🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I'm concerned. I'm not concerned about 4 losses. That's about what I had projected pre-season. I'm concerned about what appears to me to be a lack of player development. I'm concerned about an apparent lack of game preparation - specifically game-planning. I'm concerned about our in-game adjustments (or lack thereof.) In short, I'm concerned about our assistant coaching and support staff.

Over the last several years we've lost Dooley, Hinson and Manning (and I guess you could even include Sadler.) Some of these guys were great player developers. Some were great game-planners. Seems like we've replaced them with guys more known for being great recruiters - specifically Jerrance "Snacks" Howard. Mind you, he's already payed dividends on that front with Cliff Alexander. But what kind of player developer is he? How well does he scout another team and help Coach Self with game planning? How well does he help Coach Self make in-game and halftime adjustments? I have no idea. But I'm starting to wonder - I'm very curious to know which assistant was assigned which game for scouting.

Norm Roberts has more coaching chops and perhaps I shouldn't lump him in with 'Snacks." I just really am seeing a questionable job in the areas of player prep, development, game-planning and in-game adjustments. I mean, when SDSU were doubling our bigs, why weren't there wing players cutting to the basket? Is that all on Self? I would say mostly - but it's also the assistant's jobs to point these things out for him. It does make me wonder. How much was Dooley and the other now-gone assistants helping make those observations and preparations? It also makes me wonder: Can "Snacks" do more than recruit?

@JayDocMD I asked a similar question awhile back, are we missing Dooley? Anxious to hear some more opinions.

@Crimsonorblue22 , yes. Dooley was that rarity: a quant that could communicate with jocks like Self and players. Dooley could find unexpected ways to win statistically and Translate into jock speak. Not sure snacks can.

For what it's worth, I think this is a valid question. I don't know the answer, but I posed a similar question over on the Wooden/Knight thread before reading this post.

That the fact that we have a large freshmen class on the coaching staff is likely confounding the inexperience of the players.

@JayDocMD Fair question. Let me ask you a question: when did Dooley have 3 or 4 freshmen starters to deal with? If Releford and Withey were put into the KU lineup when they were freshmen, how would they have done? Now, what if Rele and Withey were facing the toughest non conference schedule in the nation, how would they have done? I don't think this is a coaching problem as much as an experience problem.

I'm with KUSTEVE. We start losing games and people are looking at player development? Really? Are we watching a different team or is Embiid not the most rapidly improving player you have ever seen? Has Landon Lucas not improved so much that he went from red shirt to people pushing for him to get more playing time? Has an unhearlded freshman PG not been carving out a roll on the team and improving on a daily basis? Has Jamari Traylor not been showing flashes of actual offensive abilities? You look at the guys we were counting on, not performing, and I have Tharpe and Black as 1 and 1a respectively. Wiggins issues are consistency and assertiveness and have nothing to do with development and have much more to do with comfort, confidence, and personality. Selden struggles with the same problems but just really hasn't looked keyed in to me at all. I have NO idea why that might be the case - it's the only one that perplexes me.

Don't be silly and start looking at the player development abilities of a new assistant coach as to the reason we've lost 4 games in the hardest non conference in the country playing primarily 4 freshman and 4 other guys who had never seen playing time. We literally have the fastest improving player in the country as well as multiple players carving unforseen rolls and you guys have the gull to talk about player development. Don't be dumb. We're young.

@iowajayhawk2005 don't really think we are blaming any new coaches, just wanting to hear opinions. Really liked Dooley!

@iowajayhawk2005 @KUSTEVE I'm really mostly wondering about his opponent scouting for upcoming games and X's and O's ability. I don't think any of us really know if that is a strength of his or not. As I mentioned, I would love to know which asst. coach was assigned which game to scout. It might answer some questions. Who knows - he may be the best schematic coach since Wooden. My point is, the assistant coach turnover is a variable that should be considered in this team which has struggled to progress at the rate expected by Coach Self. He himself said we aren't where he thought we would be.

Player development falls under the asst. coach responsibilities, so I added that as an area to watch as well. As far as Embiid, Traylor and Lucas - correct me if I'm wrong - but Howard doesn't focus on "bigs" as a position coach. I believe he helps out with the guards. The player development I'm specifically looking at is Wiggins, Selden, and Tharpe.

BTW @iowajayhawk2005 ... No need to call names - I've noticed you've done that elsewhere in responses on other threads. If you were to ever have a good point to make it would be lost in the name calling.

Name calling? I said don't be dumb - it's simply a statement. I am the best poster on this site bar none. I have yet to see a single post that is even in the same realm of my intelligence. Everyone else's posts are almost as boring as watching andrew wiggins stand at the free throw line extended while he watches other players run around.

Bill Self is benching Tharpe, calling Wiggins and Selden out to be more aggressive, calling for the team to be more aggressive. If this was an issue of the assistant coaches he surely would not be laying the blame on the kids. We're simply a boring team to watch that shows flashes of greatness and has the chance to be one of the best. I was expecting up tempo, high energy guys who wanted it. It turns out they are methodic thinkers who aren't yet comfortable. We have a team of freshman Perry Ellis' and there is nothing more boring then a freshman Perry Ellis'.

I am the best poster on this site bar none. I have yet to see a single post that is even in the same realm of my intelligence. Everyone else's posts are almost as boring ...

Submitted without further comment.

that's the smartest thing you've said yet. well done.

I believe we have a definite breach in civility (and reality) by @iowajayhawk2005

I submit @iowajayhawk2005 has broken both variations of the only rule on this site: Don't be a Jerk/D*ck. What say you @approxinfinity?

