Howard hoops coach tutored Jalen Wilson at NBA Combine; Bison player is from Kansas

Howard University basketball coach Kenneth Blakeney has not needed to scour film to learn the tendencies of consensus All-America forward Jalen Wilson of Kansas.

Blakeney actually coached the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Wilson during games contested at last year’s NBA Combine in Chicago.

“I got to know him and spent a week with him so it’s wonderful to be connected with him again in this capacity,” said Blakeney, a former Duke player who won two national championships (1991, ’92) while playing for Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Blakeney will coach the No. 16 seed Bison (22-12) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference during a first-round NCAA Tournament West Regional game against KU set for 1 p.m., Thursday, at Wells Fargo Arena.

Here’s Blakeney’s assessment of Wilson, player of the year in the Big 12 Conference and starter on last year’s NCAA title team.

“Jalen Wilson will play in the NBA. He’s really, really good,” Blakeney said. “He’s a guy that can attack. He puts it on the floor. He can go and score from three layers. I think he’s done a terrific job of mixing up his game more. He’s posting a little bit more this year and he’s shooting the ball really well. Then he plays with a motor on both sides of the ball that fits that level of basketball.”

Wilson said he enjoyed working with Blakeney at the 2022 combine in Chicago. Wilson ultimately withdrew his name from the draft pool and elected to return for his redshirt-junior campaign at KU.

“That was the one good thing about the combine I was able to work with a lot of different people and coaches, well-respected men, and I appreciate everything that we were able to encounter at the Combine. It was great,” Wilson said.

Howard has a player from state of Kansas

Kansas’ opening-round NCAA Tournament game against Howard University holds special meaning for Bison senior Kobe Dickson.

“I went to their basketball camps as a kid. I went to games, the whole nine yards,” said Dickson, a 6-9, 250-pound senior forward from Holcomb, Kansas. He averages 4.9 points on 59.2% shooting for the Bison. He also contributes 2.1 rebounds per contest while logging 14.8 minutes a game.

“I have a photo album of me in Kansas gear. This week I had to delete some of those photos and get rid of some of that gear,” Dickson added.

He was “really excited” Sunday when the NCAA pairings were announced.

“It’s been a long journey for me but I am glad it has led to this moment and I am here right now,” Dickson said.

Bison’s Williams was on team that played KU

Howard senior guard Jelani Williams was a redshirt freshman at Penn when the Quakers fell to KU 76-60 in a 1 seed versus 16 seed game on March 15, 2018, in Wichita.

Coincidentally the 2018 NCAA Tournament was the only one in which a 16 seed (UMBC) defeated a 1 (Virginia).

“Interestingly enough I was a freshman at Penn that year and we played Kansas as a 16 in 2018 so I did know that was the five-year anniversary, interesting coincidence,” Williams said Wednesday of the year a 1 lost to a 16. “(We’re) definitely excited and going to give our best game.”

Williams added: “Not to give away too much of our game plan, but I definitely remember that game. We played them pretty tough. Took them down to the last couple minutes and they stretched it out with free throws at the end. Excited to get a rematch and hope to come out with a win this time.”

Of playing on the five-year anniversary of a 1 losing to a 16, Howard junior forward Steve Settle said: “Definitely a surreal feeling and know that it can be done. We’re going to keep that in mind and play our game.”

Howard point guard is good student, too

Sophomore point guard Elijah Hawkins has been a joy to coach, Blakeney said.

“Our point guard was a 3.75 student this semester and he interned on Capitol Hill and was part of the January 6th hearings. So we are proud of that as well,” Blakeney said.

“We play a style of basketball that’s fun to play and fun to watch. I’m an inner-city kid. I grew up in Washington, D.C., and we love playing inner city basketball, but there is structure to how we play as well,” Blakeney added of the Bison. “We want to play at a pace that’s fast. We practice with a 14-second shot clock on missed shots. We try to get up and down the court within six seconds in practice and it’s something — from a perspective of players and fans — it’s fun for both sides.”

Of the upcoming battle between lead guards, Blakeney said: “I think it’s the most important matchup of the day. Two guys that make their team go. We’re as good as Elijah Hawkins makes us to be and I think that’s the same thing for Kansas with (Dajuan) Harris.”

Howard, KU both played Kentucky

Howard lost to Kentucky 95-63 on Nov. 7 in Lexington. KU beat UK 77-68 on Jan. 28, also in Lexington.

“We had a chance to play Kentucky earlier in the season. I think we are such a different team from our first game until now,” Blakeney said. “We have gone through starting lineups until we found a rhythm. In our first game against Kentucky we were going through a stretch of so many games at the beginning of our season.

“I think having a chance to play a blue blood will give us a little bit of familiarity of what that feels like. But, you know, we’re just fortunate to be on the same court as Kansas and honored to compete against a Hall of Fame coach like Bill Self.”

Of the loss to Kentucky, Settle said: “I think the biggest thing I learned from that game and the biggest thing our team learned is the intensity these guys play with on this level and the physicality. That was a great learning experience for me. That’s something that I have to carry with me into tomorrow.”

Noted Williams: I think we recognize the level that they play at, the athleticism, the physicality, everything that you have to do to be successful and to stay in those games. I think we’re a way different team than we were at the beginning of the season playing against Kentucky. We have learned a lot of lessons about how we have to play to be successful in our brand of basketball so we’re excited to see how far we’ve come for sure.”