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4 Kansas
Team Page | 2001-2002 Schedule

Smaller, faster, finish higher: That's the motto of the new and improved Jayhawks

By Grant Wahl

Collison made nearly 60% of his shots from the field last season, but he's excited that he'll have even more room to operate on the low post now. Al Tielemans

In recent years, as elite teams opted for speed over size, installing three-guard offenses and abandoning plodding 7-footers, it seemed that Kansas had missed the boat. No longer. With the departure of underachieving 7'1" center Eric Chenowith -- and the resulting liberation of dynamic forwards Nick Collison and Drew Gooden -- the Jayhawks have joined the 21st century. "With Eric we had to run more of a half-court offense than a transition game," says Gooden, a coltish 6'10" junior who led Kansas in scoring (15.8 points a game) and rebounding (8.4) last year. "This year we can run up and down the court with the guards."

	THE TOP 20
1	Duke
2	Illinois
3	Kentucky
4	Kansas
5	Maryland
6	UCLA
7	Florida
8	St. Joseph's
9	Missouri
10	Iowa
11	Memphis
12	Stanford
13	Virginia
14	USC
15	Kent State
16	Oklahoma St.
17	Temple
18	Georgetown
19	Arizona
20	Western Ky.
REST OF THE BEST

For the first time in 11 years the Jayhawks will have three starters shorter than 6'4", all of them guards. Kirk Hinrich, a 6'3" junior, shot 50.5% from three-point range and was eighth in the nation in assists (6.9 a game) while manning the point last year. He'll get extensive time at the more physically demanding small forward spot. To that end he has worked particularly hard on his legs in the weight room. Jeff Boschee, a 6'1" senior, averaged a career-high 11.1 points last year but must relocate his three-point touch, which dropped from 41.5% to 36.0%. Joining the returning starters is McDonald's All-American Aaron Miles, a mature 6'1" freshman, who will take over at point guard.

As excited as coach Roy Williams is about Kansas's upgraded speed and defense, he's worried about how these smaller Jayhawks will work the glass. "Some teams can still rebound pretty well with three little guys," he says, "but if one of our big guys gets out on the floor, it's hard for him to get to the boards." Fortunately for Kansas, Gooden, whom Williams calls the best offensive rebounder he has ever coached, can.

It certainly helps that the 6'9" Collison and Gooden complement each other, whether they're combining on high-low passes against zones or instinctively covering for each other on defense. It's also especially felicitous because their demeanors aren't in any way alike. "I call Nick the 'conflict mediator' because he's always saying, 'Can't we just get along?'" says Gooden. "He always calls me 'volatile.'" In turn Collison says, "Sometimes I have to calm Drew down, but other times he knows how to fire me up."

The Jayhawks, who are nine seasons removed from their last Final Four, say they're ready for a long run in March. "We've had a lot of years with good players, but the players didn't fit together right or have the right type of skills," says Collison. "This feels like a team that fits together better and has better leadership. We feel like we can do something big this time around."

Issue date: November 19, 2001

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