On Tuesday the 17th, KU faced off against the Memphis Tigers. This game turned out to be a very close one. Kansas led nearly the whole game, but in the last few minutes the Tigers made a strong attempt at stealing the game. The Jayhawks ended up winning 57 – 55, with Cole Aldrich leading the way to victory with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. When watching this game, it did not feel as if it was the #1 ranked team facing an unranked opponent. Both teams played a little sloppy and you could tell it was early in the season, but KU defiantly had some great offensive possessions. (Check out the highlights of this game on my videos page)

After surviving the game against the Tigers, Kansas played Central Arkansas on Thursday the 19th. This game was a night and day difference from the match-up against Memphis. The Jayhawks went on a 23 – 0 run in the first half, which led to a half time score of 37 – 15. Kansas had 13 players play in this game and 11 of these players scored, that is the definition of team basketball. This game was a great confidence builder after the tough game against the Tigers. The Jayhawks ended up winning by 50 points with the final score of 94 – 44.

The next game is against Oakland on Wednesday the 25th in Lawrence.

Sources

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/kan-m-baskbl-body.html

Season Predictions

This year should be a really good one for Bill Self and company. Many analysts are already predicting Kansas to win the Big XII championship and the NCAA tournament! It is definitely too early for those type of predictions, but it is hard to argue with the talented KU squad.

My prediction for the regular season is that Kansas will end with 3 or 4 loses and be crowned Big XII regular season champions. Although it is way too early in the season to tell, just for fun here are my final four predictions:  Kansas, Michigan State, Texas, Kentucky.

Sources

www.espn.com

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/kan-m-baskbl-body.html

Another Kansas Jayhawks basketball season is around the corner, with the start of exhibition games this week. The Jayhawks played the Fort Hays State Tigers on November 3. Kansas won with a score of  107 – 68. It was the first start for freshman Xavier Henry, who put up 14 points. The leading scorer was Sherron Collins with 19 points. Also, Cole Aldrich had a double-double. This was the Jayhawks first of two exhibition games.

On Tuesday, November 10, Kansas will face off against the Pittsburgh State Gorillas in the final exhibition game. After this exhibition game, KU will begin the regular season against the Hofstra Pride. The regular season begins only one week from today and soon enough it will be March Madness once again!

Sources

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/kan-m-baskbl-body.html

Sherron Collins and Mario Little dance routine

The night begins with the women’s team scrimmage. Then there are generally some skits done by the men’s team. This year they were pretty entertaining and ended with seniors Mario Little and Sherron Collins busting a move to Michael Jackson. (I posted some footage of these skits on the video page) After the fun skits, the KU men’s team takes the floor and warms up with a dunk contest. This year there were some athletic throw downs as well as powerful jams.  The final event is a scrimmage for the men’s team. They split the team into two squads, the red squad and the blue squad. This year Sherron Collins led the blue squad to a 42 – 39 victory. Both Travis Releford and Markieff Morris had great performances each scoring 15 points. This is truly a fantastic way to start a season both for the team and the fans.

On another note, the preseason rankings are now posted. Who’s on top? Your Kansas Jayhawks are once again ranked #1 going into the season. This is the second time this has happened under Bill Self. It should be an exciting season for the Jayhawks with the standards set this high and it is only preseason.

Sources

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101609aaa.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

During the off-season, Kansas also made some additions to the team. The Jayhawks were able to recruit three top ranked incoming freshman players. Thomas Robinson, ranked 9th for incoming power forwards, is a 6’9″ player out of Washington, D.C. Kansas also picked up the 7th ranked shooting guard, Elijah Johnson, from Las Vegas, NV. The best addition to the roster is the 6’6″ 2nd ranked shooting guard Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City, OK. I would predict that all of these freshman will receive some playing time this season (especially Xavier Henry). The playing time may come at the end of a blowout game, but it will still give these young players some experience. These blue chip prospects will definitely add value to the Kansas team and who knows we may see them leading the way in a few years.

Sources

http://www2.kusports.com/mens_basketball/roster/2009_10/

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&yr=2009&cfg=bb

http://www.kuathletics.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/kan/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/ddd

Bill Self after winning NCAA Championship in 2008

Bill Self was born in Okmulgee, OK on December 27, 1962. Bill grew up in Edmund, OK and went to college at Oklahoma State University (OSU). At OSU, Bill Self played for years of basketball and earned a degree in business. Self went on to achieve a masters  in athletic administration.

