Photo: Chad Cushing/University Daily Kansan; Junior guard AJ Storr hangs on the rim after throwing down an aggressive alley-oop, sending the student section into a frenzy during the game versus UNC on Nov. 8, 2024, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
Joey Bongard | josephbongard@ku.edu
Storr opened his junior season against Howard as the second man off the bench on a loaded Jayhawks roster. He went 2 of 5 from the field and made his only three-point attempt of the night. He tallied two rebounds and two assists in his 15 minutes of playing time, helping the Jayhawks to a 30-point, 87-57 victory in his first game at Allen Fieldhouse.
No First Half Jitters
Storr began his time against UNC after being on the bench for just six minutes. He went on to play 12 of the next 14. Storr went for 8 points during this time while shooting 4/6. Tacking on 3 assists, AJ was responsible for 15 KU points, not including a goaltending call he earned. Storr’s 3 assists are more than triple his average from his sophomore season while he’s rebounding at about half his pace from the 23-24 season. He showed off his athletic ability early in his playing time with 11:36 remaining, receiving a transition lob from senior guard David Coit. He then scored two of his next three shots, including a finger roll from the left side of the glass, and a stepback two ball with a defender in his face.
Keeping Pace: Storr and the Jayhawks Adjust to Tar Heel Tempo
Heading into the second half of action, Storr found himself on the court less than three minutes in, joining the Jayhawks with 17:14 remaining in the second half. After missing his first shot, and being blocked on his second, Storr poked the ball loose leading to an electrifying transition 2 as KU’s lead was cut to six just mere seconds before. He followed this score up with an open three ball before being taken out after nine minutes of play in the second half. Though he did not find himself to be much of an offensive threat, scoring just 5 points, Storr had enough of coach Self’s trust to play in the winding seconds of a game that came down to the final shot.
As a team, KU had a much different shot selection than we saw against Howard earlier in the week. By not taking as many three balls, and for that matter, not making as many, KU was heavily reliant on the play underneath the rim which UNC did a fantastic job of defending in the second half. UNC has arguably the fastest and best backcourt in the country with three amazing guards who all play incredibly quickly. This tempo hurt KU as UNC surged back from a 20-point deficit, and eventually took a lead late in the second half. The Jayhawks relied on old-fashioned “ball and body, move the ball so it doesn’t stick,” as coach self calls it. It was made clear in his post-game press conference that Self wants his team to receive a pass, and then make another and move immediately. By doing this, it prevents the opponent from being able to play man defense, forcing them into a zone which can often give the advantage to the Jayhawks to find a mismatch down low or an open man in the corner for a three. This ended up being the Jayhawks’ saving grace, leading to the victory over UNC.
Storr’s Closing Confidence
As the final buzzer sounded, AJ was still on the court ending with 13 points on 6/13 shooting including 1/3 from deep. In 28 minutes, Storr had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 fouls with a +/- of 5. “I think he played great tonight,” coach Self said when asked about AJ’s performance, “he’ll be fine. We’ve been practicing hard for 6 weeks, and his attitude is great, and we saw a different AJ when the lights came on.” It is safe to say this is one of the toughest tests this Kansas team will face this year, and coach Self and his team are fully confident in AJ’s possibilities and what he can do as the season grows deeper. The final score was 92-89, as the Kansas Jayhawks prevailed over the North Carolina Tar Heels.