European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 23, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 stars and stripes Friday March 23 2007 theres no denying Kansas is Good by Dave Skretta the associated press Kansas City to South Ern Illinois take note Kansas coach Bill self says this Jay Hawks team is better than the one he took to the round of eight in 2004 this is a totally different team self said its Young its a Little Green a Little naive but he insists it is plenty Good with the next test for to seeded Kansas coming thursday night against the fourth seeded Salukis in the West regional semifinals the Jay Hawks were to leave for san Jose Calif on tuesday there Good Southern Illi Nois coach Chris Lowery said they have Guys who Are going to shake commissioner David Sterns hand in the Aba draft their players Are that Good this Kansas team is not at All like the one self inherited in 2003 when Roy Williams left for North Carolina that team led by Wayne Simien and Aaron Miles had been to consecutive final fours it ran through the tournaments opening weekend then trounced Alabam Birmingham in the St Louis regional semifinal an Over West regional seed Kan Opp pig 795 j 561 Fig 494 373 1 413 it 666 j j 704 flwtv4m4 283 3pt 396 339 a time loss to Georgia tech kept Kansas from a third straight final four it was a talented team said self who has also taken Tulsa and Illinois to regional finals i loved coaching that team and we were a Possession away from going to the final four that year that team was great self added this is a better team regardless of their age or experience level this is a better Basket Ball team than that one for one thing self likes this mix of freshmen sophomores and juniors nobody averages More than 14 Points but four score in double figures eight average More than 10 minutes and three have dished out More than 100 assists i love coaching this team be cause there so unselfish self said the Jay Hawks showed it in two convincing victories in Chicago Sophomore Mario Chalmers scored 19 Points in a 10767 route of Niagara in the first round Junior Russell Robinson added 16 Points and eight assists and fresh Man Sherron Collins had is Points six assists and four steals then in sundays 8876 Romp Over Kentucky Sophomore bran Don Rush drilled six three Point ers and scored 19 Points Only to be outdone by swing Man Julian Wright who scored a Tea High 21 we know they Are a very ath Letic team and we know they have a lot of great basketball play ers in fact some Aba basketball players Southern Illinois guard Jamaal Tatum said we know what kind of Talent they have but it remains to be seen whether Talent can overcome inexperience deep in the postseason the Jay Hawks have been Vic Tims of first round upsets the past two years and with no seniors on the roster nobody has Ever played in the tournaments Sec Ond week we dont have any seniors on our team but we have a lot of leadership Chalmers said every body trying to pitch in self is Quick to Point out that experience didst serve Kansas Well two years ago when Simien and Miles returned for their senior seasons no 14 seed Bucknell bounced the third seeded Jay Hawks in the first round its always Best to have Young Guys experienced Guys and talented Guys self said we kind of fall Short in the experience fac Tor but i think were beyond our years Lowery is in his third year at Southern Illinois and has the Salukis 296 one game from reach ing the final eight for the first time his team could be without Junior Forward Matt Shaw its third leading scorer he sustained a High ankle sprain in the first round against holy Cross and missed sundays 6348 Victory Over Virginia tech it was a bad one Lowery said Hes trying to make it Back if he Doest the Salukis might have a hard time slowing Kansas right now there playing bet Ter than anybody else in the coun try after the first weekend Low Ery said now its a new week end Afflalo of bearing Burden for Bruins by Diane Pucin los Angeles times los Angeles what better Way for a basketball player to shift into a smooth and effective flow than by knocking Down a jump shot or two and draining his first couple of free throws for much of his career at Urcla that the Way its gone for Arron Afflalo what starts Well usually ends Well too and some times it has All looked so easy but not this year during the postseason when the Bruins were upset by California in the Pacific 10 con Ference tournament Afflalo missed his first two free throws and almost every other kind of shot in scoring Only three Points and again against Indiana in the second round of the Mcaa tournament the senior guard missed his first jump shot an open three Pointer and finished 2forll shooting in Between Afflalo had 22 Points against Weber state but his shooting slump can be traced to Duclas final regular season game at Washington when he was 4for14 shooting a couple of layups among his misses in Duclas past four games Afflalo is shooting 319 percent 15for47 from the