Drew Gooden isn’t ready to call himself the best basketball player in the Big 12 Conference.
But as his father points out, numbers don’t lie.
“I go by stats,” Andrew Gooden said after watching his son score 26 points and grab 10 rebounds in second-ranked Kansas’ 105-73 victory over No. 22 Missouri on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. “Whoever has the best stats is the best player. Stats speak for themselves.”
Right now, the player with the best stats is Gooden. KU’s 6-foot-10 junior from Richmond, Calif., entered Monday night’s Border War leading the league in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.8 per game).
The forward has posted double-doubles in 11 of the last 12 games and a total of 16 games this season.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s Kareem Rush the preseason pick for player of the year scored 13 points in 33 minutes on 6-of-19 shooting.
“They talk about me and Kareem for Big 12 Player of the year,” Gooden said. “I just want to do the things that I do. I’m trying to win this conference. I’m trying to play the best I possibly can to help my team win this conference.”
So far, it’s working. The Jayhawks, who have nine Big 12 games remaining, are 18-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. They haven’t won a league title since 1997-98.
“It’s not over,” Gooden said. “We’ve been in this position before and it’s slipped out of our hands. We’re hungry for it.”
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Three-point goals: 10-28 (Gilbert 5-9, Paulding 3-8, Stokes 1-2, Johnson 1-7, Kroenke 0-1, Echols 0-1). Assists: 11 (Rush 4, Stokes 3, Gilbert 2, Johnson, Kroenke). Turnovers: 18 (Bryant 4, Rush 4, Gilbert 2, Stokes 2, Echols 2, Johnson, Paulding, Kroenke, Ferguson). Blocked shots: 5 (Johnson 3, Paulding, John). Steals: 6 (Kiernan 2, Bryant, Rush, Paulding, Gage). |
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Three-point goals: 8-13 (Hinrich 4-5, Boschee 3-6, Nash 1-1, Langford 0-1). Assists: 26 (Miles 8, Hinrich 6, Boschee 3, Langford 3, Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien, Lee). Turnovers: 13 (Gooden 3, Simien 3, Hinrich 2, Langford 2, Collison, Lee, Kappelmann). Blocked shots: 7 (Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien 2, Langford). Steals: 10 (Gooden 3, Miles 2, Langford 2, Simien 2). |
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| Missouri | 42 | 31 | 73 |
| Kansas | 43 | 62 | 105 |
Officials: John Clougherty, Mark Whitebread, Rick Hartzell. Attendance: 16,300.
Gooden was hungry for the ball Monday. He made his first six shots from the field, while showing a variety of moves. He scored in transition, made a nice move on the baseline, sank a jumper, dunked and was the beneficiary of a goal-tending call while scoring 12 points in the opening seven minutes. He also had a block and a steal in the that sequence.
While the 20 NBA scouts on hand had to be impressed, Gooden said their presence did not impact his performance.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “My freshman year I probably would have tried to do too much and had negative points.”
Gooden was motivated by having his family in Lawrence for the first time this season, facing a rival and what he called “the best crowd we’ve had at a game since I’ve been here.”
Gooden told his teammates prior to the game that he was going to “shoot lights out.” Then he backed it up.
“The hoop was looking this big,” Gooden said, holding his arms far apart. “I was just feeling it. I wanted the ball.”
He didn’t miss until MU sophomore Arthur Johnson blocked one of his shots midway through the half.
The next time down the floor, Gooden missed a shot on purpose, he said.
Leading 25-22, Gooden threw up a shot that missed, grabbed his own rebound and dunked.
“I knew I was going to miss the shot,” said Gooden, who dubbed the play an oop-dee-doop. “I knew if I jumped back up quick enough I could beat everybody to the ball. I always wanted to do that in a game. I saw Tim Duncan do that one time. I do it in pickup games all the time.”
Despite Gooden’s 17-point effort in the first half, KU clung to a 43-42 lead at the break.
KU coach Roy Williams had his players’ attention in the locker room, including Gooden’s.
“During halftime, coach said ‘I don’t want anybody to leave the court knowing somebody outhustled us,'” Gooden said. “That really opened our eyes. That was the best half of basketball we’ve played.”
