Kansas Jayhawks Men's Basketketball 2010-2011: Wouldn't it be Nice if...?

The Kansas Jayhawks will soon take the court for the 2010-2011 basketball season, and expectations will again run high.  Last year’s squad compiled a glossy 33-3 record, but the season ended poorly when KU lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Northern Iowa.  Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and the Henry brothers (Xavier and C.J.) have all departed but the cupboard is not bare.  Second-team All-American Marcus Morris, his twin brother Markieff, Tyshawn Taylor and sharpshooters Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar all return for KU.  Jeff Withey, Thomas Robinson and Elijah Johnson should be better with a year of experience under their belt.  Throw in Josh Selby, the number one high school player in the country and red-shirt forwards Mario Little and Travis Releford, and KU should again be able to compete with any team in the country.

It is impossible to say what KU’s squad will ultimately look like, but there are a few things that fans would enjoy watching.

Wouldn’t it be nice if….

1. …Jeff Withey’s second year as a Jayhawk was as good as Cole Aldrich’s?  Aldrich gave the fans a glimpse of what he could do in the 2008 Final Four, and he didn’t disappoint in his sophomore season.  Jeff Withey was highly touted as a high school center, and there is no reason he couldn’t be a very good player for KU.  It would be fabulous if Withey could improve enough to start for the Jayhawks.

2.  …KU could utilize defensive pressure with the same intensity and effectiveness they did in the 2006-2008 seasons?  No opposing players had it easy when Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers played together in the backcourt.  Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson and Josh Selby have the height, speed and athleticism to excel defensively, and the Morris twins have exceptional quickness for frontcourt players.  It would be great to see KU pressure the ball as they once did.

3.  …Josh Selby proved to be basketball’s next great point guard?  I don’t mean the next Derrick Rose or John Wall—I’m looking for an Isiah Thomas or Allen Iverson.  No one will know what KU has in Selby until he steps onto the court, but it would be magnificent if he was even better than advertised.

4.  …Markieff and Marcus Morris could grow an inch or two without losing speed or quickness?  If the twins were 6’10” instead of 6’9” and 6’8”, they would have an easier time inside and create all kinds of mismatches on the perimeter.  The high-low offense would become impossible to defend, and they could fill in at center far more capably.  They are fine as they are, but another inch or two would make a big difference.

5.  …Elijah Johnson and Thomas Robinson emerged as big-time players in their sophomore years?  Like Jeff Withey, Johnson and Robinson didn’t get many on-court opportunities in their first year, but their game wasn’t sufficiently developed to warrant extended minutes.  If both players came back with more confidence and polish, it would make a big difference.

6.  …Mario Little and Travis Releford emerged as big-time players after a red-shirt season?  Little and Releford have considerable potential, but it wasn’t going to be realized on the 2010 team with Xavier Henry.  The 2011 season could be their time to shine if they worked on their game during the last year.

7.  …Brady Morningstar could play the way he did as a sophomore?  Morningstar was a key starter for the 2009 Jayhawks.  He made intelligent passes, timely shots and often guarded the other team’s best player.  When Xavier Henry arrived, Morningstar’s game suffered, despite Bill Self’s continued confidence in him.  If he could become the player he was as a sophomore, KU would be better on offense and defense.

8.  …Tyshawn Taylor focused on basketball?  Instead of questioning his role with the team, talking about transferring on his Facebook account or battling with football players, it would be great if Taylor focused on basketball.  He has all the tools to excel, but every aspect of his game needs polish.  His ball-handling is suspect, his jump shot is erratic and his passing can be wild.  He will no longer play in the shadow of Sherron Collins—if he wants to be great, it’s time to get started.

9.  …Conner Teahan could play with the joy and abandon he demonstrated as a freshman?   When Teahan arrived on campus he hoped to make an impact similar to fellow walk-on Christian Moody.  In his first season, it appeared as if he could.  He became a fan favorite with his outside shooting and rode a season-long hot streak that gained the attention of coaches and fans.  His star fell after that first season, however.  It would be nice if he could offer some quality moments off the bench, whether in key moments or mop-up time.

10.  …Josh Selby could be ruled eligible to play for the Jayhawks as soon as possible?  Nearly a month into the fall semester’s classes, Selby is still being investigated by the NCAA to ensure his amateur status wasn’t compromised by his relationship with Carmelo Anthony’s business manager, Robert Frazier.  It would be nice to get this resolved and play some basketball.

It will be interesting to see what comes true from my wish list.  It would make for a fun season to see these things happen for KU, and there is no reason why they could not.  If all of them happened, KU would be flying high and looking for a perfect season.  One item is most important, however:  for the Hawks to be great, Josh Selby must be declared eligible.  They will be good with or without him, but they need Selby to compete for an NCAA championship.  Here’s hoping the NCAA allows him to compete.

Good luck to Coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2010-2011 season.

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!

Want to read more about KU basketball?  Click on the link below:

Kansas Jayhawks Men's Basketball 2010-2011:  Player Profiles and More 

Basketball Players Need College

I watched a tear-filled press conference on television and saw University of Kansas freshman forward Xavier Henry announce his intention to forego the remainder of his college career and apply for the NBA draft. For someone about to become a millionaire, Henry didn’t seem very happy. It was easy to believe that he succumbed to the pressures of his father Carl in making this decision. Carl Henry insisted from the outset his son Xavier was a “one-and-done” player, and everyone had to be on the same page regarding his son’s future. Well, he got what he wanted, but from an outsider’s perspective it seems he sacrificed his son’s innocence along the way.


This isn’t about Henry’s undeniable physical skills; it’s about his level of maturity. Can a 19 year-old kid who can’t even announce he’s leaving without sobbing possibly be ready for the NBA? Will he have the emotional stability to handle the pressures associated with playing for pay? Can he cope with players on the end of an NBA bench who are hoping he will fail because he is a threat to their own job security? Will he be able to deal with intolerant coaches feeling the pressure to win immediately, unwilling to suffer the mistakes of a player still learning the game? Can he resist the temptations of drugs, alcohol and sexual favors and focus on the game?

The NBA has it right: kids fresh out of high school aren’t ready for professional basketball. They understand that players one year removed from high school aren’t ready, either, but the NBA Players Association thwarted efforts to mandate two years of college before application for the NBA draft was possible. It would benefit NBA players to keep kids that aren’t ready out of the league and prevent them from stealing roster spots, but they fought the rule anyway. Seemingly, the only reason the Player’s Association opposed sending kids to college was that the NBA wanted it.

There are many justifications for allowing kids to go pro out of high school, but they all lack conviction. The proponents of this illogical argument typically suggest:

1. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant went pro out of high school and turned out fine. That is essentially correct, but Bryant and James are exceptional players. Even Bryant had a very ordinary rookie season. You don’t see a player as good as them come along every year, or even every five years. The best player since James is probably Kevin Durant, and he survived a year of college. No one sadly wonders what Durant would have done if he had gone to the NBA out of high school. Nobody cares.

2. If they’re good enough, why should they have to wait to get their money? This is the most preposterous justification of all, and the answers are myriad. First of all, they should wait to give the NBA a chance to make certain they are good enough. High school and the AAU circuit don’t provide the opportunity for an accurate assessment of a player’s skills. Second, almost all of them really aren’t good enough. They are drafted on potential, and don’t deserve to be paid a fortune to ride the bench. Third, if someone told you they would pay you $20 million but you had to wait a couple years to get it, what would you say? You would likely respond, “No problem, I’ll see you in two years.” If you said, “Forget it, buddy, I want that money now!” you would accurately be considered insolent and undeserving.

3. It is wrong to make kids who don’t want to go to college have to be there. Well, a lot of people want to be lawyers but it’s likely none of them are thrilled with going to law school. They realize no one hires a lawyer on potential, and they put in the time to learn and hone their skills. If it is understood that going to college is a mandatory step toward their goal, players will probably accept attending college a lot better.

4. If a kid can join the military and die for his country, why can’t he join the NBA? This rationale falls into the category of two wrongs making a right, and we have all been told they don’t. Just because a teenager is allowed to join the military doesn’t mean it’s the correct thing to do to our nation’s youth. If our soldiers were a little older and more mature, they would be more capable as soldiers and suffer fewer psychological scars. If our basketball players were a little older, they would be more capable, as well.



There are so many kids pushed toward the NBA by people with other agendas—parents, relatives, agents, coaches and friends are all eager to get into a kid’s head and tell them they’re the second coming of Michael Jordan. If someone has a reason for wanting a young basketball player to go professional, that reason should always be questioned. It is the player’s life and career and future earnings that are on the line and no on should be able to claim they are acting in the kid’s best interests.

It doesn’t work that way, however, and it never will. Because these young players are still immature kids, someone will always try to manipulate them for personal gain. That is why rules prohibiting a player from entering the NBA from high school are in place, and it is why those rules should be even more stringent than they are. It’s in the best interests of the players and the league.

I’m willing to wait another year or two for the second coming of O.J. Mayo—how about you?



Read more articles on this subject by the author:

 
http://hubpages.com/hub/High-School-Players-Should-Attend-College-Before-the-NBA
 
http://hubpages.com/hub/Everyone-Loses-with-Xavier-Henry-Going-to-the-NBA-Almost
 
http://hubpages.com/hub/Lets-Save-the-NBA-from-the-Draft-Early-Entries