Yupp Bragg did it last season, I believe Ellis the year Before that.
When is this year's?
BeddieKU23
31745 posts
The other tracker is getting long figured we would start over.
So the final 4 is over, Self is back and has clearly talked to the players. Bragg bailed, so we know talks have happened. So what's the wait with Devonte/Svi?
Are they waiting for the Banquet?
Will we get a presser next week?
I think it's unlikely they haven't made up their mind at this point.
Recruiting is picking up.. not sure any of it has been directly related to either player at this point. Staff is after Juiston to replace Bragg and another guard to back up what we have, Thomas Allen seemingly the top option. Allen is not a pg from all that is out there about him.
So what does everything think?
Nothing yet about what schools they are looking at
Not news in terms of "he's coming to KU" although that is something I hope happens soon. But people that have watched him play all year have some nice praise.
Good summary, and I'll add: can lead a fast break (really fast in the open court and handles very well), can get points by driving to the basket (help defense HAS to rotate over or it's going to be a monster dunk; his first step is lightning fast, and he can crossover his defender with ease), and he makes several passes per game that you say "wow" because of his vision and touch, whether it's an outlet pass or a high-low pass where he zips it through a tiny window. I saw him in 9 or 10 games, and I don't believe I saw him hit a jump shot beyond 10 feet -- not that he took more than a few. Coach Eck pretty clearly had told him to drive it every time he had an opening.
Not to be pollyannish in projecting him at the next level -- he would struggle at first with some of the man-to-man concepts that Self wants (when to show, when to help, when to switch, and especially boxing out), and the scouting report on his offense is going to be "force him to take an outside shot." (Regarding the latter, if you give him any space at all, his counter is to blow by you on the way to the rim.) I think he's clearly better than Coleby and Lightfoot, and he could be an interesting complement to Preston (that would be a REALLY fast and good ballhandling lineup).
A-game Carlton Bragg is better, but median Carlton Bragg is not.
Finally, Shakur is a very, very competitive guy, channeled through a Frank Mason stoicism most of the time. He gives good effort every single game, and you know that there is a base set of skills that you are getting every time out, especially elite rebounding. He is someone that Coach Self could put into a game and know exactly what he getting from him (with a few bonuses from good passing, steals, etc.). He is a tough guy who likes contact and is a Bill Self kind of player.
Poster asked:
Is shakur juiston a legit 6'7 or did Hutchinson add an inch or two to his height?
Answer:
I stood near Shakur during the net cutting after the championship, and I think he's a legit 6'7" in shoes. He IS a little short to play PF at the KU level, but he is taller than Traylor, with broader shoulders, and he's a quick and powerful jumper who grabs the majority of his rebounds above the rim, so he plays bigger than his height. He likes to bang in the post and plays a physical game. Anybody can feel free to chime in, but I'm going to guesstimate Shakur's weight at 230
Poster:
I think there are a couple of posters who are really really promoting this kid. Why weren't we after him since day 1 instead of now after we missed on other targets if he is this super great impact player chimchim and hhhawk are making him out to be?
Answer:
I'm not a scout. Juiston wasn't even starting for Hutch last season, and he is now being talked about as their all-time player, so I think it's fair to say that he "blew up" as a sophomore, as unlikely as that trajectory may seem. Kudos to Iowa State for seeing the potential last year. I've talked with some long, long-time Hutch Juco fans who go back to the '60s that say he is the best they have ever had, which includes Kadeem Allen (2nd-team All-Pac 12 this year) and former KU player and McD's AA Ben Davis. He dominated the national tournament, which is full of guys that are going to play D-1. (Typically at that level, each team will 5 or more future D-1 players, albeit often at the Murray States of the world.) I would actually be a little cautious in reading into that that he will start from day one at KU. He can't shoot from outside about 8 feet and Juco defense is not high D-1 defense. He is going to look lost at times, until he is grabbing rebounds above the rim or leading a fast break and not having to think about everything.