Drew Gooden isn’t ready to call himself the best basketball player in the Big 12 Conference.
But as his father points out, numbers don’t lie.
“I go by stats,” Andrew Gooden said after watching his son score 26 points and grab 10 rebounds in second-ranked Kansas’ 105-73 victory over No. 22 Missouri on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. “Whoever has the best stats is the best player. Stats speak for themselves.”
Right now, the player with the best stats is Gooden. KU’s 6-foot-10 junior from Richmond, Calif., entered Monday night’s Border War leading the league in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.8 per game).
The forward has posted double-doubles in 11 of the last 12 games and a total of 16 games this season.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s Kareem Rush the preseason pick for player of the year scored 13 points in 33 minutes on 6-of-19 shooting.
“They talk about me and Kareem for Big 12 Player of the year,” Gooden said. “I just want to do the things that I do. I’m trying to win this conference. I’m trying to play the best I possibly can to help my team win this conference.”
So far, it’s working. The Jayhawks, who have nine Big 12 games remaining, are 18-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. They haven’t won a league title since 1997-98.
“It’s not over,” Gooden said. “We’ve been in this position before and it’s slipped out of our hands. We’re hungry for it.”
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Three-point goals: 10-28 (Gilbert 5-9, Paulding 3-8, Stokes 1-2, Johnson 1-7, Kroenke 0-1, Echols 0-1). Assists: 11 (Rush 4, Stokes 3, Gilbert 2, Johnson, Kroenke). Turnovers: 18 (Bryant 4, Rush 4, Gilbert 2, Stokes 2, Echols 2, Johnson, Paulding, Kroenke, Ferguson). Blocked shots: 5 (Johnson 3, Paulding, John). Steals: 6 (Kiernan 2, Bryant, Rush, Paulding, Gage). |
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Three-point goals: 8-13 (Hinrich 4-5, Boschee 3-6, Nash 1-1, Langford 0-1). Assists: 26 (Miles 8, Hinrich 6, Boschee 3, Langford 3, Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien, Lee). Turnovers: 13 (Gooden 3, Simien 3, Hinrich 2, Langford 2, Collison, Lee, Kappelmann). Blocked shots: 7 (Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien 2, Langford). Steals: 10 (Gooden 3, Miles 2, Langford 2, Simien 2). |
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| Missouri | 42 | 31 | 73 |
| Kansas | 43 | 62 | 105 |
Officials: John Clougherty, Mark Whitebread, Rick Hartzell. Attendance: 16,300.
Gooden was hungry for the ball Monday. He made his first six shots from the field, while showing a variety of moves. He scored in transition, made a nice move on the baseline, sank a jumper, dunked and was the beneficiary of a goal-tending call while scoring 12 points in the opening seven minutes. He also had a block and a steal in the that sequence.
While the 20 NBA scouts on hand had to be impressed, Gooden said their presence did not impact his performance.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “My freshman year I probably would have tried to do too much and had negative points.”
Gooden was motivated by having his family in Lawrence for the first time this season, facing a rival and what he called “the best crowd we’ve had at a game since I’ve been here.”
Gooden told his teammates prior to the game that he was going to “shoot lights out.” Then he backed it up.
“The hoop was looking this big,” Gooden said, holding his arms far apart. “I was just feeling it. I wanted the ball.”
He didn’t miss until MU sophomore Arthur Johnson blocked one of his shots midway through the half.
The next time down the floor, Gooden missed a shot on purpose, he said.
Leading 25-22, Gooden threw up a shot that missed, grabbed his own rebound and dunked.
“I knew I was going to miss the shot,” said Gooden, who dubbed the play an oop-dee-doop. “I knew if I jumped back up quick enough I could beat everybody to the ball. I always wanted to do that in a game. I saw Tim Duncan do that one time. I do it in pickup games all the time.”
Despite Gooden’s 17-point effort in the first half, KU clung to a 43-42 lead at the break.
KU coach Roy Williams had his players’ attention in the locker room, including Gooden’s.
“During halftime, coach said ‘I don’t want anybody to leave the court knowing somebody outhustled us,'” Gooden said. “That really opened our eyes. That was the best half of basketball we’ve played.”
