Hameir Wright said he's still weighing a move back to 2017, but the plan right now is to take a prep year. Kansas and Michigan State are making a push. Miami, Syracuse, Villanova, Maryland, UCLA.
Hameir Wright #27 in the ESPN top 60, #45 on 247 for 2018 6'7 SF. Has to be Svi related..
Duke fans freaking out about signing a 3 star guard for depth. Yikes
Kcmatt7 said:
@BeddieKU23 You're right, it will shake out.
I just haven't heard good things about Lightfoot in practice. I heard he should be playing down the road at Baker...
So I don't feel confident he should be out there playing the 4 anymore than Cunliffe, Vick or Svi. I guess that is what I'm basing most of my opinion on. I definitely see Preston and Doke starting the game. But there is only about 25 minutes a piece there. So I'm seeing us be a 4 guard lineup 15 minutes a game at least...
I'm going to wait on Lightfoot, I think his impact comes in year 3 and 4. If he puts on weight this summer that would be a good start to him seeing more minutes this upcoming year.
But I do agree he's not better then a guard we could throw out there talent wise, but defensively he offers more than any of the 3 at least in the post area. Self has his work cut out for him trying to figure out what identity this team will have. Last years squad didn't come together until the season started even with veterans and wasn't until Bragg was under-performing did Self trust that the 4 guard lineup could happen. Probably going to take a similar situation where Preston/Lightfoot fail to gain the trust of Coach enough to go with 4 guards.
Kcmatt7 said:
@BeddieKU23 I think it is an injustice to the team to not play 4 guards if we don't add another post. We are too good and athletic to not put that on the floor. You need to put your 5 best basketball players on the floor and things will take care of themselves.
And, as far as draft stock, I think it only helps a guy like Svi or Vick. It shows 2 things. That they can operate in an NBA spread style offense. And, that they can guard positions 2-4. If anything, it raises their draft stock.
I'm all for putting our five best players on the court, we agree there.
Things take care of themselves though when you have the right fit to make such a situation happen. Jackson "fit" playing the 4 because athletically he could hold his own on defense and offensively he was too skilled and quick for posts to cover him. I don't buy that we have another such situation where we can just put a guard on the court and ask him to play out of position, consistently, at a high level. That's asking a lot from any of the available options.
I guess we should wait and see how the roster shakes out before we can really figure out what style of play this team will be playing with. I'm all for the 4 guard lineup, it was exciting to see from Self. If we have the right players to execute that style of play again I will be behind it. I think right now we lack that with certainty. Self's rolling the dice only having 10 scholarship players available for this upcoming year.
Are we still a 4 guard lineup with or without Svi though?
What perimeter player can reasonably step into Jackson's role?
I don't see that player on this roster.
Svi, Garrett, Cunliffe, Vick are all guards and expecting them to fill Jackson's role is an injustice to the players and to the team. And let's consider that all 4 of them have NBA potential and playing out of position is not going to be positive for their draft stock. Jackson was such an unique case that we have to completely throw out any comparison to him going forward.
The wildcard is Preston and how much consistency he can give to the 4 spot.
We also need a big summer from Lightfoot because it looks like his role is going to expand with just 10 available scholarship bodies after Self took the 3 transfer sit-outs.
It seems we will be headed back towards a more traditional set this season because of Preston and or the development of Lightfoot.
I think it will be important to see who gets the last scholarship open right now. If another scholarship opens through Svi leaving or the Coleby talk then other potential situations open up
A down year for the international prospects this year. The lone player projected in the lottery might not even come stateside for a few years as well. Such a loaded draft for freshman this year. With the combine inviting fewer upperclassmen this year its setting a bad trend for future years to follow. More and more underclassmen will continue to stay in the draft knowing their best opportunity to get drafted high is going as soon as they can.
approxinfinity said:
@BeddieKU23 I guess you're right. Fultz is what he is and Boston either takes that or Jackson.
Ball feels like he's hiding to me from an athleticism standpoint. Am I reading this correctly that he only shot 7.6% of his shots from 2 pt range?
http://hoop-math.com/UCLA2017.php ↗
If so, remains to be seen if he can play a pick and roll game. Here's a write up about it.
Hope Boston still has an open mind and gives Josh a long look over Fultz.
