What a day Thursday turned out to be for the University of Kansas men’s basketball team. For me, my morning started with the news of something happening to Kansas head coach Bill Self. As most of you are fully aware, the word was Self experienced everything from a heart attack to a stroke, which simply wasn’t the case.
“KU Men’s Basketball Coach Bill Self is a patient at The University of Kansas Health System. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Stites wants to clarify that Coach Self did not suffer a heart attack as reported by some media. He arrived at the emergency department last night and underwent a standard procedure that went well. He is expected to make a full recovery. There will be no further medical details released for now.” – University of Kansas Health System.
“I am very grateful for the overwhelming number of well wishes my family and I have received. I’m excited to get back with my team in the very near future.” – Coach Bill Self.
As most of you know, I’ve been doing this for a long time and always try to do things the right way. Early on Thursday morning, I was told that Self didn’t suffer a heart attack or stroke but simply didn’t feel comfortable running with that information.
Now that the facts have been reported, it sounds like Coach Self is in a really good spot, and, while I don’t know exactly when Self should make a return to the bench in the near future. Again, when/if that happens, I’ve got no idea. However, in the statement above, Self made it clear that he’s looking forward to getting back with his team in the very near future.
As far as the game itself goes, I really wasn’t sure what to expect when Kansas and West Virginia took the court on Thursday afternoon. I figured the Jayhawks would either play a tight game and struggle or would run away from the Mountaineers.
It might have taken longer than expected, but Kansas, in defeating West Virginia, 78-61, outscored the Mountaineers, 47-38 in the second half and won the game going away. In advancing to the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas led for 35:15 of the game and never trailed by more than three points.
Leading the way for Kansas, was Jalen Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas. Wilson, the Big 12 Player of the Year, scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
For the game, Wilson was 9-of-17 from the field, 1-of-4 from behind the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Listen, his shot from behind the arc isn’t falling right now, but his ability hit the midrange jumper and attack the basket will continue to be huge for this team moving forward.
The one thing that Wilson can’t afford to do moving forward is force things on the offensive end of the court.
-- I’ve always said that this team has a chance to be special when Gradey Dick is on top of his game, and that was certainly the case today. Against West Virginia, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., tallied 18 points and three rebounds.
Dick, on the offensive end of the court, was 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc. When Dick is hitting threes and the shots are falling, he simply brings a different dynamic to this team. The biggest difference that I noticed today from Dick was that he appeared to be more relaxed and had a smile on his face.
In the past two games, Dick, I believe, has taken a total of 12 shots. Against West Virginia, Dick shot the ball 12 times and really looked dialed in and the smile never left his face.
-- Aside from Kansas needing Dick to be at his best, I’ve also said that Kansas has a chance to have another magical season if Dajuan Harris is making an impact on both ends of the court. That was clearly the case today for the 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Columbia, Mo.
Harris, in 38 minutes of action, scored 13 points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out eight assists, committed just two turnovers, and was credited with five steals.
Overall, Harris was 6-of-11 from the field, 0-of-3 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. Offensively the biggest impact he made came from driving to the basket and scoring through contact.
Defensively, we all know that Harris is a stud and can turn defense into offense in a matter of seconds. He’s amazing at seeing the open court and getting his teammates involved. However, I absolutely love when he puts the ball on the floor and gets to the cup. His ability to kiss the ball high off the glass and score, to this day, amazes me.
-- The fire that KJ Adams played with today needs to burn for the remainder of the postseason. Man, when that guy is playing with emotion and intensity and fire, he’s just a different player. On Thursday afternoon, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Austin, Texas scored 13 points, pulled down three rebounds, and was credited with one block.
Adams, Jr., against West Virginia, was 6-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from the free-throw line. All of his buckets came around the basket, but they were all energy-type plays where he skied above the rim to finish a lob.
Adams, Jr., after each and every score, pumped his fist and showed a ton of emotion. He played with energy all game and had a number of “And-1” opportunities when scoring around the basket.
Clearly, Adams, Jr., isn’t the tallest guy on the court or the most athletic, but not many guys are going to outwork him on the hardwood.
-- Lastly, when looking ahead to Iowa State tomorrow, the big thing for Kansas will be to play with energy, passion, and fire. The last time the Jayhawks and Cyclones met in Ames, ISU pounded Kansas.
Just one player, Jalen Wilson, scored in double-figures for Kansas. In losing 68-53, the Jayhawks shot 38.6 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from behind the arc, and 72.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Kansas, without question, will have to play with more energy on Friday night.
“KU Men’s Basketball Coach Bill Self is a patient at The University of Kansas Health System. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Stites wants to clarify that Coach Self did not suffer a heart attack as reported by some media. He arrived at the emergency department last night and underwent a standard procedure that went well. He is expected to make a full recovery. There will be no further medical details released for now.” – University of Kansas Health System.
“I am very grateful for the overwhelming number of well wishes my family and I have received. I’m excited to get back with my team in the very near future.” – Coach Bill Self.
As most of you know, I’ve been doing this for a long time and always try to do things the right way. Early on Thursday morning, I was told that Self didn’t suffer a heart attack or stroke but simply didn’t feel comfortable running with that information.
Now that the facts have been reported, it sounds like Coach Self is in a really good spot, and, while I don’t know exactly when Self should make a return to the bench in the near future. Again, when/if that happens, I’ve got no idea. However, in the statement above, Self made it clear that he’s looking forward to getting back with his team in the very near future.
As far as the game itself goes, I really wasn’t sure what to expect when Kansas and West Virginia took the court on Thursday afternoon. I figured the Jayhawks would either play a tight game and struggle or would run away from the Mountaineers.
It might have taken longer than expected, but Kansas, in defeating West Virginia, 78-61, outscored the Mountaineers, 47-38 in the second half and won the game going away. In advancing to the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas led for 35:15 of the game and never trailed by more than three points.
Leading the way for Kansas, was Jalen Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas. Wilson, the Big 12 Player of the Year, scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
For the game, Wilson was 9-of-17 from the field, 1-of-4 from behind the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Listen, his shot from behind the arc isn’t falling right now, but his ability hit the midrange jumper and attack the basket will continue to be huge for this team moving forward.
The one thing that Wilson can’t afford to do moving forward is force things on the offensive end of the court.
-- I’ve always said that this team has a chance to be special when Gradey Dick is on top of his game, and that was certainly the case today. Against West Virginia, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., tallied 18 points and three rebounds.
Dick, on the offensive end of the court, was 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc. When Dick is hitting threes and the shots are falling, he simply brings a different dynamic to this team. The biggest difference that I noticed today from Dick was that he appeared to be more relaxed and had a smile on his face.
In the past two games, Dick, I believe, has taken a total of 12 shots. Against West Virginia, Dick shot the ball 12 times and really looked dialed in and the smile never left his face.
-- Aside from Kansas needing Dick to be at his best, I’ve also said that Kansas has a chance to have another magical season if Dajuan Harris is making an impact on both ends of the court. That was clearly the case today for the 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Columbia, Mo.
Harris, in 38 minutes of action, scored 13 points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out eight assists, committed just two turnovers, and was credited with five steals.
Overall, Harris was 6-of-11 from the field, 0-of-3 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. Offensively the biggest impact he made came from driving to the basket and scoring through contact.
Defensively, we all know that Harris is a stud and can turn defense into offense in a matter of seconds. He’s amazing at seeing the open court and getting his teammates involved. However, I absolutely love when he puts the ball on the floor and gets to the cup. His ability to kiss the ball high off the glass and score, to this day, amazes me.
-- The fire that KJ Adams played with today needs to burn for the remainder of the postseason. Man, when that guy is playing with emotion and intensity and fire, he’s just a different player. On Thursday afternoon, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Austin, Texas scored 13 points, pulled down three rebounds, and was credited with one block.
Adams, Jr., against West Virginia, was 6-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from the free-throw line. All of his buckets came around the basket, but they were all energy-type plays where he skied above the rim to finish a lob.
Adams, Jr., after each and every score, pumped his fist and showed a ton of emotion. He played with energy all game and had a number of “And-1” opportunities when scoring around the basket.
Clearly, Adams, Jr., isn’t the tallest guy on the court or the most athletic, but not many guys are going to outwork him on the hardwood.
-- Lastly, when looking ahead to Iowa State tomorrow, the big thing for Kansas will be to play with energy, passion, and fire. The last time the Jayhawks and Cyclones met in Ames, ISU pounded Kansas.
Just one player, Jalen Wilson, scored in double-figures for Kansas. In losing 68-53, the Jayhawks shot 38.6 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from behind the arc, and 72.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Kansas, without question, will have to play with more energy on Friday night.