1996-97
OVERALL |
HOME |
AWAY |
NEUTRAL |
CONFERENCE |
PLACE |
CONF. TOURNEY |
POST-SEASON |
34-2 |
15-0 |
10-1 |
9-1 |
15-1 |
1st |
3-0 Champs |
2-1 NCAA |
ROSTER:
NO. |
POS. |
NAME |
CLASS |
HGT. |
WGT. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
|
|
RETURNEES: |
|
|
|
|
20 |
F |
Joel
Branstrom * # |
Sr. |
6'6 |
197 |
Half Moon Bay, CA (Canada JC) |
35 |
G |
Jerod
Haase ** Cpt. |
Sr. |
6'3 |
191 |
South Lake Tahoe, CA (Univ. of Cal.) |
45 |
F |
Raef
LaFrentz ** |
Jr. |
6'11 |
235 |
Monona, IA (MFL-Mar Mac HS) |
24 |
G |
C.
B. McGrath ** |
Jr. |
5'11 |
173 |
Topeka, KS (Topeka West HS) |
34 |
F |
Paul
Pierce * |
So. |
6'7 |
220 |
Los Angeles, CA (Inglewood HS) |
31 |
C |
Scot
Pollard *** Cpt. |
Sr. |
6'11 |
265 |
San Diego, CA (Torrey Pines HS) |
32 |
F |
T.
J. Pugh * |
So. |
6'8 |
246 |
Omaha, NE (Creighton Prep HS) |
42 |
F |
Steve
Ransom * # |
Sr. |
6'6 |
205 |
Mission Viejo, CA (Irvine Valley CC) |
4 |
G |
Ryan
Robertson * |
So. |
6'5 |
182 |
St. Charles, MO (St. Charles West HS) |
12 |
G/F |
Billy
Thomas ** |
Jr. |
6'4 |
208 |
Shreveport, LA (Loyola Prep HS) |
11 |
G |
Jacque
Vaughn *** Cpt. |
Sr. |
6'1 |
195 |
Pasadena, CA (John Muir HS) |
22 |
F |
B.
J. Williams *** Cpt. |
Sr. |
6'8 |
206 |
Wichita, KS (Wichita South HS) |
|
|
NEW FACES: |
|
|
|
|
21 |
F |
Nick
Bradford |
Fr. |
6'6 |
175 |
Fayetteville, AR (Fayetteville HS) |
5 |
G |
Terry
Nooner # |
Fr. |
5'10 |
170 |
Raytown, MO (Raytown HS) |
* Varsity Letters Cpt. =
Captain # Walk-on
LOSSES FROM LAST YEAR ('96 stats):
PLAYER LOSSES |
Class |
Hgt. |
POS. |
G/GS |
PTS |
PPG |
RBS |
RPG |
PPts |
STATUS |
Sean
Pearson |
Sr. |
6'5 |
F |
34/1 |
154 |
4.5 |
48 |
1.4 |
3.68 |
Graduated |
Calvin
Rayford |
Sr. |
5'7 |
G |
34/1 |
25 |
0.7 |
24 |
0.7 |
2.41 |
Graduated |
T. J.
Whatley |
Sr. |
6'4 |
G |
19/1 |
18 |
0.9 |
8 |
0.4 |
0.47 |
Graduated |
TOTALS |
|
|
|
|
197 |
5.8 |
80 |
2.4 |
6.53 |
|
PRESEASON OUTLOOK:
With all five starters and six reserves
returning from last years 29-5 club, KU is a team to be reckoned
with. However, Jacque Vaughn suffered ligament damage to
his right wrist on September 10 in a pickup game, and will be
out an estimated 12-16 weeks, requiring soph Ryan Robertson to
assume control in the interim.
Several preseason polls have KU at No.
1. However, the preseason schedule is difficult, with road
games slated at UCLA, Connecticut and Santa Clara, as well as
tourney games with Cincinnati, George Washington, and N. C.
State. |
SEASON
SUMMARY:
Armed with one of the most talented senior classes in Kansas history, the
Jayhawks began the season 22-0, finished 34-2 and ranked No. 1 in the Associated
Press poll. Along the injury-riddled way, the Jayhawks captured the first ever
Big 12 Conference title and earned the label as one of KU's Best Teams Ever.
