Giving credit where credit is due: Russell Robinson

Can I just inject for a moment how much of a fan I am of Russell Robinson? After such a tough adjustment during his freshman season (remember the talk about him transferring), he has become a rock solid point guard and has matured so much on and off the court. He has been the pulse for this team and will continue to do so this season. He doesn't get near the credit he deserves because he doesn't have the "flash" and the preseason awards and the NBA talk, but he is the glue of this team.

Congratulations, Russell. You've become a man right before our eyes. And you deserve to cut down those nets in Atlanta.

This Jayhawk fan will be rooting hard for you to do just that.

Mic

KU wants Robinson to be its voice
BY RICK PLUMLEE
The Wichita Eagle
LAWRENCE - If you see Russell Robinson's jaws moving more on the court, along the sideline or whenever he's around his Kansas teammates this season, then you know a leader is blossoming.
Not that leading is all about talking.
But in Robinson's case, the junior point guard has all the leadership qualities except the words.
"I'm not vocal," Robinson said, "but I'm working on it."
As the No. 3 Jayhawks open their season tonight against Northern Arizona, they have some nice pieces that could fit together for a remarkable year.
What they need most of all to make it work is a leader. This is also a team that doesn't have a leader in the most complete sense.
"You see the really, really great leaders -- the Larry Birds, Magic Johnsons and Michael Jordans of the world -- they all do this," KU coach Bill Self said as he made the motion of flapping jaws with his fingers and thumb. "The really great leaders all talked."
OK, so the Jayhawks don't have a Bird, Johnson or a Jordan. But they do have Robinson.
"Of all the players, they'll look to Russell more than anyone else," Self added. "They'll look to him when times are tough.
"Nobody is the pulse of the team or more valuable to the team than Russell. He is a leader. But he would be a better and more effective leader if he was more vocal. We've talked about that a thousand times."
And Robinson can just about recall every one of those conversations.
Running the offense, stealing balls, scoring as needed. That's his game. Off the court, he hangs out with his teammates. Movies, video games and so on.
But talk?
"That's not the first thing I want to do," he said. "I'm more leader-by-example guy, but lately I've been more vocal."
Brandon Rush agreed.
"In practices, Russell is starting to speak up when we don't get things right," the sophomore guard said. "He used to leave it up to the coaches to chew us out."
KU has its talkers. Forward Julian Wright, for example. But like his game, sometimes his words tumble out at such a fast pace that you're not sure where he's going.
Plus, it works better if the leadership comes from a guard. Although Robinson grew up in New York City, the land of too much talk, Robinson arrived at KU shy and quiet. He's gradually climbed out of that shell and is far more communicative now.
"Russell is about leading by example, not words," junior forward Darnell Jackson said. "We all respect that. But sometimes you need one guy to speak up."
Robinson was the team's leader last year, so it's not exactly a new role for him. The only question now is whether he can upgrade as a leader.
His game already speaks volumes.
"He's not going to average 15 a game, but he could get 20 in any game," Self said. "You should always judge Russell on whether your team has more points than the other team at the end of the game, because that's what he's about.
"He's become a good basketball player. He's older, wiser, tougher and a competitor. And he's talking more. He just needs to get more comfortable doing that."

KU-Emporia State: Post-Game Thoughts

I was at the game last night and walked away with these few observations:

