🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Oh, and did I say, "Chukwu or bust?"

@BeddieKU23 Ok .. thanks for the additional info. He'd be in his 4th college year by the time he would hit the court for Kansas, so maybe a chance to mature, get stronger, and increase his skill set. At the very worst, he's reasonable insurance. I like @drgnslayr take that this will perhaps let Chukwu know that the spot isn't open forever. Also, I doubt that Coleby's presence on the roster would dissuade any top tier guys like Bolden or Herard that we're after right now.

Your right landing Coleby wouldn't stop us from getting the big fish we are after but landing chukwu could because he has considerable talent that can be let loose.

Coleby showed soft touch, can block shots and can run the floor from what I saw of him. I think him transferring has to do with Ole Miss wanting to be a perimeter team. It's either wr get a sophomore giant or junior reliable option. I'd hope that self waits out chukwu intensions and is able to convince him to come

I just think the sky won't be falling if coleby is the option we are left too.

@BeddieKU23 From my point of view, I'm factoring in that 1) he didn't play much his sophomore season (7th on the team in minutes) for an average at best team, 2) the big men in front of him weren't world beaters, 3) I had never heard of him before today, 4) he was unranked coming out of high school, and 5) his stats are just ok, though his rebounds per minute are good.

Now, I have no first hand knowledge. Don't recall ever seeing him (as I had never heard of him). So I am very interested in your opinion since you do recall him. That holds more weight in my book.

He was really good In the game you saw, but the nagging question is why only 16 minutes per game for the season? I looked at his by game stats ↗. There is positive there. Maybe you saw the Arkansas game where he had a double-double?

But for some reason the basketball power known as Ole Miss wouldn't play him big minutes. Man, that tells me something.

Not to defeat my own point, but didn't Tarik Black average only 20 minutes per game? He wasn't in the top 5 in minutes his last season at Memphis, I know that for sure.

Anyway, another name.

Perhaps we can agree that we'd like Chukwu. No doubt. If we get this kid instead, we'll be disappointed we didn't get Chukwu, but we won't know 'till we see him on the court.

@wrwlumpy Nah, I just don't think that he is very good. I'll skip my usual monologue on why I feel that way. Don't get me wrong. I like the sporadic bursts of "good Jamari." I just don't like the Jamari we normally see on the court.

But that was maybe the best clip of the season.

@jayballer54 FYI, KU appears out on Williams. He's down to Georgetown, Gonzaga, and SMU from what I've read.

Just saw this:

Jeff Goodman says: Kansas will host Ole Miss transfer big man Dwight Coleby this weekend, source told ESPN.

I had never heard of the guy. Looks like a body to me. Here's his ESPN stats ↗.

Chukwu or bust.

@REHawk The person Mickelson's minutes needs to come from is Jamari Traylor. Mickelson brief flashes showed a bigger ability to positively affect the game. And he actually can rebound the basketball.

From a purely cold business perspective, I think the best thing for Kansas basketball this season would be for Traylor to sustain an injury and then be able to get a medical redshirt for a 6th season. That would put Self in a position where he simply couldn't play Traylor. Mickelson would likely get more time in his last season. If not, then our other guys would fill those minutes.

Further, Traylor would come back after we would have lost Ellis, Diallo and Mickelson. Maybe we have Bragg, Chukwu, and Lucas. And perhaps we snag Bolden. I could stomach Traylor better in that circumstance .. barely.

Likewise, if Mickelson got hurt, he could likely get that 6th season via medical redshirt.

We know it won't happen though. Don't wish anyone to get hurt. Just the consequence of such an event is my discussion point.

Personally, I just dread the idea of Traylor blocking Diallo or Bragg. Ugh.

@RockChalkinTexas Hard work AND genetics. You mentioned parents being highly educated. But they have to genetically have the foundation. Very few people that even with hard work could achieve that level of mental acuity. Perhaps a parallel to the NBA. Hard work is part of it, but genetics is a large part too.

I ask this in all seriousness .. why are Indian kids so good at spelling?

@truehawk93 You know, I think this shows that we respect good basketball. Good teams in the Big 12 are good for Kansas. They are as close to a rival as we have now. I like the guy and I think he's an excellent coach.

