Sure glad Kansas played Texas when it did and is out of the path of the stampeding Longhorns until the Big 12 Basketball Tournament. After the way Texas butchered Iowa State and Missouri in recent days, it’s obvious KU caught the improved ‘Horns at the right time for an 82-66 victory here Feb. 3.
That hotly contested clash was a lot closer than the 16-point margin hints. Drew Gooden’s 19 points and 12 rebounds didn’t hurt.
With its injuries, uncertainties and periodic no-shows, Kansas wouldn’t want to try to hook the ‘Horns right now. KU must prove it can handle Mizzou before it entertains delusions of league and NCAA tournament grandeur.
Even though MU has had problems, it frequently seems to discover some unlikely “superstar” to plague the Jayhawks. Will KU find a way on Senior Day to glorify the return of Kareem Rush? Will it let Brian Grawer out of the cage again? Will brillo-haired Wesley Stokes be allowed to boost his credentials for the league all-freshman team?
Seems Kansas often has specialized in helping some unlikely candidate serve as a Mizzou hero. Think of all the times alleged role-players like Grawer, Melvin Booker and Johnnie Parker have driven deadly nails into the Kansas coffin.
But this Iowa State-Texas emergence as Big 12 bellcows is terribly serious as Kansas looks down the road toward at least a 2-1 record in NCAA play. Even if the Jayhawks close the regular season with a flourish, they might run into one of these threats later. Both are clearly capable of dismantling Kansas.
Texas’s unhinging of Iowa State exposed all sorts of Cyclone vulnerabilities. The quick and athletic Longhorns kept ISU big men Martin Rancik and Paul Shirley under control; Texas dealt harshly with ISU guards who had ripped Kansas in losses here and at Ames.
Jake Sullivan of I-State wasn’t allowed to breathe after bombing KU with 8-11 three-point shooting. Cyclones Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton never got untracked. Iowa State which had looked so unreachable upto the visit to Austin looked like a very, very ordinary team that night the way you might have expected Kansas to make the Fizer-less ‘Clones appear when KU was on its December roll.
Then there are the free throws. All season, ISU has been using quickness and maneuverability to draw fouls and kill opponents at the gift stripe. One key aspect of the game at Ames, three-pointers be damned: Iowa State outscored KU 19-3 from the foul line in its 79-71 victory.
Texas under coach Rick Barnes is nothing if not a physical team. Iowa State potted 31 free throws in its 94-78 loss at Austin, but Texas had 25 to augment all the other good things it did. Texas committed 31 fouls, ISU 24, but the manhandling of the visitors took an obvious toll.
Just before he left Clemson to move to Texas, Barnes played North Carolina in a game where Rick’s Tigers committed so many fouls they had to finish with only four men. Texas does a lot of things under Barnes; you can be sure that one of them is to batter you. Kansas often is accused of being soft; you’ll never hear that about Barnes and Texas.
The beating Texas gave Iowa State may have come at a perfect time for Larry Eustachy and Co. After all the talk about No. 1 seeds, running the table and sainthood via the Vatican, they learned they are as human as anyone. But ISU is smart and cohesive enough to benefit from the jolt. Iowa State remains a Great Eight or better contender.
As for Kansas, we’ve come to accept it will get the best Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison, Kenny Gregory and Drew Gooden (when he’s healthy) can offer. Three people who were counted on heavily but who have yet to deliver consistently are Eric Chenowith, Jeff Boschee and Luke Axtell.
It’s unlikely Axtell’s bad back will allow him to contribute much between now and April. Boschee and Chenowith can be potent forces, but you never know if they’ll show up or take disappearing potion at crunch time. The laconic Boschee remains too Carl Casual with the ball. Will Chenowith ever mature? If Jeff Carey could continue to progress and gain confidence, it could mean a bunch. There’s no viable third guard so, essentially, Kansas will have to invade the wilderness with five up-front and two out-back guys.
