KU freshmen guards Dotson, Grimes hoping to draw more fouls while shooting

Quentin Grimes says he’s spent some time studying film with Kansas assistant basketball coach Jerrance Howard the past couple days.

“He showed me where I could have attacked right there, where I could have taken one more dribble and got to the hoop, things like that,” explained Grimes, KU’s 6-foot-5 freshman guard from The Woodlands, Texas.

Though he and fellow first-year guard Devon Dotson have scored well, 15.5 and 11.5 points per game respectively, in KU’s first two games against Michigan State and Vermont, they’ve done basically all their damage from the field.

Starters Grimes and Dotson are both 1 of 2 from the free-throw line heading into Friday’s 7 p.m. game between the Jayhawks (2-0) and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (1-1) at Allen Fieldhouse.

“Coach (Bill) Self said we definitely need to get to the line a lot more for sure,” Grimes said Thursday. “The guards need to get a lot more aggressive, not worry about shooting the three-ball even though we can shoot the ball pretty well. We need to focus on getting more downhill, getting to the line and making sure the other team gets in foul trouble. I can come off a pick, attack downhill. I can be more assertive on the court for sure.”

Dotson — he has made 56.3 percent of his floor shots to Grimes’ 50 percent — says he’s also received the message from the coaches loud and clear.

He needs to get fouled more and shoot more free throws.

“He talks about it,” Dotson, a 6-2 freshman from Charlotte, N.C., said of Self. “I mean I’ve noticed that too. I need to get to the line more, be more aggressive, getting in the lane and making plays for others and myself.”

Dotson said during a a recent team film session Self, “had a stat. He said, ‘You guys have only gone to the line a certain number of times.’ That’s something we need to improve on.”

Grimes has 14 assists against four turnovers and Dotson three assists to five turnovers (with a team-leading five steals) through two games.

“He’s been preaching, ‘Just attack more,’’’ Dotson said of Self. “He always preaches to play with pace. He thinks we can push it more, play a little faster than we are now.”

Yet Self does not want the team to get carried away offensively.

“He hates turnovers,” Dotson said. “in practice you can’t turn the ball over. You just can’t do it. You have to play smarter, value every possession. You have to get a great shot every possession, just making sure of that.”

“Great shots” from the guards would include some buckets off slashing moves to the goal and ensuing fouls and foul shots.

“I don’t think we drive it very well,” Self said Thursday. “I can’t remember when Quentin has been in the paint driving the ball in a half-court offense. Devon doesn’t get in there enough, either. Maybe we are going to have to design some things to make it look more open for them.

“That never stopped Frank (Mason) or Devonté (Graham) from getting in there. I do believe we can help them with that. They have to play downhill more. Look at our team,” Self added, “our team hasn’t drawn many free throws.”

KU hit 20 of 33 free throws against Michigan State and 6 of 10 against Vermont.

“A lot of that is on the guards to get fouled. That is something we are trying to emphasize, to get downhill and touch the paint off the bounce. If we do that, we’ll get fouled,” Self said.

Grimes had 10 assists against three turnovers Monday against Vermont in 31 minutes. He is averaging 7.0 assists a game.

“It kind of surprises me a little, not much. I know (one will get assists) playing with better bigs on the court. Doke can finish right when you get it to him,” Grimes said of center Udoka Azubuike. “Just throw it super high on the backboard to Doke. I know he has super long arms, crazy athleticism. He can go get it wherever I put it.”

Friday’s game follows Monday’s 32-point outing from senior guard Lagerald Vick. He hit 12 of 14 shots and was 8 of 8 from three.

“It is unbelievable. He had two toes on the line or would have been 10-for-10 (shooting),” Self said. “The one dunk he had the first half (driving the middle) … that was an athletic play. He took off both feet outside the ‘Big 12 (logo)’ in the lane. That’s hard to do for a 6-foot-5 guy. I used to labor doing that, so you know it was a great athletic move,” Self added jokingly.

Of Vick, KU’s coach added: “He was great. He made shots. I don’t talk about making shots (but) obviously making shots is very important to our game, our sport. I thought he had energy. I thought he played with a smile on his face. I think there were some intangible things that occurred that probably gave him a better opportunity to have a shooting night like he had.”

Gary Bedore

Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.