2 point Jumpers is how I'm seeing it on the site. Ball's O revolved around shooting 3's (56%) and getting to the rim (35%). With his unorthodox shooting stroke it's no surprise he didn't shoot a lot of 2's and that is something teams scouting him need to take notice on. He tended to have a more natural shooting motion when attempting 2 point jumpers or runners which is interesting to note.
I think anyone who skips the combine is just playing the game. Not giving scouts, GM's any chance to pick holes in their game or ask questions (maybe about Daddy in Ball's case) that would make them uncomfortable. There's always the risk of hurting yourself in the drills or scrimmages and that can ruin your draft position as well.
I think for Fultz, Ball & Jackson they will be picked in the Top 5 regardless of participation. It seems like Tatum is rising to that level as well even though personally I'm not nearly as high on him.
I do think its important Josh goes for interviews so he can change the narrative on his off the court issues. From everything we've ever read about Josh is that he's a high character individual so he has a chance to ace interviews and solidify his position in the Top 5 of this draft.
The problem for Jackson being drafted by Boston is Jaylen Brown who they drafted last year at (#4? if I'm correct) and plays the same position. Both athletes with their jump shot being their ? mark. Not sure Boston is in the market for another similar player even though there is no question I believe Jackson is a better player overall. Boston has a tough decision to make. I think ultimately they get another guard to pair with Thomas who for as great as he is offensively is still a bit of a liability defensively for a coach that always preaches defense.
Jackson might be a better fit landing in Phoenix or LA where they could make him a featured part of the offense. In Boston he's not going to get that situation although he'd land on a winning team. A dream situation would be seeing him land in Philly to play with Embiid and Simmons which could make them one of the most exciting teams to watch next year..
approxinfinity said:
@JayHawkFanToo Thats true, but in the case of Ball, Fultz and Jackson I think the latter two skipping the combine feels like they're hiding a lack of athleticism and a lack of height (for the 2) and motor, respectively. While there were never those doubts with Embiid and Wiggins.
Not sure I agree as I believe Fultz has excellent size and length which is why people have said he could play either position. There were 3-4 players that skipped the combine and still went in the first round last yr. Some do skip the combine so opinions can't be formed on their players, usually the agents advice
JayHawkFanToo said:
Ball's father is a much larger issue than Jackson's legal issues that have been largely resolved and are now behind him. LaVar Ball will hang around for a while and be a constant PIA. If I were a GM, I would condition selecting Ball on him getting a different agent; no way I want to deal with daddy Ball on a daily basis.
I agree that daddy ball is the last thing I want to deal with from a GM perspective. But what GM is going to pass on his talent if he's going to be a possible future all star. I think teams in that 2-6 range are stuck with drafting him with the pressure that if they pass on him he will do good things for someone else. Tough situation
Fultz will be number one, can play both PG or SG.
Plenty of media will run with josh's off court problems and that will keep him from the top
Crimsonorblue22 said:
I heard the transfers can play in Italy via Bedore
That is awesome
Doubtful But props if that ends up correct.
Losing svi and gaining tilmon would be the only situation that softens the blow of losing senior guard
wrwlumpy said:
Are the Lawson brothers currently in Lawrence? Are they in the Gym and working with Hudy. Are they enrolled?
Will the transfer's play in Italy. Will they go with the team?
Will Hudy turn Lightfoot into a T-Rob clone? Will he redshirt? Will he play? Will he transfer?
With the exception of DuVall or Tilmon, is there any better option than to have a 4th year Svi return to the lineup? Cunliffe and Garret are not his equal, all things considered.
Will Colby's minutes increase after his NCAA showing? Will he sub for both Udoka and Preston? Will he be a starter if Udoka is injured again?
Will Cunliffe, who played 25 minutes a game for ASU and shot over 40% from the three, fully join the rotation at Christmas? He was also ranked 20 spots higher at his position than Garrett was at his.
Will KU be favored over Kentucky in the first game of the year? If we are, will El Poyo say it was because Kentucky sucks and that KU will never win it all because they never really play any good teams?
Not yet probably finishing school at Memphis
Would be great if they could
Not the same players. Hopeful he becomes Kevin Young
Svi is the best option. Hope he's back
Scary to think that could happen
Yes and he will be good
Probably not even though this Kentucky team is shaping up to be average comparably to others they have had. The media will talk them up as something great
No Fran on this list? ESPN you didn't do your job
Juiston another situation where money changed hands.
Money money money. And more money
There Are seniors and international prospects to be considered as well.
I don't think he's in the top 50
Svi being invited to the combine seems a stretch to me..
