UK is not going to the NIT next year, They are the #1 ranked team in the first ESPN poll for next season ↗.
BTW, ISU is ranked #4, KU #8 and OU #9, Baylor #15 and Texas #21, so it looks like the Big 12 will continue to be tough and Conference Title #12 will be a lot more difficult to win.
I thought the refs were part of the package as well...:)
See my post to HEM. Hoiberg's health would not allow him to take on the additional workload and stress of a National team; he really is not an option and probably will be a lifer at ISU.
HEM, Hoiberg has a heart condition that prompted him to move from the NBA to college; I believe he indicated in the past that his health would not allow him to coach in the NBA.
You are right, he did not even come close to being 15-10 player in the weak Conference USA, there is no way he does that in the Big 12.
Ellis carries the dreaded "tweener" stigma and even with a great next year he would most likely still be a second or borderline 1st round pick.
Congrats, I was getting ready to start a thread on the subject. Had Wisconsin won I would have ended up tied for #3...I think. My all-Big 12 brackets finished near the bottom. though :(
While Kelly's game might not quite be NBA ready...yet, his build, athleticism and skill set are definitely NBA capable.
There is a big difference between Oubre and the players you mentioned.
Oubre is really a SG/Sf that can play both position in the NBA, Marcus, Simien and TRob were considered "tweeners" which is the kiss of death for a player since tweeners are those in-between players that are not big enough to play Pf and not skilled enough to play SF; Ellis will be in the same situation next year, and even when he is a great college player his future in the NBA is limited. Simien did not last long in the League and TRob has had problems getting enough playing time; Marcus has found good spot as a 6th man playing SF and hitting 3s, something he did not do at KU.
Collins problem was his lack of control particularly in relation to his weight. he even missed a tryout because he could not get himself to the airport in time. Shady was hurt big time by a draft day rumor of a serious health issue that turned out to be untrue; he has stayed in the League but has not risen to the level of a consistent starter and he plays primarily off the bench. Mario's problem was that he was expected to play PG in the NBA but at KU he was primarily a SG with RussRob playing PG and there were questions on whether he could make the transition; obviously it worked well for him not being a player the team relied on and he had a chance to develop into very serviceable PG, although this season he is also playing off the bench.
Oubre, on the other hand, does not seem to have these issues and if he improves his movement to the right, he will do well in the NBA.
I thought he was over hyped and somewhat overrated coming out of HS. We saw flashes of what he could do but those were few and far in between; he certainly could have used a second and maybe eve third year in college but I will guess that coming back is not an option. Good luck to him hoping he works hard or maybe I should say harder to make his dream come through. Not much else to say...which in a way is a really sad thing.
I am not sure about that. As long as you have a policy in place, it is up to date and covers the injury I just don't see why it would not pay. I know for fact that senior such as Collison and Heinrich had policies in their senior seasons.
The NCAA has program for exceptional athletes ↗ , defined as an student athlete that is projected to be selected in the first round (basketball), that provides financing to pay for the insurance and individuals with more means can get additional coverage with less restriction through private policies as well.
Yes, that is what Cal said, but he also said that they are currently projected to be second round and borderline undrafted/second round, although he thinks they will move up. I am not sure they will move up and if they leave they will likely be second round, that was the point I was trying to make, rather than whether they were leaving or not.
Really interesting considering his visit with KU is on May 1st...although he indicated he is trying to move it up.
However, this statement “He wants to go to a school where he can be the primary five, because he only has one year left,” would seem to rule out KU because the chances of him being the "primary five" at KU one would think are slim... in my opinion of course.
I disagree. The twins were not projected to be selected in the 1st round last year and this year they have actually improved their stock and now they are projected 2nd round picks, one of them marginally second round according to Calipari. Based on the hype they had when they chose UK, they have really underperformed; maybe, like Cauley-Stein they will get better next year and move up in the draft but at this time, I just don't see them as first round selections any more than last year.
I respectfully disagree. Coach Self is universally respected and I would like to think, although I have no evidence to back up my claim, that if he wanted to coach in the NBA, he would be coaching in the NBA. I believe that Coach "Pop," one of the better and more respected coaches in the NBA, certainly would back Coach Self for the job.
The NBA has a very long season and coaches at that level have no interest (or time) in tying up their summers with another big responsibility, so it is very likely that the next coach of the senior team will come from the college ranks.
If you are projected to be a lottery pick with guaranteed money like Kelly is, there is very little upside to staying and a lot of downside if you stay and something goes wrong. Kelly is projected as a solid Lottery pick (6-10) in just about every mock draft I have read. IMHO, his decision was really a no-brainer.
...even more impressive that he did all that while staying one step ahead of the law...:)
A couple of observations from last night's game based on the comments from friend that came over to watch the game and follow several schools, so this is not really KU biased.
What ever happened to much ballyhooed new contact rules? I remember defensive players in our conference getting called for fouls after barely touching the offensive player and I kept hearing how players cannot use their hands, arms/forearms to defend and can use only their body in the proper position...last night the Duke players were constantly "fore-arming" the Wisconsin payers inside and nothing was being called. Also interesting that a lot of the fouls called on Duke were of the non-shooting variety and the ones called on Wisconsin were shooting fouls and it resulted in a 10 point differential at the line.
The refereeing has become a serious problem. The NCAA better address this issue before the sport starts losing credibility. With all the technology available to them, they managed to completely miss obvious calls with UK and Duke getting what an unbiased observer would consider an inordinate number of favorable calls. Also, if players say something to the official they get an automatic "T" but rat-face rides the ref like rented Missouri mules and does not even get a warning; his schtick is becoming old and really annoying...I have a dream than an opposing coach will walk up to him and just punch him in the mouth and shut him up.
Is the 3 point really "fool's gold"? Dekker going 0-6 from 3 was in my opinion the primary reason Wisconsin lost. Also Wisconsin did not have a fast break hardly at all while Duke scored many baskets on fast breaks after turnovers or steals while Wisconsin slowly plodded up the court. Wisconsin had its chances, up by 9 in the second half and they let it get away...I have to give credit to Duke for taking the punch and respond with a strong come back. Other than the obvious hype, not really a memorable game...not even close to the KU - Memphis '08 thriller.
They are pretty good at burning couches...
Kentucky not winning and their system not getting the validation it wanted makes KU's early exit a little less painful. Hopefully the Summer games will be wildly successful and set the tone for next season.
I had friends over to watch the game so I was not able to participate on this thread. It looks like we all watched the same game and the refs surely had an agenda. Everyone here, even the ones rooting for Duke, agreed that the refereeing was one sided and heavily favored Duke. A few calls at the very end of the game were so blatantly bad that makes you wonder the objectivity of the refs, particularly after they saw replays and still ruled for Duke.
Oh well...the Summer University games are not that far away so at least we get to enjoy the sport we love a little sooner than usual.
It is amazing that with all the available technology and instant replays available to them, the refs have managed to royally screw up some calls. I wonder if they are shown the same thing we see and if they are not, why not?
The obvious to everyone but the blind flagrant foul by the Kentucky player was reviewed and not even a regular foul was called...it just defies logic. Same thing with the out of bounds call that went off the Duke player and the obvious charging foul by Winslow that was called a block were plays that changed the game big time and possibly the final score as they happen at the very end of the game. We have all seen how bad the refereeing was in the conference this year; instead of trying to please Bilas and redefine the contact rules, the NCAA should be addressing the issue with refereeing that has a larger and deeper effect on the game.
I did too but my name was not selected which would not have been a problem but one time one of our young engineers names got called while he was boarding a plane for Memphis. Back then, mid 90s, most people did not have cell phones with e-mail so we had to have the airline intercept him while deplaning and had to make arrangements for him to go straight to an approved lab. before his meeting; a royal PITA.
Congrats Jesse, a well deserved honor.
Many insurance companies as part of the overall umbrella policy require random testing. Once a week, or more often depending on the company size, an employe or employees are selected for random testing and they have 2 hours to report to an authorized lab. It can be a nightmare if you are traveling and have to report to a lab in a city you are not familiar within 2 hours of your plane landing...oh well. it is the society we live in...
Maybe based on when he started playing in his first season? I don't believe the NCAA allow that anymore.
The closest I got is that KU took 3-3point shots in the last few seconds and missed them all but I have not been able to find out who did.
I speak only for myself and no, I would not trade our record and more importantly the memories, for UK's record and lack of memories. I rather have players I can cheer for and follow their progress for four or five years than players that will be gone shortly. This is my personal opinion and preference and I know others don't feel the same way.
Actually both, from hoopszone.net...
