If you missed this video produced by ESPN this week, please watch it. Just heart-wrenching, but makes you appreciate Thomas and his play this year that much more.
Archive for the Feature Category
Kansas, Texas A&M highlight video
January 23, 2012 – Texas A&M at Kansas, Allen Fieldhouse
Kansas, A&M preview
Preview:
Texas A&M (11-7, 2-4) enters Allen Fieldhouse tonight with the desire to get its season back on track. Huge preseason expectations have not been realized, but a victory against the Jayhawks (16-3, 6-0) would go a long way to jump start a team in need of something good to happen.
Head Coach Billy Kennedy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease earlier this year and he has had to miss a lot of time with the team. Kennedy is in his first year in College Station after former Kansas guard, Mark Turgeon, left the Aggies for Maryland. Even with a new coach, most pundits looked at the returning talent for A&M and thought they would compete for a Big XII title this year.
Instead, the Aggies will need to put together a run in Big XII play just to make the NCAA tournament (for the 7th straight year).
It will be a match-up of defensive-minded teams tonight. Texas A&M gives up an average of 59.2 points, while Kansas is a close-second in the Big XII at 60.4 per game. The Aggies, however, have a difficult time scoring the basketball and will have to make shots to hang with Kansas.
One of the Aggies’ best players, Khris Middleton, may not dress for the game. His presence would be missed, but the Aggies were able to pull off an overtime win against Oklahoma on Saturday without him much of the game. Kennedy will rely heavily on guard Elston Turner, who is averaging close to 14 points this season. He’ll also call on his defensive stopper, guard Dash Harris, to try to keep Tyshawn Taylor out of the lane.
This will be the Aggies’ last game in Allen Fieldhouse before moving to the SEC. Kansas will be hoping to send A&M home with its 18th loss in the last 19 meetings against the Jayhawks.
Matchup of the game:
Dash Harris vs. Tyshawn Taylor
Keys to the game for Kansas:
- Take care of the basketball. Kansas has more talent and the home crowd. The Aggies struggle to score, so the last thing Kansas can do is give them free baskets in transition off of turnovers.
- Pound the ball inside. Recently, the Jayhawks have been playing better basketball. Over the last nine games, there has been a much stronger devotion to getting in the paint — either through an entry pass or penetration — and less of a reliance on three-point shooting. This needs to continue tonight against the Aggies.
- Don’t let the Aggies think there is a chance. Get up early and stay up. Kansas doesn’t need to give up any more 15-point leads.
Keys to the game for Texas A&M:
- Control the clock. The Aggies won’t hang 80 on Kansas. They may not hang 65. In order to win, Kennedy will have his team slow the pace, take good shots late in the shot clock, and defend the heck out of the half court.
- Make shots. Let’s be honest. Teams that have won in Allen Fieldhouse usually make a high percentage of three-point shots. Nothing quiets the crowd faster than a barrage of threes.
- Most of these guys are Juniors and Seniors. They won’t be taken aback by the home crowd. However, mistakes tend to compound if made early. A&M will need to get through the first ten minutes of the game and stay within 5 or 6 to have a chance.
Line:
Kansas -18.5; 126 O/U
Prediction:
KU 78, A&M 62
Update: @FakeJoeDooley’s Drinking Game (cheat sheets)
Thanks to @joshdutcher, there are now “cheat sheets” available for playing the @FakeJoeDooley drinking game. You can find the original rules here, but these sheets will help. Especially late in the 2nd half after you’ve played the game for a while…
CLICK LINK BELOW AND SAVE:
DooleyDrinkingGame_CheatSheets
Rock Chalk!
Kansas, Texas highlight video
January 21, 2011 – Kansas at Texas, Frank Erwin Center
Banner photo courtesy of Eric Gay, AP
@FakeJoeDooley’s Official KU Basketball Drinking Game
Editor’s Note: The following comes courtesy of @FakeJoeDooley on Twitter. Give him a follow if you don’t already. We at Jayhawk-Talk endorse these rules wholeheartedly and look forward to partaking in such festivities over some Boulevard Pale Ale and O’Dell’s Myrcenary (Double IPA) just added to the fridge. Cheers!
Kicking some referee ass.
I. THE “PLAYER DRAFT”
Before the game begins, you must conduct a player “draft.” You’re responsible for draft order. Drafters choose from one of the five starters on the team: Withey, Robinson, Taylor, Releford, or Johnson. If you have more than five playing the game, you choose a starter that has already been chosen (two people may have the same starter). Don’t worry about the reserve players. They’ll come into play later on.
