Landen - Just Awesome

Landen has officially passed Perry as one of my top three favorite Jayhawks (Manning and Collison, with Mason a close fourth and climbing). Not even close to the most talented, but he just delivers and gets more out of his limited skills than almost every other player.

Landen's primary responsibilities are:

1. Don't foul out. Incredible that the #3 team in the country's starting center has one prime job - don't foul out. But the dropoff from Landen is so severe, it's more important that he stay in the game than produce numbers. He fouled out twice in the first five games (remember how frustrated he was), but only ONCE since then. That's amazing when every team goes right at him, and he battles so hard inside for rebounds. He plays so smart and has aced his primary job.

2. Rebound. I'm not sure I've seen a guy so good at rebounding with almost no help from his team (Mason and JJ are good, but they don't take other bigs out of action to free up Landen). And more importantly, he is mastering the art of getting the CRITICAL rebounds, and offensive rebounds.

3. Play defense. He's always in the right place, rarely gets burned, and has mastered the vertical leap that is now allowed under the rules. He was a horrible shot blocker in past years, but has become almost dominant in stopping or altering the shots of other bigs, still without being a good shot blocker.

4. Scoring. He still is one of the worst shooters in recent memory. Even simple layups seem to roll around the rim before they go in. But, he gets the job done, and cleans up some misses. He also is drawing fouls on the other bigs, which is very important at the end of each game.

Overall, this guy has flat out delivered on what we need him to, and what he's capable of delivering. I think just like Perry last year, Landen started the season thinking he's the senior, and needs to lead the team from the post. Once he realized he just can't score consistently, he refocused on what he does best, and elevated his game to a point of dominance.

He has earned all time Jayhawk great status, in my book, for delivering 100% of what his skills allow.

My Man Lucas!!

I think I can confidently say that I am one of if not the first to sound sign into the Landen fan club. He is seriously so lacking in natural talent that virtually no one would deign to disagree with that. His path to become the starting center on the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney (last year) to being the "best one man front court in the nation" this year is really so noteworthy it is just crazy. I also must admit, I admire the more disciplined and intellectual side of the game. This season we have three players that are abject examples. On one side we have Landen who has made himself a force by being a smart player that does the right thing in the right way even though he is constantly facing vastly superior talent. Then we have Mason who is cut from a similar mold in a different way. Frank has immense physical ability but lacked natural talent. But by discipline and hard work has made himself THE BEST COLLEGE PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY. Finally, we have a McD AA named Bragg who came with accolades of immense natural talent and has managed to almost completely destroy it with bad habits and bad attitude. I love Frank and Landen. They are what KU basketball is mostly all about.

I know many of us winced when coach put him in early last season. Watching him grow to the point where he is playing with such authority and skill now is why I love KU hoops.

Not sure what was more impressive, the rebound, or the free throws.

Did anyone notice how, after Svi had one of his defensive lapses, Lando yelled at / coached him? A real leader, too...

www2.kusports.com/news/2017/feb/18/tom-k...ime/?mens_basketball

Here's the thing with Landon. He's limited but he knows it.

Take Motley from Baylor. The kid has a toolbox full of options. A full set of wrenches, 35 different kinds of screwdrivers, a 500 piece socket set, and a bunch of specialized tools for any job. He's going to be a great pro.

Then there's Landon. He's got a hammer, a pair of pliers, and a roll of duct tape. What he lacks in tools, he makes up for with smarts and wisdom. He might not be able to fine tune the fuel injectors on your Lamborghini, but he'll get your old Chevy running and get you to your destination.

Part of being a great player is maximizing your potential while minimizing your weaknesses. If Landon plays at 95% of his potential, but a guy like Motley plays at 75% of his much higher potential, you've got a pretty close ball game.

Landon plays smart, and uses his tools to their full potential. Yes, he fumbles the ball sometimes, and isn't as quick to the rim as some other guys. Nevertheless, he's good for a slew of rebounds, solid defense, and a pile of screens that won't show up in the stat sheet every game. I'll miss him when he's gone.

BTW, he also seems like a really nice kid.