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They're so irreverent, these three Kansas freshmen. So disdainful of
convention. So utterly unwilling to play the role of awestruck rookies.
All of which leaves senior Jeff
Carey shaking his head.
"I don't think the reality of the situation has hit them," Carey
said. "To me, this is as big as it gets. To them, it's the only thing they
know. And that's great. That's the optimal mentality you want."
Exactly a year after they were picking out corsages for their prom dates,
Carey's young teammates -- Aaron
Miles, Keith
Langford and Wayne
Simien -- will step onto one of the most pressure-packed stages in sports
tonight when KU meets Maryland in the Final Four.
But as they met with reporters on Friday at the Georgia Dome, site of
tonight's NCAA national semifinals, they could hardly have seemed less
shell-shocked.
For Langford, in particular, the postseason's ever-rising stakes have been
like vitamins. The more you give him, the stronger he gets.
The 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 11.5 points in KU's four NCAA Tournament
games, nearly four points over the average he brought in. After scoring 15
points against Illinois and a career-high 20 against Stanford last weekend, he
earned a spot on the Midwest Regional all-tournament team.
Miles has made similar improvement, stepping up with 13 points against the
Illini to help KU overcome foul trouble. His defense against UI's Frank Williams
and Oregon guard Luke Ridnour was cited as a key to the regional semifinal and
final victories.
"A lot of people have asked me if I'm nervous, and I say, 'What should I
be nervous about? I've played basketball all my life, so what's there to be
nervous about?'" Miles said. "This is just another game. That's how I
always look at every game."
"To tell you the truth, I don't believe in all that experience stuff,"
Langford said. "Because for me, Wayne and Aaron, I think we overcame that
hump a lot during the tournament. Playing hard makes up for experience, and I
think we've done that."
Simien didn't see it that way, acknowledging he'd been having trouble getting to sleep because of anticipation. But the 6-foot-9 forward said he wasn't worried about performing under pressure.
"We may still have our lapses, as far as being young and going out for the first time in the Final Four," he said. "But as far as experience-wise, I don't think we're still considered freshmen at all. I mean, we're 30-plus games into the season."
KU coach Roy Williams said there was no question the freshmen had been toughened during the year. However, he said, it's arcane to assume newcomers would be overwhelmed by the Final Four.
"Kids nowadays come into the college game so much more prepared than they were 10 or 15 years ago," he said. "I use the word all the time, the kids are more 'worldly.' They're not as naive, not as scared. The players themselves come into the college game with their eyes wide open."
Wearing a customized T-shirt featuring a Superman shield with a K instead of an S, Langford said the Final Four hadn't shown him anything he hadn't already seen.
"It hasn't been different at all," he said. "It's all been the same to me since Day One."
Ric Anderson can be reached at (913) 796-6352 or [email protected]
MARYLAND VS. KANSAS
TIPOFF -- Approximately 7:45 p.m. today, Georgia Dome, Atlanta.
RECORDS -- Maryland 30-4, Kansas 33-3.
TV -- WIBW (13).