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ESPN VIDEO: Andy Katz 3 pt shot Weekly Awards: Kansas is team of the week
Bill Self knows which player to call on when Kansas University’s basketball team desperately needs a basket.
“I’d turn to Perry. I’d put the ball in Perry’s hands in some way, shape or form and say, ‘Hey go do it,’’’ Self said, asked on this week’s ESPN/Andy Katz podcast which Jayhawk he’d most likely rely on if a bucket is needed during crunch time.
“Perry can make a face-up jumper and he can also drive the ball. That’s a pretty good combination to have late-game,” Self added.
LJW
Alexander already has shown strides, but with all the practice time coming up, he seems primed to make even louder contributions.
“His passing has improved dramatically,” Self said. “His rebounding outside the area has improved dramatically. He’s getting a better understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively and defensively, whereas early on he was just out there. Now he’s actually out there with a purpose. So I’ve been really pleased with him.”
But the 6-foot-8 freshman from Chicago did not arrive as a polished low-post scorer. He has a long way to go and the right attitude to get there.
“Cliff is as coachable as anybody we’ve had here,” Self said.
LJW
The Jayhawks are 8-1, have won seven straight, and the non-conference schedule softens considerably from here on out. If KU can notch a victory against Temple in Philly on Dec. 22 — and barring a home flop — the Jayhawks should be in good shape to finish the non-conference season with a 12-1 record — which, frankly, few saw coming after the Kentucky debacle.
And yet, it’s still Redefine Time in Lawrence as Self searches for ways to bolster an offense that, through nine games at least, has been like no offense he’s had at Kansas.
So what’s the answer? One remedy that seems simple — but is slightly more complicated: The Jayhawks need to shoot more threes. After making six of 11 from three-point range against Utah, Kansas is now shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range on the year, which ranks 68th in the country. Before the season, Self said this would be a better outside shooting team, and for now, that prediction is holding up. The percentage could dip, of course, but the last time Kansas shot better than 37 percent from three? 2011 (38.2 percent).
KC Star
12/15/14
Temple went 6-4 through its first 10 + will have all hands on deck moving fwd. Both Jesse Morgan + Devin Coleman eligible starting Thursday.
@JonRothstein
…Keep in mind Kansas has three extremely talented freshmen who are not having a huge impact right now. But they will. On Saturday, freshman forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who has been buried on Bill Self’s bench, made a couple of timely buckets to help the Jayhawks’ stave off Utah in Kansas City. Of all the teams currently ranked in the top 25, the Jayhawks have the most room to improve.
SI Seth Davis
It turns out that Frankamp did the smart thing if he knew he was going to transfer ... and instead the issue here is some inaccurate reporting.
According to David Reed — KU's assistant athletic director for compliance — once a player steps on the court to play for a team one season, he cannot get that year of eligibility back.
In this case, after playing limited minutes for Duke this year, Ojeleye has burned his sophomore year. After sitting out the next season, the Ottawa native can return second semester next year, but he will do so as a junior with just 1 1/2 years remaining.
There are only three ways to avoid losing the full year, Reed said: 1. Transferring down to Division II or lower; 2. Qualifying as a graduate transfer (like KU's Tarik Black was last season); 3. Getting a special NCAA waiver for a family hardship, which would make a player eligible at the beginning of next season.
None of these three circumstances are likely to affect Ojeleye, meaning his new school will be signing up for 1 1/2 years of a former top recruit.
TCJ
The Kansas and Missouri men’s basketball teams have already expressed interest in Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye, according to his former AAU coach.
Ojeleye, a sophomore forward from Ottawa, Kan., was granted a full release from his basketball scholarship Sunday. As a former highly-touted recruit, and the leading scorer in Kansas high school history, Ojeleye received heavy interest from college basketball coaches Monday.
Matt Suther, Ojeleye’s AAU basketball coach with MoKan Elite, said his phone was ringing all day.
“Too many to count,” Suther said when asked how many schools had contacted him and Ojeleye. “Hearing from a ton of schools all over the country.”
KC Star
NBC Sports: New Year’s Resolutions - Kansas Jayhawks
The Oregonian image
So understand then why it was such a special moment Wednesday at the Moda Center, when Robinson was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter.
The place roared.
It was Robinson's first career start, and he did not disappoint: 15 points, 16 rebounds, one block and a boat load of energy.
Ever since Robinson has donned the red and black, this place has fallen in love with him. At The Oregonian, we know: Any time Robinson is in a headline or mentioned heavily in the story, the hits are off the charts. He's the LeBron James of Portland.
And when he gets in a game, and produces? It creates scenes like Monday, when an otherwise sleepy game had its signature moment: The standing ovation and outpouring of appreciation for Robinson's effort.
What did it mean to him to hear the ovation?
"That they understand the situation,'' Robinson said. "They understand how hard I worked for it, and that they love me. And I love them back. That's exactly why I will make sure I give 100 percent.''
…It helped too that his closest friends in the NBA - the Morris twins in Phoenix - counseled him in the offseason. Both Markieff and Marcus Morris played with Robinson at Kansas, but when they saw Robinson in the summer after his rookie season, they could see something was amiss.
"They knew I was off track,'' Robinson said. "They kept telling me to turn it around, that I was a lot better than I was showing. So people close to me stayed on me. I worked out with them in the summer. And they told me, they know how good I am, and others know how good I am, that it was time for me to show it.''
