🏀 KuBuckets Archive

BTW we recruited all 3 of Duke's star freshman all the way to the end. Winslow was high on KU, even wore a KU jersey or shirt one day?Watching his game, elite defender and aggressive driving to the hoop, he would have been great in a KU uniform as well.

Jones & Okafor we were runner-ups to.. We got Kelly & Cliff, 1 of 2 worked out. Devonte & Svi will really help us this year which depending how you look at it could benefit us more because all 3 likely to leave Duke this year.

Can't fault Self's recruiting, he recruited and got 2 top 15 kids maybe just not the right one's this year. What can ya do?

@sfbahawk

Stein is a higher pick than you think. Think of him as a Joakim Noah type PlAyer except more athletic. Being able to guard 5 positons at 7 feet is rare and that's a commodity that nba teams want. His offense has definetly improved and something a team will continue to work with him on. ESPN has him top 10 doubt they are off on that projection stein won them a lot of games

@Crimsonorblue22

yes no more waivers going foward. Transfers now have to sit regardless. That waiver rule was abused and wildly inconsistent

@truehawk93

Critics might be down on him but I bet Scout's are still intrigued with a 7 footer who can shoot, that you can add strength and muscle too. Sounds to me like a GM's dream to me. I bet he gets some slack because he was terribly used in his one season.

Agreed ND had them beat but Kentucky did everything to prevent that from happening. Made every shot in the last 12 minutes is a formula for coming back. ND should have won but it wasn't meant to be. Wisconsin will have to play a similar flawless game to have a chance.

@drgnslayr

I guess we agree to disagree on a few things. You took the box-score from 1 game. 1 game doesn't prove anything about Alpha Dog's they've all had their moments, Towns scored 1 point in the game before yesterday.

Towns is top 3 pick maybe even the top pick when it's all said and done. Stein is top 10 can defensively alter any game. Lyles's & Booker have done well enough to warrant themselves in the mid first round. I'd be really surprised if either came back. Not a lot of shooters in this draft class so Booker will be in demand. Johnson I believe will come back, it's a real riches when you have a top 15 7 footer coming off the bench.

Not sure what you see in Lee, he's a shot-blocking, put-back dunk, lob player. Nothing else about his game says he'd be the feature player in any offense. I do think he benefits from playing against NBA players everyday in practice. He comes back for a Jr. season and he's got a chance to get minutes and production on a bigger than 2 minute spree. All these players have benefited from playing with each other.

Not sure what the Harrison twins do but we know it will be a group decision. Did they gain any fans from scouts this year that they didn't get last year probably not. Neither is projected or hyped very high. They can come back again and start. Ulis is good enough to start for any team but his size will always limit his NBA potential. Likely he comes back to get stronger and develop his game further.

As far as scouts judging their players based on limited minutes that can work in either fashion. The more minutes you play the potential more video is available, the more your weaknesses are dissected. The Harrison Twins are perfect examples of that, they were hyped out of High School but their freshman years were inconsistent. They had to come back because they would't have been drafted otherwise. Cliff Alexander is another where hype beat out production. Great High-School player, but developed slow so his stock tumbled. Then you add in his NCAA issue and you have a sinking ship.

Because a player like Lee has limited minutes he could conceivably go pro and get some GM that is intrigued by his "potential" and grab him. Conventional wisdom would say why would a GM gamble on a player like him, but in the same token that word "potential" seems to mean more than production.

Marshall for all intents and purposes has recruited pretty well since he got there. VanVleet top 100 guy. Same class got Cleanthony Early who turned into a 1st round pick. Same class got Andrew's brother which had influence in KU ever gettting Andrew. The year before that he pulled in Cotton and Hall, those guys turned into good players. This year he pulled maybe his best recruit yet in Markis McDuffie top 100 kid who can flat our shoot the ball at 6'8. Marshall raised the bar in the MVC, you see how good Northern Iowa was all year.

I think if he does land at Texas he will do fine, maybe even do better which from most people's opinions won't be that hard to do. Fertile recruiting area, he inherits a team he can win with from day 1 if the pieces stay and if he can get the 2 top 50 kids to still go there. What's the worst that can happen? That he turns Texas into the perennial contender against KU that we expect every year. He's got tourney success, he can help the Big 12 get out of this rut of tournament success in the last few years. I think that his track record sets him up for success if he jumps. The biggest advantage is whoever gets the gig doesn't have to start from scratch at all. He could help develop Isiah Taylor further just like he helped VanVleet..

@Hawk8086

I don't think there's any chance he's a first round pick. The fact that he walked on and has become a draft pick at all is kudos to his development and toughness. He's a 2nd round pick and I think he will be happy with that assessment of himself.

I do think who coaches Wichita is a major factor, if Marshall bolts somewhere he's he could lose VanVleet as well. If he's graduating in May Baker's got nothing to stay for.

A lot of domino's to fall with that team.

@Crimsonorblue22

that picture makes him look super long. He definitely looks closer to 6'10 than 6'8. Will be great to have more size starting with him.

@Crimsonorblue22

The names that come to mind are Ron Hunter from Georgia St, Brad Underwood at SF Austin. Not sure what they would do, would they lure a top mid-major coach or try and pluck one from the major conferences. I could see them going after a power 6 conference coach just to simply keep the momentum forward. Great home court advantage, plenty of returning players.

@drgnslayr

The reason he can get 9 Alpha Dog's to do whatever he wants is because Cal is the Alpha Dog above them all. His influence in the public, in the NBA, is what separates him from almost any College Coach. You want to believe Marcus Lee doesn't want to be apart of a 40-0 season instead of playing at another school where he's probably already in the off-season. And his exposure playing for UK is higher than anywhere in the country. He's probably on NBA radar's for that alone, not including his limited actual game.

Why do you think so many Top recruits haven't signed with teams? Because they all want to go to UK and want to know how the rosters shake out. That's how much Cal has impacted the game, he's single handily changed recruiting. Whatever people want to say about him, he has a system, he's made it work more times than not. The one year he didn't he failed miserably, the others he's lifted the UK brand above all in the game.

Coach K is the same. He can bring in 3-4 All-American's and blend them into the team and get them to play bigger than their age. Winslow, Jones, Okafor don't play or act like freshman. He's done this year after year after year. He's used to it, he has a system in place for players to shine. He will continue to do what he's doing.

Self. well this style of All-American's isn't new to him but he doesn't change either to blend them in. They either adapt to his ways or not, call it stubborness, call it being the Alpha Dog whatever it is Self doesn't budge for 1, or 2, players. He does things his way, he's done more with players that develop over a career than showcasing a 1 year talent. Because KU is an elite program he's adapted maybe his own preference to keep churning kids into the NBA regardless how many years it takes them. You could say that Self is still learning how to mesh OAD's with his typical 4 year players. Maybe he's not that great at, maybe his system doesn't want an individual to shine.

We are simply spoiled, it's not enough to just make the tourney or have great regular seasons anymore. We need more, we need deep tourney runs, we need the KU name in the spotlight for validation. What will Self do to get us back there?

@Crimsonorblue22

wouldn't he just go pro, he was on NBA radars last year. don't think he did anything wrong this year. projected 2nd round

@HighEliteMajor

True they did scheme but our defense was pathetic after the first 12-14 minutes and Weasel had a career day. They turned their defense up and forced turnover after turnover after bad shot. It was the perfect storm on how to lose a game.

I saw a stat that Izzo & Pitino have made the elite 8 something like 20 times combined in their coaching careers. Remarkable feet, remarkable that they can make different teams gel so well. Izzo is known for hardnose ball, defense, rebounding and solid sets. Pitino is known for zone defense, athlete's and shooters. What is Self known for? Defense & High/Low. We did neither of those at a normal Self level = go home early.

