Coach of KU’s first-round NCAA Tourney foe preparing as if Jayhawks are full-strength
Eastern Washington basketball coach Shantay Legans says the Eagles, the No. 14-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament West Regional, are preparing for No. 3 Kansas assuming the Jayhawks will be full strength for Saturday’s first-round game.
“We can’t prepare and not be ready for if McCormack doesn’t come back or if he does come back or if Wilson misses. Those two guys are really good,” Legans said of KU junior power forward David McCormack, who has been in COVID-19 protocols the past several days in Lawrence, and freshman small forward Jalen Wilson, who also did not make the trip to Indianapolis with KU’s team on Monday.
KU officials have not reported anything on the status of Wilson. They have not said if the freshman small forward is the member of KU’s team who tested positive Friday in Kansas City, forcing the Jayhawks to withdraw from the Big 12 tournament after one game.
“We will prepare like they are going to be there, because if you don’t prepare (for 12:15 p.m., game at Farmers Coliseum in Indy) and they are there, our guys will look at us like we’re crazy. I’d rather have them say, ‘Hey they’re not here,’’’ Legans added.
Legans — his (16-7) Eagles won the 2021 Big Sky postseason tournament last weekend in Boise, Idaho — said he has a “feeling a couple of them (Jayhawks not yet in Indianapolis) will make it, will be here for the game.”
KU reserve wing Tristan Enaruna, McCormack’s roommate, also has been in COVID-19 protocols the past several days in Lawrence.
“I know it’s a tough situation,” Legans said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters. “I think Kansas has really good people helping them with the health of the players. I know they are not going to put anybody in jeopardy. I’m pretty sure they’ll be ready to go when game time comes Saturday, at least two of the three.
“Especially when you are looking at the protocols, when they got it, when they didn’t ... Unless they (players) aren’t doing everything the right way I’m pretty sure those young men will be there to represent Kansas and play like they usually do.”
Legans described his own team’s battles with COVID this season.
“We had a 27-day (break) where we didn’t have a game,” Legans said of a period from the third week of December to mid-January.
Upon returning to the court, EWU beat Southern Utah 75-73 on Jan. 14, then lost to the same team, 99-94, two days later. Both games were played in Cheney, Wash., which is where Eastern Washington is located.
“We played good the first game back, turned around and lost the second game. We gave up 99 points which we hadn’t done. We sputtered out at the end, the last 10 minutes,” Legans said.
“It was hard coming out of it (quarantine), not knowing what to expect. These big guys need to get a little push. Little guys like me, we are OK to go right away. We are not tall. We don’t get sore. We don’t get stiff. Big guys (such as 6-9 Big Sky MVP Tanner Groves) need to get a little bit under them.
Legans said during COVID-19 stoppages, “It’s hard because they are not able to lift weights, not able to get shots up, not able to eat good food.”
The Eagles also were idle a week in late January. Upon returning to the court, EWU took two from Sacramento State in games played Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Cheney.
“That was a case we gained a little experience doing it the first time,” Legans noted.
Eastern Washington is led by Groves, a 235-pound junior forward from Spokane, Washington, who averages 16.4 points and 8.1 boards a game. Kim Aiken, a 6-7 junior wing from Redlands, California, was named the league’s defensive player of the year. He averages 11.7 points and 8.5 boards with 31 steals and 25 blocked shots in 23 games.
Tyler Robertson,a 6-6 sophomore guard from Australia, was picked the league’s top reserve. He averages 11.3 points and 3.6 boards a game.
Legans provided a quick scouting report on his Eagles, who in the non-conference season lost to Washington State (71-68 in Pullman, Washington); to Arizona (70-67, Dec. 5 in Tucson) and to Oregon (69-52, Dec. 7 in Eugene).
“We like to get up and down. We like to play fast,” Legans said.
The Eagles, who have won 13 of their last 14 games, average 78.0 points per game while allowing 69.4.
“I let them get out and do some different things,” the coach said. “We are creative a lot of the time. We’re a hard team to scout I believe. We’ve got five guys on the scout who can really shoot the three. We play fast but also know how to throw the ball inside. We have guys who can shoot from the perimeter.
“We are not a team that will come down and run 1,000 sets. We put them in a lot of concepts, try to get them in space, spread the floor. If we spread the floor we get very good shots. We play a lot of possessions. ... I think we are a solid defensive team. You’ll see us bring a lot of energy, play with a lot of passion and put everything on the line every possession.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Coach of KU’s first-round NCAA Tourney foe preparing as if Jayhawks are full-strength."
