Jalen Wilson becomes double-double machine for Kansas: ‘It’s been really good lately’
Jalen Wilson is the first freshman in Kansas men’s basketball history to record four consecutive double-doubles.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound small forward from Denton, Texas, who scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in KU’s 64-50 victory over Iowa State on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, also had 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 97-64 win over the same Cyclones on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse; 11 points and 11 boards in a 78-66 win over Oklahoma State on Monday at Allen and 16 points and 14 boards in a 91-79 loss to West Virginia on Feb. 6 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
“I’ve been trying to be aggressive on the defensive end and rebounding. That’s something that gets me going and helps my team,” said Wilson, who with four consecutive double-doubles, is just three shy of the school record of seven consecutive double-doubles set by Drew Gooden in 2001-02 and Raef LaFrentz in 1997-98.
“My teammates have helped me. They always had the confidence in me to do it as well as myself. It’s been really good lately,” Wilson added.
Thomas Robinson had six straight double-doubles in one stretch, then five straight in another in 2011-12. Wayne Simien (2004-05), Nick Collison (2002-03) and Danny Manning (1986-87, 87-88) all had five consecutive double-doubles, while Paul Pierce (1996-97), Eric Chenowith (1998-99), Cole Aldrich (2008-09, 2009-10), Dedric Lawson (2018-19), LaFrentz (1996-97) and Simien (2004-05) each, like Wilson, had four straight.
None of those players were freshmen during their stretches of consecutive double-doubles.
It should be noted rebounding was not kept as an official NCAA stat until 1973, thus dominant KU players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Lovellette and some others who likely racked up a bunch of double-doubles are not listed in that category in KU’s record book.
“Jalen always brings something to the table — energy, passion, rebounding, getting us open looks. He was able to capitalize on his scoring today,” KU junior forward David McCormack said Saturday after Wilson hit 7 of 15 shots, including 4 of 8 threes. He was 4-of-5 from the line..
Wilson — he redshirted in 2019-20 after breaking his ankle in the second game of the season — also had double-doubles earlier this season against Kentucky (23 points, 10 rebounds), North Dakota State (14 points, 15 boards) and Creighton (23 points, 10 boards).
“There’s no hesitation. He plays hard every game,” said KU sophomore wing Tristan Enaruna. “He hits the glass. He tries to get his own shots. He’s not afraid to shoot the ball. He is not afraid to make mistakes or make plays. He’s been really good.”
For the year, Wilson has averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He’s made 96 of 215 shots for 44.7%. He’s cashed 34 of 95 threes for 35.8% percent and has made 64.4% of his free throws.
“He’s arguably as good a performer as we’ve had all year. He’s been terrific,” KU coach Bill Self said recently. “With Jalen I do expect him to be on the glass. I love how he’s playing. He’s the most aggressive kid we have offensively. He has no fear. He has to tighten some things up and become a little more comfortable when to score and look for shots. I think he needs to be a double-figure scorer for us without question,” Self added.
Wilson scored 12 points in the second half Saturday, helping KU break open a close game at ISU. The two teams struggled to a 24-24 deadlock the first half.
“I thought he was great. He was our best offensive player, our best rebounder,” Self said of Wilson. “He picked his spots wisely. He played with pace, poise. He knocked down four big threes. I thought he was really good.”
Wilson seems to have bought into the fact this KU team needs to play well defensively most nights to win.
“Our defense fuels us,” Wilson said. “I would say it’s been really good. We are really focused coming into the game, not thinking about scoring or offense, just worrying about making teams play bad as coach says. We’re worrying about our defensive principles. Once we do that, offense comes to us naturally. If we get stops it gives us energy and momentum. We’ve been bringing that a lot lately,” Wilson added.
KU (15-7, 9-5) will next meet Kansas State (5-17, 1-12) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Jalen Wilson becomes double-double machine for Kansas: ‘It’s been really good lately’."
