This KU Jayhawks trio wowed vs. Michigan State: ‘We’re going to have a good future’
Zach Clemence leaned back against a cinder-block wall outside his team’s locker room at Madison Square Garden, unable to keep a smile from his face.
Kansas had just defeated Michigan State, 87-74, in the Champions Classic, and the freshman forward admitted that the previous day had felt like a blur.
“I’ve just never been to New York before. I’ve only seen movies and stuff,” said Clemence, who is from Texas. “So to see all the billboards and all the steam coming out the ground ... the whole experience altogether was good.”
The actual game Tuesday night, though, was best of all.
After checking in for his official college debut, Clemence started off with a three-pointer from the wing ... and promptly lost his senses.
“It was an experience I’ve never felt before,” Clemence said with a grin. “I don’t even know how (to describe it). Something about my body just went crazy.”
He sure didn’t seem to let the experience affect his play. Clemence was part of KU’s trio of freshmen — including Bobby Pettiford and K.J. Adams — who provided one of the team’s can’t-miss bright spots from the season debut.
KU coach Bill Self singled them all out after the game, calling Clemence “terrific,” Adams “great” and Pettiford “really good.”
“I was encouraged by our bench,” Self said. “I really was.”
And let’s be honest here: The odds were stacked against each of the freshmen playing a significant role, simply because of the circumstances.
Self values one quality above all others early each season: trust. Fact is, that’s something awfully tough to build in only a few months of practice, especially when the Jayhawks’ season opener was coming against a blue blood on national television in the most famous arena in the world.
So to say Clemence, Pettiford and Adams were likely to have short leashes was probably an understatement. Just look to the past for an example: In KU’s last trip to The Garden in 2019, then-freshman Jalen Wilson stepped out of bounds, missed a three and failed to get a rebound in two first-half minutes.
He never returned to the court after that.
The KU freshmen, then, were not only tasked with performing well early against Michigan State on Tuesday, but also doing so right away so they’d get a chance to stay out there.
They each succeeded, while contributing in their own ways.
“The freshman squad’s looking good,” Clemence said. “We’re going to have a good future.”
It’s also worth pointing out an important moment when they came through all on their own.
Michigan State took a brief 31-30 lead at the end of the first half, and though KU’s Ochai Agbaji and Remy Martin came through on other possessions, this one belonged to the Jayhawks’ young guys.
Pettiford drove aggressively to force help, then shoveled to Clemence, who put in a contested layup.
It was the start of a 7-0 run — Pettiford later put in an and-one too — as KU never trailed again.
“Coach, he put that confidence in us. He told us from the jump that he trusts us with the ball in our hands, he trusts us to make plays,” Pettiford said. “He trusts us coming in and giving productive minutes.”
The efforts might be more impressive given the conditions.
Clemence spoke afterward about how fun it was to play at a place like Madison Square Garden. The spotlight, however, didn’t impact how he performed.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Clemence said. “I was there to play.”
Pettiford, meanwhile, said he spent some time in morning shoot-around soaking in the fact that he was actually at Madison Square Garden. The building also houses his favorite NBA team, the New York Knicks.
Like Clemence, though, he didn’t appear to let the atmosphere shake him, posting five points and two assists in 14 minutes.
“I played pretty good,” Pettiford said. “I was productive, so it was fun.”
Bigger picture, Clemence and Pettiford displayed the kind of error bars KU might be working with on any night this season.
Self acknowledged afterward that a couple of his team’s starters didn’t perform up to expectations against Michigan State. Still, the Jayhawks coasted to a double-digit win — in a game they were only favored by 4 1/2 — thanks to Self’s ability to go with the hot hands available on his bench.
It’s quite a luxury. Self will welcome back Jalen Wilson from suspension soon, and transfers Joseph Yesufu and Jalen Coleman-Lands didn’t seem to show their full ability in limited minutes Tuesday.
Even considering all that, KU still ran away from a fringe top-25 program Tuesday while not yet looking like a finished product on either end.
A lot of that was because of the team’s freshman squad — good for a night, and fearless as well.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
