🏀 KuBuckets Archive

So while Duke and UK clear the roads of all possible dump trucks (terminology from @jaybate-1.0 ) , Kansas prepares to do what Kansas does best.... dumpster diving.

And though it is a less glamorous recruiting process, we've managed to eat pretty well off of package-damaged ramen noodles and canned beans before. Chef Self will have to scour the country for dumpsters with the most flies to come up with a meal fit for a king. Lobster may not be an option any longer, but at least he can make dishes that will keep longer than a few hours.

We all need to put on our waders and help locate lunch. Some pompous university is about to slip up and leave the cream out too long or take an expiration date too seriously and will create an opportunity for Chef Self to swoop in and snag our next meal. Self already has a bunch of Hamburger Helper (returning players) to help flavor up a big slab of meat needed for the post. Mmmmm.... I can taste it now! The next "Tartare Tarik!"

@drgnslayr Did you just get done watching a Guy's Grocery Games marathon?

@drgnslayr lol! nice

Could Self deliver a Kevin Young? Better yet, a Georgios Papagiannis?

@nuleafjhawk

Last week I watched a documentary about how much food we all waste (as a society) called "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story." Pretty shocking... and the amount of our resources that go right out with the trash. Made us think in our household. I grow a massive garden every year and built a large composting area. My home sits on a fairly large city lot... about the size of 1 1/2 typical lots. I grow enough produce to feed my family for a year, but I also give out lots of produce to other family every summer. Veggies and fruit. About everything possible in Kansas. Berry patch, figs, pole bean fencing... everything. About to finally finish our backyard and will add in fruit trees around the perimeter. And a chicken coop.

@nuleafjhawk I watch that show.

@HighEliteMajor

"Could Self deliver a Kevin Young? Better yet, a Georgios Papagiannis?"

Good question. I just hope he doesn't panic and go out and grab post players that don't really have anything more to offer than what we have now. Adding MORE isn't what we need. We need BETTER! I don't mean to slam the guys we have coming back, but so far they are not delivering championship quality basketball and we are talking about KANSAS!

Okay Dumpster Diving Team... let's get to work!

Someone out there is in Wichita... the first dumpster we need to dive into is Sunrise Christian Academy. Any long body noodles remaining there for our lunch? Maybe someone we can pile into summer school to graduate early and reclassify? Duke did it, why can't we?

@HighEliteMajor I wish we had a Kevin Young on every team. He was certainly not the most talented player of the Self era but he played really hard. Dove for lose balls. Hustled up and down the floor. Essentially played the garbage man and with a huge smile the entire time. Probably the best "energy guy" we have ever had.

How about Brewster Academy? We've been picking through their cans for years now. Isn't there a possible reclassification out there?

KC Metro ball?

@joeloveshawks

I'd add Jerod Haase to your energy guys list. Give me the two of them among a OAD or two and some hard-nosed seniors and I'd have to believe we'd be able to weather any opponent under almost any circumstances.

@drgnslayr we all know how 17 yr olds do in their first yr.

@drgnslayr

I believe all the Brewster kids signed. We were after Adams, Simon & Mitchell but didn't get any of them. Not surprising as they were all guards. Crazy that 1 school fielded 8 D1 players this year.

I will say I will take the 11th hr dumpster diving Tevin Mack. Reported yesterday there maybe a good amount of interest from both sides. He would definitely be our only SF in Korea if he came. He would have played at VCU from Day 1 so conceivably could be a high level kid.

@drgnslayr

This would be Plan B. :-)

Be ready, my friend, I am working on an audacious hypothesis to explain what has happened to recruiting since 2008.

@BeddieKU23 why didn't he follow smart!

@Crimsonorblue22

I'm not exactly sure but I've read he might be flying to KU on his own dime because he's out of official visits.

Location could have been a factor when he initially chose VCU being from South Carolina. Now that Smart up and left him he could be upset about that and now that he was let out is experiencing bigger fish after him (KU).

