Bolden Officially cancels trips to Duke & Kentucky this weekend.
You have to think this is the fall-out of his trip to KU. Finally some good news!
It doesn't mean we are now the favorite's because he's already been to both programs.
But Late Night could be the lasting impression that wins out?
Could be nothing, could be writing on the wall..
Great post.
We did underutilize Wiggins. I also think it's taken the NBA game, to utilize his talent. He wasn't meant for a highly structured system, but he did his best to fit in & do what he could.
It will be interesting to see in year 2 if he takes a step up with more surrounding talent ( Towns) & guys back from injury. Was his success parlayed by being the only option on a very bad team? He wasn't highly efficient & the wise guy analytic's of the world have been quick to point out that.
The one good thing pointed out was that Self didn't harm his stock. He came into the league defensively prepared and that definitely helped him adjust quicker to the league than the average rookie.
I've also thought is there anyone on this years team who we might be underutilizing?
First name that pops into my mind is Selden.
Been a big critic of him, but this summer changed my mind on him, hopefully for good. The hype train flew away a long time ago but wouldn't it make the most sense for Wayne to have a great year.
Wayne should be a high usage guy, we should be using him to every advantage (NBA body, range on jumper). On a given night if he's really improved, Wayne should have a matchup advantage over his opponent. Perfect example of utilizing matchups, that could be the difference maker all year.
They only have 10 scholarship players, so I believe that gives them 3 spots if they choose to use them along with the 2 Sr's..
Ingram is a OAD, as long as he does okay.
I posted in the other thread about Bolden. Allen, Thornton & Jeter could all flirt with the NBA depending on how the year goes.
They definitely seem to be recruiting like they have an infinite amount of spots to give.
Ingram is a projected OAD.
Allen almost went pro last year, so he's definitely on the radar if he has a good year.
Thornton & Jeter are the others, depends on their season.
I had not seen Bolden's comments until you posted that so thank you. We will have to wait to see if he makes trips to Duke's & Kentucky's Late Night festivities. It would definitely be an advantage for us if he doesn't go anywhere else.
There's a few ways to look at earning PT.
We know Self values seniority, experience, trust, defense, hustle, understanding of the system. The List goes on and on..
It makes it darn near impossible for a freshman to check all those boxes most years. Some have come here & exceeded or played to the talent they were hyped to be. Some have disappointed, that's going to happen everywhere, at every school.
If we look at just last year, the perception could say that Self failed to showcase Cliff & Kelly for the NBA. Kelly still went high but it could have been lottery had he not struggled in Self's eyes to get on the floor. Self has to evolve if he gets these top kids, we are just the pit-stop you don't hurt the merchandise. Mold them if you can but be gentle because they have more power than you think, especially in recruiting..
Sure 10 of the top 20 have not signed, 4 of them are not even considering KU. That leaves 6...7 if you include Azubuike.
So we threw our hat in for Giles (Duke lean), Fox (Kentucky Lean), Monk (Kentucky or Arkansas lean), Jackson (Arizona or Michigan St lean), Bolden (Duke lean).
All these guys have ties to the respective programs they are considered leans to end up at. Bolden seems content on being the 5th wheel at Duke (mom wants him to Duke) instead of the big fish in KU. Giles wants to play with Tatum and company. Monk & Fox will feel the UK pressure to play on the big stage, Jackson is the most wide open but he really opened up about Michigan St's recent success.
Jarrett Allen has been to Notre Dame- we made the top 8 and have been working on him. No visit scheduled.
Azubuike visited, also went to Florida, NC St & FSU recently . No idea where his recruitment is going, does FSU hold the cards still, will he go from Nike to Adidas? Will he leave the southeast?
At this point Allen & Azubuike are the only guys that seem to be wide-open & generally interested in KU at this time. Who knows that could be incorrect as well.
