LAWRENCE, Kansas: Kansas returned just about everyone from last year’s NCAA tournament squad, but somehow the third-ranked Jayhawks look completely different ahead of Tuesday’s season opener against Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
The only significant start was Marcus Garrett, their grounding leader and defensive stopper, and the Jayhawks have responded by probing the transfer market for speed, depth and athleticism that can help immediately.
There’s point guard Remy Martin, the Arizona State All-Pac-12 performer, who should provide some scoring pop that the position was lacking. Drake Joseph Yesufu’s transfer and Iowa State transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands will provide some depth and fire capability, and Division II transfer Cam Martin can provide assistance in the paint.
Now the question is, how are all the pieces going to fit together when it counts?
It’s a different thing, and the pressure is different, said Jayhawks coach Bill Self. “You have a hard time with me yelling at you now because of the pressure or whatever, wait until Tuesday.” You’re running outside, you’re in Madison Square Garden, you’ve got famous people sitting in the front row, the stakes are high, and the state of Michigan is ultra-competitive.
I don’t know how we’re going to react, Self said, but our veterans should be pretty used to it.
Indeed, the Jayhawks may look very different from the group that was knocked out of the field inside Hinkle Fieldhouse by Southern California in the NCAA tournament. But they still return four starters despite Jalen Wilson serving the first of a three-game suspension and that includes sniper Ochai Agbaji and big man David McCormick.
This kind of experience is invaluable when it comes to strengths early in the season.
We’re making sure guys who maybe haven’t figured out the gravity of the games we’re going to play, said senior substitute Mitch Lightfoot. We remind the guys that we’re back to having packed houses, playing on the biggest stages for the biggest stakes. We’ll be locked in the tracing report, locked in what they do, and hopefully playing our best.
What that looks like is another tantalizing question ahead of Tuesday night’s doubles program opener.
The Jayhawks were a hardworking team that struggled to create their own shot last season, and their lack of athleticism was evident in the NCAA tournament. But with Martin running the show and the arrival of Yesufu and the other newcomers, the Jayhawks have the staff to execute a faster style this season.
Fans caught a glimpse of it in an exhibition win over Emporia State; the Spartans will receive the full dose on Tuesday evening.
It was exciting to see all the new guys find their roles, said Jayhawks junior Christian Braun. As you go through the year, you’ll find that the guys get more comfortable, but we’re not there yet. We just see what the guys can do, trying to learn the parts and stuff. It’s exciting for them. But just for me, it’s about going one step further.
The steps are not much bigger from the state of Emporia to the state of Michigan.
There will be some nervous guys for this game, more nervous than the first round of the NCAA tournament, just because we don’t have 35 games under our belt to get used to what’s going on, Self said. This is totally new ground. We have eight new arrivals. That’s a lot of newcomers, and they haven’t figured me out yet, and I’m just trying to get to where I know them. I predict there will be some anxiety, but it’s also positive too.
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