Doyel: Kansas Shrinking
It’s not what you’re thinking. Really.
Pretty good analysis, I think, except for his pegging of Russ at 2G instead of Mario. I think our most talented starting lineup is Arthur, Wright, Rush, Chalmers and Collins. They *could be the starters at some point this year for some games, but they’ll be smallish for others. Here’s what GD had to say:
Kansas shrinks: By adding power forward Darrell Arthur to a roster already loaded with wings and guards, Kansas coach Bill Self will occasionally find himself going smaller this season. If he wants to play his five most talented guys, Self would start Arthur at center, Julian Wright and Brandon Rush at forward, Russell Robinson at shooting guard and Mario Chalmers or Sherron Collins at point guard. Off the bench? Pure centers C.J. Giles and Sasha Kaun, plus power forward Darnell Robinson and USC wing transfer Rodrick Stewart. Freshman guard Brady Morningstar, a better player than advertised, could redshirt.
Here’s the rest of the piece, which includes a bit of everything.
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5 Responses to “Doyel: Kansas Shrinking”
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July 7th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
I’m surprised that Doyel missed the name of Darnell Jackson. He normally knows the Kansas team better than that. A front court of Arthur, Wright and Rush would be scary athletic, and a great matchup against a team without a true center. But I think Chalmers and Rus Rob have the back court sewn up. Collins should get plenty of PT but I just don’t see him cracking the starting rotation. Unless of course, MC or RR are slacking in practice. Practices are going to be absolute battles this year. They should charge for admission, I’d go.
July 7th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
We’ll see about Chalmers / RR / Collins. Remember that of the three, Collins is definitely the purest 1 guard. Robinson can play both positions and I think Chalmers is probably a better 2 than Robinson.
Defense will likely keep Robinson in the starting lineup, but offensively, I think Collins will likely be the better player by Feb / March. Whether that translates into a starting position is probably dependent upon Collins picking up the game, especially on defense.
In any case, I don’t see Robinson losing a ton of minutes overall next year. I do see him playing fewer minutes per game, but I think that he’ll be able to play more aggressive defense as a result.
Foul trouble will be less troublesome as well as I think we’ll be comfortable with a Collins/Chalmers, Robinson/Chalmers or Robinson/Collins backcourt.
I suppose we could see all three out there, but only against really nimble, small teams.
July 7th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Wright wasn’t quite the rebounder I expected him to be last year so the effectiveness of a Wright/Arthur frontcourt will depend on Wright and Arthur demonstrating an as yet unseen ability to control the glass.
Kaun, Jackson, and Giles have all had outstanding rebound rates each of the last two years. I expect that to continue as, with next year’s team, that’s how they’re going to earn their minutes.
Robinson’s minutes will hinge on whether or not he takes advantage of the vast room for improvement he has with regard to shooting the basketball. He made less than 40% of his two-point attempts and less than 33% of his three-point attempts. If he can develop into even a mediocre shooter, his defense makes him a legitimate all-league candidate and turns Sherron Collins into a bit of a luxury.
July 8th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Cole is committed for 2007. He’s BIG.
Eric Bossi reported that one coach told him that “Cole Aldrich is the most overrated player in America.” Doesn’t sound good, but I think he’s still dealing with injuries.
July 9th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
One more thing - Cole’s a worker with a GREAT ATTITUDE. Such recruits are rare these days. In an interview with Hank Hoffman for Phog.net, Cole gives all the right answers:
As for his role next year, Aldrich recognizes the hurdle of trying to get playing time for such a stacked team, but he’s eager to take his shot. “You know, I’m not worried how the minutes work out,” he said. “I’ll just do whatever my coaches want me to do. Rebound, set screens, whatever. And next year if they want me to cheer, I’ll just cheer. I just want to be there.”