3 KANSAS
A pure center emerged last year during the NCAA tournament. He was a star in the national title game and earned NBA draft buzz. No, not Kentucky's Anthony Davis but the guy who stonewalled him in the title game.
Kansas center Jeff Withey enhanced his reputation more than any other player in last year's Big Dance. His 31 blocked shots broke Joakim Noah's record for a single NCAA tournament, but his most impressive contributions can be measured by looking at the stat lines of his high-profile opponents: Ohio State's Jared Sullinger went 5 for 19 in the national semifinals, and Davis, who would be named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player for his defensive contributions, shot 1 for 10 in the championship game.
"It's pretty amazing to watch," says Jayhawks coach Bill Self, "because today you don't see guys who can actually change the game by protecting the lane." In Self's nine years in Lawrence, Kansas's rugged man-to-man defense has ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive field goal percentage eight times. The other year it was No. 13.
Withey says the Jayhawks' commitment to defense starts in practice, where Self focuses on a vintage staple: shell drills. Withey claims the team works on its defensive positioning for an hour a day, but Self says it's more like 10 to 20 minutes. "It may feel like an hour to them," Self jokes.
The 7-foot Withey was known more as a volleyball star when he arrived in Lawrence two seasons ago weighing 209 pounds. His lack of flexibility earned him the nickname Stiffy. But with a 4,000-calories-a-day diet and some heavy lifting under the direction of strength coach Andrea Hudy, he jumped to 235 pounds. His minutes and confidence grew as his body was transformed. "His freshman year he was our sixth-best big man," Self says.
Now he's one of the country's best. Ending his senior year as an All-America and posing with David Stern as a first-round pick doesn't seem like much of a stretch.
Tournament Tracker
TITLE GAME
FINAL FOUR
ELITE EIGHT
SWEET 16
ROUND OF 32
ROUND OF 64
'08--09
'09--10
'10--11
'11--12
'12--13
Projected Starting Five
COACH Bill Self (10th season)
2011--12 RECORD 32--7
BIG 12 16--2 (1st)
WHAT'S BACK Minutes: 56.3% Points: 45.0% Rebounds: 52.9%
[originallink:10887606:1009563]
Returning starter
*High school stats (2009--10)
†High school stats (2010--11)
Telling Number
9 FRESHMEN on the Jayhawks' roster, including potential breakout star Perry Ellis, who led Wichita Heights (Kans.) High to four straight Class 6A titles. He was also a valedictorian of his high school class.
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO
JEFF WITHEY Already a menace on the defensive end, the 7-footer's offensive growth may push him to the top of the draft board.