A deadly long-range shooter at age 30, Billy Thomas suspects he’ll remain the same at 40 or even 50.
“When you are an old man, you can still shoot. It’s one thing I can do, shoot. Everybody knows that’s what I’m known for,” Thomas, the No. 2 three-point bomber in Kansas University history, said after sinking six of 16 threes and scoring 20 points in the Bill Self basketball campers’ scrimmage Wednesday at Horejsi Center.
Thomas’ Red team, which included alumni Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and Christian Moody, plus Jayhawks Darrell Arthur, Rodrick Stewart and Brennan Bechard, fell to the Blue squad, made up of all current Jayhawks, 71-66.
Thomas, who played last season for the NBA’s Washington Wizards, hit seven of 20 shots, with 11 rebounds.
“I was thinking about retiring after today. Now I have to come back for at least one more. I can’t go out like that,” said Thomas, KU’s record holder for most threes in a conference game (eight against Texas in 1998).
“I think some of my guys let me down – some of the little younger guys,” he said jokingly, quickly adding, “I need to come back and make sure they know how seriously I take this game.”
Freshman forward Arthur scored 10 points off 5-of-7 shooting, while Miles, Lee and Moody totaled eight apiece.
“It was fun getting to be on the same team (with former KU players),” said Arthur, recipient of a touch pass from all-time KU assist leader Miles, which he cashed for a layup. “I felt good except getting pushed in the back when I was trying to rebound. I’ve got to work on boxing out.”
It was a physical camp game, with both teams trying to gain bragging rights.
“I’m mad right now that we lost,” said point guard Miles, who played for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and NBDL’s Fort Worth Flyers last season and will play for the Chicago Bulls’ summer-league team in July.
“It’s always great to come back and be with the team, be with the fans, be with the Jayhawk faithful.”
The Blue team was led by guard Jeremy Case, who hit four of six threes and scored 16 points. Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Brandon Rush had 12, 11 and eight respectively.
Nobody was better than Thomas, a 6-foot-4 free agent who expects to re-sign with the Wizards after averaging 2.2 points in 17 regular-season games and playing sparingly in three playoff contests.
“My persistence is what I hang my hat on, along with being blessed enough to play,” said Thomas, who was undrafted out of college but signed by the New Jersey Nets in 2005 after playing in various minor leagues.
“For me, right now it’s just a feeling of me belonging to be on that level.”
For many, Thomas’ story is inspirational.
“He’s a living example. I just watch the way he carries himself,” Miles said.
¢ Two players out of town: KU freshman Sherron Collins did not play. He returned to Chicago earlier in the week to tend to family responsibilities and was to be back in Lawrence on Wednesday night.
“He’s fine. He has a family issue that was important enough to go back. Unfortunately, the timing included the last two Wednesdays,” KU coach Bill Self said. “It’s unfortunate because I think you guys will really enjoy watching him play.”
Junior Sasha Kaun will return from a trip to his hometown of Tomsk, Russia, on July 17. He’s renewing his passport while visiting relatives and friends for the first time in five years.
Kaun had postseason surgery to clear his nasal cavity. “He had a hard time getting a full oxygen intake,” Self said.
¢ Alumni shortage: Turnout of ex-Jayhawks was down this year for the campers game. “You can’t expect them all to come back each and every year,” Self said, noting several NBA players had scheduling conflicts. “For these guys to make the effort to come back is pretty strong. I know our guys look forward to playing, and they (alumni) like playing before the fans.”
¢ Wayne wins it all: Miles and Lee sent text messages Tuesday night to congratulate former teammate Wayne Simien on winning the NBA title with the Miami Heat. Lee attended one of the Heat’s playoff games against Detroit.
“Wayne called today. I haven’t been able to get back to him yet. He looked pretty happy last night. I’m sure he was thinking about that bonus,” Self quipped.
¢ Moody to Taiwan: Former KU forward Moody will be playing for Athletes in Action on a trip to Taiwan in July. He hopes to play in Europe, maybe Spain, this season and put medical school on hold.
¢ College life: Slowly but surely, Arthur is getting used to college life. “For me, it’s a new experience. I’ve never been away from home. It’s kind of difficult, but I’ve got to work hard through it. I call them (family) every day before I go to sleep.”
The fans started to applaud as Darnell Jackson hopped off the bench and headed to the scorer’s table.
