Wayne Selden... The Heart of this Jayhawk Team
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The Montana game, once again, showed us all how important Wayne Selden is to this team.
This is Wayne Selden’s team.
Whether or not that was the intent, Wayne has emerged as the key force in swaying our outcomes.
Wayne’s previous reputation often labeled him as “streaky” and I doubt many in here would challenge that. Well, that was then and this is now. There are still areas of the game Wayne needs to improve upon, but he seems to have made big leaps in his outside jumper and also with his ability to maintain a positive aggression even if the game is not going his way. The Montana game showed us that. His trey wasn’t clicking, so he found other ways to impact the game positively. This is what needs to be Wayne’s “calling card” from here on out, even more so than being a “dead eye” from treysville. Shooting %s tend to be streaky, but there is no reason why Wayne can’t make a huge positive impact on the game, every game, regardless if he is torching our opponents from trey.
I know I am very happy that Wayne has been bringing his best game night in and night out. He seems to realize how important his play is to this team. And it is. This is the Wayne we’ve been waiting for.
But there is a lot more basketball to be played this year and I don’t think we are seeing near the capabilities Wayne still has to offer. His biggest hurdle left is defeating his own mind. He seems to have made gains in staying positive even when he misses some shots. But he still needs to let go some ideas on his unselfishness. When he starts to take over a game he eventually backs off a bit because he desires so much to be unselfish. What he has to learn is that when he is dominating a game, backing off is actually the selfish move. The goal of the team is to win, not to equally distribute shots.
When any of our guys are having a hot hand, they need to want the ball and keep going after their shot. Sometimes guys just get hot. Other times, they just match up well with the guy guarding them, or the opposition defense (as a whole) just can’t stop him. In these situations, we have to take advantage of our biggest opportunities. We need to put the challenge to the defense and make them adjust to a hot player, instead of just giving up on a big advantage.
Wayne is a man, playing a basketball game with boys. His physicality is extreme, and he should be taking advantage of his football-like body.
I do believe Wayne is holding himself accountable for our success moving forward. I believe he is ready to wear the leader badge on this team. He surely knows his play is vital to this team, more so than in past years.
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Awesome post, Wayne has become the player we have ranted about for 2+ years. Enjoy the ride.