II. YOUR INDIVIDUAL DRAFTED PLAYER RULES: (Refer to the draft)
All of Section II is specific to your drafted starting player.
Scoring Rule:
- Drink one (1) for every point your drafted player scores (E.g., You drafted Tyshawn and he makes a layup – drink two; or, you drafted Elijah and he makes a 3-pointer – drink three). Always remember that these drinks are not meant to be a burden. It’s a celebration. We just fucking scored.
Superpower Rule:
Each starter has a freaking SUPERPOWER. This superpower is specific to only that player. When your drafted player uses his superpower in the course of the game, you give drinks out instead of take them. The individual superpowers are as follows:
- Tyshawn Taylor: Every time Tyshawn makes a crazy pass (good or bad), you give out two (2) drinks to anyone in the room. Also feel free to throw something at them and drop a “point plank’n.”
- Thomas Robinson: Every time Thomas pretends he’s a point guard (e.g., shoots a 3-pointer, dribbles ball up the court, etc.), give out two (2) drinks to anyone in the room. Also, if he happens to make the 3-pointer, give out five (5).
- Travis Releford: Every time Travis makes a “hustle play” (e.g., takes a charge, attempts a charge, flops, drops, dives, or scrambles), give out three (3) drinks to anyone in the room. Feel free to slap the floor with two hands before delivering.
- Jeff Withey: Every time Jeff has a blocked shot, give out three (3) drinks. Feel free to rub it in by giving the recipient the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag.
- Elijah Johnson: Every time Elijah attempts a 3-pointer, give out two (2) drinks. If he makes the 3-pointer, give out five (5) drinks.
Special Individual Player Rules: (Rare individual player rules)
These are rare instances that your drafted player may play a part in during the course of a game. Watch for these both for your player and other players in the room.
- Technical Foul: Drink 10 if your drafted player gets a technical foul. Also punch your neighbor and give him or her 10 as well (don’t need to inflict real pain, but it’s your world). You may spread these 10 around the room if you’d prefer.
- Posterized: If your drafted player posterizes another team’s player, give out 5 drinks to the room. If you get up and re-enact the play, give out 15.
- Career High: If your drafted player achieves a career high in points, you can give out drinks to the room up to that total (e.g., if Withey bests his career high by scoring 20 points, you can give out 20 drinks).
III. UNIVERSAL TEAM RULES: (Everyone in the room takes part in these)
Everyone in the room will take part in the following rules. These are meant to be community rules and are separate from the individual drafted player rules.
3-Point Rule:
- Every time a Kansas three-point basket is made, everyone has to throw up the Tyshawn Taylor 3-point sign over your eye (hold up three fingers in the “a-ok” formation and putting the circle over your eye). The LAST player to do it has to drink 5.
Back Bump Rule:
- If they televise a back bump, you have the option of doing a 10-second waterfall or getting up and doing a back bump with your neighbor. If you choose the latter, have no regard for the coffee table, drink, or your neighbors that live below you.
Doom$day Rule:
- If Doom$day is pictured on your television screen at any time take two (2) drinks and cover your girlfriend’s eyes because she’s probably thinking bad thoughts.
Pizza Commercial Rule:
- If your television shows a pizza commercial, take one (1) drink and order another pizza. No pizza days off.
IV. RESERVE RULES: (THE JUNEBUG, MERV, CHRISTIAN, NIKO RULES)
- If Junebug, Merv, Christian, or Niko enter the game in the first half of play, everyone drink ten (10) for each. If they enter the game in the second half, everyone drink five (5).
- If any of these four players score at any point in the game, everyone drink the amount equal to the points scored (E.g., Niko hits a 3-pointer, everyone drink 3).
- If any of these players miss a dunk, finish your drink.
V. TWITTER SHIT
- Send @FakeJoeDooley pictures of your group playing this drinking game and use the hashtag #DooleyDrinkingGame. If it’s an especially good example of how the game is to be played, it will be retweeted. If your picture is retweeted, give out twenty (20) drinks courtesy of me.
Editor’s Update:
Thanks to @joshdutcher, there are now “cheat sheets” available for playing the @FakeJoeDooley drinking game. You can find the original rules here, but these sheets will help. Especially late in the 2nd half after you’ve played the game for a while…
CLICK LINK BELOW AND SAVE:
DooleyDrinkingGame_CheatSheets
Rock Chalk!