*Our guys have a long way to go, as to be expected, on playing great team defense. At times, I would say they have a ways to go on playing even good team defense.
*Sherron's shot is definitely not "pure" as a friend of mine pointed out last night, but the end result, particularly from 3-pt range, is all that matters. If he becomes a consistent 3-pt threat to go with his ballhandling, penetrating, passing skills, that will make us that more dangerous. Not to mention that he is playing tentatively right now and you can tell the game is still a bit too fast for him. Once it slows down, he will be scary good.
*I really expected to see Brandon being more assertive on both ends of the court this year. Additionally, I expected to see more vocal leadership from him. To this point, I've seen neither.
*Ditto on vocal leadership from Russell. He still seems to be that quiet, even keeled player he was last year.
*This team really missed Sasha inside presence and muscle. The saying "You don't know what you've got til it's gone" comes to mind. Darnell and DA got shoved around and gave up way too much space when Emporia State players were backing them down into the lane.
*Mario Chalmers being out was another "you don't know what you've got til it's gone" situation. It makes me appreciate even more how much havoc he creates defensively, how that creates offensive opportunities, and how his ability to score gives the team overall energy.
*We never really committed to trying to get the ball into the paint last night and settled for numerous jumpshots.
*I didn't see much overall intensity from KU last night, particularly in the first half.
*A friend mentioned this to me last night and I hadn't really thought of it until his comment, but I completely agree: "This is Julian Wright's team. Period."
*Matt Kleinmann is a poor man's Christian Moody and has a looooooong way to go. I hope we don't need him to play at all this season other than to go foul someone.
*Darrell Arthur didn't look like the "freshman of the century" last night, but he is still going to be a monster this season as he gets more and more experience. He played somewhat timid last night and I imagine the game and remembering what the coaches have told him is still slowing him down. But, as with Sherron, once that stuff becomes second nature for him, he is going to be beyond scary good.

Overall, good to get some playing time for everyone and good to get our injured players some rest.

All of that said, I'm much more nervous about the Florida game that I thought I would be.

Mic

Late Night in the Phog 2006 Report

It was another long night. Started at 6:45, ended around 10.

Bonnie Henrickson showed up in a Ferrari that she got out of just before heading out of the tunnel onto the court. Not sure why she was in that car as it didn't really fit the skit. The women's team is YOUNG...7 freshmen. They did a video skit where the freshmen tried on all of their new Adidas gear and then snooped around the campus/basketball offices. They then snuck back into the lockerroom and the upper classwomen were there and said something like "you need to earn those stripes". It was pretty cheezy.

The women then did a dance routine that wasn't half bad.
The Harlem Wizards did some entertaining and involved the crowd. The Wizards were there primarily to fill in when the players needed to change clothes, etc.

Two of the Sonics mascots were there. Both named "Squatch". One was a blow up type mascot like Herbie Husker and the other was the mascot that looks like Chewbacca and runs around the court and then jumps off one of those deals and dunks it a few times. Fairly entertaining.

The men's team did a skit based on Dancing with the Stars. Each class did a dance with a few of the Rock Chalk Dancers and the judges (Manning, Self and Aaron Miles) voted on each group. The winner was the juniors because Self said "It's a tough decision but we're going to give it to these guys since they are already out here (on the court)" Self also took a jab at Sasha when he said "Well, 5 of you (out of 6) can dance. No offense, Sasha." That got a good laugh.

The men's scrimmage was brutal. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. And boring. Folks there were something like 16 fouls called during a 20 minute CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING clock.

Sherron Collins, the little I saw of him, is the real deal. He is a little ball of muscle (huge biceps) and is quick, quick, quick. He can get to the lane whenever he wants. He didn't always make good decisions once he got in the lane, but again it's a first practice pickup game. He's going to be very special. Darrell looked ok. Didn't do anything too spectacular (no one really did to be honest).

Just as last year, there were several cool videos, though I wasn't overly impressed as we saw many (95%?) of the same game snipits that were a part of last year's video show. I also thought they didn't have enough video clips of our current players. They once again did the "Jayhawks in the NBA" video, which I assume was meant for the recruits.

I saw the recruits from a distance, but couldn't tell how into it they were.

AFH wasn't filled to capacity, but I would guess there were 14-15,000 there. Not bad, especially with the kids on fall break.

All in all, a typical Late Night with lots of enthusiasm and anticipation for the season. I can't believe our first game is in a little over two weeks!

Mic

Some things never change

The LJWorld continues to report on our former coach.

Roy continues his annual summer "aw shucks, I suck at golf" comments.

