Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Perspective is hard to find in the loser’s locker room after a season-ending defeat.
Players talk about what could have been. They stammer. They mumble. They look down.
Kansas’ locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium after losing to Michigan State two weeks ago definitely fit that description. For 30 minutes after the loss, junior guard Sherron Collins struggled to find the right way to wrap up Kansas’ 2009 season.
In the end, five of Collins’ words turned out to be the most telling.
“It was a fun ride,” Collins said.
Fun, according to Collins, because the Jayhawks were able to get to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. They became the 26th team in school history to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
But Collins’ best memory from this season will be Kansas’ winning its fifth consecutive Big 12 Conference championship. Despite being picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 at the beginning of the season, Kansas won its 52nd conference championship.
“To come to the Sweet Sixteen and win the league with the team we had,” Collins said, “no one expected it.”
Kansas gathered plenty of awards to commemorate this season. The Associated Press named Collins, who averaged 19 points and five assists per game, a third-team All-American. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich, who averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds, received honorable mention. It also awarded Kansas coach Bill Self with Coach of the Year recognition.
Not a bad haul for what some called a rebuilding year after Kansas lost seven of its top eight players and all five starters from 2008’s national championship team.
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Top Five Moments
1. March 1: Kansas 90, Missouri 65 at Allen Fieldhouse. The best Kansas played all season, the Jayhawks avenged their first Big 12 defeat with a thrashing of their rival.
2. March 7: Kansas 83, Texas 73 at Allen Fieldhouse. In the last game of the regular season the Jayhawks clinched their 52nd conference title and ensured that the nation’s longest home court winning streak — 41 games — would extend into next season.
3. March 22: Kansas 60, Dayton 43 in Minneapolis. A triple-double from Cole Aldrich and a dominating performance from Sherron Collins sent the Jayhawks to Indianapolis for their third straight Sweet Sixteen.
4. Feb. 23: Kansas 87, Oklahoma 78 in Norman, Okla. Kansas took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 in this victory against the Sooners. Tyshawn Taylor and Sherron Collins scored 26 points and Cole Aldrich had 20 rebounds.
5. March 20: Kansas 84, North Dakota State 74 in Minneapolis. Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich combined for 55 points to escape the upset attempt from the Bison, who had nothing short of a home court advantage with thousands of fans, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Low Five Moments
1. Dec. 23: Arizona 84, Kansas 67 in Tucson, Ariz. This is a tough decision, but it was probably the worst point of the season because of how physically dominated the Jayhawks were. After this defeat the Jayhawks were 8-3 and possibly in position to miss the NCAA tournament.
2. Dec. 13: Massachusetts 61, Kansas 60 at the Sprint Center. Sherron Collins was extremely sick and Kansas coach Bill Self told his team everyone needed to play their best to relieve him. It didn’t happen. Collins played 38 minutes and couldn’t save the Jayhawks from their biggest upset of the season.
3. March 12: Baylor 71, Kansas 64 in Oklahoma City. Kansas had won three straight Big 12 tournament championships. This year it couldn’t even win its first game.
4. Feb. 9: Missouri 62, Kansas 60 in Columbia, Mo. Any loss to Missouri is miserable for Kansas. But especially one where the Jayhawks play their worst of the season and commit 27 turnovers.
5. March 4: Texas Tech 84, Kansas 65 in Lubbock, Texas. This one was embarrassing. The 11th-place team in the Big 12 controlled Kansas and might have ultimately cost it the opportunity to play its first two NCAA Tournament games in Kansas City.
“I don’t have any regrets at all about this team’s season,” Self said.
Neither do the rest of the Jayhawks. Aldrich, freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor and freshman forward Marcus Morris all gave the same response to what they would remember best about this season: how far they came.
All three of them mentioned the beginning of the year, when Kansas went on a Labor Day weekend trip to Ottawa, Canada, for three exhibition games. They all look back and laugh about it now.
The Jayhawks weren’t so good back then. It took some late-game heroics from freshman guard Travis Releford and sophomore guard Tyrel Reed to beat one of the Canadian teams, Carleton, by one point.
Although it should be noted that Collins and the Morris twins didn’t play in Canada, Aldrich was still amazed that the same team lost by five points to the eventual national runner-up six months later.