One could make the argument that the 1996-97 Jayhawk team could have been
even better if not for injuries. Senior point guard Jacque Vaughn missed the
first 10 games of the season with a wrist injury. In late January, senior center
Scot Pollard sat out eight games with a broken bone in his foot. And when KU was
bounced from the NCAA Tournament by eventual champion Arizona, senior guard
Jerod Haase could barely dribble because of a throbbing wrist.
Despite the injuries and the upset loss to Arizona, the 1996-97 season was
one heckuva ride. Consider what Kansas accomplished in the 1996-97 season:
- Kansas won the first ever Big 12 Conference championship by four full
games, then captured the inaugural Big 12 Conference Tournament
championship.
- The Jayhawks established a school record with 29 regular season victories.
- KU set a school record by winning 22 consecutive games to begin the
season.
- The ‘Hawks appeared in the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth straight season.
- Kansas ran its streak of consecutive homecourt victories to 44, the
longest current streak in college basketball.
- The Jayhawks were 9-1 against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25
at game time.
- KU's 34 victories were the second-most single-season wins in school
history.
- Kansas was No. 1 in the AP poll for 15 consecutive weeks, and the Jayhawks
finished atop the AP poll for the first time in history.
- The Jayhawks captured the Maui Invitational in November, then defeated
nationally-ranked Cincinnati in the Great Eight.
- Kansas coach Roy Williams upped his career winning percentage to over .800
(the second-highest among active Division I coaches), and he broke an NCAA
record for the most victories in the first nine seasons of a coaching
career.
- Junior forward Raef LaFrentz emerged as one of the nation's top players.
He was a consensus first team All-American and the Big 12 Conference Player
of the Year.
- Two Jayhawks -- Jacque Vaughn and Jerod Haase -- were named first team GTE
Academic All-American. Vaughn was the Academic All-American of the Year.
- Vaughn, despite missing 10 games with an injury, smashed the Kansas and
Big Eight Conference record for career assists with 804.
- Paul Pierce elevated his game in March, leading Kansas in scoring in all
six postseason games. After leading Kansas to the Big 12 Tournament title,
Pierce was named tournament MVP.
- The Big 12 Tournament title, which concluded with a win over border rival
Missouri, was KU's first league tournament title since 1992.
What makes KU's accomplishments last season most remarkable is that the
Jayhawks played 18 games without a senior starter. Vaughn (wrist) missed the
first 10 games of the season and Pollard (foot) missed eight games in January
and February. In addition, Jerod Haase played most of the season with a broken
bone in his right hand.
Big deficits did not seem to bother the Jayhawks in 1996-97. Three times
Kansas faced deficits of 16 points or more, and all three times the ‘Hawks
came away with a victory. l The Jayhawks began the season on a solid note,
beating Santa Clara before sweeping LSU, California and Virginia to win the Maui
Invitational.
Kansas first ascended to the No. 1 ranking in early December and immediately
faced a huge challenge in No. 4-ranked Cincinnati at the Great Eight in Chicago,
Ill. The Bearcats, behind Danny Fortson, bolted to a 16-point lead and led 35-23
at intermission. In the second half, however, Pierce caught fire and helped
carry the Jayhawks to a 72-65 victory in front of 21,062 fans at the United
Center.
When the seniors went down with injuries, the underclassmen stepped up.
Sophomore Ryan Robertson filled in at point guard for Vaughn and led Kansas to a
10-0 record including wins over nationally-ranked Cincinnati and UCLA. B.J.
Williams made his first career start at Colorado and responded with a career
game. Junior Billy Thomas was one of the league's top reserves and sophomore T.J.
Pugh was a force off the bench.
Four players -- Haase, LaFrentz, Pollard and Vaughn -- all eclipsed 1,000
points in 1996-97. Never before in Kansas history had four players reached the
1,000-point plateau in the same season. Pierce, who finished his sophomore
season with 991 career points, nearly put the entire starting lineup in the
1,000-point club.
Led by LaFrentz's remarkable numbers, Kansas made its mark on the record
books.