Finally, rumors have it that Roy's back has been ailing him for a couple of years due to a big load of guilt on his shoulders. Doctors say the guilt can not ever be removed.-- Mic


Tar Heels coach battling bad back
Posted Saturday, June 24, 2006

North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams disclosed at his annual summertime news conference that he is having back and leg pain caused by sciatica.
The former Kansas University coach told Carolina media members he may need back surgery.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Williams has had 10 appointments with a chiropractor, eight with an acupuncturist and has taken three epidural shots.
"And I can't break 80," Williams said of his golf game. "I've got a bulging disk that is pinching the sciatic nerve. It's very painful at times. Down the road there's probably going to have to be some surgery but I think with the medical people we have here I can push that way down the road.
"My golf game's worse — I think I'll go down in history as having the best reputation and the worst game of any golfer ever."

It's the offseason: Revisiting KU's 4 seed

I'm a part of a Jayhawk message group and we're having a debate/discussion on whether we deserved better than a 4 seed in last year's NCAA tournament.

My contention is that we did given the fact that we were co-conference champs and conference tourney champs who beat Texas (who as you recall was given a 2 seed) in UT's own backyard. Not to mention the fact that we were, what, 9-1, in the previously all-important "last 10 games" that the committee apparently looks so closely at.

Check out the info below provided by a couple of people on the message group. It further illustrates the point that the committee screwed KU by giving them a four seed going into the tournament.

And I know, I know. We lost to Bradley, so maybe the committee was right, blah, blah, blah. I think we've pounded that horse into the ground.

The point is, if the committee gave the Hawks what they deserved based on their performance, then we would have never faced Bradley, who, btw, also benefitted from the selection committee's ignorance (see below)

Anyway, a little something Jayhawk to discuss in this already too long offseason.

Mic


Mic wrote:> I wonder how many teams in major conferences have shared their conference title and won their conference championship and ended up with a 4 or lower seed.

ANSWER: Two. The only other one was Ohio State in 2002. They also received a#4 seed after sharing the Big 10 title with Illinois, Indiana andWisconsin (all 11-5), then winning their tournament. Illinois was also a #4 seed, Indiana was a #5 and Wisconsin a #8.Here are the other major conference co-champs who won their tournamentsince seeding began.1979 : North Carolina (9-3 ACC), #1 seed1980 : Georgetown (5-2? Big East), #3 seed 1982 : North Carolina (12-2 ACC), #1 seed1985 : Georgia Tech (9-5 ACC), #2 seed1986 : St. John's (14-2 Big East), #1 seed1987 : Georgetown (12-4 Big East), #1 seed1990 : Connecticut (12-4 Big East), #1 seed 1990 : Arizona (15-3 Pac 10), #2 seed1995 : Wake Forest (12-4 ACC), #1 seed2000 : Michigan State (13-3 Big 10), #1 seed2001 : Duke (13-3 ACC), #1 seed2001 : Kentucky (12-4 SEC), #2 seed2002 : Connecticut (13-3 Big East), #2 seed 2003 : Pittsburgh (13-3 Big East), #2 seedKU was the first Big 12 (or Big 8) co-champ who won the post-seasontournament. The outright Big 12 champs who also won the tournamentwere:1997 : KU (15-1), #1 seed 1998 : KU (15-1), #1 seed2000 : ISU (14-2), #2 seed2004 : OSU (14-2), #2 seedThe only other Big 12 champ who received worse than a #3 seed was UT in1999 (13-3, #7 seed). UT in '99 and KU in '06 are good examples of teams which improved greatly over the course of the season, but weredropped in the seeding due to their slow starts.BTW, KU won the '99 tournament and received a higher seed than UT (#6)despite finishing only 11-5 (tied for 2nd) in the Big 12.

In retrospect, what may have been a "worse" seeding than KU getting a #4 seed was the fact that Bradley got a #13 seed. Clearly from their performance in the tournament they were much better than a #13 seed and they had a much higher RPI than any of the other #13 seeds. In fact, they had a higher RPI than #5 seed Washington, #6 seed Indiana, #7 seed Georgetown and #6 seed West Virginia. There were actually 14 at large teams with lower RPIs than Bradley and yet Bradley was seeded below all of them. IMO, this was the more egregious error on the committee's part. I certainly don't think we would have lost to Air Force, Iona or Pacific (the other 13 seeds).

More postgame thoughts

I'm not overly surprised by Friday night. Bradley shot 32% from 3-point range all season long and 16% in the MVC tournament. Of course, against KU they go 11-21 and the tradition of running into a hot shooting team or player continues for KU. How interesting that McNamara doesn't score a FG in his last NCAA tournament game, but goes off for 6 threes against KU.

Additionally, KU hasn't had 2 players foul out of a game the entire season, but it "magically" happened Friday night. In fact, I don't think we've even had 1 player foul out in some 25 games. I don't typically get too involved in blaming officials, but Bradley did have 13 more FT attempts than KU and KU was whistled for 8 more fouls. While not the only reason for the loss, things like that add up in a tight game.

It's frustrating, but I'm not entirely surprised. This was the youngest team in KU history and they still accomplished a lot.

Bradley is peaking. We just happened to get the most underrated 13 seed in this year's tournament as our first round game.

I trust Bill Self. I have to believe there were reasons for what happened defensively, or perhaps players weren't executing. I tend to think it's the latter. He said later that it was the worst they had played defensively all year, so I tend to believe that players were making defensive mistakes. I think that was, in large part, due to how the officials called the game and the ensuing "tightening up" that occurred throughout the team.

One Bradley player said "they didn't adjust to how the game was being called". I think that is true. I also think our players didn't know how to adjust to that type of officiating. We led the nation in FG% defense. They only know how to play one way. Aggressive. When the officials blew the whistle every time down the court (and there were some highly questionable calls...I believe we were called for something like 5 offensive fouls and Chalmers was called for PALMING, which hasn't been called hardly at all in the tournament). Those calls took away momentum from KU and gave it to Bradley, who then took even more momentum by being unconscious from the 3-pt line. I believe their 3-pt outburst was more 3's than they had hit in a game all season long. We can overcome hot shooting. But we can't overcome hot shooting AND lopsided, momentum-killing officiating

I think Chalmers was tight on both sides of the ball because of the early foul trouble he was in. I believe Rush, Chalmers and Robinson all had 2 fouls fairly early in the first half. Again, this is something that rarely, if ever, happened all season long.

The missed FT's in the last couple of minutes hurt, but when you combine that with a banked 3 to end the half, well, it turned a close game into a 10 point halftime lead

Bradley looked good against Pitt, but Pitt didn't impress me. And, at this point, any team has a chance. I don't think there is any team that is heads and shoulders above the rest.

I had been saying all along that I wouldn't be surprised if we lost in the second round or made a run to the Final Four. We went out in the first round and I guess I'm just a little surprised by that, but not too surprised. We played a good Bradley team that played their best game of the year by far. They hit all of the threes after hitting an avg. of 3 a game over their last 3 games and being a 32% 3-pt shooting team. KU overcame Bradley's hot shooting, but the poor officiating gave Bradley more opportunities at the line and they hit their free throws.It reminded me of the game in Austin. Texas hit everything and we couldn't hit anything. And we were out of sorts. We threw TWO inbounds passes away. We never do that. We had 2 guys foul out. That hasn't happened all season. Bradley hit more threes in the first half than they have in their last couple of games. Mario and BRush disappeared, particularly in the first half. We turned the ball over like we did early in the season when our freshmen were actually playing like freshmen. All of the 3's Bradley were raining in took an emotional toll on this team and while they were valiant in trying to come back, they just couldn't overcome the officiating too. Bradley "careered" us tonight.

Self and KU have plenty of postseason success ahead

I, for one, think Self will be fine and will lead this team to some great postseason success...and soon.

Last year's team was divided, overconfident, had chemistry issues, and some wouldn't listen to Self or do what he asked.

This year's team was the youngest team in KU history and panicked under the pressure of their first NCAA Tournament game against a team that should have been higher than a #13 seed.

Just looking at L column in the last two years of the NCAA Tournament simplifies things a bit too much for me. Again, in my mind, this was Self's FIRST team at Kansas. And they are very, very young.

They are still conference champions. They are still conference tournament champions. They still put together a helluva season, including a career day against Texas in UT's backyard.

The future is very bright. Next year, this team will come back more determined and focused than any KU team in recent history.

KU-Bradley: Just one of those nights

I had been saying all along that I wouldn't be surprised if we lost in the second round or made a run to the Final Four. We went out in the first round and I guess I'm just a little surprised by that, but not too surprised.

We played a good Bradley team that played their best game of the year by far. They hit all of the threes after hitting an avg. of 3 a game over their last 3 games and being a 32% 3-pt shooting team. KU overcame Bradley's hot shooting, but the poor officiating gave Bradley more opportunities at the line and they hit their free throws.

It reminded me of the game in Austin. Texas hit everything and we couldn't hit anything. And we were out of sorts. We threw TWO inbounds passes away. We never do that. We had 2 guys foul out. That hasn't happened all season. Bradley hit more threes in the first half than they have in their last couple of games. Mario and BRush disappeared, particularly in the first half. We turned the ball over like we did early in the season when our freshmen were actually playing like freshmen.

All of the 3's Bradley were raining in took an emotional toll on this team and while they were valiant in trying to come back, they just couldn't overcome the officiating too.

Bradley "careered" us tonight.

On to the offseason....sigh.

KU Rap Song, Part II

This one is Crimson Blue II, track 12 and is updated with the current crop of players.

Enjoy.

http://www.bandbmediaservices.com/

Where is this team going?

This KU team started the season looking horrible at times. We were able to write that off to youth, inexperience, and lack of playing time together and individually.

We knew they would hit their stride and hoped it would be this year.

They did hit that stride and they won 10 in a row and looked to be hitting on almost all cylinders.

Now, we find the team coming off three unimpressive games against Baylor, Texas and Colorado.
We're seeing some of the same problems that we saw earlier in the year such as unforced turnovers, lack of aggressive play in the paint, not valuing the ball, missing free throws, the lack of a true "go to" scorer, etc.

We're also starting to see some new issues develop including Brandon Rush looking uncomfortable, forcing his aggressiveness, and missing shots he normally makes. Russell Robinson is making some poor decisions with his passing and shot selection. Mario Chalmers disappears for long stretches and then hits a couple of quick 3's. We try to make the Sportscenter highlight reels instead of making the smart play. Our big guys are consistently getting outmuscled and outrebounded.

We also have some positives: Giles is playing better; our defense is still very strong; the team has a ton of talent; the team still can make quick, powerful runs that turn the tide of a game; we have a deep bench; etc.

So my question is: Where is this team going? Will they beat K-State, win a couple of Big 12 tourney games and make a run in the NCAA tourney?

Or will they continue to play out of sync as freshmen and sophomores hit "the wall" and struggle for the rest of the season? Did they peak too early?

This season has been a great one. To think we are on the verge of at least a share of the conference title after replacing virtually our entire team in the offseason is, in a word, amazing.

This season has also been a roller coaster. We started slow, then moved upward gradually gaining speed, then we hit the top of the mountain, and then we started going downhill after getting drilled at Texas.

Does this team have what it takes to make one more push to the top of the mountain?

Only time will tell. And it starts on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse West.

Mic

KU-Texas: Who has the edge?

*Defensive intensity: Major edge to KU
*Athletes: Push
*Big Men: Giles, Kaun, Wright, Jackson and Moody will wear down Buckman and Aldridge. Aldridge is long, but not aggressive. And Buckman is a big piece of meat in the lane that does not impress me.
*Takin' Care of Business: Edge to KU
*Getting Blown Out on National TV: Major edge to Texas
*Candidate for Most Overrated/Overhyped Team in the Country: Major edge to Texas
*Candidate for Most Underrated/Underhyped Team in the Country: Major edge to Kansas
*Basketball Tradition: Major edge to Kansas
*Coaching: Self will coach circles around Barnes
*Playing TEAM basketball: Major edge to Kansas
*Playing like a bunch of athletes that don't have on-court chemistry: Major edge to Texas
*Depth: Major edge to Kansas
*Assists: If today was any indication, MAJOR edge to KU
*Officiating: I can only hope that we get a fair and balanced crew in Austin.

If the Jayhawks play like they have during this winning streak, they are going to come out of Austin in sole posession of first place in the Big 12.

Mic

This Jayhawk Team Is Special

So this Jayhawk team has won 13 of 15. They are in sole possession of 2nd place in the Big 12. Every win, except one, has been by double digits. They have two freshmen that have won the Big 12 Freshmen of the Week award a total of 3 times. They lead the nation in FG% defense. They had a stretch of about 5 games where they were averaging 90 points a game. They beat Oklahoma. And they just wiped the floor with Nebraska in Lincoln, for their FOURTH ROAD WIN in the conference.

They are unranked.

And I just checked FIVE major sports web sites and ONE of them had a short AP article on their blowout win over NU tonight.

I LOVE IT.

Keep us under the radar. I dare you.

We are currently one of the best teams in the country and only a handful of folks know it and even some of us find it hard to believe from where this team started.

We will wipe the floor with ISU, KSU and Baylor. Mark it down. And I think we'll beat OSU too.

And that will set up a HUGE game against the Yankees, er Longhorns, in Austin.

And I think this team can win that one too.

Regardless of how this season ends up, I LOVE THIS TEAM. I love the energy. I love the enthusiasm. I love the toughness. I love the in-your-face defense. I love how they look a "trap game" in the face and say "screw you, we're gonna take it to you". I love the talent. I love the unselfishness, which again was evident from day one. I love that they like hanging out together. And I love watching them play and pick each other up when someone has an off night.

Folks, this is a special, special team.

Rock Chalk,

Mic

Jayhawks are a close-knit TEAM

The players on this Jayhawk team are very close and that has helped them tremendously in winning 10 of their last 12.

It is sooooooooooooo refreshing to see that after what we've witnessed in Lawrence over the last couple of years, when it was clear that there wasn't a "all for one and one for all" mentality.

I said after watching Late Night how I loved how unselfish this team is and that clearly has been a constant this season as they are all maturing together and becoming a very solid team. They truly are starting to care more about the name on the FRONT of the jersey instead of the one on the BACK.

And major kudos have to go to Bill Self and his staff for fostering that kind of environment and getting the kids to buy in.

I'm starting to believe we are witnessing a very, very special Kansas Basketball team.

Under the Radar

I just finished checking all of the major sports web sites and couldn't find one mention of KU's win in Ames, their 10th win in 12 games. We lead the nation in FG%, we've won 3 conference road games, our last home game was a dismantling of Nebraska, and our losses have been by a total of less than 20 points. Yet NO ONE is talking about Kansas on the national scene, unless they are talking about us potentially missing the NCAA tournament.

I, for one, LOVE IT. While the "experts" are slobbering all over Texas and Oklahoma, KU is putting together a very dangerous postseason team.

By the way, Digger Phelps yesterday on the GameDay set said his hottest team in college basketball was Texas. Nice call, idiot. That goes nicely with your call that ISU would beat Kansas because Kansas is "too young".

All Streaks Come to an End

I'm not too upset about this loss. The streak had to end some time and everyone knew that KSU's best chance in a long time was this season. I hadn't said it on the list, but while I was happy with the winning streak and the win over CU on the road, I was under no impression that this team was going to be a buzzsaw the rest of the way. Self has talked about all season how this team can labor to score. We had 3 pts. in the final 8:45 of the first half when we could have buried K-State. But just before that drought, they scored about 10 points in 3 minutes. They have spurtability and it all comes from their defense. But when they slack off on defense, it slows down their offense almost to a crawl.

It's a loss and it sucks, but there is no time to sulk because we have the morons on Monday.

I will say that I hope Self has himself and all of the big men on the treadmill at this very moment.

And there is no excuse for us going for 2 with 9 seconds left.

Sometimes the ball bounces your way. Sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it bounces of Brandon Rush's face.