But unfortunately, Tharpe ain't Robinson.
Keegan's point is obvious, but important to remember. When Sherron was a freshman, we had the luxury of letting him be 6th man. He got to be a freshman. We don't have that luxury this year, of letting the freshmen be freshmen.
It's not a luxury, it's a reality. Freshmen are freshmen. It's worse when they don't have non-freshmen to show them what it's like to not be a freshman.
This team is a work in progress. The emphasis has to be more on "work" than "progress", at least until Conference starts.
This team has growing pains. The emphasis may be more on "pains" than "growing" for another month.
Get at least a share of the Conference title and we will again be a team to watch out for during the postseason.
Throughout the years HEM has sometimes said "Give up some wins to be better in March". This is what it's like.
Mason is not Collins. Collins was a 40+ % 3 baller as a freshmen.... Mason is a 23%. Frank needs to improve that part of his game drastically.
Collins, even as a freshman, had a lot more intensity than Mason...or most any other player, and he hated to lose. Collins was a bulldog; I just don't see the same fire in Mason, at least not yet.
When Collins went into the lane as a Frosh it wasn't Sherron lying on the floor in a heap every drive. Good or bad he flat out floored many a defender. Under the new rule interpretation Sherron would've have 4-6 more points per night due to his aggressive drives resulting in free-throws instead of a charge.
RussRob was a crucial player in the '08 team and perhaps one of the more unheralded/underestimated players to ever play at KU. Think about it. When we think of the '08 team, the first name that comes to mind is Mario and "the" shot. After that is Rush and Arthur and Collins and "the" pass, and then Jackson and Kaun and finally RussRob...almost as an afterthought.
Without RussRob, KU does not win in '08, although in all fairness the same can be said to a certain extent of all the other starters.
Kip makes the best point above. Sherron was a much better three shooter, which forced defenders to play him tighter, which allowed him to drive past them much more easily. Frank does not have the same luxury. Frank's defenders can sag off of him to make his drives more difficult. Oh, and zone defense. I bet Sherron did not have to play against zones with defenders packed into the paint the way Frank has had to the last few games. It isn't a bad comparison, just entirely different scenarios considering the composition of the teams they are playing on and against. And the 3pt % thing... which is HUGE.
I agree with Kip's point but we should also remember that unlike Collins, Mason was not a point guard previously. Was a good column in letting the masses know he needs time to develop. But as many recognize here we really don't have the time with Tharpe playing below his level. And I would add that overall intensity on this team is lacking at this time. We've seen it in spurts from individuals. Can't wait to see it from the whole team at the same time. All in good time. We knew this was going to be a work in progress this year. Work hard, work smart and hang tough Jayhawks!
@tundrahok No..not even close
@JayHawkFanToo I completely agree. RussRob was ALWAYS team first. Lock down defender and great on the fast breaks..
@jhawk7782 . RussRob was a scorer in HS. He gave that up to eventually become the rock of the '08 Championship team.