March has been known to enter like a lion, exit like a lamb. The Kansas basketball has had a similar refrain over the last two years. Early exits in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments have made lamb chops the Jayhawks.
There is not much debate, this is clearly one of the most talented teams in the country. The Jayhawks have enough McDonalds All-Americans to... well, staff a Lawrence McDonalds. But as Bill Self has learned over the past two seasons, talent gets you to the chapel. It doesnt put on the tux.
The reasons for the last two early exits are varied. Overconfidence, dispassionate play and tough matchups against better-than-seeded mid-majors are all factors. Most importantly, however, the current crop of Jayhawks has been nagged by one thing: lack of leadership.
Look at the NCAA champions over the last decade and it is impossible to ignore. Title teams have unquestioned leaders. Carmelo Anthony for Syracuse. Marylands Juan Dixon. Emeka Okafor at UConn. Shane Battier for Duke. The list is longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls at Union Station.
Unfortunately for Kansas the past two seasons have been a never-ending interview for the position. Does anyone actually WANT this job? Often times, experience decides leadership. Junior Russell Robinson fits that bill as the eldest starter. However, Russ-Rob (as he is known at the dining hall) has never comfortably fit into that shoe. At times Robinson has barked directions at his teammates, drove to the basket and dished for a go-ahead bucket. But too often, Robinsons game is erratic and lacks the consistency needed for the role.
The most talented player on the team is often tabbed as the leader, however that title belongs to Brandon Rush and he has eschewed the task since day one in Lawrence. Rush is a mild-mannered guy, a teammate who easily walks the locker room and politely answers all questions. But Rush is also uncomfortable demanding a certain level from his teammates and without a sharp vocal edge.
Julian Wright reportedly gathered his teammates for a players only meeting in Las Vegas after a shoddy outing in November, but too often Wright seems uncertain in his own play. Amazingly, the responsibility of leading the 2007 Jayhawks past the first weekend of the tournament falls to a freshman: Sherron Collins.
Despite his youth, the 5-11, 200-pound bowling ball from Chi-Town is clearly most fit for the task. Collins provided the needed juice off the bench throughout the Big 12 season and has the ability to dominate games offensively. He scored in double-digits only five times in his first 15 games as a Jayhawk. But upon the start of conference play, he went for ten points or more in 11 of the next 13.
Not coincidentally, Kansas went 11-2 in those games and in two of those contests, Collins proved to be the best player in uniform. He torched Mizzou for 23 points in an 80-77 win at the Phog. In the highly-anticipated matchup at Bramlage Coliseum, Collins went for 20 in a 71-62 victory. Notably, both games were nationally televised affairs. In his other most impressive performance, Collins held the Jayhawks close to Texas A&M with an array of blitzes to the basket, netting 18 points in the gut-wrenching loss.
More than his scoring, Collins junkyard dog mentality defines his play. He was a standout football player in the Chicago Public League and drives to the basket like a 4th-and-goal plunge into the end zone. Collins has also aggressively barked orders at his teammates and signaled defensive matchups in the huddle, all without overstepping his boundaries.
Jayhawk Nation is still waking up in cold sweats reliving Bucknell and Bradley and the crushed expectations of the last two NCAA tournaments. So, resting its hopes on a 19-year-old will not be easy. But Sherron Collins has proven to be the leader this team so desperately needs in March. In like a lamb, out like a lion.
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March has been known to enter like a lion, exit like a lamb. The Kansas basketball has had a similar refrain over the last two years. Early exits in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments have made lamb chops the Jayhawks. 