I would however feel confident in saying that if you give him 27 min/g, he is going to get 8 rebounds next year at D-1, plus he will have several "wow" plays per game where you think, man, if this kid could only shoot. And I feel confident in saying that he is flat-out better than Coleby and Lightfoot, and it's not even close. He's probably not better than the Stanford grad transfer, if that's an option. I think conservative expectations for him next year would be: 1st big off the bench, 22 min/g, 5 pts/g, 6 reb/g, 2 assists/g, 1.3 steals+blocks. Not an impact player, necessarily, but reliable and has a plus-plus skill in rebounding that earns him minutes. Starts as a senior, maybe 12 & 9, and that may be lowballing his rebounding. Not a future NBA player, but he'll make money playing somewhere.
I did see Mario Little play at nationals; Shakur is hands-down better, and you can see it in 5 seconds.
Another Poster/Answer: This poster is the play by play announcer for Hutch
Shakur is, I believe, a legit 6-7. He is an amazing rebounder who plays above the rim. For his size he handles the ball very well in the open floor and in traffic. He has great court vision and loves to get his teammates involved offensively so he has a high assist total for a big man.
Additionally, he was the team leader. His teammates think very highly of him.
He is humble and a thoroughly nice young adult. At the recognition evening for HCC's National Championship, Shakur was at the microphone for nearly ten minutes in front of 1000 fans so he will represent his school positively.
Some really good stuff on Juiston over on the phog. I can share if people want to see..
Such an odd situation. Tilmon's recruitment has been one with a lot of twists. In the fall after committing to Illinois there was rampant rumors he'd switch to St Louis (right before signing day) as Travis Ford was trying to scoop up all available talent from the Louie area. He ended up staying with Illinois because the assistant coach who was instrumental in getting him was still on the Illinois staff.
Fast forward a few months and Groce was fired. Assistants free to go. Tilmon says he's not going anywhere despite what's happened. Martin becomes the coach of Missouri, Michael Porter commits to Missouri after his dad is conveniently signed on as a coach. Martin has a sister that is an assistant principal at the school Tilmon attends. Martin visits his sisters school "conveniently" for what reason? Maybe because a HS recruit goes there. Basically legal tampering... Michael Porter starts recruiting Tilmon to come to Missouri. MP played AAU ball with Tilmon FR, Soph year.
All this for a player that has not progressed since earlier in his HS career. Last spring he suffered a Shoulder Injury on National TV that sidelined him from AAU ball. This year he was not a dominate post player. Whatever school gets him is getting a solid post talent but not a game-changer or immediate starter unless he goes to Missouri.
Nice list! Can we pin this and update..
Isn't the reason the North Carolina situation became such an issue was because of the NBA? Other states seem to be flying under the radar because nothing significant in the news has happened to bring attention their way. Is that a correct statement?
Here's one that may have to be considered.
Bragg just wasn't good enough to continue playing here.
I don't believe that statement is that far from the truth. Besides the TCU game, where did Bragg prove he belonged in the rotation? Wasn't he the 7th man by default?
Put Soph Bragg in the situation he was in when he came here as a freshman, he probably would have gotten Hunter Mickelson minutes. He regressed, there really is no doubt about that.
This is in no way an attempt to say Bragg can't play basketball. I just think he never found out how to play basketball at the highest level. Given his reputation coming in, its a disappointment. In reality he is like a lot of kids that try and stick at a big program and transfer down to a more comfortable level. Maybe another coach will have better success with him.
Juco report is reporting Juiston favors KU & ISU
Playing time too. I think 2 or 3 players left UNLV from their already rebuilding project. He would play a lot for them.
This person will deserve major kudos if correct.
The first part Bragg transferring was the worst kept secret ever (so not much "inside" knowledge there). Being right about Juiston would be something
Definitely fits the bill. Among Juiston's strengths are driving from the perimeter into the lane and taking contact and finishing. Great athlete as well.
KU was involved before.
He's going to end up at Missouri of all places. Their new coach, Martin has a connection with Tilmon. And Michael Porter and Tilmon played AAU ball together for 2 seasons. Porter has been in his ear
Just pointing out.
Alexander- Mickey D- ineligible to end his one average Season.
Bragg- Mickey D- Suspended twice, gone after Soph Season.
Diallo- Mickey D- ineligible to start the season, left after barely playing 1 year
Doke- Mickey D- Injured after 11 games. Seems to be the exception
Preston- Mickey D- lots of ineligibly questions following him.
Hmm should Bill be choosing his Mickey D bigs better?
