Updated Mar 31, 2012 1:11 PM ET
Kansas coach Bill Self had seen enough. It was early February and the Jayhawks were between big road games at Missouri and Baylor -- arguably the toughest two-game stretch of the Big 12 regular-season schedule.
Missouri had just rallied for a 74-71 victory over the Jayhawks in Columbia, Mo., a game in which 7-foot center Jeff Withey missed his only shot, had four rebounds, and two fouls in 23 minutes. The KU coach could barely recall that Withey had played in the game.
Self expected an angry and disappointed Withey to show up at practice for the Baylor game. Instead Withey arrived with his usual laid-back, California-cool attitude. The next thing Withey knew, Self was ordering him to run the stairs at Allen Fieldhouse.
That's not a pleasant experience -- and certainly something to be avoided. Withey didn't understand what was happening.
"It took me a while," Withey said during an interview at the Final Four this week. "My reaction was obviously not very happy -- and angry that I had to run stairs. As soon as I got (back on the practice floor) I just wanted to show him that I could play. I felt I meant something to this team.
"That was my way of trying to get back at him, by playing even harder. I think he definitely knows how to get under my skin."
The Jayhawks went down to Waco, Texas, and defeated Baylor 68-54 but the big story was Withey, who scored a career-high 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field. He had five rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks.
The Jayhawks and their fans didn't have any problem remembering Withey was on the floor that night.
"I just got tired of watching him not go after the ball and not being aggressive," Self said Friday. "And the other players did too, to be honest with you. They jumped him. Thomas (Robinson) can't get every rebound.
"What did I see? I saw a guy who didn't impact the game at Missouri. And to be honest with you, I don't think it bothered him. I think he had sold out to the fact that, 'Hey, this is a hard matchup for me.' As opposed to 'No, it's a hard matchup for them.'"
Withey, a junior from San Diego, can certainly create headaches for Kansas opponents and the Jayhawks (31-6) are hoping that will be the case Saturday when they meet Ohio State (31-7) in a national semifinal game at the Superdome.
His biggest contribution has come defensively and in the form of 129 blocked shots. That earned Withey the honor of Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He also was named to the All-Big 12 third team. Self didn't expect either of those accomplishments when Withey transferred in from Arizona in Dec. 2008.
Withey averages 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and he shoots 79.4 percent from the free-throw line, an astonishing percentage for a 7-footer. There's no doubt his improvement has been a big part of Kansas reloading this season and shocking everyone with this Final Four appearance.
"Jeff is very important to this team," said Robinson, KU's first-team All-American and national player of the year candidate. "For me, he's meant everything. Without Jeff, I probably wouldn't have had anywhere close to the season I'm having."
In the four NCAA tournament victories to get KU to the Final Four, Withey has blocked 20 shots. Ten of those -- a career high -- came against North Carolina State in the Sweet 16. In the regional final against North Carolina, Withey was 5-for-5 from the floor, had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, including a couple in the closing minutes.
When Ohio State visited Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 10, Kansas won 78-67. But Withey wasn't much of a factor with two points, two blocks and seven rebounds. Buckeyes star Jared Sullinger missed that game with back spasms. But Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas scored 19 points.
Since Sullinger will play Saturday, there is a concern for Kansas that Withey could be neutralized by the ability of Sullinger and Thomas to drift out of the lane and shoot jumpers. Against Purdue in the third round, a smaller lineup gave the Jayhawks problems and Withey played 15 minutes -- his lowest since nine minutes against Missouri in Lawrence on Feb. 25.
"We were a tough team for them because of our size and how we played offensively," Missouri coach Frank Haith said Friday. "We took Jeff out of the game. It made it very difficult for him to defend in our game. If you're able to do that -- and I look at Ohio State with one of those guys on the perimeter -- that's going to be tough for them."
It's just one more challenge Withey must be willing to face. His path to the Final Four has been an unusual one. Withey loved playing volleyball in high school and almost quit basketball for a life on the beach and spiking over the net. But his basketball coach at Horizon High in San Diego forced him to make a choice and he took the basketball route.
He initially committed to Louisville, which will play Kentucky in the other national semifinal Saturday night. But a death in the family and his desire to be close to home changed that and he started his career at Arizona. When Lute Olson stepped down as coach, Withey elected to transfer and selected Lawrence as his next stop.
Self's high-low style made it a good destination for Withey. He has been able to pair with Robinson and he has improved his footwork and shooting touch under the tutelage of assistant coach Danny Manning, who will leave the Jayhawks after the Final Four to become head coach at Tulsa.
"It's sad to see him go, but I'm happy for him," Withey said. "He gave me a lot of confidence."
Withey knows his time as a volleyball player has helped him become a premier shot blocker. The timing and the constant jumping are part of both games and many of his blocks are kept in play to trigger the Jayhawks in their potent transition offense.
"I think early in the season it took a lot for us to get Jeff hyped and excited," point guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "Maybe a great play like a dunk or a block would get him excited. Those were about the only two things that did it, besides jumping on him or pushing on his chest.
"Now I think Jeff plays with a lot of energy. I think he gets more fired up than some of us sometimes. He's come a long way. He understands he's a much better player. He can do so much more when he's turned up, excited and ready to play."
Taylor says Withey has enjoyed the ride. He talks more. He cracks jokes and laughs.
"He's having fun and enjoying himself. I think it shows with his play," Taylor said.
Self couldn't agree more.
"I'm real proud of him," Self said of Withey. "I think he's going through a phase where the reason he's playing well is the joy of playing as opposed to he's playing because he's supposed to play. I think he's really having a great time."
And all it took was running a few stairs at Allen Fieldhouse for Withey to accept that as a fact.
"(Self) is a great motivator," Withey said. "I love the guy. Over the past couple of games, he's definitely gotten me to play harder. Looking back, I'm 100 percent glad he made me (run).
"Not at the time, of course. But now? 100 percent."
Ken Davis is the managing editor and beat writer for UConnPlaybook.com.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
No comments:
Post a Comment