Civil Hawk - you literally have 20 posts and probably 5 of them are complaining about me and calling me names like jerk and dick. How rude. I personally feel you have broken the only rule on this site as well!

How about you add something rather then just name calling. If you ever had a good opinion you'd be best served to not call someone names - it makes opinions lose validity.

Also - you must be a dupe account with only 20 posts. You always play the rules enforcer card... but what is your other account?? I'm guessing HEM because he seems like the only one desperate enough to do something like that.

Thank you for taking the time to peruse my account @iowajayhawk2005. As my name implies, I hawk civility. Really the only time I post is when civility has been breached. If your name is the only one that's questioned in matters of civility, then that, my good sir, is an indictment of you.

Guys... we've sort of been conditioned in the short amount of time this site has been going to being so completely polite. I think a big part of that came about because we all feel so thankful that this opportunity came about after what happened at KUSports.

But we have to be able to bend without breaking. @iowajayhawk2005 may push the window in here when compared to the over-complimentary style most exhibit in here.

My only objection to style in here is if someone comes on and doesn't add anything to the conversation. We should draw a line somewhere... so where is that line?

I don't care if @iowajayhawk2005 calls one or some of my comments "dumb." I don't take that personal, and he's not calling me dumb. So... it really isn't name calling... but just putting a name on a comment.

I think if @iowajayhawk2005 agrees to no direct name calling, he is holding to a standard we should all be fine with. And others should also follow that rule and not name call on @iowajayhawk2005.

Personally, I hope he calls me out sometimes because I'm pretty sure some of my comments can be called out for being dumb!

I see @iowajayhawk2005 as someone who is providing some solid content with unique opinions AND someone willing to give some push back to us all.

In some ways, we are like this Jayhawk team.... going soft and occasionally needing a kick to our backsides to get pushed to perform. I know I want to see people disagreeing with my posts. It makes me question what I've written, and sometimes makes me want to defend it. The process often helps me realize more than I had realized in my original post... and sometimes people open my eyes and I get a lesson!

@drgnslayr, way to carry the burden, slayr.

@JayDocMD - Nice thread!

Since Self has been at KU, I've always been thrilled with our big man development. What school has done more with their bigs? Even with Danny gone, our bigs continue to develop perhaps even at the same clip.

But I haven't always been thrilled with our perimeter development. I've always scratched my head on that one because Self was a guard. KU isn't known for developing guards... especially when compared to schools like Duke. Why don't we develop guards as well as we develop bigs? Is that just a side effect of Self's hi/lo?

I think Norm brings in some excellent big man coaching skills. I've always heard that about Norm.

Who is in charge of developing our guards? Self teams are never at the top ranks in low TOs, high 3pt%, etc...

I do appreciate the desire for not letting the ball stick... but I'd like to see better guard play. Sometimes it is clear we need clarification of roles between the 1 and 2 positions.

Thanks @drgnslayr for the vote of confidence. I will do my best to adhere to not directly calling people names. I'm just trying to stir the pot a bit and it's making for fun... debate? I feel like a death row inmate granted a reprieve.

Regarding Snacks, it is way to soon to say what his strengths as a coach are. The strengths of assistants are only trickled out by Self once they have made some contributions. He apparently is as demanding and show-me about his staff, as he is with his players. But given that Self has two superb recruiters in Kurtis and Norm, I would doubt that recruiting is the only thing Jerrance brings to the stew. His title is assistant head coach; that is not just a gimme to get him to bring a few players. Jerrance is being signaled to be head coaching material; that means he has people skills, X and O skills and so on. But that does not mean he is necessarily a quant like Dooley became. He could be. But until Self lets on what Jerrance's strengths are, we outsiders simply are not going to know.

The electrodes have been removed from your temples.... for now! ;)

@drgnslayr I interpreted our overt civility as a response to KUSports' suggestion that anonymous posters can't be civil. We are evidence that their rationale for destroying that community was ridiculous.

@JayDocMD One more thought on Snacks. He can buy snacks like nobody's business. :-

But I haven't always been thrilled with our perimeter development. I've always scratched my head on that one because Self was a guard. KU isn't known for developing guards... especially when compared to schools like Duke. Why don't we develop guards as well as we develop bigs? Is that just a side effect of Self's hi/lo?

@drgnslayr I have made the same observation. Like you I find it curious and counter-intuitive that the guards are not as strong given Self's background. Does he have a blind spot as a result of his former role?

@CivilHawk

Ah, I just saw this thread.. I'd responsed to @iowajayhawk2005 on another thread.. Looks like we came to an agreement on the namecalling on this thread. Glad to see.

I'll port over what I wrote here:

@iowajayhawk2005 ehhh.. damn it man, you keep making me have to act like an admin. I appreciate you, I appreciate your insights and your perspective. And others do too. It's solid... but you're the only person with a foul mouth on here.

I get that that might be your thing, but can you censor yourself with asterisks or something? some modicum of self-restraint in deference to your fellow posters?

Are you CivilHawk's alter ego or something?

I really don't want to ban or censor anyone. And I don't really want to qualify what "don't be a jerk means". But... it means "don't be a jerk" by the perspective of the general consensus. That probably universally means not using words that have any direct or derivative meanings related to feces, or genitalia. It also means not insulting other people deliberately and repeatedly.

Ultimately it is subjective, so I can only go by how insulted people appear to be in response to you. Looks like it was a rough day for that.