 3-of-6 shooting helped KU blaze to a 43-25 halftime lead. Foul problems limited him to just seven minutes the final half, one in which KU actually was outscored, 35-33.

Ellis said media members at the Orlando Classic aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed his extra oomph on dunks.

“My siblings … I see it in them. They’ll send me a text like, ‘Wow,”’ Ellis said, smiling. “It’s kind of funny. I can do it. You’ve just got to put your mind to it.”

KU coach Bill Self, who said the Jayhawks’ second-half struggles Thursday were a byproduct of Ellis having to sit so much, indicated he sees a more aggressive Wichitan this season.

“Without question. He’s looking to score, looking to put the ball down,” Self said. “He’s so good putting the ball down on the floor for a big guy. I think he’s more aggressive looking to score. He could probably rebound a little better.”

Ellis had five boards in a game KU outrebounded the Rams, 40-31. 

Alexander had eight boards in 21 minutes, while Wayne Selden Jr., who had nine assists last game against Rider, had seven boards, four assists, one turnover and 10 points in 37 minutes.

Selden also guarded talented Rhode Island player E.C. Matthews, who missed 12 of 18 shots on an afternoon he scored 20 points.

“He’s a good player. He wants to get to his left hand. He can shoot the ball at any moment, so it was basically trying to stay solid, pressure him but not pressure him too much,” Selden said.

“I felt I rebounded the ball pretty well today,” the 6-5 Roxbury, Massachusetts sophomore, added. “I’ve got to be able to do all those things in games. Where I’m playing at (combo guard/small forward) I’ve got to do multiple things and I’m trying to the best of my ability.”

The KU  bench accounted for 33 points; the starters 43.

“I want to see us score,” Self said. “We are a fairly balanced team. These guys will tell you it really shouldn’t matter who is out there. We start five guys. I’m not sure if that really means much because we could probably start seven or eight guys when guys are playing well. I think we’ll be capable of doing that moving forward.

“We had good balance. Cliff gave us good minutes. Jamari did the second half (Traylor had six points, four boards, 16 minutes). Brannen Greene (six points, two boards, 22 minutes) … Devonté was really good off the bench.

“We weren’t near as fluid the second half,” Self added. “I didn’t think it was bad. Sometimes games like that you have to just kind of grind it out. That’s what we did. Plus when Perry doesn’t play offense in the second half because he’s on the bench, we will not look quite as good. We need him out there.”

The Jayhawks will next meet (2-1) Tennessee, a 64-57 winner over Santa Clara, at 11 a.m., Friday, Central time, in the semifinals.


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