Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The point of exhibitions

There is a lot of hand-wringing and consternation about the tepid performance against the Ichabods in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night. In some ways there should be. The biggest concern of the evening was, foremost, the score. Absent Ben McLemore's 1st half coming out party, the score was basically a draw. And, regardless of how good Washburn will be in Division II, playing to a draw with a Division II school ain't good. No matter how you slice it. Secondly, KU looked bad. There were a ton of wasted possessions. 24 turnovers. 24. Two of our best ball-handling options: Elijah Johnson and Rio Adams, accounted for 7 of them. Our two anchors in the paint: Jeff Withey and Perry Ellis, accounted for another 8. That ain't good. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there appeared to be no one in charge. If this is Elijah and Withey's team, it sure didn't feel like it. From the best that I could tell, Elijah was playing by himself for great stretches, and, for the second game in a row, Jeff Withey seemed burdened to even show up. Those are not gleeming testimonies of leadership characteristics. And with a road trip to The ATL for a primetime national TV game versus an always-prepared Tom Izzo Michigan State team in The Champions Classic just around the corner, leadership deficiency is not optimal. The early season could get out of hand quickly. These are all feelings that I have heard expressed from the KU faithful since Monday night. But, I do not share their fears. Frankie says, "Relax". This is Bill Self Jayhawk Basketball. The leadership deficiency of November is a consistent issue. The horrendous free-throw shooting (16-27) is a consistent issue. The barrage of wasted possessions and ungodly turnovers is a consistent issue. All issues that Bill Self Jayhawk Basketball overcomes. As I have stated previously, the development of Tyshawn Taylor as a team leader was the highlight of the 2011-12 run to the National Title game for me. The development of Chicago football star Sherron Collins into one of college basketball's premier point guards was the highlight of the 2010-11 Elite Eight run. Whoever the leader of the 2012-13 crew will be - Bill Self will foster that. I have no doubts. But, that is a season-long process. I have come to believe, it is Bill Self's joie de vive. Also, know this: the scoring will come. Over the first two exhibitions, we have seen offensive spurts from Perry Ellis, Naadir Tharpe, Andrew White III, Ben McLemore, and Elijah Johnson. Once they develop synchronicity with one another, I honestly believe, special things are going to happen. Coach Self breaks the season into fourths: the non-conference schedule, the Big XII regular season, the conference tournament, and the NCAA tournament. Although the objective is to win each of the four seasons, the secondary goal is progression, and it has become clinical to watch it happen. I have no doubt that by March, this team looks strikingly like the other Bill Self Jayhawk teams: a fine-tuned High-Low Motion Machine. So, remember, it was just an exhibition.

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