Maxey main man

Jackson State junior forward Grant Maxey, the preseason player of the year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has averaged 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds a game against top competition this season.

Maxey, a 6-foot-6, 195-pounder from Toledo, Ohio, had 28 points and 11 rebounds against Texas A&M, 15 points versus Arizona State, 13 versus LSU and 12 against Illinois.

“He’s one of the best I’ve ever coached,” sixth-year Jackson State coach Tevester Anderson told Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

Anderson, 71, has been an assistant coach at both Auburn and Georgia, working with the likes of Charles Barkley, Chuck Person and Shandon Anderson.

“I expect Grant to get a lot of recognition this year. I expect him to get stronger this season, and with the right opportunity and right timing he could make some money (playing pro ball) one day,” Anderson said.

Maxey, Jeremy Caldwell (6-8) and Oliver Jefferson (6-9) are the only players over 6-5 who have played this year for (1-7) Jackson State.

“If Caldwell or Maxey get in early foul trouble, it’s been hurting us quite a bit,” Anderson told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, “because we have not developed any inside help that can really come in and give them a break.”

Jackson State, enrollment 6,823, is located in Jackson, Miss. KU leads the all-time series 3-0.

Marcus Morris seeks breakout game

KU freshman forward Marcus Morris scored six points and grabbed four rebounds while playing just nine minutes in Wednesday’s victory over New Mexico State. He knows why he didn’t play much.

“Coach (Bill Self) said I wasn’t playing hard enough. I needed to give more intensity on the court and be more aggressive. Basically that was it,” Morris said.

The 6-8, 225-pounder has been playing power forward as well as small forward.

“Wherever he puts me I’m going to play,” Morris said. “It’s a big adjustment going to the highest level to play the 4 when I never played it before.”

Asked how he’s learning to play inside, he said: “Listen to what coach (Danny) Manning tells me. He was a great post player. We all know that. Whatever he tells me to do, I do.”

Of Morris, Self said: “He’s a face-up-and-drive-it guy. There will be times he posts up, but there will be just as many times where he catches the ball on the perimeter and needs to be a perimeter player. We’re trying to utilize him like we did Julian (Wright). He (Morris) is a better shooter. He hasn’t had a chance to show it yet. He’s a good shooter.”

Self is hoping for consistency from rookie big men Marcus and Markieff Morris and Quintrell Thomas.

“They’ve all shown flashes of being very productive,” Self said. “They’ve all shown flashes of being young. Hopefully in the next few weeks … those guys will have played enough minutes to become sophomores — as they say — by conference play.”

Little returns

Mario Little, who has been out several weeks because of a stress fracture in his lower left leg, practiced Friday.

“We don’t know how much he’ll be back, a few minutes today (at practice), then we’ll go a little longer if he doesn’t have any pain,” Self said. “It’s good to have him back. I think he’s a very important piece to our team we need. We need that big wing who can steal us some possessions on the glass.”

If all goes well, Little might return for the Temple game on Dec. 20.

KU signee Johnson suffers knee injury

KU signee Elijah Johnson hurt his left knee on a dunk attempt in the third quarter of Las Vegas Cheyenne High’s 77-73 victory over Desert Pines on Thursday.

Coach Teral Fair told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there appeared to be no ligament damage and the injury was either a deep bone bruise or slight hyperextension.