The KU Men’s basketball team is ready to take the courts for the 2010-2011 season! The Jayhawks finished with a stellar 33-3 record in 2009-2010, but ended on a sour note with a loss to Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. KU lost four talented players in Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry and C.J. Henry, but the addition of Josh Selby (Rivals.com’s #1 high school player in the class of 2010) pushes the Jayhawks back into the national limelight. They have the talent to be a very good team. What will it take to make them great?
1. Josh Selby must be cleared to play for the Jayhawks. Selby has been cleared by the NCAA to attend class at KU, but not to play basketball. There are still questions surrounding his eligibility due to his relationship with Robert Frazier, the business manager for NBA star Carmelo Anthony. KU can be a very good team without Selby but lack the firepower to be great. Josh Selby must play basketball for Kansas if the Jayhawks really want a shot at an NCAA championship.
2. Jeff Withey must be ready to contribute on both ends of the floor. A look at the roster of previous NCAA champions reveals that teams usually don’t win unless they have a legitimate center on the roster. Duke became a great team in 2010 only when Brian Zoubek received minutes. Jeff Withey was a top center in high school and practiced against Cole Aldrich all last season—now it is time for his work to pay dividends.
3. Marcus Morris should see time at small forward. Mario Little, Travis Releford and Brady Morningstar are likely choices to start for KU at small forward, but the best small forward on the team might be Marcus Morris. Little creates mismatches with his post-up game, but Morris can do the same thing and is taller. Releford is an unproven commodity and Morningstar doesn’t have the physical tools to play a starter’s minutes for an entire season. If Jeff Withey, Markieff Morris and Thomas Robinson could handle the center and power forward positions, Marcus Morris would be freed to operate on the perimeter.
4. Mario Little must be healthy and able to play. Whether as a starter or reserve, Mario Little is a talented player that could become a major contributor. Little relies primarily on post moves and drives to the basket, and this works because he is too strong for most wing players and too fast for interior defenders. In the 2008-2009 season, Little began to emerge as the Jayhawks’ third scorer, but injuries slowed his development. All Mario Little requires to be a great college player is to remain injury-free and develop a consistent jump shot.
5. Tyshawn Taylor, Mario Little, Travis Releford, Elijah Johnson must all improve their outside shooting. It appears KU’s biggest weakness heading into the 2010-2011 season is a lack of reliable outside shooting. With Xavier Henry and Sherron Collins departed, Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar are the team’s best returning shooters. Unfortunately, neither have the talent to start for KU, and the Jayhawks sacrifice athleticism whenever they are on the court. Josh Selby is said to possess a good jump shot, but other players must be able to hit from outside, as well. If KU can’t spread the opposing team’s defense with solid outside shooting, it’s going to be a long season for the Jayhawks.
The beauty of this list is that everything is possible. The only thing out of KU’s control is the NCAA’s ruling on Selby’s eligibility. Everything else on this list is simply a matter of KU’s players working on their games and accepting the challenge of playing for a top-caliber team. Will all these things happen? It’s unlikely that Tyshawn Taylor, Mario Little, Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson will all come back with improved jump shots. It’s also unlikely that Jeff Withey will improve enough to allow Marcus Morris significant minutes at small forward. It isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition, however, and any gains will help KU become an elite team in 2011.
If they’re ready to play, I’m ready to watch.
To read more about Kansas Jayhawks basketball, visit the following web site:
Kansas Jayhawks Men’s Basketball: Player Profiles and More
