Miles passes Vaughn, , , 1/2/05
LAWRENCE -- Typical. Aaron Miles addressed his record number of assists at Kansas by speaking of the assistance he received. "All the teammates I played with had a lot to do with it," the senior point guard said, modestly. "Everybody has been a part of it." With 5:37 remaining in regulation Saturday, it was Keith Langford who benefitted from the record dish.
Miles ran the pick-and-pop to perfection, throwing the ball out to Langford, who connected from the perimeter. For good measure, Miles fired a similar assist 44 seconds later to J.R. Giddens before the record could be announced to the ecstatic sellout crowd in Allen Fieldhouse. With eight assists in KU's 70-68 overtime win over Georgia Tech, Miles passed Jacque Vaughn (804) as the KU career leader. Miles has 808, and counting.
"Honestly, I don't know yet how it feels," Miles said. "In a couple of years, I'll probably appreciate it more, but right now, I'm just so happy we got the win. That's what's on my mind most." That's how distributors are supposed to react, though for Miles, dishing the ball was somewhat secondary to shooting it early on Saturday. As the Jayhawks struggled early, Miles drained four 3-pointers in the first 24 minutes and finished with 14 points.
"It's hard to get a lot of assists when (the team's) got four points with 10 minutes left in the half," said KU coach Bill Self, "so I didn't even know if he could get it today. He's another amazing kid, and he should only be judged on wins and losses. I've said that all along." Self went as far as to say "I hope he can get a thousand (assists)," but listening to Miles, the number will only be significant if it contributes to more big wins like the one Saturday over the No. 9 Yellow Jackets.
"It's definitely an honor for Aaron and shows what a team leader he is on the court," said KU forward Christian Moody. "A milestone like this shows what kind of team player he is."