ON MISSION
Young becomes a pass-first point guard vs. Kansas
The clock ticked down to the final second, and Trae Young slammed the ball on the court for a high bounce of celebration. Even to the end, Young was willing to give up the ball.
The game was on the line, another OU-Kansas classic, the kind these teams seem to play any time the Sooners field a squad in the Jayhawks’ class, and the ball was in Young’s hands. Twice in a row.
Both times, Young released the ball. Gave it up like a bird whisperer whose charges are ready to leave the nest. Young trusted his teammates to beat the fifth-ranked Jayhawks.
Danged if they didn’t do it.
Three days after firing up 39 shots in Bedlam, Young didn’t even reach single digits in shots. He morphed into a pass-first point guard and showed Kansas and much of America that there are all kinds of untold wrinkles to his amazing game.
The 12th-ranked Sooners beat the Jayhawks 85-80 Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center with a stunning line from its freshman phenom: 26 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine assists, only 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range.
“I was just showing what I’ve been doing all year,” Young said. “Show I can manage a game and get my teammates involved.”
Who is this guy? Jan Pannell? Quannas White? Sure, Young leads the nation in assists. But he’s a cold-blooded gunner at heart. Young fired up 70 3-point shots the previ-
ous five games. Yet Tuesday night, Young reigned it in.
“The kid played great,” said KU coach Bill Self, who almost convinced Young to leave his hometown and sign with the Jayhawks last winter. “He was very under control, seemed to make the vast majority of right plays for his team.”
Coachable. That’s what Young proved Tuesday night, if there was any doubt. He’s completely coachable. Kansas applied the same kind of defensive pressure other Big 12 squads have applied – maybe more; Devonte’ Graham is a superb defender, and the Jayhawks stayed with double teams a tad longer than usual in trying to frustrate Young. In recent games, Young has dealt with such frustration by firing up unseemly shots or wild passes.
Not against Kansas. Totally under control.
“I was just overly aggressive at OSU,” Young said. “I think tonight, I managed the game a lot better and got back to the way I was playing before last week.”
OU trailed 80-79 when Young drove into the lane with little more than a minute remaining. He was surrounded by Jayhawks and kicked it out to Christian James, who had made only two of eight 3-pointers. But this one fell for James, and with 1:09 left, the Sooners had a lead.
“Just wanted to make the right play, like I’ve been doing the whole game,” Young said. “Wanted to treat that play like it was the first play of the game.”
KU sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk missed a 3-pointer from the corner, and the Sooners had a chance to close out the Jayhawks.
Brady Manek came up to set a screen on Graham, and the Jayhawks became confused. Graham said he didn’t hear the call to switch assignments. Self said sometimes players don’t hear because they don’t want to hear, that maybe Graham felt he could guard Young better than anyone else. Which is true. Except guarding Young wasn’t the issue. Young flipped the ball to Manek on the wing, and the freshman marksman swished the game-sealing 3-pointer with 25 seconds left.
“They helped a little more than they should have,” Manek said. “Got ‘em mixed up. Trae found me when I came open. I knocked the shot down. Everybody hit big shots, made big plays.”
Starting with the pass-first point guard, who against Kansas proved that there’s more to his game than gaudy numbers.