The Kansas Jayhawks aren’t 20-1 and ranked No. 2 in the latest Associated Press college basketball poll only because of sophomore forward Thomas Robinson.
In fact, the 6-foot-9 leaper from Washington isn’t among the Jayhawks’ top five scorers. But he may be the most gut-wrenching and inspiring story of the entire season.
In the past two weeks, Robinson has witnessed the burials of his mother, grandmother and grandfather back home in the nation’s capital. His mother Lisa died last, the entire team flying to D.C. for her funeral the middle of last week.
But against all odds, there was Robinson last Saturday evening inside KU’s legendary Allen Fieldhouse, getting 17 points and nine rebounds in the Jayhawks’ 90-66 rout of Kansas State.
His effort drew several standing ovations from the always sold-out crowd of 16,300 and earned the following praise from Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen.
Said KSU’s All-American candidate: “Regardless if this is a rivalry game or whatever, the things he’s going through right now are things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. I just told him that he has to use basketball as a tool for other things in his life … and things will get better.”
It wasn’t supposed to get better for Kansas this winter after last year’s top-ranked team shockingly lost to Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament, then said goodbye to all-star starters Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry.
Nor did the bad news stop there. The NCAA eventually suspended prep All-American point guard Josh Selby for the first nine games of this season due to impermissible benefits he received during his high school years, though none came from KU.
Thus did Kansas begin the season ranked seventh and Kansas State fourth.
But with the exception of a stunning home loss to Texas two weekends ago that ended their 69-game home winning streak, the Jayhawks have been untouchable heading into tonight’s game at Texas Tech.
“Bill [Self]’s teams play as hard and as united as any team in the country,” K-State coach Frank Martin said late Saturday evening. “[Senior guards] Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar are grown men. They understand how to play. They screen, they pass the ball and they play the game at a different tempo.”
Given a choice, the Jayhawks want to play at the fastest tempo possible. They’re averaging 82.5 points and surrendering 62.7 a game. They outrebound their opponents an average of 39 to 32 and have blocked nearly twice as many shots (98 to 56).
But their most impressive statistic is shooting. They lead the nation in field-goal shooting, bagging 52 percent.
Even the lone coach to beat them, Rick Barnes of Texas, said of KU’s offense: “Kansas is hard to guard because they do a great job screening. They’re the best team in the country at moving the ball.”
Then again, the Jayhawks have a couple of monstrous bookends to complete each play when they’re through wearing down the defense. The Morris twins – 6-9 Marcus and 6-10 Markieff – are now juniors and the cornerstones of the KU attack, averaging nearly 19 points and 16 rebounds between them.
“And they aren’t your typical post players,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said last month. “They can pass it and shoot the 3.”
The twins have hit 27 3s between them.
Not that it’s ever enough for the demanding Self, who plays 10 players at least 13 minutes a game and has nine of those averaging five or more points.
After flogging K-State he said, “We did play great, but we could have played exceptionally well. … We still didn’t rebound the ball defensively like we’re capable of.”
Still, this is a team capable of overcoming so much off the court to have such success on it. For much as Robinson has somehow coped with unspeakable loss these past two weeks, Selby lost his best friend in a Baltimore shooting 10 days ago.
Said Robinson late Saturday of his decision to play, the worst hopefully behind him and Selby: “I just knew my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to sit around and cry forever.”