🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Just got back from the airport here in Topeka sending the boys off to San Antonio. Really good turn out - - lots of people turned out , was just some what disappointed but I understand. - When they showed I mean it was like WHOOSH -they came through and NO AUTOGRAPHS - - -NONE not for anybody- - kind of surprising - -but understand - -if they took the time to stop and sign every ones for autograph and every player take time to sign - -they would never get out of there . - -Them being on a schedule. I got to thinking , ya that's right the other time I went out they were coming back - -not going.

Plus it wasn't like they didn't not sign for me - again nobody they flat whooshed through. - -Did manage to shake Coach Self's hand other assistants and some players as they walked through- that was cool. - - Flying with Airline Sun Country - -never heard of them.

Mercy - -observation, when you see these guys on TV - - Doke looks big - - -but when he walks right past you, not more then 3 feet from you - -JUMPIN - - GEE - -HOSSIE - -TOADS - -THE GUY IS A MONSTER - - -holy crap is he big - I mean he would flick me off him like a flea - -mercy - - mercy

Silvio - - REALLY BIG - -I mean - -REALLY BIG still had a good time - but dam guys I went to all that trouble made up a sweet little poster board for the guys to sign - -And nothing lmao - -waste of money lol - - - OH WELL - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer73 I don't blame them for no autographs, they would've left 2 hours late had they done that. They sign autographs after every home for hours sometimes, which can't be fun after you just played a game. Yes, I met Doke last year, I'm 6'2 220 but he makes me look like a grade schooler, his hands are so big I bet he could move me like a pawn in a chest game lol.

@kjayhawks just huge - -really really huge lol. - - I ain't trippin I fully understand - -probably wanting all focus elsewhere

@jayballer73 Hey dude, it sounds like it was a pretty cool experience anyways. Im glad you got to see that!
Rock Chalk!!

Oh ya forgot to mention earlier BUT as the team was coming through the terminal - - - pretty dam sure it was good old Larry Brown coming through traveling with the team -- pretty cool. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I heard he was on the bus?

I'm 6'5 and played plenty of basketball with some really big guys. There is NOTHING like standing next to a TRUE 7 footer. It's just crazy. A junior high teammate of mine was 6'4 in 8th grade and eventually made 7'. I played with him in leagues when we were older and I got a little used to it.

jayballer73 said:

Oh ya forgot to mention earlier BUT as the team was coming through the terminal - - - pretty dam sure it was good old Larry Brown coming through traveling with the team -- pretty cool. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I saw him get off the bus in San Antonio. I thought it was him.

truehawk93 said:

jayballer73 said:

Oh ya forgot to mention earlier BUT as the team was coming through the terminal - - - pretty dam sure it was good old Larry Brown coming through traveling with the team -- pretty cool. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I saw him get off the bus in San Antonio. I thought it was him.

Yes Larry Brown did make the trip to San Antonio

Not sure I want Larry Brown hanging around the team. Cool experience though.

@wissox

He seems to follow KU quite a bit. He has been to the other schools with whom he has ties but he seems to be around KU a lot more. I have even seen pictures of him with Coach Self during recruiting trips

At this time, most people seem to have forgotten his numerous transgressions and see him as harmless or even as a positive to the program because of his NBA ties. He is likely not in a position to harm the program.

@JayHawkFanToo Larry is the man that actually was the 1st guy to get our program turned back around - before him we sucked. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer73

...and left KU on probation...and UCLA...and SMU...Dude is a walking violation. If not for Larry Brown, KU's record streak of NCAA appearances would be even longer. The violations at KU turned out to be considerably more serious than what we were told at the time and KU came within a whisker of getting the death penalty.

BTW, KU did not suck before Larry Brown, it might not have been a top 3 or top 5 program but still pretty good except for a couple of of off years.

@JayHawkFanToo Let me say again I love Larry Brown - -he is the one who got KU turned around - -say what ya want you can talk ALL DAM DAY if it weren't for Larry hell we would still be in the Teddy era. - -If you want you can probably find violations with almost any school in the nation if you look and really don't even have to look that hard.

I can remember a time when KU almost if they didn't get themselves in trouble for buying or helping a player with a plane ticket so he could fly back because of a death in the family. - - I am not saying it's right - but Larry Brown BY FAR -- BY FAR is not the only Coach who has gotten schools in trouble. - -I'm still waiting for them to nail Kentucky - you don't think there isn't a lot of BS going on there-- - happened at Memphis why would anyone think that type of guy would ever change?

People's beloved Roy Williams and the who BS North Carolina kiss as scandal? - - pssssssssssssst please -- - there are many - - -many -- many - -many dirty College Colleges - -if the NCAA didn't cover their eyes so much to some schools the landscape would be sooooo much different. - - Coach Self just said in his press Conference today that just got through how it was cool that Larry like to come around so much and how he had helped Bill in his start

Coach also talked about how Larry is also very good friends with Jay Wright from Villanova - -no harm what so ever with him being with the team - -hell of a Coach. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@JayHawkFanToo LMAO - - a couple of years? - - a couple of years? - - I don't know how many years KU sucked before Larry Ted Owens was horrible - -very good recruiter - couldn't coach with a shit - with the talent he had in here and he did next to nothing - -I remember ALOT of really bad years - -not sure what team you were watching and what your definition of a good tem was - -but with the players we had - -please

@JayHawkFanToo By today's standard, one that started with Coach Brown, KU basketball was not doing well. KU's last 3 seasons' record before Brown was 52-36 (20-22 in the Big Eight), and the 81-82 season was 13-14 (4-10 in the Big Eight).