Ironically enough, Bill Self began his coaching career at Kansas in 1985 as an assistant coach to Larry Brown. From 1986 – 1993, Self was an assistant coach for Oklahoma State University. Bill was given the opportunity to become a head coach at Oral Roberts after the school suffered one of their most miserable seasons. Coach Self quickly turned the program around in four short seasons for Oral Roberts. Then, Bill Self was hired by Tulsa because they were in a similar situation. Bill was able to turn Tulsa around in a similar fashion and lead Tulsa to two NCAA tournament appearances. The University of Illinois hired Bill Self in 2001, where Bill inherited a fairly talented team. In his first season as Illinois coach they made it to the Elite eight and lost to Arizona. Coach Self had a successful career at Illinois, but he pounced on the opportunity to accept his “dream job” at the University of Kansas in 2003. While coaching KU, Bill Self has an astonishing record of 169 – 40 ( that is .809 record!). In the six seasons Bill has coached the Jayhawks to five regular season conference champions and a NCAA title in 2008. In fact, in 2008 Bill Self became the second highest paid coach  in the NCAA by resigning with KU. Bill signed a 10 year/ $30 million contract, that is $3 million annually! Bill Self has been a great addition to the list of successful Kansas coaches.

Additional Accomplishments

• Overall coaching record: 376 – 145 (.722)
• WAC Coach of the Year (2000)
• Big XII Coach of the Year (2006, 2009)
• AP Coach of the Year (2009)
• Henry Iba Award (2009)

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Self

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/self_bill00.html

In 2008-09 basketball season, the Kansas Jayhawks had a decent post season performance given the young presence of the team. In the Big XII tournament, Kansas shockingly lost their first game to Baylor. In the NCAA tournament the Jayhawks performed much better then the conference tournament. KU rolled past their first two opponents and made it to the sweet sixteen. In the sweet sixteen, they matched up with Michigan State (MSU). Kansas had already lost to MSU in the regular season, so this was their chance to retaliate and get a win. Unfortunately, Michigan State came out on top again winning with a score of 67-62.

During the entire season, there was continuous improvement by each individual member of the Jayhawks team. The star performers of the season were clearly Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. Collins was expected to step up and become the vocal leader of the team on and off the court as one of the few juniors on the team. Aldrich became a go to player as the season continued and his skills improved. There is a lot of potential for him in the upcoming season. Kansas also had many players that performed well and were able to fill some of the scoring and defensive roles of the team. These players include Tyshawn Taylor, Tyrel Reed, Conner Teahan, and Marcus Morris. All of these players were younger athletes and really stepped up when they were called on to perform. Overall, the Kansas Jayhawks had a successful season with a young and fresh team. The Jayhawks really have some potential in the 2009-10 season after the experience gained by these talented young players.

2008-09 Schedule/Results

Sources

http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2008-2009/teamstat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008-09_Kansas_Jayhawks_men%27s_basketball_team

KU Championship Banners

Over the years, the Kansas Jayhawks have won five National Championships. The first three titles were under the coaching of Dr. Forrest “Phog” Allen. The Jayhawks won back to back Helm’s Championships (National Championships) in 1922 and 1923. Then “Phog” Allen coached KU to a victory against St. Johns in 1952 to bring home another National Championship. Thirty-six years later, under the coaching of Larry Brown the Jayhawks won a fourth championship. In the 1988 tournament the Jayhawks faced off against the Oklahoma Sooners. KU’s Danny Manning helped lead the way to a victory against Oklahoma with a final score of 83 – 79. Exactly twenty years later, the Kansas Jayhawks won their fifth National Championship in an epic basketball game against the Memphis Tigers. Bill Self was the coach that assisted Kansas to their 2008 championship. It was Mario Chalmers that stepped up in a huge way and hit an incredible shot over the Tigers defense to take the game into overtime. (The miracle shot by Chalmers is posted in my videos section, if you want to see the shot for yourself.) In overtime, the Jayhawks prevailed with a final score of 75 – 68. Please come back next week where I will recap the 2008-2009 season.

Mario Chalmers SI Cover

SIDE NOTE

The KU basketball team and the football team have reportedly had a few fights with in the past week. The Jayhawks guard Tyshawn Taylor injured his thumb during the scuffle and could be out for a month. This could be an interesting year in Lawrence,KS! Here is the link to ESPN for the full story: Kansas University Fight.