JUCO prospect Shakur Juiston (Hutch) will visit UNLV this weekend, per a source
From another site. (phog)
I heard from a guy who is friends with a Hutch assistant coach that Iowa State and KU are still the leaders
The dorms the Hutch players live in are not that great (and oddly, Coach Eck lives there with them), so I would have to think that a Lawrence campus visit and trip to McCarthy Hall and Allen Field House would by an eye-opener.*
Good news with Bragg leaving. Come on down Shakur
Absolutely no surprise. Another blackhole for post recruiting...
Which would be in line with what the NC St people are saying..
Could be waiting for the Banquet to say anything. I also read that KU puts out a video for its underclassmen going pro now instead of a presser?
From what I remember Lawson wanted to be a OAD but he didn't perform well at the combine and came back to play with his brother in the end. The scouts were pretty bullish on his chances. From the games I saw Dedric looked much improved but I think he would get the same evaluation. If they really transfer i think they will stay the 2 years
@jayballer54 said:
@BeddieKU23 AND? - -Your thoughts as of today of that happening? - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
I think he stays. Walker wants immediate playing time
Only chance is if Svi leaves
Father is a nutcase so that's an issue. The 3rd Lawson is supposed to be good as well. Dedric is much better then KJ. Talented kids but I don't think you take both, if you could take Dedric by himself I would sign us up today
Yeah this is Martin's doing. And there is some stuff being floated around that he was recruiting Tilmon before he got his release which would be a NCAA violation. I wouldn't be surprised if Illinois tries to block where he might go..
Apparently Martin if from the St Louis area, same as Tilmon..
KU has reached out to the Kanter brother. Grad transfer big...
Just crippled the Memphis program.. Dedric almost left for the NBA after this season. They are very talented.
The Tilmon release would seem to me that Missouri is involved
Wow some stuff is goin down today..
Evans could definitely play at KU but I also feel the same about Harris. I think all of this confirms that Duval has told the staff no-no
He also said Evans is not visiting this weekend. VCU being from his home state and hiring his coach will be tough to beat. His teammate who's a grad transfer visits OU this weekend. I think OU will land him.
He also said Evans is not visiting this weekend. VCU being from his home state and hiring his coach will be tough to beat. His teammate who's a grad transfer visits OU this weekend. I think OU will land him
I'm liking Evans the more I watch. Really quick, gets in the lane at will.
I believe it will all work out
I think the Evans move is more for Newman/Vick not being around after next season. I'm sure the staff feels both could be in the NBA if they have good years. It may also be very beneficial to have an experienced guard to go with whatever 2018 kids we potentially get.
Evans would be a fantastic sit out transfer. Kid can score.
Good points.
From what we saw on the court in limited time Doke looked like he had a mean streak (in a good way) to him. He knows he's a big boy and can physically intimidate guys on the court.
Bragg has never really given that impression although he's a pretty emotional guy on/off the court. Bragg's maturity as we've seen this season did not make the next step forward for whatever reason. And maybe it was too much to expect him to step in for Perry seamlessly, its entirely possible the pressure got to him. I remember Perry earlier in his career would get down on himself for not being perfect. There's probably some similarities in that with Bragg who once things started going south it was hard for him to find a way to put it behind him.
I hope if he returns we get some comments from Bragg & Self about how they will move forward
I'm apart of that wrong club.
I think its no excuse to say he's not capable of playing the 5. Players play out of position all the time and find a way to adjust and thrive. He's 6'10, that's on him.
Didn't expect that one even though he mentioned KU with interest..
Good question. But they play different positions and all the off-season hype went to him and Vick as far as reports of improvement/ready to step into a bigger role goes.
I think what hurt his confidence more than anything was Jackson taking his spot. A known OAD comes here and plays out of position and thrives doing so. That was Bragg's ticket to the NBA this year and it failed miserably.
Landen Lucas was recruited over almost every year he was here but Landen is a different breed, he took that as extra motivation and earned his keep at Kansas. So far I don't think we can say Bragg has done the same or taken the same mentality to playing here. And now, Bragg's been recruited over with Billy Preston.. The plot thickens
Self told the media in the summer/fall that he wasn't thrilled with his post situation and that was clearly his way of trying to motivate Bragg. Bragg seemed like a motivated fella when he got here especially as we saw him battle in the WUG.
It's hard to believe he didn't sustain what most fans thought was going to be a big year for him. So many in the past at KU have stepped up, no questions asked. The eye test says Bragg took 2 steps backwards (at least) in almost every phase of his game.
