1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Opinions on a Kansas basketball piece

Discussion in 'Writers' Workshop' started by re2pectthehustl3, Feb 4, 2015.

  1. re2pectthehustl3

    re2pectthehustl3 New Member

    I wrote this article for Sports Radio America recently and was looking for some input...




    3 is the Magic Number


    Bill Self finds new ways to dominate the Big 12 by changing approach



    Khrist Matthews-Marion

    Contributing Writer


    Bill Self has dominated the Big 12 through imposing front courts and dominant big men like Joel Embiid, Marcus and Markeiff Morris ,and Jeff Withey. And though there have been years where Kansas has had high three-point shooting percentages, never have they been so dependent on the success of their outside prowess. If one studies the new-look Jayhawks carefully enough, he or she will see a statistic uncommon to Bill Self coached teams: a plummeting two-point percentage in and around the paint and a rising shooting percentage from the outside the arc. In the Jayhawks' change from an offense centering around low-post dominant big men to one that features crafty, quick penetrators and deadly sharpshooters, they have seemingly mastered reinvention in one of the strongest conferences in college basketball this year.


    The Jayhawks have shot a startling 39.6 percent on the season and 40.1 percent in conference play from the perimeter, but their 45.9 two-point shooting percentage is the lowest in Self's 12 years as Kansas' head coach. This team is unlike any team that he has coached and is one that depends on making outside shots. Though their love for of the deep ball – per kenpom.com they are hoisting it up nearly 30 percent of all field goal attempts – has them riding high atop the conference again, drastic change from a successful norm is enough to make any head coach or fan base cringe.


    "We're kind of a weird team," Self said after a recent win over conference rival Iowa State. "We have to score points on the block by driving it. We don't score it by throwing it inside and guys scoring it. We've kind of found a way to win some games different than we practice all the time and what we emphasize."


    Kansas has found a way to transition to a new-school offense while retaining their old-school charm. Instead of throwing it into the post and letting their centers and forwards outmatch teams, they now use diminutive guards to slice and penetrate deep into hostile territory and kick it out to some of the nations' best long range artists. They have done it with sophomores Brannen Greene and Frank Mason and Wayne Selden, who are shooting 75, 41and 40 percent from deep, respectively.


    There have been only two years when Kansas has had a higher three-point shooting percentage. In 2007, a Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush-led team that shot 39 percent beat a Memphis team led by future NBA MVP Derrick Rose to win the schools third Division I basketball championship. In 2009, Xavier Henry, Markieff Morris and Sherron Collins led a Kansas squad that shot 40 percent and captured the number one seed in the tournament after finishing the season 33-3 and 15-1 in the conference.


    If Self can manage away to decipher the conundrum of lower percentages inside the three point stripe and combine both past and present success, the road to the the conference – and possibly the Division I – championship may run through Lawrence.
     
  2. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    I think someone who edits for a living would have better input, but what I noticed...

    I like your story slant. I learned something reading this. That's good.

    Now the nit picking...

    Hoisted - a lot of editors don't like that term.
    The road to the Final Four never runs through the court of a college team. That is a term used for professional football and teams that have home field advantage.

    Would the college SID provide you with stats so you do not have to use kenpom.com as a sited source?
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page