Withey is a big distraction – in a good way
Courtesy of Nick Krug - KUSports.com
Editor’s Note: Following is the first post by new Jayhawk-Talk contributing writer, Nico Roesler. Nico is a former UDK Sports Editor and current sports reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican. We’re very excited he’s joining the team. Follow him on twitter at @NicoRoesler.
Jeff Withey is more than the bloodied face staring back at you from your computer desktop or Twitter avatar.
Withey is a seven-foot distraction – in the best sense of the term. Without Withey, Thomas Robinson isn’t the double-double machine we all know him as. Without Withey, Kansas doesn’t defeat the tall, athletic Baylor Bears in Allen Fieldhouse. It’s hard, undoubtedly, to ignore a seven footer when game planning against the Jayhawks. It must be even harder, to think of him as an after-thought with the likes of Robinson standing next to him.
Withey is averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. Defensively, Withey’s length cannot be overstated or underappreciated (56 blocks). On offense, however, his real strength is not in his numbers, it’s in his presence as it pertains to Robinson.
Robinson has proven he can take any defender in the country in a one-on-one situation. His jump shot has become reliable and his first step off the dribble is ludicrous. It’s no wonder we see Robinson in the repeated position to take advantage of both abilities.
Robinson receives the ball night after night at the top of the key and surveys the floor. Although he has proven that he can hit the long jumper, Bill Self puts him in that position to become the architect of one of the hardest plays to defend in basketball – the high-low pass. When Robinson has the ball at the top of the key, he reads what his defender is going to do. The defender has two options: a) get in Robinson’s face to take away the jumper or b) slow play it and protect the paint and the other threat simultaneously posting up – Jeff Withey.
Defenders in this scenario will almost always let Robinson have his shot, likely, because Robinson will miss the virtual three-pointer more often than Withey will miss a shot three feet from the basket. Withey is making 54 percent of his shots from the field. Give him a chance to play with his back to the basket, and there are few people in the country that can challenge his shot.
Without Withey’s presence in the post, Kansas’ offense could look a whole lot different. There is a reason Bill Self has called him the most improved player on the team. He has improved his game from his physicality to his touch, but the biggest thing Withey has done is improve the Kansas offense as a whole.
After the Baylor game, Elijah Johnson vocalized the importance of Withey. “When we get Jeff going, it really gets a lot of us going, and a lot of people don’t know that,” Johnson said. “Jeff is a key player to our team, especially with getting us started. When he is on track, it can be a long night for some teams.”
Baylor now knows that. Withey’s double-double distracted the Bears’ defense enough to allow Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor to have career-high nights.
With Withey on the floor, defenses cannot double-team Robinson on every possession. With Withey, defenses cannot solely focus on Kansas’ deep threats while they buckle down on Robinson. And when they do, Withey is open. Open for a lob dunk or a simple entry pass to the post.
So you may love the lanky big man who proudly bleeds from his nose and whose feet need barely to lift off the ground for a jam. But remember that these moments not only distract the fan from the game with funny posters and fake Twitter accounts.
They distract defenses from the weapons that truly make Kansas the dangerous team it is.
DeMontie Cross completes Weis’ staff
Cross rounds out Weis' staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. – DeMontie Cross was hired by Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis Thursday to coach the Jayhawk linebackers, as Weis completed his coaching staff at KU. Cross, who recently finished his first season as special teams coordinator and safeties coach at Wisconsin, arrives at Kansas with experience on both the collegiate and NFL level.
Prior to his year at Wisconsin, Cross spent the previous five seasons in various positions with the Buffalo Bills. He joined the Bills as a defensive/special teams assistant in 2006 and was then promoted to assistant linebackers coach/special teams for three seasons. In 2010 Cross was promoted again, coaching the Bills’ inside linebackers.
Cross made the jump to the NFL after spending the 2001-05 seasons as Iowa State’s outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Cross’ unit made major contributions to the Cyclones’ record-setting defenses during his stint. He helped develop Jeremy Loyd into an All-Big 12 performer, who went on to play for the St. Louis Rams.
Cross spent the 2000 season coaching a defensive backfield at Sam Houston State that ranked second nationally (FCS). Cross’ Sam Houston State pass defense was led by free safety Keith Davis, who was the Southland Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and started the 2005 season for the Dallas Cowboys at safety.
Cross, a St. Louis native, began his coaching career as the outside linebackers coach at his alma mater, Missouri (1998-99).
A 1997 Missouri graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business management, Cross made 415 career tackles at free safety for the Tigers from 1994-96. He led Missouri in tackles as a junior and senior and earned second-team all-conference honors from the Big Eight in 1995 and the Big 12 in 1996.
Cross has two daughters, Jadyn and Sheridan.
With the hiring of Cross, Weis’ Kansas football coaching staff is complete and includes the following: Jeff Blasko (assistant special teams coordinator/tight ends), Clint Bowen (special teams coordinator/defensive backs), Dave Campo (defensive coordinator/defensive backs), Tim Grunhard (offensive line), Rob Ianello (recruiting coordinator/wide receivers), Reggie Mitchell (running backs), Ron Powlus (quarterbacks) and Buddy Wyatt (defensive line).
Kansas, Baylor by the numbers
Robinson rises for the alley-oop. This eventually goes into the basket for 2 of his 27 points.
By @HailToOldKU
First things first, sorry I’ve gone missing over the last couple games. Kansas wrecked some fools, I have a real job, things got a little hectic. Is what it is. But when Kansas wrecks some highly ranked fools? Time to come back out of the woodwork. No more slacking.
I’m going to break this up a little bit differently than I have been, because putting stats on there for the bench guys would be completely irrelevant. So I’m going to ignore those guys – because Kansas is essentially a 5-man team anyways – and do numbers for the starters, and then some game stats that I thought were the key. Without further ado:
Thomas Robinson: 1 foul
Baylor can run out five guys with the size and ability to frustrate most posts. All of them, except maybe Quincy Acy, are stretch-fours who can get a traditional post into trouble by dragging him out to the perimeter and either drawing fouls or getting by them for a bucket. Robinson did an incredible job of staying out of foul trouble. With the Jayhawks’ lack of depth, he needed to stay on the floor for 30-plus minutes. He played 35. Oh, and he had 27 and 14. Which doesn’t suck.
Tyshawn Taylor: 10 points
I know Taylor finished with 28. The 10 I mention are the 10 that came during KU’s 13-0 run to end the first half. Taylor’s run entering the break gave the Jays all the momentum entering the second half and put his team up a dime at half. He came out and played a brilliant second half, hitting 10 of 14 shots in his most efficient night of the season.
Jeff Withey: 9 offensive boards
This number just makes me laugh. Seriously? NINE? That’s insane! Here’s the best part, though. The Bears, with all their ridiculous length, combined to get eight offensive rebounds as a team. Man, if it weren’t for the fact that Thomas Robinson is the Greek God of Thunderdunking, we’d all be going nuts about how much Withey has improved. As it stands, I’m going nuts about it anyways. He’s the most improved player on the Jayhawks roster by far.
Elijah Johnson: 1 three-pointer attempted
We’re getting dangerously close to having Good Elijah and Bad Elijah nights just like we do with Tyshawn. The bad Elijah isn’t out of control or turnover prone or anything like that, he just jacks up an insane amount of threes with little regard for Bill Self’s offense. Self’s offense usually works. Let’s just stick with it. Elijah was great Monday because he played within himself, didn’t do too much and let the two best players on the team be the two best players on the team. Johnson has the talent to be the star, but so did Thomas Robinson last year. Sometimes you have to know your spot, and EJ’s is as the third option, at best. Great night all-around from him, though, as he embraced the role. 11 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 4-of-7 shooting. Did it all well.
Travis Releford: 36 minutes
Releford had the biggest challenge of any Kansas defender last night. Not because he was guarding the Bears’ best player (that honor went to Withstar who D’d up on PJ3), but because he was outmatched by five inches and didn’t have much, if any, advantage in quickness against freshman Quincy Miller. Miller went for 17 points, but needed 12 shots to do it and only pulled down a couple boards. Releford played the most minutes on the team because he’s as good as it gets defensively for the Jayhawks right now, and he should be an all-conference defender by the time the season ends. Startling how similar Releford’s numbers (11 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, 5-of-7 shooting) were to Johnson’s.
Key Team Numbers
48-34, 39-24, 17-8: The Jayhawks worked Baylor in the paint, outscoring the Bears 48-34 in the lane and outrebounding them 39-24. Withey and Robinson deserve much of the credit. Also, the Jayhawks won 17-8 on second chance points, courtesy of Withey’s nine (seriously! NINE!) offensive boards. Love that number. Baylor has one of the best frontcourts in the country (I’d put them behind Kentucky and North Carolina only), and the Jayhawks shredded them.