Kansas will make the NCAA field and could erupt Texas-style and win at least two games in the league tourney. But right now a 2-1 mark in the Big Dance is about all we’re likely to see. Heck, a Sweet Sixteen appearance won’t be too bad.
l Doyle Schick, who died Wednesday after a long and frustrating ordeal following a stroke, was one of the finest football players Lawrence High and Kansas University ever put on the field. Doyle also starred in basketball and baseball at Lawrence High and captained the baseball team at Kansas. What a loss, at only age 62!
As a fullback, Doyle ran, blocked, caught the football and backed the line with great precision and ferocity. A quiet, soft-spoken, ever-dependable, super-competitive kid, he never offered an alibi and always credited others for his success. His philosophy was that a lot of good things can occur if nobody cares who gets the credit. He seldom got the plaudits he merited. In 1960, he was the fullback in one of KU’s greatest backfields including quarterback John Hadl, left half Bert Coan and right half Curtis McClinton. Hadl often called Shick “as good an athlete as I’ve ever seen, in several sports.”
I’m so sad to lose this marvelous individual but joyful that he and his family are finally free of the pain and anguish of recent times. Doyle deserved a lot better. I reverently hope he’s now where he’s getting the best of everything every hour on the hour. For the family, so terribly sorry for your loss.
Some fans jumped off Kansas University’s men’s basketball bandwagon last spring after the Jayhawks’ 24-10 season.
Not only did Roy Williams’ squad lose seniors Nick Bradford, Lester Earl, Ashante Johnson and Terry Nooner to graduation, but also …
Soph guard Marlon London decided to transfer to DePaul.
And in the most significant development of all, blue-chip recruit DeShawn Stevenson, expected to contribute immediately during the 2000-2001 season, decided to forego his KU scholarship agreement and opt for the NBA Draft.
Six losses were offset by just one scholarship addition guard-forward Bryant Nash of Carrollton, Texas.
“We’ve got some Jayhawk fans out there extremely concerned about our losses,” 13th-year KU coach Williams conceded. “But you know what? We’ll show up and we’ll still have a chance to be pretty doggone good.”
Williams, who spent an agonizing early July week deliberating an offer to coach at North Carolina before announcing he’d remain captain at KU, is gung-ho over KU’s talented sophomore trio of Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Drew Gooden.
Those three players combined for 26.6 points and 16.8 boards a year ago.
“The nucleus of the team were the freshmen,” Williams said, “though the upperclassmen stepped up in the postseason. I couldn’t be happier with those three kids.”
Collison, a 6-9, 240-pound sophomore from Iowa Falls, Iowa, was one of KU’s most consistent players his rookie year. He was an honorable mention all-Big 12 pick after averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting all but one game on Senior Day.
“I think I was consistent like people say. I don’t think I ever hit a freshman wall like I’ve heard so much about,” Collison said.
“I must work on my assist to error ratio (38 to 70) and my strength. I want to be able to go inside and out so guys can’t just concentrate on me in the post.”
A 49.7 percent shooter, Collison hit 5 of 13 threes last season.
“Nick Collison is probably the best freshman defender I’ve had at Kansas,” Williams said. “He is a youngster who is very solid. Nick Collison is the consistent one. You can count on what he’s doing on the defensive end of the floor.”
Bookend soph forward Gooden, a 6-9, 221-pounder from Richmond, Calif., averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while starting eight games. Gooden grabbed 248 rebounds, second-most ever by a KU freshman. Gooden’s nine double-doubles were the most by any KU freshman.
“Offensive rebounding was the most consistent thing I did my freshman year,” Gooden said. “I did OK, but can do a lot more. We needed strength down low. We were beat down low all year. We don’t want that to happen to us again. I don’t think it will happen to us.”
Gooden scored a career-high 20 points three times and had 13 boards versus Missouri. He hit 45.1 percent of his shots, including 5 of 16 threes. Gooden had 36 assists against 71 turnovers.
“Drew’s game is up and down. He’s probably the most inconsistent freshman I can remember with that kind of ability,” Williams said. “He must get much tougher and much more consistent.
“I do believe before he’s finished, Drew will be the best offensive rebounder I’ve ever coached. He has quick feet, a quick bounce. When he misses, he has a good read of where it’ll come off the boards. He goes out and gets it. That young man … when he learns to play with innate savvy, he’ll really be something. He’s fun to watch now. He gives me gray hairs, but man, he can excite you, too.”
