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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PRESENTS:
SEASON OUTLOOKKansas to receivecontributions fromnew faces |2
ON POINTYoung point guardsset to lead Kansas onoffense and defense | 3
CRYSTAL BALL
Ten predictions forKansas season |4
BIG 12 PREVIEWS
In-depth breakdownsof each team in theconference | 8, 9
STEPPING UP
Wayne Selden, Jr. readyto become a biggerleader | 10
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
MENS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
TAKE AIMRELOADAND
KELLY OUBRE, JR. HIGHLIGHTS
ANOTHER TOP-10 RECRUITING
CLASS LOOKING TO MAKE
AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
FOR KANSAS | 4
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
2/11
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 , 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 2B
SEASON OUTLOOKTalented freshman trio, returners look to fill the void left by departed players
KYLE PAPPAS@KylePap
BEN LIPWOWITZ/KANSANKansas basketball coach Bill Self speaks to the crowd at Late Night on Oct. 10 in Allen Fieldhouse. Selfs recruits for the 2014-15season include freshmen Cliff Alexander, Devonte Graham and Kelly Oubre, Jr. Self hopes the trio will help fill the gaps offormer players Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins.
@KANSANSPORTS
Kansas has been here beore.Heading into a new season withmajor question marks afer los-ing several key players is noth-ing new or the Jayhawks. Lastseason, they lost Ben McLem-ore and Jeff Withey. Tis sea-son, its Andrew Wiggins, JoelEmbiid and Naadir Tarpe.Rosters always change itscollege basketball, and thatsthe nature o the business atthis level.
Still, losing two players oWiggins and Embiids caliberwould cripple most programs,but those programs arent Kan-sas. While it certainly hurts, theJayhawks routinely boast someo the best recruiting classes inthe nation no loss is too bigto recover rom.
[Wiggins and Embiid] arepretty tremendous talents, ju-nior orward Jamari raylorsaid. Its a long season and ev-erybody is going to have to stepup on occasion. Some games,one guy is going to have a goodgame, then its going to be an-
other guy who steps up in thenext game. Were pretty talent-ed, so it could be anybody.
Anybody could wind up be-ing one o Kansas new impactreshmen. Forward Cliff Alex-ander is the most talked-abouto the bunch and with goodreason he was ESPNs No. 3prospect in the Class o 2014.Coach Bill Sel compares himto a young Tomas Robinson.
I see some similarities withCliff and Tomas, Sel said.Cliff is probably a little biggerat the same stage, about thesame athletically. Offensively,
about the same. Teres a lot osimilarities in him.
While Alexander will betasked with replacing some othe rebounds and post presencelost with Embiid, reshmanguards Devonte Graham andKelly Oubre, Jr., should helpease the loss o Wiggins.
Graham, a our-star recruitout o North Carolina, wasvoted the teams best leaderat its preseason boot campand is someone Sel said willbe a hard guy to keep out othe lineup. His measurables
arent off the charts, but hes asolid all-around player whodoesnt turn the ball over o-ten something Kansas hasstruggled with at the point inseasons past.
Oubre, a five-star recruit romNevada, was ESPNs No. 11prospect in the Class o 2014and described as one o thetwo best wing prospects atLeBron James Skills Academyin Las Vegas over the summer.Hell provide an immediate im-pact in what could be his loneseason in Lawrence.
Weve got to be able to plug[Oubre] in to take advantage owhat he does, Sel said. He canscore the ball, but hes so goodaround the rim, hes so gooddeensively getting out in thepassing lanes, hes such a goodoffensive rebounder. Tere area lot o things he can do wellthat are not your typical two orthree-guard type things.
While the addition o thesethree reshmen should providea boost, Sel also expects con-tributions rom some playerswho saw limited minutes lastseason.
Landen [Lucas] may havehad the best spring and sum-mer o anybody, Sel said. Hesgoing to play. Hes fighting ormajor minutes. He and Cliffare probably, right now, basedon what Ive seen, going head-to-head or a lot o major min-utes.
What exactly the redshirtsophomore orward brings tothe table is a bit o an unknownor many. Afer redshirting hisfirst year, he carved out a tinyniche in Kansas rotation lastseason, averaging just underfive minutes per game while
spelling the Jayhawks big men.At 6 eet 10 inches tall, hes thetallest player on the roster andhis rebounding prowess shouldensure him significant playingtime.
Another returning player whocould provide an impact is ju-nior orward Hunter Mickel-son.
Hes our best shot blocker,Sel said. Cliff is going to be agood one, but Hunter blockedmore shots his last year at Ar-kansas than Joel [Embiid] didlast year, in less minutes.
Following his transer romArkansas afer the 2012-13season, Mickelson sat out lastseason due to NCAA transerrules. He was the Razorbacksmost proficient shot blockerduring his two years in Fayette-
ville he even set an Arkansasrecord or consecutive gameswith a blocked shot to begin acareer. Tough Sel said Mick-elson must refine other aspectso his game to see major min-utes, he could serve as a niceplug-in when Sel wants more
length in the paint.While this Kansas squaddoesnt boast any shoe-in lot-tery picks like last year, it cer-tainly has all o the pieces tocompete or its 11th-straightBig 12 title and possibly more.With a desirable blend o new-comers and returnees, its sim-ply a matter o fitting thosepieces together. Given Selstrack record with developingnew talent, theres little reasonto believe this team wont workits way deep in to March.
Edited by Drew Parks
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
3/11
Over the off-season, the
Kansas backcourt became a
lot less crowded than most
anticipated it to be heading
into the 2014-2015 season.
On May 1, coach Bill Sel
announced that point guardNaadir Tarpe would not
be returning or his senior
season due to extenuating
circumstances in his personal
lie, and on Oct. 31, sophomore
guard Conner Frankamp
told Bill Sel that he would be
leaving the team immediately
to finish out the semester
beore transerring schools inthe spring.
In a span o six months,
Kansas had lost what figured
to be their top two guards.
Tarpe averaged 29.4
minutes per game last season,
and would have been the most
experienced returning player
on this years roster with 5
assists per game. Frankamp
saw his playing time increaselate in the season, as he added
10 and 12 points in Kansas
two NCAA tournament games
against Eastern Kentucky and
Stanord, respectively.
Tat leaves sophomores
Wayne Selden and Frank
Mason, along with reshman
Devonte Graham lef in the
mix or the 1-guard spot.
Selden saw nearly 30 minutes
per game last season, but
played primarily on the wing.
Ill probably have to playmore point here and there,
Seldon said ollowing the
news o Frankamps departure.
Weve got two great point
guards here as well. Im pretty
good with that.
Tose two point guards:Frank Mason and Devonte
Graham, young but talented.
Mason spelled Tarpe at
the point or 16.2 minutes
per game last season while
Graham spent 2013-2014 with
Brewster Academy, the same
prep school Tarpe attended
in 2010.
Sel said that despite losing
two solid ball handlers, some
good can come out o this or
his perimeter players.
Somebody was going to belef out, Sel said. Weve got
seven good perimeter players,
and really to be quite candid
with you, there hasnt been a
lot o separation.
Itll start or these guards,
as it always does with Bill
Sel coached teams, on the
deensive end o the floor.
We are looking orward tobeing a good deensive team,
Mason said. I take pride in
the deensive end. I have quick
eet. Its part o being a leader,
starting on the deensive end
o the floor.
Graham echoes Mason,
saying that his leadership is
most easily visible on deense.
Ive always been a point
guard, and leadership hascome naturally, Graham said.
I know things, I see things, I
talk, I tell people how I think
things should be. It starts with
deense, though.
Tis team is smaller than in
years past, so itll rely more
heavily on the perimeter
players and less on its big men,
like Joel Embiid, to deend the
rim.
We dont have really tall
guys inside so we want to get
out and pressure, Mason said.Sel thinks the deense will
succeed.
Tere isnt a seven-oot tall
guy to cover mistakes like that,
Sel said. But I do think we are
going to be able to pressure the
ball, deny one pass away, and
I think you are going to see a
pretty good deensive team.
Despite the losses o Tarpeand Frankamp, Sel eels
confident that his young
guards can stand tall to the
challenge.
Frank can guard. Devonte
can really pressure, Sel said.
Kansas opens its exhibition
slate today as it hosts
Washburn.
Edited by Ashley Peralta
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 3B
Frankamps exit opens doors for Mason, Graham
LUCAS, MICKELSON READY TO HELPBEN CARROLL
@BCarroll91
DAN HARMSEN
@UDK_Dan
Since 2011, KU basketballhad the dominant 7-oot big
man protecting the paint with
Jeff Withey, who holds theBig 12 record or most career
blocked shots, and o course
Joel Embiid o last year. But
this season, without an ideal
center, certain Jayhawks will
need to step up and play bigger
roles than they have in thepast.
Certain Jayhawks like
sophomore orward Landen
Lucas and redshirt junior
orward Hunter Mickelson
could be those players to
make an immediate impact
underneath the basket.
Coach Bill Sel brought
in reshman orward Cliff
Alexander, the No. 3 recruit
in ESPNs top 100, to play thefive in most cases, but Sel said
Alexander still has a long way
to go to be the dominant andphysical player he expects him
to be, leaving the door wide
open or bench players to help
Alexander play the role o the
big man.
Landen may have had the
best spring and summer oanybody; hes had a good all,
too, Sel said on basketball
media day last month. Hes
going to play. He and Cliff are
probably, right now based on
what Ive seen, going head-
to-head or a lot o major
minutes.
Lucas hasnt seen much
playing time since high school,
but that doesnt mean that he
hasnt been learning. Lucassaid redshirting his reshman
year taught him a lot by
observing how players likeWithey and Embiid handle
themselves in game situations.
I got a chance to watch
people like Jeff and Kevin
Young, who did small things,
and you get an understanding
o what coach is looking orand I think that this year Ill
have a chance to apply that,
Lucas said on media day.
Its great going against great
players this whole time. It
works or all o us because that
competition, constantly day in
and day out, gets you ready or
when it is your turn.
He has also been teaching the
newcomers what it means to
wear Kansas across their chestand be a part o the Jayhawk
community.
Landen has experience, hesa great player, a great guy and
he brings a lot to the table,
reshman orward Kelly Oubre
said. Hes showed me a lot
about mysel and a lot about
this program.
Lucas said he is ready to stepinto whatever role Sel gives
him and make the biggest
impact he can.
Sel said he doesnt see
anyone beating junior orward
Perry Ellis out in the our, and
is looking or other players
to prevent Ellis rom playing
the center position and being
the primary rebounder and
shot blocker. Sel hinted that
Mickelson could be one othose guys down the road, but
added that he will need to play
bigger than what hes played inthe past because o the needs
o the team.
Te reality is Hunter, with
his skill set, will have to do
some more things in order to
see playing time because o
what our needs are based onour other personnel, Sel said.
Hes our best shot blocker.
Cliff s going to be a good one,
but Hunter blocked more shots
his last year at Arkansas than
[Embiid] did last year and in
less minutes. So hes naturally a
pretty good shot blocker.
Michelson said he is ready
to play a bigger role with the
Jayhawks afer sitting out last
year due to transer rules. Hewent overseas this summer to
sharpen his skills.
Tey need a guy on deense;hopeully, Ill be a guy that
can help out on deense, and
i they need someone on
offense, hopeully I can do
that, Mickelson said. Im just
an all around good teammate,
good attitude, good energy.Just being there and helping
everybody out whenever they
need it.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
Upcoming games to mark on your calendar
VS. KENTUCKY
NOVEMBER 18
Kansas and Kentucky
will ace off in the ourth
installment o the Champions
Classic in early November.
Tis is a repeat o the first
Champions Classic game in
2012. Kansas is 1-2 all-timein the tournament and will
look to get to .500 against
Calipari and the Wildcats.Kentucky begins the season
as the number one team in the
nation while Kansas weighs in
at number five. Te Wildcats
are returning both Harrison
twins and have another top
three recruiting class. rey
Lyles and Karl owns lead a
class o our five-star recruits.
VS. FLORIDA
DECEMBER 5
Kansas and Florida will
go head-to-head during this
years SEC-Big 12 matchup.
College Gameday will return
to Lawrence as the fifh and
seventh preseason ranked
teams ace off, respectively.
wo season ago, Kansas aced
exas or College Gameday
and won a ast-paced, exciting
game. Florida is bringing inthe 13th ranked recruiting
class with our nationally
ranked commits. Florida willbe searching or on-the-court
leadership, as they lost seniors
Patric Young and ScottieWilbekin.
AT TEXAS
JANUARY 24
Following contests against
Iowa State and Oklahoma,
Kansas concludes its toughest
portion o its Big 12 schedule
by traveling to Austin to take
on exas. Te Jayhawks ell
69-81 in their last away game
against against the Longhorns,
who were led by point guardIsaiah aylors 23 points. With
the addition o top prospect
Myles urner, the Jan. 24matchup is set to be among
Kansas toughest o the season.
I the Jayhawks can finish this
three-game stretch with two
or more wins, they should
be in the drivers seat or the
conerence title.
AT OKLAHOMA
MARCH 7
Its not difficult to envision
Kansas final Big 12 game o
the season holding majorchampionship implications.
Te Sooners return our o
their five starters (includingpreseason All-Big 12 selection
Buddy Hield) rom last years
squad that finished second
in the league with a 12-6
record. Tough Kansas won
its two matchups against
Oklahoma last season, both
contests were decided by
single digits, and it struggled
to contain the Sooners offense
at times. Dont be shockedi the Jayhawks hopes or
an 11th-straight league titlerest on the outcome o their
final conerence matchup in
Norman.
Edited by Brian Hilli
KYLE PAPPAS
@KylePap
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@ben_felderstein
WANT
SPORTS
UPDATES ALL
DAY LONG?
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@KansanSports
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KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sophomore guard Frank Mason goes for a layup during the Nov. 8, 2013,
game against ULM.
I take pride in the defen-
sive end. I have quick feet.
Its part of being a leader,
starting on the defensive end
of the floor.
FRANK MASONSophomore guard
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 4B
FRESHMAN PROFILES
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben_Felderstein
10 predictions for the Jayhawks this season
BEN FELDERSTEIN@Ben_Felderstein
BRIAN HILLIX
@DoubleHillix
BLAIR SHEADE
@RealBlairSheady
KYLE PAPPAS
@kyle_Pap
Leading the Kansas
Jayhawks this season will in
large part all on the shoulders
o junior orwards Perry Ellis
and Jamari raylor. Tey are
two o the oldest players on
the roster and two o the most
respected.
raylor is a vocal leader,
while Ellis is more o the type
to lead by example. Tese twoorwards will be responsible
or molding another one o
the nations top five recruiting
classes.
Among this class are, Cliff
Alexander, Kelly Oubre,
Devonte Graham and
Sviatslov Mykhailiuk, who
are a big reason the Jayhawks
have the No. nine ranked
recruiting class according to
ESPN a year afer ranking
No. 2 overall. Tese our
players are ready to step in
and make an on-the-court
difference immediately. Withthe departure o two o the
best talents this school has
ever seen in Andrew Wiggins
and Joel Embiid, these our
reshmen will have very large
shoes to fill.
CLIFF ALEXANDER
Alexander is a 6-oot-8,
five-star recruit rom Curie
High School in Chicago. As
ESPNs number three overall
prospect, he was named the
2014 Naismith Boys High
School Player o the Year along
with Mr. Basketball USA.
Cliff is going to be fighting
or some big minutes, Bill
Sel said. Him and Landon
(Lucas) are going to be going
afer each other or a lot o
playing time.
Alexander is stepping into a
crowded ront court with the
likes o raylor, Ellis, Lucas,
and Mickelson. Alexander
will be expected to play
big minutes and succeed
offensively and deensively.He has the role o replacing
two NBA big men, Embiid
and arik Black. Both men
were deensive stoppers and
had solid offensive skill sets
as well. Alexander looked like
he was ready to step into these
roles during Late Night in the
Phog this year.
Cliff has been working
on that lef-handed hook a
lot, Sel explained afer Late
Night. Its a move he need to
get down to be successul in
the college game.
Alexander has a lot osupport and people to learn
rom on this roster. Bill Sel
has a history o talented big
men, and they all tend to help
each other out.
Its Jamari and my sel s
responsibility to kind o look
over him (Cliff ). Landon
Lucas said. Hes a young,
talented guy that we just want
to help make better.
KELLY OUBRE, JR
Oubre is another five star
recruit a part o Kansas
reshman class this season.
Oubre is a 6-oot-7 guard
rom New Orleans who
attended Findlay Prep. Oubre
scored 11 points and sank the
game winning ree throws
in the 2014 McDonalds All-
American game.
Te guard has perhaps
the biggest shoes to fill in
all o the NCAA. With the
departure o the number one
overall pick in the NBA draf,
Oubre will have to step into awing position and be effective
immediately.
Similar to Wiggins, Oubre
is long, quick and athletic,
with a wingspan above seven
eet long. Oubres long arms
allow him to be a orce on
the deensive end, a lot like
Wiggins was last season.
Im excited. Oubre
explained. Andrew is a great
player. I am not him, but we
have similar play styles, Ive
watched him game a lot.
Oubre is already a vocal
leader on the court or Kansas,but can ofen get caught up in
his own head. Hes the type
o player that needs to think
less and let his skills do the
talking.
He can play great deense
and get a steal and a run-out,
and then the next time when
the shot clock is running down
to three, hell go gamble and
miss and give a guy a wide-
open shot. Sel said. Hes just
got to kind o figure it out. But
certainly, hes a talented kid.
DEVONTE GRAHAM
Graham is a 6-oot-2 guard
rom Raleigh, North Carolina.
Graham attended the Brewster
Academy averaging 17.2
points and five assists. Graham
has had the most impressive
off-season amongst the
reshman propelling himsel
into a leadership role already.
Without seeing him really
go up and down a lot, hes
going to be a hard guy to keep
out o the lineup. Sel said.Hes a little bit older. Hes a
great leader. Hes probably as
popular as any student is on
campus. I mean, everybody
knows him. Everybody likes
him. Hes got potential to be
a great leader, and hes really a
good basketball player.
Graham led Brewster to the
4A state championship where
he averaged 14.8 points, 4.3
assists and 2.2 steals per game.
By the end o 2014, Graham
was named the number 36
recruit by rivals.com.
Graham was a latecommitment to Kansas. In
early May senior guard-
to-be Naadir Tarpe lef
the program, and almost
immediately, Graham
committed to the University.
With the recent transer
announcement o sophomore
guard Connor Frankamp,
Graham will look to split time
with sophomore Frank Mason
at the point guard position.
Devonte is going to be a
guy thats going to challenge
or a starting spot. Sel said.
Ive said that all along. I
dont know that Devonte is
quite ready or that yet, but I
think that he could be a guy to
challenge or a starting spot.
Tat doesnt mean he will, but
hes going to be in the mix.
One thing that has always
been missing since the 2008
National Championship team,
has been a pure, reliable point
guard. Between Tarpe, Elijah
Johnson and yshawn aylor,the point guard play has been
as inconsistent as possible.
Graham and Frank Mason
will look to add stability at
the position. Graham is a
leader on the court, as he was
constantly barking out orders
and running plays during
the late night inter-squad
scrimmage.
SVIATSLOV MYKHAILIUK
Svi or short, this 6-oot-
8 winger rom Cherkasy,
Ukraine is only 17 years old.
Svi was apart o Ukraines2014 FIBA World Cup eam.
He played in our games,
which included three points
in 11 minutes versus the
United States.
Svi averaged 16 points and
4.1 rebounds in the U18
European Championships,
where he earned all-
tournament honors. In
2013, Svi played in the U16
championships where he
averaged 25.2 points and eight
rebounds also being named to
the all-tournament team.
Playing in Ukraine has
given Svi a lot o experience
the other players dont have.
He played proessionally in
the Ukrainian Basketball
SuperLeague rom 2012 to
2014 or the Cherkasy Mavpy.
He also got to play against the
likes o James Harden and
Anthony Davis.
Svi is a talented kid. Sel
said. He is not going to red
shirt, he doesnt need to. Hes
got a lot to learn, but hesready to come in and make an
impact.
Kansas has had a ew oreign
players under Sels tenure.
Embiid last season and Sasha
Kaun rom the 2008 National
Championship team are two
that come to mind. Both
players played big roles on
their respective teams.
Svi is the youngest player
in the Big 12, but will look
to provide big, important
minutes or Kansas off the
bench.
Youll see how impressivehe is athletically, with his
skill set and all those things.
Sel said. Te only knock on
him right now is hes young.
He should be a high school
junior or senior, as opposed
to a college reshman. But hes
going to be really good.
Edited by Ashley Peralta
1. KANSAS WINS ITS 11TH
STRAIGHT BIG 12 TITLE
With the influx o our
talented reshmen and the
returning talent o Wayne
Selden, Perry Ellis and Jamari
raylor, Kansas is primed to
win yet another Big 12 title.
Selden has the experience
o not being a reshman
this season and Perry is in
his third year now. Junioryear was Tomas Robinsons
coming out party, and i Ellis
or raylor can make a similar
jump, an 11th straight Big 12
title will be even more o a
possibility.
2. CLIFF ALEXANDER STRUGGLES
WITH FOULS EARLY IN THE
SEASON
Power orward Cliff
Alexander will bring much-
needed grit and attitude to the
paint this season. A physically
imposing player, he will be
a orce o the deensive end
with his 7-oot-3 wingspan.
However, especially early in
the season, that will draw a
lot o reeree whistles as he
figures out what he can and
cannot get away with at the
college level. He will oul out
o more games than any other
Jayhawk.
3. HUNTER MICKELSON BECOMES
A DEFENSIVE ENFORCER
Every year, the mens
basketball team has a shot-
blocker that dominates the
paint. Last season it was Joel
Embiid, two seasons ago
it was Jeff Withey, and this
season will be junior Hunter
Mickelson, a deensive
enorcer. Beore transerring
rom Arkansas, Mickelsonled the Razorbacks with 2.25
blocks per game. Without
a seven-ooter this season,
the Jayhawks will need an
inside deensive presence and
Mickelson will be that guy.
4. COME CONFERENCE PLAY, THE
STARTING LINEUP FEATURES
THREE FRESHMEN
Kansas has one o the most
vigorous non-conerence
schedules again this season.
Tis is a time that Sel uses to
experiment with the starting
lineup. By Big 12 conerence
play, Devonte Graham, Cliff
Alexander and Kelly Oubre
will all be in the starting five.
Graham is the stability the
team needs at point guard,
Oubre is the quick, athletic
wing that will be able to lock
down any other wing in the
country and Alexander is
the big body down low that
Kansas will need to dominate
the boards.
5. KANSAS LOSES AT LEAST TWO
GAMES BEFORE CONFERENCE
PLAY
Once again, Bill Sel elected
or a tough non-conerence
schedule or the Jayhawks.
Beore conerence begins,
Kansas will have played at
least three teams currentlyranked in the top-25 poll:
No. 1 Kentucky, No. 7 Florida
and No. 25 Utah in addition
to the possibility o playing
No. 18 Michigan State in the
Orlando Classic. Tese are all
potential losses or a young
Kansas team, along with
tricky road contests against
Georgetown and emple.
6. KELLY OUBRE WINS BIG 12
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Tough Jayhawks reshman
orward Cliff Alexander
was chosen as the coaches
preseason co-selection or
the honor, its not hard to
imagine that being ending
up a reality. At 6-oot-7,
200 pounds, the reshman
owns the tools to become a
legitimate star, hes a cause
or concern in the paint,
but can also pull up rom
the perimeter to showcase
his silky smooth jumper. A
five-star recruit and No. 11
prospect in the Class o 2014
according to ESPN, Oubre is
a do-it-all guard who should
be penciled in as a starter
in Kansas opening night
lineup. With his 7-oot-2
wingspan and versatility, he
could quickly become a ocal
point in Sel s offense and
a nightmare or opposing
deenses.
7. PERRY ELLIS AVERAGES A
DOUBLE-DOUBLE (OR CLOSE
TO IT)
Junior Perry Ellis averaged
17 points and seven rebounds
and has only played 27
minutes per game. Ellis will
be the go-to scorer, and
coach Sel will ask Ellis to be
more aggressive and rebound
more. Ellis leadership and
experience will keep him on
the floor longer, which means
more opportunities to grab
rebounds.
8. DEVONTE GRAHAM LEAPFROGS
FRANK MASON AT POINT GUARD
While the relatively
surprising transer o Conner
Frankamp surely throws
a wrench in Sels plans
at guard, it should ree up
some additional minutes or
reshman Devonte Graham.
Frank Mason will likely get
the starting nod to begin the
season, but Graham should
see significant minutes with
the opportunity to expand his
role as the year progresses.
Afer his commitment to
Kansas in May, Sel called
Graham one o the premier
point guards in the country
and claimed he was an
immediate impact guy.While both will see big
minutes this season, look or
Graham to get the bulk o
those minutes as tournament
time approaches.
9. WAYNE SELDEN SELECTED TO
THE ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
Tough Perry Ellis was the
only Jayhawk to receive votes
or any preseason All-Big 12
team, its Selden whos most
likely to finish the year there.
He showed flashes during his
reshman year (44 points on
59 percent shooting afer his
first two conerence games)
and should prove more
consistent in his sophomore
campaign. While the
conerence is exceptionally
talented at the guard position,
Selden is arguably the most
physically gifed and boasts
the highest ceiling o the
bunch, its simply a matter o
i he can reach that ceiling. I
he can, hes a first team All-
Big 12 selection and potential
lottery pick next year.
10. KANSAS USES MORE THAN
SIX DIFFERENT STARTING
LINEUPS THIS SEASON
With our reshmen
coming in, three o which are
potential starters, there is a
lot o uncertainty at the top.
Perry Ellis and Wayne Seldenare arguable the only locks
in the starting five. Sel has
reerenced Landon Lucas and
Cliff Alexander fighting or
big minutes multiple times
this preseason. Frank Mason
and Devonte Graham will
battle or the starting point
guard position and Kelly
Oubre will try to fight his way
into a starting wing spot.
Edited by Ashley Peralta
CLIFF ALEXANDER KELLY OUBRE, JR. DEVONTE GRAHAM SVIATSLOV MYKHAILIUK
Top-recruiting class ready to make immediate on-the-court impact for Jayhawks
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 5B
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OKLAHOMA STATE: ANTHONY HICKEY, SR., PG
The Cowboys have a void at the point guard position after Marcus Smartleft school for the NBA. Hickey started three seasons with Louisiana Statein a tough Southeastern Conference. Hickey averaged eight points, threeassists and three rebounds for LSU last season.
We did have that inexperience at the point guard spot until weve got[Hickey], Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. When youre a three-yearstarter in the SEC, you immediately get that respect. You get that respect.
TEXAS: MYLES TURNER, FR., F
The No. 2 center in the 2014 recruiting class, Myles Turner, brings style to aphysical Texas team. Texas coach Rick Barnes said Turner will play forwardbecause he has the shooting ability, and Turners athletic ability will allowhim to guard quicker players.
[Turner] wanted to be a part of the program where he could be a part ofit but not necessarily him be the program, Barnes said. [Turners] got to gofrom one play to the next play. Im watching that happen with him, and Imwatching him get better every day with it.
TCU: TREY ZEIGLER, SR., G
Zeigler transferred from Pittsburgh University, and Texas Christian Univer-sity will be his third school in four years. Zeigler averaged four points, oneassist and two rebounds. TCU coach Trent Johnson said Zeigler will startright away for the Horned Frogs, and Zeigler is one of the leaders on theteam.
[Zeigler] is a guy that can create for himself, Johnson said. Hes scorer,not a shooter. Hes a guy that can create for himself and can create for
others.
BAYLOR: JONATHAN MOTLEY, REDSHIRT FR., F
The Bears are looking to replace former center Corey Jefferson, who ledBaylor in points (13) and rebounds (8). Motley will start this season as aredshirt freshman, and Baylor coach Scott Drew said Motley gained a lot ofweight during the off-season and practiced against Jefferson last season.
[Motley] has really improved his body, Drew said. As most coaches willtell you, that freshman year, if you redshirt and youre able to focus on aca-demics, adjust to college socially, be able to understand time management,and at the same time, be able to go against Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austineveryday in practice, thats really going to be beneficial.
IOWA STATE: BRYCE DEJEAN-JONES, SR., G
Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg loves transfers. The past two seasons, a Cyclonehas won the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award: guard Will Clyburn (2013) andguard DeAndre Kane (2014). This season, Bryce Dejean-Jones transferred toIowa State from UNLV. Dejean-Jones, who is the preseason Big 12 newcomer ofthe year, averaged 13 points, three rebounds and three assists for the RunningRebels.
Hes a guy you can use all over the floor, and [Dejean-Jones] fits well with ourgroup at this point, Hoiberg said. Hes extremely athletic. He plays above the rimin transition.
KANSAS STATE: JUSTIN EDWARDS, REDSHIRT JR., G
Kansas State coach Bruce Weber took a page out of Iowa States book andsigned three transfer players this season. Junior guard Justin Edwards transferredfrom Maine, and will be an instant starter according to Weber. Edwards averaged17 points, five rebounds and three assists at Maine last season. He is known forhis aggressiveness and dunking ability.
I believe [Edwards] scored a thousand points [at Maine] in two years, Webersaid. He can get to the basket. I promise you one thing, hell have some dunksthat will get on ESPN.
TEXAS TECH: DEVAUGNTAH WILLIAMS, JR., G
Williams transferred from Missouri-West Plains, where he was the best juniorcollege player in Missouri and a top-20 junior college player in the nation. He aver-aged 17 points and four assists for Missouri-West Plains last season. Williams will
not start this season because senior guard Robert Turner will be the Red Raidersmost experienced player.We have a lot of new faces, Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said. We have add-
ed some depth in the backcourt so that should help in the execution of the offenseand trying to finalize games, where we can win some close games.
OKLAHOMA: KHADEEM LATTIN, FR., G
The Sooners added two freshmen who will help an Oklahoma team that has adepleted bench. Lattin can help in the backcourt to give guards Buddy Hield andJordan Woodard rest. Both freshmen will see a lot of playing time this season,according to Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger. In high school, Lattin averaged 15 pointsand 14 rebounds per game. As a guard, Lattin can guard the bigger men, and canplay forward, as well.
Khadeem Lattin and Jamuni McNeace, two guys that are rangy and athletic,
Kruger said. Theyve got great upside. A lot of excitement about watching themgrow and develop as young players.
WEST VIRGINIA: JONATHAN HOLTON, JR., F
Holton transferred from Palm Beach State Community College and had to sit outthe 2013-14 season. Holton averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game whileat Palm Beach State. West Virginia will add another big man to the roster, andWest Virginia coach Bob Huggins said Holton will battle for playing time againstsophomore forward Devin Williams.
I dont know that Ive had many people who have the enthusiasm that [Holton]has on a day-to-day basis, Huggins said. Hes a guy that I think at some point intime were going to have to tell him to go ahead and try to score more.
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 8B
PREVIEWING THE BIG 12
LAST SEASON:26-12 (9-9)
AT-A-GLANCE:
Baylor will look to provethe critics wrong this season
as they are projected to all
somewhere into the lower
hal o the Big 12 standings
this year, afer working their
way to the Sweet Sixteen
in the last seasons NCAA
ournament. Baylor was oneo two Big 12 teams, the other
being Iowa state, to appear in
the Sweet Sixteen in the 2014
tournament. Te Bears will
miss the 3-point shooting
talents o guard Brady Heslip
as well as the deensive
mindsets and size o orwards
Cory Jefferson and Isaiah
Austin. However, the team is
bringing in some interestingadditions like Deng Deng that
could speed up the rebuilding
process.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Kenny Chery Baylors
success this season could
lie in large part upon the
perormance and leadership
ability o point guard Kenny
Chery. Chery averaged 11.7
points per contest last season
but ailed to significantly fill
the stat books in any other
category. Expect Cherys shot
numbers to increase this
season in an effort to make up
or Heslips absence.
BURNING QUESTION:Will Baylor be able to make
up or its lack o size?
Afer losing 7-oot-1center Austin to medical
complications and 6-oot-
9 power orward Jefferson
to the NBA Draf, the Bears
will certainly be at a loss or
talented big men. Currently,
the tallest player on the roster
is a 6-oot-9 reshman and
Baylors size quickly drops off
rom there. Te teams paint
presence will be subpar and
their lethal ability to shoot
rom the perimeter seriously
declines afer losing star guard
Heslip to graduation. In orderto overcome their lack o size
and make something o their
season the Bears will have to
play small ball and be sure
to spread the floor under the
leadership o point guardChery.
KEY ADDITIONS:Deng Deng (orwar), Lester
Medord (guard), Kobe
Eubanks (guard)
KEY LOSSES:Cory Jefferson, Brady Heslip,
Gary Franklin, Isaiah Austin
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Kenny Chery 11.7 ppg
Royce ONeale 7.1 ppg,5.4 rpg, 2.9 apg
aurean Prince 6.2 ppg,
2.8 rpg
Deng Deng did not play
last season
Rico Gathers 6.4 ppg, 6.4
rpg
Edited by Alex Lamb
LAST SEASON:24-11 (11-7)
AT A GLANCE:Te exas Longhorns have a
young team o returners. Tey
lost no seniors at the end olast season and gained only
two reshmen this season. Te
Longhorns surprised everyone
with their success last season,
finishing ourth in the Big 12
conerence. exas struggled
with consistent shooting
and turnovers last season,
something they will need to fix
i they want another successul
season. Isaiah aylor is
expected to be a dominant
shooter, along with Myles
urner and Jonathan Holmes.
exas needs a dominant player,like aylor, to take over theteam. Te addition o urner
and Jordan Barnett give exas
a strong post under the basket
making the exas deence a
serious threat to its opponents.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Myles urner urner is a
five-star recruit rom Bedord,exas, and was the No. 2
recruit overall. His 7-oot
stature makes him a threat
underneath the basket, but
hes also a dominant shooter.
During his senior year,
urner averaged 18.1 points
per game, 12.1 rebounds pergame and 6.8 blocks per game.exas already has a tall team,
but urner is just what the
Longhorns needed to cap it off.
BURNING QUESTION:Where will coach Rick Barnes
start urner, and what does
that mean or Jonathan
Holmes?Myles urner joins Cameron
Ridley as the only other center
on the Longhorns roster. Last
season, Ridley and orward
Jonathan Holmes were posted
underneath the basket,
but with urners addition,
Holmes could move to a smallorward position. exas hasstruggled or several years
with consistently shooting the
perimeter, but urners ability
to shoot threes may change
that.
KEY ADDITIONS:Jordan Barnett (small or-
ward), Myles urner (center)
KEY LOSSES:Did not lose any seniors
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Myles urner, orward did
not play last season
Isaiah aylor, guard 12.7
points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assistsJonathan Holmes, orward
12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds
Cameron Ridley, center
11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2
blocks
Demarcus Holland, guard
7.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4
assists
Edited by Casey Hutchins
LAST SEASON:28-8 (11-7)
AT-A-GLANCE:Picked to finish fifh in the
Big 12 this year, Iowa State will
again look to compete with the
best in the conerence in the2014-2015 season. Following
the departures o Big 12Player o the Year, orward
Melvin Ejim, and first team
all Big 12 guard DeAndre
Kane, the Cyclones will look
to junior Georges Niang and
senior Dustin Hogue to lead
the team. Te team will also
look to continue to shoot the
ball well rom 3-point range,
averaging 35.8 percent in 2014.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Georges Niang Niang was
named to the All-Big 12 thirdteam in 2014, averaging 16.7
points and 4.5 rebounds pergame. Niang has been one o
the best 3-point shooters in
the Big 12 in his two years in
Ames, shooting 35.9 percent
rom behind the arc. Niang
broke his fifh metatarsal in his
right oot during the Cyclones
first game o the 2014 NCAAournament, but is expected
to be healthy going into the
teams opener against Oakland.
BURNING QUESTION:How will this team respond
afer losing its top two scorers?
Te graduation o Ejim and
Kane will be a huge blow tothis Cyclone team. Combined,
the two accounted or 35.1
points per game or Iowa State
throughout the season. Tey
were the vocal leaders o the
team, both on the offensive and
deensive end. Sophomore and
junior guards Monte Morrisand Naz Long will have to pick
up the slack o the backcourt,
and juniors Niang and Jameel
McKay will have to do the
same in the rontcourt. McKay
is a ormidable replacement
or Ejim, standing at 6-oot-9
and a playing style similar to
that o Ejim.
KEY ADDITIONS:Clayton Custer (guard),
Georgios salmpouris
(center), Jameel McKay
(orward), Daniel Stensland
(guard)
KEY LOSSES:Melvin Ejim, DeAndre Kane
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Jameel McKay, orward
did not play last season
Georges Niang, orward
16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds
Dustin Hogue, orward 11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds
Naz Long, guard 7.1points, 1.1 assists
Monte Morris, guard 6.8
points, 3.7 assists
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
LAST SEASON:23-10 (12-6)
AT-A-GLANCE:A team riddled with experi-
ence, Oklahoma returns the
majority o its production
in every statistical category
rom last years team. Four
o five starters return to the
floor, all either sophomores
or juniors who are more than
amiliar with playing at thecollegiate level afer starting
all 33 games last year. Okla-
homa looks to improve ontheir second-place finish in
the Big 12, and have added a
stellar recruiting class on top
o well-seasoned vets to help
them achieve this goal.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Buddy Hield Hield is a
well-recognized leader on
the Sooner roster. Te junior
guard made a severe impact orOklahoma as a second-team
All-Big 12 pick last season, av-
eraging the highest number o
points per game in Oklahoma
history since Blake Griffin five
years ago.
BURNING QUESTION:Will aShawn Tomas play?
Te 6-8, 242-pound senior
University o Houston transer
looks to be Cameron Clarks
replacement. Big shoes to fill,
but hes up to the task. Tomas
led the Cougars in scoring,
rebounding and blocks his
junior season. Te only
thing holding him back this
year, however, is the NCAADivision I transer rule that
requires transers to sit out a
year beore competing at the
new institution. Oklahoma
intends to file an appeal in
an attempt to make Tomaseligible or this upcoming
season.
KEY ADDITIONS:aShawn Tomas (orward),
Dinjiyl Walker (guard), Dante
Buord (guard/orward),Khadeem Lattin (orward).
KEY LOSSES:Senior orward Cameron
Clark was a third-team
All-Big 12 selection afer
ranking second on the team in
scoring (15.6 points per game)
and rebounding (5.5 reboundsper game). He finished his
career ranked No. 19 on the
Sooners all-time scoring listwith 1,284 points and seventh
in games played at 128.
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Buddy Hield, guard 16.5
points, 4.4 rebounds
Isaiah Cousins, guard
10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1
assists
Jordan Woodard, guard
10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.6
assists
Ryan Spangler, orward
9.6 points, 9.3 reboundsaShawn Tomas, orward
15.4 points, 8.1 rebounds,
2.7 blocks Edited by Ben Carrol
LAST SEASON:25-10 (14-4)
AT-A-GLANCE:abbed as the preseason
avorite to claim the conerence
title by Big 12 coaches whatwould be their 11th straight
the Jayhawks can be oundin the top 10 o most experts
preseason national team
rankings. While they lose
their leading scorer (Andrew
Wiggins) and rebounder (Joel
Embiid) rom last season, Bill
Sel has replaced them with the
No. 3 and No. 11 recruits rom
the class o 2014, according
to ESPN. Cliff Alexander willbring much-needed toughness
that Kansas lacked last season,
while Kelly Oubre, Jr. will
give the Jayhawks an outside
shooting threat or a team that
ranked seventh in the leaguelast season in 3-point field
goals made.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Perry Ellis Named to the
preseason All-Big 12 eam,the junior orward is the
most experienced Jayhawk
remaining on the roster. He
ranked second on the team
last season in points and
rebounds and will need to bemore consistent than he was
last season, when he would
occasionally disappear in
stretches.
BURNING QUESTION:Whats the situation at point
guard?
Te team hasnt had areliable point guard since
yshawn aylor led the team
to the national championship
in 2012. Te only true point
guard on the roster is incoming
reshman Devonte Graham,
who committed to Kansas
in May afer being released
rom his letter o intent romAppalachian State. Frank
Mason, who is one o the best
on-ball deenders on the team,
will also get a close look.
KEY ADDITIONS: Cliff Alexander (power
orward), Kelly Oubre, Jr.
(small orward), DevonteGraham (point guard),
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
(shooting guard)
KEY LOSSES:Andrew Wiggins, Joel
Embiid, arik Black
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Cliff Alexander, orward
did not play last seasonPerry Ellis, orward 13.5
points, 6.7 rebounds
Kelly Oubre, Jr., orward
did not play last season
Wayne Selden, guard
9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5
assists
Devonte Graham, guard
did not play last season
Edited by Ashley Peralta
BRIAN HILLIX@DoubleHillix
PAIGE STINGLEY@PaigeStingley
LIZ KUHLMANN@LizKuhlmann
CONNOR OBERKROM@coberkro
SAM DAVIS@Davis_Samuel
KANSAS
TEXAS
OKLAHOMA
KANSAS STATE
G.J MELIA@GJMelia
IOWA STATE
BAYLOR
LAST SEASON:28-8 (11-7)
AT A GLANCE:In year 3 under coach Bruce
Weber the Wildcats are poised to
be much more competitive afer
enduring some growing pains last
season. Weber finally has more o
his fingerprints on the roster with
senior Tomas Gipson being one
o the ew remaining pieces o theFrank Martin regime. Marcus
Foster, who dazzled as one o
the most talented reshman in
the country, will look to leadKSU once again in points and
be more o a acilitator. Weber
lured in two transers in Justin
Edwards (Maine) and Brandon
Bolden (Georgetown) to ortiyits depth. He will have to display
his coaching prowess as this has
the potential to be Webers most
talented team since arriving in
Manhattan.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Marcus Foster Te
sophomore will try to build off hisremarkable reshmen campaign
in which he led upsets over Kansas
and exas. His 34-point outburst
was officially his coming out party
to the country in dismantling
the Longhorns who were ranked
No. 15 at the time. He will need to
maintain his shooting efficiency
and patrol the offense with arelatively resh K-State roster.
BURNING QUESTION-Can Kansas State be a more
productive three-point shooting
team?
KSU were hitting just
33.1 percent o its shots rom
the perimeter, which placedthem at 221nd in the country.
Marcus Foster, who made his
threes at a clip o 39.5 percent,
is the only player on K-States
roster that was above-average
last year taking more than 30
attempts. Nigel Johnson had 62
attempts last season but that just
garnered a 27.4 percent rate romdeep. I KSU wants to improve
its middling offense rom last
season, it will have to get other
contributions than just Foster
rom three-point range.
KEY ADDITIONS:Justin Edwards (shooting
guard), Malek Harris (powerorward), Stephen Hunt (power
orward) Brandon Bolden (power
orward)
Key Losses:
Will Spradling, Shane
Southwell, Nino Williams,
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Jevon Tomas, point guard
Did not play last seasonMarcus Foster, shooting guard
15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5
assists
Wesley Iwundu, shooting
orward 6.7 points, 4.2
rebounds
Tomas Gipson, powerorward, 11.7 points, 6.5
rebounds
D.J Johnson, center 3.5
points, 3.5 rebounds
Edited Brian Hilli
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
8/11
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 9B
1. Kansas2. Iowa State3. exas4. Oklahoma5. West Virginia6. Kansas State7. Oklahoma State8. Baylor9. CU10. exas ech
In 2011, NBC sportsanalyst Jack Harry learnedthe hard way to never pickagainst Kansas in the Big 12,regardless o the perceivedtalent level o the team. (Hesaid the Jayhawks wouldntfinish in the top-five o theconerence that year.) Ocourse, the team would goon to win its eighth straightconerence title and every onesince. Tis year is no different.An impressive recruiting class
and more experience romthe rest o the team will giveKansas its 11th straight title othe year. Behind the Jayhawks,look or a close race betweenthe Cyclones, Longhornsand Sooners. At the bottom,I expect CU to leave itspreviously permanent spot atNo. 10
1. exas2. Kansas3. Iowa State4. Oklahoma5. Kansas State6. West Virginia7. CU8. Baylor9. Oklahoma State10. exas ech
Te Big 12 Conerence willhave a different result as the
previous ten seasons Kansas
will not finish on top. Teexas Longhorns basketballprogram returns our startersand adds top 5 recruit Mylesurner to the starting five. TeLonghorns experience willhelp them run the table, andthe only loss in their Big 12season will come to Kansas inAllen Fieldhouse.
1. Kansas2. exas3. Oklahoma4. Iowa State5. Baylor6. Kansas State7. West Virginia8. Oklahoma State9. exas ech10. CU
Kansas is the preseasoncoaches pick to win the
Big 12 or the eighth time
in the past 11 years, andwhy wouldnt it be? Withthe return o Selden andadditions o several impactreshmen, this team appearsprimed to strengthen KansasWe dont rebuild, we reloadmantra. On paper, it seemsthat exas, Oklahoma,and Iowa State could allconceivably challenge the
Jayhawks or their 11th-consecutive title but theLonghorns likely pose thebiggest threat. hey returnall ive starters rom lastseason and snagged Mylesurner and Jordan Barnettthis oseason to boot. Itwouldnt be surprising ithe conerences top ourteams are only separated by acouple o games in the inalstandings.
1. Kansas2. exas3. Oklahoma4. Iowa State5. Kansas State6. Baylor7. West Virginia8. Oklahoma State
9. CU10. exas ech
he Kansas Jayhawkshave what it takes to winan 11th straight Big 12itle. However, the Big 12will be just as, i not more,competitive than it was lastseason. With the addition oMyles urner to an alreadyimpressive exas team, theywill push Kansas as ar as anyrecent team has or the title.Fred Hoibergs Iowa Stateteam has the experience oGeo Niang and the transer
power o Dejean Jones.ech will replace CU inthe cellar this season, asthey lost six key players lastseason. Oklahoma State willall to the bottom as well,losing Marcus Smart, MarkelBrown and Stevie Clark.LeBryan Nash will look totake the reigns in Stillwater.Last season the Big 12 sent
70 percent o their teams tothe NCAA tournament, anall-time high. his season,the Big 12 could improvethat number by sendingeight teams to the dance thisseason.
Edited by Ashley Peralta
BIG 12 PREDICTIONS
LAST SEASON:17-16 (9-9)
AT-A-GLANCE:Projected to finish
seventh in the preseason
conerence standings by
Big 12 coaches, the West
Virginia Mountaineers look
to improve rom a 2013-14
season in which they finished
seventh in the Big 12 standings
and were eliminated in thefirst round o the National
Invitation ournament by
the Georgetown Hoyas. Te
Mountaineers also have to
deal with the loss o ormer
sophomore guard Eron Harris,
who elected to transer to
Michigan State University
and play or om Izzo. Harris
averaged 17.2 points and 3.5
rebounds per game in 2013-14,
according to ESPN. Replacing
that kind o production will be
tough or Mountaineers coach
Bob Huggins.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Juwan Staten Staten was
selected as the Preseason Big
12 Player o the Year and was
named to the Preseason All Big
12 team. A year afer ormingone o the best backcourt duos
in the conerence with Harris,
Staten will be looked at as the
clear leader or the 2014-15
Mountaineers. He is theconerences leading returning
scorer, averaging 18.1 points
per game in 2013-14.
BURNING QUESTION:How ar can Staten carry the
Mountaineers?
Staten is undoubtedly one
o the most talented returning
players in the country. Hugginswill need to rely on his scoring
and playmaking ability to
carry the Mountaineers to
some kind o success this
season. Te top hal o the Big12 conerence is loaded, with
Kansas, exas, Oklahoma,
Kansas State and Iowa State
are expected to occupy the
top five spots, respectively,o the Big 12 or much o
the conerence season. Te
Mountaineers may not end up
seriously threatening those top
teams, but Staten will certainly
try to help his teams cause.
Staten can certainly lead the
conerence in many statistical
categories, but he will need
to be better than his stats or
the Mountaineers to have a
successul season.
KEY ADDITIONS:Jevon Carter (guard), Daxter
Miles (point guard), ElijahMacon (power orward),
Jaysean Paige (guard).
KEY LOSSES:Eron Harris, Remi Dibo,
erry Henderson
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Juwan Staten, guard 18.1
points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists
Devin Williams, orward
8.4 points, 7.2 rebounds
Jaysean Paige, guard did
not play last season
Jonathan Holton, orward
did not play last season
Jevon Carter, guard did
not play last season
Edited by Casey Hutchins
LAST SEASON:9-22 (0-18)
AT-A-GLANCE:exas Christian University
basketball was ranked last in
the Big 12 coaches rankings
at the beginning o last season
and did nothing to change
things since this preseason,
winning zero conerence
games and only 9 games all
last year. At least the HornedFrogs Kyan Anderson, who
is the leading scorer with 17points per game, will return or
his senior year. Anderson will
be supported by sophomore
center Karviar Shepherd, who
led the team in rebounds in
2013-14. Te obvious goal or
CU this season is to record
a conerence win. Te team
deeated ulsa, a team that
made the NCAA tournament,
on two occasions last season.
PLAYER TO WATCH:Kyan Anderson Leading
the team in both points and
assists, Anderson stands out as
the Horned Frogs best player.
He returns or his senior yearand CU coach rent Johnson
is tasked with surrounding him
with competent teammates.
BURNING QUESTION:What can CU do to get out
o the basement in the Big 12?
CU has been perennially
awul since its entrance into
the Big 12, and the arrival o
Karviar Shepherd last season
should have given the teama little more hope. Although
Shepherd was one o the
teams main contributors,
ew players surrounded him
and Kyan Anderson as big
actors. Senior Amric Fieldsspent large parts o last season
out with an ACL injury, but
has the potential to be a big
contributor. McDonalds All-
American nominee Chauncey
Collins was a 3-star recruit,
according to ESPN, but at
point guard he will play behind
the Horned Frogs best player,
Kyan Anderson. Collins was
CUs highest-ranked recruit.
CU has an old team only 3
reshman coming in.
KEY ADDITIONS:Chauncey Collins (point
guard), Link Kabadyundi
(center)
KEY LOSSES:Jarvis Ray
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Karviar Shepherd, center
9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6
blocks
Kyan Anderson, guard
17.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.5
assists
Christian Gore, guard 4.1
points, 2.5 rebounds
Brandon Parrish, orward
8.0 points, 3.1 reboundsAmric Fields, orward
13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds
Edited by Ben Carrol
LAST SEASON:21-13 (8-10)
AT A GLANCE:Te Cowboys will have eight
newcomers three transers,one redshirt and ourreshmen that will join the
other eight returning letterman
on the roster. Tey lost their
leading scorer, Marcus Smart,
and their leading rebounder
in Kamari Murphy. Coach
ravis Ford brought in small
orward Joseph Burton, who
is the No. 59 recruit, according
to ESPNs top 100. He is theonly top 100 recruit to commit
with the Cowboys. Tey also
received LSU transer Anthony
Hickey who will fill the point
guard role that was lost when
Smart lef or the NBA. Tey
are projected to finish eighth
in the Big 12 in the PreseasonCoaches Poll.