They cheered more loudly — some of the 16,300 standing — as Kansas University’s sophomore forward trotted onto the Allen Fieldhouse floor for the first time this season, with 6:01 left in the first half of Thursday’s 85-62 rout of Northern Colorado.
“It was great. I wanted to cry. I got all emotional and teary-eyed. Man, it felt good to be out there,” an emotional Jackson said after scoring a career-high 12 points with a career-high six rebounds in, you guessed it, a career-high 19 minutes. “The fans still love me after my trouble with the NCAA. I really appreciate it.”
Showing no rust after serving a nine-game suspension for accepting gifts from a KU booster, Jackson scored his first points of the season on a pair of free-throw swishes with 3:25 left in the half. KU led at the time, 32-19.
It’s amazing he didn’t airball the attempts considering all the pent-up emotion in his 6-foot-8, 250-pound body.
“Coach said to go in, I didn’t know if he said C.J. (Giles) or D.J.,” Jackson recalled. “I got in the game and was losing focus thinking about my grandmother not being here for the game and seeing my mom in the stands crying. I told myself before the game, ‘This is for my grandma,’ and after sitting out all those games letting all my frustration out on the court.”
The Jackson family suffered a tragedy over the summer. Darnell’s grandmother died after sustaining injuries in a car accident. His mom, Shawn, survived the wreck, but incurred several broken bones that will keep her from working for a year.
“She would have been at the game or watched it on TV. She watched all the games,” Jackson said of his grandmother.
Fellow Oklahoman Jeremy Case, who exploded for a career-high 11 points in a career-high 11 minutes — he hit three of four threes, including two in two tries the first half — said he could tell Jackson was intent on playing well.
“I could see that look in his eyes,” Case said. “He brings a lot to the team. He’s physical, puts a body on somebody all the time. He has a presence about himself.”
KU coach Bill Self said he was happy Jackson was back in the rotation. Jackson started the second half next to Christian Moody. Moody started the contest in place of Giles, who has been suffering from flulike symptoms.
“(Jackson) played well. He was active. He tried hard,” Self said. “Tonight we saw Darnell can help us, and Rodrick (Stewart, four points, one rebound, nine minutes in his second game since becoming eligible) can come in and give us a defensive boost. Rod was solid.”
As expected, the Jayhawks (6-4) had way too much talent for 0-14 Northern Colorado, rolling to a 14-0 lead, courtesy of Brandon Rush’s eight points, Moody’s four and Jeff Hawkins’ two. Hawkins hit two threes and scored eight points in 21 minutes.
12,6,19
Points, rebounds, minutes played by Darnell Jackson
52.0
UNC’s second-half shooting percentage
55.2
KU’s overall shooting percentage
32
KU’s advantage in points in the paint (42-10)
10
Kansas’ first-half turnovers
4
KU’s second-half turnovers
17
Letters in last name of UNC’s Thansai Panagiotakopoulos
0-14
Northern Colorado’s record
Rush and Julian Wright, who made six of nine shots, led the way with 13 points apiece. Russell Robinson had six assists.
“We played a lot better,” said Self, whose team had struggled in a 63-43 victory over Pepperdine on Monday. “We played a lot of different guys. I wanted to do that, to have everybody go home feeling good, and they should.”
The Jayhawks hit 55.2 percent of their shots to NCU’s 37.7 percent. Jackson’s 6-of-6 free-throwing — he made three of eight floor shots — led the way on a night KU hit 12 of 16 charities.
“It was a great night,” Jackson said. “It was a lot of fun. I’d gotten tired of sitting in hard-soled shoes and coat and watching my brothers go to battle without me. I was so happy to not put on a tie or suit any more. It just felt good being back with my brothers.”
The team members now will be apart until Monday night, most leaving town for winter break. KU next will meet New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoThe impostor who had been wearing Keith Langford’s No. 5 jersey didn’t show up for Saturday’s Kansas University-Pacific men’s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse.
“That looked like Keith,” KU coach Bill Self exclaimed after Langford, Kansas’ 6-foot-4 senior guard, busted an early season funk by scoring a team-leading 21 points with a career-high seven assists and six rebounds in a hard-earned 81-70 victory over the Tigers.
