Saturday, January 28, 2012
Ames, Iowa — Royce White, Iowa State’s sophomore forward with a full menu of skills, woke up on Saturday morning after dreaming of missing free throws.
“It becomes like an island up there when you’re on a bad streak,” White said.
So he went to the gym early and shot free throws by himself and with his coach, Fred Hoiberg. White’s Cyclones teammates encouraged him the entire day, even during the game, and he made them when they counted most.
With 1:42 to play and Iowa State leading No. 5 Kansas by three points, White drained his final two from the line.
After one of his six converted free throws, White walked from the free throw line to the hoop, then looked up at the net.
“That was for Thomas,” he said. “He said I was going to miss them.”
White, not junior forward and national player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson, was the best player in Saturday’s 72-64 upset over Kansas (17-4, 7-1).
The Jayhawks’ 23 fouls resulted in 34 free throw attempts for the Cyclones. Free points stung Kansas, especially after it was outrebounded 36-23.
“Royce was a monster down there,” Hoiberg said.
Robinson, who usually vacuums basketballs with two hands, grabbed a pedestrian seven rebounds. On the offensive end, he struggled to establish himself and find comfort in the paint, traveling repeatedly and missing several shots that were uncontested and close to the hoop. He even missed a wide-open, one-handed dunk, and the ball sailed over the rim.
“I’m just not playing my game,” he said. “I’m speeding up again and not taking my time.”
White might have had something to do with that. He has the ability to bring the ball up-court like a point guard on one possession, then muscle his way inside for a tough two points on the next. His mobility and ball control is rare for a 6-foot-8, 270 pound weapon. It’s a combination that forced the Jayhawks into some touch decisions.
“We had to pick our poison,” senior guard Tyshawn Taylor said. “It felt like whichever way we tried to trap him, they made a shot that we laid off.”
In a three minute span at the end of the game, White scored eight straight points for the Cyclones. He first backed down junior center Jeff Withey, who was plagued with fouls throughout the game. Once Withey failed, White took on Robinson, who also wasn’t able to shut him down.
“Nobody really played well,” Self said. “But Thomas certainly labored today.”
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