Am I wrong here?
My only concern is again having 10 eligible bodies for the upcoming year. One injury from a post or guard from major trouble yet again.
If I'm self I'm trying to get the Lawson father to pay for Dedric for a year given he's gonna make money down the line anyway. That way they can get one more body
Moore also eliminates Dotson or Grimes at this point. We will see whether Moore ends up better then Dotson. Grimes has great size and will be a combo if he comes to KU so I don't imagine Moore scares him off at all
Moore is from Chicago. ESPN had him ranked #61, #72 on 247 in the 2016 class. He was originally committed to Memphis then a coaching change happened and he went to Cal. Solid freshman year. From what I've read he's transferring closer to home, his father had a stroke in 2015 and is still recovering so maybe this is a move to be closer to him. Illinois was involved with him first time around and with them having openings I can see him taking a strong look at them.
He's good enough to play at KU if that's what ends up happening. Solid freshman numbers with obvious improvements to be made on FG%, turnovers etc, something a sit-out year and natural development could cure. His advanced numbers aren't great, 13.6 PER and his usage was high for the amount of minutes he played. Cal wasn't good even with a 1st round pick on their team. He was decent against ranked opponents, struggled some in conference play. I don't think there was enough talent around him for him to be his best.
Duval has always loved the attention so there's no reason for him to stop just yet. He's been in Duke's pocket for 4-5 months now.
No new news on Tilmon. Wonder what's going on there.
I think the Knox situation has changed. I think there's a strong sense he's going to Missouri. The Duke people seem to think so as well.
Agree its a circus and we all play into by talking about them constantly.
He went to Duke for a visit this week, then denied/lied about it on twitter.
He's really enjoying the limelight
True, they all want to play. I guess he doesn't care about his team being any good.
True. I'm fine with not getting him but the poor decision is picking a terrible Nebraska team to play for
If the report on Moore becomes true here are some stats for those who are unfamiliar with him.
ESPN ranked him the #1 transfer today.
Freshman scoring record for a game at Cal with 38 against UC Irvine. He hit 15 FT's in that game. 75% from the line on the year.
35% 3 point shooter, 38% overall FG %. Not great numbers but certainly can be improved.
3.5 assists per game, 2.9 turnovers. Typical of a freshman Point Guard forced into a starting role with not a ton of talent around him.
4 games over 20 points
5 games with 3 or more steals
9 games over 5 assists.
Averaged 10.3 pts vs ranked opponents (3 games against Oregon, 1 Virginia, 1 UCLA, 1 USC, 2 Arizona).
Terrible decision but his to make.
Twitter isn't running with this yet so not sure how valid that story was at the present moment
I'm really puzzled by this one honestly..
True, this one is weird. Played 1 year at a Juco 2 seasons ago and averaged 14 & 8. Didn't play this past year and from one article it makes it sound like he's a 22-23 year old player already..
Agree on all points. Moore is a good player but if it stops us from getting Grimes and Dotson, PASS.
And we don't have enough players for next year, especially if Svi doesn't return. I don't think anyone should be set on 2017 just yet
Baylor snags another 7 footer.
Leonard Allen, Older brother of Jarrett Allen.
Kids buy the NBA ties and NBA experience as a plus to what they think is a short stop in College. Sexton and Petty both could have went to bigger programs (KU & UK) but choose Avery. Has to be a heck of a salesman
Really good post btw.
Agree on everything. Cal gets it done in the NBA.
At least Self has 3 guys that could be All-Stars one day. Embiid if ever healthy seems destined to be his first.
Wiggins just scored 23 a game in his 3rd year for a Timberwolves team that just isn't surrounding its two stars with talent. It is a question whether he will ever step his game up another level to get there though. He did improve his shot this season so maybe he's on the right track.
I'm interested to see where Jackson ends up and what immediate impact his competitiveness brings to an NBA team. I'm secretly hoping he gets paired with Embiid and Simmons..
I wonder how much Brown is kicking himself after the whole Oregon team left on him. He's guaranteed all the time he wants at any perimeter position he wants now.
Yeah, I mean I think the KU fanbase has been pretty bullish on Preston given what we see from the eye test on him. If anything we are just not seeing some of the qualities that usually Self prefers and his "baggage" is concerning. Having said that we've thought in the past, prior burger boy bigs were the bee's knees and they sucked quite frankly. Preston on offense is the most talented big KU has ever landed IMO in the Self Era. Nobody knew what Embiid would become at his signing so quickly. Preston has the whole arsenal of offensive skills that any team would love to have so while the Ayton loss sucks and Jackson seems like the most complete big in the class we landed ourselves a big with the same talent level if he puts everything else together.