Below, I have chosen just a few of the quality players that have played for the Kansas Jayhawks. All of these players had success at KU; whether it be winning championships, breaking records, receiving rewards, or playing great team basketball. Majority of these players continued their careers playing in the NBA and/or became coaches of the game of basketball.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain was one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, college and professional. While playing for the Jayhawks, Wilt averaged 30 points per game! In the 1957 championship game, North Carolina needed to place three players on Chamberlain in order to defend his amazing offensive skills. (North Carolina eventually won this championship in the third overtime period, but only by one point.) After this defeat, Chamberlain decided to move on and leave college early. He only played for the Jayhawks from 1955 to 1958 and then went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters for a year. Then he was drafted to the NBA in 1959 by the Philadelphia Warriors and became one of the highest paid players in the league. One of Wilt’s most amazing accomplishments is scoring 100 points in a single game against the New York Nicks in 1962.
Danny Manning

Danny Manning was a part of the team that led the Kansas Jayhawks to their 1988 NCAA championship when KU was only a six seed in the tournament. Manning is the all-time leader in scoring and rebounding at the University of Kansas. In 1988, Danny Manning won many awards including the college player of the year. This was the same year that he was drafted into the NBA and was the overall number one pick. In the NBA, he played for many teams from 1988 to 2003. The majority of his NBA career was with the L.A. Clippers.

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce was a phenomenal player under the coaching of Roy Williams. Pierce was a top performer for the Jayhawks even as a freshmen. He won back-to-back Big 12 Conference Championship MVP awards as well as being named an All-American his junior year. Paul Pierce left KU after his junior year to pursue his NBA dreams. In 1998, Pierce was drafted as the 10th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. He has gone on to be extremely successful in his NBA career. Paul Pierce has won an NBA Championship and was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Mario Chalmers

I know what your thinking, he just left the Jayhawks. Mario Chalmers created history for the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 NCAA Championship. The Kansas Jayhawks won the national title that year thanks to an amazing shot by this amazing guard. (I posted the footage in my video section) After winning the national title, “Super” Mario Chalmers proceeded to pursue his NBA career. He was drafted 34th overall in the 2008 NBA draft. Chalmers now plays for the Miami Heat.

These are just a few of the quality players the Kansas Jayhawks have had on historical teams. The list would go on forever if I named all of the KU greats, so I will allow you to do your own research on additional Kansas players. Here are a few players that might interest you in your research: Raef Lafrentz, Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard, and Drew Gooden. I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog, and come back next week for the topic of National Championships.

Sources

www.paulpierce.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Jayhawks_men%27s_basketball

In 1899, Dr. Naismith began the basketball program in Kansas University. He coached the ‘Hawks till 1907, when Dr. James Naismith handed over the job to another doctor. That doctor was Dr. Forrest “Phog” Allen. Under the supreme coaching of Dr. Allen the Jayhawks emerged as a very respectable basketball program. “Phog” Allen became the most winningest coach for the university with 590 wins and only 219 losses in his 39 seasons of coaching. The Kansas Jayhawks now play in a venue named after this historic coach, the Phog Allen Fieldhouse. In more recent years, the Jayhawks have continued to have the highest quality of head coaches. Larry Brown was a coach for a brief era and then continued his career coaching in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Roy Williams and Bill Self have been the most recent coaches of the program. Roy Williams had a successful career at Kansas from 1989 to 2002, at which point he choose to take the position coaching the University of North Carolina basketball program (another prestigious program). Bill Self is the current coach of the Jayhawks and has already earned the university a national title in 2008.

The Kansas Jayhawks have had many successful seasons since first competing in 1899. Over the years the university has earned various records, championships, and honors for their competition in basketball. Kansas has won five National Championships (1922, 1923, 1952, 1988, and 2008) and have appeared in the Final Four 13 times since the beginning of the tournament. The Jayhawks have received the title of Conference Tournament Champions twenty-three times. The most impressive record held by Kansas  University is that they are tied for first for the most wins in a single season at 37 wins.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog and will return for next weeks topic of the history of KU players!

"The History of the Jayhawk" -Image courtesy of sportsmemrobilia.com

Sources

http://www.rockchalk.com/history.sht

http://www.kusports.com/basketball/history/history_index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Jayhawks_men%27s_basketball

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