“These guys are phenomenal,” Aldrich said of his teammates. “We came and practiced and every day worked hard and battled until the end.”
Sure, it got bumpy along the way. For as many positive memories as the Jayhawks have, there are also a few moments they’d like to forget — including but not limited to a 61-60 defeat to Massachussets at the Sprint Center and a 19-point shellacking at Texas Tech.
But ask the Jayhawks and they’ll tell you that’s part of growing up. Five of Kansas’ top nine players this year were newcomers.
“Being so young this year and doing what we did this year,” Morris said, “who knows what we can do next year?”
Collins has an idea. Collins said that if he and Aldrich came back for another year instead of entering the NBA Draft, Kansas could get back to Indianapolis.
Next year, Lucas Oil Stadium doesn’t have the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. It’s the host of the Final Four.
It’s always easier to look ahead. But Collins said there were plenty of reasons to remember Kansas’ 2009 season.
“I don’t think it’s a disappointment,” Collins said. “I think it’s a success.”
Sherron Collins, junior guard
Kansas’ leader on the court and in the locker room, Collins had more to do with this season’s surprising success than any other player. He shrugged off preseason doubts and averaged 18.9 points and five assists per game. In addition to his late-game heroics (think Oklahoma) Collins played a big role in the maturation of the newcomers, especially freshman Tyshawn Taylor.
Cole Aldrich, sophomore center
Aldrich was tabbed as a veteran on this team after just one season in which he played mostly mop-up minutes. He delivered on the preseason hype with 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Aldrich capped his tremendous sophomore campaign with a historic triple-double against North Dakota State. The scary thing for Big 12 teams is that Aldrich has barely tapped into his offensive arsenal.
Tyshawn Taylor, freshman guard
Taylor looked like he was going to be that consistent third scoring option everyone was searching for. That was the case every now and then, like during his 26-point performance against Oklahoma. But Taylor often disappeared late in the season, especially in the NCAA tournament. Still, he was the Big 12 Rookie of the Week four times, and spending more time under Collins’ wing would only make him better.
Marcus Morris, freshman forward
Morris was shuffled in and out of the starting lineup for the first two months. Coach Bill Self moved him in permanently against Texas A&M and he responded with 10 points, including two three-pointers. Morris, a freshman, wasn’t perfect — he didn’t score against Dayton — but he was solid down the stretch, including a career-high 15 points at Kansas State.
Brady Morningstar, sophomore guard
Self has called this super-sophomore the “anchor” of his team. Like an anchor, Morningstar’s game isn’t pretty — he hit 12 of 43 shots in the final eight games — but his defense was crucial to keep Kansas close in many of its games. He’s not an outstanding talent, but Morningstar gives maximum effort and he has carved a place for himself in Self’s system.
Tyrel Reed, sophomore guard
Reed was a one-trick pony this season. However, any coach in the country would love to have a guy on the bench who could come in and hit a three-pointer late in the game. Reed’s defense is mediocre, at best, but he clinched a handful of games with clutch shots. Although this season was a success, Reed will probably get lost in the shuffle next year.
Mario Little, junior guard
Without the injuries, perhaps Little would have lived up to his preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award. Alas, we’ll never know, as a pair of injuries (ankle, wrist) kept him out until January. By then the lineup was mostly set and Little was forced to play out of position most of the time. If he stays healthy throughout the offseason, Little has a chance to be Kansas’ most-improved player next season.
Markieff Morris, freshman forward
Who’s the better Morris twin? Marcus answered that question with a tremendous second half of the season. Markieff scored in double-digits just once all year and scored a total of six points in three NCAA tourney games. The focus for him in the offseason has to be defensive control. Markieff led the team with 98 fouls and five foul-outs. He can’t contribute when he can’t stay on the floor.
Travis Releford, freshman guard
Speaking of court time, Releford was expecting to see more of it when he committed to Kansas last year. Releford, a Kansas City, Mo., native, scored nine points at Missouri but failed to crack the main rotation and averaged just seven minutes per game. Depending on who rounds out Self’s recruiting class, Releford may see the court even less next season. Taking a redshirt, like Morningstar did after his freshman season, may be best for Releford in the long run.
— — Edited by Heather Melanson
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selliott (anonymous) says...
To be honest, I think Releford should transfer. He was a leader on the U-17 team and a four-star recruit. Any other school would love to have him.
April 8, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )