@dragonslayr I too have changed my thinking about Julius Randle based on last night's play. He's a force to be reckoned with. If they can play as a team, watch out. Careful, you!
Careful you
205 posts
@truehawk93. I also stand up for Black. He may have already done his work for the team by helping them come together and bond.
USATODAY has a good round up of the marathon of games
Link : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/11/13/10-takeaways-from-tuesdays-24-hour-tip-off-marathon/3508415/ ↗
What caught my eye...
Wichita State beat Western Kentucky 66 to 49. Maybe the Shockers know something many other programs don't--like how to play defense.
Joe Dooley and Florida Gulf Coast made the list, winning 65 to 51 over Hartford (who??). Then Joe breaks my heart by tweeting that the FGCU fans are "Best fans in the world. Thanks". I feel so jilted (a little). Beak
em, Eagles!
Huggie Bear at West Virginia loses to Virginia Tech 82 to 87.
Baylor beat S Carolina (coached by Frank Martin) 66 to 64. According to the article, "After a lengthy video review, officials determined that the game was over, and Baylor had a victory over the Gamecocks on Tuesday." I saw the video of the refs telling the coaches their decision. Frank still has his trademark stare.
Well worth the read.
@aproxinfinity I've been getting an error message--"Can't Load Template." This usually comes after I have selected the Unread section. The screen clears/blanks for a few seconds. Then the message appears.
I assume this is a time-out issue. Sometimes it resolves in a few seconds or when I go to a different section. There was a time a few days ago when it persisted for 30 seconds or more. I gave up before it came back.
I haven't seen any reference to this error message so I thought I would post something about it.
If there is something I am doing, or some setting on my computer that is involved please mention it.
Thanks for all your hard work!
@bskeet This ESPN article hits the nail on the head. It points out what I am worried about. The OAD process will turn college basketball coaching on its head.
From the article:
"Every season, Self's teams have been a combination of talented youngsters, promising stars and reliable, program-sculpted veterans; every season, players from one group slowly move into the other."
But not this year, when we will hope that the freshmen class can catch on quick enough to take us all the way to the national finals.
Thanks for the link
@approxinfinity I think you got what I was trying to say. I do appreciate all the hard work that the LJW sports writers to do us fan. In the past, there were some disparaging comments about some of the writers which I thought were unfair. And I do drop by the KUSports site several time a week because they are so good.
Nevertheless, the comment threads here are entertaining and often quite insightful. As a community, the posters here enrich the fan experience significantly.
I just want to remind ourselves that we have something to be proud of here. So, I say thank you to all who have posted and welcome to all who just stop by to read.
I hate to say this because I really hope the football program can get back on its feet soon. But I wonder if it shows that the team lacks confidence in how the coaches are calling the game. Some coaches can adjust well to the circumstances of the game and some can't. So far this doesn't seem to be happening for KU.
I am willing to give Coach Weis more time to rebuild the program. Even several years. He does seems willing to try something different if Plan A isn't working.
Still, as Yoda said, "Do or not do. There is no try."
I have always like the articles by Gary Bedore on KUSports and/but ...
Can we stand on our own here? This is a great site for commentary on KU sports without having LJW sports writers as posters (and I would welcome their posts, for sure). But we are doing very well on our own, thank you, very much.
Per Jabate, no malice intended.
@approxinfinity What a pleasant surprise to see the front page! Verrry nice.
Mr Miyagi, you found a good article there! Well written with a good story for an intro. Thanks for posting the link.
I have great faith in Coach Self. Coaches at major basketball programs will have to adapt to the OAD environment where they recruit a player for three years and coach them for one. The teams will be split between the student athletes and the waiting-for-the-draft pre-professional players. Any coach that can't successfully meld these two groups together may end up in the NIT even when they have recruited highly rated players. I think Coach Self will be able to meet this challenge as well as any coach in the nation.
Lulu I agree that a lower rank at this point in the season is reasonable for KU.
We are seeing a big change in college basketball with the advent of one-and-done players. I agree completely that more weight should be given to established teams and players, especially early in the season. It takes playing time for players to get up to full potential and find their footing. Highly talented players may get there faster (and then be more effective) that less talented ones but early in the season experienced teams have the advantage IMHO. The Champions Classic will show this, I hope.
I wonder if KU will be able to avoid most of the freshman problems. Personally, I doubt it. The first game was ragged, at best. Against better opponents there will be some losses, especially if the new players have to actually play defense. One possible saving grace is that many teams have this same problem. Another is that by January our players will have more experience and Coach Self is great at getting his teams to play together.
Julius Randle impressed me in the interview. He didn't whine or get defensive. He seemed well grounded in reality. He would have made a good (maybe great) Jayhawk.
Poll rankings might matter a little in a month or two. Right now, not so much. Still it's good for the old ego!
PSU player Devon Branch bugs me because he can do (and did do) whatever he wants.
Branch scored 27 point on 9 of 22 shots and 9 of 12 free throws in 31 minutes. Not one KU player could stop him. How does that make sense?
Some possible explanations I can think of:
--He is the next Michael Jordan.
--PSU stole a great player who was not recognized by the other two or three places he played.
--KU players can't defend.
--Players who are 'in the zone' cannot be defended.
I'm pretty sure all of these are wrong. So is there a better explanation?
Over many years I have watched games where one opposing player goes nuts and scores far above his average and expectation. I'm not talking about Kevin Durant from Texas dropping 40 or so points since it was no surprise and he is a great player. I don't think this is the case with PSU's Branch (no offiense, Devon).
What should a coach do when an unheralded player is having a career night:
--Let him go until he reverts to his average? What if he lasts for 50 points?
--Play a box and one? Deny him the ball by putting a lock-down defender on him--or maybe two?
--Foul him before he shoots? Better two points than three, maybe.
--Just keep playing your game plan and hope for the best?
All you indightful posters, help me out here.
Edit: Oops. Make that insightful posters. Is my typing worse or my proofreading?
Thanks for posting, Lumpy. I agree that the NCAA, the universities, and the media are all benefiting greatly from the increased exposure while the fans get a little boost from seeing more games and the players get essentially nothing. I wish I had some simple and effective solution. I don't see how it can continue for much longer.
@lighthawk Jealous!!!
Thanks for finding this. I'm glad for the twins and that is a lot of money :-) !!
@approxinfinity Just logged in with my Nexus. The banner is much better behaved now. Thanks
I loved this article!! The 1988 championship team worked their miracle and created a special era in my life that is connected to my first wife and our two children. Chris Piper was/is a part of that and always will be.
Piper was an intregal part of the team and went on to have a public life as a broadcaster. I liked his color commentary and felt he added greatly to any broadcast. I remember when he announced that he was leaving the television scene to do fewer games on radio. Now I can see why.
Chris Piper was a sterling example of a fine young athlete and the passage of time has shown us that he had matured into a fine person all around. I hope we will be saying the same for the current roster of KU athletes in 25 years.
Here is the link
(http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/24/4573919/kus-dexter-mcdonald-finds-a-home.html) ↗
I wondered about why Dexter McDonald had to go to Butler County Community College and then came back to KU. This article give an explanation.
One interesting aspect is that he considered himself a basketball player in high school and had to re-invent himself mentally to focus on football (yes, I am reading a lot into it). I think this is hard to do and admire his ability and success in doing it.
@apporxinfinity Did you add something new or did I just notice the Thread Tools?
They look mostly inuitive but maybe someone would have pity on me a give a brief explanation. 'Cus I might not be the only one...
Since I know there will be some games that I won't be able to watch on TV, so I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort. I can't type fast enough to keep up with anything in real time (or almost).
You may have to draw me a map to guide me to your comments, tho. Unless they will appear on this site, maybe?
Keegan did a good job of adding more quotes from Selden and fleshing out the article. It's a good read. Not to beat a dead horse, but the comments were...interesting.
Selden sounds like an articulate young man, at least in print. He makes the KU basketball program look good even before he plays the first game.
Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to click on your Favourite right now!
@wishawk Funny I'm seeing you in BBall News Stories. You must be a real fanatic.
@approxinfinity I'm social media challenged so maybe you can help me understand 'Favourite' and 'Reputation'.
I'm not sure what happens when I click the Favourite button next to a poster's name. Does this mean I like the post or the poster? And why does the click have an English accent?
And when I look at my profile as a user I see I am getting a reputation. I hope that is a good thing. I am pretty sure it isn't my 93 year old mother giving my ego a boost. but then what is it?
Any help using the site better will be appreciated.
@approxinfinity This thread is listed in the bugs/reguests bucket on my screen. Is it just me or should it be somewhere else?
Sorry that my two word name causes problems. I think some one used a underscore, as in Careful_you. I didn't realize it would be a problem when I created the account.
Thanks for posting the link. After reading the article I scrolled down to see if there were any interesting comments. Well, the KC Star uses a Facebook login as well so I guess I'll never know. I'm sure glad to have this site and all you knowledgeable commenters!
I must be something of a nerd because I enjoy having some insight into the development you guys are doing behind the scenes. I hope you will keep pulling back the curtain occasionally.
Thanks for the link to the article. Reading it reminded me that I still like the writers at KUsports and the coverage they provide, even the opinion posts. Wish they hadn't screwed up the comments so badly.
@child113 I always valued the comments as much as the articles. I remember listening to a spodcast and feeling disappointed that there were no comments posted, like it was incomplete
@kirkismyhinrich Welcome aboard. I never used to post either but this site is really easy to work with, so I hope you join in.
@truehawk93 I like your analysis by match-up approach. And you didn't even mention the Self vs Ford competition. That one might be the most important.
FYI I tried to log on from my desktop computer about 1 pm and got only the home page and the top ribbon on the other pages, no actual entries. I logged out for a while and came back and everything looks normal. I thought dark thought for a while, there. Relieved now, tho
Thanks for posting this. I don't got the the ESPN site so I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. FWIW I had to pause Ghostery to get the video to work.
Fran Frachilla's interview with Wiggins is worth watching. Andrew is a well-spoken young man with the emphasis on young. I wish he would stick around so we could see him realize his potential as a young adult. I expect he will be well-grounded and responsible. I sure wouldn't want to see a flash back to when I was his age.
So Coach Self doesn't watch one game a year of a team he will never coach again and an opponent that he will never face again. And this is upsetting? Really. It's a mighty small nit to pick IMHO
Many KU fans in Denver go to a popular sports bar in the Cherry Creek area. I'll see if I can get the name from my daughter who lives in Denver.
Update: She said Choppers, maybe
My wife was looking at the cost of tickets for the Texas game in Austin Feb 1st. She thought the red zone tickets were $40 maybe? This sounds too low to me. What am I missing?
Mr Miyagi Zenn Master!
My wife likes to quilt so I showed her the default icons. I think they look like the blocks of a quilt. It's a neat way to assign an icon to new members.
It dosen't seem slow to me. I must be doing something wrong.
@azhawk97 Thanks for posting this. I would be entertained if I wasn't so sad about the state of KU football. Here's hoping it improves in the years ahead.
@approxinfinity Test to see where this reply will show up--hope it is under your original comment.
edit Nope
I also like the "Unread" button at the top bar. It makes it easy to see and go to the most recent comments without having to scroll down a long comment thread. So far I think this site is superior to KUSports which I did dearly love.
Thanks for posting this with the link to the original story since I don't regularly read the KC paper.
Hope this is the start of something special for both T-Rob and Ben.
thanks. It's easy to wish since I don't have to make it happen.
Navigating in Chrome on my Nexus 7 is challenging. The blue ribbon at the top of the page takes up so much screen space (and I can't seem to shrink it) that I can't easily see the login field. Between the ribbon and the keyboard that pops up on the screen there isn't any real estate left to show the field. There may be a work around on my tablet but I don't know it if there is.
I've liked nested comments on other sites especially if I can collapse and expand the comment thread. I hope this might be possible here.
Another feature I appreciate is being able to list the comments by oldest or newest.
I admire the work you all have done so far! After a brief time to get used to it, I find it easy to navigate and the look is clean and uncluttered. Kudos all around!!
I agree. My favorite method is a voluntary donation button with options for credit cards and PayPal, etc. This may be more complicated than you want, tho.