For me, I'm just hoping his defense is average, he takes shots within the offense, is a good teammate and brings effort 100% of the time. He does all that and he has a chance to be very good here.
I just can't see a bunch of Top-100 kids wanting to play in Conference USA. Robinson is the type of talent that probably isn't going to care where he plays because its most likely just one season but Anderson, Brangers, and possibly Waters that have multi-year futures there on paper is just a stunning development for recruiting.
I won't say its impossible because the Newman situation, the way it ended up, seemed impossible when he was coming into College but Sexton seems a sure thing to do big things at Alabama in his 1 year stop.
Good point they probably could play next to each other. On paper it just seemed that Dedric is the heir to the throne at the 4 spot regardless of what Preston does.
That would be some tandem though if Bill did get the other Bill to stay another season.
I also agree that Preston is the pre-madonna type. Maybe he isn't but that's the vibe he gives off. We'll see what he becomes in the KU system, if he gets to play at all.
Yes they can. They definitely have the most available playing time to give him and his relationship with Smart is the best if we believe what's posted on the internet...
I think he goes to Kentucky given the type of player he is and two of his best friends on the team (Green & Diallo).
He's definitely keeping everyone guessing. Duke fanatical's still think he's going there. Delusional bunch they are
Yeah we definitely still have needs for 2017 that's why I'm surprised Charlie Moore is even on the radar without knowing what's happening with Svi, Tilmon and Allen at this point.
Svi would solve the perimeter issue. With how stacked this draft is I still can't find a way he gets drafted before mid-2nd round.
Tilmon would give us 5 talented bigs to throw out there. Who knows what's going to happen with him.
Allen- obvious guard insurance, will he wait out Svi's decision or will the staff move on him before?
I can't imagine we go into next year with just 4 bigs. None of our perimeter options are Josh Jackson who can just seamlessly transition to guarding bigger players..
Some other thoughts.
How does Mitchell Robinson end up at Western Kentucky. They have a 2nd Top-100 kid, they are apparently in on Tremont Waters and they got Brangers the best shooter from JUCO who was originally signed to Texas Tech but got out when a family member got sick. I know Stanbury is there but what are these going to Western Kentucky for? Shocking..
Troy Brown at #11, another miss..
Lonnie Walker is really good, could be OAD good.
Not sold on Ethan Thompson or Brandon Randolph in the top 25. Both are talents but better then Young, Scruggs, Green, Petty- not seeing it.
I did see that Illinois seems like the favorite here. But I still don't understand going after another sit-out transfer unless we have another scholarship opening somewhere or the Lawson's plan on having daddy pay their way for a year and Self has their scholarships to use instead.
I get that its hard to fill the roster to 13 these days but we need at least 11 available bodies this season. That way we can afford to lose 1 player which seems to be the norm now during the yr.
Moore is good, he was solid at Cal so I'm not questioning his ability. Just trying to wrap my head around this one
With Dedric coming in the following year we seem to have already recruited over Preston. Thoughts?
Missing on Sexton sucks, he's electric
Jackson has looked really good this past month. Apparently he wanted KU's attention and never got it. Don't make sense there.
You couldn't convince me Vanderbilt is better then Washington and they play the same position. SGA is like Garrett but since he's going to Kentucky he's underrated so they bumped him. Did read he had a solid senior year. It's likely 2 of these 3 players won't even start at Kentucky next year so how good are they really?
I'd like to know how we haven't thrown in for Tugs Bowen. He's the 2nd best SF in the class IMO.. Kid is up in the air about any program so I'm surprised we haven't reached out
Gary Trent is under-ranked at #16.