@LSH

...and that is why he was let go. His overall record at a KU is 348–182 or 66% and his conference record is 170–96 or 64% not earth shattering but not bad and at a time when the Big 8 was very competitive and basketball was not the business it is now. He also has 2 Final Four and 1 Elite 8. You cannot use today's standards for events/records that are 40 years old.

I don't understand why some fans think KU became relevant only after Larry Brown. KU has been relevant ever since James Naismith...who by the way has much worse record than Ted Owens.

@JayHawkFanToo well it's good to know that you are NOT referring to me when you say you don't know why some Ku fans didn't think KU was relevant before Larry. - I know I didn't say that - what I said was they sucked as was pointed out. - for the talent he had that should not of happened.

People on Coach Self for not winning any more titles or final fours - -but how many NCAA titles did Teddy win? - -horrible Coach - -he had so much talent not even funny.. - -just wish they could of gotten rid of him sooner - -remember going to the filed house and didn't have to worry about getting a ticket lots and lots of less then capacity - -Larry couldn't of have come at a better time

@jayballer73

Again, you are comparing different eras. In the '70s very few programs played in sold out arenas and basketball was not as big as it is today, not even close. Chuck Taylors and not Nike or Adidas ruled the day and money was tinny and many schools were not even integrated.

Do you know what Eddy Sutton,(who someone just indicated Coach Self should consult with) conference record was? 63%...or worse than Ted Owens.

When you are comparing two different eras in sports you are comparing apples and oranges.

Well read where it worked out for Doke 's mom to be at the game - -he is soo excited. - Coach said can you imagine - -Doke dad passed away - -Doke's mom had to send him away don't ask why - -just what Coach said.

Coach said can you imagine the 1st time you ever get to see your Son play and it's in a setting like this. - In front of 70,000 people - -what a feeling.

@JayHawkFanToo ok

@jayballer73 I agree, Ted Owens was a decent coach but couldn’t win with guys like Jojo and Valentine. The last 6 seasons Owens was here we not only didn’t win the big 8 we had losing records in conference 4 of those 6 seasons. @JayHawkFanToo lol Sutton’s win percentage was 63% compared to Owens’s 63.9%, pretty even but Sutton’s overall win percentage is 71% compared to 65% for Owens. Sutton is also known as one of the best coaches to never win a title, he had a God’s plenty of talent to do so at both UK and OSU. Ted Owens and Dick Harp are by all accounts good people and coaches, they just flatout had too much talent to not bring home a NC IMO.

When Larry Brown was named our coach, no one could believe we got him. The dude was a coaching legend before he ever came to KU. And he instantly turned our program around...dramatically. Before Larry came, I remember 2nd ranked Kentucky came into AFH, and it wasn't a sell out. There were plenty of empty seats. If you didn't go through that time in KU basketball, you probably won't get why so many of us have a deep affection for what he did for our program, probation or not. And I respect your view. In my opinion, Ted Owens did far more damage to our program of any coach since I've been following them (1972-2018). But once again, if you weren't going through losing season after losing season, you might not share the same opinion as me.

@kjayhawks IMO, Ted was horrible. He couldn't recruit, and couldn't coach. As I recall, we made 1 NCAA tournament his last 5 years. If I'm not mistaken, the 2 Final Fours that Ted made were back when the tournament was tiny, and they had to win two games in the tournament total to get to the Final Four.

@kjayhawks Agree - - the talent he had wasn't any reason he didn't do better -- Again good recruiter - - terrible Coach.- -Like you was saying not only being able to play well in the NCAA'S - -when we were going through those down years - -just ugly ball couldn't even win in the Big 8 little lone the tourney - Every one has their own opinion - but to me Ted Owens was an under achiever for asure

@kjayhawks

I purposefully used the Conference and not the overall record; it is a better number to compare since it is built against the same conference teams whereas the overall record can be padded against weaker competition.

Keep in mind that back then other schools like K-State with Hartman, Missouri with Stewart, OSU with Sutton and even ISU at times, had well above average programs. A lot less margin of error with only 8 teams in the Conference. Also, you forget that in the '70s and '80s as few as 25 teams participated in the Tournament and it was only 1985 when the tournament was expanded to 64 teams and a lot more programs became eligible. KU teams that missed the tournament in those years would have likely made it under the current format

You named Jo Jo and Valentine but KU did not routinely have several elite players at the same time and the supporting cast for the players you mention was at times not that good. Also If not for JoJo's shot being voided, KU could have had another trip to the Final Four which would make 3 for Owens and potentially a National Championship when it lost to UTEP in the Elite 8.

Like I said, it is difficult to compare teams and programs from different eras considering how much the college basketball landscape and the game itself have changed in the last 40-50 years and comparisons are really moot.

@JayHawkFanToo I’ll agree that different eras are hard to gauge but Owens flatout was not spectacular, those last 6 years stank.