Throwback Thursday!

Favorite moments from Nick Krug's book Jayhawk Decade

Tharpe believes he and his teammates are back on track heading into Saturday’s 11 a.m. home game against Georgetown.

“It boosts our morale, gives us energy, gives us confidence,” Tharpe said of the victory, which busted a slump that included three losses in four tries. “Basketball is a game of confidence.

Basketball is a game of runs. We were able to come back in Kansas City, our fans helping us out and playing like we did, it was a great win.”

KU on Saturday will be playing at home for the first time since a 88-58 win over Towson on Nov. 22.

“It’s been awhile,” Tharpe said. “It’s good we had those (road) games. Everybody keeps saying we have a young team. We are a young team, but to go on the road and play those games will only help us get better. It doesn’t get any easier from here. We have to make sure each and every game and practice we come out with the same mindset and be ready to attack and do the game plan.”

Things figure to go a lot smoother if Tharpe builds on his last game.

“He played well. He’s a good player. He was one of our most improved players over the summer,” Self said on his Hawk Talk radio show. “We’ve got to get a lot better before we start talking about guys playing well. Everybody has a big step we could take to get to the point where we could play like a team that hopefully has a chance to compete for another league championship.”

…KU sophomore Andrew White III is questionable for Saturday’s game against Georgetown, coach Bill Self told the Journal-World on Wednesday. White has practiced on a limited basis this week after suffering a hip pointer at practice a week ago today.
LJW

12/18/13, 10:08 PM
I love @mchalmers15 like a blood brother! I was wrong and apologized to him! We good and will always be good. I ride wit him any & every day
@KingJames

Vote here for NBA All-Stars Paul Pierce, Mario Chalmers


Xavier Henry pump-faked and shot the lane. He saw the rim but never his unsuspecting victim. He took flight a step past the free throw line, cocking the ball back in his left hand. Thwack. Henry's spectacular fatality of a dunk over Jeff Withey, the Pelicans' rookie center and a former Kansas teammate, was an instant, unforgettable posterization. And the message was clear: Jump, 7-footers. Or risk the wrath of Xavier Henry jumping over you.

The dunk, during an otherwise quiet November game at Staples Center, garnered so much attention that Henry later texted Withey to check in on him. "He said he was doing all right," said Henry, the Lakers' 6-foot-6 swingman. "It was just one of his 'welcome to the league' moments. He said he learned not to take no charges no more."

But the play reverberated beyond SportsCenter, YouTube, and Withey's soul for those close to Xavier Henry. It meant something. It was a literal leap in the right direction, as Henry attempts to right his career after some lost years. "It's been difficult both physically and mentally for him, his family and me as well, knowing what type of talent he is and the ability and skill he has," said Mark Heusman, a conditioning expert who has worked with Henry since he was in high school. "It's just been difficult to see him struggle through this and not be able to show off what he has."

Henry, who is just 22 years old, was once the prize of a recruiting clash between Kentucky, Kansas, and Memphis. He is a former lottery pick who's in his fourth NBA season with his third NBA team. He is finally making his mark with the Lakers, although his contract is not guaranteed. His career has been hindered by stops and starts, injuries, and acclimating to the rigors of the NBA. He's fighting for his NBA life.

"[That dunk] probably came out of nowhere for people that haven't really seen me play the last few years," Henry said.

That includes just about everyone. Henry is a prime example of how a talented young player can quickly get lost amid the league's shuffle. The Lakers are a patchwork team, having played without Kobe Bryant for the first 19 games of the season, trying to salvage their today in hopes of a better tomorrow. In a deep Western Conference, the team is surprisingly holding steady. Few anticipated this much. Fewer still expected Henry to be one of the reasons why.

…Kansas coach Bill Self met with Henry after the season. Self recommended that he enter the draft. Despite a modest first season, analysts and mock drafts predicted Henry to be a surefire lottery pick. Self was sure that Henry had the body and the maturity to handle the NBA at a young age. C.J. Henry had faced the same decision a few years earlier with baseball. He had been a heavily recruited basketball player and told himself that he would attend college should he slip to the second round of the baseball draft. The Yankees selected him in the first round.

"You take a chance coming back in any sport and not turning professional," C.J. Henry said. "When you do that, I think health is the biggest determining factor."