LaFrentz finished his junior season ranked fifth in career scoring, 10th in
blocked shots and 11th in scoring. With 1,473 career points, LaFrentz has
positioned himself to become just the second player in KU history to register
2,000 career points (Danny Manning scored 2,951 points).
Pollard, despite playing as a reserve for two seasons and missing eight games
with an injury last season, finished his career as KU's second-most prolific
shot-blocker and fourth-most prolific rebounder.
For the first time in Kansas history, two players were selected in the first
round of the NBA draft. Scot Pollard was selected 19th by the Detroit Pistons
and Jacque Vaughn was taken 27th by the Utah Jazz.
HIGHLIGHTS:
KU's 99th Team Makes Argument For Best Ever Season.
Kansas fans loved the 1997 Jayhawk team and what was not to love? Kansas won its
first 22 games of the season and was ranked No. 1 for 15 consecutive weeks. The
Jayhawks easily won the first ever Big 12 Conference title and their 34-2 record
certainly qualifies as one of KU's best teams ever. Kansas fans coveted
this team. When Jacque Vaughn severely injured his wrist, he received hundreds
of get well cards from fans. When KU played its final home game of the season,
Kansas fans covered the Allen Fieldhouse floor with roses. And when the game was
over (KU beat Kansas State) all 16,300 fans remained in their seats for nearly
an hour to listen to the seniors bid farewell.
Source: A
Century of Basketball
Link to 1997 March Sadness
|
1997 FINAL TEAM STATISTICS (Team
highs in bold)
CATEGORY
|
KU
|
OPP
|
DIFF
|
LaFrentz,
Raef |
Pierce,
Paul |
Haase,
Jerod |
Pollard,
Scot |
Vaughn,
Jacque |
Thomas,
Billy |
Games Played/Started
|
36 |
36 |
|
36/36 |
36/35 |
36/36 |
28/26 |
26/25 |
36/0 |
Minutes
|
7275 |
7275 |
|
1041 |
1013 |
934 |
702 |
820 |
573 |
Per Game
|
202.1 |
202.1 |
|
28.9 |
28.1 |
25.9 |
25.1 |
31.5 |
15.9 |
Points
|
3058 |
2380 |
678 |
666 |
587 |
433 |
288 |
264 |
278 |
Per Game
|
84.9 |
66.1 |
18.8 |
18.5 |
16.3 |
12.0 |
10.3 |
10.2 |
7.7 |
Rebounds
|
1532 |
1158 |
374 |
335 |
243 |
132 |
232 |
62 |
64 |
Per Game
|
42.6 |
32.2 |
10.4 |
9.3 |
6.8 |
3.7 |
8.3 |
2.4 |
1.8 |
Offensive
|
560 |
435 |
125 |
126 |
83 |
39 |
80 |
6 |
22 |
Defensive
|
972 |
723 |
249 |
209 |
160 |
93 |
152 |
56 |
42 |
Blocks
|
222 |
113 |
109 |
46 |
28 |
5 |
73 |
4 |
4 |
Assists
|
598 |
427 |
171 |
25 |
77 |
111 |
19 |
162 |
27 |
Steals
|
351 |
307 |
44 |
33 |
61 |
67 |
35 |
46 |
27 |
Turnovers
|
571 |
667 |
-96 |
64 |
108 |
91 |
42 |
64 |
37 |
(Assists+Steals)/TO
|
1.66 |
1.10 |
0.56 |
0.91 |
1.28 |
1.96 |
1.29 |
3.25 |
1.46 |
FG -Attempts
|
2222 |
2116 |
106 |
447 |
441 |
285 |
178 |
185 |
242 |
Made
|
1084 |
848 |
236 |
261 |
215 |
141 |
94 |
79 |
97 |
Percent
|
48.8 |
40.1 |
8.7 |
58.4 |
48.8 |
49.5 |
52.8 |
42.7 |
40.1 |
3FG-Attempts
|
506 |
615 |
-109 |
6 |
71 |
93 |
1 |
54 |
178 |
Made
|
192 |
205 |
-13 |
1 |
33 |
34 |
1 |
18 |
73 |
Percent
|
37.9 |
33.3 |
4.6 |
16.7 |
46.5 |
36.6 |
100.0 |
33.3 |
41.0 |
FT-Attempts
|
1007 |
731 |
