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After playing just three minutes, missing his only shot and grabbing just one rebound during Monday night’s 20-point Kansas win over UAB, junior forward Dwight Coleby was not quite sure what to tell his father.
No, it’s not that Dwight Sr. is hard on his son after bad games. Instead, the younger Coleby was disappointed that his father came all the way from Nassau, Bahamas to watch his son turn in that kind of night.
“I didn’t really know what to expect (with) him coming here to watch me play and I wasn’t playing that much,” Coleby said.
Good thing the CBE Classic was a two-game tournament.
After being a non-factor in KU’s first win at Sprint Center, Coleby was what KU coach Bill Self called “by far” the team’s best big man during Tuesday’s 65-54 victory over Georgia in the championship game, earning Coleby praise from his teammates, coaches and the KU fans and his giving his father a big smile.
“I know he was happy,” said Coleby, unable to erase the grin from his face. “I finally had a game where I played that much.... It was great.”
No, it’s not that Dwight Sr. is hard on his son after bad games. Instead, the younger Coleby was disappointed that his father came all the way from Nassau, Bahamas to watch his son turn in that kind of night.
“I didn’t really know what to expect (with) him coming here to watch me play and I wasn’t playing that much,” Coleby said.
Good thing the CBE Classic was a two-game tournament.
After being a non-factor in KU’s first win at Sprint Center, Coleby was what KU coach Bill Self called “by far” the team’s best big man during Tuesday’s 65-54 victory over Georgia in the championship game, earning Coleby praise from his teammates, coaches and the KU fans and his giving his father a big smile.
“I know he was happy,” said Coleby, unable to erase the grin from his face. “I finally had a game where I played that much.... It was great.”
LJW image
…“You think about it; he got four blocks, but he gets two points and four rebounds and every time he checked out of the game, the fans all cheered for him," Self said. "What other bigs did they cheer for when they checked out of the game? And it’s all because he tried. He played with energy and that kind of stuff. I don’t think it’s that hard to please our fans if you give great effort and play intelligently and he did what he could tonight.”
LJW
LJW
It only takes one team — one gimmicky style, one bad matchup — to end a run in the most unforgiving tournament, and Kansas fans don’t need to be reminded of examples where talented teams have stumbled with a fatal flaw.
Knowing this makes Kansas guard Josh Jackson’s performance during his team’s two-game run at the CBE Classic all the more encouraging, especially when giving a quick peek towards March.
Jackson, in earning Tournament MVP honors, showed he can do many things well. And even more importantly, he gave KU coach Bill Self an ability to quickly shift his lineup and offense to counteract a few scenarios that have ended KU’s NCAA runs in the past.
kuhoops.com
Georgia was taking to the mighty Jayhawks early on. The Bulldogs shot out to an 8-2 lead and were still ahead 12-9 heading into the 13-minute mark. But that’s when they started to lose a handle on the ball. Three consecutive turnovers led to six unanswered points for KU. Maten would keep the Bulldogs close for a while as the teams exchanged leads over the next six minutes. But the Jayhawks ended the half on a 13-5 run to take a 35-25 lead into the locker room.
…Georgia’s biggest undoing in the game was its inability to knock down 3-point shots. The Bulldogs had some good looks, too. But they were 0-8 at the half, with usual sharp-shooter Frazier missing all three of his attempts behind the line. Maten finally hit one in the second half, which left the Bulldogs at 1-for-14 with 10 minutes still to play in the game.
…Former UGA and current Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley was in attendance for the second straight night.
Dawg Nation
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“Maten’s really good. I mean, he’s a really good player,” Self said. “But we’re going to go up against some other guys that are really good players too, and to have one post guy get 30 and (13) on your guys that don’t scratch, I mean, we can’t win that way.”
TCJ
For the first 29 minutes of the game, KU bigs Landen Lucas, Carlton Bragg, Udoka Azubuike and Dwight Coleby had played a combined 36 minutes without a point. Not only that, to that point they had totaled more personal fouls (10) than rebounds (seven, four from Dwight Coleby).
