Boot Camp rolls on
The Kansas University men’s basketball team in its second and final week of 6 to 7 a.m. Boot Camp conditioning drills.
“This has been a tough week, one of the toughest weeks I’ve had since I’ve been here,” fifth-year senior Brady Morningstar said. “The first week went pretty smooth. Since coach (Bill) Self wasn’t going ridiculous on us last week, even though it was tough, this week is the defining week. Every year it seems one week is a little bit harder than the other. This is the one.”
As to how the team is faring: “Everybody is doing great,” Morningstar said. “I can’t talk down on anybody. The young guys have shown up and do what they need to do. Everybody’s doing what they are told to do.”
Clinic coming
Kansas University’s men’s basketball team will host a “Ladies Night Out With Bill Self” from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 28 in Allen Fieldhouse. All proceeds from the basketball clinic will go to breast cancer research. One can register and find more information at kuathletics.com.
List taps Collins, Aldrich
Kansas University’s Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich were named to the 30-player Naismith Trophy Midseason Candidates list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.
The Naismith Trophy is given annually to the men’s college basketball player of the year. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis.
Finalists are: Collins, Aldrich, Al-Farouq Aminu, James Anderson, Luke Babbitt, Trevor Booker, Matt Bouldin, Da’Sean Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, Devan Downey, Jerome Dyson, Jimmer Fredette, Luke Harangody, Gordon Hayward, Robbie Hummel, Damion James, Wesley Johnson, Dominique Jones, Sylven Landesberg, Gani Lawal, Kalin Lucas, Greg Monroe, Jacob Pullen, Scottie Reynolds, Omar Samhan, Jon Scheyer, Evan Turner, Jarvis Varnado, Greivis Vasuez, John Wall.
Former KU forward Jackson assigned to NBADL
The Cleveland Cavaliers assigned former Kansas University forward Darnell Jackson to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League on Wednesday. Jackson will play against Dakota tonight.
Aldrich nets honor
Kansas University junior center Cole Aldrich has been named Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s preseason college basketball player of the year.
KU senior guard Sherron Collins joined Aldrich on the publication’s preseason All-America team.
Duke’s Kyle Singler, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody and Ohio State’s Evan Turner joined the KU duo on the All-America team. The Jayhawks are Blue Ribbon’s preseason No. 1 pick.
KU, Minnesota may play soon
There’s a chance Kansas University and the University of Minnesota will schedule a men’s basketball series in the future.
The Gophers are trying to bring top-level nonconference opponents to their campus arena, but have had little luck in the past.
“No one will play us. Louisville just said no, Marquette no, Florida no, Iowa State no….. I’ll keep trying,” Minnesota director of basketball operations Joe Esposito said on his Twitter feed this week.
KU would be willing to play a home-and-home in the campus arena.
“It’s a possibility in the future,” KU senior associate athletic director Larry Keating told both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the Journal-World. “Bill (Self, KU) and Tubby (Smith, UM) have talked in the past. We’ve talked a couple times and have not been able to work it out. I’m sure at some point we’ll probably work something out, definitely not next year.”
Releford’s brother picks Alabama
Trevor Releford, the brother of Kansas University sophomore Travis Releford, on Friday night orally committed to play basketball at the University of Alabama.
Releford, 5-foot-10, from Bishop Miege in Roeland Park, chose the Crimson Tide over Oklahoma. Kansas University did not pursue Releford.
Aldrich tribute
A “Phantom of the Phog” tribute video to Cole Aldrich was played on the videoboard in the second half.
Kansas University freshman Quintrell Thomas recently nicknamed Aldrich “Phantom of the Phog” because of the sophomore center’s Phantom of the Opera-like protective facemask.
“I heard about it. I didn’t quite see it. If anybody wants to send me a copy, I’d love to see it,” Aldrich said, laughing when a media type said it’d surely be on youtube.com today.
Das boot
Aldrich has been wearing a protective boot in response to a minor lower-left-leg injury.
“It’s a little lingering in the leg, a little wear and tear on the body,” Aldrich said.
He said his mask to protect his broken nose could be discarded at any time.
“It’s day to day,” he said.
Run, fellas, run
Aldrich, on coach Bill Self making the players run at the pregame afternoon shootaround Wednesday because of lack of energy.
“Every once in a while when coach sees we are a little more comfortable he puts the pressure back on. It’s what makes him such a great coach. It’s why he’s won so many games here, the pressure he puts on guys to perform,” Aldrich said of Self making the players run “a few down and backs.”
Clock ticking again
The old Longines clock up in the center, west side rafters of the fieldhouse is working again. KU officials said they never considered taking the clock down because of historical reasons. Instead they ordered parts and had it repaired. It’d been out of order most of the season.
Hamburger game
KU signees Elijah Johnson and Thomas Robinson were not selected to play in the 2009 McDonald’s All-America game, set for April 1 in Miami. Lance Stephenson, a 6-6 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., who will visit KU this weekend, is a member of the East team with Kenny Boynton, Dominic Cheek, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Milton Jennings, Ryan Kelly, Alex Oriakhi, Peyton Siva, Dexter Strickland, Dante Taylor and Maalik Wayns.
The West team: Avery Bradley, Abdul Gaddy, Keith Gallon, Xavier Henry, John Henson, Wally Judge, Tommy Mason-Griffin, Mason Plumlee, Renardo Sidney, Michael Snaer, David Wear and Travis Wear. Judge, a 6-9 forward from Landover, Md., will attend Kansas State.
Award
Self will receive the Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award for Sports Excellence at the annual Oklahoma City University Sports Spectacular dinner and auction at 6 p.m., April 8, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in OKC.
Quips
Self on Aldrich cracking that KU had returned from what the NBA calls a West Coast swing.
“I guess Manhattan is West,” Self said of KU playing K-State on Saturday in Manhattan.
Stats, facts
KU has won 38 straight games in Allen Fieldhouse. … Brady Morningstar, who hit two of four threes, has made a league-best 47.2 percent from three. … Iowa State shot 32.1 percent in becoming the 65th consecutive team to shoot under 50 percent versus KU. … Morningstar tied a career high with four steals. … ISU is the fifth team to make 10 three-point field goals (in 26 tries) in a game against the Jayhawks, which ties the season high for an opponent. Kansas is 5-0 in all five contests.
Free-throw record
Kansas University junior Sherron Collins hit his first six free throws Monday night to break the all-time school record for consecutive free throws made.
Collins’ record streak is 35 consecutive makes — one more than Wayne Simien, who hit 34 in a row in 2004-05. Collins missed his seventh free throw of the game and finished the night 7-of-8.
“I didn’t think I was missing a free throw today. I missed one,” Collins said. “I got it now, so it’s over with. I don’t have to think about the record any more.”
He actually thought he missed out on the record.
“When I missed, I thought that was the record,” he said, not aware he’d already passed Simien with his make that upped KU’s lead to 74-61 at 1:43. His miss came with 51 seconds left.
“I’m glad I got the record, but I never really thought about it much.”
Marcus’ flurry came early
Freshman Marcus Morris scored the Jayhawks’ first eight points of the second half — in a four-minute span.
He didn’t play the rest of the half.
“I was just thinking about that just now,” Morris said of his extended stint on the bench. “Coach decided he needed to go small. I didn’t mind at all. I never even thought about it. All I cared about was winning the game.”
He finished with 13 points and six boards in 16 minutes.
Lots of KU fans in house
There appeared to be 1,000 or more KU fans in the upper deck of the arena. KU coach Bill Self looked up into the rafters after Collins hit a running jumper to close the first half, to the delight of the KU fans in attendance.
Objects tossed
The public-address announcer asked for fans to refrain from throwing objects on the court when something was tossed onto the court near the KU bench after an offensive-foul call on LaceDarius Dunn with 7:56 left and KU up, 56-52.
Stats, facts
KU is 18-4 overall and 7-0 in the league. KU last went 7-0 in 2004-05 en route to a 9-0 start. … KU leads the all-time series against Baylor, 14-1. KU has won eight in a row versus the Bears. … KU went 16-of-20 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line and has missed just five free throws in its last two games. KU shot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe in four straight games. … Brady Morningstar hit two three-pointers in the contest for his 10th game of two or more treys. He played 40 minutes.
Self gets ‘T’
Kansas University coach Bill Self was hit with a technical foul by ref John Higgins with 5:45 remaining — KU down by one — after Self waved his arms in an animated matter in the direction of the official.
Ricky Harris hit two free throws to give UMass a 55-52 advantage. However, the Minutemen did not score on the ensuing possession.
“I deserved it. Higgins warned me the first half. He said he’s had enough,” Self said. “I waved him off when I thought he made a bad call. I’ve done a lot more and not gotten one, but, you know, he warned me he was going to pop me if I did that.
“You lose a game by one and the coach gets a ‘T’ with six minutes left and he makes both free throws, coach should know better. That was for the most part a veteran crew out there. I should know better than to put our team in that situation.”
