Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Like a dusty old truck stored away in the garage, all Kansas needed was someone to jump-start it.
The Jayhawks looked every bit their youth at the beginning of Tuesday’s exhibition game against Washburn. They took ill-advised shots. They played poor defense. To prevent the Ichabods from staying in the game, the Jayhawks needed a spark.
Along came Tyrel Reed’s jump shot. Reed connected on two three-pointers from the wing midway through the first half — adding to the two he had already made — to separate Kansas from Washburn and lead it to a 98-79 victory.
Junior guard Sherron Collins dips under a block attempt by Washburn forward Logan Stutz during a drive to the basket in the first half of Tuesdat night's exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Coach says if I’m open, knock it down,” Reed said. “I felt like I was open. Fortunately, they fell. We just needed to bring some more energy to the game.”
Reed added another three-pointer and hung around below the basket to finish with 16 points and five rebounds. But nothing in the game was as significant as Reed’s initial 12 points.
Sherron Collins took over from there. In case fans had forgotten how explosive Collins can be when healthy, he reminded them by recording 22 points, seven assists and a steal.
The junior guard also showed why Bill Self and his teammates have labeled him as the unquestioned leader of the Jayhawks. Collins did not shy away from being vocal with his younger teammates. He barked instructions at freshmen Tyshawn Taylor and Quintrell Thomas multiple times throughout the game.
When the Jayhawk offense began to look stagnant in the second half, Collins put together a memorable two-minute stretch. He hit a jumper from the free-throw line after fooling a Washburn defender with a pump fake, broke away for a layup after a steal and used a crossover to add two more points.
Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar takes the ball to the basket during the game against Washburn Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
If Reed brought the jumper cables, Collins took the wheel. And he did it all by attempting only 12 shots from the field.
“He’s going to shoot the ball more than that in a real game,” Self said.
The combination of Collins, Reed and sophomore guard Brady Morningstar, who finished with 15 points and three assists, made up for a slew of blunders by the freshmen.
Freshman forward Marcus Morris fouled out despite playing only seven minutes. Marcus and his twin brother, Markieff, were only 3-for-9 from the field combined. Taylor struggled to stay in front of his man on the defensive end. Even Thomas — whom Self praised after he scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds — committed an embarrassing turnover when he tried to pass to Collins in the second half.
But Self’s decision to give the veterans most of the minutes seemed to pay off.
“I thought our returning guys — primarily Tyrel, Brady and Sherron — all had good nights,” Self said. “They all played well.”
The trio helped hide Kansas’ struggles in the second half. The Ichabods never led again after Reed’s fourth three-pointer, and Kansas went into halftime with a 57-35 lead.
Self told his team to ignore the scoreboard in the second half and play with the same intensity. They didn’t.
“They look up there and we’re still up 25, so they didn’t play the game, they played the score,” Self said. “Good teams don’t do that.”
The Ichabods outscored the Jayhawks 44-41 in the second half. Morningstar and Reed said the team needed to learn to hold onto the intensity for an entire game — not just the first 20 minutes.
Perhaps Reed needs to save a few of his three-pointers for late in the game next Tuesday when Kansas finishes off its exhibition schedule against Emporia State. It certainly jumped the Kansas offense against Washburn.
“They kept falling tonight,” Reed said. “I was fortunate that the guys got me the ball.”
— — Edited by Scott R. Toland
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