I would respectfully suggest that some of you go to forums for other programs and see what their fan base thinks.

We complain that we do not get players but compared to most programs we do very well. Do you remember when you were a kid and stayed for dinner at a friend's home and the food tasted so much better than it did at home? ...and then, you friend stayed for dinner at your home and thought the food tasted so much better than it did at his home? It is human nature, we always covet have we don't have and take for granted what we have...there is an expression that is commonly used to describe it...the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...or over the septic tank (thanks Erma Bombeck), the last one is obviously a reference to UK. :)

Like I said, go to other forums and you will be surprised how lucky they feel KU is compared to their own programs.

@JayHawkFanToo Let's go to DUKE for supper next year.

@nuleafjhawk

Only if you want tea with scones...and you will have to hold the tea cup with your pinky in the air. I think I prefer to stay home and have me some Kansas steak...

@JayHawkFanToo LOL

@drgnslayr
Great farm story!! You're so correct about the waste. Hosted Russian govt officials many years ago for business & took them to a Mexican restaurant where 1 burrito almost filled a large plate. They never had Mexican food (except KGB turned interpreter) & noticed a lot of leftovers. They asked if the leftovers would be served to others later. When I told'em no, they shook their heads & said they could open a restaurant just from the leftovers. This was before Putin's oil money & Russia was starving. Don't know if this is a good transition here but I'm beginning to see KU attracting players with such understanding. For ex, I see UK bound kids are chest thumbing & have no clue on excess vs moderation, waste vs indulgence. They're today's culture of self-serving & self-praising whereas kids from Africa (Embiid, Cheik), EEU(Svi) & perhaps Canada(Wigs) have a different perspective on life. This is from KUsports.com on Cheik: "He's very humble, really humble,” Diallo’s mentor, Tidiane Drame ... “He’s a nice kid, (but) he’s a warrior on the court.” This kid saves shoes from tourneys he plays in & takes to his country (took 50+ pairs of bball shoes) & dreams of manufacturing shoes cheaply so kids in his country can afford it to play. He said kids don't care if Nike or not. My hunch says he is horrified at Nike prices, therefore anti-Nike! 😝 I'm too. Those prices are absurd & incomprehensible. So, I think Self maybe building a reputation among & attracts kids with character, humility & from diff culture vs pompous Cal who promotes & urges self-boasting. Thoughts?

@JayHawkFanToo ohhhhh, that's why my kids liked eating at their friends houses! Jk I do have a septic tank.

@HawksWin I love the story about him giving back, another Ben Mac!

@Crimsonorblue22
Kids like Ben gives me hope & pray Self recruits those type of young men.

@HawksWin said:

“He’s a nice kid, (but) he’s a warrior on the court.”

I want us to recruit these guys. Only.

This thread started before we acquired the services of Diallo.

But the big mistake now would be to go on cruise control thinking we have what we need for next year (and more importantly, for following years).

Even though a 220 lb lobster just came down on our plate, we still need all the dressings. We don't have a meal yet. Lets stay in scavenger mode and lets finish this thing! We are all on the same page concerning winning a NC... so let's push so we don't come up just short like Wisconsin did this year. Those close seconds are very painful!

We have two spots still available. It would be awesome to acquire someone like Brown for next year's run at the title. I'm convinced if we did land him we would be favored to win it all with this team.

I'm with HEM and would like us to acquire the Greek, too. Get some extra needed size with a developmental player who also would be able to contribute this coming year but may be around long enough to give us needed experience in coming years.

And if these guys fail to come to Kansas, we should have scavenged other guys that will, in the least, give us developmental players to soak up experience and hard work now to be ready in a couple of years when we lose a bunch of guys.

@drgnslayr Gotta give ya the PHOF on this one slayr .Good stuff !!

@drgnslayr I think we are in some pretty decent kids for next year. Never ends!

Oh how sweet it would be to add Brown, and take our squad against the Dookies, only to beat them. The proverbial cherry on top.

GET SOME