By Steve Brisendine
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - Aaron Miles' confidence made him a freshman starter for a Final Four team. A year later, it almost undid him.

When Miles began his sophomore season determined to prove he belonged among the nation's elite point guards, the Jayhawks struggled to their first 3-3 start since 1979.

When Miles quit trying to prove a point and accepted his role in Kansas' offense, the team began a turnaround that put the Jayhawks back in the Final Four for the second straight year and the fourth time in coach Roy Williams' 15 years.

"I came in early this year trying to do more than I think was needed for the team," Miles said Friday. "I kind of got outside my game. Now, I'm just trying to do what's needed."

That proved tougher than it sounded, in part because Williams heaped so much praise on his freshman guard at the end of last year's tournament. Despite having future NBA player Drew Gooden and stars Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich on the same squad, Williams called Miles the Jayhawks' best player in the NCAA semifinals following a 12-point, 10-assist performance in the loss to Maryland.

"I really thought that would help him so much, that he'd work very hard over the summer," Williams said. "He did, but yet he got off to a little bit of a slow start.

Williams believes his young guard spent too much time and energy trying to play like somebody else.

Who?

Texas' T.J. Ford, perhaps. Or Notre Dame's Chris Thomas. How about Alabama's Maurice Williams?

None of them, really, Miles said. He just wanted to add his name to the list.

"There are so many good point guards in my class," he said. "But I can't worry about that. I just have to concentrate on playing my game and doing what's best for my team."

Now that Miles' focus is back squarely on his team, it's Marquette that has to be concerned.

"I remember playing him a lot in AAU," said Golden Eagles point guard Travis Diener. "I like how he plays the game. He sees the floor extremely well and can knock down the open shot, but he never forces a bad shot."

Diener must not have been watching early this season, when Miles' shooting lines from Kansas' first four games read: 2-for-4, 0-for-4, 1-for-6 and 3-for-12.

It looked like that stretch was over after a 6-for-12 night against Central Missouri State, a Division II team. But Miles followed that up with his worst game of the season - in his hometown of Portland, Ore., no less.

He shot 1-for-11, committed seven turnovers and scored four points in a Dec. 7 loss to Oregon. Clearly, something had to change.

It did, four days later. Miles' resurgence began - this time in earnest - with a 15-point, eight-assist, five-steal performance against 17th-ranked Tulsa.

His assist average is up to 6.4 per game, close to his 6.8 as a freshman. His assists-to-turnovers ratio is a steady 2-to-1. He has 90 steals, up from 60 a year ago.

"At times this year he's been absolutely sensational, and there have been other times when he hasn't been as good," Williams said. "But I know what he means to our club on the basis of the will to win, and that's what Aaron Miles does better than everything."

Since he stopped forcing shots, Miles' offense has improved too. He's scored in double digits twice as often as last season, and boosted his average from 7.1 points per game to 8.9.

"Everybody's always on him for not being able to make shots, but before he's done, he's going to be a really good shooter," Hinrich said.

What no one ever questioned was Miles' spark.

"He brings something to this team - a little swagger, a little confidence," Hinrich said. "He's been putting that out there for the last couple of years."