Dwight Coleby’s quality minutes keep Lucas’ career alive for Jayhawks

Landen Lucas embraced teammate Dwight Coleby after he entered the locker room following Kansas’ 90-70 victory over Michigan State on Sunday night.

“He just told me, ‘You saved my career,’ ” Coleby said. “ ‘I’m happy and proud of you.’ ”

Lucas wasn’t joking.

Coleby, who didn’t play in eight of KU’s 18 regular-season conference games, emerged at the perfect time for KU with nine critical second-half minutes when Lucas had to sit with foul trouble.

“He came in and made some of the biggest plays,” Lucas said. “I thank him so much for that.”

Coleby also received appreciation from Lucas on the sideline in the form of bear hugs. After the game, KU coach Bill Self found the forward to say he was proud of him, especially because he’d persevered following his recovery from a torn ACL last season.

“He deserves that because it’s been a rough go for him,” Self said. “His attitude’s is so good. He’s such a great kid. To see him respond like that … I just know our kids are so happy for him.”

One of Coleby’s biggest plays came with 4:58 left, as he muscled past Michigan State’s Nick Ward to squeeze an offensive rebound on a three-point miss by Josh Jackson. A few passes later, Devonté Graham hit a three from the corner as KU continued its game-deciding run.

“We told him he was the MVP of the game,” Graham said.

A few days earlier, Graham was asked by a radio station if he believed there was someone unheralded on KU’s bench that might emerge during the season’s most important stretch. He picked Coleby.

“He actually did it this game,” Graham said. “He was huge getting those rebounds and on the defensive end, walling up and getting stops and rebounding on the defensive end. He played his butt off.”

Self was impressed with Coleby on both ends as well.

“I thought he was as valuable as anybody we had today,” Self said. “I thought he was great. It wasn’t just post defense. He got a couple steals his ball-screen defense was good.”

It all made for more comfortable viewing for Lucas, who knew with foul trouble that he would have little control of the game’s outcome while sitting on the sideline. That thought quickly faded, as KU extended its lead with Coleby on the floor.

“He came in and made some of the biggest plays,” Lucas said. “I thank him so much for that.”

Coleby was asked in the locker room if he truly believed he had saved his buddy’s career. He shrugged.

“If he said I did,” Coleby said with a wide grin, “then I guess so.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Dwight Coleby’s quality minutes keep Lucas’ career alive for Jayhawks."