 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Closer Look Collison thrives in Superman role for KansasPosted: Friday March 28, 2003 2:12 AMUpdated: Friday March 28, 2003 2:35 AM
By Stewart Mandel, SI.com ANAHEIM, Calif. -- He had carried his team on his back all night, the sole reason the game was even close. So why not take on one more enormous challenge? When half of Kansas’ dual Supermen, Kirk Hinrich, picked up his fourth foul with 7:47 remaining in Thursday night’s Sweet 16 clash with Duke, the other half, Nick Collison, knew what he had to do. So too did Hinrich’s replacement, Aaron Miles. "I told Nick when he took the ball out under the basket, 'We’re going to come to you. You’re going to win this game for us,'" said Miles. In the biggest performance of his already distinguished career, Collison played all 40 minutes, scored 33 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and made 14-of-22 field goals, none bigger than the three he collected over a 1:34 span late in the second half that ultimately made the difference in a 69-65 Jayhawks victory. The lead had changed hands 11 times when Collison took it strong to the hole with 7:12 left, making the basket and getting fouled by Duke’s Casey Sanders, whom he’d been overpowering all night. When Collison made the free throw, Kansas held a fragile 59-57 lead. The way the game had been going, the lead might not have lasted long. But after Collison contested Dahntay Jones’ 3-point attempt on the other end, Miles began a fast break that ended with a beautiful dish to Collison inside. Now it was 61-57, the Jayhawks’ biggest lead all night.
And finally, on KU’s next possession, just when it appeared Collison had thrown the ball away, Jeff Graves made a magnificent save to bounce the ball off Sanders. On the ensuing in-bounds, Collison converted his third straight bucket, a hook shot, and the Jayhawks took control the rest of the way. All this despite no contribution from Collison’s partner in crime, Hinrich, who even before going to the bench had struggled with his shot, scoring only one field goal all game. "If you’d told me before the game he was going to go 1-of-9, I’d think we’d have a bad night," said Kansas coach Roy Williams. "But if you’d told me big Nick Collison was going to play his buns off, I’d feel good." The plan all along had been to go often to Collison, who with his immense experience and 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame had a distinct advantage inside over Duke freshman Shelden Williams and the lanky Sanders. They struggled from the get-go to get a handle on Kansas’ All-American. "The first half, they started out really trying to keep me from getting the ball. The first couple possessions, it was almost funny. They were really trying to get me to be passive. The best thing I could do is I just kept moving. Eventually there were some good openings and I got some easy looks." Those looks came in bunches down the stretch. Even before Hinrich’s departure, Collison had scored 10 of the Jayhawks’ previous 14 points. "All night I just tried to be aggressive when I had a chance to score," said Collison. "When Kirk went out, I really didn’t need to change much because I was already in that mode." This was the second monster game of the season for Collison, who previously put up 24 points and 23 rebounds in a memorable Big Monday win over Texas. But considering this one’s stakes and dubious circumstances, his teammates -- who shot a miserable 1-of-12 from 3-point range and 15-of-45 overall -- couldn’t help but be amazed. "He stepped up when we needed him most, with me out with four fouls, the game kind of at a standstill," said Hinrich. "He’s had huge games before, but basically he totally took this game over. Even when he was getting the ball in bad position, he was making things happen." Just the day before, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski foamed at the mouth over Collison, whom he recruited four years ago, calling him the "best player in the United States." After suffering Collison’s abuse for 40 minutes, the Blue Devils players weren’t about to argue. "He’s the best player in the country," said Duke guard Chris Duhon, "and he proved it tonight."
Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