It's still hard to believe IMO how poorly he played outside of a few games this season
Really good stuff in that post.
That LPGA one is a SMH moment. Can't believe that happened.
Agreed about the Karnowski play. The rule needs changing.
If your going to call a tech you have to call it as such live and then confirm under review. Unless the situation is of players fighting/egregious behavior, 3 refs should be able to make the correct call on the court when it happens. But I know we are asking for a lot expecting that. Otherwise call it a foul if a foul is called on the floor and move on.
Good point about Bagley, pretty sure you'd have to pee over Zion as well. If Barrett joins 2018, there are 3 legitimate NBA prospects there
I asked him the same question. He said at times Allen was automatic this season for Brewster and was a key part of why they went undefeated. Said you just can't leave him open at all.
My friend lives in the area of Brewster and likes to attend the games because they field a D-1 starting 5 almost every year. He sat in the area of NC St coaches and would hear they were really high on him as a future combo guard
Definitely, we'll see how it shakes out
Not sure the staff has really dived into 2018 outside of the guys you mentioned.
Some bigs to keep an eye on that have mentioned KU before:
Emmitt Williams #22, Sim Shittu, #7, Silvio De Sousa #12. David McCormack #43
Self will likely follow Bagley & Zion as long as they both consider KU. They are game changers.
He's a take if we are filling out the roster which is hopefully what this is potentially.
Excellent shooter, that is his calling card. Most highlights you will see him filling it up from the perimeter. He might be a 3 star on paper but Allen has always had a rep as one of the best shooters in his class.
Being from the Northeast and knowing some people that have gone to Brewster I asked about him. They both said he could play at Kansas but it will depend on how much he develops his body and point guard skills. As @BShark said he shot 48% from 3 on a large volume of shots. My one friend said he's the best shooter to come out of Brewster in memory. He also said he has a good mid-range game and grew a couple inches this year alone. They both said he's ranked about where he should be but that in the right system would be a solid player by Jr year if developed right. My other buddy said think Tyrel Reed for KU comparison.
Our track record with Brewster kids is pretty darn good. He was part of an undefeated squad this season. Brewster has a great coach and he makes them play both ends.
Wasn't asked to play point guard much because they had Makai Ashton-Langford a top 30 prospect that just de-committed from UCONN.
If you look at our roster and assume all our guards return we have the potential to lose up to 4 of them after next season. Graham & Svi to graduation, Vick & Newman will most likely be testing the draft process. I'm not saying all 4 are gone but Vick/Newman will have plenty of chances to show they are NBA ready next season. Having another guard developing with Garrett & Cunliffe seems like a great thing to be planning for.
We'll see if he ends up here.
FYI, NC St people think Allen to Kansas has been a done deal for weeks. Someone that know's the Allen Family to further clarify
Vegas- Default Duke/Kentucky as title favorites 364 days away, bound to be right some year
Fire the Big-12!
how could he work on his FT shooting with 1 hand? still in a cast
I really want him to come back and continue to become an aggressive player. We saw some pretty good strides in his ability to get to the hoop this past season.
I look at the development of Justin Jackson of UNC and I see a lot of similarities in how Svi can take the next step. Jackson came to College with a lot of hype and a deadly midrange/close the basket game. He put in a ton of work to become a perimeter shooter, a true dual threat player.
Svi came to College known as a shooter and has started to take steps towards becoming a dual threat player. I can only imagine he'd be even better next season.
We know Roy is a very good coach. Probably used a lot of his heartbreaks at KU as motivation, has been a great teaching tool for himself since he's been at UNC. Roy's had some off-years but has made up for them with 3 titles and a heartbreaking runner-up.
One thing lost in the shuffle with Roy is he's always liked to play with tempo and get up and down the court. And now the game has shifted in his favor, shorter shot clock, scoring is up, freedom of movement with the ball etc. So it's no surprise that Roy's proven system has thrived with all the rule changes.
He's a great recruiter as well, especially with convincing some of those highly rated kids to come back and enjoy the College Experience. Lucky for sure, but he's great at getting the most out of his kids. Kennedy Meeks was better suited to playing Offensive Line when he came to UNC and look what motivation and coaching did to him.
I tip my hat to Roy