Kansas Basketball Report Card

At the end of the academic semester, it’s time to give the Kansas Jayhawks their report cards for the early stretch of the season.

A’s

Clay Young is the kind of guy who goes unnoticed all semester but somehow ruins the curve on the final. A walk-on who should only be logging garbage minutes, Young was integral in the Jayhawks’ win over Syracuse. When an undersized non-scholarship player makes a meaningful impact against an elite program with 7-footers, fans have to be impressed. A

Lagerald Vick has emerged as a truly explosive offensive talent, improving his resume for the NBA draft. Vick continues to demonstrate his athleticism, and he was one of the few players to post strong numbers in KU’s two losses. However, he could not find his rhythm in a game that went down to the wire against Nebraska. A-

Udoka Azubuike has no issues achieving high marks and posterizing 101-level opponents. Still, he has shown growing pains and at times fails to leverage his size effectively. Regardless, Azubuike has shouldered the burden of a razor-thin frontcourt successfully for a player who was only healthy for a portion of his freshman year. A-

B’s

Marcus Garrett may be a freshman, but his effort level on defense is a sign of basketball maturity. With a guard-heavy roster, Garrett will have limited opportunities to impress the professor. Early performances suggest he has the potential to blossom into an upperclassman leader in the future. B+

Mitch Lightfoot may have gotten away with sitting in the balcony of the lecture hall last season. Now, Lightfoot has been called to the front of the class with his move up the depth chart. While he has picked up some poor early fouls, he continues to out-hustle the opposition and rebound well. B

Svi Mykhailiuk has a couple of tardies on his record, bringing down an otherwise-solid showing of offensive production and strong ball protection. While it is easy for him to produce against schools like Omaha, Mykhailiuk cannot wait until late in the second half to start creating opportunities for himself as he did in the home loss to the Sun Devils. B-

C’s

Devonte’ Graham absolutely crushed early exams, posting back to back career-highs. However, he failed the midterm against Washington and Arizona State, bringing down his grade. Graham, as the heart and soul of this year’s team, cannot disappear for entire games without expecting the rest of the team to suffer. C+

Malik Newman switched classes but still falls short of the expectations that followed him out of high school. Newman’s shot has been inconsistent and he gets beaten too often in transition. Newman has yet to produce a breakout game. C-

D’s

Bill Self receives a disappointing mark after the Jayhawks gained a false sense of confidence rolling through a weak early schedule, which can partially be put on Self’s transcript. In the majority of KU’s wins, Self has had to do little other than show up for class with a pen and paper. When presented with challenges against Washington’s zone and ASU’s guards, Self failed to make tactical changes that could have shifted the momentum back into KU’s favor. D+

Incomplete

Billy Preston may have registered for classes as an elite prospect with great potential, but he has been unable to participate. Until his compliance issues are resolved, Preston simply cannot be graded. I