Kansas and Illinois have emerged as the two likeliest landing spots for Cal transfer Charlie Moore, per multiple sources.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 19, 2017
Not a fan of tying up ANOTHER scholarship for a player who can't play this season
I certainly understand the frustration. Recruiting today is just a war and there is never going to be a simple model for KU to follow. Bill used to get good talent that stayed, now he's lucky to get 1 year, maybe two from the best. He used to get kids he could tell "red-shirt and you'll be good down the line". Those days are gone. It shows you how much he's elevated the program, but also how much the mindset of 99% of kids today has changed. I find it impossible to think he'll be able to balance out getting OAD types and program players every single year. Just too many variables to juggle. If your a top program you recruit the best and hope you can snag yourself guys that fit your program. Josh Jackson, Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins etc those are exactly the type of talents you don't stop going after because they are the face of your program after they leave. And while they are here you hope those kids can elevate your team to win a championship. I can't imagine the drop-down in play had those guys never set foot on campus and KU landed a less talented kid. That's the challenge, knowing when to stay on the cream of the crop and when to target someone you need years to develop. I think Self has done an admiral job so far in a ever evolving landscape of competing for players that want everything now.
I will say this, I like how we are getting highly talented transfers in the past 2 years. Instead of getting talent the staff has to invest 3-4 years to get the most out of (like a red-shirt type player would present) we land Malik Newman, Sam Cunliffe, the Lawson Brothers. These guys aren't projects, or guys we are hoping can elevate their play with development. These guys are already good, NBA good, if things go right. This is a grand experiment to see whether Self can mold any type of player he gets. Some past transfers have worked out okay.
The biggest trepidation for next season is the defense. I think we have plenty of firepower to use on offense again. If Svi returns, we have the best collection of guards in the country for a 2nd straight year. Defensively we should see better rim protection with Doke but besides Graham we will need to see a lot of improvement from everyone else. Josh & Frank were fine defenders and their replacements are not known for their defense. So Self has his work cut out for him on how he can tighten some things up on that end
We do tend to spend more time on recruits where the smoke says they are going somewhere else. It can be very frustrating, like the Duval situation. Who knows how much we really have recruited him lately but for a good period they did what they could. Same with Trae Young, Sexton, Ayton, Brown and others. At least we are in the position to recruit them heavily. Sometimes we win out and sometimes we lose, maybe more then some other programs that are in the ballgame for OAD talent.
The only time I really get frustrated by focusing on 1 main target is when there is others that have comparable talent the KU could have recruited and maybe had a better chance of getting. There is plenty of examples of that over the years.
I don't necessarily think its due to zeroing in on one target and being stubborn about it. If said recruit knows your priority #1 above all usually that would stick with recruits. It may be apart of the vacuum that we see from the outside looking in on why these kids go somewhere else. This is a different era for sure and there are so many factors that go into it (especially behind the scenes).
As for the 2018 kids, the biggest thing to realize with today's recruiting is that things change daily. Other then Naz Reid, something could change that pushes anyone of them to KU. We just don't know but at this point I don't think KU is seriously involved with any of the 4 you listed. They are kicking the tracks, trying to stay involved and rightfully so. This is a down class overall and getting the best talent is really going to be at a premium this cycle.
We know the 2 guys so far that we've put a great amount of time into (Grimes, Dotson) and hopefully those two are the benefit of all that recruiting effort being involved with them early. Maybe Brown becomes an option if he waits until spring and Azubuike has a good enough season to leave. Zion, I think we are out of it unless he's playing SF at the College Level. Dedric Lawson is going to be better than any 2018 recruit we could get at the 4.
Naz Reid has a handler, he's not leaving the Northeast
Duke has been strong on Zion. South Carolina's final 4 run probably helps them with him. We'll see, he's probably one we have no chance at getting but in order to have a chance you have to chase..
Moses Brown wants Duke but they haven't been after him like some other programs. Word is they will evaluate him during the first AAU session and decide whether they want him, and I can imagine they will. He improved a bunch this year.
Quinerly probably would have ended up at Washington had Romar stuck around. Figure Arizona will be in play with Romar on staff plus some of the usual east coast schools.. He seems an unlikely chase as well
Some more intel on Garrison Brooks.
Iowa St and SMU are involved more then KU is at this point. Who knows how much Monday's visit changed things.
Here is why Brooks got out of his LOI.
***His Dad signed his LOI and apparently isn't his legal guardian. His Dad is on the Mississippi staff but it sounds like the kid didn't really want to go there. His mother didn't sign the LOI.
Crazy parents!!
People on another KU board were actually thinking he was coming back.
He's 6'10 and a pretty decent athlete. Gets a lot of his points off dunks/put-backs. Has some rim protection ability with his long arms/athleticism. Has some range on his shot, can make an open 17 footer or 3 with time (takes a while to shoot and come down).
Reminds me a lot of Landen Lucas really although not as bulky as Landen was.