114+: I wasn’t in the building, so I don’t know the exact number, but the highest I saw was somewhere over 114 decibels in the Fieldhouse Monday night. I’m going to toot our own horn here for just a minute: The best fans in college sports live in Lawrence, Kansas.
Couple quick thoughts on the Baylor matchup
Baylor will be in town tonight for a huge Big Monday matchup. I never really get into the “must-win” scenarios this early in the season, but a victory tonight would go a long way for both teams come late February. It will be a huge game, and I expect the Fieldhouse to be rocking.
Some quick thoughts on the matchup:
Baylor’s Length:
We haven’t played a team like this since we played Kentucky. The same Kentucky that gave us fits. Baylor may be the only other team in the country that matches up with the Wildcats from a pure length and athleticism perspective. And Kentucky manhandled us. I know it was close in the first half, but it shouldn’t have been. The good news is that this Kansas team is a much different Kansas team than we saw on November 15. I think we’ll be more prepared for it this time around. The equalizer will be whether we are able to knock down some open shots that we will be able to create by going inside-out.
Perimeter Shooting:
I hate the say it, but I hope Conner doesn’t get a ton of minutes off the bench tonight. He will be such a liability on the defensive end that I don’t think his 2-6 from 3-point range will be worth it. Against most teams, we can cover for Conner with additional help every time he gets blown by. Unfortunately tonight, we’ll need to preserve Thomas and Jeff from foul trouble. That all said, we’ll need to make some perimeter shots and Conner may be our best option. We’ll need Elijah, Travis, and Tyshawn to do better than 29% from three tonight. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for an Elijah coming-out-party.
Tyshawn:
Tyshawn will be the most important player tonight, as he has been most nights. He was the single reason we didn’t lose to Kentucky by 25 points. He has proven time and time again that he can get by his man at any time he wants. Hopefully tonight he’ll keep attacking. As Self alluded to in his post-game comments after Iowa State, it would be ideal if Taylor penetrates with the idea of passing when he draws help defense. I agree to some extent, but when we have difficulty scoring, he needs to be able to take over much like he did in the second half on Saturday. He can be instant offense when he’s on. We’ll need him to be on tonight.
Foul Trouble:
As awesome as it was, I think we saw an aberration on Saturday when Kansas played great absent Thomas. Throughout the year, we have been better with him on the floor, and tonight we will definitely need his 18 and 12 to win. He’ll need to muscle up and play hard on defense, but be mindful of foul trouble. You have to think Baylor will take it right to him. Likewise, Withey has been a very important player the last few weeks. We’ll need him tonight, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He’ll be able to take up room and deter some penetration. I also put the over-under on his fouls at 4.5…and I’m taking the over. Just hope it’s very late in the game.
Allen Fieldhouse:
This isn’t the same kind of Baylor team we’ve seen before. It is loaded with as much talent as a non-Kansas team has been since I can remember. And they’re not freshman. They’re veteran players that have been around the block. Allen won’t intimidate them at the beginning of the game. It will, however, intimidate them if things don’t start off well. The key for Kansas will be to get off to a good start. I want to see the K-State game, not the Iowa State game. If we give them momentum early, the crowd won’t be quite as stiff and they’ll be able to continue playing their game. If we come out strong, our guys will feed off the crowd and the building. That’s when Baylor could be distracted and see what so many other great teams have seen inside the Fieldhouse — the PHOG.
Coaching:
It has long been said that Baylor Coach Scott Drew is a fantastic recruiter and a very average basketball coach. I don’t necessarily buy into it, because the same has been said before about Bill Self, and John Calipari, and many other great Xs & Os coaches. That all being said, Kansas certainly has the advantage from the bench. I tend to think Drew has stepped away and let his guys play more loose this year. Baylor, like Kentucky, could probably beat 95% of the teams they face without a coach at all. When a team is loaded with talent, the key for a coach is to get his guys to play with the same intensity on defense as they do on offense. Self and Calipari are great at that. We’ll see how good Drew is tonight.
Prediction:
I think it will be a close game throughout. It would not shock me if Kansas lost the game in the end. Baylor is that good. As long as we can make a few open shots and bother Baylor’s guards on the defensive end, I will take KU. Something like KU 71 Baylor 68 sounds about right.
I’ll be in the house. Hope you will be too. Rock Chalk!