Drew Gooden isn’t ready to call himself the best basketball player in the Big 12 Conference.
But as his father points out, numbers don’t lie.
“I go by stats,” Andrew Gooden said after watching his son score 26 points and grab 10 rebounds in second-ranked Kansas’ 105-73 victory over No. 22 Missouri on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. “Whoever has the best stats is the best player. Stats speak for themselves.”
Right now, the player with the best stats is Gooden. KU’s 6-foot-10 junior from Richmond, Calif., entered Monday night’s Border War leading the league in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.8 per game).
The forward has posted double-doubles in 11 of the last 12 games and a total of 16 games this season.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s Kareem Rush the preseason pick for player of the year scored 13 points in 33 minutes on 6-of-19 shooting.
“They talk about me and Kareem for Big 12 Player of the year,” Gooden said. “I just want to do the things that I do. I’m trying to win this conference. I’m trying to play the best I possibly can to help my team win this conference.”
So far, it’s working. The Jayhawks, who have nine Big 12 games remaining, are 18-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. They haven’t won a league title since 1997-98.
“It’s not over,” Gooden said. “We’ve been in this position before and it’s slipped out of our hands. We’re hungry for it.”
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Three-point goals: 10-28 (Gilbert 5-9, Paulding 3-8, Stokes 1-2, Johnson 1-7, Kroenke 0-1, Echols 0-1). Assists: 11 (Rush 4, Stokes 3, Gilbert 2, Johnson, Kroenke). Turnovers: 18 (Bryant 4, Rush 4, Gilbert 2, Stokes 2, Echols 2, Johnson, Paulding, Kroenke, Ferguson). Blocked shots: 5 (Johnson 3, Paulding, John). Steals: 6 (Kiernan 2, Bryant, Rush, Paulding, Gage). |
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Three-point goals: 8-13 (Hinrich 4-5, Boschee 3-6, Nash 1-1, Langford 0-1). Assists: 26 (Miles 8, Hinrich 6, Boschee 3, Langford 3, Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien, Lee). Turnovers: 13 (Gooden 3, Simien 3, Hinrich 2, Langford 2, Collison, Lee, Kappelmann). Blocked shots: 7 (Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien 2, Langford). Steals: 10 (Gooden 3, Miles 2, Langford 2, Simien 2). |
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| Missouri | 42 | 31 | 73 |
| Kansas | 43 | 62 | 105 |
Officials: John Clougherty, Mark Whitebread, Rick Hartzell. Attendance: 16,300.
Gooden was hungry for the ball Monday. He made his first six shots from the field, while showing a variety of moves. He scored in transition, made a nice move on the baseline, sank a jumper, dunked and was the beneficiary of a goal-tending call while scoring 12 points in the opening seven minutes. He also had a block and a steal in the that sequence.
While the 20 NBA scouts on hand had to be impressed, Gooden said their presence did not impact his performance.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “My freshman year I probably would have tried to do too much and had negative points.”
Gooden was motivated by having his family in Lawrence for the first time this season, facing a rival and what he called “the best crowd we’ve had at a game since I’ve been here.”
Gooden told his teammates prior to the game that he was going to “shoot lights out.” Then he backed it up.
“The hoop was looking this big,” Gooden said, holding his arms far apart. “I was just feeling it. I wanted the ball.”
He didn’t miss until MU sophomore Arthur Johnson blocked one of his shots midway through the half.
The next time down the floor, Gooden missed a shot on purpose, he said.
Leading 25-22, Gooden threw up a shot that missed, grabbed his own rebound and dunked.
“I knew I was going to miss the shot,” said Gooden, who dubbed the play an oop-dee-doop. “I knew if I jumped back up quick enough I could beat everybody to the ball. I always wanted to do that in a game. I saw Tim Duncan do that one time. I do it in pickup games all the time.”
Despite Gooden’s 17-point effort in the first half, KU clung to a 43-42 lead at the break.
KU coach Roy Williams had his players’ attention in the locker room, including Gooden’s.
“During halftime, coach said ‘I don’t want anybody to leave the court knowing somebody outhustled us,'” Gooden said. “That really opened our eyes. That was the best half of basketball we’ve played.”
