🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Making a new thread as we approach the commitment date.

Predictions?

I'm 99% sure it's OU.

I predict KU will win its 13th and 14th consecutive Big XII titles. And at least one Final Four within the next two appearances.

@BShark

Why do you think OU gets him? If he watched their game last home game against WVU with the place looking not even half full, I would think he would have second thoughts about playing for them. For the record, the box score indicates 76% attendance but that is probably tickets sold because the arena did not look even close to that.

@BShark I like our chances for several reason like @JayHawkFanToo mentioned and the job Self has done with Frank. Hield was a great story for OU but Bill has made some great PGs outta anyone that has stayed for 4 years. Frank wasn't a rated recruit, RussRob was in the 100s, Tyshawn in 90s. Buddy was a gamble that paid off, a once in a lifetime guy for OU. Plus KU swept them last year with them having the best team they've had in prob 30 years.

Talking about Hield, he got kicked out of the game against Sacramento for a low blow on Boogie... ↗

@JayHawkFanToo

All the smoke is OU right now. Usually when that's the case there is something to it. We will see, I bet the crystal ball picks start to change either way in a couple days. That's usually what happens anyway. Sometimes everyone gets punked like with Ayton.

@BShark ya, I agree with you. I think it's pretty done deal for OU., playing for Oklahoma he can be THE GUY, want to stand out, the one who turns them back around. - -Like you saying, where there is smoke, then usually there is fire. I'd have to say at this point I think it's about 75-25 OU. That plus the pressure from outside influence to stay home, from friends at school and family acquaintences.

The thing is also, with it coming down to KU-OU I have a hard time or a good feeling when he is making his announcement there in his high school in front of local friends, classmates. You know he announces OU and get the typical uproar from the xchool. - just nor getting that good feeling. You know what? - -no matter when it's all said and done, we gonna be just fine, either WITH TRAE or WITHOUT TRAE. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Does Trae want to be the guy? Sounds like he can't handle negative media. How's that going to work when he's solely responsible for the fate of a program (OU)?!? We all know at KU he'd have someone else to help him shoulder the responsibility.

Here's hoping he's not scared of the media or anyone else for that matter. KU could use another alpha on the perimeter next year.

@dylans Maybe a bit harsh on Trae. Not wanting to constantly be criticized unfairly by a couple of vituperative local commentators or columnists in a small media markey (where they monopolize coverage) is not the same as not being able to handle media criticism.

@mayjay The media sucks. But maybe I should say, his daddy can't handle the media.

@dylans I think the media world went downhill when columnists started becoming talking heads and changed their approach to stirring up instant controversy rather than thought out analysis. Not just in sports.

@mayjay So shortly after television was invented? There is a reason why I don't subscribe to cable tv any more. Well one besides all the streaming options...

If it weren't for KU basketball I would have very little use for live tv.

I don't think the media would be overly harsh on Trae at KU, but he'd get national attention immediately. Whether or not he wants it he will be under the microscope for his short college career.

@dylans I'm with you - if not for KU basketeball i would save the $250 per month that i give to the Cox suckers. Well, KU bb and "The Voice". Sometimes America's Got Talent. But that's it! American Pickers. Pawn Stars.

I say KU and I like tv.

@mayjay

Yes, indeed. Times have changed big time and now the media is more interested in making news rather than reporting them like they are supposed to do; I guess I am old fashioned this way. Fortunately the Internet has made available hundreds of sources, many equally biased one way or another, but at least we can pick our own poison.

@JayHawkFanToo and your poison is? Let me guess?

@Crimsonorblue22

Poison is poison so what difference does it really make?

Well, Trae knows, he has made his decision, he knows the school. He was talking at his McDonalds presentation. - -Reporter said to him you sound pretty confident in your decision - -he says - -oh ya. said how tough it had been coming down to one school, but glad it was over

He was asked what this week was going to be like? - -He says Today and tomorrow was going to be pretty hard, said he had to make some calls, let the Coaches know but after that he was really going to enjoy the rest of the week - -we shall see - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

How in the world does Bill stay focused on the game at hand with all the recruiting crap going on also? He's well paid for a reason!

I want to post something here.... but...

I'm not going to jinx us...

I'm not going to jinx us...

I'm not going to jinx us...

I'm not going to jinx us...

I'm not going to jinx us...

I'm not going to jinx us...

@drgnslayr well just read, 247 within the last five minutes - -KU has just picked up the last 2 CB's for Trae and now lead 44-36 we were dead even. - the last two predicts came from Josh Stern a staff writer, and then from Kyle Goblirsih from the Minnesota Insider,- -Now usually like someone said when it gets the close and you start seeing picks , then there is some smoke - - -we shall see. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

I always think these writers are more of a jinx than me.

Work backwards in logic and I've already exposed my hand in my previous post.

@jayballer54 He's a Jayhawk.

Well was reading other posts, off other sites. Two posters caught my eye - -made some pretty good sense:

The first one stated: - He says, for months and months the recruiting battle was said to be OU/UK for Trae, So if that were the case, would see no reason for Trae, once UK was out of the picture, no reason for TRAE to have not committed to OU at that point if his heart is in Norman. - if he is committed to OU him picking them at that time would of helped OU with other prospects plus TRAE has said one of his main goals was to be at a winning program who could compete for a title. - - - That makes pretty good dam sense for me.

Then the second poster thought was interesting: - -Like we have been hearing, OH there is a lot of smoke for Oklahoma, so like has been said if there is so much quote" smoke - Unquote " if there is so much smoke for OU then raises the question, WHY has there only been ONE CB pick for him to OU since December?

Then Jerry Meyer - -stated today - -STILL says he believes Trae will end up at KU -- -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

All I want for my birthday is a Trae Young signing.

@Eric-san sounds good, think it's @mayjay s too?

@Crimsonorblue22 16th?

The only thing that worries me about Trae is his dad that appears to be one of those helicopter dads that hovers over the program (remember Carl Henry?). Maybe Trae wants to put some distance and come to KU where he would not be around as much and be less of a distraction where at OU he might be around a lot more.

@Eric-san probably, he's retired though🤔

Loving this Baylor game

@drgnslayr stop!

@JayHawkFanToo

Great points.

Ray talked about being the one that handles the media while he's home. In college it's all on him. Not really sure why it will be a big deal for him to handle his media obligations on his own

@Eric-san @mayjay

Three bucketeers, including me, want the Young B- day present. Either way, I hope you have a great Feb 16. The Big 5-0 for me. Go Hawks!

So KU picked up 2 Crystal Ball predictions yesterday pulling them ahead 2 days from his decision. One is a Minnesota, the other a Maryland insider.

I don't think anyone knows where he's going for sure. It's a good sign that people haven't taken the home school for granted here..

Matt has gone silent of course with him being so close to the situation. Will be interesting to see if he posts anything day before/day off with some innuendo.

Yeah allegedly he decided last night so maybe something leaks in between now and Thursday when he picks and we see a huge crystal ball movement. Seems like FOR NOW, it's still under wraps.

http://usatodayhss.com/2017/all-access-all-usa-trae-young-basketball-recruiting-roundtable ↗

@BShark

crazy article. A lot of positives for KU with the family. About as in-depth as you could possibly get with a kid.

Some very positive smoke to KU in there don't ya think

@BShark

Very interesting story. Perhaps I have a biased view but is sure looks like KU is in the lead; when you have the Cavalier's coach saying KU is the best place it is hard to think it would be another school.

Interesting tidbit, they thought the dorms at Kentucky were the worst? Didn't they just had their new housing built not too long ago and it was supposed to be the best?

Guys if I was computer smart and knew how to forward things - -links to our sit I would, but I'm not so - -All I can tell you is, if you haven't already seen this story, you really need to check it out. - -Very through, great article. Jason Jordan from USA today got in on Trae and his family closed round table discussion about the recruiting process and breaking down the schools, the pro's and cons and basically just layin it all out. - -fairly long, but quite interesting through out.

With Trae's decision coming up soon, I think it is really a must read, form your own conclusion. - -Like I said if I knew how I would post the link -- story here but not that smart, was surprising at the time Ray - -was all Kentucky, Kentucky, Kentucky but things change. - -so I was on Trae's twitter although I've NEVER tweeted him and won't, but like seeing any new tweets that he may have put out or tweets he has received - -but I don't tweet.

Anyways it's on his twitter @theTraeyoung - - and the article you will find was from JasonJordan - - @ JayJayUSA today - - -the link is usatodayhss.com/2017/all-acces - - check it out really good read, breaks it all down form your opinion - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

No worries, @BShark already posted above the link to the story you mentioned.

@BeddieKU23

Yes I would agree with that, very positive for KU. Man, is it Thursday yet? I just want to know either way.

@JayHawkFanToo oh ok - -that's awesome so how does this whole thing sound, break down to you? - -Me? I just don't know, pieces makes me think w have a good shot, then others makes me think he is going to OU. I think mom would like for him to stay home BUT we are close enough they could still watch him play. - -I just don't know. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY - - - ahh yes I see that he put it in my thread thank you @BShark

@BeddieKU23 like I was saying - lots of good for KU, as after UK was eliminated then dad said he needed to go to KU. - The only thing is mom sure wants him to stay home, and we know how that goes - -if mama ain'y happy -- NO ONE IS HAPPY, can make for some cold long nights lol -- -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

See my comments above. I have written before that if they are looking for a blue blood near home, KU is the logical choice.

@jayballer54

Mom also said KU staff she liked the best overall. Still close enough to see him a lot which is important.

Dad has done a great job laying out the specifics of his decision. They have really thought of just about everything and seem to be very knowledgeable about everything.

I like our chances even better with that article to be honest. It pretty much spit everything I've thought would be important to them in deciding..

@BeddieKU23

Me too. Very encouraging.

Self can't sell it any clearer. You can have Frank Mason's role in the program next year. Should sell itself.

@BeddieKU23

How would Devonte feel if he decides to come back? You would think he would be the logical person to take over the team and have Mason's role...

@JayHawkFanToo

Good question. I think its telling that Self has actively "sold" the spot to Trae because they know Devonte's intentions. That has been my belief all season long.

We've seen Devonte take on the secondary role because Frank has just been that damn good. We all thought it was Devonte that would assume the lead role after last seasons heroics.

If Young comes to take Franks position, doesn't mean he would automatically have his role, more his position as the point guard. I think both can co-exist on the court because we've seen Graham be unselfish this year and also with Trae we saw him run his AAU squad while being the quote on quote 2nd fiddle to Michael Porter Jr.