@JayHawkFanToo You are just flat wrong. Kansas does not have a bunch stagnant guys that incompetently can't get their own shot. It's a nice narrative for a tunnel-vision Self defender, but it isn't true. It just isn't their strong suit. There's a big difference. Graham is one that is fine at it (as you noted), and really Selden finds his shot many times with pump fakes and step backs. They are just not stellar at it. Mason is ok at it too. Greene, pretty bad. Oubre marginal. Svi seemed to have the ability to get open, but his trouble was getting them in the hole. But the point is it's not black and white. They aren't devoid of that attribute.

Further, I think our guys do shoot ok when guarded. Mason and Selden both hit many guarded shots. It's just, again, a tunnel-vision narrative that you have created at the extreme. Partially true? Sure. Not a strong suit? Correct. But certainly not a shut down issue.

Scheme is crucial to success on the court. It's just a part of the game that you don't seem to fully understand. I think you have a misperception of scheme. No one that has been involved with the game as a player or coach discounts scheme. Ironically, Self is one of the most disciplined scheme-oriented coaches on the planet. His scheme (or system) is what he relies on. He just doesn't deviate much from his scheme/system. He limits creativity. He relies upon his scheme/system to create offense.

No one says that scheme gets a player "wide open for a shot every time." And no, you are wrong .. scheme is not to give players a "chance to create their own shot" as you said. I'm sorry, but that is wrong. That is a consequence, not the purpose.

Scheme is designed to get open shots. It is the purpose of offense. Have you seen some of the plays we've run? Open dunks, open threes, etc. That's what scheme is designed to do. The baseline lob. That's not designed for Ellis to create. It's designed for Ellis to be completely open and score. Sure, it doesn't always work right. And sure, guys will be called upon quite regularly to create out of the scheme. But the intent is to get open shots. You run your system to create open looks. To get that angle on the post feed.

You mention the guys working on creating their own shot. Absolutely. No argument there. I'm sure they do that all the time as you mentioned.

Let's assume you have a bunch of guys who can't create their own shots and can't score when guarded. You're the coach. What do you do? You can hope that they will get better. You can practice all the time. But they'll generally be the same guys. What do you do?

You adjust your scheme to fit your players, and to try to accentuate their strengths while playing away from their weaknesses.

That's what coaches do.

@JayHawkFanToo First, you spend a lot of time arguing something I have already conceded. I know we don't have the shooters GS has. That is obvious. Did you read what I wrote? I said, "And no, I’m not suggesting we have a Curry on our team."

Again, it just puzzles me. That is clear recognition of your point. It's almost comical how you argue your point, as if anyone on this board would even think to compare GS three point shooters and KU's. Comical.

But more importantly, you miss what you always miss. Scheme. That is where I carefully worded my statement -- "But we do have some excellent three point shooters who, if the coach would work to get them shots and embrace some offensive diversity, might actually improve our overall offensive numbers."

As I said, "if the coach would work to get them shots." That is a recognition of the point I agree with ... that we don't have guys who can create their own three point look with regularity (and really, that's most of the NCAA). Scheme my friend, is important. It's just a concept that you regularly ignore. You avoid it like the plague. You act (meaning, in the totality of your posts) as if a coach can't design a scheme to get open three point looks. That it just can't be done.

Reviewing our offense, it is quite clear that coach Self does not regularly work to get three point looks. That is undeniable. No one has denied that, right? Self has always said, as have the players, that threes come in the normal flow of the offense. We chronicled here instances where Self does scheme for a three .. it's just few and far between.

And, again ... once again ... ad nauseam ... other coaches do scheme for threes. And they approach offense differently.

But please, tell me again, is there really huge difference between Golden State's three point options and KU's? How could we have known?

It is amazing what three point shooting can do when incorporated into an overall offensive scheme. Three point shooting is just fool's gold. You can't rely upon it, right?

And no, I'm not suggesting we have a Curry on our team.

But we do have some excellent three point shooters who, if the coach would work to get them shots and embrace some offensive diversity, might actually improve our overall offensive numbers.

That's old news. It's an argument that's already been won.

It's a new season.

High/Low or Die!

Inside/Out basketball is the only path -- let's do it to perfection and three pointers will follow.

@drgnslayr I hope Wayne's leash is shortened. I think it will be. I think we did see that a bit last season. Self didn't have the guts to pull the trigger many times, but I don't fault that a lot because he was showing faith in the guy that he thinks is the better player.

