KJ’s  Basketball Journal                                      November 4,  2000

Midnight Madness

Exhibition Games

HoopsZone Mall                       Finally, basketball season has arrived!!!!

Recruiting

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

On October 13, I took my annual trek to Lawrence to attend Late Nite with Roy Williams.  As usual, the place was overflowing, with people being turned away from the 16,000+ seat Allen Fieldhouse.

  While difficult to get an assessment during the 25-minute scrimmage that started at midnight, I was most impressed with Eric Chenowith.  By contract with last year, he looked strong and aggressive.  He’s added some poundage and muscle and appears to have an ‘attitude’, which was sorely lacking last year.  I was also impressed with walk-on Mario Kinsey, a skinny 6-foot freshman, who is quick as a cat and appeared to be able to handle the ball very well.  He’s a football recruit who will possibly end up as KU’s future Quarterback, but has redshirted football this season. 

In the first exhibition game of the season, KU whipped the California All-Stars 98-80, as twelve Jayhawks scored, six in double figures.  Roy Williams’ main problem this year will be to decide who the starters are going to be.  In this game he chose Drew Gooden, Kenny Gregory, Eric Chenowith, Jeff Boshee and Kirk Hinrich.  Hard to imagine that Nick Collison didn’t, but he still got his minutes, as did Luke Axtell.  Look for those seven to trade starting places throughout the early season, if not for the whole year.

KANSAS (98)

MIN

FG

FT

REB

PF

TP

 

 

m-a

m-a

o-t

 

 

Drew Gooden

25

7-14

0-0

7-14

3

14

Kenny Gregory

21

7-12

0-0

2-3

1

14

Eric Chenowith

19

3-8

5-6

6-15

4

11

Kirk Hinrich

31

4-8

4-5

0-6

4

12

Jeff Boschee

26

2-9

0-0

1-2

2

4

Mario Kinsey

10

1-4

0-0

1-1

1

3

Nick Collison

21

7-12

1-1

0-4

4

15

John Crider

4

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

Bryant Nash

8

0-1

2-2

0-2

2

2

Jeff Carey

10

3-4

0-0

0-1

2

6

Lewis Harrison

1

0-0

2-2

0-0

0

2

Luke Axtell

20

6-12

0-0

3-3

0

13

Chris Zerbe

3

1-2

0-0

0-2

0

2

Todd Kappelmann

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

Team

 

 

 

2-3

 

 

Totals

 

41-86

14-16

22-56

23

98


Three-point goals: 2-13 (Kinsey 1-1, Axtell 1-5, Gooden 0-1, Gregory 0-1, Hinrich 0-1, Collison 0-1, Boschee 0-3). Assists: 25 (Hinrich 9, Boschee 8, Gregory 2, Kinsey 2, Chenowith, Collison, Nash, Axtell). Turnovers: 16 (Chenowith 4, Nash 3, Gregory 2, Collison 2, Gooden, Hinrich, Kinsey, Harrison). Blocked shots: 3 (Hinrich 2, Collison). Steals: 11 (Gregory 4, Chenowith 2, Collison 2, Hinrich, Nash, Axtell).

EXHIBITION GAMES

Tonight’s exhibition game will be against Emporia State.  A new NCAA rule allows Division 1 schools to schedule one exhibition game against a Division 2 school, so now KU gets to schedule two instate games per year against the likes of Emporia State, Washburn, Ft. Hays State, and  Pittsburg State.  I really like this new rule, as it benefits both the big and small schools, giving KU better exposure throughout the state while bringing a payday to the small schools. 

KU’s regular season starts with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic held in Madison Square Garden November 9 and 10th.  The opening game will pit KU against UCLA at 5:30PM Thursday evening, November 9, on ESPN2.  The next evening, KU will play the winner of the Kentucky –St. John’s game.

 

H OOPSZONE MALL

A new feature has been added to HOOPSZONE.NET.  On HoopsZone’s home page, click on MALL, and you will be connected to an online shopping mall.  This site will be growing all the time, as new stores will be added on a weekly basis.  If you are planning on buying anything over the net, use this mall, as purchases made here will generate commissions which will be given to the Jayhawks, Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Bulldogs.

 

RECRUITING

The early week-long signing period starts next Wednesday.  KU has received commitments from Wayne Simien, 6-8 of Leavenworth, and Michael Lee, 6-2 of Portland, Ore. The Jayhawks are awaiting word from Aaron Miles, 6-0 of Portland, who is a teammate of Lee. Miles is down to KU and Arizona, and is considered to be one of the top point guards in the country. 

The Jayhawks also are recruiting Jeff Hawkins, 5-11 from KC Sumner High and Jamar Howard, 6-5 of Shawnee Miege.  A new name has surfaced as a possible KU recruit.  Uche Okafor, a 7-foot center from Lagos, Nigeria, who is enrolled at the College of Southern Idaho Junior College, is reportedly being recruited by KU, North Carolina State, Utah, UConn, Missouri, Auburn, Missouri and Florida State, according to atlanticeasthoops.com.