@BeddieKU23

Yes, but...if Devonte wants to make it to the NBA he would have to play PG and he needs to audition for that. We all feel he can do it but the NBA no longer takes as many risks as it once did because they have an additional supply of Euro player from which to choose. Devonte's best chance is to have a Mason like season and then he can maybe become a lottery pick.

@JayHawkFanToo

Graham is averaging over 4 assists a game as the "other guard" with less turnovers then Frank. Without getting into detail it would seem that Devonte is doing just fine in proving himself for the next level.

I don't necessarily believe GM's are going to look at him and be scared to draft him because he hasn't been the primary point guard at KU. It would certainly help his case to solidify a 1st round pick if he did come back and try and assume the lead point guard duties at KU. I don't think anyone can question that would be a smart move, maybe even the smarter move. If he risks going pro, there is a good chance he's a 2nd round pick unless he has more of those heroics like he did last night.

I think all of us KU fans selfishly want him to return for his senior year but in this day and age what we want and what we think is the best move for a kid is not what they may be thinking. We saw this last year as a perfect example. Graham is old for his class and may not think he has anything to prove after this season. It would be hard to argue for him coming back if this team were to win the championship. An early exit might make him hungry enough to return.

Anyways its a good discussion to have. Question. Do you think Self would be selling Frank Mason's role so definititively to a recruit if he believed Graham was returning. I think Self would be honest with a recruit if he thought his role wouldn't be as advertised.

@BeddieKU23

More importantly, how certain are we that Coach Self actually made that exact statement? There have been several recruits in the past that have made comments publicly about what coaches promised only to find out there were not true. Coach Self has always indicated that players have to earn playing time...just thinking aloud...

@JayHawkFanToo

And I agree we don't know that exact statement that was said other then his family saying it to the reporter.

Of course he must earn his playing time as every top recruit must do here. I think that's kind of a mute point when you can see Trae clearly has enough talent to start at KU and he'd probably start at almost any program in the country. We knew Jackson would start here as a freshman even though Svi was a proven returner and that was debated at length here. Jackson ended up proving he could be versatile enough to play both at the same time. Things usually have a way of working themselves out. Young might allow Self to go extremely small with 3 shooters/ball-handlers (Young, Graham, Newman) for hypothetical purposes.

In the case of Trae, I do think the Staff has told him what his role would be especially with confidence that Graham wouldn't be here. I guess I won't know if that is true until Thursday. The one constant thing with their interviews is the remarks of having a clear role, not having too much competition to jeopardize him being showcased.. If KU does in fact get him it signals to me that the staff confidently sold him playing time.

@JayHawkFanToo OK, gotcha bud, sorry for missing things, just kind of slow lol. - -- -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 Very true, I KINDA got a little better feel after reading this article, was a very good piece, really broke things down. - - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 I have to agree with you soo, much. - -I think Coach Self telling Trae why is the decision so hard, you come to the University of Kansas you ARE going to be our starting point Guard. - -I like you , I feel the Coaching staff just like last year I believe they knew with Wayne, they Know this year with Devonte, I think they already know what Devonte is going to do. I fully believe this is one of the main reasons that Coach Self himself has told Trae that he would be the starting point guard - I just feel Coach already knows . - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Well saw now that the last THREE CB picks for Trae has gone to KU, we got another prediction for him today, from some one by the name of Matt Agnoli - -the CB and ya believe me I know for what it's worth but the CB now has us leading at 48% to 36 % - -But I'm trying to keep that in perspective as we all remember how the CB did us with AYTON it had us all along or pretty much at 100% - -but I will say, Gerry Meyer which is usually pretty accurate is still saying Trae will end up at KU, says it close but he just feels when it's all said and done Trae at KU - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

If Trae signs with KU, we know DG is gone. Period.

@KUSTEVE not necessarily. If Trae commits to KU, then it's him, Malik, Vick and Garret. We are two guards short, so Devonte would still get all the playing time he wants next year and also be the man. If he was going to leave, he should have done it after his great season last year, IMO.

Young had 44 points last night- his season average.

Lots of deep 3's, one he shot from so far away he looked down to see where his feet where.

@HawkChamp

Don't forget Cunliffe.

IMO the likely-hood that Graham and Svi both return is 0%.

There's many ways to look at this situation but if Young commits tomm we pretty much have our answer about Devonte.

Did you see all the empty seats last night at the OU game? Why would he want to play there when he would be assured of 16,300 rabid fans every game? OU is a football school. KU is the mecca of college basketball. OU will be better next year as they have some good young players, but KU will be great year in and year out. He said he wants to win. Easy decision.

@Big-Clyde52 Easy decision for you and me. But I didn't average 44 a night in HS. If I did I'm sure I would think I could fill OU's bb-arena as well as Heild.

I'm afraid a lot of what I would consider while choosing a school for these young men, isn't what they look at. An advantage to my job is I step back from the work at hand and offer a different view. It's easy to see the best/most logical solution given the limited # of facts we have about this situation and our distance from it. Put in the middle of the turmoil with all the facts (or at least a different set of facts), I have no clue how I'd respond.

@dylans I've heard he's waiting til seasons about over so he doesn't have to hear so much crap from ou fans while still playing hs ball.

@Crimsonorblue22 I assume you mean HS since OUs season has been over for a while now...

@dylans yes!

How much playing time is available in the backcourt depends on if we play 4 out next year or not.

If we play the traditional (and Self preferred) two bigs, three perimeter players, there are significant minutes for up to four guys, with one guy getting mop up minutes. If we play four out like we have this year, there are minutes for up to five guys, with one guy getting mop up minutes.

Next year inside we have Azuibuke, Preston, Bragg, Lightfoot and Coleby. On the perimeter we have Garrett, Vick, and Newman for sure. If Svi stays (likely), that's four guys right there. If Graham stays, that's five. KU is also still in the hunt for three other perimeter players - Trevon Duval, Kevin Knox and MJ Walker. And don't forget, Preston can play either the 3 or the 4, and should get minutes at the 3 at least sometimes.

Right now, Garrett could be the odd man if we play a more traditional set (assuming Svi and Graham stay). If Graham or Svi goes, we would need another perimeter guy, but again, we are in the hunt for several of those guys.

And let's not forget that Sam Cunliffe will be eligible in January.

Simply put, I think Young goes to Oklahoma because the Kansas backcourt is exceptionally crowded whether Graham stays or goes, and will be even more crowded if he stays.

Predictions for OU rolling in.

http://kansas.247sports.com/Article/Trae-Young-Lon-Kriger-Blake-Griffin-Buddy-Hield-Candice-Young-Ra-51300232 ↗

Zagoria predicting OU as well.

@BShark can't get it at work

Interesting take from the other side. So much of what they are relying on is the home factor from that article.

I wouldn't claim much of anything from that article to be a fact and its worded in such a way to really play up a lot of this stuff as facts. Basically regurgitating the USA today article with some side notes to make it feel like his own.

Yes Trae being a hometown Norman kid has been around the OU program for years. Yes Kruger has recruited him for a while, slightly longer than KU has.

We have his mother on record saying she liked the Kansas staff better overall as well as distance not being a factor in seeing him play. What mother wouldn't play up the "stay home" card, they ALL do. Doesn't mean she wasn't aware that KU was close enough to still see him play.

It will be interesting if Trae took his fathers comments about taking relationships out of the equation and making it a business decision. In the end though its his own to make.

Zagoria doesn't know anything about mid-west recruiting..

@BeddieKU23 said:

@HawkChamp

Don't forget Cunliffe.

IMO the likely-hood that Graham and Svi both return is 0%.

There's many ways to look at this situation but if Young commits tomm we pretty much have our answer about Devonte.

Which shows you the state of college basketball and the draft pipe dreams. Svi is NO WHERE NEAR athletic enough to play in the NBA. He isnt a consistent shooter and he struggles to defend. He should be a 4 year player.

Yes our backcourt may be crowded next year, but OU is also pretty full. Anderson, James, McGusty, Odomes, Quinn, Shepherd, Strong-Moore will all be there. I am sure Trae is not afraid of any competition. His desire to win is pretty strong. I would think that would point him towards KU. At last I hope we will be more successful than OU in the years ahead.

And yes, he would be able to attract many more fans to their games, being a home town hero. But what fun is that if you are on a .500 winning team? I wonder how J. Allen is feeling now that he could have been a Jayhawk? And wow could we really use him. Free throws a problem with him also, but still.

@BShark I like TY much less after that article. If he thinks he is a OAD, I'm not sold on him. I'd rather get Keene or another grad transfer that could come in and run the offense. At least that way we can focus on 2018 players and guarantee them a spot. Instead of a "wait and see what Trae does" approach.

@Big-Clyde52 Allen is a borderline lottery pick. So I think he is feeling pretty good about his decision in the long run. Sure this year sucked, but he got to play 30 minutes a game and play through his mistakes. We could have definitely used him and his shot blocking abilities. But to think he could have gone higher in the draft by coming here isn't realistic.

@Kcmatt7 Agree totally with everything you said. It just looks to me like he is not having any fun. The expressions on his face are revealing. Or maybe that is just his demeanor.

@Big-Clyde52 Everything I saw last year watching his recruitment, that's just his demeanor. Just expressionless and kind of boring.

@BigBad said:

Which shows you the state of college basketball and the draft pipe dreams. Svi is NO WHERE NEAR athletic enough to play in the NBA. He isnt a consistent shooter and he struggles to defend. He should be a 4 year player.

Svi is 9th in the conference in 3 point %. He's 4th in terms of makes to attempts so I would say he's pretty darn consistent this year. Also making 48% of his 2's.

Now I agree his defense needs work, a lot of it but at 19 with 3 years in College he's a good draft and stash option in Europe for a team that might want to see him further develop against pro's. The fact that he's originally from oversea's adds to the intrigue with him. And he does have great size for a perimeter position.

@Big-Clyde52 @Kcmatt7

Everything I read about Allen was that he was a shy kid that didn't want the attention that recruiting brought. He was mostly silent throughout that whole process. Kid can play, @Kcmatt7 is right, even though Texas isn't good he's being showcased and allowed to do what he wants. He's clearly their best player and his stock is as high as it will be because of where he is.

the latest from Matt..

Alright - it begins now.

Trae Young will announce tomorrow at noon. It's OU or KU and people are wildly guessing like crazy now. KU has the lead in Crystal Ball right now so we shall see if it sticks over the next 24 hours.

I've heard both from multiple people. Nothing that would make me switch my Crystal Ball pick though. I have KU picked right now.

So Oklahoma media have KU - a lot have OU.

As of last night all coaches left in the race have NOT been notified of the decision. NOT!!! I expect that will happen before his announcement though.

Either way - Trae is a great kid that has worked his arse off to get to where he is.

