🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Hello Jayhawk fans,

One thing that bugged me this year is the lack of bulk on anyone other than KJ (excluding anyone that just transferred in last year). Specifically DeJuan and Hunter, but also Zeke.

What the heck is Ramsey Nijem doing with these guys?!? It didn't look like DeJuan put on an ounce of muscle in his 5 years in Lawrence. Hunter totally lacked an athletic build.

How does a player spend 5 years in the program and still be skinny and lack bulk/muscle? No way that should be allowed.

Ramsey is doing our players and team a complete disservice.

Maybe in the day of NIL and getting guys for 1 year, you don't mess with their physique, much like you wouldn't try and change their shooting motion for just one year. But guys that have been around for 2-5 years?

Do we need a new strength and conditioning coach?

@SlickRockJayhawk said in Off-season Conditioning:

Hello Jayhawk fans,

One thing that bugged me this year is the lack of bulk on anyone other than KJ (excluding anyone that just transferred in last year). Specifically DeJuan and Hunter, but also Zeke.

What the heck is Ramsey Nijem doing with these guys?!? It didn't look like DeJuan put on an ounce of muscle in his 5 years in Lawrence. Hunter totally lacked an athletic build.

How does a player spend 5 years in the program and still be skinny and lack bulk/muscle? No way that should be allowed.

Ramsey is doing our players and team a complete disservice.

Maybe in the day of NIL and getting guys for 1 year, you don't mess with their physique, much like you wouldn't try and change their shooting motion for just one year. But guys that have been around for 2-5 years?

Do we need a new strength and conditioning coach?

No we don't. Genetics also plays a big role in player development. Some people simply don't have frames that can handle/support a lot of muscle mass and Dejuan has one those body types. Even as long as KD has been in the league, he's still only 240 lbs. despite being a 7 footer.

Too many people, and I think you're doing this here also put too much focus and emphasis on how toned a person looks as the final say on strength. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic will never win a physique contest, but that hasn't stopped them from being top 3 players in the NBA today.

Also, players are unsupervised during the summer. Not everyone has the self discipline to carry out the nutrition and S&C plan laid out for them before the summer. Players that don't put in that work to hire a personal trainer over the summer usually don't see the same results as those who do.

@Texas-Hawk-10 the Dallas braintrust disagrees with you about Doncic I think :)

You make good points but i think the question is valid.

We saw no real physical improvements, and if anything, they seemed more lethargic this year.

Still had a couple critical injuries.

Let me ask you this… Barkley referred to Zuby as a grown man. Who made gains like Zuby from last year on KU?

@approxinfinity Zuby has been there for 2 years, his transformation wasn't overnight. KU essentially returned 3 guys from 2 year ago that played this season. And to answer that question, KJ had a similar body transformation over the same time as Zuby.

Let me return some questions. Dr. Nijem has been KU's S&C director since 2019. Did he hurt the 2020 team? Were there questions about the 2022 team's S&C development? Did Dr. Nijem suddenly forget how to be a S&C coach because people are looking to blame someone for KU's lack of on court success the past two years while ignoring the obvious decline in overall talent within the program because of the NCAA investigation that was hanging over the program for the past 5 years

The most important time of year for physical development for these kids is the summer time when they are unsupervised by anyone on staff. This is why I mentioned players that hire personal trainers over the summer versus players who couldn't control themselves.

There's also plenty of examples under Hudy as well of players not developing to their full potential because they didn't have the self discipline during the summer months to do the work needed. Sherron Collins is the prime example of that. Jeff Withey never bulked up the way many though he would.

@approxinfinity Bill is known for player development. If they didn’t improve that’s another indictment of the players. But in this case it’s likely more of a case of being the oldest team in the ncaa. All the talent is old or flory and flory did improve.

College athletes are given summer workout programs to do. Usually there is a 'test' upon return of break. (conditioning, core lifts, body fat, etc.). If athletes don't pass the tests there is usually some sort of consequences. KU is an elite program, if players are not self motivated enough to do their part to help the team they are not the kind of players we should have in this program.

@approxinfinity

Zuby came to KU with the physic, but he's certainly made the most of S & C in 3 years to enhance himself and become the athlete he is today.

KJ came in similar and never missed leg/arm day.

I'm interested to see what Elmarko looks like this summer as he mentioned he bulked up. Also interested to see what Kease look like by fall. Kease has the body to be molded into an Ochai type. Not sure what we'll see from Flory by fall but hopefully some positive gains to his frame (if he can). That's as big of part of his development as any in my opinion.

Hudy used to put on too much bulk and players lost explosiveness. The new guy doesn’t seem to put on enough for the rigors of the Big12. Maybe a new trainer is in line or maybe a different group of players will change our opinion.

Dejuan doesn’t have an ounce of body fat on him, he could be limited by genetics. Hunter surely is as well. I have a 7ft friend that I grew up with - he ate and ate and lifted weights and was a bean pole until his 30s. The next guy over would look at weights and get swole. 🤷‍♂️

In their 40s is when they’ll gain weight. lol

@dylans

I think we just need to see what a new group of players look like. Many from this past season just didn't seem to have the genetics to become something else.

All I want are tall, long, athletic guys with a good shot, instinctively rebound, out hustle the opponent, and play lights out defense. I think it’s a reasonable expectation of Bill to fill the roster with this type of player. lol

@dylans Where do those players come from? Players like that don't enter the portal, they enter the draft. Players in the portal are flawed players that have holes in their games. Top transfers might have 2 out of those 3 things you want, but there's a tradeoff somewhere in their skill sets.

@Texas-Hawk-10 i think dylans was joking, but there are enough people who arent joking that its worth spelling out for sure.

So, it does beg the question what the acceptable flaws are.

Do you bias against certain phenotypes? Ie Zuby is ok but people who cant put on muscle AND cant jump are not?

And I am not a fan of broken shots or guys who cant play defense. Prefer holes in offense?

@dylans Haha! true statement there!

Watching games this past weekend most of the better teams are full of grown men. Kelvin Sampson must make that a requirement in the portal.

Maybe it's a summertime workout motivation and cheeseburger problem or just plain genetics. Either way or both, hope we can get these guys and new transfers bulked up for the physical game that Coach Self prefers to play. Rock Chalk!

@dylans We won a lot more games when she was here.

@nuleafjhawk the recruiting profile was different. The timeline much shorter. But the same amount of nattys.

She’s at UConn women’s team. It’s a good fit. They are doing quite well.