On the Fense’

Something isn’t right. It hasn’t been the same since 2008, even though the in-season results have been just as good in the time that has passed between the championship game and now.

A Bill Self coached basketball team is built to survive even when the shots don’t fall. His teams at Kansas have frequently done just that, even though the shots do fall most of the time. It all comes down to, what the 2008 team specialized in — defense.

I’m not saying that the previous three Kansas teams haven’t played good defense, but I am saying that something has been missing, and it lies with the guards.

The perimeter defense for Kansas just hasn’t quite been the same since the lightning fast hands of Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers left.

Sherron Collins fit the definition of a great college point guard offensively, but on the defensive end, the story didn’t read the same. Tyrel Reed’s kryptonite came on the defensive end of the floor, and while Brady Morningstar played great defense, his problem was the same — they frequently got beat off the dribble.

Guards of opposing teams have been able to drive the lane with ease the previous three seasons. Fortunately for the Jayhawks’, Cole Aldrich roamed the paint for two of those years and literally made a living off of swatting away anything and everything around the rim.

The lack of steals has deprived multiple incredibly athletic teams of fast-break opportunities. The penetration from opposing guards has gotten the big guys for Kansas in foul trouble, or allowed for open threes to be thrown up in hordes against helpless, helping defenders.

In 2008, the Jayhawks’ averaged 8.9 steals a game, while holding their opponents to shooting .379 from the field. In 2011, the Jayhawks’ had 7.8 steals a game, and their opponents shot .394 against them.

Along with the lack of forced turnovers from the boys up front, the toughness defending the perimeter hasn’t been there either. There used to be no one as tough as the Kansas guards were on defense, and that’s were they can get it back this year.

Tyshawn Taylor has shown flashes of Robinson/Chalmers-esque defense, but problems with his head have caused multiple in-excusable defensive lapses on the perimeter. Taylor finished last season playing the best basketball in his career, and if the guard from New Jersey finally gets “it”, he can lead the defensive charge for Kansas.

Elijah Johnson also has shown that he can be a tough-minded defender outside of the three-point line. Johnson played well at times this season, and the early word from the Jayhawks summer-ball action is that he’s worked hard to become a more consistent player —bringing his defensive dividends to the action.

With junior forward Travis Releford specializing as an elite on-ball defender to compliment the probable to starting guards in Taylor and Johnson, the Jayhawks’ may find that the soul of their team comes in defensive tenacity and toughness — which has had big payoffs in the past.

All Signs Indicate the Kansas basketball Team Will Sign a Recruit from Moreno Valley, Ca.

I have learned that Forward Mervyn Lindsay is expected to join the Kansas Basketball team this summer, pending one final visit this weekend.

Lindsay is a 6’5 180 pound forward, who once committed to Texas Tech. He has also been considering Marquette.

Mervyn Lindsay is expected to join the team unless a last-minute change of heart pulls him away from Lawrence.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Long strings of confetti fell from the roof of the Alamodome, accompanied with the sounds of loud bangs, signaling the miracle game had ended, and Kansas had come out on top. A lot of the events that took place in the following 60 minutes or-so have since escaped my memory, but those things that I do remember, remain engrained in my mind like a flipbook, with flashes of the celebration that followed.

I remember Sherron Collins’ small, bulldoggish frame, power-dribbling as the clock expired, with his index finger raised next to his closed fist, showing where Kansas had just finished — number one.

My mother and I went on to embrace each other in extreme joy, loving being able to feel something other than the heart-stopping anxiety we experienced in the last two and a half hours before. Within two minutes of Kansas finishing their season on top, releasing the weight of 20 years of championship-less basketball, we began to execute our pre-game plan, which involved doing something strange — leaving our seats, entering the main concourse and running.

My mom, seeing the extreme impatience on my face, as we tried to navigate through the sea of exiting Memphis fans, did something I will forever be thankful for, and told me to go — that she would catch up.

So I did, I took off, running as fast as I could toward the other end of the arena. It was surprisingly difficult, getting through those swarms of Tigers’ fans, and what was most likely 180 seconds of running, felt like an eternity — I could not miss anything.

When I reached my destination, or so I thought, I ran down the aisle, searching for the one person I wanted to see most — my dad.

My dad taught me everything when it came to Kansas basketball, along with so much more. I knew how happy he was, because I felt the same. I knew how experiencing another championship exorcised the March demons of being a Kansas fan for the last 20 years. Most importantly, I knew how much he wanted to find me, because all I wanted to do was find him.

The official reasoning for our trek to sit next to my father: To gain a better vantage point of the net-cutting and trophy ceremony (his seats were better than ours), but what I really wanted during those three-minutes or so of chaos — to celebrate with him.

