Brannen Greene’s jumper returns to form after hip injury

By Staff     Nov 14, 2015

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Kansas guard Brannen Greene (14) and Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr., left, celebrate a three by Greene during the second half, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**No. 1 — Brannen Greene:** The reserve junior guard reminded everyone at Allen Fieldhouse just how lethal a 3-point shooter he can be. Although a nagging hip injury, which would require offseason surgery, made his jumper largely ineffective last last season, it appeared perfectly fine in KU’s season-opening rout of Northern Colorado. Greene drained all 5 of his 3-pointers, finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor with a drive and jam — of course that was set up by a pump fake from behind the 3-point line — and led Kansas with 18 points off the bench.

**No. 2 — Wayne Selden Jr.:** Bill Self only needed 23 minutes out of his starting wing, and Selden added to KU’s 3-point barrage with a 3-for-6 showing from deep. Finished with 15 points and, more importantly, dished 4 assists and spent a little short amount of time late in the second half as KU’s point guard.

**No. 3 — Frank Mason III:** A little bit of foul trouble in the first half meant a slow start for the junior point guard, but Mason proved too quick for the Bears in his 23 minutes. Mason nailed all three of his 3-point tries on the way to 11 points, and passed out 9 assists with 2 turnovers.

**No. 4 — Devonté Graham:** Making his first career start at Kansas, the sophomore point guard was the only Jayhawk who didn’t shoot the ball great (3-for-11), but he still made the offense flow, distributed 8 assists with 1 turnover, knocked down 2 of 6 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Graham’s 3 steals showed KU might be able to consistently create some takeaways on the perimeter to set up fast breaks.

**No. 5 — Perry Ellis:** The senior forward did what KU needs him to do offensively, putting up 16 points in 20 minutes. But Ellis only had 2 rebounds in the romp.

**No. 6 — Jamari Traylor:** Getting the start alongside Ellis inside, Traylor tied for the team lead with 7 rebounds, didn’t force the issue on offense and finished with 8 points (2-for-3 field goals, 4-for-4 free throws) and 3 assists, without committing a turnover.

**No. 7 — Hunter Mickelson:** Although the senior big was the fifth post player to see the floor, Mickelson blocked 3 shots and grabbed 7 rebounds in just 13 minutes, to go with his 2 points.

**No. 8 — Carlton Bragg:** Playing in his first collegiate game, the freshman big man made 3 turnovers and upset his coach a couple times with mistakes but looked comfortable at other times, finishing with 7 points and 3 rebounds.

**No. 9 — Svi Mykhailiuk:** With Greene scorching the nets, KU’s other reserve 3-point shooter took a back seat. Mykhailiuk made 1 of 2 from downtown, scored 5 points and showed flashes of improved defense, including around the rim when sliding over to help.

**No. 10 — Landen Lucas:** Only played 9 minutes, likely due to some nagging bumps and bruises, but scored 8 points and secured 3 rebounds.

**No. 11 — Lagerald Vick:** The freshman guard didn’t appear in the game until the second half. Scored 3 points, with his lone field goal coming on a high-flying jam.

SEASON STANDINGS
———–

Brannen Greene — 11

Wayne Selden Jr. — 10

Frank Mason III — 9

Devonté Graham — 8

Perry Ellis — 7

Jamari Traylor — 6

Hunter Mickelson — 5

Carlton Bragg — 4

Svi Mykhailiuk — 3

Landen Lucas — 2

Lagerald Vick — 1

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