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Jayhawks roll past Fort Hays State 107-68
Published 11/4/2009 in Sports
By KLINT SPILLER
Special to The Telegram
LAWRENCE -- Fort Hays State University junior guard Corbin Kuntzsch, a Scott City native, has played the University of Kansas twice in his career.
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Associated Press Kansas' Xavier Henry (1) looks to pass the ball under pressure by Fort Hays State's Corbin Kuntzsch during the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence.
The first time, Kansas went on to win a national championship, and this year, the Jayhawks are the consensus pick to walk away with another title after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls in NCAA Division I.
However, Kuntzsch said that is a major reason for why it is so fun to play them.
"It is just a fun experience," Kuntzsch said. "Any time that you can come in here and play the No. 1 team in the nation, it is a great experience."
Kuntzsch led a Fort Hays team that fell to Kansas on Tuesday, 107-68, in a sold-out Allen Fieldhouse.
The Fort Hays players got a taste of what it is like to play with a pair of NCAA Division I preseason All-Americans -- Kansas junior center Cole Aldrich and senior point guard Sherron Collins -- in front of a crowd of 16,300 fans who showed up to support the Jayhawks in their home opener.
It was an exhibition match and would not count on the record of either team, but that didn't mean the players weren't competitive.
"I don't approach it differently," Collins said. "You've got to play every game. You've got to get better every game. Every time you step on the court, you've got to get better."
The fans didn't treat it as an exhibition match either. Fort Hays point guard Willie Hassell can attest to that as he was taunted with "airball" chants for the entire first half.
"I wasn't expecting the airball, but once I airballed, I knew what was going to happen after that," Hassell said. "Every time I touched it, I heard 'airball, airball.' It was kind of overwhelming."
Though it was a tough environment, Hassell said playing the No. 1 Jayhawks provides Fort Hays with opportunities to improve.
"It helps us a lot, because they expose a lot of the bad things we do," Hassell said. "When you are in practice, you don't really get exposed against each other."
Fort Hays head coach Mark Johnson said the game was more than simply a win or loss for his players. It was an experience.
"How many times do they get a chance to play in this situation?" Johnson said. "It is the only time to have that type of crowd and environment and to be able to play against a couple of future pros. That is what it is about: 10 years from now, talking about tonight."
Kansas shot 53.3 percent from the field, while Fort Hays shot 33.8 percent.
"On the defensive end, I think that is the most we have ever given up to them," Kuntzsch said. "I mean, granted, they are a good offensive team, but we've got to do a better job of getting stops."
The Jayhawks out-rebounded Fort Hays 47-34, and Kansas also posted 10 blocks to Fort Hays' two.
Fort Hays struggled with its match-ups, and four players fouled out trying to defend the Jayhawks. Fouls also led the Jayhawks to score 36 points off of free throws.
"There was a size differential," Johnson said. "Our guys were doing the best they can trying to battle down there."
Kuntzsch led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding with 17 points and eight rebounds.
"He just has a different feel about him being a junior," Johnson said. "He thinks and knows he is one of the best players on this team. He knows he has to be a leader on the floor and has to be putting up points and rebounding."
Fort Hays junior forward Dijon Smith and junior point guard Dominique Jones were the other two Tigers to reach double-digit points, scoring 11 points apiece.
Fort Hays managed to stay within 10 points for a majority of the first half. Fort Hays even managed to close the gap late, but Collins made back-to-back 3-pointers to help Kansas pull away.
The Jayhawks went into halftime with a 54-35 lead.
With mounting fouls in the second half, the Tigers struggled to keep the pace, and Kansas continued its domination.
"We came into the game knowing basically what the outcome was going to be," Hassell said. "You know what I'm saying. Coach told us to come in and just enjoy the experience."
Six Jayhawks reached double figures.
Collins led the team with 19 points. Aldrich posted a double-double, scoring 13 points and gathering 13 rebounds, and sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor added 15 points and led the team in assists with five.
Freshman guard Xavier Henry posted 14 points, and sophomore forwards Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris added 12 and 10 points respectively.
Kansas head coach Bill Self said he was pleased with his offense's capabilities.
"I thought we had more weapons than we did last year," Self said. "Last year, our third option was Tyrell (Reed) or Brady (Morningstar) spotting up or Tyshawn driving it, and now it feels like to me that once we get in the swing of things, the open man is going to take the open shot, which is the same way that the 07-08 team played."
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