Tournament MVP Josh Jackson and all-tourney selection Mason did a nice job of compensating for the absence of bigs by doing some of their dirty work for them. One of Mason’s more impressive contributions came with Kansas up 16 points more than midway through the second half. He raced to the block and soared to deflect a post pass, chased down the ball in the corner before it went out of bounds and managed to keep balance well enough to arc an on-target pass to Graham in the frontcourt.
…“Frank’s got a lot of heart,” Jackson said. “His ability for a guy his size, I’ve never seen a guy be able to finish as well as he has.”
LJW Keegan
Mason, Jackson and Graham combined to score 48 of KU’s 65 points on 18-of-39 shooting from the floor. That same trio scored all but two of KU’s 35 first-half points on 12-of-24 shooting from the floor.
After the final horn sounded, KU’s top guns were honored by the Sprint Center public address announcer for earning three of the five spots on the CBE Classic all-tournament team.
…Jackson was named the tournament’s MVP, though you’d never know it from his slow stroll and humble smile.
“So much fun,” said Jackson, when asked what playing with Graham and Mason had been like thus far. “They make the game so much easier. I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I’m able to take plays off because I know those guys, I trust ’em so much to score.”
…Both teams spent good portions of the game playing zone defenses, as foul trouble again plagued the Jayhawks in the first half.
“For pride, we’d probably rather play man,” Jackson admitted. “But to win the game, we had to go zone and it worked.”
Added Mason of KU’s 2-3 zone: “It worked pretty well for us. Hopefully we don’t have to play zone again. We take pride in our man-to-man.”
LJW
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A staunch believer in man-to-man defense, Bill Self didn’t want to use a 2-3 zone during a majority of Tuesday night’s CBE Hall of Fame Classic championship game against Georgia at the Sprint Center.
“We’ve practiced it five minutes the whole year, maybe 10,” said Self, Kansas’ 14th-year coach, after the No. 5-ranked Jayhawks’ 65-54 victory over the Bulldogs in front of 12,147 fans who could see clearly why Self called for about 30 minutes of zone.
“If you can’t guard their bigs, can’t rebound out of a man … we had to try to do something to keep the ball out of No. 1’s hands. We had to try to do something,” Self said.
…Georgia coach Mark Fox is well aware that KU rarely implements a zone defense.
“He’s smart,” Fox said of KU coach Self. “We were able to score against their man and draw fouls. He’s a smart coach, one of the all-time best. Their zone was effective.”
Of the game, Fox said: “You’ve got to make shots to win. We didn’t shoot very well (31.7 percent to KU’s 38.7). I give Kansas’ defense credit for that. We had our chances, we just didn’t seize the moment. We thought we could win the game. We’re disappointed we didn’t win the game.”
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“That’s what we signed up for. We’re excited for every game, every trip,’’ Mason said. “Coach, he knows what he’s doing. We trust in him. I think he wants to keep me out there for as long as he can. He obviously had to keep me out there (against Georgia) and it worked out pretty well.’’
Will such minutes for Mason and backcourt mate Devonte’ Graham be necessary over the long haul?
“That hasn’t been our intent going into the season at all,’’ Self said.
If the trend continues, and ineffective play in the post requires the Jayhawks to play four guards, more zone may be in order to prevent fouls and defend the middle.
That frustrates Self obviously.
Enough that it’s a safe bet big men get the message and step up.
TCJ
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One day after the holiday, Kansas will play host to UNC-Asheville at 7 p.m. Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The game will mark KU’s sixth game in 15 days to open the 2016-17 season, a stretch that included long trips to Hawaii and New York City. KU then will get three days off before returning to the court Nov. 29 against Long Beach State.
…Tickets for the CBE Classic title game were still available all the way up to tip-off and were available for what many would consider a bargain price.