KU’s other fabulous freshman of a year ago, point guard Hinrich averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 assists. He started the last 13 games.
A 6-3, 180-pounder from Sioux City, Iowa, Hinrich hit 42.9 percent of his shots 25 of 80 threes. Hinrich had 123 assists against 87 turnovers and had a big game in the NCAAs against Duke, scoring 12 points with six assists in 28 foul-plagued minutes.
“He is a tough, tough youngster,” Williams said. “Before he’s finished, I don’t mind saying I think he’ll be one of the most complete guards I have ever coached.
“The thing I love probably more than anything is he is a competitive rascal. That toughness will make him jump up a level. He is good defensively, good with the ball, a good shooter.”
KU returns three seniors in last year’s leading scorer, Kenny Gregory, plus Eric Chenowith, who started 21 games, and Luke Axtell, who left the squad after 20 games a year ago because of an undisclosed medical condition.
Gregory, 6-5 from Columbus, Ohio, averaged 12.8 points and 4.4 boards his junior year. He earned second-team all-Big 12 honors.
“Kenny is one of the most athletic players in the country. Playing fullcourt style goes to his style of play. He is not a great shooter,” Williams said of Gregory, who hit 57.7 percent of his shots, most off quick inside moves, short jumpers and dunks. He made only two of 13 three-point attempts and just 41.9 percent of his free throws.
“Kenny does not have a problem with confidence. He is not a good outside shooter. I may not be a good bunker player. You have to work on your weaknesses and make ’em better. Kenny took more shots than anybody on our team and for the most part they were good shots.”
The 7-1 Chenowith, from Villa Park, Calif., averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 boards a year ago. He scored in double figures in just two of his last 14 games and had double-digit rebounds six times all year.
“It goes back to the summer maybe Eric did not do as much as he needed to do,” Williams said. “He got off to a bad start which added a little more pressure on him. The pressure of being a quote, ‘Playboy all American’ and I think the expectations put a little more pressure on himself.’
“He started really pressing and was not able to relax. It’s all in the past. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Nobody wants to do better than Eric himself. He stayed very positive about the whole thing. I was impressed with his toughness, continuing to step forward, being positive and trying as hard as he could. He has to push as hard as he can possibly push and have a big, big year.”
Chenowith played well in the NCAA Tournament combining for 17 points against DePaul and Duke.
“It was a good ending to a bad year for me. I finally had some positive feelings,” chenowith said. “I can build on some things. We’ve never made a big run in the postseason in my career. I’d like to do that. I really want to do that. I have a great chance to be a lottery pick in the NBA. i can’t let it slip by.”
Axtell, 6-10 from Austin, Texas, averaged 8.7 points in 20 games. He hit just 34.8 percent of his shots, canning 31 of 79 threes. However, he was not himself all year, weakened by his still undisclosed condition.
“He broke his hand and hurt his foot in the preseason, yet still was doing a heck of a lot for us,” Williams said. “He was very special to us. He has the ability to shoot the basketball coming off the bench and providing instant offense. Luke will be a big part of this team. Just feeling better is going to help his game a lot.
“Getting Luke back is a positive hopefully balancing out Marlon’s negative.”
Junior sharpshooter Jeff Boschee, 6-1 from Valley City, N.D., 10 points per game a year ago. He hit 81 of 195 three-pointers, good for 41.5 percent. Boschee hit 110 of 278 shots total and had 100 assists against 55 turnovers.
“I think we can build off the things we did defensively last year,” Boschee said. “The way we competed, the intensity. If we do it night in and night out, we’ll be tough to beat the next couple years.”
Williams is mighty high on Boschee, dating back to his days as a recruit.
“If you coach him you know … he is a great threat,” Williams said. “I saw him at Nike camp (his senior year in high school). I didn’t know him from Adam. I was watching one court and the court across from that every time I looked up, this kid made a jump shot.
“I mean every time. Neil (Dougherty) my assistant said, ‘Tonight can you watch such and such?’ I said, ‘No. I want to watch this little guy who is making every shot.’
