Reflecting on the Jayhawks' Season
The number 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks' season came to an end on Saturday as they were handed a tough loss to the 3 seeded Oregon Ducks. This was a tough loss to handle, but let's look at the positives. (Before I go any further though, I would like to state that this is my own personal thoughts and feelings on the season and players.)
First off I want to start with the huge accomplishment that cannot go unrecognized. The Jayhawks won the Big 12 yet again to tie the all-time record for the most consecutive conference titles in NCAA history. This may not seem like anything special to anyone as KU has dominated the conference. What makes this one special is the fact that they won it by 4 games. We are talking about a league that had very good Baylor team and an always impressive defensive West Virginia team.
Next up is the play of the Senior Frank Mason. Mason quickly became one of the front runners for player of the year, and never looked back. He truly had an outstanding year and career for Kansas. After Saturday's loss, it was hard for me to process that we would never see Mason in another game for KU. Watching his final game was really hard because he is my favorite player since Mario Chalmers, (and I'm talking about Mason's whole career at KU, not just this season.)
Watching Josh Jackson was a treat. This freshman could do it all. He could guard, create plays, shoot the ball, have his own personal dunk contests, but most importantly, he brought drive and energy to the team. He seemed to want to be out on the court and play like it was his last game. You never got the feeling that he wasn't giving it a 110%.
Another part of the season that I enjoyed was watch Bill Self run a 4 guard lineup as he did not have the traditional big men that he is used to using after the season ending injury to Azubuike. This is something that until this season was ran hardly at all by Self. I think the team transitioned well and it was able to speed the game up, which seemed to favor the Jayhawks, especially in late game situations.
In all, even though the season ended with a heartbreak, it was a very good season and one that the team and the fans should be proud of. I think this is a season that should not be over looked. It is one that fans should reflect on, as I have before looking forward to the next season. One thing is for sure, this will only motivate the Jayhawks to comeback and try even harder next season.
