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Zach Clemence.

He's such an atypical Kansas big. In fact... I'm not sure I can point to a past Kansas big with a similar skillset.

Matt Tait recently addressed Zach in his story and believes the 5-spot is Zach's to lose.

https://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2022/jun/2/now-that-the-2022-23-kansas-basketball-r/ ↗

So what makes Zach different from other past KU bigs?

1. Footwork - We haven't seen Zach play enough yet, but it looks like he has unique footwork skills. That translates into quickness and possible full-court speed. Gifted low-post back-to-the-basket moves? Doubtful. But might Zach take his man to the hole from the perimeter? Yes! Might he be skilled at setting ball screens? Yes! Might he be capable at pick-and-rolls and pick-and pops? Yes! Might he develop into a big who can create good scoring space for his shot? Yes! Might he have good full-court speed to become a fastbreak threat? Yes! Might he learn to seal off the boards well for rebounding? Yes!

2. Shooting - Without learning good low-post footwork it is hard to imagine Zach will be a great finisher in low-post offense. His perimeter shot looks legit. If he earns floor time and is given the green light, and he puts up a respectable % from trey, Self can scheme a completely different offense than previous hi-lo schemes. If he can shoot well from trey, isn't it logical he has a soft touch for midrange scoring?

3. Handles - From the small sample of minutes he played last year, it appears that Zach has respectable handles. Respectable when compared with our typical past Kansas bigs. Good handles make him a threat in the open court, from taking a defensive rebound and leading a fast break, to taking his man off the dribble from the perimeter in our half court offense.

4. Basketball IQ - Soon we will know more about Zach's basketball IQ, though he looks to have a sharp, quick mind, capable of seizing opportunities by making quick, timely plays. His IQ will show us his passing ability and we may be in for quite a surprise.

5. Defense - We all know the importance of strength in becoming an effective low-post defender. Can Zach hold on to his floor position when being backed into by a strong 5? Time will tell. We know he is busy strengthening his tall, lanky frame. We've seen post players change their bodies (more than players at any other position). But there is more than low body strength involved in becoming a great D1 low-post defender. Withey proved this out. Quickness, timing, footwork, and knowledge is key to blocking shots. Zach seems to have a somewhat similar skillset to Withey on defense, except for the long volleyball background. It would be great for Zach to study Withey videos.

Will Self commit to maximizing the use of Zach? Only time will tell. To do so, it will take a great deal of work now to develop a very different offense. Why would he do this? Well... for one thing... he likes a challenge. He feels comfortable learning and trying new things. And... there are huge benefits at stake here. The future of bigs in basketball is for players capable of scoring from trey and handling the ball like guards. What a great recruiting tool... proving he can accommodate players with these skillsets versus just back-to-the-basket skills.

As much as Big Dave helped us this year with a natty... recruiting bigs similar to him in the future doesn't really help us move into the future and what the game is becoming. That will be apparent by watching Big Dave attempt a professional career. He is a very gifted big but those skills are being replaced with other skills.

Bill wanted Matthew Hurt BAD.

Also, he let Marcus launch 76 threes his final season, Kief 59, Perry 64, and the most recent example of Dedric shot 89.

The evidence is there that Bill will let him shoot.

Dedric is probably his closest comp from a Bill Self big man imo. And he put up 19 and 10. So, I think he knows what to do with Zach.

@Kcmatt7 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

Bill wanted Matthew Hurt BAD.

Also, he let Marcus launch 76 threes his final season, Kief 59, Perry 64, and the most recent example of Dedric shot 89.

The evidence is there that Bill will let him shoot.

Dedric is probably his closest comp from a Bill Self big man imo. And he put up 19 and 10. So, I think he knows what to do with Zach.

NU Bill is here. Zach will thrive.

One trait I really like about Zach so far: he plays with energy.

Start there and the technical skills will come along.

I was so bothered by Dedric! Couldn't jump, couldn't play D. Slow as heck. Nice shot. 3 out of 4 bothered me! I hope he's better than him! I really never saw a worse defender in college bb.

Big fan of Zach. Been driving that fan club wagon since before he signed here. Love the nasty he showed competing in the post. He's got that 'want to in him'. He didn't shoot the ball nearly as well as he can from deep or from the line. He's a bucket though & he'll score. Defensively I thought he was fine besides needing to get stronger to handle the grind down there. I'm sure that's being addressed. I think he's been underrated on that side since his HS days.

@Kcmatt7

Very interested to see how Self uses sets with Zach out there especially if he plays 25 + minutes a night. I think there will be growing pains but its exciting as well given KU hasn't had a shooter at the 5 in several years so there's very little film for teams to use against them early.

@Kcmatt7 where is Matt Hurt now?

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

I really never saw a worse defender in college bb.

There are MANY. Now if you are talking about starters at the KU level then sure...

@Kcmatt7 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

Also, he let Marcus launch 76 threes his final season, Kief 59, Perry 64, and the most recent example of Dedric shot 89.
The evidence is there that Bill will let him shoot.
Dedric is probably his closest comp from a Bill Self big man imo. And he put up 19 and 10. So, I think he knows what to do with Zach.