So I ran down the aisle, looking left and right trying to figure out his location. Had I gone to far? Not far enough? How could I screw this up, at a time like this? I then realized I had not gone far enough, so I did what any other sensible person would do during such a heart-racing moment. I climbed, like some athletes do when looking for their family after actually winning. I frantically jumped over rows and climbed chairs, just searching for what I wanted most.

Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I found him, and began moving in his direction. More chairs were climbed and rows jumped, but that part isn’t what I can vividly remember.

When I reached him, that’s something that I will always remember, and something that, as Bill Self said, I will think about most every day for the rest of my life. We hugged, hugged, and we hugged. Our arms wrapped around each other, as we shared a happiness that will always remain indescribable. I felt as we always do when we hug, warmth, happiness, and safety. The championship was one of the happiest moments of my life, and that hug surpassed anything else that happened on that day. And I know, as always, that he felt the same.

Happy fathers day, dad.

The Captain

The Workhorse- The anchor of the team, the guy who brought the Allen Fieldhouse crowd to an ear-popping roar more often than any other player could. He’s the fan-favorite, with due reason, and the top pro prospect on this years Kansas basketball team — for now.

The paint is now Thomas Robinson’s domain, and with the exit of the Morris twins, Robinson will have to lead Kansas on the boards and in points in the paint — no one is questioning his ability to pull it off either. There’s plenty of reasoning to believe the 2011-2012 Kansas basketball team is going to be led by Thomas Robinson.

But it won’t be.

The Ferrari- The senior leader of the team, the guy who, when he was on, made last season’s Jayhawks better, stronger, and faster than anyone else could. He’s been through a bevy of on and off-the-court issues, and what could have killed him, didn’t, and certainly appeared to only make him stronger.

At the end of the Jayhawks’ 2010-2011 season, Tyshawn Taylor appeared to pull-it together — he scored 20, had five assists, and four rebounds in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas. In his third year starting at point guard for Kansas squad, this season’s Jayhawks’ team is sure to be Tyshawn Taylor’s.

But it won’t be.

The Captain- The player who’s potential has been talked about ever since he landed in Lawrence. He’s fast, athletic, has good size at 6’4, and can handle the ball. His shot has been questioned, but it appeared to a problem of the past as he shot 50% from the field and 40% from the three last season.

A scoring threat like no other, Elijah Johnson is gearing up for a breakout season. Sure to be the starting shooting-guard this season, Johnson will be living up to his position’s title for the 2011-2012 season. The most-likely candidate to score on the fast break and the top guard option to score in the half court offense, Elijah Johnson will lead the Kansas Jayhawks this season.

Yes, he will.

Added to his arsenal is a three-point shot that has been effective, but went mostly unnoticed last season. He has shot well in the Jayhawks’ scrimmages so far this offseason, a trait that will continue throughout the year for Johnson.

With his ability to jump, pass, shoot, and score, the Jayhawks will rely on Johnson for scoring all season long. If he can limit his mental mistakes, something that comes with age and an extra five months of practice, he will be the one to head the upcoming Kansas campaign — one that will involve a Jayhawks team that will be flying under the radar for the first part of their season.

Thomas Robinson is primed to have a big year, as is Tyshawn Taylor, but when it comes down to it, adding an elite scoring threat to the back court, like Elijah Johnson, can take this year’s upcoming Kansas from very good to great. Minutes are now available for Johnson to grow into his potential, be the go-to outside threat when the game is on the line, and to finally take charge.

After all, that’s what captains do.

Kevin Young to Kansas

As I first reported on twitter, with the statement, “Kevin Young from Loyola Maymount to transfer to KU. @KUTheShiver 1st reported but wasn’t definitive. I am. He’s enrolling today #kubball.

It has since officially been announced by the athletics department in a statement that can be found here: http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/061711aad.html#_.

The 6’8 forward will provide much needed depth to the Kansas frontcourt that only returns two big men who logged minutes on the court last season. Young set freshman rebounding records for the Lions with 224 boards.

In the release, Kevin said, “This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to playing at Kansas.” “They take a lot of pride in basketball and academics here and I’m ready for that challenge. I’m looking forward to working with my teammates and coaches and becoming a Jayhawk.”

A Lesson Learned

All hell broke loose in the American Airlines Arena, as fans jumped with joy and screamed in jubilation, shaking the ground throughout Miami. It all happened after an unstoppable wave of momentum propelled the Miami Heat to a series-clinching eight-point lead in game five with the clock frozen at 30.0.

Dwyane Wade managed to simultaneously leap, howl, and give a fist-pump for the ages, all while running down the court in elation towards his bench.

The Miami fans, who were surprisingly loud — probably the loudest they were all playoffs — threw their white towels into the air. Hundreds if not thousands of towels could be seen springing out of peoples’ hands in an act of celebration.

Then came LeBron James’ time in front of the camera, something that he seems to love oh-so much.  Staring into the crowd — over the Boston bench nonetheless — he roared. Similar to Mufasa’s roar in lion king, for he was king of the jungle, and no one could knock him from his thrown.

It did not stop there.

For the next thirty seconds the Miami crowd continued to launch their towels in bliss. LeBron drove to the basket (he does that?), and extended the Heat lead to ten.

0.0 — It was over. Eric Spoelstra shook hands with Doc Rivers, and the teams went in two different directions — the Celtics to the locker room, and the Heat to the center of the court to celebrate.

The entire Heat celebration that ensued seemed completely and utterly ridiculous: LeBron dropped to one knee, put a closed fist on his lowered forehead, and stayed like that for at least ten seconds. James and Wade went on to hug in the middle of the on-court mosh-pit that the Heat had put on.

That entire (premature), camera grabbing, celebration took place after the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Note: LeBron did have a very classy post-game interview, giving tons of credit to the Celtics and Doc Rivers. He also responded to a question about his ability to play late in games with this, “I know what I work hard for, and that’s to be put in those positions.”

Fast-forward one month: A roster full of castaways, has-beens, and never will be’s, took down the three headed monster that the Heat were supposed to be — in Miami. Many of the Mavericks players’ resumes listed an array of tough and heartbreaking losses. So the smart money would be to bet on the Mavs celebrating similar to the Celtics in 08, or Miami just a month before — totally absurd, but understandable (in the Celtics case at least).

The Mavs had actually accomplished something, unlike the Heat’s all-to-early “look at me!” fest. Yes they were happy, jumping amongst themselves and hugging each other. But they did not scream into the camera, or drop to one knee. In fact, the star of the show, the guy who had just solidified himself as one of the games’ all-time greats, actually did not want the cameras to see his celebration.

Dirk Nowitzki immediately left the court, looking more like he had just lost the biggest game of his career than won it. He got himself into the camera-free locker room to be alone, to cry, and do whatever he need to do — in private. For Dirk, the winning mattered, not people watching him win.

LeBron also immediately left the court, dejected, as he in-fact had just lost the biggest game of his career. The defeat will be something that will stay with him forever. Whatever LeBron felt as he walked off the court will shape him, but it will not define him. He’s far too young and far too talented for that.

A look into the future: 0.0 — It’s over. LeBron James finally got his big win on basketball’s biggest stage — finally to be crowned a king, NBA Champion. He may roar, he may drop to one knee, and he may cry, all in front of the camera. But he will not do it a game before, a series before, or even two series before. He will wait, until his time comes, just like the team who beat him in 2011.

It’s About to Go Down

Dallas, get ready.

Tall, thunderous storm clouds are billowing over the American Airlines Arena, preparing to unleash a fury unlike anything we have ever seen.

The culprits of that storm: sports writers, fans, and Mavericks players alike, as they have called out LeBron James for his poor finals’ performance. In fact, LeBron has been criticized for his poor play (not poor decisions) more in these past few days than in his entire career.

This is a mistake, and the punishment LeBron will surely unleash on the city of Dallas could be epic.

Mavericks’ forward DeShawn Stevenson stated a fact after Game 4 — a game in which LeBron didn’t score a fourth quarter point. He stated that James had “checked out” in the fourth quarter. This is true, but do you really want to call out a guy that could potentially ruin your championship aspirations? The Mavs are two games away from winning the damn thing, and I’m pretty sure they’d like “The King” to stay “checked out.”

In the past two games, LeBron has done exactly what Dallas could have only dreamed of — become a pass-first player. Sure, he did a good job of spreading the ball around, but it’s still better for Dallas than having to watch him explode for 30, 40, or who knows how many.

Sports columns are popping up everywhere, as people seem to be relishing in the “Chosen One’s” failure. It’s easy to see why, the supposed best player in the game decides to only take one shot in the fourth quarter of a tightly-contested, huge finals game.

But be wary, because after Thursday’s game, everything is about to change.

Columns will shift from feasting on LeBron’s passiveness, to being in awe of the cataclysmic greatness that will be his game 5 performance. It will be one hell of a spectacle.

Simply to good to continue being hounded by the public and mass media, LeBron James’ time has come to silence his critics, and game 5 will be his platform.

The Miami Heat’s trio will one-day be legendary, as they came together to do just that — become legends. They took the easy road to win rings, and LeBron took the brunt of that criticism, but he came to Miami to win, and it’s his turn to make sure that happens.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to predict Dallas’ weather for Thursday night, as a monster storm prepares to unload on the poor unsuspecting civilians of Dallas, who have been conned into sleeping on what James can do. His talents are about to rain down on the Mavericks, and it could be one for the ages.

Shout out to Tim MacArthur here. The die-hard Heat fan, I know…gross, told me after game 4 in a rage that LeBron is about to go off, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right.

The Best Ever, Maybe.

Two legends stepped onto the brick-red clay courts in Paris on Sunday, and as always, when the two meet, it’s tennis at it’s best.

A 30-year-old Roger Federer, potentially the greatest tennis player of all time vs. Rafael Nadal, a 25 year old who may end up surpassing Federer once it’s all said and done. Tennis at it’s best.

Both players were on top of their game in the French Open Final — Federer’s serve, as stated by the commentators over and over, appeared to be the best it’s ever been. Nadal’s athleticism and defense, as always on clay, kept him in every point. It always does.

Rafael Nadal protected his clay court throne, defeating Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-2, a result that surprised no one.

But the manner in which Nadal beat Federer was surprising. In their battle for eternal greatness, any glimpse of light, any opportunity, any hint of momentum Federer had in the match immediately turned back into darkness, as Nadal quickly shut down any chance of glory for Federer.

The opportunities for Federer began in the first set, when he broke Nadal’s first service game to take a 2-0 lead. In the first eight games of the match, Federer looked like he used to, when there was no question that he was the best tennis player on the planet — before Rafael Nadal entered the picture and exploded onto the scene.  The only crack in Federer’s wall, his backhand, wasn’t missing, and his forehand, volley, and serve games appeared to be on.

This was his match to lose.

Then a breakthrough for Nadal. With Federer serving to take the first set, Nadal proved why he is ranked No. 1, and showed why he may finish his career as tennis’ No.1 ever. Nadal broke Federer, a rarity when he is serving for the set, bringing the men back on serve at 5-4. He wasn’t done yet. At 5-5, after winning his own serve, Nadal broke Federer’s serve once again, and there was nothing that “Fed” could have done about it.

The second set went back-and-forth with the two breaking each other a total of four times. Nadal took the tiebreaker 7-3, and only one set stood between him and a sixth French Open Championship.

After going up a break, and having a clear path to number six, something changed — briefly. Federer broke Nadal twice in the last six games, taking the set at 7-5. The crowd, anxious to see more tennis and another hurrah from Federer, began to roar with him. He had the momentum; his game once again became as sharp as it could be. Nadal had 11 winners to go along with eight unforced errors in the set, and seemed shaken by the punch to the gut Federer had delivered.

But it only knocked the wind out of him.

As the best seem to do, Nadal responded — in a big way. It took only four games for Nadal to take in advantage and break Federer in set number four. Nadal only had two unforced errors, winning the set 6-1, and giving him French Open title number six.

With 10 titles at the age of 25, Nadal is two championships ahead of Federer’s pace on his record setting mark of 16. It would appear that Nadal is well on his way to one day being known as the best ever, but this win came on his home surface — the clay court.

For Nadal to take the “may” out of this next statement and change it to “will”, he will have to win Wimbledon, Federer’s home surface, in another matchup of: The 30-year-old Roger Federer, potentially the greatest tennis player of all time vs. Rafael Nadal, the 25 year old who “may” end up surpassing Federer once it’s all said and done.

Tennis at it’s best.

Planning Ahead

Alright, so I recently came across a “practice” column I put together in late November after the Kansas football team lost to Missouri in their season finale. While this is one of the first things I ever wrote, I still think it reads fairly well. Anyways, I wrote this under the premonition that Head Coach Turner Gill knew his team’s product might be well…subpar to say the least.

The team of players, helmets to cleats covered in white, had their heads lowered as the walked off the field for their final time of the 2010-2011 Season.  Fans dressed in the beaming crimson and blue left Arrowhead Stadium, got into their cars, and for one last time cursed the Kansas Football team on their way home.

Jayhawk fans across the country are asking themselves the same question, “Was hiring Turner Gill a mistake?” Sorry folks but that question will not be answered for a couple of years.  Online message boards seem to consist of diehards calling for Coach Gill’s head already. This is a little premature venom from fans that miss the glory days that were only two seasons ago.

This season could not have gone the way any Jayhawk fan would have wanted. But was it any different from what they should have expected?

The Jayhawks lost one of the best Quarterbacks in the programs history along with two of the best receivers the Jayhawks have ever had. On top of the sparkling new roster for the Jayhawks came a sparkling new coaching staff. With the entirely new staff comes a brand new playbook, new rules, and a new scheme.

The Kansas Football team opened their season on a roller coaster; they suffered an embarrassing loss against North Dakota State before shocking a ranked (overrated) Georgia Tech Team. The team went on to lose a tough game against Southern Miss and rebounded the next week as the pounded New Mexico State. The Jayhawks went into conference play 2-2, and in decent shape.

As conference play started the Jayhawks weaknesses were exposed over and over, as things quickly went downhill. Their freshman quarterback-running back tandem failed to work as the Hawks were crushed against Baylor, K-State, and TAMU. Kansas Football was at 2-7 midway through the season, and showed no signs of sniffing a Big 12 victory.

The heat was turned up on Coach Gill not because the Jayhawks were getting beat, but because how they were getting beat. Week after week Kansas fans moaned and groaned as the team rolled over and croaked. Before halftime.

At this point all Kansas Fans could only ask for one thing: improvement. The only way Coach Gill could be positively judged (at that point) was if his depleted squad, showed any signs of improvement in their few remaining games.

They did. The Jayhawks next five games were consistently more competitive, including a record setting comeback victory over Colorado. Things were still bad, but no one can deny that the team did improve. The Jayahwks finished the season a lowly 3-8 with one conference win.

What nobody is asking is, did Coach Gill see this poor year coming? The answer may in fact be yes. If Coach Gill did, it could explain taking Toben Opurum and moving him to DE. With James Simms, Brandon Bourbon, and DeShaun Sands, the depth at RB is going to be very good over the next four years, so Gill moved Opurum where the team will need him more. It could explain why the 4 star Brandon Bourbon was redshirted. It could explain other offensive players were moved to defense, when the transition would obviously take costly time.

Turner Gill has been around football his whole life, and the staff around him has an enormous amount of experience. While most of the staffs moves seemed puzzling, they most likely were not short term moves.

The sparkling new coaching staff gets a free pass this season before they can become tarnished. Coach Gill does get a free pass.  Now is the time for Gill and Co. to show their stuff to Jayhawk nation. They will be adding another 4 star running back to the arsenal in Darrian Miller, to go along with the No. 15 Quarterback recruit in the nation, Brock Berglund.

He said it himself four times when introduced as head coach, “Were gonna Recruit.” Coach Gill, your on the clock.

Dominance, Shaquille O’Neal.

He is one of the most recognizable faces in sports history.

Rap albums, movies, and reality TV shows put an exclamation mark on his career. He is as likeable a figure as there is and ever will be. He trademarked nicknames left and right, a connoisseur of them, you could say. While all of those feats are impressive, the man’s most important trait was winning. No one could win like he did.

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the best and most dominant athletes — ever.

The 7’1 300-something pound center announced his retirement via Twitter yesterday, simply stating, “We did it; 19 years, baby. Thank you very much. That’s why I’m telling you first: I’m about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon.”

When Shaq says, “We did it,” he certainly can be referring to an array of accomplishments that could make the most distinguished athletes tremble.

“The Diesel,” as he’s often referred to, averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in his first 13 seasons in the league. First, In his four seasons with the Magic, Shaq exploded onto the NBA scene. Twice averaging 29.3 points a game, O’Neal led the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance, only to lose to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets.

Shaq then spent seven seasons of dominance on the California coast with the Los Angeles Lakers. Arguably his prime years, O’Neal stayed healthy and dominated the league — he averaged over 26 points a game in his first six seasons with the Lakers. The Lakers won three championships led by O’Neal, first in 1999, then in 2000, followed by the “three-peat” in 2001.

Those back-to-back-to-back rings all came with major help from Kobe Bryant, but Bryant did not anchor the team like Shaq did. The inside force, the one guy teams had to stop — Shaq anchored those championships. During the championship years, the Diesel averaged 28.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.

After some turmoil and drama with Kobe in Los Angeles, Shaq moved to Miami, where he continued to do what he was best at — winning.

In his first season with the Heat, he brought home yet another ring — this time, playing the sidekick role, as Dwyane Wade literally took over in the finals. O’Neal may have been the rock that got the Heat to the finals, but Wade’s finals performance overshadows anything Shaq had done that post season, and rightfully so.

The second half of Shaq’s career was not as glamorous as his first half was, mostly due to his enormous frame giving out on him, but that doesn’t matter.

The entertainer, musician, and actor thrived in activities outside of basketball. But where the spotlight shined brightest, he thrived most — on the court and in the paint. Winning.