Jayhawks need to get their “buts” in gear.
I’m generally not a big Seth Davis fan, but his latest Hoop Thoughts hits the nail on the head with regard to the Jayhawks:
This is still a Bill Self-coached group, so you know they play some mean D. … There is also something to be said for having a variety of different weapons to keep opponents off balance. … But in order to win an NCAA championship, a team at some point will need a great escape. (Think Danny Ainge, Tyus Edney and Christian Laettner.) When that critical moment comes, be it in the first round or the Final Four, whom will Kansas turn to?
Then he goes through the potential candidates.
Brandon Rush?
…has been shooting pretty well the past month, but the word is out that he is not a good ball handler. That makes him easy to defend in the half-court — and he knows it. Plus, Rush does not have the mentality to take over a game in a tough spot.
Julian Wright?
a dynamic athlete, but his forte is passing and he does his best scoring in transition, not in the half-court.
Russell Robinson?
mentally tough, but he is averaging just 6.8 points … and making 41.1 percent of his shots
Mario Chalmers?
has the skills to take over … but apparently lacks the moxie to demand the ball like [Acie] Law did [on Saturday]
Sherron Collins?
The one player with the skills and the moxie to be a go-to guy … But it’s hard to imagine a freshman taking on that role, even if he is from Chicago.
Out of all of these choices, Chalmers and Collins have the least standing between them and “go-to player” status. They have the skill sets, they just need a little attitude (Chalmers) or experience (Collins). There’s been a growing sentiment on this site that Collins needs to be the man with the ball in his hands at the end of the game, and I’m beginning to agree. From the looks of it, I think Seth Davis is as well. (Now if we can just get Bill Self on board…)
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3 Responses to “Jayhawks need to get their “buts” in gear.”
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February 6th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
You know, if the Jayhawks had rebounded some of the late misses they forced @DePaul, @Texas Tech, and against A&M Seth Davis’s piece would be about how they’ve “grown up” and “learned how to win.”
The reason a go-to player hasn’t emerged is that the candidates Davis lists (ignoring the inexplicably included Russell Robinson) have been, with the exception of the emerging Collins, only slightly above average offensive players over the last two seasons.
It still seems to me that it’s more realistic that this team gets better not by all of a sudden becoming a good offensive team (though playing Arthur and Collins a little more couldn’t hurt in that regard) but by shoring up their generally outstanding defense in pressure situations and rebounding more consistently.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I still say Mario has to be the “go-to guy” at the end of the game. He is just in a funk right now, and I think that the extra 2″ (and long reach) makes a big difference when you have to shoot over someone in the final seconds. Everyone is in love with Sherron now because he is on a great streak. The same hype was present earlier this season with Wright, Arthur, Rush, and Chalmers, all at different times. In my opinion, he is a terrific second option in the final seconds, but I do think that the extra year of experience is being overlooked here.
February 6th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I just checked out the kenpom.com scouting reports stats on Chalmers and Collins, and it’s eerie how similar they are, with a couple exceptions - Collins shoots 3’s better while Chalmers gets more steals and blocks.
Stat … Chalmers/Collins (ranks)
%Min … 70.8/50.3 (3/6)
%Poss … 19.9/20.5 (5/4)
%Shots … 20.6/21.9 (5/3t)
OR% … 1.2/1.7 (9/8)
DR% … 10.3/10.3 (6/6)
FTRate … 27.3/22.0 (8/9)
ARate … 20.9/22.2 (3/2)
TORate … 21.4/21.4 (4/4)
FT% … 75.9/75.8 (1/2)
2FG% … 57.9/57.9 (1/1)
3FG% … 37.4/45.9 (3/1)
eFG% … 57.1/63.3 (2/1)
ORtg … 111.7/117.9 (3/1)
%Blocks … 1.6/0.0 (7/8t)
%Stls … 5.5/1.5 (1/6)
This isn’t supposed to be an argument for or against either of them. (Unless we’re down by 3, in which case I want Collins taking the shot.) I just wanted to share what I thought a was an interesting similarity.