More to come.....

and feel free to post anything you guys find on the interwebs.

@BeddieKU23

Another thing to remember is that while some of these kids enjoy or at least can handle the spotlight aspect of recruiting, there are a lot of kids that are shy and really don't enjoy the other side of the recruiting (i.e. interviews, questions from strangers, etc.). Basketball is their safe space, they have no issue playing on the court, but don't really want to deal with too many strangers off the floor.

I've seen and known several kids like that over the years. They tend, like Allen did, to stay closer to home where they already have a good support system of people they can trust around them. Some of these kids are just naturally introverted and, were it not for their incredible athletic skills, they would likely just fade into the background.

Sometimes they get labeled as the "dumb jock" because they don't talk much during interviews, but they are not necessarily unintelligent, they just don't like speaking in public. Heck, I was a pretty articulate kid when I was in high school, but I didn't like talking to strangers if I hadn't prepared something to say.

@justanotherfan Larry Bird!

@justanotherfan

FYI KU isn't recruiting Kevin Knox.

Duval has already said his interest in KU will be over if Young picks KU..

MJ Walker, well it seems like we got our foot in the door with him. Staying home seems like the popular thought with him. So far has only visited Florida St so the longer that plays out, the better chance they have.

@justanotherfan said:

Simply put, I think Young goes to Oklahoma because the Kansas backcourt is exceptionally crowded whether Graham stays or goes, and will be even more crowded if he stays.

But your not talking about the position which Young plays-PG. Newman was brought into be what he is, a scorer and ball handler. Mason is gone, we need a point guard.

Why would there be so much emphasis from coach on getting another PG if he didn't need one?

Saw Allen looking at the score board after the game and I was wondering what he was thinking. Being an elite athlete, quiet or not, sucks to lose, over and over..............

@Crimsonorblue22

He probably didn't think they would struggle so much.

Most of their struggles are coaching related. I know they lack a point guard and their leading scorer was suspended mid-season but they have been competitive in games. Andrew Jones is an NBA player as well. Shaka is failing with talent

@justanotherfan said:

Another thing to remember is that while some of these kids enjoy or at least can handle the spotlight aspect of recruiting, there are a lot of kids that are shy and really don’t enjoy the other side of the recruiting (i.e. interviews, questions from strangers, etc.). Basketball is their safe space, they have no issue playing on the court, but don’t really want to deal with too many strangers off the floor.

I’ve seen and known several kids like that over the years. They tend, like Allen did, to stay closer to home where they already have a good support system of people they can trust around them. Some of these kids are just naturally introverted and, were it not for their incredible athletic skills, they would likely just fade into the background.

I think Allen is a natural introvert. He played at a small high school, basically neglected being recruited like a top kid and wanted to stay close to home. He'll make money at the next level, will be interesting to see if his character holds him back from being more than a big that gets a paycheck.

@BeddieKU23

If you can get a Young or Duval, you do it because those are elite level players. You don't have to get those guys, but if they want to come, you take them because you don't turn down elite skill players.

I agree with you on Allen being an introvert. I don't think he will be a star in the NBA because of that, but I do think he can succeed because he will be a perfect off the bench guy. Because he's quiet, he won't cause a stir in the lockerroom, but he has more than enough talent to help a team out. I could see him carving out a 12-15 year career as a backup big that scores near double figures, but never jumps to the elite level.

@BeddieKU23

I thought that Newman came to KU to become a PG since he is not tall enough to play SG in the NBA. I would be interested to know if someone knows what position he has been playing during practice as it would shed some light on where he will be playing next season.

@JayHawkFanToo

Quote from when he signed.

Newman said Self and his staff sold him on the opportunity to be a playmaker in the backcourt.

"They just said they want me to get back to the player I was," Newman said. "I told the staff that I don't need to play the point. They just want me to handle the ball, make plays and make the team better. That's what they sold me on."

Another

Noted Self: “In our opinion, Malik was a top-five player coming out of high school. He’s a combo guard that has good size, can really shoot the ball and stretch it. There are things he needs to get better at, but the year off will allow him to address things that the NBA people wanted to see more of out of him.”

@BeddieKU23

I would think the NBA wants to see him play PG, he just does not have the build to play SG in the NBA...in college ? Yes, in the NBA? No.

@JayHawkFanToo

He'll get the chance to have the ball in his hand if a NBA career is what he wants. We have seen Mason/Graham/Jackson this year handling the ball. Newman is not a natural passer, he has been a score first guard his entire career.

Are we just looking for reasons to say Young won't be coming here because this player or that player needs to run point? Wouldn't KU be out of the running if the point position wasn't available to him?

The same pitch was given to Duval, who has relayed to the media that KU was looking for a point guard to come in and play right away.

@BeddieKU23

Not at all. I believe that Young would be a better PG than Newman, but if Newman wants to play in the League it will likely be as PG. Remember Mario? he was turnover machine when he played PG as a freshman and Jeff Hawkins and Russ Rob played PG, He played some PG but at KU he was primarily a SG and dropped to the second round in the draft, after a great Junior year and a National Championship where he was the hero, but had to learn to be a PG to play in the League.

Hopefully tomorrow around this time, things will become clearer.

@JayHawkFanToo

I do agree that if Malik Newman wants to play in the NBA its most likely at PG even though that isn't his natural position. He just happens to be a tweener in size for the average SG. He doesn't have elite athleticism or wingspan so much like Trae Young he has to perfect other area's of his game. Newman wouldn't even be at KU today if he had the right measurable's for the NBA. He can score and shoot the 3 so those are things that fit in perfectly in the new-age KU offense.

Hopefully what the staff wants from Malik and what Malik wants from himself can coexist. Usually Self does great with getting both of those factors to mesh well. We know Devonte is a great teammate but maybe their is a part of him that wishes he had Frank's role? I would hope that if Young signs with KU, that Malik is perfectly okay with another guard joining and possibly taking the role that Mason is leaving behind. Or vice versa, Young will be okay with playing off the ball with his elite shooting ability. I think the way Self has been showcasing his guards of late makes who's 1A and 1B a non issue.

Yes I hope tomorrow gives us some clarity on the situation.

I have a younger brother who is a senior at OU and he just texted me and said he has heard from some Oklahoma HS coaches that Young will pick OU. Not sure how reliable the people he has heard from are... Everything I've read and heard I still think Trae will pick KU. Rock Chalk!

FYI Ryan on 247 just CB'd Young to KU based on intel he got.. He is a career pessimistic person on recruits and was the first to give us the intel on Marcus Garrett from this cycle.

FWIW, I'm thinking Kansas based on the little bit of intel I got today. Enough that I changed my CB pick back to Kansas. I know you guys don't like the CB though.

So both people connected to this situation from KU says its KU..

@BeddieKU23 I don't know WHAT to think anymore, It's just all over the place - - KU - - OU -- OU - -KU , ya know.? I would love to have Trae, but have come to the realization you know what? - - If we get him - -we get him, I'm just ready for this to be done. If we don't, we will still be just fine when it is all said and done. - -I have complete confidence in Coach. If he doesn't come, I think we can patchwork through well enough till the following year, I think we will land a nice PG for sure the next year.

Again I would love to land Trae, - -HOWEVER I've bounced back and forth on my thinking on this, and I think in the end run I just have to say I think he is going to OU. - -That's my last pick, hope I'm wrong, part of me still says I feel I might be wrong, but then on the other side of the fence, my guy just says now OU - he is crazy if he does, but that's my prejudice of being KU, I think in the end MaMa wins out, She really wants him to stay home - - -She would settle if she had too but in her heart she wants him at OU - -so be it- -play in half full lifeless arena's -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

Have some faith just like @KUSTEVE and @DoubleDD have in game threads.

@dylans IF he is an alpha, then he shouldnt be afraid to make whichever choice he has in mind. Just speaking in general terms, right?

I know we now have the last FIVE CB picks for Trae, but we all know that's the CB. I mean that makes it look better for us, cause usually when we are this late in the commitment , usually these guys have picked up something or heard something - -the ol where there is smoke there is fire, but I made a final predict Trae to OU so gonna man up and stay with it - -not jumping the fence again. GOD I hope I'm wrong. the CB now shows KU 56% OU 36%

The last 5 CB picks: - - -Ryan Noel, Chris Bunn, Matt Agnoli, Josh Stirn, forgot the fifth one, also Jerry Meyer says Trae to KU - -we shall see - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 Ya your right I know, I'm just little mr negative Nellie I guess, I mean either way we will be ok in the end run. BUT sure would be nice. - -Going to the OU boards see what those chumps are saying now lol - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Since Duvall said we'd be off the list if young picked KU, was he going to pick us? Why not pick us first? Did coach tell him we wanted young first?

@kjayhawks Good points. One thing, I seem to recall Russell Robinson as a top25 ("22nd ranked" guard) coming out Rice H.S. I think I saw recently online that he was a McDonalds All American. I recall as a frosh, when Self played him, he'd slash to the rim with East Coast toughness, I referred to him as a mini-Langford. I think he scored 22ppg in h.s....

@ralster

RussRob was scorer in HS and changed his role to that of a facilitator at KU, and without him, KU does not win it all in '08. One of my favorite KU players of all time.

@Crimsonorblue22

Good question.

I know there are many out there that believe Duval is better than Young and those people may be right but Self has been after Young for years so I'm sure they didn't want to jeopardize their position with him by taking Duval first.

Plus I don't think Duval was in any position to end his recruitment when he visited here. He's taking advantage of his visits, that's why he went and saw the Duke/UNC game and is going to Arizona soon as well.

@jayballer54

No worries, I'm sticking by my belief that he ends up here. We need him more, we have the position open for him. So if he picks the opposite so be it, its his choice but I'll disagree. I hope its a happy thursday around 1pm

@JayHawkFanToo Yep. And he knew by not putting up stats & becoming more offensively polished while in college, it would cost him in his chances at the NBA. He did get some tryouts, but was an nbaDL player for couple yrs. He added a silky smooth nba-range 3 a couple of yrs after graduating. He and Billy Thomas teamed up one summer in the camp games at KU to literally run the then-KU-team outta the gym (RR bombing deep 3s, and Billy Thomas in his early 30s putting on an MJ impersonation). It was that display that convinced me RR was correct that shelving his college offense stats would hurt his nba chances. If he could shoot like that in college, like Mario, he might have stuck in the L as he may have gotten more opps.

Just to give perspective, I think RR is 31yrs old now. At least he's been earning mid-6figs US$ in Europe for several yrs now, again a mini-Langford...

Well of course on the Oklahoma Boards they are feeling pretty cocky - -confident, saying they are getting news from reliable sources that Tare is going to pick Ou, said they have talked to the moderators off KU sites saying that Trae is going to OU. - It's all just a big he said , she said, they said lol. - Then they talk about the CB's and trending to Ku, but saying well the one's that had their CB pick for UK and the Trae elimanated them felt like they needed to change their pick to another blue blood and these people know nothing. - -They say Eric Bossi said Trae was going to pick OU, let's get this over with - - JUMPIN -- -GEE - -HOSSA - -FATS - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54 Win or lose, it isn't life threatening. I think we'll get him. I already called it.

@KUSTEVE me too

@Crimsonorblue22

Me three...

@jayballer54

When a fan base gets too cocky about predicting a recruit win, it often backfires.

It shows arrogance and a disrespect to the recruit... after all, it is the recruit that decides.... not a fan base.

@KUSTEVE EXACTLY BUD,that's what I ended up saying. Would be great to get him BUT if we don't in the end run, we gonna be just fine. The sun still come up in the East and will sit in the West lol. - -I have all the confidence Coach self will always find that guy. - - - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@drgnslayr Very very true - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

I hope Trae becomes a Jayhawk, but ultimately, whatever is best for him is the right decision for me, too.

I think he would make an excellent Jayhawk!

@drgnslayr ya, just read of the shiver that Gerry Meyer which is the guru from 247 said all the buzz he is hearing now is for the underdog OU, Eric Bossi pretty big name from rivals is saying OU, and Jeff przsbello well know is saying OU, it's all right though we are going to be just fine - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@Fightsongwriter said:

@Eric-san @mayjay

Three bucketeers, including me, want the Young B- day present. Either way, I hope you have a great Feb 16. The Big 5-0 for me. Go Hawks!

Mere youngster! 61 is where it's at! Hope we all have a Happy Day. Feeling Young-er all the time!

Didn't see these posts until today because there were so many flying in the Trae thread. Thanks to @Crimsonorblue22 for looking out for me!

@ralster Right, but I can understand not wanting to hurt others as his decision will to some extent. A boon to one program a bust to another. KU will be fine either way, but I'd sure like this kid to lead KU the next couple of years.

I'm just saying you can be considerate off the court and be an alpha on it. We shall see. I hope to see additional high character guys on the roster to balance out some of the recent bad crap.

I wouldn't be surprised if we got a transfer to play PG for us next year if both Young and Duval pass up on us. It's an attractive opportunity to be the starting PG at KU and someone is going to be willing to change schools to get it. Hopefully it won't come down to that, though.

@cjbooth38

Only a junior that graduates early or a senior that had to sit or red-shirt one year and can graduate would be eligible to play immediately and there are not many of those avaiable; all others would have to sit one year.

@cjbooth38 awesome avi! Welcome!

@KUSTEVE If kusteve called it, we learned Monday we ought to go to Vegas and plunk down some greenbacks.

Crystal Ball within the last 20 mins has all gone OU's way with Matt Scott and Jerry Meyer now picking OU.

@chsguy2008 all of them?

@chsguy2008 yep look like for sure time to raise the white flag -- I just don't get it, but something must of leaked for Jerry meyer to change his predict to OU and Matt from the shiver going OU, matt has been in pretty tight with this - -It's a done deal and Ryan Noel who had just predicted to Ku is NOW back to foggy and then another pretty big predictor Andrew slater predicting OU - -and all I have to say is - -S - - - . this year has NOT been very good in our recruiting for sure, losing a lot of players. - - dam, - - dam, - -dam - -well we better get our act together - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54 Time to throw all our horses at Duval or hope to find a transfer PG. I wonder what has happened within the last 24-48 hours maybe DG said he is coming back or maybe Young just wanted to go to OU and was finally able to get his dad onboard with that. Anyhow on to he next guy!

@Crimsonorblue22 all that have out predictions in which include Ryan Noel, Matt Scott, Jerry Meyer, and Andrew Slater

@Crimsonorblue22

54% OU, 38% KU, link here.. ↗. FWIF, I really don't pay much attention to it.

@jayballer54 Well that sucks. I agree with you that some news must have leaked. We went from 58% to 38% within one hour. Looks like Newman will be our PG next year.

!Screenshot_20170215-212322.png ↗

Looks like Devonte for one more year!

"As a new user, you can only post once every 120 seconds until you have earned 3 reputation - please wait before posting again"

That seems like a really stupid rule... what's the point of that?

@chsguy2008 He might just want to be able to take his laundry home every weekend.

@cjbooth38 didn't know that

@mayjay I wouldn't blame him at all if that was the case.

@jayballer54 Don't give up. These herd mentality opinions tend to be driven by one source who may not have any reliable info, but are perceived as likely to (teammate or cousin, etc). And if it true, and if the leak came from an OU source, he could be p'ed enough to change it in the announcement.

And there is always the possibility of Darrell Arthur's own dream weaver paying him a visit overnight.

It looks like Jerry Meyer switched to OU and some of the others followed him. It's really just one person switching teams... Probably not as bad as it looks. Hopefully whatever inside info Meyer has isn't legit.

If we could have DG back over young who would you want?

@Crimsonorblue22 said:

If we could have DG back over young who would you want?

Next year DG obviously. What guards are we looking at getting next year? Surely there's another Trae out there somewhere...

@cjbooth38 hmm interesting. I didn't know that was a rule.

@chsguy2008 more predicts coming in for OU and just came out with a story off 247 saying looking like he will predict for OU and how it's goin to put KU in a difficult spot with Frank graduating and chances of opting to leave - -that's just lovely - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54 no worries man self will figure it out, always does.

@kjayhawks ya, sucks but I said earlier have complete faith in Coach somehow, someway he will find the right mix, and they still will have to come through Lawerence for the championship - -ROCKCHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BShark I don't care what the "expert" recruiting talking heads say. If you haven't read this link, read it. They saved KU for last, no reason. But, if you read between the lines, all points to KU. If Graham is their biggest 'con' returning, he is a two, not a pg. He is a combo guard.

Trae said, "I want to win." They ruled out UK. They were down to three: OU, KU, and OSU. OSU didn't fare well at all when they discussed them. Ray mentioned that you can't go on liking people. Ray said, "it's a business decision..." Trae gets an 'epiphany' and says, "if." If he wants to make it to the league, KU is his only option and we WIN. If you're not afraid of some competition, you're right a position has to be earned, nothing is a 'lock.' It only makes you better and more competitive. Malik Newman will back you up at point or Graham like with Mason will go to the 1 and Newman will go to the 2 when you come out for a breather. You will pick up where Mason leaves off.

Welcome to Mt Oread Mr Trae Young. Take your place in the Phog and become a legend among legends.

@Crimsonorblue22 DG all day long! But I want both

I know he announces tomorrow, is there a time? Will it be televised?

I saw Jerry Meyer picked OU and Matt Scott as well, looking like OU. Never know but my guess is...KU will be ok...as always.

Granted my opinion is based off of the idea that it looks like Young will go to OU, however I saw some highlights of his game two nights ago. They were great, Steph Curry range, I mean he shoots from distance and is good at it. Yes he is 17 or 18 or whatever but in one highlight he shot a long three and then stared at his feet to show everyone how far away he shot it from, this isn't the first time I have seen him do that either. At that time i thought, man Self is going to have to reel him in on that stuff because that doesn't fly at KU. I sensed he will have to do a lot of maturing in one year to play for Self and I wondered if he would fit well with KU. Now I am still hoping he picks KU and I will be super excited to have him but I did have some reservations after seeing some of his highlights recently. I do know that probably everyone of our players did dumb things like that in HS, but I guess I just didn't see them. Either way, I hope the best for KU and that Young is happy wherever he goes, he is a great talent.

College basketball: Oklahoma senior guard Jordan Woodard tears ACL, out for rest of season

So, he's back next year as a redshirt? Or can he use a medical redshirt?

This may not mean much or weigh at all on Young's decision.

@truehawk93 to many games, done.

@truehawk93

He is done with college basketball.

@Jayrawks1 sometimes he reminds me of cf, great high school shooter. What happens when a bigger stronger guard is on him? Can he guard? Does ou have a good strength and conditioning coach? He's pretty small.

@Jayrawks1 noon, I think at his high school.

Remember Deandre Ayton? He was 88% KU and 12% UK and he ended up at Arizona...

@JayHawkFanToo Sad. I hate to see any kid finish on a horrible injury.

@Crimsonorblue22 I thought about CF too. We all know there is an adjustment to the college game. Wiggins and Jackson made a good adjustment at about the right time.

Let's face it. He played average to below average talent. He will play the best of the best at the D1. CF just never quite turned that adjustment corner. I think Young will make an adjustment, but not sure how long it will take regardless where he goes. He has the length, handles, and definitely the range. I think he'll handle himself well. I would say he's TAD. I think his dad mentioned that in the posted article @BShark. IF OU gets him, he will be Hield 2.0 and sure after his first year or two he'll torch us in a game sooner or later.

@truehawk93 cf is playing better, against weak teams though!

since its over lets lock this one up and start the 40 threads about duval not coming here

@Crimsonorblue22 In a heartbeat, Devonte all the way. You would, too.

@BeddieKU23 said:

since its over lets lock this one up and start the 40 threads about duval not coming here

Yeah Duval is going to Duke. KU will be fine, but I wonder who will be running the point next year. I'd hope for Devonte, but I still think he is gone. A 2018 PG reclassing might be the best hope but idk if any of the ones KU is in on could do that.

Matt Scott changed his prediction to OU. It's over.

As happens every year that we lose a recruit, let's get back to focusing on how KU will likely lock up another conference title, likely get a 1 seed in the KC regional, and has a legitimate chance to win the national title. Meanwhile, in Norman, 9-16 Oklahoma is looking forward to the....CBI?

With things like this I just don't care, I have all the faith in Self. Pick any top ranked PG over the last 4 years. Would you take him over Frank Mason? I wouldn't give you anything over Frank. That was a guy on absolutely nobody's radar except for KU. We'll be ok.

The Sports Page ‏@SPORTING_PAGE · 11h11 hours ago

 More

BREAKING: Sources say highly recruited guard @TheTraeYoung will indeed sign with the @KUHoops tomorrow.

@BShark

a lot of uncertainty indeed

@BeddieKU23 said:

@BShark

a lot of uncertainty indeed

Three scholarship guards for the first half of next year. I'm sure Self will scramble and fill the roster a little bit but damn.

@BShark

Which makes not getting guards in the summer/fall the outcome of waiting.. At some point things do come back to get you.

And what a tool Matt/Ryan have been about this situation. really couldn't have played up KU's chances anymore especially yesterday only to pull the rug out late into the night. Emotion aside, this is a very poor job.

!AAA.jpg ↗

@Statmachine

that person has been confirmed to be a high schooler..

@BeddieKU23

Really reads shitty that he said he knew for awhile. And yeah idk, Sexton was a big miss too. Just so many misses this year. Not sure there is a lower ranked PG that KU could have pressed for a commitment in this class. Just gotta hope Devonte changes his mind now, then close the deal on some 18 guards. Self will have a TON of playing time to sell. Likely only Garrett will be on the roster. Possible that Mitch will be the only big too. We will see what Self adds late this year but 18 could be a monster class just based on pt available.

@Statmachine

That account is a clueless toolbag.

@BShark

Exactly it throws out his entire credibility. I can't believe more people are not on him about it. I see no reason to use the site for his information.

@BShark

And your right who knows who we could have gotten not chasing Sexton/Young. But both were swayed to stay close to momma. I'm not understanding when we have a Senior PG that a top ranked PG wouldn't want that situation

Marcus Garrett welcome to the trial by fire young man.

@BeddieKU23 Well, sometimes if you pass on top tier you don't get the alternatives either. Gotta go for the fences. This has been a constant refrain (complaint) but KU somehow continues to struggle on despite all that misspent recruiting energy.

@BShark

:thumbsup:

He will be good in time

@truehawk93 torch maybe, - but remind me, how many times exactly did Buddy Hield? - - Trae is a really good player, he is not nor do I think he WILL BE ever be better then Buddy, We always have been, always will be fine with Coach Self, complete confidence he will find that player when it's all said and done, hell maybe even another Towson or App St. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Frank and devonte don't seem unhappy playing together. Josh seems to be enjoying the seniors. Guess what, Ou plays 5 guys on the floor too. If you are TAD its idiotic to not want to play alongside DV and win, win, win.

@BeddieKU23

Definitely. I was hoping he could ease into it but that doesn't seem possible now. I mean I guess Svi and Graham could come back but I doubt it.

@BShark

And I don't think they want to use Garrett as primarily a PG with his size and defensive versatility. The good thing is he's run his team wherever he's played

@mayjay

Sure, I'm certainly not mad that we chased the top kids they were both fits for the program. But now they go to Alabama and Oklahoma. Kansas couldn't beat out football schools for basketball players. It does sound illogical in a sense don't it? Especially with our current PG's the poster boy for playing under Self

DITR time. I hope the staff doesn't wait on Duval. Offer kids like Mark Smith now.

@BShark It really looks like Newman WILL have to run the point next year. Your right we misses on soooo many players this year, might be ummmmmm - - -a very interesting year next year, Lets see Collin, Sexton, Trae young, Chaundee Brown, Troy Brown, DeAndre Ayton, Trevon Duval, & Micheal Porter to we had at least some interest in, that's ones I can think off right off the top.

Like you I wish Devonte would come back,BUT I don't get a good feel for him at all. - - - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 Garrett, Newman, Svi/Vick, Preston, Doke. I have no problems with that lineup.

I know there are a lot of recruiting services and gurus. But 2 people from Rivals are saying OU.
I think their track record late in the game is pretty good...I am assuming OU.

@KUSTEVE said:

@BeddieKU23 Garrett, Newman, Svi/Vick, Preston, Doke. I have no problems with that lineup.

Agree 100%. Just need some depth. I hope Bragg is back.

@KUSTEVE said:

@BeddieKU23 Garrett, Newman, Svi/Vick, Preston, Doke. I have no problems with that lineup.

Problems: ball handling, floor spacing, passing. That said I trust Self to figure things out, and I know he isn't done recruiting yet. Mark Smith would be a good addition at this point, hell I'd take Darien Jackson. Decommits and grad transfers are always possible too.

@Hawk8086 said:

@KUSTEVE said:

@BeddieKU23 Garrett, Newman, Svi/Vick, Preston, Doke. I have no problems with that lineup.

Agree 100%. Just need some depth. I hope Bragg is back.

He should be. 3-man post rotation of Azu, Preston and Bragg should be pretty good.

@Hawk8086 Bragg should be back, along with Lightfoot, and a better version of Coleby. I hope we can nab a pg transfer to back up our guards.

@BShark said:

Mark Smith

Do you have a link?

@KUSTEVE

Coleby is likely headed out to pasture, gently nudged.

@KUSTEVE said:

@BShark said:

Mark Smith

Do you have a link?

http://www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2016/12/31/henricksen-red-hot-mark-smith-edwardsville-no-longer-unknown/ ↗

http://www.scout.com/college/illinois/story/1741830-illini-offer-2017-guard-mark-smith ↗

@BShark I like that kid. He's a BIG guy, like a linebacker.

Day 6 of the crud. The voice is gone...the work week has been decimated. I think before Trae Young makes his final decision, he should take into consideration it would make me feel better if he selected KU.

@KUSTEVE WELP, Ol buddy - - word to the wise - - you netter re-stock on the meds - -cause it ain't happening lol. - -Hope you get to feeling better soon, a lot of crud going around. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@KUSTEVE I like him too, but there isn't a place for him here. He can grad transfer somewhere small or mediocre and get actual playing time.

Come on fellow Jayhawk fans...think positive. Coach Self has always been able to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat at the last minute and I don't see why it would be any different now.

Until Young makes the announcement nobody really knows for sure except for the word of a HS kid who, being from Norman, is probably an OU fan and probably laughing his a#$ off at the sports writers jumping ship. DeAndre Ayton was supposed to be 88% KU and 12% UK and where did he go? Arizona...are you kidding me? Arizona? It happens..

So, what is the worst that happens if Young goes to OU? Hopefully Senior Devonte is back which would be considerably better than OAD Young any day of the week and twice on Monday Night and Saturday prime time, and if not, we have Garret or Newman, not Seinfeld's Newman but Top-5-out-of-HS Newman, to run the point, or maybe another hidden gem Coach Self discovers.

@Kcmatt7 Who? Coleby?

@KUSTEVE Yea Coleby

@KUSTEVE unless Self doesn't want Bragg back.

@BShark compare youngster size to another player? He seems to me like another cf?

@Crimsonorblue22 I'm wondering if we don't see more of Lightfoot, and less of Bragg.

That Mark Smith cat looks like a bigger version of Wayne, doesn't he? He doesn't look especially quick, but he sure can score through contact.

@JayHawkFanToo

Trae called the coaches last night and KU wasn't the school that won

@BeddieKU23

How do we know this?

@Crimsonorblue22 said:

@BShark compare youngster size to another player? He seems to me like another cf?

A better CF isn't a bad comp.

@KUSTEVE said:

That Mark Smith cat looks like a bigger version of Wayne, doesn't he? He doesn't look especially quick, but he sure can score through contact.

Yeah he is bulky. At this point I think he is one of the better realistic options. Who knows though, it's Bill Self and we've seen players added in the spring that we had no idea about before.

@JayHawkFanToo

Just posted on 247. Before you say well he called Self last, I would not read into it.

Trae spent much of his day Tuesday calling coaches to let them know of his decision. Brad Underwood in the morning, Lon Kruger in the afternoon and Bill Self in the late afternoon/early evening.

When I asked Trae if it was a hard process for him his response went something like this.

"YES!!!!!!!"

No doubt that it was. Calling coaches before making announcements seemed to be something in the past so I have a lot of respect for Trae for being mature enough to make those calls.

Where will he go? Unless there is a change of heart in the next few hours I expect Trae to stay in the city he knows so well. Norman.

@BeddieKU23 best for last. We already knew he was calling them

@BeddieKU23 if he does in fact not choose KU, you have to think about how bad of timing all of the KC Star articles were for this. Not necessarily what you want to be reading about a month before you are choosing to go to a school or not.

@BeddieKU23 Do you know this for a fact or are you just speculating? Just curious. I don't think he is picking KU either.

@Kcmatt7 if he wanted to stay at home why do they waste so much of others time and money? That's what pisses me off. If he goes to ou I hope DG D's up his ass next year! Or let's see him play some D!

@Crimsonorblue22 You can't be mad at someone for exploring their options. This is a big decision for him and his family. Like possibly millions of dollars decision. I won't be mad at them for taking their time.

Happy birthday fellow bucketeers! Lets hope we get our birthday wish!

I don't watch HS mix tapes on recruits anymore until they sign with KU. Who does Trae Young compare to most?

@Eric-san Back atcha! But life will go on regardless. At my age, I add...."fortunately!"

Happy he's staying in the conference either way. Still a win for us.

@Crimsonorblue22 I would understand if he was waiting until March to see if Graham stays or leaves. But I agree that if he does end up picking OU, it's strange that it took him this long for him to announce it. Nothing has changed for several months with the pros and cons. Neither coach has sent very many PG's to the NBA. With OU, he gets to stay home and play in front of friends and family. With KU, he will still be pretty close to home and get to play for a winning program along with many other smaller benefits. It's a big decision, though, so I definitely don't blame him for taking his time. I'm sure he was really struggling with the decision. It's not easy to turn down an opportunity like being the starting point guard for KU.

Do high school players always announce their decision at their high school? I know a couple of my classmates did when I was in high school. I wouldn't think he would want to make the announcement in front of a bunch of Oklahoma locals if he was picking KU... Probably wouldn't get a very good response from them. I would think he would use a different method like twitter if he was picking KU. Just my opinion.

@BeddieKU23

I thought it was customary for players to call the coaches involved in the recruitment ahead of time to let them know of the decision. I am not reading anything into the call order by common sense would indicate that you call the coaches the will not get you first since the conversation will be likely short and you call the coach of the school you choose last since the conversation will likely be longer...right?

@cjbooth38

Wiggins announcement was done in private with no public attending...and no stupid hat ceremony; very classy.

It's OU obviously, no sense discussing it anymore.

@JayHawkFanToo

Kind of a common theme among most KU commits. Heck even Josh just announced on twitter.

@JayHawkFanToo There are a couple of different ways you could look at it. It would make the most since for him to break the bad news to the other two schools before calling the school that he's choosing. He also may have wanted to announce some good news in between announcing the bad news. I could also see him calling the school he picked first before breaking the bad news to the other two schools. However, I think we can rule that one out since he called OSU first. I'm not looking too much into it. Who knows why he called the schools in that order.

I am almost always optimistic about KU basketball but my expectations have been tempered over the years as far as players making an impact right out of high school. We can all say that this kid will come in and be "the guy" to run the point but who knows. We have had quite a few highly touted recruits not live up to national expectations. Josh Jackson has ben phenomenal and lived up to expectations and I think Wiggins did as well. B Mac and JoJo were studs as freshman too. But then we had Diallo, Cliff, Selby, Oubre, Xavier (to some extent)...these guys were top 10-15 recruits. I would not say that we got top 10-15 results. Just saying, we can't be sure that his OAD year is a success no matter where he plays. Of course I hope he picks KU but we will be fine with or without him. RCJH.

@joeloveshawks

The big issue is that unless Self lands some more developmental prospects in this class we are looking at starting almost nothing but FR in the 18-19 season. And considering how weak the 18 class is, that's not great.

Hard for me to get excited about him when he lists the important items to him, and we have them all and then he picks ou. Ou is not far away either.

@JayHawkFanToo That's one of the main reasons why I think he is picking OU. I don't know why he would want to announce disappointing news (for them) in front of all the locals when he could just do it privately. It seems like he is wanting to celebrate with them. It wouldn't be much of a celebration if he was picking KU.

@cjbooth38 but it's his school not the city? Teammates would back him.

@joeloveshawks But at this point, we might not have any other options at the point guard position and I really don't think Young would be a bust like Selby was. Even if we are forced to use Newman as our PG, we would then be short handed at one of the other guard positions. Garrett is not ready to be a starter or to play heavy minutes. Cunliffe would start for us in the second half of the season if Young doesn't pick us and both Graham and Svi doesn't return.

I ask Scott about other options and he mentioned Duval but also Mark Smith.

@cjbooth38 said:

@joeloveshawks But at this point, we might not have any other options at the point guard position and I really don't think Young would be a bust like Selby was. Even if we are forced to use Newman as our PG, we would then be short handed at one of the other guard positions. Garrett is not ready to be a starter or to play heavy minutes. Cunliffe would start for us in the second half of the season if Young doesn't pick us and both Graham and Svi doesn't return.

Honestly at this point we need Graham to stay.

@Crimsonorblue22 I can't imagine it would only be students there. Oklahoma fans have been waiting a long time for him to make the decision and I wouldn't be surprised if the school let outside fans attend.

@cjbooth38 I agree that it would be great if we land him. My point was really more in the realm of expectations if he does become a Jayhawk. That said, let's say Graham leaves and we don't land Young. Will the ship sink?

I don't think the ship would necessarily sink... We have too many good players outside of the PG position for it to completely sink. That being said, it would be one of the worst teams we've had in a while and we wouldn't even be a top 15 team imo.

@cjbooth38 It will be interesting, man. This year we have such an incredible back court. Next year we may end up having a really deep front court if Doke's hand heals, Bragg re-learns the game of basketball and Billy Preston partially lives up to the hype. Could be back to pound it inside?

@cjbooth38 We had a lot worse players at a lot more positions the year Nadiir was running point. And they ended up a top 10 team. I'll hedge my bets that Self can figure out a way to make the roster work and play top 10 basketball.

If I were Trae Young, I would be really nervous to pick OU. They already have a solid PG this year in Woodard (although he is injured now) and they are still really bad. Does he really believe that he will make more of an impact in his freshman year than Woodard?

@cjbooth38

Under Coach Self, KU has replaced all 5 starters before and done fine. Even if Young does not select KU, it will still be a top 10 maybe a top 5 team based on what it has returning. Remember, Coach Self is the Master of last minute miracles so I don't believe he is done recruiting for next season quite yet.

I think the real decision here for Trae is whether he wants to go to a predominantly FOOTBALL SCHOOL, or go to a predominantly BASKETBALL SCHOOL.

Even though our football program is about to get turned around, Kansas will always be known for basketball and has invested in plush dorms and training facilities. We have (easily) one of the best strength/conditioning programs in the country that is being used as a model elsewhere.

OU is football, with basketball a very distant second.

@Kcmatt7 Yeah, I know we've had worse players. When I said it would be one of the worst teams we've had in a while, I was referring to the past few (3-5) seasons.

@Eric-san

Direct comparison I would say Tyus Jones. Jones was on the National Championship Duke team a few years ago as a freshman. Young is an elite shooter, even better then Jones. Young's shooting compares to Steph Curry. That is what I see. High praise, he's a good player.

@BShark

Well we've all seen what Scott doesn't know these days

@Kcmatt7 I think our record would be similar to our 2013 and 2014 seasons (25-10 and 27-9).

You would think he would want to get away from home and second if he wants to go big, he needs to get bigger. Pretty scrawny looking.

@cjbooth38

I agree its not that KU won't have talent next year, its that there will be little to continuity throughout the roster.

We are looking at Lagerald Vick being the only guy coming back who would have played in every Big-12 game. That's just scary.

Coach Self wanted a top PG for a reason, going after Young so hard was not a luxury signing its the difference between having an actual point guard on the roster that can be depended on to fill the shoes of Mason departing and Graham most likely leaving as well.

Now its up to Self to pull that magic rabbit out again and find a suitable plan Z at this point. Usually its worked. We better hope it does again

@Crimsonorblue22

Seems like he's too close to his family to leave. Mom didn't want him to leave as most mothers do. In the end he's sticking with familiarity. And if all goes to plan in his freshman year he won't be at OU long enough for it to matter.

@Crimsonorblue22 I had the same thought about him wanting to get away from home. Even his mom said that she is worried about his development as a man if he stayed in Oklahoma. He needs to learn to be independent. Time to cut the umbilical cord.

I thought his announcement was at 1!?! So why the pessimism? I'm holding on to a sliver of hope until I'm told otherwise.

Winners play for Self. If a player runs from Self, who wants him?

@dylans I think it's because our CB prediction has gone from 58% to 12% within the last 10 hours or so. Seems like some info leaked about his decision.

@dylans

because he's already told the coaches his intentions and that info has made its way out into the recruiting world..

@Kcmatt7

More to add that I jacked from the thread on the phog. There is also a list of possible transfer bigs as well.

Brandon Goodwin, Florida Gulf Coast: 6-foot-2, 180 lb SG who transferred from UCF after the 2015 season (remember him?). He's putting up 17/4/4 on 55/40/78 shooting splits.

Jonathan Stark, Murray State: 6-foot-0 PG who used to play for Tulane, but transferred. Averaging 21p/3.6r/5.3a per game on 43/42/83 shooting splits.

Mark Alstork -
Henry Caruso -
BJ Johnson -
Isaac Nielson -

@BeddieKU23 There are definitely options on the transfer market. We don't even need a guy who can score at PG. We need a guy who can pass, knock down a wide open 3 and play solid defense. Nothing special, but a solid experienced guard. I'm confident we will land a guy who can at the very least do that.

I wonder who Towson has recruited this year at PG?

Hmmmmm....

@dylans Pretty sure when "the oklahoman" is running a live stream countdown for his announcement...safe to say it's etched in stone to the Sooners

http://newsok.com/multimedia/videos?live=MaMSh3lV1NQ#gsc.tab=0 ↗

chalk him up to my Al Freeman category...where 2 times a year (sometimes 3) I'll watch and briefly pause for a moment and think "you dumb bastard...look at you wearing that trash jersey and getting another loss when you could have actually had hope and aspirations of winning a national title and not have to endure the torture of living in waco (or norman, or stillwater)"

@bmensch1 where is al freeman?

@Crimsonorblue22

Guard for baylor...Was down to Nova and KU (in 2011 I think)...committed to UCLA...de-committed from UCLA and Drew got him to Baylor. He was a prized commodity at the time.

@bmensch1 he hasn't played the last 3 games because of "team rules". That's what I meant

@Kcmatt7

We'll see what options are actually available. I don't think anyone other then Keene is all of that exciting at the moment.

I do think you need to have someone running this team next year that is more than just nothing special. Not many top programs get away with their floor general not being as good as the guy on the other side. Frank Mason and Graham are not "average". The last time we settled for average we had Tharpe. The College Game today requires that your guards are your best players. Newman/Vick should be great combo options but we need more than 1 guy who can shoulder leadership/ ball-handling duties.

@BeddieKU23 Has Self been in contact with these players or is this just a list of players he could reach out to if he wanted to? Wouldn't they have to sit out next year if they transferred to KU at this point in the year?

@cjbooth38

Just a list of possible kids that could be on the graduate transfer market. I'm assuming most of these kids either transferred or red-shirted at some point which would in theory put them on track to finish their last year somewhere else. We probably won't know for sure until late March what kids would be good to graduate and go.

@BeddieKU23 I'm thinking more the Alex Smith version of a college basketball player. A guy that will take care of the ball and let the talent around him take over. Between Newman, Doke, Preston and Vick, scoring shouldn't be an issue. Getting these guys the ball in a position to score is the more important thing.

@BShark let me say this as simply as I can, and you already know this, and why Scott would even BEGIN to mention - -we ARE NOT getting Duval plain and simply he has that Duke blue ribbon all over his body. - -This recruiting season has been pretty much a bust -Are we for sure even for sure on Preston? - -has he got all his academics in order to where he is clear? - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

Scott is an idiot, that much is true after yesterday

@joeloveshawks your counting on Bragg coming back?- - your counting on Preston having all his problems cleared up? Bragg may want to venture elsewhere after the season he has had start fresh, and haven't heard for sure one way or another on Preston. - - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 pulled up our current roster. - -doesn't look to great - -decent but could be very interesting. - -The one's for sure that will be back: - - -Vick , Cunliffe , Newman , Coleby , Azubuike , Lightfoot let me ask you, if you were an opposing team playing KU next yr would you feel scared? - -intimidated? - - -Not me

I put these names cause these are the one's WE KNOW will be here, we have no TRUE idea on any others. I mean sure we have the possibilities of - - Graham? - -maybe - - Svi?- - maybe - -Bragg? - -Maybe - -Preston? - -WHO KNOWS.

I personally don't like our chances with either Graham OR SVI if nothing else SVI goes back to Europe and plays there, - Just not feeling it with Devonte. - - Bragg - -after all he has gone through this year, off the court issues, and lack of playing time, I just think that he maybe looks elsewhere for a fresh start. No idea if Preston has his academics cleared or not

I'd would say Graham 85 % not coming back -- SVI 100% gone- - Bragg 50/50 & Preston 70/30 % he makes it. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I sure hope he has hats at the announcement

@jayballer54

In that roster scenario no we don't scare anyone.

We won't know anything about Preston until he's out of HS and the rumor mill comes back around with him.

Some many unknowns and how we finish in March will have a huge say on what happens as well with the roster.

@BeddieKU23 Alstork at Wright State is good.

he's a sooner

He chose OU.

probably a good choice for him

Have fun losing.

Sure there are still a lot of unknowns, but who the hell wouldn't take this roster if it presented itself?

Graham, Newman, Svi, Vick, Garrett, Bragg, Doke, Preston, Colby, Lightfoot

it will be nice when he puts up 35 against us on 8-10 from 3 land and still loses the game. Problem is he won't actually care

@DanR Can't be mad when someone decides to stay home. I wish him well......except, of course, when they play us.

@Hawk8086 As soon as I saw how young his family is, I knew he was probably staying home

OU it is......

I don't know why so many people are assuming Graham and Svi will be back. I certainly hope they return, but I am not optimistic. I have know idea what Graham will do. I don't think Svi will return, which is fine. We mainly need Graham to return.

Yeah, stay home... sounds like a blast. Nobody ever enjoys the experience of going away to college. He can even live at momma's house still, that sounds like an opportunity that's too hard to pass up.

did anyone actually watch it? it was over yesterday

Please, let us show the class we always contend we have:

Good luck, Trae! Thank you for considering us. We wish you every success and hope your choice turns out well for you--except against us, of course. We look forward to the heightened competition!

Such a waste of resources!

@BeddieKU23 I tuned in to the OK news feed just for the hell of it.

@Crimsonorblue22

Definitely, they trolled Self. I hope Self uses it next year when they play each other.

@BeddieKU23

Yeah...I'm watching it now...some student yelled out "F her right in her P*!" Pretty classy

@bmensch1 at the news conference?

@RockkChalkk Real good sportsmanship, there.

@mayjay

I hope Marcus Garrett scores 25 against him next season. Hows that for class? Garrett did beat him in a HS game earlier this season

@Crimsonorblue22

yep...at the news conference

@BeddieKU23 can trae dunk?

@BeddieKU23 That is fine, of course, but that is competitive spirit, not wishing someone fails or putting down his character as some have. Remember the people at UK who wanted Diallo to get hurt, or the MSU anti-Josh comments?

@Crimsonorblue22

not that I know of. 3's are worth more than 2's..

@BeddieKU23 said:

@Crimsonorblue22

Definitely, they trolled Self. I hope Self uses it next year when they play each other.

How trolled?

@BeddieKU23 wonder how easy he can get to rim? Pretty sure I know 3's are worth more than 2? Thx for the math lesson

@jayballer54 No, I'm not really counting on those things. Just thinking that if all of the front court stars align it could be good.

Do you think Bragg is gone? Just curious. It seems like it may be logical for him to start fresh somewhere else.

@mayjay

I certainly don't wish he fails or gets hurt.

Will be fun to see him on the opposing side, and I respect his decision. Good luck Trae. You seem to be a nice young man, but don't think for 1 minute that your new team will win a B12 title, or vie for a NC in the next few years. Rock Chalk rolls on!!!

@Crimsonorblue22

The comment wasn't meant to be mean in anyway but his elite skill is perimeter shooting. He's a 6'2 beanpole with average athleticism.

@Crimsonorblue22

He is quick and has good handles. Physicality could be an issue for him until he matures. He's a gunner though and will spend a lot of his time shooting the 3

I still say this. -- Bottom line, does it suck that Trae didn't come? - -hell ya, kind of falls right in line with how some things have been going this year for this basketball team, with off the court issues, and all the missed targets we have missed on this year, BUT - - - bottom line, Is Trae Young a better player OR do you think he will be a better player then what Buddy is? - With that being said remind me how many times did OU beat us with the great Buddy? At the end of the day KU is going to end up just fine, let Trae play there his choice - -I feel a lot of this decision still came down to mama.

Bottom line who if I was a parent and had a kid to make that Choice - who would I rather have him play for - -not even a question - who out here thinks Lon Kruger - - is a better Coach then Self? I'll take my Chances with Bill, when it's all said and done think we will be just fine - -at THIS POINT the recruiting season this year has kind of been a bust - -that's a given, but I'm sure they have others in mind - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@mayjay Sorry, just treating him like he treated KU. Say that winning is the most important thing then pick OU? Say that KU had the best coaching staff then pick OU? Crimson is right, he trolled KU and wasted a lot of Self's time & resources. I don't feel bad for one second by wishing he loses every game he plays in college.

@joeloveshawks That's exactly what I think as well also. As I stated in other parts of this thread, with all that has happened to him this year here with his off the court issues whether they were right or wrong - -I just think and plus with his lack of playing time and his non development - -not necessarily Coach's fault- - but I think after the season is over he just may decide to take his game somewhere else, get a fresh start. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54 Agreed. I would not be shocked at all if Bragg left. If he does I wish him the best. I have enjoyed watching AW3 this year at Cuse. He is a good kid and I am happy that things have finally worked out. If Bragg leaves perhaps that will happen for him as well.

As far as Trae is concerned I am happy for him to and look forward to seeing his talent on display in the Big 12 next year. I am also looking forward to KU beating OU 2-3 times next year.

Everyone keep it classy and wish Young well. We will be fine, always are.

@RockkChalkk And of course you know what was in his head for six months? He is actually accepting a bigger challenge and you find something bad about it. And then act like a rejected teenage boy who posts trash talk about the girl who saw his character for what it was and turns him down.

You hope he loses every game... well, if nothing else, you have justified my comments about some KU fans being arrogant!

@Hawk8086 said:

Alstork

I used him one weekin my college bb league. Averaging 15 a game, with a bushel full of 3s.

@kjayhawks Oh as far as my part I'm staying REAL classy, that's his choice. - -The only thing I asked was who thinks Trae is or ever will be better then Buddy and we saw how we fared against Buddy, so the same can be given to Trae. - -sure not going to lose any sleep over an 18 yr old kid who switches his mind faster then you can turn off a light switch.

That's where he wants to play so be it. - -Like I tell my kids in their every day lives, They have to make that decision, no one else can - -whether it's a right or wrong - -It's their decision, a decision they are going to have to live with. - -Then there are times they make the wrong decision BUT that was their choice and they have to live with that choice - - that's how we learn - -whether it be good or bad - -it's theirs -- I can only worry about REAL PROBLEMS in the world like poverty, un-employment, how the hell I'm going to pay all these bills, food on the table, a roof over my head- -I can't stress out like some on where an 18 yr old kid wants to play College ball, I know we will be fine - - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54 Nice post. Good perspective. If you want to borrow some additional problems to help take your mind off bb, let me know!

@mayjay Lmao, gee, thanks but I think I'm good, but good looking out, I think I have ENOUGH problems without taking anymore, lol and just when I think I'm getting a grip on them then - - BAM my daughter shows up and like HEY DAD and so then it begins all over lol, but whatcha going to do - -got to love em , she and my other kids are my world problems and all. but like I said w gonna be all right. The championship ran through Lawrence before Trae and will run through Lawrence after Trae - - ROCK CHAL;K ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BeddieKU23 Has anyone heard any hard facts about where Duval is with his recruiting? Has his list changed? When he might decide? Thanks.

Let's dump this thread!

If I'm Krueger I'm pimping guard success. He's got Buddy. What guards has Bill gotten to the league (that have done anything) besides Mario? Not all Bill's fault, but the proof is in the pudding.

Brandon Rush, Mario, who am I forgetting?

And then the guys who were disappointments... Sherron, Tyshawn, Elijah, Selby, who else?

Given, Lon has Buddy and who else? He certainly hasn't had the talent that Self has had though.

Self has to get a stud guard at some point. And get him to the league and perform. Meanwhile we should still be okay, but I think something like that would've sealed the deal with Trae. Who knows, maybe Mason will go pro and have an Isaiah Thomas type career. Let's all hope that happens!

@mayjay You ever seen me after a loss? I make him look like King Solomon. I am very glad no one could see or hear me before the comeback. We're fans. We say things like that. At least we aren't Silo Tech- our fan base doesn't have to be admonished by the college prez or anything. Let him steam off- he'll be fine as frog hair in a day, and your blood pressure will be the better for it.

@Big-Clyde52

"With Young’s future now clear, the Jayhawks are likely to turn their full attention to fellow five-star point guard Trevon Duval, a 6-3, 189-pound IMG Academy point guard who is ranked No. 3 overall and the No. 1 point guard in the 2017 class, according to Rivals. Duval visited KU for Late Night back in the fall and also has been at the top of the Jayhawks’ wish list in the Class of 2017.

Duval’s visit for Late Night was of the unofficial variety, which meant he still had an opportunity to take an official visit any time before he signed. He took that opportunity a couple of weeks ago and attended KU’s home game against Baylor on Feb. 1.

After the visit, Shay Wildeboor of JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Duval’s father, who had nothing but good things to say about his son’s experience.

“It was just a great visit,” Trevor Duval told Wildeboor. “The great thing about Kansas was they made us feel like family. We felt like we belonged during the entire visit.... It really couldn’t have gone any better.”

Although Duval and Young are slightly different players from a physical standpoint, the talent level is equal. Both are elite point guards with big time play-making ability who would make an immediate impact wherever they land.

With Kansas slated to lose Frank Mason III to graduation and potentially losing junior Devonte’ Graham to the NBA, the importance of finding a point guard to slide into the lead guard spot for the 2017-18 season is high.

However, sources close to the program indicated throughout the process that the Jayhawks absolutely loved both Young and Duval and would’ve been thrilled to land either.

That fact keeps KU in good shape so long as it can continue its pursuit of Duval, who lists Arizona, Baylor, Duke and Seton Hall next to Kansas on his list of finalists.

"Matt Scott, of TheShiver.com, told The Journal-World Duval’s recent trip to Lawrence made Duval to Kansas a real possibility.

“The official visit to Kansas very much put KU in the mix for Duval,” Scott said. “Heading into that visit, the popular belief was that Trae Young would ultimately be a Jayhawk. After the visit, though, I think Duval certainly felt that Kansas would love to add him to their 2017 class as much as any player they’ve recruited.”"

Just a thought about Trae: I wonder if Lon used a video of Marcus Smart doing the flip after OSU's win in AFH and then said:

"So, Trae, how many players have had the experience of beating KU at AFH during their conference win streak? Everyone remembers Smart. Think about what it would men to end that streak! Do you want to be known as just one tagalong player in a long line of champions, or do you want to be someone who took OU to the top? What legacy do you want? Buddy was our best--can you be better?"

I think, if he wants to be noticed and has confidence, that would be awfully convincing coming from a class act like Kruger.

@mayjay how many times did buddy do it? That makes no sense or he would have gone to St. Louis.

@KUSTEVE My blood pressure is fine! I just like to think if any recruit ever wavers between us and someone else, they might look to, or be directed to, ancillary sources to see how fans act. To me, it is like screaming obscenities at an opponent at a game--a few drunken jerks can give an entire fanbase a bad name.

And I admit tthat my paranoia on this is ironic, given his signature tagline!