Cold and flu season
Sherron Collins was under the weather, suffering from flu-like symptoms that included vomiting. “That’s no excuse, though,” he said after scoring 19 points off 6-of-21 shooting with four assists in 38 minutes.
Inside game lacking
KU center Cole Aldrich scored 12 points (with 13 boards) off 5-of-8 shooting. He took just three shots the second half, making two.
“They sagged in, but that’s no excuse. We didn’t do a good job getting Cole the ball,” Collins said.
Aldrich definitely was the focus of UMass’ defense.
“There were opportunities I could have touched the ball, but they (teammates) see the weak-side guy sagging over, I’d be a little hesitant to throw the ball in, too, if I were a guard,” Aldrich said.
Self said: “If they are going to sag like that, you need to make some shots to get them not to do that. Also, there was total impatience. I would say our shot selection was as poor as it has been in quite some time today.”
Twin troubles
Freshman Marcus Morris had four points off 2-of-8 shooting in 17 minutes. Markieff Morris had no points in eight minutes with one rebound and two turnovers in eight minutes.
“I just think we came out real flat in the beginning. We were fighting from behind the whole game,” Marcus said.
Asked about sitting out a long stretch in favor of Conner Teahan, Marcus Morris said: “It’s what coach decided. I had to stay ready. He told me to stay ready. The run at the end of the half, he wanted me to get in. He gave me a chance to get back out there and play.”
Mohawks may go
Collins and Tyshawn Taylor sported new mohawk haircuts for the game.
“I don’t know, man. I might get rid of it,” Taylor said after missing six of seven shots and scoring three points.
Stats, facts
The loss ended KU’s home winning streak at 30 games. Apparently, regular-season games in Sprint Center on the season-ticket package count as home games. KU has won its last 29 games in Allen Fieldhouse, since a loss to Texas A&M in 2006-07. … KU trailed (36-30) at halftime for the first time all season. … KU’s 33.9 shooting percentage was its worst since 32.1 percent against K-State on Jan. 14, 2006. … KU set season lows in points (60), points in a half (30), field goals (21), field-goal percentage (33.9) and defensive rebounds (23).
29.2 — Washington’s shooting percentage (19 for 65)
50.0 — KU’s shooting percentage (26 for 56)
10 — Washington’s first-half three-point shooting percentage (1 for 10)
54.5 — Washington’s second-half three-point shooting percentage (6 for 11)
24 — Points by which KU outscored the Huskies in the paint
30 — Rebounds by Washington’s three starting forwards (of 43 total)
34 — Rebounds by all the Jayhawks
9:15 — Tipoff time for KU’s CBE title-game meeting with Syracuse
Brady dandy
Kansas University coach Bill Self credited sophomore Brady Morningstar for his work on the back line of KU’s 2-3 zone defense.
“To me, Brady was the unsung hero,” Self said, adding that Morningstar (five assists, no turnovers) also “did a great job feeding the post.”
Eight men used
Self basically used a seven-man rotation, with Quintrell Thomas netting six minutes as the eighth man.
“We stuck to seven. We’ll shorten it,” Self said of the rotation, “although it could be different guys — Travis (Releford), Conner (Teahan), whoever on a given night.”
Charging
KU was called for several charging fouls on the night.
“We’re out of control, like a runaway train,” Self said.
Sweet swat
Tyshawn Taylor had a vicious block of Isaiah Thomas on a first-half breakaway layup try.
“I was mad because I just turned it over. I took my anger out on the ball,” Taylor said with a smile.
KU vs. Cuse
KU will face Syracuse and standout guard Jonny Flynn tonight. Game time is 9:15 p.m., or 30 minutes after the 6:45 p.m. game between Florida and Washington.
“People say they have the best guard in the country. I’m not arguing that. I think our guy (Sherron Collins) is pretty good, too,” Self said.
It’s a rematch of the 2003 NCAA final, which Syracuse won.
“I’ll mention something to our team about that, but they were in seventh or eighth grade at the time,” Self said, indicating, “this will be a great early-season game for both of us.”
Awards
KU athletic director Lew Perkins at halftime was presented the first Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Civic Giant Award. The award goes to “a leader who has been a good friend to Kansas City and who has made a lasting and healthy difference in our community at large.”
Also, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Werner Ladder presented KU coach Self a pair of ladders in honor of KU’s 2008 NCAA title. One ladder, used to cut down the championship nets in San Antonio, was given to Self. A second ladder was signed by Self and will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to Self’s Assists Foundation.