Langford, who had averaged 9.3 points off 9-of-24 shooting in second-ranked KU’s first three games, on Saturday looked just like the guy who averaged 15.5 points and 5.0 boards a year ago and earned 2004-05 Preseason All-Big 12 mention.
The lefty Saturday was running, jumping and slashing to the goal with ease.
“We saw glimpses of the old Keith today,” KU senior Wayne Simien, KU’s preseason All-America power forward, said after grabbing 15 rebounds and scoring 12 points despite the Tigers’ obvious strategy of trying to stop him.
“I could see it coming. He’s been kind of a dormant volcano, kind of building up. I could tell this week in practice he was probably going to explode this game. I think coach knew it, too. He’s been riding him pretty hard.”
Second-year KU coach Self has had some heart-to-heart talks with Langford, who steadily has been battling back from right knee surgery in April.
“We’ve had several talks about how we think he should play,” Self said. “I think this is a lot more along the line the way he has to play for us to be any good. It’s not anything he’s done intentionally wrong. He’s got to get his confidence and swagger back. He looked like he had that today.”
Langford said physically he was fine — “We had some time off,” he said, “so I was really working with the trainer getting a chance to rest and relax” — and mentally inspired, too.
“Tonight, I feel my performance and Aaron’s were very necessary to beat this team. Something had to be done. I couldn’t stand by and watch,” Langford said in applauding Miles’ effort of 19 points, eight assists and six steals. “They were keyed on trying to stop Wayne and stop the inside game. We had to loosen them up a little with penetration.”
The Tigers sagged in the lane, not even bothering to guard KU’s other power forwards — Christian Moody (seven points), Darnell Jackson (six), Sasha Kaun (no points) or C.J. Giles (two in three minutes) — on the perimeter.
“All game I had one guy behind me, one on my lap. I don’t remember getting one easy shot all night,” Simien said after hitting six of 12 shots. “No trips to the line, no calls. It is what it is. Other guys stepped up. I tried to maintain poise and contribute in other ways.”
Langford scored 13 points and Miles 10 the first half as the Jayhawks carried a 35-34 lead into halftime. Miles scored three points and Langford two in an 11-0 run that turned a 42-40 deficit into a 51-42 lead with 12 minutes left.
“The first couple of games, Keith hadn’t been as explosive getting to the rack and scoring like he usually does,” Simien said. “He’s getting his confidence back, and hopefully it’ll be there the rest of the season.”
Langford was effective slashing to the goal. He hit just one of four threes.
“The funky way they defended us gave us gaps from time to time,” Langford said.
Forward Christian Maraker scored 22 points for the Tigers, who stayed in the game by scoring on six straight possessions down the stretch after bricking seven straight shots in KU’s 11-0 run.
“He’s a great player. I think they’ve got a better team than last year,” KU forward Moody said of the team that gave KU a similarly tough game, falling 78-63 in last year’s second-round NCAA Tournament game in Kemper Arena.
| 5-6, 0-0KU’s free throws (made-attempted), Pacific’s free throws over the final 5 minutes21Points scored by Keith Langford against Pacific28Points scored by Langford in KU’s previous 3 games combined6-8, 8Field goals made-attempted (including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers), assists by KU’s Aaron Miles |
“They’re better than they were last year,” Langford said, “and that’s saying a lot because they lost the player of the year in their conference. Their big guys are tough. That Maraker could be all-Big 12.”
So could Langford, who doesn’t necessarily agree with those who thought he was in a slump entering the game.
“It’s hard to be in a slump when you’re only three games into a season. My team was winning. I’d call it a slump if I was playing like that and we were losing,” Langford said.
Self hopes the funk or slump — whatever one wants to call it — is a thing of the past for Langford.
“I thought Keith was aggressive. He had more confidence in his legs. He looked like he was in better condition,” Self said. “I was really pleased with Keith today. It’s not that he made some shots. It’s that he was in attack mode. When the other team backs off, that’s tough to do. They had three guys in the lane every time he caught the ball. For him to do what he did today, that’s pretty good.”
KU will next meet TCU in an 8 p.m. tipoff Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.
6Sports video: KU knocks off Pacific
Hear Bill, players: Pacific postgame comments
Photo Gallery: KU vs. Pacific
Get the stats: KU vs. Pacific box score
Scorecard: Grade KU’s performance against Pacific