"White became eligible to play at the start of the spring semester of the 1965-66 school year. Head Coach Ted Owens had one of his best teams, but wrestled with the perplexing question of whether to play White that year. “We had all of the other pieces of the puzzle covered,” said Owens, “but he was such a great talent who just added so much speed and ball handling and versatility. What we sensed was that this was a team that could win the national championship. I asked Jo Jo what he wanted to do and he said ‘I want to play right now.’ I talked to our captain – Riney Lochmann – and I said ‘Riney, we’re trying to make a decision about Jo Jo. Jo Jo wants to play. He feels we have a great chance and I feel that we have a great chance to win the national championship. But one thing is important, if he plays he will be a starter and that means that you may not start.’ Riney said to me, ‘Coach, it doesn’t matter whether I start or not. We think JoJo can help us to win the national championship and we want him to play.’ That sealed it as far as I was concerned, because in Riney Lochmann and Del Lewis, who were our captains, we had two great young men and two very unselfish players. So with their endorsements and with Jo Jo wanting to, we made that decision.”
"Jo Jo adjusted rapidly to Owens’ ball-control system, becoming the guard that coaches dream about – a staunch defender, devastating outside shooter, and able to break down the opposition. In short, he could do it all, and Kansas won its last seven games of the season, winning the Big Eight title outright and gaining entry to the NCAA tourney."
And...
"Jo Jo had only one semester of eligibility left heading into the 1969 season. Owens could have held him out during the first semester and used him only during the second semester, but that made no sense because of the way school terms broke in those days. The Jayhawks had 18 games scheduled during the first semester and only eight in the second semester. In his last game on February 1, he scored a career high 30 points in front of a sold-out crowd, which erupted with a thunderous roar as Owens removed him from the floor with 12 seconds left."
So there you have folks...he played in the spring in his first season and in the fall in his last. I guess my memory is only half gone :)
If I recall correctly, Jo Jo enrolled early in school and thus was eligible to play only one semester in his first year so Ted Owens chose to play him in the Fall when there were more games than in the Spring. Maybe someone can correct me if my memory is not right.
MLB is one of the few sports left that are still somewhat affordable for families...not counting concession food. Last time I had family in town I looked at soccer tickets for the Sporting KC and the average ticket was around $100; thanks but no thanks.
With the advent of HGH, only the uninformed get caught cheating with steroids. You need pretty sophisticated testing to catch the new flavors of HGH and the cost is extremely high and even Olympics-like labs cannot catch all the cheaters
Having said that, I believe players are tested at random during Conference play and I recall Bill Self mentioning one time that one of the players was not available because he was taking the pee-in-the-cup test; I don't have any idea what exactly they test for.
Interesting, Pretty close to what I posted on different thread. I don't believe the twins will move to first round and I am not sure Ulis makes it to the NBA, at 5'-9" he is just too small for the League and he is not the next Spud Webb or Tinny Archibald either.
...which goes to show that the best team does not always win the Tournament. KU should have won it at least 2-3 other times and it did not and won it in '88 when it should not have...oh well, we are still due a couple more in the near future.
I believe you make excellent points and your logic is sound. I have always said that a 4th year Withey or Relford or a third year TRob or Mario will usually outperform inexperienced 1st year OADs.
The only OAD player I can think recently (not counting Carmelo) that led his team to a Championship was the Unibrow and if you remember, it was the upper clansmen in the title game that really made the difference. Maybe this year it will be Okafor but I believe there is a better chance that it will be Kaminsky, a senior.
It is the final rinse and sanitizing step???
Most every other ranking by publications that make a living following sports usually have Cal ranked a one of the to 5 coaches, so obviously he is a good coach. I don't agree with his approach to hoard talent that will be in college 1 year and move one as it makes a mockery of the the term student-athlete...but then, that train left the station a while back and Cal is just making the most of that situation.
In many ways and as @drgnslayr said, it might be more difficult to coach a team with so much talent that is not forced to develop chemistry or a chip-on-the shoulder attitude because they can overwhelm most everybody else with talent alone. The real test will be when HS players are allowed to go straight to the NBA and he no longer get the OAD since they will be headed to the League and he has to make do with lesser talent. He has won everywhere he has coached before so he will probably be OK; I don't hate Cal, I hate what he has done to the sport.
You sound just like my mom did. She would pretty much wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher...but then, back then dishwasher were not that good.
