Notebook: Jackson blames nerves for slow first half in exhibition win

Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) gets up for a shot over Washburn forward Jeremy Lickteig and teammate Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) during the second half, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

He did not record his first bucket until the 13:50 mark of the second half and was on the floor for all of 23 seconds before being subbed out in the second half.

But once Kansas freshman Josh Jackson got it going, visiting Washburn had trouble slowing him down during Tuesday’s 92-74 exhibition victory by Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.

As it turned out, Jackson, the prized freshman who enters the season with monster expectations both for himself and from others, had no one but himself to blame for the slow start to his first true game in Kansas uniform.

“I was just a little nervous, thinking about all the mistakes I could possibly make,” Jackson explained. “And I think that was one of the worst things I could’ve done. It really showed out there. I was focused on looking bad, I wasn’t really focused on the game.”

A quick talk with teammates and coaches at halftime helped calm him down and Jackson said seeing the ball go in the bucket on the running floater in the lane that gave KU a 62-49 lead helped inspire him to stay aggressive.

He made six of his final 10 shots and finished with 14 points but could have had more had it not been for a 1-of-5 showing at the free throw line or his five turnovers.

“He scored the ball some the second half,” KU coach Bill Self said of Jackson. “But I’m not gonna get real excited about that because he didn’t handle it very well or pass it very well and those are two things that he could potentially be very good at.”

Senior point guard Frank Mason III said the Jackson Kansas got in the second half was the one they expected to see and want to play with the rest of the way.

“He was definitely more aggressive the second half,” Mason said. “He was driving the ball downhill and that’s what we need from him.”

Vick’s hot half

After months of hearing about how well he had played and how much he had grown, Kansas fans finally got their first look at new-and-improved guard Lagerald Vick. And the sophomore from Memphis did not disappoint.

In 15 first-half minutes, Vick recorded seven points on 3-of-3 shooting and also added two steals and a rebound.

“Lagerald and Frank were our two best players in the first half,” Self said of Vick. “He’s a good player and he did some good things, but he wasn’t aggressive in the second half either. He didn’t get one offensive rebound and he’s by far our best offensive rebounder. To play 29 minutes, he’s gotta be more active.”

Four-guard review

Heading into Tuesday’s game, Self warned against expecting too much from KU’s four-guard look. And the Kansas coach said after the game that he had no strong feelings about how it went either way.

“I thought there were some good things when we drove it downhill and made some good individual plays,” Self said. “But I didn’t think our ball movement was very good tonight no matter who we had in the game.”

Self used the lineup for about six minutes each half and gave all five Kansas big men — Landen Lucas, Carlton Bragg, Udoka Azubuike, Mitch Lightfoot and Dwight Coleby — at least one opportunity at being the only forward on the floor.

Parting gift

Self before Tuesday’s game presented Washburn coach Bob Chipman with a set of golf clubs to honor the final season in his 41-year Washburn coaching career. Although the bag shined from a distance, Self said some of the clubs inside of it were old and were not the ones Chipman would get for good.

“We’ll pick out what he wants from TaylorMade or what not and get him a nice set,” Self said. “Chip’s had an unbelievable career and certainly he’s been great to our players over time because he employs so many of them (at summer camps) and I hope Washburn has a big year for him.”

Said Chipman of the gesture: “That was awfully nice. I just really can’t believe how fantastic they are in every way. Such a class program…. That KU team is going to be probably the most fun KU team to watch in recent history before Bill’s done with them. They’re going to be fantastic.”

This and that…

KU’s starting lineup featured the five players everyone thought it would — Frank Mason III, Devonte’ Graham and Josh Jackson in the backcourt and Carlton Bragg Jr. and Landen Lucas in the frontcourt…. Kansas now leads the all-time series with Washburn, 30-3 and is 8-0 all-time against WU in exhibition games. The series dates back to 1906…. KU is now 78-9 all-time in exhibition games and 46-2 in exhibition play under Self, including a 27-0 mark at Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 56-4 all-time in exhibition games and the Jayhawks’ last home exhibition loss came via a 93-82 loss to Australia on Nov. 29, 1993.