Monday was certainly a start. With his 15 points and 16 rebounds, Robinson became the third Blazers player in franchise history to record 15 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in his first career start. The other two: Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas. Both of their numbers are in the rafters.
But while Robinson soaked in the attention after the game, he was careful to temper any notion that he had arrived. He has been through too much, seen too much, to know that he is out of the hole.
"I will be back though,'' Robinson said. "Once I get a chance, I'm going to shake this league up.''
The Oregonian
“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Big 12 / College News
You’d think that if a coach builds a Final Four-caliber program at a midmajor that he wouldn’t have to worry about putting fannies in the seats. Yet, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall felt compelled to write an open letter in the Wichita Eagle asking students to come to the games. Hopefully it won’t take Marshall leaving for another job to make those students appreciate what they have.
SI Seth Davis
Iowa State is 8-1 and will add Jameel McKay beginning Saturday vs. Drake. Shot blocking big man should step right into starting lineup.
@JonRothstein
Texas sophomore guard Demarcus Croaker will transfer, source told ESPN. That brings the Mid-Season transfer list to 50 already.
@GoodmanESPN
SI Seth Davis
Iowa State is 8-1 and will add Jameel McKay beginning Saturday vs. Drake. Shot blocking big man should step right into starting lineup.
@JonRothstein
Texas sophomore guard Demarcus Croaker will transfer, source told ESPN. That brings the Mid-Season transfer list to 50 already.
@GoodmanESPN
Could Louisville basketball players be worth over $1 million? Should the NCAA be backing up a dump truck filled $1.5 million to Montrezl Harrell's dorm room?
A study by Business Insider says this isn't as crazy as you would think.
Here's how they came to their conclusion on the worth of college basketball players:
We calculated the Fair Market Value of college basketball players for the 20 men's basketball programs with the most annual revenue. Using the NBA's most recent collective bargaining agreement in which the players receive a minimum of 49% of all revenue, each program's revenue was split between the school (51%) and the athletes (49%) with the players' share split evenly among the 13 scholarship players.
All of that resulted in this chart, which outlines the worth of each of the top 20 college basketball programs with the most annual revenue:
Link
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Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results
Recruiting
Check out one of the top players in the class of 2015, Stephen Zimmerman,
with the two best dunks of day 1 of Tarkanian Classic.
with the two best dunks of day 1 of Tarkanian Classic.
In Marcus LoVett’s first interview after moving from California to Morgan Park he said that “staying in the state of Illinois” would be a desirable option for college.
The Illini offered LoVett a scholarship in late October. According to a source in the LoVett camp the recruitment is currently down to Illinois and Kansas, with Illinois as the leader.
Most observers expected LoVett’s recruitment to drag out until the spring. That may no longer be the case. Word is LoVett has been impressed with how hard Illinois has been recruiting him and he may make his decision soon.
Chicago Sun-Times HS site
A Who’s Who of college basketball blue bloods is passing through Las Vegas to see Centennial High point guard Troy Brown…
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend watched Brown go for 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal Tuesday night.
“Pitino said he has two scholarships in that class and Troy can have both of them,” Anthony Brown, director of the Las Vegas Prospects AAU program, told SNY.tv after the game.
Kentucky assistant Barry “Slice” Rohrssen saw Brown on Monday.
“I mean, [shoot] who hasn’t been out?” Anthony Brown said.
“Coach K came out from Duke. Arizona’s been out. He’s had the heavy hitters come out to see him.”
Zags Blog
Rabb isn't nearly as polished as Simmons at this point, but he might have even more upside. At 6'11, 210 pounds, Rabb is a pogo stick big man who has been able to get by on his height and athleticism his entire life. That isn't to say he's unskilled, though. Far from it. With Montverde sending double- and triple-team defenses at Rabb the entire night, he showcased good vision and passing ability out of the post.
Link
City of Palms Classic Preview
Recruiting Calendar
My Late Night in the Phog videos, 60 Years of AFH Celebration videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Final Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more, now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk
The Illini offered LoVett a scholarship in late October. According to a source in the LoVett camp the recruitment is currently down to Illinois and Kansas, with Illinois as the leader.
Most observers expected LoVett’s recruitment to drag out until the spring. That may no longer be the case. Word is LoVett has been impressed with how hard Illinois has been recruiting him and he may make his decision soon.
Chicago Sun-Times HS site
A Who’s Who of college basketball blue bloods is passing through Las Vegas to see Centennial High point guard Troy Brown…
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend watched Brown go for 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal Tuesday night.
“Pitino said he has two scholarships in that class and Troy can have both of them,” Anthony Brown, director of the Las Vegas Prospects AAU program, told SNY.tv after the game.
Kentucky assistant Barry “Slice” Rohrssen saw Brown on Monday.
“I mean, [shoot] who hasn’t been out?” Anthony Brown said.
“Coach K came out from Duke. Arizona’s been out. He’s had the heavy hitters come out to see him.”
Zags Blog
Rabb isn't nearly as polished as Simmons at this point, but he might have even more upside. At 6'11, 210 pounds, Rabb is a pogo stick big man who has been able to get by on his height and athleticism his entire life. That isn't to say he's unskilled, though. Far from it. With Montverde sending double- and triple-team defenses at Rabb the entire night, he showcased good vision and passing ability out of the post.
Link
City of Palms Classic Preview
Recruiting Calendar
My Late Night in the Phog videos, 60 Years of AFH Celebration videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Final Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more, now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk
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