Drew Gooden isn’t ready to call himself the best basketball player in the Big 12 Conference.
But as his father points out, numbers don’t lie.
“I go by stats,” Andrew Gooden said after watching his son score 26 points and grab 10 rebounds in second-ranked Kansas’ 105-73 victory over No. 22 Missouri on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. “Whoever has the best stats is the best player. Stats speak for themselves.”
Right now, the player with the best stats is Gooden. KU’s 6-foot-10 junior from Richmond, Calif., entered Monday night’s Border War leading the league in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.8 per game).
The forward has posted double-doubles in 11 of the last 12 games and a total of 16 games this season.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s Kareem Rush the preseason pick for player of the year scored 13 points in 33 minutes on 6-of-19 shooting.
“They talk about me and Kareem for Big 12 Player of the year,” Gooden said. “I just want to do the things that I do. I’m trying to win this conference. I’m trying to play the best I possibly can to help my team win this conference.”
So far, it’s working. The Jayhawks, who have nine Big 12 games remaining, are 18-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. They haven’t won a league title since 1997-98.
“It’s not over,” Gooden said. “We’ve been in this position before and it’s slipped out of our hands. We’re hungry for it.”
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Three-point goals: 10-28 (Gilbert 5-9, Paulding 3-8, Stokes 1-2, Johnson 1-7, Kroenke 0-1, Echols 0-1). Assists: 11 (Rush 4, Stokes 3, Gilbert 2, Johnson, Kroenke). Turnovers: 18 (Bryant 4, Rush 4, Gilbert 2, Stokes 2, Echols 2, Johnson, Paulding, Kroenke, Ferguson). Blocked shots: 5 (Johnson 3, Paulding, John). Steals: 6 (Kiernan 2, Bryant, Rush, Paulding, Gage). |
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Three-point goals: 8-13 (Hinrich 4-5, Boschee 3-6, Nash 1-1, Langford 0-1). Assists: 26 (Miles 8, Hinrich 6, Boschee 3, Langford 3, Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien, Lee). Turnovers: 13 (Gooden 3, Simien 3, Hinrich 2, Langford 2, Collison, Lee, Kappelmann). Blocked shots: 7 (Gooden 2, Collison 2, Simien 2, Langford). Steals: 10 (Gooden 3, Miles 2, Langford 2, Simien 2). |
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| Missouri | 42 | 31 | 73 |
| Kansas | 43 | 62 | 105 |
Officials: John Clougherty, Mark Whitebread, Rick Hartzell. Attendance: 16,300.
Gooden was hungry for the ball Monday. He made his first six shots from the field, while showing a variety of moves. He scored in transition, made a nice move on the baseline, sank a jumper, dunked and was the beneficiary of a goal-tending call while scoring 12 points in the opening seven minutes. He also had a block and a steal in the that sequence.
While the 20 NBA scouts on hand had to be impressed, Gooden said their presence did not impact his performance.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “My freshman year I probably would have tried to do too much and had negative points.”
Gooden was motivated by having his family in Lawrence for the first time this season, facing a rival and what he called “the best crowd we’ve had at a game since I’ve been here.”
Gooden told his teammates prior to the game that he was going to “shoot lights out.” Then he backed it up.
“The hoop was looking this big,” Gooden said, holding his arms far apart. “I was just feeling it. I wanted the ball.”
He didn’t miss until MU sophomore Arthur Johnson blocked one of his shots midway through the half.
The next time down the floor, Gooden missed a shot on purpose, he said.
Leading 25-22, Gooden threw up a shot that missed, grabbed his own rebound and dunked.
“I knew I was going to miss the shot,” said Gooden, who dubbed the play an oop-dee-doop. “I knew if I jumped back up quick enough I could beat everybody to the ball. I always wanted to do that in a game. I saw Tim Duncan do that one time. I do it in pickup games all the time.”
Despite Gooden’s 17-point effort in the first half, KU clung to a 43-42 lead at the break.
KU coach Roy Williams had his players’ attention in the locker room, including Gooden’s.
“During halftime, coach said ‘I don’t want anybody to leave the court knowing somebody outhustled us,'” Gooden said. “That really opened our eyes. That was the best half of basketball we’ve played.”
