Chris Piper was a starter in all 36 of Kansas’ games last season, and he doesn’t plan to give up his job without a fight.
“It’s my position to lose,” said the 6-8 senior forward. “I knew from the minute last season ended I was gonna have to work hard. I’ll do my best to keep it.”
Here’s a guy who knows his limitation.
“When you don’t have a log of ability, you try to get by doing what the coach says,” said Piper, who was cut from his seventh and eighth grade basketball teams. “Ever since I came here I’ve known I have to do everything possible if I’m gonna play.”
Piper certainly understands his role.
“Defense and rebounding aren’t the most enjoyable aspects, but if I’m gonna play that’s what I have to concentrate on,” he said.
The Lawrence High product is known for his smart, hard-working style of play. He usually is assigned to guard the opponent’s best front-line offensive player.
“It’s a cliche to say you want to help the team, but that’s my goal,” he said.
Last year, Piper was fourth on the team in scoring (6.6) and third in rebounding (4.7). He netted his career high of 13 points against Missouri. His free throw with :05 remaining iced KU’s 71-70 victory over the Tigers.
Piper had a career-high nine rebounds three times last season – against St. John’s, The Citadel and Colorado. He led or tied for the team lead in rebounds seven times.
The number of minutes Piper plays could depend on whether he can avoid foul trouble. He was disqualified a team-high 10 times last season.
Piper is a versatile player who can fill in at all three front-line positions.
“That will help me see more playing time,” he said.
Piper would prefer to play power forward.
“I guess that would be my favorite position,” he said. “But when you have Danny Manning playing, you’d better learn to play another position.”
Piper, of course, was pleased Manning opted to return for his senior season.
“I felt like he was gonna stay all along,” Piper said. “But I definitely was relieved when he and coach (Larry) Brown said they were gonna stay.”
Brown has called Piper one of the most improved players on the team. Piper worked to increase his strength by lifting weights over the summer.
“I gained five pounds, but five pounds for me is like 20 pounds for some people,” said the 195-pounder.
Piper, a member of Brown’s first recruiting class, is a fifth-year senior. He was red-shirted as a freshman.
“It’s gone by so fast. It only seems like yesterday when guys like Kelly Knight and Carl Henry were here,” he said. “At other times it has gone by real slow, like when we’re out on the practice floor.”
Piper was not highly recruited out of Lawrence where he helped lead the Lions to the state championship. In fact, he was a late addition to the KU roster.
“I think it’s special to the fans to have somebody from Lawrence who plays for KU,” he said. “That makes me feel good.”
Piper said his personal goal this season was “to be in a position to play and to contribute.”
He has set his sights high as far as the team is concerned.
“If we aren’t competitive in the conference and in the (NCAA) tournament, then that would be a big disappointment,” he said. “Some teams have the goal of just making the NCAAs. Our goal is to go all the way.”
Which means all the way to the Final Four in Kansas City in March.
“People are talking about the Final Four already, but that’s what they expect,” Piper said. “It’s better to have high expectations than to have none at all.”
