The Journal-World has learned that Brett Ballard will be Baker University’s next basketball coach.

An announcement is expected early next week.

Ballard, a 2003 Kansas University graduate who played two seasons at KU after transferring from Hutchinson CC, is in his seventh year on the KU basketball staff.

He has been KU’s director of basketball operations since August of 2008.

Ballard, who has been in charge of KU’s summer camp, has numerous connections with high school and junior-college coaches throughout the Midwest, which should help him immeasurably in recruiting players at Baker.

Ballard declined comment Friday at Ford Center.

Jank’s take

Who better to ask for commentary on Northern Iowa than former KU assistant Tim Jankovich, third-year coach at Illinois State?

Coach “Jank’s” Redbirds fell to Northern Iowa, 59-44, on Jan. 9, in Normal, Ill., and again lost, 61-55, on Feb. 27 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

“They are the best defensive team we’ve played in our three years,” Jankovich said in a phone interview. “What makes them so good, they have three real bad matchups for teams in our league.

“There’s the 7-foot, 280-pound guy, who is a terrible matchup for all our teams,” Jankovich said of senior Jordan Eglseder (11.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg).

“(Adam) Koch is a great driver at the 4-spot,” he added of the 6-8, 255-pound senior, who averages 11.7 ppg. “Their point guard (Kwadzo Ahelegbe, 6-2, 200, junior) is so big and strong, he overpowers the point guards in our league. Most of us don’t put a point guard on him.

“They’ve got a lot of good shooters, maybe the purest in our league in Ali (Farokhmanesh, 6-0 senior), who hit the shot to beat Vegas. They are excellent at tempo. They keep the score down. They’re very, very good, and they are an old team, an experienced team.”

Jankovich believes top-seed KU can win the game.

“No question … if Kansas has a good night,” Jankovich said, “because Kansas is a tremendous defensive team and difficult matchup for Northern Iowa. Of course, they will have to play an outstanding game. This is not an easy draw. I know this … I have a ton of respect for Northern, and Kansas will need to have a good night.”

He said nobody should overreact to how KU played in a somewhat shaky first-round victory over Lehigh.

“The first-round game is always the toughest, for everybody. It’s the NCAA Tournament,” Jankovich said.

Other Valley foes

KU has played two Missouri Valley Conference teams in Bill Self’s seven years at KU.

The Jayhawks beat Southern Illinois, 61-58, in the 2007 Sweet 16 in San Jose, Calif., and lost to Bradley, 77-73, in a first-round game in 2006 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Sherron Collins was a freshman when KU slipped by SIU. He begged to differ when a reporter recalled it as a “boring game.”

“It was pretty exciting to me, being there as a freshman,” Collins said. “It’s a good conference, like all conferences. This time of year it doesn’t matter. All teams in the tournament are good teams.”

Tempo

Northern Iowa, which enters with a 29-4 record to KU’s 33-2 mark, is known for controlling tempo.

The Panthers average 59.1 possessions per 40 minutes. That ranks 345 of 347 Div. I basketball teams. KU averages 70 possessions per 40 minutes. That ranks 64th nationally.

“They are defensively sound and run their offense well,” Collins said. “I think we are more athletic. We will have to execute our offense well.”

Here’s Self’s scouting report: “When you watch them on tape, you realize they are not out of position. When they help, they don’t help the helper, they help the helper’s helper. They are really sound in that regard and make you make plays over the top and don’t give up easy baskets. It’s a pretty simple formula: Take good shots and don’t give up easy baskets, and you have a chance. Their staff has done as good a job as anybody teaching positions defensively. They’re as good as anybody we’ve played against, period.”

Asked more about the preferred pace of the game, Self said: “Whatever the pace is, and we want it to be fast, and they don’t want it to be quite so fast, but still they’ll take advantage of opportunities. And whatever the pace is, we need to embrace it and enjoy it.

“We don’t need to be frustrated because we don’t like the pace. I think we have a team equipped to play fast and not so fast. The whole deal is, from my standpoint, we need to be patient on both ends offensively and defensively because there’s going to be a lot of possessions that get under 10 (on shot clock). The team that executes under 10 on the clock will probably have a great chance.”

Cinderella warning?

Self on perhaps warning his team before tip about Northern Iowa being a Cinderella team:

“You should have been there for breakfast because we’re not going to wait until tomorrow,” Self said. “To me, they’re not Cinderella. Northern Iowa can beat anybody in the country on any night. That’s not a Cinderella team. Our guys won’t look at it that way at all.

“Lehigh last night, that was more a Cinderella deal. Northern Iowa … if they played a series with many schools across America would have success winning a series, let alone one game.”