🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@Statmachine

Duke is within "smelling" distance of the major East Coast media hubs...KU? not so much. Like I said, I found plenty of information from many national sources on the KU game so I personally don't think it is a big deal.

Honestly, how many members in this board even knew about the WUG before KU was selected? It really is not a big or well know event...say, like the Pan American games; like I said, Google "Northern Iowa WUG: and see what you get. Frankly, if Kentucky or Duke were representing the US I would guess that the coverage would be mostly local as well.

@BeddieKU23

Hard to tell what NBA teams will do. They have been know for making mind boggling picks that leave everybody shaking their heads...Kristaps Porzingis, the stretch power forward seems to be the latest "next great player," much like many Euro players that did not pan out.

@DanR

Dang...I missed one of them...

@Statmachine

Calipari is yesterday news, Coach K is the flavor of the day.

@Crimsonorblue22

...exactly. They were asked to represent the US and they are not going to South Korea representing KU or the state of Kansas, they are going there representing the USA and as such, that name is the one that should be on the front of the jersey. All other teams in the competition will have the name of their countries, our team should not be any different.

The Cal State Fullerton baseball program has been selected to represent the United States at the 2015 WUG and, TTBOMK, they will be wearing the USA and not the school uniform.

Here is a link ↗to the uniform all the other USA teams will be wearing. I will guess that Adidas had a say in KU wearing Adidas gear and not the official line.

@drgnslayr

I Googled "KU Canada Sprint Center" and I got 345,000 items including lots of summaries of the game as well as videos and photos; there is even reference to KUBUCKETS on page 3. Let's face it, the game, to the rest of the world, was pretty much a glorified scrimmage with only local interest. I personally don't have a problem with it.
The WUG don't seem to be a big deal; try googling "Northern Iowa WUG" and you will be lucky to find the schedule or scores from their appearance there.

@DanR

Hey...LeBron gets 5 extra steps :)

@Crimsonorblue22

There are KU fans everywhere...I used to travel quite a bit and on occasion I would wear KU gear and always had someone make a comment, overwhelmingly positive, about the Jayhawks/KU.

Oubre is now somewhere between 10-13 and I will guess he will be a lottery pick. Alexander is borderline first round but could easily slide to the second; not playing at the end of last season hurt his stock greatly.

@Crimsonorblue22

What do you think of the un-tucked and bulky polos the coaching staff was wearing?

BTW, I vote to take the cheer leading squad to South Korea and liven the place up :) time outs are so boring without cheer leaders and pep band...

@drgnslayr

Coach Self was substituting constantly giving every player a chance to play...for team USA...the net result was little continuity. Once the starting line up is set we should see a much more consistent offense.

@Crimsonorblue22

Sorry we could not catch up. My daughter's cell phone was out of batteries (normal for her) and she was using mine and before I knew she had run down the batteries on mine as well. :(

At half time we went to the UMB Hospitality Suite (my corporate bank)...free Boulevard beer and soft drinks...

@globaljaybird

Don't forget that the lane is almost 2 feet wider on each side, the 3 point line farther than the NCAA and the ball different and slightly smaller.

My observation on the game.

Self and Manning were Self and Manning enough said.

Lucas and Mickelson - Pretty much the same as last year, a couple of flashes that make you think progress, nice baby hook by Lucas and decent passing by Mickelson but other than that, pretty much the same.

Nic Moore will see lots of playing time; he is a solid player that with Mason and Selden form a very solid and dependable back court.

Selden is solid, make that super solid and if he continues to play like tonight he could be heading to the NBA.

Perry is still solid, sound and skilled and his defense seemed improved. First Team All-Conference seems likely.

Mason is the team's engine and as he goes so will KU. I have not seen a PG control and take over a game like he did since probably Sherron was around. He is a candidate for Conference POY.

Traylor had a very good game and his engine just will not quit. He had a very well earned double double. The sequence at the end of the game where he blocked the shot and then Perry blocked the follow up was great. He is a solid contributor.

Bragg has lots of potential but he need to pack some weight and work with Andrea getting strong, he seemed to handle the ball well. Vick seems very skinny and will need to bulk up some; he showed some good moves although his defense is still lacking but I see him getting playing time. De Bose was very active and payed good defense but I just don't see him getting a lot of playing time.

No pep band and no cheerleaders made the time outs...oddly boring? The arena was fairly quiet most of the game and the few times towards the end of the game when it got animated, it got a little loud but not even in the same conversation with AFH when it gets loud. The unis were nice but pretty much KU unis and I still feel strongly that KU should consider wearing the traditional USA team uniforms.

@clevelandjayhawk

If Zenger had anything to do with this, the logo would show TWC or KSU...

I understand the game will be on 610 AM in the KC area...but I am not 100% sure.

@BeddieKU23

You are kidding, right? Of course it matters!!!

The team is representing the United States not the University of Kansas and as such, it should have the USA logo in front and not KU's. I am not averse to having the KU logo on the uniform but the primary one should be the USA. A quick look at the posts on this thread and you will see that it is not just my personal opinion and several other posters share it as well.

@BeddieKU23

I am not opposed to having the KU logo. I am opposed to it being prominently display where the USA logo should be. I would also like to see the national and not the KU as the primary uniform colors...dark blue with white and red trim or white with red and blue trim.

@jaybate-1.0

I could not disagree with you more. You are presenting your opinions as facts when they are really not.

First, KU was asked to do this well over a year ago and no one could have predicted at the time, a) who would sign with KU and b ) that two rotation players would be injured. If we get different recruits signed up, i.e. Americans, and If Green and Graham are not injured this discussion does not even take place and we wold be praising Coach Self. Like I said, one year ago we KU had dozen player targeted and no one knew who KU would end up getting. If KU gets two other top players in lieu of Diallo and Coleby, then Manning and Self are not even part of the official 12 players.

As some posters have mentioned, they would prefer that players from other conference teams not be invited so they not become familiar with the KU playbook. I personally believe that most top players take a lighter class load during the season and take summer classes to catch up and stay eligible; the WUG requires a 28 day "full time commitment" that most top players cannot make and that their school probably would not allow them to attend and risk injury in the first place. Let's face it, the WUG is a fairly unknown tournament in this country and it is not even close in exposure to the Pan-American games and the U-20 tournaments that actually take a National team...Northern Iowa was asked to represent the US a couple of tournaments ago and they decided this time around to ask a established team to do it because of the increasing difficulty of assembling a "National" team for this event...there is really very little interest for it.

There is ZERO evidence that KU invited any other player from a different program and was denied. There is ZERO evidence that Nike or Adidas had any involvement in the selection of players, none, nada, zip, zilch. From the very beginning and before Coach Self even knew who would or would not be available, there was talk that outside/former players could be invited. The only information I have appears to indicate that the two outside players were suggested by their coaches, both with heavy KU connections. Again, there is no evidence that other players were considered and KU was turned down; to imply that:

"KU and Self have been exposed as almost completely isolated in American college basketball. KU has been forced to represent America with Florida Atlantic and SMU players, apparently because neither top Nike, nor top Adidas programs will help out."

...is the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater when someone turns his cell phone on.

In the big scheme of things, the WUG is the equivalent of the KU-Team Canada game this eveni9ng, where only half of the arena is available and there is not TV broadcast. Yes, it is a game that involves KU but has little of no relevance in the basketball world. Most KU fans will be curious on how the game goes but likely more interested on how the team is progressing rather than the final result. Look at team Canada, they could have assembled a top team from the over 300 Canadian players ↗ that play college here many for Elite programs and at least a dozen with NBA potential; Pangos, Trey Liles, Kyle Wiltjer, Ejim, Heslip, Cherry,Ennis are some of the players right of the top of my head...26 Canadian players played in the past NCAA tournament...and yet none of those is part of the team. Guess what...they are all trying out for the much better known and more prestigious Pan-American Tournament team.

The main advantage of KU representing the US in this tournament is not the final outcome, which no one, other than die hard fans, will remember in another month, but the extra time they get to practice together with "ALL' the players, including those that are not eligible for the WUG. How many basketball fans, even counting the die hard fans in this forum, knew that Northern Iowa represented the US in the past? I would venture to say that maybe a couple at most; I certainly did not remember it, and most of us became aware after KU was asked to to the same.

You are really making a mountain out of a "bate" hill. No malice intended and it is just my opinion...and you are welcome to prove me wrong.

@Crimsonorblue22

Nope. I will just wear.a one of the many KU t-shirts I have

@globaljaybird

The game is at 7:00 PM and I will guess doors will open no later than 5:30 PM. Only 10,000 seats were made available which is slightly over half capacity so it should not be too crowded. We are trying to decide if we are going early and eating at the Power and Light District before the game of if we eat in the Kansas side and just go to the game. and get there around 6:30 or so. Since this is my daughter's plan I will let her decide what she wants to do.

@Texas-Hawk-10

Call me old fashioned but if KU is representing the USA then the front of the shirt should say USA and not Kansas. If I understand correctly, every other USA team at the prior WUG, including Northern Iowa, wore the dark blue USA national uniform with USA on the front of the jersey.

@Crimsonorblue22

I read that the uniform would have both, the USA and KU words displayed prominently. I don't see USA displayed prominently other than under the small logo on the chest.

@drgnslayr

I believe the recruiting aspect might help with lower ranked players but the OAD know that another year they will be making millions and can go anywhere so they probably don't see it as a big deal.

I see the biggest benefit as the practice time with all the players. the games themselves are not that big of a deal and the US has not won gold in number of years so there is really not a lot of pressure to win, other than the self-imposed pressure. As long as no players is injured it will be a good experience for the players and a nice feather in the cap for the program.

@globaljaybird

Yes, he is. He really should be at K-State...I need to be able to watch all of the KU games, which I can't, and less K-State game, which I can...he can go to Manhattan and screw them up for a change.

Let's not lose track that KU was asked to represent the US over one year ago and at that time Coach Self had no way of knowing who would be joining KU or getting injured. Let's face it, with Green and Graham not injured we would all be looking forward to the WUG with just KU players...who would have predicted the injuries?

Here is a link ↗with handy information about the process and this one ↗has all the information about the team. As far as I can tell the games against Canada will be on radio but probably not on TV. I understand the WUG will be broadcast on ESPNU or ESPN3, if it is the later, will it be blocked in Kansas like the other games? I would think not since these are US and not really KU games; however, if they are, then Zenger needs to be fired...after he is tarred and covered with Crimson and Blue feathers.

@Crimsonorblue22

True on both counts....and a huge Jayhawk fan as well.

Happy father's day to all the dads in the forum and those in their extended families.
My daughter got me tickets for the Tuesday game and she and I will spend the day together and catch the game...what a great present. :) :) :)

@Kip_McSmithers

I respectfully disagree. While many of the players will not be eligible to play, they will all be practicing together and developing chemistry and becoming familiar with each other and their games and I see this as a huge plus.

@ralster

The playbook KU will use at the WUG will be very limited since we have two freshmen and two outside players that need to come to speed quickly and several of the rules, such as the shot clock, ,are different so I am not particularly worried about other players learning KU's playbook.

@Crimsonorblue22

Maybe...unless I need those summer courses to stay eligible...

@Crimsonorblue22

Most athletes stay on Campus in the Summer and take classes in order to lighten the load during the Fall and Spring Semesters. They usually get jobs working at the various basketball camps and get to improve their physical conditioning. It could be difficult to find eligible players that do not have their time already committed.

@drgnslayr

I already posted on the other thread, Tyrel is too old and not eligible.

@HawksWin

More injuries towards the end of the season are the norm as players are wearing down and games are getting tougher. This is true for all sports.

@jayballer54

It is never a good time to have an injury but you have to agree that some are worse than others, right?

As far as:

"ts pretty hard NOT TO make the NCAA’S"

Kentucky and Uconn, just to name two very recent top programs, disagree...

Kentucky - Top ranked recruiting classes in the last 5 years. - 2012 National Champion, 2013 NO NCAA (loss to Bobby MO in the NIT], NCAA 2014 Title Game, 2015 Final Four.

UConn - 2011, National Champion, 2013 2nd Round NCAA, 2013 NO NCAA, 2014 National Champions, 2015 No NCAA.

Current consecutive appearances:
- Kansas 26
- Duke 20
- Michigan State 18
- Gonzaga 17
- Wisconsin 17

No other team has more than 10...Not so easy, is it?

@Kip_McSmithers

Have you considered that Tyshawn and EJ might not want to take classes? Or more likely and as per the rule that you posted:

"Have taken at least one 3-credit course towards a degree or diploma within the last year before the GAMES"

Both EJ and Tyshawn already GRADUATED from KU, so in order to take a class "towards a degree or diploma" they would have to apply and be accepted in another undergraduate or a graduate program program, something that might not be feasible on short notice, and then complete one class before the games. Maybe Coach Self would be willing to do this but most Departments/Schools within the University take admissions to their programs seriously and would take a dim view of accommodating a player so he can join the team for 2 or 3 weeks....I know the School of Engineering would not do this and I would like to think other Schools would not participate in this farce either.. Maybe I have too much of an idealistic view of what I believe a University should be.

@HighEliteMajor

I generally agree with all your points. I always wondered about politicians and demagogue race mongers that make a huge deal about about one persons being killed by a person of different color...or the the police and they call it racism, but don't say a word about the wholesale daily carnage that goes on the inner city of every major city...aren't all lives equally valuable?

"Legal" ownership of guns anymore requires background checks that largely (but not completely) eliminate legal ownership by people that should not be allowed to have guns. Illegal ownership, on the other hand, is easy, and in most big cities you can go to certain areas of town where you can readily get a gun; no amount of government gun control will keep guns from undesirable people. As the saying goes, when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns...is that a desirable outcome? I think not.

I grew up around guns having a father in the military and I learned to use them properly and safely early on. When I had kids of my own, I made a conscious decision not to own or keep guns of any sort around my home and I do not own a gun now. and have not owned one in a long, long time. Having said that, I have no problem with someone else electing to own and keep guns as long as they do it legally and safely.

@HighEliteMajor

Yes, but we are talking different levels. Elite Division I players want to play offense and defense is something they have to put up with. Defense such as the one Coach Self plays is good because it resembles what the NBA plays; that frantic, full court, 40 minutes of whatever defense is seen in the NBA only in the last couple of minutes of very close games. Playing defense at that speed wears players out and forces top players to sit longer than they would like. The only two coaches that regularly use this type of defense at the higher level are Mike Anderson and Shaka Smart (or Huggy last season)...how is that working out for them? Neither has been particularly successful or attracted top shelf players.

@Crimsonorblue22

I believe we are taking about different situations. EJ and Tyshawn have been gone for a while, are not actively pursuing a degree and are no longer associated with the school other than through the Alumni Association. A potential OAD such as Bragg is enrolled in the university and will be attending classes for at least one year and thus he is fully associated with the university, right? As per rules, incoming students are eligible. Just my opinion...and I could be wrong. :D

@brooksmd

Even that requirement can be easily by-passed. I own my domain name and I can generate unlimited e-mail addresses such as name1@mydomainname.com, name2@mydomainname.com and so on. Now, a better way would be to limit by IP address but I, or anyone with computer skills, could easily by-pass this requirement by spoofing the IP, although I would suspect that 98% of voters would not know how to do it.

@Kip_McSmithers

I believe the item:

"Have taken at least one 3-credit course towards a degree or diploma within the last year before the GAMES"

...is the catch. Both Tyshawn and EJ graduated from KU and they would most likely need to be admitted to a graduate program before they can take classes, and as far as I know, neither is pursuing a graduate degree. Same thing with Releford...now, Tyrel Reed might have been eligible since he is in Medical School but I believe is 8 months too old. It seems simple but it really is not, since many players from other schools that would be eligible are likely taking summer classes like most athletes do.

@Crimsonorblue22

Maybe...but do we really want to take "ringers"? At least McLemore is actively taking classes and pursuing a degree, much like Aldrich did and eventually graduated. Just my opinion and I have no clue how other teams/countries operate.

@Kip_McSmithers

Age and also the players have to be taking classes...it is the World "UNIVERSITY" games after all...

@Crimsonorblue22

Yes, the tryouts for the Pan American games team are July 7-9 to Colorado Springs, Colo. and the game will be July 21-25 in Toronto, so it would definitely conflict withe WUG. I could not find the complete list of players invited to try out, but Baker and VanVleet ↗ were indeed invited; the coach is Mark Few and Tad Boyle is one of the assistants.

@nuleafjhawk

I am with you. I always tell my kids and grand kids...don't get into a fight, in the old day you used you fists and shook hands afterwards, now the other person might pull a knife or a gun...a different world.

@Crimsonorblue22

To me, Ron Baker would be the perfect candidate since it would play basically Davonte's position, shoots great, handles the ball well, has a high BBall IQ, he is native Kansan...and he might decide to transfer to KU for his 5th year (he red-shirted) and be eligible immediately.

Ron Baker or Bust???

@HighEliteMajor

Kids like to play a fast paced game...on offense, defense? not so much.

@Crimsonorblue22

Ron Baker would be great addition. As far as Xavier and Selby, we have to keep in minds that these are the World "UNIVERSITY" Games, and the players have to have at least a semblance of being currently attached to a university; Xavier and Selby have been gone for a while and, TTBOMK, neither is taking classes or actively pursuing a degree. I believe McLemore might qualify since he is actively pursuing a degree and has been gone for only a couple of years; however, I seriously doubt the Kings (who pay his salary) would let him risk injury in non-King related activities.

@Crimsonorblue22

I understand that Jordan was also a prima dona and Kobe can be one, all superstars are that way, but none to the extend of LeBron's behavior...except maybe for Latrell Sprewell who at least was open about it and paid dearly for it.

@BeddieKU23

My point was...why would a top recruit go to Texas to play in a system that will run him ragged and will not prepare him for the NBA? Top players go to UK because they have the impression that Calipari will get them ready for the NBA; Smart has no history of doing that and his system does not lend itself to it. I will guess that recruits will wait and see if his style changes before committing.