There are many things I wanted to address on here today, but I'm going to pace myself for the inevitable boredom that will ensue over Thanksgiving break. Despite homework, family, tryptophan, and football, it always ends up happening. Must be a college thing. Anyway--the majority of next week will be a look at various recent sports topics, the highs/lows of returning to school this year, and a summary of the year in film. But for now, I'm going to devote a little time to something extremely dear to my heart; something that has shaped the fabric of my being and hardened me into the grizzled individual you see today:
In the great tradition of Kansas Jayhawk basketball, I give you a preview and analysis of the 2007 Jayhawks by a diehard college basketball/KU fan. And for those of you scoring at home, yes, this is totally the highlight of my day.2006-2007 Season:
The Jayhawks were a team of youth, fortunate to not lose any/all of their stud freshman trio of Julian Wright, Brandon Rush, and Mario Chalmers to the NBA Draft. With those three anchoring the team, valuable pieces like incumbent PG Russell Robinson provided the veteran edge this team needed. Freshmen spark plugs PF Darrell Arthur and G Sherron Collins came off the bench to ignite the Jayhawks on both ends of the court. Following a slow start to the year, the team gelled mid season, and played the best basketball of any team in the land en route to winning the Big 12 regular season and tournament championships. The team blazed through March Madness before playing their first bad game of basketball against one of the best teams of 2007--the loaded UCLA Bruins. KU lost in the elite to UCLA.
2007-2008 Season:
The offseason was somewhat tumultuous for Bill Self and crew, as to-be-juniors F Julian Wright G/F Brandon Rush declared for the 2007 NBA Draft. Despite previously vowing to not leave Lawrence until graduation, Wright was viewed as a lottery pick, and taken No. 13 by Sacramento. I don't blame him for leaving, and I will very much miss Julian Wright, one of the few players in recent years to truly epitomize the basketball definition of "upside." He is an athletic freak, a natural passer, and a weapon on defense. But man, it couldn't have come at a worse time for Kansas.
Brandon Rush also decided to test the NBA Draft waters, but kept his collegiate eligibility open by not hiring an agent. In a May pre-draft scrimmage, Rush tore his ACL and immediately had surgery. He wisely decided to return to school, and hoped to be back and contributing to the Jayhawks by December. Recent reports have Rush ahead of that schedule, nearing 100%. I just hope he takes his time; we'll need his scoring. In the last week, reserve G Sherron Collins had surgery on a stress fracture in his left foot. Collins was totally unaware of this injury, but he'll be out at least six weeks.
That means the scoring load will fall primarily on G Mario Chalmers and F Darrell Arthur. PG Russell Robinson can get to the lane with his speed, which certainly adds an element to the team; he is not a threat from outside, however. It will be critical for the team that Arthur establishes himself as an athletic force on the low post. Bill Self will know how to capitalize on this team's quickness and pace, so until Brandon Rush can get back and contribute on the wing, this team won't have much size from the outside. I also see a potentially weak bench (only key G and F reserves are somewhat inexperienced or young) being a problem early on as the team gels, as well as late into the season. The one glaring weakness is the lack of a go-to scoring option. In the past, so many of the players have chipped in, or exploded for 20-point outings (Rush, Chalmers, Arthur, Wright, Collins). With the roster being so uncertain right now, what the Jayhawks need is consistency. Whether that's 15/8 from Arthur, or 18/4 from Rush or Chalmers, certain players have to step up.
Final Prediction/On the Horizon:
The Jayhawks begin this years as an extremely talented but unpredictable team (when do they not?). In many ways, being a Jayhawks fan is the ocllege basketball equivalent of being a Chicago Cubs fan. The players and personnel might look great on paper, but the critics will always have the postseason failure card to play. That argument rings true for Kansas this year. I see this team getting fierce Big 12 competition from Texas and Texas A&M (possibly Kansas State as well), but they have the talent to win both conference titles. Barring any early stumbles, a 28-7 type season is what I expect. The talent, however, is still somewhere in the 30-5 range and a Final Four trip. I won't go any bolder than that without knocking on wood. Like Cubbies fans, we're paranoid. I also anticipate Rush and Arthur declaring for the Draft after this year. Their stock was high last year, so I think they'll bolt. Good news for the Lawrence faithful is that Self is an excellent recruiter, and has already locked up a Top 10 recruiting class for next year to potentially replace those losses.
Random Fact of the Day: The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) are the day before and the day after the Major League Baseball All-Star game.
0 comments:
Post a Comment