Even though we got stuck playing these guys at the 5, do you think any were legit 5s? Even Zach is listed as a forward... I've met him and he is a legit 6' 10" guy.

Is it possible we see him at the 4 sometimes? That could sure give a way where Bill could still go with a hybrid hi/lo with 4/1 and Zach on the perimeter. I'm thinking maybe Self tries Zach at the 4 when Jalen needs a blow... at least, early on, like Nov/Dec.

Do you think he will force him to play back-to-the-basket?

@Kcmatt7

With this guy coming in... why wouldn't Self go for more an old school 5?

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

@Kcmatt7 where is Matt Hurt now?

think he tried the NBA - -not sure f G league or not

Here is an interview with Cam. He sounds upbeat to receive some minutes this year. It really doesn't make sense to redshirt him last year without an idea to give him minutes this year. He's built different than Zach... but another outside scoring threat and ability to drive the ball with handles.

https://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2022/jun/6/ku-forward-cam-martin-talks-to-the-media/ ↗

So we have two big bigs with outside shooting. Is that enough to warrant developing special offense for them?

@drgnslayr said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

@Kcmatt7 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

Also, he let Marcus launch 76 threes his final season, Kief 59, Perry 64, and the most recent example of Dedric shot 89.
The evidence is there that Bill will let him shoot.
Dedric is probably his closest comp from a Bill Self big man imo. And he put up 19 and 10. So, I think he knows what to do with Zach.

Even though we got stuck playing these guys at the 5, do you think any were legit 5s? Even Zach is listed as a forward... I've met him and he is a legit 6' 10" guy.

Is it possible we see him at the 4 sometimes? That could sure give a way where Bill could still go with a hybrid hi/lo with 4/1 and Zach on the perimeter. I'm thinking maybe Self tries Zach at the 4 when Jalen needs a blow... at least, early on, like Nov/Dec.

Do you think he will force him to play back-to-the-basket?

I think we could see Zach some at the 4 this year when Self tightens the rotation if Clemence plays next to Udeh.

https://theathletic.com/3351775/2022/06/07/kansas-bill-self-2022-23-roster/?source=emp_shared_article ↗

Good insights from Bill about next years team.

@drgnslayr said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

@Kcmatt7

With this guy coming in... why wouldn't Self go for more an old school 5?

This gives you a bit of both. You saw last year a lot of pick'n roll but when Zach was in it turned into a lot of pick and pop.

So I think the offense can pretty much work with that flexibility. You just play the better mismatch. I also think Udeh is going to be a fouling machine the first 2/3 of the season. So Zach is just going to have to play minutes.

Just curious about this and I think both is going to help in careers, just curious. - How does Udeh compare with Zuby ? - - Doesn' Zuby have a little more offensive game at this point ? - I know think I've heard both have a long way to go offensively. Both prtty decent rebounders - just curious - - -Think Udeh again from what I've heard plays with a lot of aggression - - love that someone help me out.

@Kcmatt7 Udeh probably will foul a lot because Self won't care if he fouls a lot. Back up 5's under Self generally have very high foul rates because they don't usually have to worry about playing extended minutes. Their job is typically play all out for a 3-4 minute stretch and if they get a couple of fouls, it's not a big issue. Since KU does have really good depth at that spot, there's 5 guys that can play the 5 depending in what Self wants out of the line up so Udeh is likely to be guy that can pick up a lot of fouls while playing aggressive defense.

@Kcmatt7 announcer is really gonna miss him!😂

@drgnslayr does he go by Ernest?

First ive watched Udeh. Getting Big Dave vibes.

@approxinfinity Dave was more skilled at this stage.

Udeh is still very raw. I think he will become a very good player in time, but he has a ways to go on the development curve.

Offensively he is a lob threat and rebounder. He doesn't have the refined moves to go against college big men right now. I think he will develop those because he has good touch, but as @BShark noted, Big Dave was much further along coming out of HS. Udeh was able to dominate based on his physical skills and motor. If you're that big and you play hard in high school, most nights the opposition has no chance against you. In college, he's going to see guys that can match his athleticism and effort, but he has the tools to improve and become a force.

Defensively I think he will eventually be a very good (possibly elite) defensive player. He has to learn about positioning and things, but that is with all HS big men because D1 players are so much bigger, stronger, more athletic than their competition in HS that they don't have to be as refined with their footwork and positioning. As I said above, I think he gets there eventually. He could get minutes this year based on his motor and rebounding.

Ultimately, he could slot in nicely as a 10-15 mpg energy player off the bench this season, with a good shot at starting as a sophomore.

Speaking of big Dave, what's up with him? Heard about remy, nothing of BD.

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

@drgnslayr does he go by Ernest?

Appears so!

@justanotherfan

Your assessment makes sense to me.

@drgnslayr said in Is Self ready for his next big shift in basketball approach?:

@Kcmatt7

With this guy coming in... why wouldn't Self go for more an old school 5?

With all due respect to Udeh, I think Zach will be the starter. Zach has a winning mentality, and has a "sharp, quick mind" as you put it, which I 100% agree. Plus, he is the only Jayhawk player who has ever tweeted me back, so he's up there in my books. Here is his latest. Dude is confident: