🏀 KuBuckets Archive

“The thing about it is that on a national scene, we’ve been ranked higher preseason a lot of times than we are this year,” said Bill Self... (link to full story ↗)

In other news, Brandon Rush, who is now on the Utah Jazz, is getting closer to his return from ACL surgery. He has started to play 3-on-3 in practices.

Xavier Henry has lit it up so far in his first two games as a Laker, with averages of 18 points and 5 rebounds.

I find myself no longer looking at LJW much at all, except for thumbnails. The great discussions & tangents from the stories we had there were the best part for me & most of the savvy board rats are no longer contributing there. When they do, the dissenters quickly follow, or just disagree with the author it seems. What a shame to scatter the fanbase & loyalty we had for that site. But I am truly thankful many have landed here to continue high quality analytical, objective ideas, peppered & seasoned with the elements of wit, wisdom, & spontaneity. Once again approxinfinity, you've done well and thanks.

Couldn't have said it better, Global.

But I am missing my periodic updates on insights surrounding the shoe companies.

I hope Jaybate returns someday!

@drgnslayr...+10

I assume everyone is doing what I'm doing-- dividing time between here and there.

If so, I hope the posting of new threads with new articles is helpful.

I think these postings give us a 'starting point' for the latest info on KU ball... We can't write the articles, but we can aggregate links to the articles from KU Sports and other sources and the discussions can ensue from there.

The postings over the past few days have been fantastic! The quality here is as good as or better than what we had before.

This is a great community because of the insights everyone is contributing!

KUsports is still the best source of information on Ku sports. The articles are generally quite good, the staff is dedicated and insightful. I'll keep reading, and I may even post there occasionally. But it's not what it was.

KUsports in 2013 is Roy Williams in 2003. We had a beautiful thing, and a decision was made that ended it. I appreciate everything Roy did for the university and KU basketball. I understand why he made his decision, and even though I was hurt and disappointed, I wish him the best.

But it sure was nice to beat him in the tournament. Twice. And it was kind of nice to see that the number of posts here during the game Tuesday quadrupled the number at KUsports.

Here's hoping that this site will be Bill Self, making us all feel better about Roy's decision. Indications are good so far.

Good post, tundrahok. Since 2008, we have actually ended Roy's UNC tournament appearances 3 (THREE) times. In the '08 Final4, and then 2 yrs straight recently...3 times in 6yrs. To me that proves something about Self's system over Roy's (although yes, I loved Roy for the 15yrs he gave us.) RCJH.

Yes, three! It's getting to be such a regular thing, I lost count!

I found it interesting (as I still lurk at KUsports) the other day that the LJWorld won an award for best online content for a paper its size. I commented that the award feels strange because they ruined it for a lot of us and one or two people gave me snide comments while 7 people thumbs upped my comment. I'd like to think we were all a little part of that award.

Yeah I was guessing it was for last years content and not the recent past few weeks.

Oh well their award, we can't even talk about with them there.

@wissoxfan83 I agree.

KU Sports has great reporting and solid writing and they are deserving of the award based on the merits of their journalism.

Their online capabilities are great. Their policies were great.

Jesse Newell is especially excellent at providing analysis that is unparalleled and cutting edge. I can't believe he didn't win. I would ask E&P to show me a reporter doing better sports analysis in the category.

Anyway, I'm not sure if the thriving community was part of the award because the judges may not have access to the metrics of the site. However, I'm pretty sure that if they did look at engagement and volume metrics, 2014's entry will not fare well compared to 2013.

@wissoxfan83 The KU sports site needs to remain under 1 million unique viewers to remain in the category that they won. I'm sure their recent policy will help assure that.

I really believe that the rats on this new site are much more respectful & yet even more constructive than what I personally experienced at LJW, with a few exceptions, & those being the tangents & discussions of the articles themselves by extremely knowledgeable & humorously witty contributors like Oakville & jaybate. Hey if that's better content & discussion then I'm all for it & am thrilled that the majority have moved on with us. A new day has definitely dawned for us hard core Hawksters. But I do wish those guys would "see the Light" & link up here-I don't mind skimming the diatribe at times to get to the teeth of the story. And it wasn't very often that those two couldn't nail it either. Been reflecting more of late if they are possibly one in the same & if a conflict of interest has them (him) muffled...Always before when I directly contacted either of them, & that has been maybe 8-10 occasions through the years, they have graciously replied. But again, this time nothing but silence, and we all know that's probably kicking the snot right out of old jaybate. One of my absolute fav posts of his ever, was one of his last & recent, about the grand refurbishment of KC's Municipal Auditorium & the crooked old politician Mayor Pendergast. You talk about conjuring up the memory-wow... Riding the busses endlessly for plastic mill tokens, seemingly commandeering the Missouri Pacific Eagle into Union Station, the simply fantastic Panavision screen at the majestic Uptown Theatre that lighted the world with Gunfight at the OK Corral, and the marvelous & magnifigant Midland. I can't help but scratch my head & wonder why he is quiet now & in retrospect have a twinkling of thought that he may have actually posted somewhat of eulogy, knowing that the site would implode. If jb wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, I've no idea who it was. And in his words, I certainly intend no malice to anyone with that opinionated statement. We have every bit the talented insight now that we enjoyed there. But ladies & gents, what a gifted writer to share ideas with. That, is what I will always miss about the LJW days the most. But we are creating that here & now, little by little, and certainly have a lofty target of Jayhawk excellence to aim for. I am every bit as honored to exchange thoughts with the board rats on this site as ever before. We've got a good thing going here, so please keep it up the high quality and commitment to that excellence. And Oakville & JB...we'll always leave the lights on for ya!