But I think Wayne is staged for an excellent season. The leash will be irrelevant. Of course, feel free to remind me of the error of my ways when he disappears for 3/4 of the game and can't make a layup. I have great faith in Wayne and a lot of optimism that this will be his season.

@Statmachine Well, that might be more evidence .. right? It would be a nice dilemma. He's likely going to be the 5th guy at the WUGs, don't you suppose? New guy. Lots to learn. And don't forget, the system is oh so complicated.

You seem giddy.

@Statmachine Yes, I was more skeptical of his ability to contribute based on his low ranking. In seeing the videos, I was perhaps more impressed with Eubanks -- for whatever the videos were worth.

Now that Vick is top 50, that's better evidence to me that his long term impact will be greater, and that it is more likely that he will have a higher ceiling. So that certainly adjusts my overall opinion for the better. From a marginal kid to a the perfect ranking range.

Until I really see a guy play, it's hard to make an independent judgment. A guy like Embiid was an exception to that as the videos showed his high, high skill level.

However, I do think it very unlikely that he can displace anyone of the five guys in our perimeter rotation this season. And given that Self isn't going to go with six perimeter guys after the first month or so, I think this is a learning season for Vick.

If we accept that Self will play no more that five perimeter guys regularly, as history has shown, who does he displace? I think Greene is the only possibility.

Vick reclassifying sets up a perfect situation for Vick and Kansas. To get playing time this season, he has to beat out either Svi or Greene. I don't see him beating out Svi. Greene is vulnerable, but it is still unlikely that Vick overtakes him this season (but for a redshirt if Greene doesn't heal). As the 6th guy, he an be in a perfect spot to contribute in 2016-17, and he provides excellent insurance for our rotation this season.

@Statmachine Boy I hope Self didn't say that .. that's a recruiting violation!

Sounds like Arizona State and Indiana are the teams in on Maker right now. I read somewhere an interesting take on his recruitment. That the teams in on him now need him, and are willing to put up with the obvious issues related to bringing a guy in half way through the season, for just 1/2 a season. ASU and Indiana fit that bill.

For his part, now, Maker has said he's staying 1 1/2 seasons -- here's one article ↗. But we all know that if Maker is showing up in the lottery on 2016 draft projections, he's gone. Any team has to know that any b.s. about staying 1 1/2 seasons is just a smoke screen, and will only happen if it makes sense for Maker.

So I do think we're done with Maker. I love the fact that Maker hasn't heard from us. Let's hope the line stays silent.

Right now, I wish we could give this Chukwu kid a parade when he visits Lawrence. This is the perfect set-up for Self. Let's hope he can close the deal. Chuckwu is as perfect for Kansas as Maker is bad for Kansas. A clear contrast.

My view of our recruiting was that it was a slight disappointment with just Bragg and Diallo. Adding Vick (if that occurs actually occurs for 2015) makes it a moderate success. But if we landed Chukwu too, well, that's a big success. If we get guys like Bragg, Vick, and Chukwu, I'm happy to stomach another OAD roll of the dice if we must .. only if we must.

Bragg, Vick and Chukwu could all be starters in 2016-17 depending on who leaves. But it would seem completely realistic to think that Bragg and Chukwu could start, or that Chuckwu would be the first big off the bench. Pretty intriguing.

@KUSTEVE Perfect topic for a rainy Sunday (at least in the KC area).

It is the crimson and blue colored glasses .. but that's ok. We all do it every year. But we do it for a reason. We always have a team good enough to win the NCAA title. That's pretty cool.

That's coach Self's job. And in that phase, he has consistently succeeded. As in nearly every season. It's a rare season where we don't have the roster talent to win the NCAA title. Unquestionably, we have a serious national title contender this coming season.

Like many top teams, it's a matter of getting all the pieces working together at maximum efficiency. That is a big task. And that is the area in which Self has not been as successful (compared to the roster composition). It's his job to choose scheme, and to game plan, and to prepare the players. He owns the large number of wins, he owns the small number of losses.

This is the challenge this season. As I see it, the only way Kansas can be successful offensively is if the players can execute in Self's high/low. That's not because the group of players couldn't play a different way, or win a different way. It's solely because Self sees effective offensive basketball from his perspective only. Self's answer last season to his best perimeter shooting team (his words) was to adjust away from that admitted strength. His adjustment was to dumb down the offense to the four out/one in perpetual weave (as someone else here coined). Not much to it. And it became easy to defend.

We should not count on wholesale changes from Self. Based on 2014-15, we should fear them. It is what it is.

Strangely, that makes me feel better. Self noted recently that he felt he changed too much offensively. We saw what happened last season when Self deviated from normal offensive approach. It was a mess. He recoiled against his team's progression to a perimeter based offense. He shut it down. His comment supports my negative view of the offensive change we saw last season. And in retrospect, I think Self sees it crystal clear. His team needs to play his way.

Like it or not, that is reality.

But here's why I feel better -- Self knows the high/low. He knows his offense. And he knows it well. Outside of that box, I think it's a much different story. Thus, we should want Self to make us play within that high/low box. The high/low is thus our only chance to have offensive success.

I have become convinced by the arguments I've seen made that Self will accept the three point shot as a significant weapon IF it is executed within his high/low, inside/out scheme. If we want three pointers, this is how we're going to get them. Inside/out.

What we should want with every bone in our bodies is for Self to make adjustments within his high/low scheme. Some strategic tweaks to take advantage of our personnel. This is where I am the most optimistic. A season offensively like last season has to be shocking to Self. He will never want that to occur again. The most logical response in Self's world, I believe, would be to take his system and tweak it. It's our best hope for the National Title that @KUSTEVE projects.

High/Low or Die -- that's our battle cry for 2015-16.

@JayHawkFanToo - Game. Set. Match. Great post.

@Hawk8086 The Outlaw Josey Wales is awesome. This part is the best -- [Link](

1. A player we have never heard of right now, though I hope it's Chukwu.
2. None. Just green grass so far.
3. The Matrix, of course.
4. One.

His mom was "tricked" and they "needed the money." Right. Lots of people in prison who claimed they needed the money and were tricked. Come on. Your kid is in college. You can't take benefits. And you were tricked.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Understood.

Also, regarding Vick, I still think that if Vick doesn't reclassify, he won't sign that LOI in November and he'll never come to Kansas. Too much time for a lower ranked guy to contemplate his role when he sees Kansas going after top guys.

But I also think he'll reclassify and be here for next season. Hope so.

Let's do this .. let's not wish or hope that any walk on, gets any playing time, anywhere, anytime, except when we're up by 25 points. Is that fair?

Does anyone really want Evan Manning on the court in meaningful minutes ever?

Roster spots aside, this is Kansas.

Just food for thought.

We'd speculated a little on player from a team with a coach with KU connections -- Manning, Dooley.

Obviously Larry Brown has no ill will over the Vick deal. Moore's their best player. At least Frank will have someone looking up to him. Moore's a little guy.

The consensus is ... go after Chukwa and hope we can get Bolden. @BeddieKU23 makes a pretty compelling case for Bolden. The bird in the hand thing is compelling too. But I REALLY like Bolden. Bolden looks exceptionally talented and has an array of low post moves -- that be skill for the uninitiated. Skill rules. Chukwa maybe not so much skill at the moment. @ajvan mentioned a good point ... whether Bolden could play the 4. Bolden looks like a pure 5 to me if there is such a thing. To effectively play the 4 in the high/low, you better hit that 15 foot jumper.

If we land Chukwu, he's likely our center for two, possibly three seasons.

Though @Texas-Hawk-10 sure seems like rain the parade, would Williams + Bolden ultimately be the better result?

I will happily ride the fence and trust Self on this one. I won't always trust him on his offense, mind you, but this? Sure.

ESPN analysis on Chukwu from prior to his freshman season:

Strengths:
Chukwu's size and length are his most obvious assets, but he also has a great pair of feet for a guy his size, giving him outstanding agility and mobility to cover the court. He's an excellent shot-blocker whose ability to change direction only makes him that much more dangerous patrolling the paint and protecting the rim from wide radius's. He's also a diligent rebounder who is content to dominate a game on the defensive end. While he doesn't need a ton of touches to stay engaged, Chukwu has tools to work with in a soft touch, a passer's instinct, fairly good hands, and the ability to change ends of the floor.

Weaknesses:
Physical strength is his top priority right now. His lean body type and high center of gravity make it difficult for him to hold his position against contact at times. His defense is far ahead of his offense right now. He needs to become a more consistent finisher at the rim, establish a go-to move with his back to the basket, and begin to learn how to play pick and roll.

Bottom Line:
He needs to get stronger and develop his offensive game, but this is a seven-footer who can anchor your team defensively, will give you a diligent effort, and has tools to continue to develop in the years to come.

Why do we always think a kid would do best to come to Kansas? Because it's true -- at least in this case. Seems like a perfect fit for a kid that needs to get stronger, and then play in a system offensively and defensively that will highlight his abilities.

If you look at the teams he was interested in on Rivals, they all seem to be east coast -- farthest west team was Notre Dame.

Just a discussion point, but would a true center like Chukwu on the roster compromise our ability to land Marques Bolden?

We get to watch Kansas basketball in June and July. Heaven, really.

@drgnslayr Wow .. could you imagine how good he would be if he had a full year to practice against Lucas, Traylor, and Mickels ... er, uh, ... a full year practicing?

Seriously, though, add this kid and Bolden to Bragg and Lucas for 2016-17, that might be pretty solid.

@Statmachine I don't know, I'm not sure any big we bring in fresh would better than our guys right now. I'm with you on the recruiting sites. Never know what you're getting. I am a mere reporter of information there.

I just saw a this link ↗ on Williams. Sounds like we're not his main focus.

But did anyone see this kid on the market -- Paschal Chukwu ↗?

Also, I saw at kusports.com that UK is the leader with Papagiannis if he did come to college and that he would be a one year guy. So that looks dead. If he's a one year guy, then it should be.

@Statmachine Wow. I don't know what to say. Not quite climbing the Mock Drafts. ↗. Seriously, what an immature fool Cliff is.

@JayHawkFanToo First, I don't qualify most everything I say with "this is just my personal opinion." I don't do that as standard practice.

Next, you just said of Cliff - "Pretty hard for a young man desperately trying to keep up with teammates with a much better BBall IQ and then your own mother deals you not an Ace but Joker instead."

You didn't qualify the "BBall IQ" thing with you standard "opinion" statement. Seems like you're stating it as fact.

You also said that Cliff "did not know how to provide weak side help in defense." Is that your opinion too? You didn't qualify that. Seems like you're stating it as fact.

Of course, you don't dispute that Tharpe's defense was horrible. My comment was to your incorrect statement that "if you don't play defense, you don't get playing time at KU." -- another opinion statement you made as if it were fact, right? Tharpe was horrible defensively, yet he played. You didn't refute that he was horrible defensively.

Of course it's my opinion that Ellis was "pretty darn bad" defensively ---> defensively. I do doubt that a majority here would think he was anything but pretty darn bad defensively in 2013-14. He was clearly better this season, and reached the level of adequate. I wouldn't say good.

And Traylor is a below average high D-1 player. Poor defensively. Horrific rebounder. Gets pushed around. Can barely score. Gets caught out of position regularly. As I've said before, has some nice peaks, and some bad valleys, but the average performance leaves much to be desired.

Fact or opinion. You decide.

I do think this a big get for Self IF it is for 2015-16. But I think it's a big get for other reasons, not because he's some overlooked guy. I'm with @FarSideHawk on this one.

If Vick doesn't reclassify to 2015-16, I don't think we'll see Vick at Kansas. He can only sign a 2015-16 LOI right now. He can't sign a 2016-17 LOI until November. Lots of time between now and then. Personally, I would be completely surprised if Self did this if it wasn't for the 2015-16 class.

The reason I think it is a big get is, first and foremost, for insurance. Five perimeter guys with one coming off surgery is perilously thin. Having the sixth perimeter guy is a blanket of security. Self is protecting his roster. He has to.

Second, it's a perfect pick up because the guy would have no real expectation of playing in year one. He's the presumptive sitter, so to speak. We have a killer five man perimeter rotation and he's the sixth. Enjoy the view but be ready -- you're a torn ACL away from having a real role.

Third, he's a multi-year guy. A possible foundational piece. His ranking is lower than the range that I typically prefer. It's a "we'll see" kind of thing though.

I wouldn't ever take the rankings with a "grain of salt" as @KUSTEVE suggests. The Ben McLemore talk is the same tripe we hear from the AAU coaches every time a guy signs. I do recall Anrio Adams being Dwayne Wade.

Rankings are a very reliable guide. History proves that. It's unassailable. Everyone has their opinion, but rankings are the best indicator of success that we have at our disposal as kids head into college. And they are pretty reliable. If one trusts Self, then one would see that Self recruits the guys that are highly ranked. There's a reason. But guys can certainly be better than their ranking (Mason) or worse (Selden) or pretty much on par (Traylor, Lucas). Not a science, but a guide.

Let's not kid ourselves. Mack, Vick, and Eubanks are/were complete afterthoughts. They are/were the back-up plans. Let's be careful not to project their roles and their impact beyond "we'll see."

Terrific news. Now, as Self said, perhaps a big guy will fall in our laps.

@JayHawkFanToo Then how did Naadir Tharpe ever play? How did Ellis play in 2013-14 (he was much better last season)? And don't get me started on Traylor.

I don't dispute the value Self places on defense, but Cliff was no worse than Tharpe (relatively speaking) -- and actually better. Ellis was pretty darn bad a season ago.

I'd say Self's decision on Cliff was more a compilation of perceived failures outweighing the positive -- whether many of us agree or not.

If a player who had been on the MU roster ever came to Kansas, there would be a number measures that would have to taken.

First, imagine a scroungy, dirty, smelly fellow leaving a long stint of incarceration in a cave. You'd have to wash the stench off of him. Scrubbing, then the fire hose treatment. Then a good delousing. This all may be required multiple times.

Second, you'd have to ensure a thorough exorcism. The mind, body, and soul would have to be fully cleansed. This is why sitting for complete season is advisable and welcomed. It takes time to undue the evil, to remove the infestation. Therapy and weekly meetings with a support group may be necessary.

Third, you would have to closely monitor his wardrobe and personal effects. When one has been indoctrinated into the MU cult, removing all evidence of the horror must micro managed to avoid any chance of regression. Things like meth needles, Michael Sam endorsed condoms, "I hate Tyus Edny" t-shirts, Steve Stipanovich replica pistols, the 1965 indoor track national title video -- all should be removed immediately.

Fourth, you'd have to reintroduce the nourishment of a real basketball program slowly. Much like you would provide food to a former POW, it must be gradual. If you move too quickly, the shock to the system could be fatal. When you are subjected to the lowest of all lows, deep in the abyss of a cesspool, you can't move to the surface too quickly, let alone to the mountain top. The body and mind can't adjust that quickly. It is a process.

Fifth, a personal guard must be posted for the young man 24 hours a day. Antlers have been known to abduct the escapees, shave their scrotum, and tattoo the area with their favorite slogans such as "mine" and "Kim was here." After that is done, escapees have little choice but to change gender. So great care must be taken.

Sixth, and finally, the new Jayhawk must sing Rock Chalk Jayhawk at his first contest in Allen. This must be monitored closely. Any hint of hesitation should be cause for concern. But if he's all in, then we can be confident of the transformation.

It's a tough process, but it may be worth it. We're a big tent.

Just info .. nonetheless, for whatever it's worth, it isn't a positive for Cliff ↗.

@Statmachine Yea .. Kobi Simmons wouldn't come here if he wasn't going to start. I think that would be my assumption. We are recruiting this guy hard. Can you imagine being Mason and/or Graham and have that happen? I understand recruiting him, and pursuing him -- Mason could have an irreparable heart condition we find out about or Graham might transfer. But I could not imagine doing that to Mason (as senior) and Graham (as a junior).

Just want to make my opinion a little clearer -- All of our coaches are coaching legends. Kansas is very unique with the duration of the coaches' tenures. We're very lucky. I'm not so sure that you can coach at top schools like Kansas, UNC, etc., though, and be considered "great" without a national title. Roy and Self both have that on their resume. That box is checked.

@Statmachine Yes, he would .. my only source was the Rustin Dodd article in the KC Star today.

@BeddieKU23 That's a really good idea.

@brooksmd I agree COMPLETELY! I rarely use all caps -- that was worth it.

In spring of each season, MLB could get the important strike zone range on each player based on their height. Input that before each at bat. Give the ump an earpiece or a visual device in their mask. They get the indicator, call a strike. If no indication, then it's a ball. During the playoffs, I was bummed during the World Series when Fox didn't have the box showing the zone all the time like TBS did. Fox only had it here and there.

It would be a better game.

Another big benefit would be less manager/player confrontations with umps. Fewer ejections. The crowd couldn't complain too much. It would really make the entire game nicer. Umps would be facilitators. How do you argue with an electronically monitored zone?

@Statmachine If I recall correctly, White left after a frank conversation with Self on playing time. I'm not so sure Self would have played him. We then immediately signed Svi. I might agree with you on CF, but I don't think White would have climbed above the guys we had. But you are right. UK is more likely to cast one of these guys aside, but if you look at who we are recruiting, it's reality at Kansas -- Would Self show loyalty to Eubanks if a Malik Newman was available?

Interesting how Svi was probably a big impact on both White and CF leaving.

@Statmachine But you know what will happen -- somehow, someway Bragg or Diallo or another new guy still won't get the system. It's so complicated, ya know.

@brooksmd I agree completely. I see nothing wrong with the college game. Folks always want to change things, all in the name of improvement. The improvement that folks advocate for in the national media seems to fit quite nicely with their individual views on what they prefer. Jay Bilas is one that seems to prefer the NBA game -- to watch the NBA. I wish that guy would get some job outside of college sports. All he does is complain. Mike Decoursey constantly complains about freedom of movement. Again, that's a different game.

I enjoy the game that CBB is right now, where defense and physicality are a part of the game. I do not understand the mentality that associates good basketball with high scoring.

Officiating, as @jaybate-1.0 mentioned, is the biggest issue. But we saw that disaster already. Different officials, different approaches, different competency. At least now, there is some level of consistency. It isn't perfect, it isn't even good officiating, but there is some similarity in approach.

The minute you dictate change or different enforcement, it will again be a disaster. The worst thing about all sports (baseball, basketball, football) are the officials. Egos and arrogance, and inflated opinion of their real role.

For CBB, the issue is that the refs aren't under one roof. And as usual, their supervisors are/were officials as well. You have career officials. You see the same tired faces. The same ego maniacs starved for TV attention. The John Higgins and Ted Valentines of the world. All they bring to the world is the ability to trot up and down the court and blow a whistle. What a joke. And they are there because of tenure.

The cure in my opinion is the get all the refs under one roof. Dictate the attendance at clinics, and strictly dictate the adherence to the standards established. Then back it up. Have non-officials in charge of the officials. Throw tenure out the window. Then discipline and fire officials that fail to comply. That is where most leagues fail (professional and otherwise) -- they should tell officials what to do, how to act. And if they don't, discipline them, then fire them.

Nowhere is it worse than in the MLB. As an example, a common theme is that umpires each have their own strike zone. I've never understood that. The rule book clearly defines the strike zone. Make them call it. If they won't, fire them. That cancer permeates to all levels of baseball.

Most every league (pro or otherwise) permit officials to be in charge of officials. That's a huge problem. And if there is one group in this world that protects their own, it's officials. Too many stories to tell there. They are all interested in protecting their paychecks, no matter how meager. The only skin they have in the game is that paycheck.

It is the tenure part that is a big, big problem. The same guys get assignments year after year. It doesn't matter that Ted Valentine flies off the handle and ejects someone, he's back the next season. You will never convince me that a former athlete at say age 28 couldn't be trained to be better for the game of CBB than some of these overweight ego maniacs.

In CBB, the cure is a relatively easy one. Get control of the officials under one roof. Put non-officials in charge. Dictate the standards required. Discipline those that don't comply. And replace those that won't conform.

@Statmachine Could you say the same thing about Kansas? I kind of think so. Self's going to recruit over every one of these kids, perhaps as early as next season. A prettier OAD presents himself, and Self will gladly invite him to spend the night.

I don't like the idea of adding another player, but if we do, I would not add a player from any opponent this coming season. I would not want any player to learn our "stuff".

The good news is that Diallo and Svi can practice the entire time.

I had a thought on the guard we might add .. why not get a player from Florida Gulf Coast, where Joe Dooley coaches? I looked and there is kid, Julian DeBose, that might fit the bill. Or how about Brett Comer? He was a guard at FGC, just graduated, and was a pretty darn good player.