Seats in the upper deck were available for as low as $29 and messages on Twitter throughout the day Tuesday indicated that the ticket broker service was offering a two-for-one promotion for Tuesday’s games.
Official attendance for KU’s win over Georgia was listed at 12,147. Sprint Center’s basketball capacity is listed at 18,972.
ESPN play-by-play man Bob Wischusen had the call for KU’s CBE games this week and his voice is one which KU fans should soon be familiar.
Wischusen, a longtime New York-based broadcaster, is taking over Big 12 play-by-play duties from Brent Musburger and will team with Fran Fraschilla to call ESPN’s Big Monday and Saturday Big 12 games throughout the season.
LJW
Kansas is my pick to win the national title this year. That would not be the case without Jackson. He is the player that can lock everything into place to give Bill Self a second national championship.
…”I think I bring a little bit toughness to this team, along with Frank and Devonte'," Jackson said. Those are two of the toughest guards in the country. ... I think I'm a really good defender, and I think our team identity this year is going to be toughness and defense."
On the other side of the floor, Jackson's showing fairly quickly that his jump shot is better than advertised. He's shooting 62.5 percent from 2-point range so far, and those buckets aren't all from within four feet. From 3, Jackson's just 3-of-9 on the season, but let's remember that Mason, Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk will take the load on treys for KU this season. If you watched the Duke game, and especially the UAB game, you saw Jackson create shots, hit casually from 15 feet and show good ball control against capable defenders.
…The Indiana game was a lackluster debut for Jackson (nine points, four fouls, 3-of-11 shooting), but his energy, effort, athleticism and drive since then has pushed him into the top five or so of the most vital and impressive freshmen so far this season.
CBS Matt Norlander
Count 'em!
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 22, 2016
Make that 1,000 career rebounds for @colea45 after last night's game. #PowerOfThePack pic.twitter.com/NeHzoNFxmN
Though the per 36-minute statistic is speculative and doesn't include factors such as fatigue and on-court competition level, Embiid's 29.8 points is fourth in the NBA when compared to players with more than 200 minutes played, trailing only Russell Westbrook (32.7), DeMar DeRozan (30.2) and Anthony Davis (30.1).
In fact, in the past 20 NBA seasons, the only players who have averaged 29 or more points per 36 minutes using the same criteria are: Stephen Curry (31.7 points; 2015-16 season), Westbrook (29.5 points; 2014-15 season), Kevin Durant (29.9 points; 2013-14 season), Kobe Bryant (31.1 points; 2005-06 season) and Tracy McGrady (29.3 points; 2002-03 season).
Let's be clear: There is a lot that has to go right for Embiid to continue to produce at such an elite level throughout his entire rookie campaign. Players — especially rookies — often hit a wall as they go through the trials and tribulations of an 82-game season.
But 10 games in, we have no choice but to Trust the Process.
USA Today
After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat on Monday night, Hassan Whiteside was asked by the media about how he rarely has nights off against centers around the league, and how it seems like centers are up and coming.
He was also asked about how some people are critical of centers nowadays, and how centers are under a lot of scrutiny for being a “dying position.”
“I don’t know who [the critics] are. They don’t watch basketball if they think it’s not centers. I don’t have a day off at the center position,” Hassan said after his tough battle with Embiid.
Whiteside closed monday night’s game with a career-high 32 points, but failed to lead the Heat to a win. Embiid had 22 points and 5 rebounds.
On top of talking about the misinformed critics of the center position, he talked about a conversation he and Embiid had at the end of the game.
“Last ten seconds of the game he was just talking about bonging back the center position, you know, how many great centers it is, how well I was playing. I agree totally with him. It’s so many great centers.”
Whiteside and Embiid aren’t wrong. They are players on different ends of the center spectrum. One of them works well all over the floor and can hit 3-pointers, and another is most dominant close to the rim.
One thing is for certain — centers are not dead, not if Joel Embiid has anything to say about it.
Sixer Sense
Joel Embiid is a social media savant. After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 101-94 on Monday night, Embiid posted this picture on his Instagram:
Notice the location tagged is “BBQ Chicken.” Trash talk on the court is common on any level of basketball, but this is some expert-level trolling. If you’re unfamiliar, “BBQ Chicken” is sometimes used to refer to a big guy who isn’t as tough as he looks and is easy to score on.
…Surprisingly, after the game Embiid praised the Heat center and even mentioned he had studied Whiteside’s game before the contest
“Around the league there’s a lot of young big men, and I think we’re starting to come back,” said Embiid. “So one thing I told him is keep killing it. As big men, we all want each other to do good. I’ve always studied him in the past. It’s always been a big man league, so I want it to stay like that.”
Heat Nation
Kansas Athletics suspended a cheerleader Monday following the discovery of a Snapchat photo on her account that mentioned the KKK. On Tuesday, KU Athletics said the three men’s spirit squad members pictured in the photo were also suspended from performing pending a university investigation.
The University of Kansas’ student affairs office is helping KU Athletics with the investigation, which could take another week to resolve.
KC Star
KU single game ticket info
Why Allen Fieldhouse is the BEST!
…Surprisingly, after the game Embiid praised the Heat center and even mentioned he had studied Whiteside’s game before the contest
“Around the league there’s a lot of young big men, and I think we’re starting to come back,” said Embiid. “So one thing I told him is keep killing it. As big men, we all want each other to do good. I’ve always studied him in the past. It’s always been a big man league, so I want it to stay like that.”
Heat Nation
Kansas Athletics suspended a cheerleader Monday following the discovery of a Snapchat photo on her account that mentioned the KKK. On Tuesday, KU Athletics said the three men’s spirit squad members pictured in the photo were also suspended from performing pending a university investigation.
The University of Kansas’ student affairs office is helping KU Athletics with the investigation, which could take another week to resolve.
KC Star
KU single game ticket info
Why Allen Fieldhouse is the BEST!
BIG 12/COLLEGE NEWS
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Indiana coach Tom Crean walked into his postgame news conference and got right to the point.
The third-ranked Hoosiers were outplayed Tuesday night.
The quick, precise ball movement was missing. The energy Indiana needed to handle a preseason conference favorite, on its home court, also was absent. And the stunning result was the biggest upset of this young college basketball season: IPFW 71, Indiana 68.
AP
Tuesday night was witness to just the fifth time in Indiana program history that a top-three-ranked Hoosiers team lost to an unranked opponent. It was the first time in 15 tries that Fort Wayne defeated a ranked opponent. The Mastodons are a legit team this year. It could define itself as the best squad in the Summit League. They might turn into that 12 seed that becomes the chic upset pick in the first round.
And if that happens, Indiana's loss will only look better.
…Games like Indiana at Fort Wayne are great for college basketball. There was a March sensation in a November basketball game. We can't ask for more.
CBS Norlander
Fort Wayne, a team that Illinois State bashed last week, hosted and defeated No. 3 Indiana 71-68 in overtime on Tuesday night in the greatest upset of the young 2016-17 season and the program's first-ever win over a ranked team (0-14 in previous matchups against Associated Press top-25 opponents).
Yet, sometime this season, Tuesday's win will become another footnote in a year full of surprises. That's just college basketball.
…But Indiana's ($83 million in revenue, per USA Today) loss to Fort Wayne ($7.7 million) on Tuesday only makes sense on the hardwood. Something about a basketball court in November -- December, January, February, March and April, too -- breeds madness and omits logic.
…Indiana can regain its rhythm with a win over North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge next week. But this bad loss will sting and could impact its seeding on Selection Sunday. So, Indiana deserves any heat it brings.
ESPN Medcalf
Colorado had to rebound from its first loss of the season and the Buffaloes did by rebounding.
George King had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead Colorado to a 68-54 victory over No. 22 Texas on Tuesday in the third-place game of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.
AP
Joel Berry III scored 24 points, Justin Jackson added 22 and No. 4 North Carolina steamrolled its way into the Maui Invitational championship game Tuesday night with a 107-75 victory over Oklahoma State.
North Carolina (6-0) dominated the Cowboys from the start, building a 12-point lead in the opening 4 1/2 minutes. The Tar Heels kept their foot down, shooting 57 percent and going 8 of 17 from 3-point range while smothering Oklahoma State at the other end.
AP
“We have versatile guys and that is our strength,” Weber said Sunday. “I told the guys this: I went to Panera last night to get some soup for my wife and the girl at the checkout said, ‘My dad and I were watching the game and you guys have so much versatility, so many weapons. It’s going to be hard to scout.’
“It was a great point. I told our players that. That should be our strength. That should be one of our prides. One day it is Xavier (Sneed). One day it is Wesley (Iwundu). It could be Kamau (Stokes) or Barry (Brown).”
KC Star
Dean Wade had a season-high 13 points and DJ Johnson and Barry Brown added 12 points each to help Kansas State beat Robert Morris 61-40 in a regional round matchup of the Barclays Center Classic on Tuesday night.
AP
Oklahoma junior forward Khadeem Lattin has been selected to join the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. One of two student-athletes on the 16-person committee, Lattin will serve as a non-voting member in a two-year term that begins immediately.
Link
A former University of Missouri tutor has blown the whistle on alleged academic fraud within the school’s athletic department.
Three months after closing an investigation into improprieties within the men’s basketball program, Mizzou announced Tuesday evening that it is under investigation again for potential NCAA rules violations.
According to a statement from the athletics department, “The University of Missouri has received allegations of potential academic rules violations by a former tutor in the Athletics Academic Services area. Consistent with our commitment to rules compliance and to operating our athletics program with integrity, we are conducting a review of the allegations. We also have informed the NCAA who is working with us on this matter. To protect the integrity of the review process, we will not comment further at this time.”
KC Star
Notre Dame will be forced to vacate victories in the 2012 and 2013 football season due to NCAA violations by a student-trainer.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions panel ruled the trainer violated ethical conduct rules when she committed academic misconduct for two football players by completing their coursework. The two players and another also committed individual academic misconduct, and Notre Dame ruled they violated the school's academic integrity policy.
The student-trainer also provided six other players with impermissible academic extra benefits in a total of 18 classes.
Notre Dame was 12-1 in 2012, including an appearance in the BCS championship game against Alabama. In 2013, the Irish finished 9-4. The school must vacate the victories in which the players appeared while ineligible, which would be all 21 victories.
The NCAA decision is the culmination of a case that was made public when players KeiVarae Russell, DaVaris Daniels, Ishaq Williams, Kendall Moore and Eilar Hardy were suspended due for academic violations prior to the 2014 season.
USA Today
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RECRUITING
ESPN is coming to New Castle Fieldhouse in December for a high school basketball showcase featuring two of the state’s top players.
Defending Class 4A state champion New Albany will play LaLumiere on Dec. 15 at New Castle as part of a doubleheader televised on either ESPN or ESPN2. New Albany, ranked No. 18 nationally by ESPN, is led by junior star Romeo Langford. LaLumiere, ranked No. 1 by ESPN, is led by former Park Tudor standout and Michigan State recruit Jaren Jackson Jr.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m.
The second game of the doubleheader will match up No. 3 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) vs. No. 2 Oak Hill Academy. Sierra Canyon is led by junior Marvin Bagley Jr., while Oak Hill has top seniors Billy Preston, Matt Coleman and Lindell Wigginton. It will also be televised by ESPN or ESPN2.
Indy Star
Immanuel Quickley, a 6-4 junior point guard from John Carroll High in Bel Air, Md., announced on Twitter that he’s cut his recruiting list to eight schools: KU, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Providence, Virginia and Washington.
He’s ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2018 according to Rivals.com.
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