Injuries sidetracked C.J.'s baseball career. His brother was healthy at Kansas, but Xavier was unsure about whether to declare for the draft or not.

"I was a kid, 18," Xavier said. "I had a lot of fun my freshman year of college. It didn't end the way I wanted it to, of course. I had mixed emotions about coming back and doing better in school and for the team and my coaches and for everybody who supported us. But coach let me know that it was probably the best time."

So Xavier declared with the expectation of becoming a lottery pick. "He enjoyed Kansas, I enjoyed Kansas," Carl Henry said. "It was just time for him to leave. Should he have stayed? He could've stayed another year. We'll never know what would have happened."

Xavier Henry, like most players who depart early, likely would have benefited from a longer college stay. He weighed that risk against his stock falling. Another year would allow professional scouts more time to pick apart his game. Another year would also subject him to the risk of an injury.

"Like a lot of kids, I think he was ready to make a lot of money," Self said. "It's hard to fault anybody when they leave, because everybody chases the American dream. Why shouldn't these kids? Now, could he have stayed another year? Yeah, he could have — then you risk a lot of things. My thing is, if a kid's a lottery pick, then it'd be hard for me as a coach to try and convince him to stay."

…"This is his fourth year, which would make it his rookie year [if he stayed in college]," Hollins said. "He's just now playing with aggressiveness and playing with a little more toughness and a purpose that you would expect a player to do. I just think a lot of these kids that are coming out one-and-done, they're so young and definitely immature, both physically and mentally, and not really ready or able to cope with the rigors of playing in the NBA."
Grantland: The Resurrection of Xavier Henry



With a big thanks to vocalist Amy Woodall, violinist Christine Kuznia and executive producer Christian Simpson, we present to you a holiday classic. We also would like to thank Joel Embiid for having such a fantastic name.

Props to David Glenn Show producer Hayes Permar, who gave me the idea when he did his brilliant P.J. Hairston parody song over the summer.

KANSAS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH(Sung to the tune of Angels We Have Heard on High)



Kansas we have heard on high 

Dominating the Big 12

And Marcus Smart in reply

Blocks out this next refrain


Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too



Bill Self we get your jubilee

What nine straight league titles do for thee

Even though you don't have Missouri

To beat cuz they're now SEC


Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too



Joel's dad came from Cameroon to see

His son play ball already

Joel's free throws do need work

But the rest of his game has its perks


Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too



Self's frontcourt stands 6-8 and above

But don't forget Selden, Mase or Tharpe

His starting 5 we may see

In Dallas' house of Jerry


Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too
SI (Video at the link)

Big 12/College News

3. What conference has surprised you the most thus far?

Even though Kansas is still working out some kinks, the Big 12 overall is a bit better than I expected. We knew Oklahoma State would be salty, and the Cowboys are. But Baylor, which lost Jackson, the Big 12 scoring and assists leader, has a trio of nice wins against Colorado, Dayton and Kentucky, and looked decent against Syracuse. The Bears aren’t as big of a surprise as Iowa State. I thought the Cyclones would be good eventually, but I figured it’d take some time considering they lost four double-digit scorers. Fred Hoiberg’s squad is undefeated with wins against Michigan, Iowa and BYU (on the road). Other than Kansas, no Big 12 team lost more from last season than Oklahoma, yet the Sooners are 9-1. Rick Barnes’ Texas squad lost its four top scorers and somehow managed to get better. Texas Tech and West Virginia are hardly pushovers. Kansas State is improving after a rough start but is still likely an NIT team at best.
Jason King


It was never going to be sustainable.

UNC overcame poor free throw shooting and rebounding against No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday. And somehow, the Tar Heels had a shot Wednesday against Texas before the Longhorns closed the door and won 86-83.

The Tar Heels were out-rebounded 51-42, but the real stinger was UNC’s 51.1 percent free throw shooting. UNC went 24-for-47 at the charity stripe and made just 10-of-25 in the second half.
News-Record


Kenny Chery scored 12 of his 20 points in overtime and No. 12 Baylor returned from an extended break with a 91-84 victory over Northwestern State on Wednesday night.
AP


"To me, when you've got a young team, it's a lot like house-training a puppy dog," Hinson said. "You know what, when the dog does something wrong, 'bad dog.' I'm not going to hit 'em. I'm not going to swat 'em, but bad dog, get on the treadmill."

Senior forward Davante Drinkard wasn't amused by the rant and tweeted, "I can't believe the little man had the nerve to call us mama's boys. Smh. I guess this is where Our team learns to point the finger."
ESPN


North Carolina reserve guard Leslie McDonald has been cleared to play by the university, and will make his season debut Wednesday against Texas, Yahoo Sports has learned. Star shooting guard P.J. Hairston, however, remains in limbo and is unlikely to play this season, a source close to the school's basketball program told Yahoo Sports.

Hairston might decide to leave school and declare himself eligible for the NBA draft, the source said.
North Carolina has not applied for Hairston's reinstatement.
Yahoo


As North Carolina's PJ Hairston continues to sit because of NCAA eligibility concerns, his friend Miykael Faulcon now knows his own fate: Faulcon will return to the court at Elizabeth City State for a game Thursday night after serving a nine-game suspension.

An NCAA investigation found that Faulcon, a sophomore basketball player at the Division II school, received impermissible preferential treatment valued at $1,440.98. As a result, the NCAA ruled that Faulcon must sit 30 percent (nine games) of the regular season and donate $1,440.98 to a charity organization of his choice.

…Faulcon was a passenger in two Hertz rental vehicles with Hairston when Hairston, 20, was cited for speeding in May and then possession of marijuana and driving without a license following a traffic stop in June. On both occasions Hairston was driving rental cars linked to convicted felon Haydn "Fats" Thomas.

Thomas told USA TODAY Sports this week that he has not – and will not – interview with NCAA or North Carolina officials.

Trudy Faulcon, the mother of Miykael Faulcon, said she sat for a two-hour interview with two NCAA officials at an Atlanta hotel on Sept. 21, during which she said she witnessed Hairston driving a Chevy Camaro SS several times last spring.

Faulcon said Hairston visited her home on several occasions in May while driving the rented orange Camaro with Virginia plates. Hairston came to her home to visit her son Miykael.

When Hairston was cited for speeding in May, he was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which at the time was rented by a woman, Catinia Farrington, who shares Thomas' address.
USA Today


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

Recruiting

Cliff Alexander via websportschicago.com

KU signee Cliff Alexander scored 35 points with 15 rebounds, six blocks and four steals in Chicago Curie High’s 82-56 victory over Chicago King on Tuesday. KU assistant Jerrance Howard was in the stands for the game. The 6-foot-9 center, who is ranked No. 4 nationally by Rivals.com, refused to talk to reporters after the game, according to the Chicago Sun Times. He reportedly is upset about media reports detailing his two technical fouls against St. Rita. Alexander had 19 points for Curie (5-0) in the first half.
LJW


@PaulBiancardi can you compare Jaquan Lyle to someone?
— Jhawk05 (@Jhawk0505) December 17, 2013

JaQuan Lyle is a strong, thick guard who is a natural facilitator. His game has a little bit of everything, as he scores via the 3-point shot or with a drive to the basket, using his size to squeeze off shots in the paint. He rebounds from the perimeter and will push the break. Defensively, he possesses great size at 6-foot-5 and is capable of defending a point guard, shooting guard, and even a small forward once he gets in better shape. He needs to get lighter to defend the small, quick point guards. One thing about Lyle that has always impressed me is his understanding of the game and how he sees an advantage and attacks it.

In some ways he reminds me of former Utah great and NBA standout Andre Miller. Lyle taller but both have the strong, thick body and use that frame to their advantage. Both pass extremely well with instincts for the game and understand their role, be it as a point guard or as a scorer. Miller had a toughness on the floor, as he rarely missed a practice or game. I don't know how tough-minded Lyle is yet.

Lyle will be playing on ESPN on Thursday night at 9:30 pm ET if you want to check him out.
ESPN


Kansas asst coach Jerrance Howard and WVU's Bob Huggins and Larry Harrison will be among those watching @JMamba5
@AdamZagoria

Kelly Oubre

@K_Ctmd22 Nearly had the play of the day @TarkClassic #Day1
@WhoGotNextG


12/18/13, 5:48 PM
Coaches in attendance at the @TarkClassic:
Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, UNC, UNLV & UCLA, just to name a few
@DICircuit


http://www.tarkanianclassic.com/home.html


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 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