@nuleafjhawk

experience didn't win us the championship in 2012 when we faced a team full of freshman and some holdovers. So the premise that you go far because you have all upperclassmen doesn't always hold water. Is it probably an advantage, yes. Wichita wasn't a more talented team but they beat us because they wanted it more and played better defense.

Can't believe sports writers saying wiggins doesn't deserve rookie of the year. Then point to warp or some useless analytical stats to make their point stick. Kid is playing with basically all college players or just removed. When chase Budinger is the vet playing on your team you know something is wrong.

@Crimsonorblue22

They were but they were also the hometown school. Uconn was also close with him but if this Under Armour thing is really true that's signficant. BTW Brown & Ingram played AAU for Addidas affiliates. Diallo, Zimmerman, Newman Nike. Will be interesting to see how it shakes

@Hawk8086

that's the word right now. i'm sure an official announcement will be made but that's what I've read. Coach seems to think he's returning but what do coaches know!

@Crimsonorblue22

Surprised I thought he was going to Wisconsin to take Kaminsky's spot. Turgeon has improved the Maryland brand and the move to the Big 10 certainly helped them so far. Maryland will be a good team with both Trimble & Layman expected to return.

@Crimsonorblue22

I think part of DG finishing strong had to do with Frank taking him under his wing. You learn from good players quicker and Graham certainly has talent. Mason didn't have that luxury with Tharpe and Mason was that wild child that needed taming last year. DG could be more of that Russell Robinson type with an offensive game as well.

@DCHawker

I think this is Self's prime year to make us forget about losing Danny and Dooley. Especially with Landon every-time we don't have the post production people say its because of those guys leaving. That could all be true because Danny taught his guys the little things that a great learns over the years. Landon can be a double double candidate but its going to take teaching him post seals, and moves to make him successful.

I think any decision for Marshall depends on his guards Baker & VanVleet staying or going pro. He's got a good gig, Frankamp joins he signed a really good recruit in McDuffie who can shoot the ball lights out at 6'8. He returns everyone but Cotton & Carter. Not so sure $ alone is going to get him to leave. He's also got what his daughter to think about..

@DCHawker

I've watched a fair bit of Bragg & Diallo. Saw a lot of their higher profile games.
The answer to your question on their day 1 skill sets in the high low. Neither is probably the ideal answer. They are both going to have to learn the nuances of the system and I'm just grouping Diallo into the fold for conversation purposes.

Bragg really could have a game that mimics Perry Ellis. He is bigger and longer and more athletic so he's a welcome addition. His shooting touch is what gives him an edge to give us points. I think he will be solid his first year and he might even surprise because he's not regarded as a 1 and done. Like a lot of Freshman he will have to learn full effort all the time but offensively he will be an upgrade instantly to Traylor & Mickelson.

Diallo is a unique talent. Relentless worker, put-backs, weak-side blocking, rebounding, running the floor these are all things that he excels at. Sometimes he showed a post game and shooting touch but he's clearly a post that will take time to learn moves. Day 1 you won't have to teach him effort, he reminds me of having a junkyard dog type game until he learns how to impact the game on Iso situations. I'm okay with that and he's highly rated because his impact on the game is immense.

I'm intrigued by the transfer from Charlotte for his shear size and his production was good enough to think he could do some good things for KU. He would give Self the ideal big man to use with Lucas.

We shouldn't write off Lucas improving a ton just yet. He did get a lot better over the year and his last 8 games avg'd 6pts 7rbs 1blk. He could benefit the most from Korea and hopefully another summer with Hudy making him more explosive and athletic. A lot of times I think Lucas was afraid to mess up so he was rarely an option to score when he got the ball. Sometimes he'd get a rebound or post position and not know how to utilize it even though he was 2 feet from the basket. He was frustrating at times but his effort was never lacking. Self loves that kid and I'm sure he will be given every chance to start if we don't luck out this spring.

@Crimsonorblue22

I'm really not sure how but in game situations I cringe every time he's putting it on the floor. He's another that adding quickness to his game would be as big a benefit as anything. Defense may always be his Achilles so I'm not going to go there. But we saw Ellis improve Soph. to Jr year defensively.

I think he's such a gifted shooter that getting him to play hard, practice hard, and stay committed has been, well hard. It's almost like shooting comes too easy to him and therefore he forgets that's only one aspect of being a great basketball player. If he's the one guy that makes that BIG leap forward than KU has a much better chance of being a great team. How's that for Optimism!!

@ralster

1. I think the combination of all of them was an elite post presence. Each man brought such a different skill set that they just went together like PB&J.

2. Morris twins were elite, Marcus knew he was the man and they had a toughness about them.

3. 2013 Withey was better overall, obviously T-Rob was one of the best we've had ever at the PF.

4. I'd say yes on all, those guys set the standards for Self guards. Mason is getting there.

5. I agree with the A- grade. He might have got the A+ had we still been dancing. He was that good and it gets somewhat lost with how the season ended. I'm sure the coaches will continue to work with him on PG skills, he would do good to attend the camps this summer and watch film on PG's. We knew he can score and we know he can handle the rock. If he was 6'2 he'd be on NBA radar's.

6. Devonte has eerly similar #'s to Mason's freshman year. The only issue with Devonte making the same leap is where are his minutes going to come from. Would Self entertain using both PG's with Selden/Greene/Svi at the 3? Offensively and defensively that could be the best lineup. If Devonte is coming off the bench, hard to imagine he can improve as much as starting.

7. Selden has to work on quickness & ball-handling. 2 major keys for him making a NBA roster. He has to learn to be more than a straight line driver and he could do some good maybe losing 10 pounds and adding quickness. His body is never going to go away but he could refine it to maximize skills. And lastly shoot 1,000 FT's a day!!!

@joeloveshawks

I absolutely agree that Self can take players and help them become better players. Mason more than doubled his production. Ellis improved mightily on defense and for a period before the injury was unstoppable. If Greene doubles his production we are looking at one of our leading scorers, that would be terrific. He's got the stroke for it, just needs the game now. Svi can easily become a player that gets between 5-7pts a game with extended playing time. Maybe even more we don't know the progression in which he will take off yet.

Selden ehhh not likely to double, but if he went up to 12-13 where Mason was this year he would win this team more games next year.

I'm very optimistic but at the same time I also understand that this ship won't go any farther than the last 2 if we don't improve a bunch. Chemistry should be better, guys should understand what it truly takes to win in March now, and Self should have his guys more prepared in the fall because of it. We will see what it translates too..

@joeloveshawks

They also didn't have Jerian Grant last year who is the unquestioned leader of that team. Jackson was a top prospect who we recruited btw he had an so-so freshman year. He blew up this year like Mason did. Auguste doubled his production, Vasturia doubled his & Connaughton finally had the players around him to shine. Brey found a winning formula and style of play.

The optimism would be that guys like Greene, Svi, Lucas, Graham will improve and increase their production. Optimism would be Selden finding the consistency and becoming a 12-13pt scorer. I believe that could happen, but right now the facts are without adding anything else its hard to imagine maturity alone will be the reason this team gets better. We will definitely see though.

@Crimsonorblue22

Embiid's injury will forever haunt us won't it. The behind the scene's story on Tharpe has slowly surfaced. Mason has alluded that he wasn't a mentor to him and didn't teach him the things that he might have needed. Tharpe must have felt threatened by Self bringing him in. Good thing he did.

@Crimsonorblue22

Yes you are right, it is hard to be perfect and we've benefited from our share of diamonds in the ruff (Mason, Graham, Taylor) the list goes on. I was using Baker & Hield as examples of kids we could have had but struck out recruiting others. If I remember correctly we waited too long on Hield, Baker's story is remarkable that he got that good.

@joeloveshawks

Same team just a year older it's going to take more than that to correct the issues we had. Same terrible 2pt% shooting team, same bunch that had the most blocked shots in the country. Then you consider KU is more than likely to lose the 2 most athletic players from that team.

Big minutes from Mari is exactly why were are recruiting bigs still. We need to find an option that will drop his minutes in half.

Other than Ellis & Mason the rest of the team is in full development mode this off-season. Those 2 already have skill set in place that just needs refining. The rest Selden included need major work on their games.

It will be interesting to see who else we add and how serious the team takes the off-season.

@DCHawker

The issue goes deeper than just the great recruiting classes. We've clearly struck out on kids who weren't OAD's that robbed this team of experienced depth. As it's snowballed, we had to rely so much on last years class and this years class because half the kids we signed years before were gone. That's why I posted in another thread that Self has to stop the bleeding. Keep most of this current team together and add pieces here and there that will help both next year and in future years.

He could have had Ron Baker & Buddy Hield, 2 Midwest recruits, not all the HS school hoopla attached that wanted to play for KU. Self pursued other higher ranked kids across the nation trying to convince some who may have had interest in KU but weren't practically begging to play for KU. He got 1 already in Bragg this year. He could get another in Diallo. Beyond that I'm not sure the interest levels of the others are that deeply rooted.

@Crimsonorblue22

Along with 41 other teams! Read that many teams are after him which speaks volumes to how in-demand a near footer with skill can be. I heard Virginia Tech may have an inside track with him as Buzz Williams recruited him in HS. We will see we are definitely the biggest school to reach out so hopefully Self sells a good thing.

Not gonna lie, especially early in the game when they were missing easy shots I would go "oh those went in against Kansas". Notre Dame did something Self never picked up on, switching ball screens. That seemed to really neutralize their offense. Glad they lost but in the end we can't say much because they beat us... Just goes to show you the beauty of College Ball and how teams can mentally get up for some games and not some others..

@justanotherfan

I agree that we need to add some more players, we just need the right players. We need to get bigger, Diallo or this Sr transfer would certainly be upgrades. The transfer avg'd 10pts a game so without looking at some of his games I'm not sure what post moves he has. We know Diallo is a project on offense but defensively he would be an upgrade to anyone we have currently.

I might ruffle some feathers with this statement but we need to find better options than Mari, Mickelson, Lucas. I'm not even sure combining all 3 of them would yield 1 player we could rely on. We gave Traylor the whole season to prove himself and couldn't out-rebound our PG. That's just not going to cut it for KU. Mari had a disappointing season whether he played hurt or not, he's undersized and isn't a volume rebounder. I still think Lucas will be serviceable with his size but we saw time and time again how nonathletic he was at times. At least we have the best Strength and Conditioning coach in the business and hopefully Hudy takes him and helps him this summer.

Here's hoping spring recruiting goes well!!

@justanotherfan

Perry maybe close to his peak but the way he performed right before that injury was on a level of aggressiveness we had never seen before. That's the Perry that Self has to get back and utilize. That player would be better than almost anyone at his position next year. If we can somehow pair him with a better 5 or a much improved Lucas we will see.

Wayne clearly needs to get faster, and work on dribbling with pressure. His handles were straight up a disaster sometimes. He needs to learn to be more aggressive like we saw in some games and use his frame to get to the line. Lastly FT's are a must for him to work on, no reason he shouldn't be 73-75%

@Crimsonorblue22

I like it, 10pts 7rbs last year. 6'11 270 would be an absolute beast in the paint. FT% scared me especially on 100 attempts. But we could definitely use the muscle for this year.

@justanotherfan

Newman & Brown are the only KU targets we have left. Unless some other kids back out of LOI's or some transfers pop up we have put the eggs into 2 baskets. The problem with Spring recruiting but also the beauty. We didn't think we would get Devonte & Svi at this time last year.

Wayne better stay and not leave us or those 2 listed become even more important. Frazier from Florida just declared pro, and the only pro career he's got ahead of him is Europe. Can't believe that kid left.

It looks like 13 of the top 20 HS kids from the 14 class could be going pro. I think Lyles & Tyus Jones have hard decisions and I included them in the 13. Jones could come back and run Duke but his boy is gone so why would he? Lyles could be the guy in Kentucky if he stayed. Funny that 3 of the 7 I believe will stay all play for UNC.

@drgnslayr

I think 3 years is a good guess at this point. He got some experience but as long as he spends most of the summer here I see him taking a big leap in his development. At least that's my hope and assumption. Can he become a much better shooter? #'s were pretty bad overall.

IF he left for the NBA which I really believe is unlikely then it would totally send shockwaves through the College ranks. I think he likes the College game and all the attention he and his program get. It won't get any better going back to the league unless he is given a good team to work with.

Who would they pursue? I don't even know where you go looking, Cal raised the standard above anyone before him. Would his recruits look elsewhere?

@wissoxfan83

Isn't that an every year thing and he declines it every year. Unless it comes from his mouth I don't believe he's going that way.

@truehawk93

when did we get dropped from his list?

@truehawk93

Newman would be a great get, he'd be an unstoppable offensive talent kind of like Russell was for Ohio St this year. But do we want a 1 year fix? And will he leave the south?
Same with Jaylen Brown do we want a year fix again at the SF spot or do we ride with Greene & Svi and hope they have great summers. Of course I'm assuming Kelly takes the leap because of his draft stock.

Self said he would be recruiting a big and a guard. He's out in full force for Diallo as is his other suitors. Now we are apparently after Michael Horne Jr. a Senior transfer from Charlotte. 6'11 270. 10pts 7rbs a game as well. I'd take him if he wants to come, Mari's minutes have to be reduced.

Guard wise Newman & Brown are the only guys we are really pursuing at the moment. Ingram is more SF/PF type but he's not leaving NC. I'm sure we will pursue others as spring rolls around. Not sure why we stopped on Marcus Lovett. Kid will see a big jump in his ranking.

@Lulufulu

By next year do you mean this year? We need to sign as many kids as we can this year. With the way KU has seen kids leave its not likely the train stops with Oubre & Cliff. Bragg being the lone commit won't do it. Full court press for Diallo, Brown, Newman, transfers is a must.

@DCHawker

I think the issue we are now seeing is a deep rooted one and my memory will probably not remember everything but I'll try.

You start with recruiting and roster attrition.

2011-12 we got McLemore, Traylor, Transfer Kevin Young, Tharpe, Lindsay.

That class we got little contribution immediately. Ben & Mari had to sit-out the year for academics. Tharpe & Young played but weren't ready. After the year ended Lindsay left after barely playing. We lost 2 starters & Teehan.

2012-13 we got Ellis, White, Lucas, Adams, Peters. On paper it looked great and looked like a foundation class to build around.

Ellis was the only freshman to consistently play. White had a hard time getting PT, Lucas red-shirted, Adams was a nutcase & Peters we lost in pre-season.After the year ended 5 starters left to graduation and NBA. Currently just 2 players remain from that class.

2013-14 was supposed to be a great year getting the most hyped recruit in KU history Wiggins. Add Selden, Embiid, Frankamp, Greene, Mason, & Black and you had the best recruiting class in KU history. The problem was you had only 3 players who even contributed the year before.
All 7 played and got us #10 somehow.

After the season 3 left to the NBA & graduation, our starting PG is forced out and White goes elsewhere after not getting PT. To make it worse Frankamp before the next season started decided he wanted to leave after millions of posts debated on our PG battle. He apparently lost and left like a disgruntled QB is after the spring games reveals he's not 1st on the depth chart. You sign 7 guys and 4 of them are gone before the next calendar year begins. Then you lose 2 holdovers from the previous year. Notice the trend???

2014-2015 we get Oubre & Alexander 2 high school sensations, Graham, Svi & transfer Mickelson.

The 3 leftovers from that monster recruiting class stabilized positions and previous leftovers Ellis, Mari & Lucas kept churning through eligibility. We won #11 in the toughest league in the country.

After the season remains a mystery on roster turnover but the general thinking is half of last years recruiting class is gone. For the first time in years Self has the chance to stop the bleeding of this constant revolving door of players leaving the program. How can a coach teach kids the game of basketball if he's stuck with a constant motion of 3-6 new players a year. There's no stability, and no chance for Self to build a core. As I've pointed out the off-season has been almost as entertaining or nerve wrecking as a Big Monday game against Iowa St.

Self needs to stop the bleeding, heal wounds, mend relationships and find a way to keep your kids that you've recruited. That you've spent countless dollars recruiting, training, teaching. Not come out with comments like your expecting guys to leave. Make them want to stay!

@Crimsonorblue22

yes we do need a big.

Diallo is our best bet. Self and company have now checked on him twice recently. Maker & Zimm are unknown's.

@nuleafjhawk

It was a good season, 27 wins and another championship. But it wasn't without what I think was more weaknesses than Self has ever experienced. 2 blowout's, blown lead after lead another early exit. Those things sting in fans minds, myself included.

We saw Frank Mason become the man but he's still got work to do.
We saw for a short Period Perry become the man, but he's still got work to do.

The comments that scared me is I think Self knows guys are leaving for the NBA- no shock there.
And some guys might leave for other reasons. Those guys that leave for other reasons will further bring down the team.

Surprised nobody has started a thread on his comments yesterday about the Season in general. Some alarming comments or maybe I'm reading between the lines looking for something?

"I am not making any excuses for our guys because we could have very easily advanced, but this was a team in which they did a pretty good job of piecing it together this year. The pieces didn’t fit great

Roster turnover yet again????? I did not like the sounds of that statement true or not.

*The kids adjusted and basically really did well to win the league and be a 2-seed against a monster schedule. Basically our inconsistencies certainly caught up to us at the very end,” Self added

Nothing new there, KU buckets has been saying that all year.

I’m realistic to know we’re going to have a guy or two leave,” Self said. “I’m also realistic to know sometimes kids and families do things you don’t anticipate them doing, too. That’s the nature of this business right now — kind of wait and see. I anticipate losing a couple guys but I’m hopeful we’ll have the rest of our players back because we do have a good foundation but we do need to solidify that and add a couple more players.”

Hopefully just the 1 or 2 we are all expecting. We truly need a year where half the team doesn't bail out.

Thoughts???

@Crimsonorblue22

what's the likelihood that happens though? We'd all love former greats to come back but if they have NBA obligations/contracts its hard to see teams being okay with that and having say a Paul George situation happen. Although that possibility is unlikely I think Self will role with whoever remains minus Svi so that he can set his team up for the most success next year.

@dylans

No he wouldn't qualify if he's not a US citizen. I'm assuming he is not as he was born in Sudan. Even though he's been to 3 American High School's I'm just not sure of his eligibility. He's got red flags with him anyway, I'm assuming if he does go to college that he wouldn't be cleared until the fall.
And the freshman we sign must be enrolled in summer school in order to compete.

I doubt any former players will be playing either, they have to be enrolled in school to do so.

Right now if everyone comes back but the usual suspects we will have everyone but Svi and maybe a few more prospects.

I'm glad that Weber did the right thing in getting rid of Foster. What a cancer he was this year for them. Thomas & Harris surprised me. I would have thought Malek would have been gone since he was one who was suspended with Marcus.

The bright side to this? 2 easy games next year in the Big 12. League will be stacked again so it will be nice to have breather games against them for once.

Self and Norm Roberts putting on full court press for Cheick Diallo. Both flying in to see him tomm. I believe this is the 2nd time they have been to see him in recent weeks.

I know more than a few of us on here would be thrilled to land him. A sure fire help on defense from the start while not a 1 and done. Developing post game, excellent motor.

Let's hope Self & Co can seal the deal soon.