“I watched him that night. He was the best player on the floor and scored eight points. I liked his toughness, his ability to shoot. He has been a great player for us and I expect great things in the future.”
Junior forward Jeff Carey, 6-10 from Camdenton, Mo., averaged 1.0 points and 1.4 boards in 24 games a year ago.
“He’s given us lifts whether against Middle Tennessee, Princeton or St. Louis,” Williams said of games in which Carey played significant minutes. “He’s given us great spurts of minute a half or two minutes. He’s a true joy to have involved in our program.”
Junior guard John Crider, 6-4 from Horton, hopes to earn some playing time and be a factor after mop-up time his soph and frosh seasons.
“John is a great kid. He works hard in practice. I see his role as continuing to work hard and if things get better he’ll get more court time,” Williams said. “There’s nothing wrong except for the fact some other guys are doing a better job of what we want done at a specific time.
“John is an important part of our team. the guys love having him around. I’m sure he’ll keep working and hopefully in the future he’ll be able to work it out where he will be even more important to us.”
Earl Richardson/Journal-World PhotoSome fans jumped off Kansas University’s men’s basketball bandwagon last spring after the Jayhawks’ 24-10 season.
Not only did Roy Williams’ squad lose seniors Nick Bradford, Lester Earl, Ashante Johnson and Terry Nooner to graduation, but also …
Soph guard Marlon London decided to transfer to DePaul.
And in the most significant development of all, blue-chip recruit DeShawn Stevenson, expected to contribute immediately during the 2000-2001 season, decided to forego his KU scholarship agreement and opt for the NBA Draft.
Six losses were offset by just one scholarship addition guard-forward Bryant Nash of Carrollton, Texas.
Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo“We’ve got some Jayhawk fans out there extremely concerned about our losses,” 13th-year KU coach Williams conceded. “But you know what? We’ll show up and we’ll still have a chance to be pretty doggone good.”
Williams, who spent an agonizing early July week deliberating an offer to coach at North Carolina before announcing he’d remain captain at KU, is gung-ho over KU’s talented sophomore trio of Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Drew Gooden.
Those three players combined for 26.6 points and 16.8 boards a year ago.
“The nucleus of the team were the freshmen,” Williams said, “though the upperclassmen stepped up in the postseason. I couldn’t be happier with those three kids.”
Collison, a 6-9, 240-pound sophomore from Iowa Falls, Iowa, was one of KU’s most consistent players his rookie year. He was an honorable mention all-Big 12 pick after averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting all but one game on Senior Day.
Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo“I think I was consistent like people say. I don’t think I ever hit a freshman wall like I’ve heard so much about,” Collison said.
“I must work on my assist to error ratio (38 to 70) and my strength. I want to be able to go inside and out so guys can’t just concentrate on me in the post.”
A 49.7 percent shooter, Collison hit 5 of 13 threes last season.
“Nick Collison is probably the best freshman defender I’ve had at Kansas,” Williams said. “He is a youngster who is very solid. Nick Collison is the consistent one. You can count on what he’s doing on the defensive end of the floor.”
Bookend soph forward Gooden, a 6-9, 221-pounder from Richmond, Calif., averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while starting eight games. Gooden grabbed 248 rebounds, second-most ever by a KU freshman. Gooden’s nine double-doubles were the most by any KU freshman.
Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo“Offensive rebounding was the most consistent thing I did my freshman year,” Gooden said. “I did OK, but can do a lot more. We needed strength down low. We were beat down low all year. We don’t want that to happen to us again. I don’t think it will happen to us.”
Gooden scored a career-high 20 points three times and had 13 boards versus Missouri. He hit 45.1 percent of his shots, including 5 of 16 threes. Gooden had 36 assists against 71 turnovers.
“Drew’s game is up and down. He’s probably the most inconsistent freshman I can remember with that kind of ability,” Williams said. “He must get much tougher and much more consistent.
“I do believe before he’s finished, Drew will be the best offensive rebounder I’ve ever coached. He has quick feet, a quick bounce. When he misses, he has a good read of where it’ll come off the boards. He goes out and gets it. That young man … when he learns to play with innate savvy, he’ll really be something. He’s fun to watch now. He gives me gray hairs, but man, he can excite you, too.”
