For the first time in three seasons, a Kansas University men’s basketball player has been named Big 12 Player of the Week.
Senior Kenny Gregory, who has averaged 19.0 points and 8.8 rebounds a game through six games, is KU’s first honoree since Paul Pierce won the award in February of 1998.
The 6-foot-5 guard/forward bested four players who are averaging 20 or more points a game Baylor’s Terry Black (23.5 ppg), Nebraska’s Cookie Belcher (23.0), Iowa State’s Martin Rancik (22.3) and Colorado’s D.J. Harrison (20.5).
“Kenny is off to a heck of a start,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “Kenny is grasping a heck of a lot more clearly what I want him to do on the offensive backboards. He is doing a better job taking the ball to the basket.
“He is doing the job defensively. Against Washburn (Saturday), everybody sees 18 points and thinks that’s the story. His whole story was what he did on the defensive end. It could have been Kenny Gregory’s best defensive game. I like his leaping ability, strength, nose for the ball. He’s working harder than he ever has defensively and on the boards.”
Gregory he’s hit 63.3 percent of his shots on offense has seven steals on defense.
“When you are stopping your man from catching the ball when they are trying to run a set play and you stop your guy from even catching it it’s a sign you are playing good defense,” Gregory said. “I’m trying to play defense, to be a leader by example.”
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Gregory sat out Tuesday’s practice, not because of recurring back problems, but because he had a tooth pulled. Gregory took an elbow to the jaw in Monday’s 92-66 rout of Middle Tennessee State.
“Kenny’s tooth was hurting to where he couldn’t sleep,” Williams said, noting he was having problems with a tooth even before the elbow. “He had the tooth pulled completely. He came to practice and I allowed him to sit there and watch.”
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A fan, obviously not happy with KU’s five-game homestand of North Dakota, Boise State, Washburn, Middle Tennessee State and Illinois State, asked Williams about KU’s schedule Tuesday on the coach’s weekly radio show.
“It’s exactly the kind of schedule we want,” Williams said. KU plays the above-mentioned teams, plus SW Missouri State, UCLA, St. John’s, Wake Forest, DePaul, Tulsa and Ohio State in nonconference games this year.
“It’s the way we should play. We need some games where the guys can get confidence and some where they are tested. We want six to eight games nonconference against teams that will make the NCAA Tournament. It’s what we’re doing now. We are in a stretch these five don’t have that name recognition.”
KU’s slate was ranked 18th toughest in the country last year. Williams expects it’ll fall in a similar range this season.
“In other words, I don’t think that was a very good question,” Williams said.
Next year, KU will play at the Maui Invitational which will also feature UCLA, Duke and Seton Hall. KU will travel to Arizona, UCLA and Princeton and play host to Wake Forest.
