KU victory takes off pressure

By Gary Bedore     Feb 22, 2001

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Colorado's Jamahl Mosley, left, and KU's Eric Chenowith pretend to fight following Wednesday's game. KU won, 91-79, at Allen Fieldhouse to snap a two-game losing skid.

Roy Williams took a poll in the locker room after Kansas’ 91-79 victory over Colorado on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

“Coach asked everybody, ‘How many (of you) felt pressure to win tonight?’ A lot of the guys raised their hands. I did,” point guard Kirk Hinrich said after helping KU bust a two-game losing streak.

“He told us, ‘We can’t have that. The pressure is off. Go out and play hard and have fun.'”

Williams is not happy he had to give that message to KU’s players after the Jayhawks’ victory, their 20th in 25 games.

“We have a problem here at Kansas. When we lose a game or two or whatever it is, people start murmuring a little bit. The team starts feeling pressure, particularly at home,” Williams said.

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
KU senior Eric Chenowith reacts to a Kenny Gregory jam. Chenowith finished with 17 points and nine rebounds against Colorado on Wednesday.

“Our players should not have to feel as much pressure as they feel when the slightest little thing goes wrong. I said there’s no reason for them to feel pressure. What they have to do is do the absolute best they can mentally and physically. To do that you have to lose yourself in the game.”

Williams’ sister was in town a couple of weeks ago and learned first-hand how disappointed some KU fans get after losses.

“My sister was here for our call-in show. We were 19-3 and it was pretty negative,” Williams said of his Hawk Talk radio show. “She asked me, ‘What’s going to happen if you ever have a losing season?’ I said, ‘I hope I never have to find out.’

“I told our players we lost eight in a row my first year here. The sun kept coming up. I’m still here. The kids who went through that still can look back on fond memories of playing.”

Sophomore Nick Collison said he felt some big-time pressure entering the game. KU had dropped two in a row and four of six.

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Kansas Sophomore Kirk Hinrich drives past Colorado's D.J. Harrison. Hinrich had 15 points and eight assists in the Jayhawks' 91-79 victory Wednesday.

“Around here, you lose two games and everybody thinks the sky is falling,” Collison said. “That gets to you a little.”

Hinrich added: “This stretch has been tough. Everybody’s a little frustrated. We hate to lose. Everybody around here puts so much on a loss or two. If you lose around here, everybody goes nuts. Everybody is forgetting we’re still 20-5. We can still end this year with a smile.”

Ice pack on thumb

Hinrich iced his left thumb after the game. “It’s a little bruise. It’s nothing,” he said after his eight-assist, 15-point effort.

Quotes to keep coming

Williams is not going to stifle his basketball players in the wake of some controversial quotes by Eric Chenowith and Kenny Gregory that have appeared in the papers.

“I asked if I had to put a muzzle on them,” Williams quipped. “I should have told them to use their brains. If they say something stupid, just ignore it.”

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Colorado's Jamahl Mosley, right, hammers KU's Jeff Boschee on Boschee's way to the hoop. KU beat Colorado, 91-79, Wednesday to improve to 20-5.

In a serious tone, he added: “If they say something again we’ll have even smaller numbers.”

Record-setting win

Williams passed Ted Owens and moved into second place on KU’s all-time coaching victory list with 349. KU also won its 20th game for the 12th straight season.

“It means we’ve had some great kids,” Williams said. “Twenty wins in 12 years is really something to be proud of. I do like some streaks, and I hope we can have some more.”

Phog Allen is KU’s all-time winningest men’s coach with 590.

Stats, facts

KU has won 24 straight versus CU and has won 18 straight over the Buffs at Allen Fieldhouse. Collison was close to a triple-double with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. KU’s starting frontcourt scored 63 of KU’s 91 points as it shot 64.3 percent from the field, collected 26 boards and blocked five shots. KU posted a 56-22 advantage on points in the paint. Hinrich has hit 11 free throws in a row. KU hit one of 10 threes the first half and three of 15 total. Jeff Carey played a career-high 23 minutes. His old high was 19 versus Tulsa.

Mock Draft

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
KU'S Jeff Carey (22) and Eric Chenowith, right, sandwich Colorado's Richard Fox. Fox was limited to four points in 14 minutes on Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.

NBAdraft.net has four Kansas players listed in its most recent mock draft.

The Web site has sophomore Drew Gooden as the No. 6 overall pick of the Atlanta Hawks; Chenowith a second-round pick of the Boston Celtics; Gregory a second-round pick of the Phoenix Suns; and Luke Axtell a second-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Web site has nine of its first 10 picks either underclassmen or foreign players.

Gooden said earlier this week he did not think he was ready for the NBA.

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