Collins, Aldrich share the shots

Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Notre Dame coach fired
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Recruit passes up Kansas
Bradley Beal chooses Florida instead. MEN'S BASKETBALL | 9A
www.kansan.com
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
PAGE 10A
BOOST OFF THE BENCH
Commentary
Tattoos
show off
personal
history
By Nicolas Roesler
[email protected]
T
Weston White/KANSAN
Coach Bill Self provides instructions to freshman guard Elijah Johnson on the bench against Hofstra on Nov. 13. Johnson and freshmen Xavier Henry and Thomas Robinson have taken some of the pressure off of senior guard Sherron Collins and
junior center Cole Aldrich this season and have Self praising the team's selflessness.
Collins, Aldrich share the shots
By COREY THIBODEAUX
[email protected]
Based on the stat sheet alone,
the Jayhawks’ two All-Americans
don’t have the numbers most
expected. But their smaller workload could mean big results for
the team.
Senior guard Sherron Collins
and junior center Cole Aldrich
have spent much of this season
out of the spotlight as their teammates have started to come into
their own.
“They just take the pressure
off me and Cole,” Collins said.
“That’s something me and Cole
really needed.”
Freshman phenom Xavier
Henry leads the team with 16.8
points per game. The emergence
of the Morris twins gives Kansas a
new dimension of versatility. And
Thomas Robinson brings endless large part, the reason we did is
energy off the bench.
because Sherron understands
Through five games last sea- we’ve got to bring those young
son, Collins averaged 18.2 points kids along.”
per contest and 5.2 assists. This
Aldrich said his stats this seaseason, he is averaging only 13.6 son were down in part because
points and four assists through of the increased level of comfive games.
petition from the
After the 89-59
“It's good to see them younger members
victory against
of the team. Last
not have to score and year, Aldrich averOakland, Kansas
we still do well.”
coach Bill Self
aged 15.8 points and
praised Collins
9.4 rebounds in the
Tyrel Reed
for his selflessfirst five games, but
Junior guard
ness. Self said
with the emergence
the development
of Henry, Robinson
of the young
and the Morris twins
Jayhawks was crucial
this season, Aldrich
to the success of this season.
has been limited to 10.8 points
“I would have never thought and 8.6 rebounds.
our three returning leading scor“I think it helps me a little bit,”
ers would score 19 points and Aldrich said. “I get a little selfwe win by 30,” Self said. “Never ish and want some rebounds that
would have thought that. But in they steal from me, but as long as
we win, it doesn’t matter.”
Junior guard Tyrel Reed is averaging about four fewer minutes
on the court compared to last
year, but those numbers will most
likely go up when the coaches
figure out the rotation.
Reed said he was the type of
player who put the team first and
hoped to help ease the pressure
off Collins and Aldrich. He said
that with the multitude of talent,
he was happy to see everyone
chipping in to help the Jayhawks’
star duo.
“I think we’re such a good team;
we have a lot of pieces that can
step up and help those guys out
on any given night,” Reed said.
“It’s good to see them not have to
score and we still do well.”
Every game it seems, a new
player steps up. So far, no player
has expressed any concerns about
the amount of shots he is taking or
the minutes he is playing, which is
something Self likes to see.
“All I preach to my guys is
‘Kansas,’” Self said. “I don’t get
hung up on this guy or that guy.”
Self said becoming a great
player started with becoming a
great team, and that his stars had
worked toward that. He said he
was amazed at how well Collins
had stepped into his role as a
leader and had given up personal
gains for the sake of his team.
“That kid wants to win,” Self
said. “That kid wants to leave a
legacy behind and he knows the
only way you can do that is by
winning.”
Follow Corey Thibodeaux at
twitter.com/c_thibodeaux
— Edited by Nick Gerik
football
At the end of the season, Briscoe considers his options
Junior wide receiver
is considering going
for the NFL next year
touchdowns for Missouri.
“The costly fumbles that I did
have didn’t really make up for
the plays that I did have,” Briscoe
said. “They turned into 14 points
and that really hurt us in the long
run.”
Indeed, Briscoe’s turnovers
By JAYSON JENKS
[email protected] dampened an otherwise highlyproductive day for Kansas’ offense.
He caught pass after pass, con- For the first time since a 41-36
tinued picking up yard after yard victory against Iowa State Oct. 10,
the Jayhawks moved
and thoroughly
and scored with regdominated
for
“The costly fumbles
ular consistency.
most of the game
that I did have didn't
In
the
final
against Missouri’s
secondary.
really make up for the game of the season,
Yet
after
plays that I did have.” Briscoe turned in his
best performance of
Kansas’
41-39
the season with 14
loss to Missouri
Dezmon Briscoe
in the 118th ediJunior wide reciever catches for 242 yards
and two touchtion of the Border
downs. But he also
Showdown, junior
produced those two
wide
receiver
Dezmon Briscoe slumped in a chair fumbles.
“It was kind of a bittersweet
with headphones over his ears and
recalled just two plays.
Both were fumbles by Briscoe.
see Briscoe on page 8A
Both eventually resulted in
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe breaks away from Missouri safety Jarrell Harrison Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas
City, Mo. Briscoe caught 14 passes for 242 yards including two touchdowns in the Jayhawks 41-39 loss to the Tigers.
attoos span popular
culture, from actors to
seventeen-year-old girls.
Some people have fallen in love
with the art; while others still find
it to be disrespectful of the human
body. Either way, athletes have
enough ink on them to fill several
galleries.
Basketball fans have seen
their fair share of ridiculous tattoos while watching the NBA.
Either you love the kaleidoscope
of colorful tattoos displayed on
Chris Anderson of the Denver
Nuggets, or you hate them. At
the University, senior point guard
Sherron Collins displays tattoos that are both messages to
opponents and references to his
personal life. Collins’ tattoos are
slowly catching up to the NBA
average for tatted stars.
On Collins’ left arm, there is
a picture of a basketball player
dribbling a ball in one hand, and
holding what looks like a weapon
in the other. Above the tattoo it
reads: “Caution: Don’t Reach,” a
token to his ability to handle the
basketball and cross people up.
On a more personal note, Collins
has tattoos such as “Rest in Peace
Sherron Jr.” on the bottom of his
forearm, referring to the passing
of his firstborn due to premature
birth, according to www.kusports.
com.
The pride athletes feel toward
where they came from is another
common theme for tattoos.
It comes as no surprise that
Collins has those, too. A native
Chicagoan, Collins has flames
reaching up his arm and wrapping around the Chicago area
code “312.” Another player from
Chicago, senior Mario Little, has a
bar code laid out on the inside of
his wrist with “Made in Chicago”
written below it.
The Morris twins illustrate
pride in their family with matching graffiti-styled surnames on the
inside of their arms.
There are also somewhat cliché
tattoos that too many people have,
yet some still relate to as unique
and inspirational. One example is
freshman guard Elijah Johnson’s
“Love” on the back of one arm,
and “Hate” on the back of the
other. Another example: Little’s
tattoo of the Jordan symbol on
his shoulder. Certainly, it’s good
to aspire to be the greatest, but
did you have to make yourself a
commercial for a shoe at the same
time?
Only a few tattoos can actually
touch the people looking at them.
They have more importance to
the people who have them. The
word “Loyalty” can be found on
the inside of Collins’ shoulder. The
loyalty that Collins has shown for
the Kansas basketball program
has, as on him, made a lasting
impression on every Kansas fan.
Perhaps, regardless of how some
may feel about tattoos, what really
matters is their significance to the
people who bear them.
Follow Nicolas Roesler at
twitter.com/nroesler8.
— Edited by Abby Olcese