Lowered Expectations

All during this off-season for KU basketball, I've been pretty realistic (some would say pessimistic) about our team's chances this year. We just lost four seniors, three of whom started and one of which (Wayne Simien) was an All-American. J.R. Giddens was involved in a bar fight and was stabbed in the leg, another data point on his ledger sheet that was filled with erratic behavior. Giddens transferred to New Mexico, stripping the team of yet another starter. The only returning starter just happened to be a walk-on.

That left the bulk of this year's minutes in the hands of four sophomores and four freshman. There is no question that these underclassmen contain bucketfuls of talent (particularly the freshman), but experience, strength and toughness generally win out in a league as tough as the Big XII.

So, I figured we would definitely take our lumps this season and build toward next season. With that in mind, I was really looking forward to seeing just how talented these freshman were and to see if the sophomores had bulked up any and improved their games.

Watching last night's exhibition game (the first of the season), I was pleasantly surprised. The sophomores were aggressive and looking to take charge. The freshman were active and eager to display their much-hyped talent.

To break down my impressions on the first Jayhawk action of the season, I'll go over the good and the bad, first for the whole team, then for each player.

**TEAM**

GOOD

* Perimeter defense. Jeff Hawkins, Mario Chalmers, and Russell Robinson were all relentless in pressuring the Fort Hays guards. Those three only combined for four steals, but the constantly harassed their opponents into making poor decisions.

* Ball distribution. The ball didn't stay in one place too long when the 'Hawks were on offense. Lots of unselfish play. The team had 24 assists on 35 made field goals. A very good sign.

* Hustle. KU was never beat down the floor on defense. There were several instances of players diving for loose balls. This is a central theme of a Bill Self-coached team.


BAD

* Fort Hays is a Division II school. This wasn't much of a test. There are something like 300 Division I schools and Fort Hays was picked to finish third in their conference. There are scores of much better teams than this. They had no size inside and were clearly overmatched.

* Free-throw shooting. Sasha Kaun was the main culprit, making only 3 of 10 from the line. But Christian Moody and Russell Robinson were a combined 2-7, as well. Considering that big guys get fouled a lot during the game, Kaun and Moody missing free throws is troubling. And if Robinson is going to be handling the ball at the end of close games, you want him to be more reliable from the stripe.

* Strength. Only Kaun looked like a regular in the weight room. C.J. Giles reportedly put on some weight, but didn't look noticeably beefier. All the freshman have typically svelte builds. This team is going to need to hit the weight room and training table with the same intensity they take to the practice floor.


**PLAYERS**

GUARDS

* Jeff Hawkins. Hawkins started the game at the point and played well. He ran the team and shot well from three-point range (3-5). As mentioned previously, he played tenacious perimeter defense, something that has been consistent from the fifth year senior throughout his career.

* Russell Robinson. A somewhat surprising starter considering his troubles with turnovers last year and the hype of incoming freshman Mario Chalmers. But Robinson turned the ball over only twice in 27 minutes and handed out 11 assists. He and Sasha Kaun seemed to be on the same page as exemplified by Robinson's lobs for Kaun dunks. And Robinson was a major pest on defense to the Fort Hays guards.

* Steven Vinson. Definitely a surprise starter. Bill Self has not been shy about experimenting with different lineups or playing walk-ons. Vinson came out and contributed immediately with a three before giving way to Chalmers and Brandon Rush.

* Mario Chalmers. This is the one freshman nearly everyone expected to start. He didn't. But he did show why people had such high hopes. He shot the ball well, his only two misses coming behind the arc. He showed the ability to drive to the bucket and finish. And he displayed tough perimeter defense.

* Jeremy Case. Case didn't play much but did score with the home crowd when he hit a three with one second left in the game, making sure that every available player scored.


SWINGMEN

* Julian Wright. Possibly the most highly touted player of the freshman class, Wright looked like he wasn't quite up to speed yet. He did seem to possess excellent court vision and the desire to find the open man. He was also quite active on the boards. His shot looks like it could use a little work, but he also showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish.

* Micah Downs. Has a nice looking shot from long from long range. He'll need to put on a significant amount of muscle in order to endure the intense grind of the college season. Downs does seem to have long arms and athleticism that will help him on the defensive end. Blocked a shot with his elbow, which was both odd and impressive.

* Brandon Rush. Probably the crown jewel of the freshman class. Rush didn't start the game, but ended up with the most complete stat line of the night: 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, 5-of-6 from the line; 10 rebounds, seven on the offensive end; a team-leading four steals; three assists. Rush employed a complete offensive game, taking his man off the dribble; pulling up for the mid-range jumper; even a reverse dunk on a breakaway steal. Very impressive debut.


FRONT COURT

* Christian Moody. Got the start and played his typical solid, though unimpressive, game.

* C.J. Giles. Also started and took the initiative as a scorer in the first half. He showed off the 15-foot range Self had touted from practice and was confident in taking what the defense was giving him. Giles blocked a couple of shots and altered numerous others, though his aggressive defensive style did result in four fouls. This is something he'll need to improve given the lack of depth in the front court this year as opposed to last year.

* Sasha Kaun. Kaun had a very encouraging beginning to the season. Taking advantage of the lack of size in the players guarding him, he repeatedly took the ball to the rim and finished with powerful dunks. Unfortunately, he was miserable at converting his free throws after being fouled repeatedly. And he seemed to disappear on the boards, only collecting three in 19 minutes.

* Matt Kleinmann. The big redheaded walk-on got some garbage time minutes and made the most of his opportunity, scoring on a decent move around the basket.


All in all, the team performed much better than I had expected. We've had lots of highly touted freshman over the years at Kansas and even the best ones are generally pretty inconsistent. I don't think that will be any different with this class, but the talent is there, without question. If we make it to the tournament this year, I will be more than pleased. Anything more than that will just be icing. I guess that's the good thing about having lowered expectations.