Taylor and Robinson to Stay at Kansas

At least two starting positions for the Jayhawks are set for next season as Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson made a statement today saying they will be returning to the University of Kansas next season.

Here is the official release from Kansas Athletics:

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball junior guard Tyshawn Taylor and sophomore forward Thomas Robinson announced Wednesday they will be staying at KU for the 2011-12 season.

“We had a great year,” Taylor said of Kansas’ 35-3 season in which the Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular-season (14-2) and postseason championships and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2010-11. “But since the season ended disappointingly, there has been a lot speculation with fans and on the internet on what we were going to do. The bottom line is we’re going to work very hard this offseason and put ourselves in a position to play in that game again and come out with a different result.”

Taylor averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 assists and shot 47.9 percent from the field in 2010-11. The 6-3 Hoboken, N.J., senior-to-be scored in double figures in five of his last six games and 16 times his junior season. Named a Bob Cousy Award finalist, Taylor’s 4.6 assists per game ranked fourth in the Big 12. He led KU in assists in 20 of 36 games played in 2010-11, including three of four NCAA Tournament contests.

The year was up and down for me, but I feel like I finished on a strong note and I am ready to carry that momentum into the summer and next year try to have a better season than we had this year,” Taylor said.

Robinson recorded four double-doubles during the 2010-11 season, including 12 points and 14 rebounds against Richmond in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-9 Washington, D.C., junior-to-be averaged 7.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and shot 60.1 percent from the field in 2010-11. A V Foundation Comeback Award finalist, Robinson missed the Colorado contest on Jan. 25 tending to the funeral of his mother, Lisa, in Washington, D.C.

“This was the most trying year of my life,” Robinson said. “I want to thank everybody and I can’t wait to run up and down the court in a packed Allen Fieldhouse next year. I plan on busting my butt this summer to improve my game. I want to take more of a leadership role in us moving forward and winning another league championship and getting to the Final Four.”

“This is certainly not any new news to us, but I felt it was unfair for us to make a statement until I got back from the Final Four and visited with them individually,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “To be quite candid, we’re still smarting over the fact that we lost in the Elite Eight and were so close to putting ourselves in a position to win another (national) championship. We’re disappointed, but one thing about it, the season is officially over for everybody. Even if we played in the championship and even if we played in the Final Four, the season would be over now. With that, it’s a new team, a new season and a fresh start. I’m real excited about these two commitments to putting us in a situation to having great success again.”