276 |
188 |
173 |
166 |
140 |
113 |
15 |
Made
|
698 |
479 |
219 |
143 |
124 |
117 |
99 |
88 |
11 |
Percent
|
69.3 |
65.5 |
3.8 |
76.1 |
71.7 |
70.5 |
70.7 |
77.9 |
73.3 |
Production Points/Game
|
103.97 |
61.06 |
42.91 |
22.50 |
17.03 |
12.89 |
17.14 |
13.19 |
5.94 |
Production
Points/Minute |
.515 |
.302 |
.213 |
.778 |
.605 |
.497 |
.684 |
.418 |
.373 |
Statistics, Cont'd
CATEGORY |
Robertson,
Ryan |
Pugh,
T. J. |
Williams,
B.J. |
Bradford,
Nick |
Nooner,
Terry |
Branstrom,
Jeff |
Ransom,
Steve |
McGrath,
C. B. |
Team |
Games Played/ Started |
36/11 |
36/0 |
36/11 |
34/0 |
21/0 |
22/0 |
21/0 |
25/0 |
|
Minutes |
654 |
412 |
641 |
253 |
38 |
45 |
40 |
108 |
|
Per Game |
18.2 |
11.4 |
17.8 |
7.4 |
1.8 |
2.0 |
1.9 |
4.3 |
|
Points |
161 |
128 |
101 |
78 |
21 |
20 |
16 |
17 |
|
Per Game |
4.5 |
3.6 |
2.8 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0.7 |
|
Rebounds |
54 |
74 |
140 |
43 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
23 |
107 |
Per Game |
1.5 |
2.1 |
3.9 |
1.3 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.9 |
|
Offensive |
17 |
36 |
50 |
21 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
67 |
Defensive |
37 |
38 |
90 |
22 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
19 |
40 |
Blocks |
7 |
6 |
36 |
10 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
99 |
8 |
20 |
24 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
19 |
|
Steals |
16 |
6 |
37 |
11 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
|
Turnovers |
46 |
28 |
29 |
36 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
7 |
6 |
(Assists+Steals)/TO |
2.50 |
0.50 |
1.97 |
0.97 |
1.17 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
3.43 |
|
FG - Attempts |
120 |
89 |
92 |
82 |
20 |
12 |
16 |
13 |
|
Made |
50 |
48 |
39 |
33 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
|
Percent |
41.7 |
53.9 |
42.4 |
40.2 |
40.0 |
58.3 |
37.5 |
46.2 |
|
3FG - Attempts |
58 |
7 |
1 |
22 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
Made |
24 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Percent |
41.4 |
14.3 |
0.0 |
13.6 |
33.3 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
FT - Attempts |
46 |
60 |
51 |
25 |
2 |
14 |
4 |
10 |
|
Made |
37 |
31 |
23 |
9 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
|
Percent |
80.4 |
51.7 |
45.1 |
36.0 |
50.0 |
42.9 |
100.0 |
50.0 |
|
Production Points/Game |
5.89 |
3.44 |
6.22 |
1.91 |
0.86 |
0.72 |
0.66 |
1.80 |
|
Production
Points/Minute |
.324 |
.301 |
.349 |
.257 |
.474 |
.356 |
.350 |
.417 |
|
Source: 1998 KU Basketball Media Guide
GAME-BY-GAME
Date
|
Opponent
|
Result
|
W-L
|
Big 12
|
Attendance
|
N 22
|
at Santa
Clara
|
W
|
76-64
|
1-0
|
--- |
6,418
|
N 25
|
^LSU
|
W
|
82-53
|
2-0
|
--- |
(c) 2,500
|
N 26
|
^California
|
W
|
85-67
|
3-0
|
--- |
(c) 2,500
|
N 27
|
^Virginia
|
W
|
80-63
|
4-0
|
--- |
(c) 2,500
|
D 1
|
SAN
DIEGO
|
W
|
79-72
|
5-0
|
--- |
14,900
|
D 4
|
$Cincinnati
(4)
|
W
|
72-65
|
6-0
|
--- |
21,062
|
D 7
|
at UCLA
(17)
|
W
|
96-83
|
7-0
|
--- |
12,060
|
D 11
|
G.
WASHINGTON
|
W
|
85-56
|
8-0
|
--- |
(c) 16,300
|
D 15
|
NC
ASHEVILLE
|
W
|
105-73
|
9-0
|
--- |
15,600
|
D 21
|
N.C.
STATE
|
W
|
84-56
|
10-0
|
--- |
(c) 16,300
|
D 30
|
WASHBURN
|
W
|
90-65
|
11-0
|
--- |
(c) 16,300
|
J 2
|
BROWN
|
W
|
107-49
|
12-0
|
--- |
(c) 16,300
|
J 4
|
*at Kansas
State
|
W
|
62-59
|
13-0
|
1-0
|
(c) 13,500
|
J 6
|
*TEXAS
(19)
|
W
|
86-61
|
14-0
|
2-0
|
(c) 16,300
|
J 9
|
NIAGARA
|
W
|
134-73
|
15-0
|
--- |
16,000
|
J 11
|
*at Baylor
|
W
|
87-68
|
16-0
|
3-0
|
(c) 10,475
|
J 13
|
*IOWA
STATE (8)
|
W
|
80-67
|
17-0
|
4-0
|
(c) 16,300
|
J 19
|
at Connecticut
|
W
|
73-65
|
18-0
|
--- |
(c) 16,294
|
J 22
|
*TEXAS
A&M
|
W
|
89-60
|
19-0
|
5-0
|
(c) 16,300
|
J 26
|
*at Colorado
(18)
|
W
|
77-68
|
20-0
|
6-0
|
(c) 11,198
|
J 29
|
*at Texas
Tech (20)
|
W
|
86-77
|
21-0
|
7-0
|
(c) 8,174
|
F 1
|
*NEBRASKA
|
W
|
82-77 (ot)
|
22-0
|
8-0
|
(c) 16,300
|
F 4
|
*at Missouri
|
L
|
94-96 (2ot)
|
22-1
|
8-1
|
(c) 13,300
|
F 9
|
*at Iowa
State (6)
|
W
|
69-62
|
23-1
|
9-1
|
(c) 14,325
|
F 12
|
*OKLAHOMA
ST.
|
W
|
104-72
|
24-1
|
10-1
|
(c) 16,300
|
F 15
|
*COLORADO
(15)
|
W
|
114-74
|
25-1
|
11-1
|
(c) 16,300
|
F 17
|
*MISSOURI
|
W
|
79-67
|
26-1
|
12-1
|
(c) 16,300
|
F 22
|
*KANSAS
STATE
|
W
|
78-58
|
27-1
|
13-1
|
(c) 16,300
|
F 24
|
*at Oklahoma
|
W
|
70-68
|
28-1
|
14-1
|
(c) 12,875
|
M 2
|
*at Nebraska
|
W
|
85-65
|
29-1
|
15-1
|
(c) 14,759
|
M 7
|
**Oklahoma
State
|
W
|
74-59
|
30-1
|
--- |
(c) 19,310
|
M 8
|
**Iowa
State (16)
|
W
|
72-48
|
31-1
|
--- |
(c) 19,310
|
M 9
|
**Missouri
|
W
|
87-60
|
32-1
|
--- |
(c) 19,310
|
M 13
|
#Jackson
State
|
W
|
78-64
|
33-1
|
--- |
15,000
|
M 15
|
#Purdue
|
W
|
75-61
|
34-1
|
--- |
14,000
|
M 21
|
+Arizona
(15)
|
L
|
82-85
|
34-2
|
--- |
(c) 17,647
|
|
( ) opponent's ranking at time of game (c) = capacity crowd
CAPS home game
*Conference game
**Big 12 Conference Tournament at Kansas City
#NCAA Southeast Sub-Regional at Memphis, Tenn.
+NCAA Southeast Regional at Birmingham, Ala.
^Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii
$Great Eight at Chicago, Ill.
LINK TO 1997 NATIONAL
STATISTICS
Link to
Big 12
Conference for 1997
|