Sorrentino: Giles hasn't earned starting spot

By By Eric Sorrentino (Contact)

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Kansas was up 32 points before C.J. Giles entered the game against Nebraska Saturday.

The sophomore center missed class on Friday, which led Kansas coach Bill Self to bench him for the first half of the 96-54 blowout.

Missing the first day of class could end up costing Giles more than a courtside view from the bench for just one game.

If Saturday’s game was any indication of who will start at the end of the year, Giles shouldn’t be included. Self’s impatience with Giles’ classroom absence carried over to the court as well.

Giles was in the game for only 1:14 before Self put him back on the pine. Giles missed his only shot attempt of the game, in which he tried to make an immediate impact along the baseline. Instead of laying the ball in, he tried to emphatically dunk it. He shook the basket, but the ball went flying across the other side of the rim.

Self’s removal of Giles proved to be effective anyway. Sophomore forward Darnell Jackson and freshman forward Julian Wright have outplayed the starting frontcourt of Giles and sophomore center Sasha Kaun.

Wright’s improvisational skills running the floor cannot go unnoticed. He creates shots on his own in an unorthodox but effective fashion. He scored 12 points and grabbed six boards in 21 minutes of action Saturday.

Jackson has proven himself on the court as well.

The Oklahoma City native has been one of the only post men who has rewarded guards for feeding him the ball in the paint.

That’s something Kaun just doesn’t do. He has more trips — 62 — to the free-throw line than any other KU player, but has consistently failed to convert these trips into points. He has made only 35 free throws.

Jackson bangs his right fist against his chest every time he makes a free throw. Whatever he’s doing has worked — he’s made 18-of-22 free throws, compared to Giles’ 10-of-24 attempts. When Kansas looks inside, it needs to have players in the frontcourt who can convert free throws. Giles and Kaun haven’t.

The energy from Wright and Jackson earned them a second-half start against Nebraska. With them in, Kansas did not surrender the huge lead it gained. Kansas actually extended the lead from 21 to 42.

Giles had four players — Jackson, Wright, sophomore guard Jeremy Case and senior guard Jeff Hawkins — enter the game before him on Saturday. He received the opportunity to enter the game in the final 4 minutes, but that came only after Kansas was already up by 41 points.

The Jayhawks have found a backcourt that they can rely on, with freshman guard Mario Chalmers and sophomore guard Russell Robinson. Freshman guard Brandon Rush is an obvious start playing the three position because of the impressive stats he puts up.

Kansas should complete the frontcourt the same way it started the second half against Nebraska — with Wright and Jackson.

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