Things can change quickly, they usually do & Self usually comes through. I'm not saying he won't but this doesn't look like a normal year the way its going. We have spots to fill, at least 3 could be as high as 5. How are kids not interested in that fact?? Something is up
We know its something that's holding recruiting back. We've talked about Perception being a key factor. It's got to be what these kids are looking at KU and seeing something negative.
Well the deep freeze scenario could impact 2 players we currently have. Vick & Bragg.
I might be higher on Vick that most but he's likely to have a lost year if everyone is healthy. Do you red-shirt him? I say no, because if anyone in the perimeter gets hurt he will be needed.
Late Night shouldn't be used as any kind of barometer but Vick had some silly turnovers that Bill was quick to point out. Between valuing the ball & defense I think Vick fails to see the court in any situation where the outcome of the game is in jeopardy. I'm really intrigued offensively by him because he just seems to have a knack for scoring which was a huge Achilles Heal of this team last year.
Then you have Bragg. It's a longshot that Diallo will play this year but if there is a miracle and he does, Bragg has a chance to be handcuffed by any combination of the bigs on our team. Perry is locked in for at least 30 minutes, the 5 spot is probably a rotation of Diallo/Mickelson sprinkled in with Mari/Lucas.
Without Diallo Bragg has a great chance to start & play a lot of meaningful minutes. It's probably the difference between hundreds of minutes over the course of the season. Looking forward to next year, a Soph Bragg who's seen 15+ minutes a game & battled through Big 12 play/Tournament play vs a reserve role has huge implications on next years squad. I know we are playing for this years glory, but next years glory, Bragg is probably the key factor going in especially with how recruiting is going.
We could actually have too much depth, I think Self has to play 8 with consistent minutes, a 9th has to see the floor in most games, we will play too many teams who don't play Self's brand of ball & that will require situations for others to see the floor.
I just hope we use all the talent we do have. Svi can be a force this year but he has to get continual minutes or he’ll rust up like the tin man. Last year, he was put in the deep freeze.
Agreed, I don't think that will be the issue this year. It will be crime if he's not getting around 20 minutes a game especially early.
It's going to come down to offense with Svi, can he shoot consistently & show more than just a jumper. We know he put in a lot of work to change his body & work on his game, hopefully that translates to game situations. Ideally if him & Graham can score in that 7-9pts pg area to compliment Wayne, Perry & Frank we stand a very good chance of scoring a lot more than last year.
I agree that the change of style probably gives Taylor a better chance to shine. Regardless I still don't think he's a better player than Mason or Morris. He can't shoot nearly as well as either & is the least consistent of the 3. I think giving him the pre-season nod is a stretch.
Morris has one of the best Assist/turnover rates ever for a College PG. Arguably the most important stat for a PG. He's also taken on a much bigger role scoring.
Frank is Frank, the engine that makes our team run .What else to say, we know what we are getting from him.
I really thought that Morris would get it because he's a pure PG. Mason & Taylor really look to score first.
Preseason Player of the Year
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma,
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Deonte Burton, Iowa State,
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Cheick Diallo, Kansas,
2015-16 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Rico Gathers, Baylor,
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma*
Isaiah Taylor, Texas
Honorable Mentions
Taurean Prince, Baylor; Jameel McKay and Monte Morris, Iowa State; Frank Mason, Kansas; Phil Forte, Oklahoma State; Devin Williams, West Virginia
Really Taylor at PG? He's not a better player than Mason or Monte Morris. Who does this voting??? Otherwise no surprises, probably won't change at all by the end of the year either.
I'm extremely frustrated, I can only imagine how Diallo & Self feel about this.
It's a distraction for Cheick, one that's going to affect his play in practice until he's either given the good news or the hammer. I know if I was 18 and my fate rested upon a panel or committee of people, I would find it hard to focus on what's in front of me.
I don't disagree that there has to be a governing body in place. I just wish there was a much clearer way & faster way of determining these things.
Great point, that game does have a lot of $ associated to it because its going to be a big game.
I have to ask a question as both of these cases drag closer & closer to the start of the season.
What exactly is the NCAA trying to prove with either case??
Are they trying to prove that Skal was shopped around like a piece of merchandise?
Are they trying to prove that Diallo didn't take enough classes to the NCAA standards for playing sports?
In the end the only people that are being hurt or going to be hurt are the kids themselves.
Something just isn't right here. Why is it the kids fault (by default) if both are naive to either situation that has been brought upon them.
If a Handler has shopped Skal, why not make it impossible for him to have contact with other potential HS players?
Why not strip him away with a no-show clause so that he can never do this again. The answer is because the NCAA is not the police, the only people they can control are the one's at an university. So by default an innocent kid could be punished? Sounds about right don't it.
With Diallo, the kid speaks 4 languages. Most have a hard time mastering 1, much less 3 more. You have a degree of intelligence if you can juggle 4 languages. So what are they trying to say about
Diallo? Your coursework isn't enough to let you play basketball but you can continue to go to school?
Nobody is benefiting here, except that the NCAA can huff and puff about their rule-book. I get it rules are rules, they are enforced for "integrity of the sports".
If Diallo was just a student (you know the other 10's of thousands of students that are just a blip on the map) this would be a non-issue. There's no dragged out clearinghouse process, he would be off in his own world going to school like the rest of the kids. But because he wants to put a basketball in a hoop and make some $ for himself down the road, he's being probed for information.
His profession is basketball but there's a chance the NCAA is going to tell him "son you can't learn or perform your profession this year, but maybe next year".
Imagine a medical student being told "son you have to skip a year of medical school because your High School's didn't provide you enough classes to learn & perform medicine this year". But next year you can try.
So again what is the NCAA trying to prove?
At least Diallo isn't alone in purgatory...
Sure we will get a visit, but with 3 guys still on the roster & maybe still on the roster next year that play his position we are not a serious contender if he can't walk into a starting spot. This isn't Wiggins or Oubre who walked in with practically nobody in their way.
That's why I said if he holds out to spring which is probably the intent, he will get to see who goes and who stays. Arizona has a couple freshman who could sway Jackson's decision, most notably Trier & Smith. If Trier has a great freshman year and goes pro that's likely to help Zona out. If Selden or Svi go pro, that's also likely to help us.
But to think we are not a distant 3rd after the Michigan St momentum where 2 of his friends have now committed is just putting on the KU blinders.
*Self clarified a bit more tonight, and said it was not a negative decision that they are appealing, but that the NCAA is asking for more information before making a final determination.
Self said the upcoming presentation should not be considered part of any appeals process — there has been no ruling as of yet — but it appears that the final decision could come down to information exchanged this month.
“I don’t know all the ways the legislation runs, but this is one in which, based on the information that (the NCAA) had, it probably wouldn’t be a good outcome for us,” Self said. “
And it’s our job to pull together more (information). They’ve requested more things, and we’re working on that.”Self added: “But by no means has there been an answer one way or another. It’s basically: ‘This wouldn’t be a good presentation yet, because we still need to see A, B an C or X, Y and Z.’ It’s our job to get that stuff together, which we will. It just takes a little bit of time.”
*
I see my Appeals theory could be incorrect. But the line about what they have probably without his Mali info is confirmation of all our fears..
Miles is definitely a guy we need to consider for the future. He's got west coast ties, he's a KU alum & more importantly he's young & will be able to relate to kids on the recruiting trail.
Other than snacks, our assistants are not getting any younger & with the growing discontent for snacks ability to recruit & develop players is something we must consider in the next couple years.
I'm just not buying this smokescreen Self has put out there.
Its October & they are just now asking for information dealing with Mali?
I think they requested this info a while back but because they are appealing, its a logical runaround to use for the press that information is still being gathered before sending all at once.
We are not seriously in it for Jackson. Unless he decides to wait until spring and see if either (Selden or Svi make the jump) we have no shot.
