KU’s Parker Braun ‘wasn’t close to 100%,’ thus he didn’t start on Senior Night
Kansas forward Parker Braun had hoped to play more than 42 seconds during his Senior Night game Tuesday against Kansas State.
However the ankle the he injured three days prior at Baylor wasn’t completely healed by game time at 8 p.m., meaning his only appearance ultimately came from the 1:28 to :46 mark of KU’s 90-68 blowout victory at Allen Fieldhouse.
“He wasn’t close to 100%,” Bill Self said Wednesday on the Kansas coach’s weekly Hawk Talk radio show.
“We are banking on us having a bigger body down there going against the Cougars when we are going to need one. Parker was a huge player in us beating Houston the first time, not only defensively and rebounding but he stuck a huge 3 and hit a couple free throws that kind of sparked us. We need Parker healthy,” Self added, referring to availability for Saturday’s regular-season finale against the No. 1-ranked Houston Cougars.
Tipoff is 3 p.m., at Houston’s Fertitta Center.
Braun, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound native of Burlington, Kansas, scored five points and grabbed three rebounds with one assist in KU’s 78-65 win over Houston on Feb. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Braun explained the decision to sit out the game against K-State. He was introduced with his parents before the game and gave a speech after the contest.
“We were kind of aiming for 90 percent-ish to be full-go out there on the court,” Braun said as a guest on Hawk Talk. “I want to be available but I don’t want to be a liability out there at the same time. If I couldn’t be out there for my team, then I couldn’t.
“That decision kind of ultimately was up to coach. We weren’t really 100% percent or 90% where he wanted (me) to be, more like 70 (percent) or so, If there was a dire situation where he needed me or something like that — if Hunter (Dickinson) or KJ (Adams) got fouls or somebody got hurt I think I was good enough to get tossed out there and try my best. Thankfully we didn’t need that,” Braun added.
Santa Clara transfer Braun — he has averaged 7.6 minutes a game in 30 games so far in his one and only season at KU — noted that “it was definitely a bummer not to get that opportunity and be out there on that court. (But) it’s been great to play in Allen Fieldhouse all year. It didn’t really come down to one night.”
Counting Braun, KU had six seniors available for the five starting spots Tuesday. Self earlier had decided to start Dickinson, Michael Jankovich, Kevin McCullar and Dajuan Harris with Braun (over Nick Timberlake).
“I was going to start Nick. We already decided that,” Self said.
As it turned out, Towson transfer Timberlake had his high scoring game as a Jayhawk. The senior guard scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting (4-of-5 from 3) in 23 minutes. His previous high was 13 points (three times) and three 3s (two times).
“He has said many times, ‘Just wait, I know it’s coming,’’’ Self said of Timberlake. “He says things like, ‘It’s about time.’ He’s had so many comments that were so unselfish in not blaming anything or anybody. He’s all about, ‘Gosh it’s about time I did this,’ which I think is the best attitude rather than saying, ‘If I got more shots I’d have a better chance.’ He’s not like that at all.
“He says, ‘If I’m open I should make it. It’s why I went to school here, why they recruited me. If I get two shots I am going to make one.’
“He hasn’t consistently done it (in making 24 of 80 3s for 30%). He’s shown flashes. If he could make one of (every) two the rest of the season he could impact us,” Self added.
Self noted that against the Wildcats, “Nick sparked us. When you line it up and want guys to shoot the ball you play the percentages. The percentage play for us is Hunter, even though he was 5-for 16 (15 points) last night, to shoot it every opportunity. No doubt that’s best for our team. I feel the same way with Nick. Every time you are open beyond the arc shoot it. We haven’t seen it in a game consistently.”