Field and is 6for23 in three Point shots his scoring average which was Al most 18 Points a game this sea son is 117 but there is plenty of evidence that suggests Afflalo Doest need to Lead the Bruins in scoring to Lead them after the Indiana game Urcla coach Ben Howland complimented Afflalo leadership in Par West regional seed Pitt i pig Fig it Reg 3pt articular his decision to drive to the Basket on consecutive posses Sions despite the presence of Sev eral bigger bulkier hoosiers in his path both times Afflalo was treated like a pingpong Ball Between paddles bounced right and left his Layup attempts were crooked but twice he was fouled he made four free throws and brought his teammates a boost of Energy and the will to finish off the win in a game in which Urcla had squandered a 16point second half Lead in that game Arron really de fended we Howland said no matter what Arron always com petes he made those drives at the end got fouled on both of them during the course of the game he always continues to do Little things to help us make plays that what a Leader does Sophomore Point guard Darren Collison said he recognized Afflalo As a Leader the first Day he came to practice at Urcla its not that Arron is loud and vocal Collison said but when you watched him practice he was very professional he works equally hard at every part of the game Hes always working and the rest Marcio Jose Urcla guard Arron Afflalo reacts after scoring against Indiana on Satur Day even when Hes not scoring Afflalo is the Bruins Leader of us notice that he Doest have to say work harder because we see Arron doing it if Hes feeling bad about him self he Doest let his emotions trickle Down to everybody Hes never Down on the team either just because Hes not going Good Josh Shipp who has played with Afflalo since both were 8 said there want a time when Afflalo didst take the weight of the team on his shoulders that his work ethic Shipp said Hes not the most vocal Guy but he always defended the toughest Guy and other Guys would feed off Arrons defensive intensity the thing about Arron is that Hes the same player now and does All the same things As he did then Afflalo takes the game and his position in it seriously there Are few joking matters in Afflalo mind when Urcla basketball is involved he cant be cheered up by a one liner after a Urcla loss and he was in tears after losses to Ore gon and Stanford so it is no Surprise that Afflalo is plotting his Way out of this shooting slump starting with the Bruins game thursday at san Jose against Pittsburgh in an Mcaa regional semifinal i have to do a better Job of driving the basketball he said yes i have been struggling with my shot a Little bit at the close of the season if my shot is not falling its up to me to find a Way to score i cant rely on my jump shot All the time that said Afflalo prefers to look at his season Long scoring performance and not one bad stretch i have Many things i can do he said so when i Start missing its probably better that i drive whatever the Case when i put the Ball on the floor in helping someone else out1 Jeremy Staat sex nil do headed to Iraq with Marine unit the associated press Honolulu a former nil player who joined the marines and was motivated by College Roommate Pat Tillman who died in Afghanistan was heading for the War in Iraq on tuesday night Lance Cpl Jeremy Staat a former defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steeles and St Louis rams who had been playing Arena football was one of 300 marines in the 1st battalion 3rd Marine regiment being deployed from Kaneohe Bay the unit is expected to be in Iraq for seven months the Way i look at it were spreading Freedom and you have to support the troops and you have to support the War Staat 29 told kit in Honolulu on tuesday As he prepared to leave from Hawaii you cant just Tell some Marine who just lost his buddy that we supported you but not the War because in that Case youre basically saying that Marine his buddy just died for Noth ing were one team Tillman who played defensive Back for the Arizona cardinals was killed by Friendly fire near the Pakistan Afghanistan Border in april 2004 Tillman gave up a million nil contract to join the army rangers Staat said he Felt compelled to join the military after the sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks but Tiilman who was his Roommate at Arizona state advised him to stay with professional football until he qualified for retirement benefits i Felt there is More to life than just a game Staat said adding that Tillmans death helped Moti vate him to enlist Staat played for the Steeles from 19982000 and played two games with the rams in 2003 he then played for the los Angeles avengers of the Arena football league he graduated from the san Diego Marine corps recruit depot in March 2006 to enlist the 6foot5 Staat said last year he dropped from 310 to 260 pounds he said three months of Boot Camp training gave him a deeper appreciation for team camaraderie