The Michigan St hype is real, he's from Michigan his friend Bridges just committed & Winston the PG is also a friend of his. Now its hard to imagine with Langford another 5* in the fold that 3 guys can play 2 positions. They have all the momentum on their side.
Zona is in great position, they will get a visit & they made him their top priority. Zona has always been the team to beat, now Izzo has moved in. We are a distant 3rd no matter what way you slice it.
I have to ask- Why wasn't his stuff from Mali requested months ago. If in fact he took HS classes in Mali, wouldn't any brainiac figure you would need that information to be sent to the NCAA. This whole process sounds Bush League & should have been dealt with before October.
A new theory I have is he was denied initial eligibility.
KU has appealed, during this process the NCAA has requested more information while letting him practice because the start of practice has begun & he doesn't have amateurism concerns/just academic.
KU appealed Ben & Mari's cases to no avail & they both had cases drag on where it was getting close to the beginning of the year.
We know that Self knows more to this story, he's only relegating certain information to the public.
Still like the NCAA??
Valid points, recruiting has just changed so much even in the last year. I thought @jaybate-1.0 was losing it talking about shoe company this or shoe company that, but its really become rampant. This isn't a behind the scenes issue anymore, its happening right in front of us.
As far as the shoe war goes we are definitely getting the short end of the stick. Adidas is just the ugly stepchild in the shoe war. Under Armor is becoming more popular, maybe even more popular than Adidas is already. We have benefited from our relationship with them, but more and more it seems we are losing out on a larger pool of players because of our affiliation.
Why is it difficult to recruit to Kansas? Because its the Big-12 & it's in the middle of nowhere. Perception is key, KU has done a marvelous job to entice kids with the facilities & the dorms etc.. If we are the premiere basketball program in the conference we should be doing even more. Market the crap out of the university like UK, UNC, & Duke are perennially.
It could be the conference itself, with just 10 teams we have thinned the reach to other markets. I do believe if we had signed Louisville or some of the eastern based programs with solid history that we would benefit from that arrangement in recruiting. Marketability has decreased as we went back to 10 teams.
Whatever the reason may be we are definitely tanking on this years class so far. If we need to shake up our assistants then so be it. Bring Miles on or find another young coach affiliated. It's just hard to believe that we cast our net on all these players & not one of them seems to be generally interested in being a Jayhawk. What does that tell us???
Right, Black began to lose favor with Memphis as his Jr year went on. He got the change of environment he needed.
Coleby could get the same change he needs, one that focuses on the inside more & there's a chance he gets an increased role. He played well against good competition, that's always a positive.
I understand everyone doesn't believe he was the sexy pick up & he definitely just snuck up on us this summer. There's a chance he's just a role player, or a chance Self can improve him enough to help us win some games.
I think its gotten to that point of sink or swim. We are in trouble of missing out on everything this year.
Just got word that Bolden will be going to Duke's madness festivities. This will be his 3rd visit in the past month. Hate to be pessimistic at this point but we have to concede that unless a miracle happens this weekend we have lost our target and only priority for the class.
Herard visits this weekend, a guy who wouldn't be a factor his freshman year here. But at Miss St the way their roster is setup he'd probably start & get a chance to develop. It's likely he ends up in the SEC if he leaves KU this weekend without a verbal commitment.
Monk, Giles, Fox are all coming here for the freeloaders all expenses paid trip to see the sights and sounds. None of them are a serious contender to be on our roster next year.
Your post hope Azubuike has visisted Florida & NC St since KU got him on campus. The NC St visit really worries me because they had Dennis Smith, Adebayo & Alkins all on campus. That probably has shifted his recruitment instantly. NC St has a real chance of getting all 4, they have the roster space.
What's left?? Lightfoot came and went, Leaf visits next week, Allen has no official set as of yet to KU..
I really hate to be down but we are clearly bombing on the recruiting front right now. This isn't last year, or the year before or the year before that or whatever year Self started becoming the closer in the spring. We are setting up to be behind the 8-ball with basically every recruit we targeted.
The comparison is valid, Coleby wasn't a highly rated kid out of HS.
The caliber of competition between KU & Ole Miss is a mute point. They both play in power conferences . KU may play a harder overall schedule at times but he's played against top teams & performed pretty well. He played great against Kentucky & Florida last year, games I watched him play & he definitely held his own.
If he can come in and avg around his Soph stats he should turn out ok come his Sr year. Self is high on him & I'm going to have confidence in that fact.
Remember Black was a starter for Memphis, Coleby was not.
We should be a very young team in the post if we can actually sign some guys. It will be nice to have another upperclassmen not named Landon on the team.
Coleby played in a perimeter based team. Ole Miss has been that way since Kennedy was the coach. He definitely could see a bump in a switch to a more post oriented offense. It's part of the reason the kid came here.
I might be picking at straws but with that knowledge that the NCAA & KU are going back & forth with additional information has to be a good sign that he was cleared for practice.
The NCAA felt confident enough to clear him for practice & Late Night activities which in the past we've seen Mari & Ben not allowed to do such.
Maybe it means nothing, but its the most optimistic news we've received in months on this subject.
Absolutely recovery is faster than it was even when B Rush had his.
He's probably hasn't had surgery yet so I would say he's what 3-4 months away from being cleared to do anything. I have a hard time thinking he's going to get any meaningful time in this season with the injury just occuring. It's going to be all rehab for a while.
I guess we just disagree about his ceiling. He's a physically gifted player already. It's different from Mickelson who needed a lot of work with Hudy to get where he is now. Coleby is just some skill development away from being a very good role player for this team. Because of his experience it definitely gave him an edge to any freshman coming in, but now I think that advantage has been negated. I think if Coleby is better than expected its a win-win for all.
You could be right about Svi, it will be interesting to see how improved he really is. If he's good enough to play around 20 minutes a game I think we will be very happy. Anyone handling the ball other than Frank & Devonte is a scary thought though.
Bragg could definitely be a guy we are yelling about to get on the floor but Self struggles to do so because of his defense. If he's behind the you know who's then its going to be hard to not scream at the TV. Hopefully he's just too talented to leave on the bench, we know his offense is something that could be important in his reserve role.
Greene I feel will see minutes because of teams are going to play more token pressure & zone because of the reduction in the shot clock. If used correctly & Greene has his shot on again, we will be able to put a lot of pressure on defenses. Self maybe one of the few guys left that truly believes in M2M defense. Half of the Big 12 will be throwing out some kind of gimmick D. In that case Graham is even more important as the other ball-handler.
I've raised this question before that I'm apprehensive about starting Graham with Mason for various reasons. The lack of a 3rd ball-handler is a concern, maybe Svi but that's probably reaching.
Whatever one starts whether it be Svi or Graham we know we have an advantage, our 6th man is good enough to start at every program in the country.
Nothing terribly exciting from Self's report.
The depth question got me thinking about who will be left out if Self uses a rotation less than 10.
We know Mason, Graham, Selden, Svi, Ellis, Mickelson, Diallo, & Bragg are locks. Of course assuming we have Diallo. That's 8.
If the rotation will be 9, we have Greene, Vick, Traylor & Lucas all fighting for 1 spot. I think Greene will be the 9th guy, his shooting can be important. A 4 man post rotation works best & we can always plug Mari/Lucas in when needed.
Regardless of whether we think Coleby will be a starter, rotation player or backup his injury does us no good.
I think the pressure does go up because he's basically going to be the same player he was when he left Ole Miss. The staff was counting on him using this year to his & their advantage to not only get him comfortable with the system, but to further his post skills.
Next year we are looking at Bragg, Lucas & Coleby before any recruits/transfers join the fold. Lucas isn't a starter & from your viewpoint either is Coleby. So we have potentially 1 starter & 2 backups. The pressure to land Bolden or any Big with the potential to contribute from day 1 has gone up in my mind. I think the Staff signed Coleby to fight for a starting spot in case recruiting didn't work out.
Sure he can be there to watch, but its entirely different when your actually having to do what the coach is asking. It's a major setback for a staff that is hoping that his year off would give him a chance to become a more rounded player to contribute next year with all the departures we will have. He'll likely not be ready to do anything until next summer which negates almost everything they probably had planned for him.
Pressure to land an impact big just jumped through the roof.
Interesting that they are saying he can practice. That is certainly a plus as we come towards practice. He would have really been behind the 8-ball otherwise. I'm glad they were aware of practice starting soon & allowing him to participate.
You want to be excited but this is only half of the real answer we want. He can still be ruled a partial qualifier..
Saw this late last night.
The good news is he wasn't going to play anyway but that bad news is everything else in between. No practice to develop his game, no pushing the current players in practice, no skill development.
I've been pretty high on him for next year but now its up in the air. I don't know how there is any silver lining to this when next year we will need him to be a rotation player, but were banking that he would take this year to enhance his game and his grasp in the system. He will basically be a freshman in terms of understanding Self's system whenever he is fully healthy again.
The dire need for Self to get impact bigs in recruiting just went up a whole lot.
I guess I was a little blind-sighted by all this because I wasn't aware they were under investigation or that penalties were coming.
I knew that Frazier was suspended for academics but I wasn't aware that he became the center of the issues after that. I had read articles that they were excited to have him back to make a run in the NCAA tourney again.
The reports & the media onslaught following seem to cast this notion that he did something so terrible which was not the case.
He didn't do the kids work nor is there any indication he asked someone to do so. He says he wished he did more in hindsight, the same thing Paterno said after the Penn St debacle.
What was he really supposed to do more of?? He's not the kids parents nor academic advisor. I get it, the kid plays for him so in ways he's responsible but the penalties seem to be reaching, seem to be based on his prior issues & the effect of that is all the players not responsible are now the guinea pigs for another NCAA headache. Suspending him for the non-conference part of the season does diddly squat. Why isn't he suspended from coaching for the year if you really want to make a point. The NCAA tourney probation is also pointless.
The SMU situation sucks for Moore & Kennedy,5th year seniors who now have nothing to play for this year.
I wanna ask how does SMU keep Brown after this? PR nightmare. This is now his 3rd offense, again showing to a pattern of character issues.
The NCAA had every right to come down hard on the Brown, but its never right to punish the players not affected..
Just saw the NCAA has dropped the hammer on Larry Brown & SMU. No postseason for them this year.
Brown gets suspended for 9 games
Scholarship reductions over the next few years.
Looks like former All-American Keith Frazier was at the center of the invetigation.
Is it too late for Nic Moore to come back to KU?? I know he can't but man he could have continued his bond with the Hawks this year..
We still would have landed players, but to get the caliber of Vick & Diallo was fortunate. We did cast our net pretty far this off-season for anyone and anything.
And the way this year is going, there is definitely a scenario where we whiff on all the talent again and are left getting our 25th and 40th options..
that crystal ball did really well predicting the duo of Jerreau & Gresham to Umass today when they were down to 2 schools. Tells you how much people know about nothing, just like the CB
I don't think there is a lose-lose situation with either Graham or Svi. I just voiced my concern that playing both PG's can be vulnerable especially for an aggressive defensive team that doesn't have another great ball-handler. Maybe Svi can be that 3rd guy in a pinch but we know Selden & Green are not.
It's probably going to come down to chemistry in the end. Frank & Devonte have bonded on the court, maybe that's more important to the long term success. Maybe its smart to ease Svi into a bigger role as the season goes on, especially since he's still just 18. Lots of ways to look at it all. It's definitely a nice problem to have. Think back to last year, we were hoping Mason would be the PG answer & we had no idea what impact Graham would make. Now its a position of strength, and we are splitting hairs on who should start.
We know they are both going to play lots of minutes. With Green just now getting back to the court, its going to be a while before he's 100% ready to go. Green has got to be the 5th option at this point, another good problem to have..
Udoka would be a great big to get. He needs to add skill & post moves because size won't win every battle. That is though, the type of recruit we can excel with.
I see Florida got him on campus for a visit. We have to consider them as our biggest competition if FSU is no longer the favorite with him ATM. This could end up being a situation again where the local school beats us again.
I don't feel confident with Bolden. But Late Night can be the night we make some ground, he's the recruit we have to make the biggest impression on at Late Night.
Hopefully the staff realizes this as well.
Correct each situation was different but in the end they both didn't live up to the hype
Selby was a top 5 kid which was more in line with my point with Cliff, that negative off the court situations will forever affect fans view of them. They both under-performed to expectations & both left here with nothing. No degree, No NBA contract.
You definitely have a point of the what we expect as a fanbase vs what we get.
Okafor, Towns both impact bigs on Duke/UK but Cliff wasn't good enough to start more than a handful of games. #1 PF, #2 rated player and what we got was underwhelming at best.
I truly believe Cliff just wasn't mature enough to handle the situation.
Duke had no post game without Okafor, they don't win a championship without him He was exceptional, one that doesn't come around often.
Towns wasn't as important to UK's overall success because of the 15 giants they had, but he definitely didn't play like a freshman (especially their tournament win against Notre Dame).
You could certainly be right about Diallo (that's if he plays) that we expect a lot, maybe too much. But he is a top 5 player in his class and is an exceptional defensive talent. I bet scouts would agree that he is one/if not the best defender on the High School level in many years. He has game-changing talent, something that Self has to incorporate into his system. If a talent like Diallo doesn't impact the team then there are questions to be asked. Bragg I believe will be brought along in a more typical fashion with Ellis here. Perfect situation for him to learn off his elders
The 2015 class was especially deep on freshman post talent so we will definitely get to see how schools use them.
Duke lands Top 50 PF Javin Delaurier as expected. Has to be good news as regards to Bolden.. especially with Giles the big fish for Duke.
We absolutely have to capitalize on LATE NIGHT!!!
The Cliff situation is never going to be a positive discussion. Especially when you consider he was so hyped to be this and that & then we got what?
In Hindsight maybe we should have saw this coming, but we had such a blaring need for him to be good to great that what we did get was an unfinished novel.
His mixtape videos & all-star game appearances really did mask a player that wasn't ready just yet to be what Self needed from him. I can bet Self pushed him as hard as anyone to become what we needed & all we ever saw was glimpses of his potential.
It's like Selby, he didn't stick around, & issues surrounded him that had nothing to do with Basketball. You gain a quick club of nay-sayers when your not the status quo that fans expected, especially when you come to KU with such expectations & media glorification. Cliff was gone in the most important stretch of basketball for this team last year & that's always going to stick out.
It will be interesting to see once practice starts what's happening with the 1 back-court spot.
Self and the staff seem very high on the 2 PG lineup but we've been down this road before with coaches comments never materializing when it matters.
Graham was fantastic at times last year, Svi was good enough to start in the beginning of the year. Where does Self go? Size & skill or ballhandling & skill?
I do want to point out the one big flaw with running both Graham & Mason in the starting lineup & that is foul trouble. We have a really steep drop off in ball-handling ability after both of them. I can see games where both of them are too aggressive on defense with a foul happy ref & we are stuck either playing 1 of them in foul trouble or some similar situation. We don't want Svi or Selden put into a ball handling situation at any cost, our offense will suffer dearly if that's the case.
I think Graham offers the most exciting dynamic, especially when you consider our last National Championship we had multiple combo guards on the floor. We also had Sherron Collins which this team does not have and that's the reason why I'm going to say that Svi should start. Without a true 3rd ball handler the 2 PG dynamic can be vulnerable. I think KU may gain more by having Graham as the 6th man. You play him 20-25 minutes a game and it really won't matter too much with the surrounding talent if he's starting. I think bringing his fresh legs, leadership, point guard ability & every other attribute that Graham possesses off the bench & we can keep pushing teams while also giving Mason much needed breaks here and there.
If Svi has taken the sophomore bump, which from all accounts he's worked extremely hard on his game & body then you stick with him and see how comfortable he's become with this team. We may play a 6'8 Shooting Guard. That's a nice advantage to have, if Selden does slide to the 3 (seems a no-brainer after the WUG). Svi has the ball skills to handle it & pass it which makes Mason's job a whole heck of a lot easier. Defensively Svi should be improved, hopefully he's a serviceable rebounder( not one of his strengths last year).
I think either way, Svi & Graham will see a similar minutes per game avg. They both offer us tremendous play making ability, solid defense & potential mismatches against any given opponent.
As with the post situation.
Let me get this out of the way. If Diallo is cleared he will START.
Self didn't bring this guy in to sit the bench. You can tell in interviews how excited Self gets speaking about him.
Hunter should be his backup after his stellar summer play. Hunter should be a nice complimentary big, but he's not a starter don't be so quick to forget he couldn't stay on the floor last year. You maximize his effort & play-making & minimize his weaknesses by using him as the primary backup.
We all know Bragg has immense talent & a diverse skill set that is a match-up nightmare. If he's going to beat Traylor & Lucas for minutes, he's going to have to be a better defender than what he's shown in his entire career. We know what Mari & Landon bring & we know what they don't bring which is offense (something Bragg excels in). But with 9 years in the system combined & lots of game experience/starts its going to be hard for Self to just pass them over for a freshman with a high ceiling. I have no doubt Bragg is already a more talented player than Lucas/Mari combined but we know that doesn't always translate to minutes on the court with Self. If Bragg proves himself, then he's the perfect backup to Ellis because he's got a similar skill set with more athletic ability & length. I think early Self will rely on his veterans until Bragg figures out how to plug himself into the offense & learns the toughness he must display on defense to get minutes.
Agree on all accounts. It definitely feels like we have a negative recruiting vibe going on. The pendulum swings so fast from one end to the other. I have started to feel like the air left the building, in part to our NCAA tournament failures & other schools capitalizing on momentum .
Diallo is potentially a very important "bounce back" post recruit who can turn his 1 year stay or longer into some positive recruiting outcomes. Another top 5 kid experiencing troubles but gets past them and leads us far into the tourney or beyond. I can see that 1 player or 1 year where KU is nationally relevant past the first weekend. If Bolden is still unsigned by spring & Diallo has a great year I can see that having a big influence on his decision.
I've felt less and less confident about Bolden. Jerry Meyer seems to be the only guy holding on to the belief that its KU.
As I've explained before its hard for me to see him going to Duke with Giles, Delaurier & Gabriel all getting the same amount of attention from them. They will get at least 1 and likely 2 of this group.
Bama has been the darkhorse because of him being friends with Ferg, and we know Avery Johnson is using his connections to get top guys.
Kentucky already signed a high ranked PF.
We have starters minutes to give him, how hard is that to see?? The problem is unless he changes his mind he's going to be a spring signee which puts us in the "last guy standing" situation yet again. Signing Herard could be helpful because of them playing together for years. He knows he's far more developed than Herard at this point.
The Cliff situation is unfortunate & hopefully isn't one of the reasons we are having such a hard time getting early commits. We did put Oubre in the league, in the first round so it wasn't all bad. I know Kelly isn't a post, but I think 1 guy having a tough year isn't an indication of a trend when we've proven we can develop and place talent in the league. None of us know Cliff personally, but you can infer a little that he wasn't the highest character kid or (mature). He's now learning the hard way of what can happen if you don't control your circle.
I'm guilty as well..When will this madness end, one way or the other.