To be honest, I don’t know how to answer this question. My first instinct is to say it will not be
possible for KU to win another Big XII championship this season. There is one thing I have learned
though. Never count Coach Bill Self out.
It certainly will be an uphill battle. KU is very short on experience and
depth. The fact the NCAA ruled three of
the Jayhawks’ incoming freshmen as only partial qualifiers, and therefore not
eligible to play this season, was a big blow.
KU will be mighty thin across the frontline. Self and staff will really have to coach up
the present roster, which only has eight recruited players and some former
walk-ons and transfers. They will have to
play smart and disciplined and hopefully they can stay healthy and out of foul
trouble.
The cupboard is far from bare. Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor and junior,
pre-season all-American, post player Thomas Robinson are definitely
talented. They can certainly lead this
team to success but they need to be leaders on and off the court with smart
play and avoidance of off court shenanigans.
Athletic juniors Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson have seen playing
time in the past but it will be nothing in comparison to what the Jayhawks need
from them this season. Releford may even
be asked to play some on the interior.
He will be undersized there but has shown the heart and versatility to
contribute inside.
The slender 7-footer junior Jeff Withey needs to produce
much more than he has in the past. He will
need to be able to score on offense and he needs to be a force on defense while
curtailing his fouls. Senior Conner
Teahan needs to continue his accurate three point shooting and he may also be
asked to play some minutes on the interior.
After these six players though, the question marks really start to pile
up.
Naadir Tharpe is a true, pass first point guard and by all
accounts will see plenty of playing time.
I have a small degree of worry because under Self, point guards have
been slow to adjust to the college game as freshman. Another freshman is Merv Linsay. While Lindsay has some nice height, I think
is more of a big guard, although he does have a reputation of being a tenacious
rebounder and that may get him some minutes as the season goes along. The last two players to figure into a
possible rotation are transfers Kevin Young and Justin Wesley. Both are listed at 6’8” but are slender of
build. Both will be counted on to play
minutes in the front court. Hopefully
their athleticism will make up for their lack of bulk.
A trio of walk-ons completes the roster. Jordan Juenemann, Niko Roberts, and Christian
Garrett will be bodies for practice but I’m not sure how much game time they
will see. Self has used Juenemann in the
past in more than just clean up duty. I
also think Garrett could surprise with some athleticism and may pull in a
handful of minutes with hard work.
I look for KU to play at a little faster pace than in the
past. Although Withey is not fleet of
foot, the sculpted Robinson runs the floor well. The rest of the roster is filled with
athletic roadrunners and since KU will not be able to out physical many teams,
running and gunning seems to me to be a very good option.
KU also has one of its hardest early schedules in the Self
era. The second non-exhibition game is
in New York against #2 ranked Kentucky. They then play Georgetown
in the Maui Classic. Possible opponents
there include Duke, Memphis, UCLA, Michigan,
and Tennessee. They also play #3 ranked Ohio
State and USC in December. It would not be out of the question to see
the young Jayhawks with four or five losses by the start of conference
play. Keep in mind also that KU loses
four annual, guaranteed wins against Nebraska
and Colorado. Instead, they play all six of the former
South division teams twice. That is a
big difference in their schedule and usually I wouldn’t worry much about that
but with this team’s lack of size and experience, this will be very tough.
The Jayhawks will certainly have to grow and mature
dramatically as a team to finish high in the Big XII standings. The conference is loaded with talented teams
and there are absolutely no pushovers on the road. Self will have to do his best coaching job
for this squad to have a chance of even glancing at first place. I am willing to accept a few losses here and
there if KU is competitive and the team grows and improves as the season
progresses. As always, I believe Self
will get the best out of his players. He
has been willing to alter his teams’ style of play to fit his personnel. He will have to this season. When it all comes down to it, I will not bet
against Bill Self to win another conference championship. That being said, I will not be disappointed
as long as KU finishes in the top half of the Big XII. I expect more but I must be realistic as
well. I trust Self and we shall all have
to wait and see if he can pull off a miracle.
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