@mayjay [

@Crimsonorblue22 Not directly related to Smart. The point is the notoriety and legacy Smart got for winnning a single game. Imagine Trae's if he takes OU over the hump and breaks our streak--even Buddy never could. Should have been clearer.

@Big-Clyde52

After the KU visit he went to the Duke/UNC game with Duke as his perceived Favorite since they offered him. He also has plans to go visit Arizona soon officially and Seton Hall could be also receiving a visit. He said that if KU landed Young that he wouldn't consider us anymore so in some regard we are still in it. Nobody that follows his recruiting believes KU is likely to land him no matter what we pitch to him.

I doubt he signs before April. Another where the dad is very much involved in his recruitment,

@KUSTEVE said:

You ever seen me after a loss? I make him look like King Solomon. I am very glad no one could see or hear me before the comeback.

The greatest gift I ever gave to my family and to my blood pressure was to cut cable. We now use Roku and I watch the KU games on the ESPN app, which are posted about 45 minutes after the conclusion of the live action.

I follow along with live chat on Buckets during the game, but it's not nerve-wracking or cuss-inducing like it was watching on live TV. If we lose or play like crap I don't have to spend time or the emotional equity watching the replay, If we win, I can relax during all the ups and downs, knowing the final result. Yeah, there's less suspense, but also less yelling at the television and irritating my family to no end.

They'll just have to put up with me during the madness though!

Do you guys think Frank Jackson will be back next year for Duke? If so, I could see Duval picking KU over Duke if Graham leaves. I bet he's waiting to see what Graham and Franks decision is before he commits somewhere.

@cjbooth38

Frank Jackson will be back but he's been playing a combo guard role for Duke. Duke, KU, Arizona are all selling the same soda, they need a primary ball handler

And apparently when it comes to Duke it doesn't seem to matter who's on the roster, they get who they want

@tis4tim I quit live blogging because I would allow myself to get worked up too easily.

Some really good stuff on kusports.com. handing trae over the keys to our program, teaching him to play team ball, etc! Moving on

@KUSTEVE All the Monday night games start here in the East at 9 pm. My wife goes to bed because she has to get up early and if she started watching she would be up for 3 more hours. So my outbursts start with a surge until I remember to be quieter so they fade way out at the end "GOD-darnit..." She still hears me sometimes.

Next.

Welp, rather have a senior DG anyway.

From Mr. Double Chin...Tom Keegan:

"If Self didn’t think he could turn Young into an unselfish teammate, he wouldn’t have recruited him. He’ll find somebody less talented to take the scholarship slotted for Young and Kruger will take on the challenge of helping Young make the transition from a ball-hog to a scoring point guard who also brings out the best in teammates."

Indeed, Tom.

I think there are hints in DG's play that says he is returning next year. He wants to be the man. I believe the 2018 class will be less PG heavy in the draft as well.

@jayballer54 said:

@BeddieKU23 pulled up our current roster. - -doesn't look to great - -decent but could be very interesting. - -The one's for sure that will be back: - - -Vick , Cunliffe , Newman , Coleby , Azubuike , Lightfoot let me ask you, if you were an opposing team playing KU next yr would you feel scared? - -intimidated? - - -Not me

I put these names cause these are the one's WE KNOW will be here, we have no TRUE idea on any others. I mean sure we have the possibilities of - - Graham? - -maybe - - Svi?- - maybe - -Bragg? - -Maybe - -Preston? - -WHO KNOWS.

I personally don't like our chances with either Graham OR SVI if nothing else SVI goes back to Europe and plays there, - Just not feeling it with Devonte. - - Bragg - -after all he has gone through this year, off the court issues, and lack of playing time, I just think that he maybe looks elsewhere for a fresh start. No idea if Preston has his academics cleared or not

I'd would say Graham 85 % not coming back -- SVI 100% gone- - Bragg 50/50 & Preston 70/30 % he makes it. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Garrett will 100% be on campus.

DUVALIS ALL DUKE

@Eric-san said:

Welp, rather have a senior DG anyway.

100%. Fingers crossed, we need him.

@BeddieKU23 said:

@mayjay

I hope Marcus Garrett scores 25 against him next season. Hows that for class? Garrett did beat him in a HS game earlier this season

Love Garrett long term. Next season I hope he doesn't have to start.

@BShark

I do hope he has a role next year. At this point the role is expanded to say the least. There may not be a signing on the horizon that is better than him and I think Marcus will prove to be as good as any in time.

@BeddieKU23

I can't see a situation where Self lands a kid that would cause Garrett not to play. That if Devonte stays even. In that situation we are looking at Graham/Newman/Vick starting and Garrett sopping up the large majority of the bench minutes until Cunliffe is eligible.

I think I was about as excited as anyone when we signed him. Very under the radar.

@BShark

If Graham returns all the sour grapes are forgotten from today. But we know either he'll declare after the season and keep us waiting until after the combine is over or declare and give Self some time to figure out option #345643 of the 2017 cycle. I'm not buying anyone who thinks he's coming back as some of the media is trying to talk up today in light of losing out.

And yes something about Marcus makes me think we are still under-appreciating signing him.

@BeddieKU23

Gotta take top 50 talents when you can and imo Garrett is.

And yeah no one on the radio knows anything, they are speculating because of the situation.

@BShark true, but yet STILL is that roster even with Garrettt intimidate you? - -scare you? - -ROCK CHAL;K ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer54

No but Young wouldn't have changed that.

You guys probably have covered this but is Newman a good ball handler?

@jayballer54 Does that team scare me right this second? Nope.

But, 5 of those players have the potential to make a huge jump this summer. Vick, Cunliffe, Newman, Doke and Lightfoot have a ton of room to grow their games.

I expect a lot from Newman and Cunliffe. I think Lightfoot probably adds 20-30 lbs this summer and can actually hold his own out on the floor. Doke will be much improved next year. At the very least, a better conditioned player and that is scary enough. And Vick could add another 15 lbs this summer and become a force driving the lane. Although, most of his problems on the court seem mental to me. He is as athletic as anyone. I think he takes a giant step and solidifies himself in the 1st round of the 2018 draft.

If the stars align, next years team could start 5 potential first round picks. Even if Svi and Graham leave, there is the potential for 4 first round picks.

@approxinfinity from what I've heard, not a point guard at the college level. Bill has made it clear that he is a combo guard. So to me that means he isn't the greatest at taking care of the ball.

Graham will be back because his draft stock has quite a bit of room to rise. He's 2nd round to undrafted right now as the 3rd option on this team. Next year is when he'll get to run the show with Newman being the #2 option. A good year next year for Graham puts him in the mid 1st round most likely.

Graham will be back because of that.

Looks like "Sky Is Falling 2017/2018" is in production.

@Kcmatt7 I have to say this, and Some will probably think I am 10000% whacko, I agree with you on lightfoot. - -You know what I think his big problem is this year?- -I think it is just a lot his weight. - -Maybe just me but when he HAS come in, seems like lots of energy, actually blocks shots a little better then what I thought, works hard, so like you said, give him a summer with Hudy get some meat on him I think he MAY just surprise some people. I've liked what I have seen from him actually.

Doke? - -actually I think we STILL have him for 2 more years I think with him having his wrist/hand messed up will sit him back some in his development, I think he will stick for TWO full years of playing time, he can be a beast - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@Texas-Hawk-10 That's why this site is good, we can differ on opinion. - -I've read ALOT from people that scope this out and they say that there is NO WAY Devonte will be back next year.. - - . I think he has hit about his high as he is going as his value is going to go in the NBA. at the top of the 2nd round from what I've seen. at various times. wish I could say it was just me, BUT there are many, many that also feel Devonte is gone. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Congrats to Trae for making his pick. It will be good to compete against him next year and beyond.

We have nothing to worry, and can now focus more on Trevon.

If we don't land either of these players, we will still be fine. I'm with @Texas-Hawk-10 , Devonte would be nuts to leave this year with his draft stock low, never getting the top marque spot here, and next year looming as his big year.

Even if we did lose Devonte and these two.... Bill finds a way to make it work. He has been pretty darn successful throughout his days at Kansas. If we become desperate you all will be amazed when a kick butt guard suddenly becomes available after March. Players shift..... remember how we got Frank and Devonte?

@mayjay

About Marcus Smart...first, he played for OSU not OU so I seriously doubt Kruger would mention him. Second, outside of fans from KU and OSU, no one remember Smart for the flip, everybody rightfully remembers him for the biggest flopper he was...and still is.

@JayHawkFanToo Point taken, but I do think he emphasized the idea of taking out the king.

In a lighter vein, your post suggested to me that the flip was just really a preview of how well he would develop his flop! Trying to get our logo called for a post-game fowl?

Tried to be as positive as possible. Oh well...could say a lot of stupid stuff. But I'll just say, hope TY's dreams comes true.

We don't get Trevon. That idea is a definite NO. We basically went all in on Trae and played the OU odds and lost.

Let's see if there are any highly experienced transfers ready to win a NC with KU. There will be a transfer that will realize they are on a dead end road to no where and decide they could at least win a NC at KU.

Bill Self is a master at getting those transfers.

Graham appearing more amd more likely to return is likely the biggest reason why Young went with OU. Woodard will be gone and they'll have an opening on a likely tournament team. With Graham likely back, Young comes off the bench behind Graham and Newman.

As long as Graham does return, this isn't a huge blow for KU, but not having Young in 2018-19 is the bigger loss with Young

@mayjay

Considering that you can take the king down only once but the king can continuously pound you...wouldn't you rather be the king? I know I would...

Another pointless thread, worrying about some kid that never committed...so how much time & your own emotion did you waste, ask yourselves? Remember all the wanking & mental masterbation over KalebX Tarczewski? Never came, dont care.

Someone posted "I hope there's another Trae out there". Maybe, since you are supposed to know your own coach's attributes by now, one might say "I hope he finds the next Mason/Graham/Tyshawn". Want a lead guard? Or 2 combos/PGs? Find 4 year contenders, not 1-yr OAD pretenders.

Say NO to this f--kin hype machine. Its damn embarrassing to see grown men put on a godd--n bonnet & batt their eyelashes in hopes over some 17yr old, only then to read their "jilted" catharsis later.

How many times are you people going to do this to yourselves? KTarc, DDaniels, etc, etc, etc. ad nauseum.

@ralster

Frankly, I don't worry to much, that is Coach Self's job, he gets paid plenty for it and more importantly...he always delivers and seldom disappoints.

@ralster If only you weren't so ambiguous about this topic!:stuck_out_tongue:

@approxinfinity Can we just lock this one and maybe flush it down the toilet?

@brooksmd +100

Trae young going going gone🚽🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪

@Crimsonorblue22 :clap: :clap: :clap: