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KU report card
BY J. BRADY MCCOLLOUGH | THE KANSAS CITY STARThey started 20-0 before dropping three of seven games — all on the road — and calling a players-only meeting on Feb. 24. The Jayhawks then ran off 13 wins in a row, finishing the season as national champions.
It doesn’t get any greater than that.
LOWLIGHT: The Jayhawks fell to Oklahoma State on Feb. 23 in Stillwater, Okla., 61-60. Kansas was clearly the superior team but could not find a way to get going in a disappointing loss. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 21 times and were eaten alive by Cowboys guard Byron Eaton, who had 26 points.
<< TEAM MVP: Brandon Rush. Kansas became a different team during the tournament season because Rush finally decided that he was going to be the guy KU coach Bill Self always thought he could be. It all started with his career-high 28 points against Texas A&M in the Big 12 tournament semifinals, and it continued until the last game in San Antonio. Rush led KU in scoring for the third straight year, and he evolved into the Jayhawks’ most solid defender.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: The emergence of Darnell Jackson as an offensive threat. It was shocking when Jackson started the season with 21 points in the opener against Louisiana-Monroe. It was even more shocking when Jackson had back-to-back big scoring games against Yale (21) and Boston College (25) in the middle of the season. Jackson put in the work in the offseason to replace Julian Wright’s 12 points and 7.8 rebounds, and he came close with 11.2 and 6.7, respectively.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Sherron Collins’ health. Most thought that Rush would be the health question this season, coming off surgery to repair his torn right ACL. But Collins had surgery in mid-November to correct a stress fracture in his left foot, and it took him several months to get back to full speed. Even then, Collins would bump both knees and also fought through a sprained right ankle.
REASON TO HOPE FOR 2008-09: So let’s say the Jayhawks lose Rush, Chalmers and Darrell Arthur early to the NBA draft. They return two McDonald’s All-Americans in Collins and Cole Aldrich. The four true freshmen next year — twins Marcus and Markieff Morris, Travis Releford and Quintrell Thomas — and the two junior-college prospects — Mario Little and Tyrone Appleton — appear to be ready to contribute immediately. And Self says he’s not done recruiting just yet.
REASON TO MOPE FOR 2008-09: The Jayhawks lose five seniors and possibly could have no scholarship seniors on next year’s team, if Rush and Chalmers go pro. They’ll be baby Jayhawks again, which will make for fresh story lines but also painful games to watch. At this point, KU knows nothing about Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed, who will be scholarship sophomores.
DARNELL JACKSON: He improved so much from last season that Bill Self couldn’t keep him out of the starting lineup. A
RUSSELL ROBINSON: He set the pace defensively and offensively, and was almost invisible on the court. His defense of some of the country’s top point guards proved invaluable. A
BRANDON RUSH: His 25-point performance against North Carolina and his gutsy defensive showing against Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts were as big a key as any in KU winning the national championship. A-
DARRELL ARTHUR: He has the ability to average 16 points and eight rebounds per game, even on a balanced KU team, but he disappeared on too many nights. B+
SHERRON COLLINS: Nobody had a bigger influence on Kansas when he was on the floor. KU could not have won the national championship without him. B+
SASHA KAUN: He got off to a slow start and lost his starting job to Jackson in the season’s sixth game. Self hoped that the move would motivate Kaun, and it ended up doing just that. B+
COLE ALDRICH: Self didn’t need to play him much early in the season. That allowed Aldrich time to develop. His true unveiling came in the Final Four against North Carolina. B
RODRICK STEWART: The senior played in just two NCAA Tournament games after starting the season as a key contributor while Collins and Rush recovered from injuries. C+
COACHING STAFF: Self finally stuck around long enough to see a group of players he recruited graduate, and it paid off with a national championship. A