PLAYER TO WATCH:LeBryan Nash Made the
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
List earlier this month and is
ready to take on a leadership
role this season with the
Cowboys. Te senior orwardhas averaged at least 30
minutes and at least 13 points
per game his first three seasons
in Stillwater, Okla., and is
the teams leading returning
scorer. At 6-oot-7 and 235
pounds, he can block shots (27
a year ago) and rebound on
both sides o the ball.
BURNING QUESTION:Can the inexperienced
players on the roster succeed
and help lead the Cowboys toa winning season?
Te Cowboys roster looks
much different than it did a
year ago and is mainly filled
with unproven talent. In act,
only two players returningrom last years team averaged
more than 20 minutes on the
hardwood last season: Phil
Forte, III and LeBryan Nash.
Te only other player coach
Ford can look to as a leader
is senior center Michael
Cobbins, who suffered an
injury that kept him out most
o his junior season but still
averaged playing 19.6 minutes
per game. Tis team will needto work on sharing the ball
more instead o relying ona ew select star players to
keep them afloat in the Big 12
standings.
KEY ADDITIONS:Anthony Hickey Jr. (Point
Guard), Joseph Burton (SmallForward), Anthony Allen, Jr.
(Center), Mitchell Solomon
(Power Forward)
KEY LOSSES:Marcus Smart, Markel
Brown, Brian Williams,
Kamari Murphy
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Anthony Hickey Jr., guard
ranserred rom LSU,
8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.7assists, 1.8 steals.
Phil Forte, III, guard 13.3
points
Leyton Hammonds, orward
1.5 points
LeBryan Nash, orward
13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6
assists
Michael Cobbins, center
4.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5
blocks
Edited by Ashley Peralta
LAST SEASON:14-18 (6-12)
AT A GLANCE:Afer finishing second-to-
last in the Big 12 in the 2013-
14 season, there arent high
expectations or coach ubby
Smiths Red Raiders in 2014-
15. Smith tabbed his first everlosing season in 2013-14, and
theres reason to believe that
will happen again in Lubbock.
Tis is Smiths first year with
a ew o his own recruits, andthe beginning o the programs
rebuilding under Smith. Seven
o the teams players are new to
exas ech. With our o last
seasons five scoring leaders
departing the team, Smith will
look to his recruits to make
an impact on this team. Smith
is searching or echs first
winning season since 2009-10.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Robert urner Te
strength o this Red Raiders
team comes in the backcourt,
and it starts with urner.urner is the top scorer rom
the 2013-14 season that is
still on Smiths squad, and
hell start at the one-guard
spot. urner was Smiths first
signing, coming rom thejunior college ranks in 2013.
He will be accepted to lead
this squad both on and off the
court this season.
BURNING QUESTION:How will the Red Raiders
replace the players who
graduated?
Te Red Raiders lost ourtop-five scorers rom 2013,
including two double-digit
scorers. wo graduated, while
two transerred out o theprogram. Tose five players
also included the top three
rebounders. urner will play a
big role in replacing the points
lef void by those who lef, as
he started every game lastseason and has the experience.
oddrick Gotcher also played
some time as a starter in
2013, but needs his shot to all
more consistently to be a real
contributor this season. Itll be
up to the newcomers to replace
the spots lef by the rontcourt.
Justin Jamison, at 6 eet 9
inches tall and 260 pounds,
will give ech a body in the
paint, though he doesnt bringa scoring presence. Hes going
to play major minutes down
low, as will true reshmanNorense Odiase.
KEY ADDITIONS:Justin Gray (small orward),
Justin Jamison (power
orward), DevaugntahWilliams (shooting guard),
Norense Odiase (power
orward),
KEY LOSSES:Jaye Crockett, Jordan olbert,
Dusty Hannahs, Dejan Kravic
PROJECTED STARTERS/2013-14 STATS:
Robert urner, guard
9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6
assists
Devaugntah Williams, guard
did not play last seasonoddrick Gotcher, guard
7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9
assists
Justin Gray, orward did
not play last season
Justin Jamison, orward
did not play last season
Edited by Casey Hutchins
DEREK SKILLETT
@Derek_Skillett
BEN CARROLL@BCarroll91
SKYLAR ROLSTAD@SkyRolSports
CHRISTIAN HARDY@HardyNFL
WEST VIRGINIA
OKLAHOMA ST.
TCU
TEXAS TECH.
BRIAN HILLIXsports editor
BLAIR SHEADEassociate sports editor
BEN FELDERSTEINbasketball beat writer
KYLE PAPPASbasketball beat writer
Kansan sports editors, mens basketball beat writers predict outcome of the Big 12
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
9/11
Wayne Selden Jr. is no longer
freshman waiting to make a
ighly anticipated debut. He is
lso not a seasoned veteran.
But starting this season
onight with the exhibition
ame against Washburn,elden said hes ready to be a
eader.
I feel like even though Im
ust a sophomore, we still got a
ot of young guys, guys looking
t me for that leadership role,
elden said on basketball
edia day last month. I feel
ike I can do that.
Selden never drew a crowd at
he media day, with freshman
Cliff Alexander and junior
erry Ellis at the center of
ttention. During this season,
owever, his experience will
e sought in the backcourt,
specially with the recenteparture of sophomore guard
Conner Frankamp.
Even though Perry [Ellis]
s the biggest veteran we
ave and even though Jamari
[Traylor] is a year older, Wayne
eels like this is his team more
han anybody elses, which is
good thing, Self said at the
asketball media day. I thinkis leadership role is much
ore advanced since last year.
here last year he was just
ind of fitting in, this year
think hes taken more of a
leadership role.
Selden, who was sometimes
overshadowed by fellow
freshman Andrew Wiggins,
came to Kansas as ESPNs
14th ranked member of the
2013 class. Last season, he
averaged 9.7 points a game
and totaled 87 assists, which
was the second most on theteam. He was also one of only
two players who started all 35
games; Wiggins was the other.
At one point in the season,
there was speculation that
Selden would only spend one
year in a Jayhawk uniform.
Following the end of the season,
Selden ended all conjectures
with a tweet indicating he
would be back. Part of thetweet read that he couldnt wait
to get back to work.
Coming back this season,
Selden said he has many goals
for the team, listing improveddefense and teamwork among
them.
As for himself, Selden
can work on improving his
shooting consistency, Self said.Last year, he was great at
times and last year he was
obviously very streaky at
times, Self said. I would
love for him to become more
consistent.
Selden might find his role
expanded to many parts of
the court. Known usually as
a shooting guard, Selden has
been practicing at the forwardposition. Now with Frankamps
departure, he could spend
some time at the point guard
position.
Wherever he is, coach Self
said, Selden will be aggressive.
Self went as far as calling
Selden an alpha dog.
I think hes in better
shape, Self said. I think heshealthy, hes got more bounce.
Hes definitely much more
aggressive.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PAGE 10B
Wayne Selden settles into bigger role for KansasSTELLA LIANG
@stelly_liang
Wayne feels like this is his
team more than anybody
elses, which is a good
thing. I think his leader-ship role is much more
advanced since last year.
BILL SELFKansas basketball coach JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
ABOVE: Kansas guard WayneSelden, Jr. goes for a basketin a home game againstTCU on Feb. 15 last season.Selden finished with 15points against the HornedFrogs in the Jayhawks 95-65win. Last season, Seldenaveraged 9.7 points.LEFT:Then-freshman WayneSelden, Jr. celebrates Kansasvictory against Texas onFeb. 22. Although he is not aveteran player, Selden saidhe is ready to be a leader forthe team.
8/10/2019 bball 11-03-14
10/11
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