KU’s other fabulous freshman of a year ago, point guard Hinrich averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 assists. He started the last 13 games.
Earl Richardson/Journal-World PhotoA 6-3, 180-pounder from Sioux City, Iowa, Hinrich hit 42.9 percent of his shots 25 of 80 threes. Hinrich had 123 assists against 87 turnovers and had a big game in the NCAAs against Duke, scoring 12 points with six assists in 28 foul-plagued minutes.
“He is a tough, tough youngster,” Williams said. “Before he’s finished, I don’t mind saying I think he’ll be one of the most complete guards I have ever coached.
“The thing I love probably more than anything is he is a competitive rascal. That toughness will make him jump up a level. He is good defensively, good with the ball, a good shooter.”
KU returns three seniors in last year’s leading scorer, Kenny Gregory, plus Eric Chenowith, who started 21 games, and Luke Axtell, who left the squad after 20 games a year ago because of an undisclosed medical condition.
Gregory, 6-5 from Columbus, Ohio, averaged 12.8 points and 4.4 boards his junior year. He earned second-team all-Big 12 honors.
“Kenny is one of the most athletic players in the country. Playing fullcourt style goes to his style of play. He is not a great shooter,” Williams said of Gregory, who hit 57.7 percent of his shots, most off quick inside moves, short jumpers and dunks. He made only two of 13 three-point attempts and just 41.9 percent of his free throws.
“Kenny does not have a problem with confidence. He is not a good outside shooter. I may not be a good bunker player. You have to work on your weaknesses and make ’em better. Kenny took more shots than anybody on our team and for the most part they were good shots.”
The 7-1 Chenowith, from Villa Park, Calif., averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 boards a year ago. He scored in double figures in just two of his last 14 games and had double-digit rebounds six times all year.
“It goes back to the summer maybe Eric did not do as much as he needed to do,” Williams said. “He got off to a bad start which added a little more pressure on him. The pressure of being a quote, ‘Playboy all American’ and I think the expectations put a little more pressure on himself.’
“He started really pressing and was not able to relax. It’s all in the past. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Nobody wants to do better than Eric himself. He stayed very positive about the whole thing. I was impressed with his toughness, continuing to step forward, being positive and trying as hard as he could. He has to push as hard as he can possibly push and have a big, big year.”
Chenowith played well in the NCAA Tournament combining for 17 points against DePaul and Duke.
“It was a good ending to a bad year for me. I finally had some positive feelings,” chenowith said. “I can build on some things. We’ve never made a big run in the postseason in my career. I’d like to do that. I really want to do that. I have a great chance to be a lottery pick in the NBA. i can’t let it slip by.”
Axtell, 6-10 from Austin, Texas, averaged 8.7 points in 20 games. He hit just 34.8 percent of his shots, canning 31 of 79 threes. However, he was not himself all year, weakened by his still undisclosed condition.
“He broke his hand and hurt his foot in the preseason, yet still was doing a heck of a lot for us,” Williams said. “He was very special to us. He has the ability to shoot the basketball coming off the bench and providing instant offense. Luke will be a big part of this team. Just feeling better is going to help his game a lot.
“Getting Luke back is a positive hopefully balancing out Marlon’s negative.”
Junior forward Jeff Carey, 6-10 from Camdenton, Mo., averaged 1.0 points and 1.4 boards in 24 games a year ago.
“He’s given us lifts whether against Middle Tennessee, Princeton or St. Louis,” Williams said of games in which Carey played significant minutes. “He’s given us great spurts of minute a half or two minutes. He’s a true joy to have involved in our program.”
Junior guard John Crider, 6-4 from Horton, hopes to earn some playing time and be a factor after mop-up time his soph and frosh seasons.
“John is a great kid. He works hard in practice. I see his role as continuing to work hard and if things get better he’ll get more court time,” Williams said. “There’s nothing wrong except for the fact some other guys are doing a better job of what we want done at a specific time.
“John is an important part of our team. the guys love having him around. I’m sure he’ll keep working and hopefully in the future he’ll be able to work it out where he will be even more important to us.”