@drgnslayr-When informed by my PCP the other day that he will no longer be affiliated with the same hospital & is moving on to another because of the HCRA, I immediately thought of jb's shoe company updates as he assured me that at his new location our insurance would likely be accepted because, in his own words, "Most hospitals are like insurance (shoe) whores." You might imagine that I was somewhat more surprised that my Dr made that analogy than old jaybate. And I would, with all due respects, like to report for the record, he & I were actually within a year or so being of a similar age, and that would be... getting older.

@drgnslayr. Be careful with what you wish. Jaybate might join the Forum and proceed to use up all the available bandwidth and put the place out of business.

@wissoxfan83 I gave you one of those thumbs ups!

Enjoyed the read from everyone in here today. Great job, people!

After the fallout at KUSports we were all licking our wounds. I think the entire experience has made us all realize how special this is, and how this opportunity is a privilege and not a right. Yes, we have a right for free speech, but we don't have a guarantee we'll be able to do it in such a quality environment around the focus on what we all love, KU basketball!

I hope we can all keep that understanding as we move forward. I'm sure we will all loosen up more as time goes by, and that may even be a good thing. We do need to challenge each other, though we can do it in a respectful manner and we don't need the content police exhibiting their will and whim at every discretion.

I try to put lots of energy into posting... and I do that because I receive 10-times the energy back to me with quality posts from everyone in here. There is a level of selfishness in my time spent here... a lot more selfishness than ego. I prefer reading more than posting. Thank you (to everyone) for creating the magic!

KUBuckets does have a different feel from KUSports. Part of that relates to how KUBuckets came to be. This place feels more like a renegade step child and KUSports feels more like mainstream. I've always been someone who likes to support the underdog. I'm fine conceding the top dog award to KUSports. I was a bit t'd at them initially for assuming I wasn't giving my real name and cutting me off... but that was resolved after I devoured a nice pastry. I want to commend all the writers, photographers, webmasters and all who make that site great! It still possesses half the magic! So we'll continue on and make the other half!

Global - Maybe you give Doc a checkup... maybe he's Jaybate!

JayHawkFanToo - If he does use up the bandwidth, I'd be happy to give up some of mine. JB would obviously put some meat on the bones of this site. Some might argue fat... but let's just say he'd give us more weight on the scales, and an increase on the scales means we'll be found more often on Google. It all helps us grow as more discover this website!

Maybe we all need to help out with SEO in here by mentioning all the search keywords we want to emphasize in Google. Right now I think I'd like to mention how much we all loooove our Canadian friends to the north! Canadian basketball is growing exponentially in size and quality. I hope Andrew Wiggins is just the beginning of quality high school basketball recruits we land at Kansas! Did I say high school recruits? Let's add the keyword phrase... college basketball recruits. Laudy dee, laudy daa... Jaybate... help me out, brother! We need one of your long posts full of nice Google keyword phrases!

Awesome read, as per your norm.

I emailed KUsports about using real names, because when I signed up there years ago I used my real name, I had nothing to hide then as I do not now(OK I shortened it here to just JRyman, but you get the point). I did not get a response, not even a corporate thank you but to bad reply from them at all.

I go there ever so frequently now, just look, try to read a quick article answer my google question and move on. Barely read the post there as I know the people I was used to seeing day in and day out are not there anymore or as much.

This sight and Jayhawk Lounge are both good places to catch up with other Jayhawk fans.

I have to depend on the internet for anything KU related living up in Omaha. Sure ESPN has some WIggins up dates here and there, but for real news about the team day to day I have to go WWWing to find it.

I feel like if we keep going here or where ever we go to post and enjoy the banter between KU fans then We as fans will be ok. And as others come join us little by little we will be like the Phoenix rising from the ashes and having something we can truly be a proud part of.

Change does manage to clean the cobwebs from one's vision and brain. Change puts the action back into reaction. We neither can contain or control, but I imagine, more change is still in the works. If you think of how the past was so easy for so many, a smorgasboard of information, initiated by a perpetual need for annoying survey questions before reading an article, and subsequent bombardation of ads, while only a click away from spewing uncensored opinions. One has to wonder if the change is at its final chapter or is this only the pinnacle above the surface of the water that we see? Thanks for beginning KU Buckets. Long live the opinions of the many who share the Rock Chalk Chant.

I maybe visit kusports once a day now. Haven't been there today though. Probably won't either. I'm sure they've got a good article up that I'd like and then the one by keegs. I used to click on the site every time I was at my laptop, which is a lot on the days I'm at work and have a co-worker to do half of the work! Now I spend my time refreshing this site to get the latest 'Hawks updates and commentary. I don't care to talk to "Jerry" Bedore.

No doubt their website hits are down from this time last year. And probably by a lot. I guess that's why they changed their fb only stance and came up with other ways to access.

Was walking around lunch time here in Austin today in my Rock Chalk Jayhawk shirt and had 4 groups of 4-5 guys each shout ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK. Proud to be representing here in Austin and looks like some fans are here for the football game.

RCT- had biz today in Austin but totally blanked on the ku game this weekend. I should have stopped at 6 th street before I left town. Enjoy the game and festivities- 6th was one big Halloween party 2 years ago.

And to the rest above GREAT POSTS.

@redblueku-Welcome aboard, spoken as only a true Hawk fan can. Fine summation indeed. New posts like yours are making this board the new favorite home of Hawk fans everywhere on the planet...Yeah!

@redblueku-And may I graciously & respectfully add that such vision as you've displayed in your timely maiden post reminds me greatly of someone dear, whom I never met..."Bitte schön", heir redblueku meister, and "Ihr Willkommenand."

@redblueku Welcome aboard! Future change here regarding the site will be good change.... We are working on the redesign of the live game chat, we're going to be restyling the site, and I'm sure the Nodebb guys will cook up some good stuff as well. Don't worry. By restyling I mean fonts colors and images, not ads, questionnaires and federated authentication.

I was at a cross country meet for my daughter in Omaha this fall, now I have jaded her into being a Jayhawks fan and she wears a Jayhawk head ban when she runs. Free State High was up here fro the meet. Everywhere we walked, I too was wearing KU gear, we got "Rock Chalk" from random people. It wasn't untl lthey were running that I knew Free State was here, so I couldn't figure it out.

But love the way KU fans come together out of nowhere over a shirt, hat or even a head band.

Rock Chalk!

"By restyling I mean fonts colors and images, not ads, questionnaires and federated authentication."

Oh dang! All the questions made me feel like someone cared about me!

; )

Changing of the guard....KU Sports is changing.....Jesse Newell and the Newell Post are now found on the Topeka Capital Journal. I know where I need to go for quality analysis of the game. What else in in store for kusports.com?

@redblueku-That's basically all I went to the site for since the Exodus. Also, I have noticed that Oakville is posting there again as of the first week of Nov. But even those clever quips of his are not drawing me back for copy. I also requested by email to them that all my personal info, profile, & posts, in entirety be permanently removed & even though I am unable to see them, am not certain that a registered poster cannot continue to do so. That's what my lawyer is for & he has not verified this result as of yet. They legally have no choice but to comply, but ethics in journalism have never been a priority, & now even less so since most papers are in survival mode.

Well redblueku, can't say it is shocking news.

The ultimate insult I felt from KUSports, after they insisted on "legitimizing" their comments by exposing identities came a few weeks after they dropped the hammer when I caught a spammer posting one of those "I made $2893 in my spare time..." in their comments. Kind of made me feel like all my efforts there fell below the bar of some spam marketeer.

KUSports needs to turn the reins of that website over to someone savvy in online sports news and blogs. Instead, it appears obvious, they have someone from the traditional news media at LJW calling the shots.

I wasn't a journalism major, but I bet I could turn that site around within a week, and keep it tasteful and build a respectful brand. I'm sure others on this site, and some of the old posters from KUSports could do the same. It's actually a plus not to have a background in journalism. You can't lump sports news into the same parameters as world or local news. Reporting and possessing a news site focusing on flooding in India shouldn't operate the same way as a site focusing on sports. The audiences are partially the same, but the intent of why they are there is different. Sports fans need to be understood in the context of why they are participating. They want to read news using honorable journalism standards, but they also want to read all the twists and slants concerning their players and teams, conferences and even the teams they hate! And many want to vent emotions and beliefs, in a format that allows them to while remaining anonymous.

The entire process brings a group of fans together in various forms of love-hate relationships. Imagine running a relationships site and operating it only from the perspective of traditional journalism? Good luck with that, but that same dryness is there on KUSports.

KUSports needs a revamp. I'd be happy to help show them the way if they contact me and bring me on board. I'm not holding my breath... and I understand why they are unlikely to reach out. It isn't easy to sit on your identity and listen to someone outside give them advice on updates.

I will give them a clue... the updates involve policies, visual media, site format and riveting writing. It could be set up apart from what they have now and structured in a test run to see if it draws positive attention before making a total commitment. In fact, it could always be kept apart from what they have now.

UDA MAN slayr!