If I understand correctly, the NCAA can punish KU if they can prove that it was aware of the situation and let Alexander play anyway. From what I read, KU was as surprised as the rest of us and as soon as it was notified it sat Alexander. At this time and based on what I have read, I believe KU is in the clear...but then, I have no access to any inside information, only what is openly available.
What is it about me that bugs you so much? Is it the fact that I don't take your word as the second coming of John Wooden?
I simply expressed my own personal opinion in relation to the City of Wichita as a whole, nothing else. You don't know what I know or don't know about @dylans' situation, you don't know if I messaged @dylans privately and more importantly, you don't know what is in my heart...and yet you pass judgement anyway; what do they call that? The pot calling the kettle black...
I stayed away from the Forum for a couple of week precisely to avoid reading the criticism of Coach Self which was sure to follow and of which you are the leading champion...frankly, it is boring. If you don't like my posts...don't read them, it's that simple.
Got it, only your own opinion and experiences count. I politely gave you my view on the subject, I am sorry that you could not do likewise. My last post in the subject.
You don't need to explain your particular situation. Bad experiences can go from mere inconveniences to major events, but again one bad experience even a major one should not paint the entire town in a negative light. Yes, I get it that you had a seriously bad experience but that alone does not make the whole town bad, right?...again, I get it, maybe they have lousy Police Department and the DAs are incompetent but that in and of itself does not make the entire town bad., right?
By the way, I have no problem with speeding tickets. I do have problem with "speed traps" where one minute you are driving on state route at the legal speed limit only to be stopped by a Police office that informs that you supposedly missed the city limit and lower speed sign, fully hidden behind trees and bushes and you get a hefty fine that they know you will pay because you are not likely to drive back a few hundred miles just to contest the obviously illegal citation.
Again, I am not trying to make light of your bad experience, I am simply saying that maybe you should consider that literally hundreds of thousand of people, including myself, have been to Wichita and did not have the bad experience you had; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Just my opinion and obviously we respectfully agree to disagree.
Sorry to hear about your toothache, seems like it has been an ongoing issue for you lately and I don't envy you...maybe you need a second opinion?
First, I hope you are feeling better.
The question is difficult in KU's case because the Conference Championship is one more building block in a run to break the all time record for Conference Championship in a row, an accomplishment that without exception all sport analysts consider to be a monumental accomplishment that will mean more than one single NCAA Title. A conference title represents continuous excellence throughout a season while a final four run involves having the right match ups and a good deal of luck...does anyone saw MSU making it to the Final Four or ConU...I mean UConn winning it all last year? I certainly did not and it took a lot of luck to get there.
I have always been on the side that thinks a very good, experienced upperclassman will outperform an inexperienced McD just about every time. I would prefer to have experienced upperclassmen but I am also a realist and understand that the college scene has now changed, and not necessarily for the better, and teams with upper classmen able to compete at the next level is nowadays the exception rather than the rule.
The sad truth is that in the inner city playgrounds and most gyms in predominantly black areas...or is it African American? in cities of all sizes, the "N" word and other offensive terms are bandied around without anybody objecting, no doubt a result of the influence of rap music where the word is the staple of most rappers.
Let's face it, black people...pardon me again...African American people are not held to the same scrutiny as white (???) people are. Can you imagine if a white player would have said the exact same words about an African American player? Can you imagine the outrage? We would have the president delivering a speech on the subject from the Rose Garden and the Attorney General would investigate the statement as "hate" crime...and of course Jackson and Sharpton would be calling for a boycott of the state and suspension of federal aid to the school.
Let's face it, Harrison was a jerk but it is not any different that what players say all the time off the record, he just happened to get caught on a live microphone.
I am not sure a ton of McDs is the best approach; his championship team had one superstar a couple of very good players and competent support cast...much like the '08 teams except it did not have true superstar but several very good players and a good supporting cast...much like Wisconsin this year ...and much like...well, you get my point. Next year we are one superior center away from a strong Final Four run.
I understand that a lot of the preliminary contacts are way off the record to give both sides plausible deniability. I will guess that he was probably contacted by someone not directly associated with the program and discretely asked i he was interested.
You might be right although one of them played pretty well yesterday and kept UK in the game, but overall, they have not lived up to the hype
The half of Kentucky that follows Louisville and other state team is probably rooting for Wisconsin as well; so maybe 49-1/2?