Wow, I just saw the score from the UK game. Timely is right, wow. I guess it proves my point.
KansasComet
982 posts
I have read many post saying how a certain team is so great because of the amount of McDonald's All Americans they have. Nonsense. It is Division I Basketball. McDonald's All Americans are great, but it doesn't guarantee an undefeated season or a National Championship. McDonald's All Americans commit fouls, turnovers, and fail to box out just like every other player. They are human. Now a lot have real good skill set and that is fine and dandy, but that does not guarantee anything. It is a team sport, that rewards, hard work, intensity, developing chemistry, unselfishness, determination, and a will to win. Kansas has just as much talent as any team in College Basketball. We must be loaded with talent if we can let 3 D1 players go and not miss a beat. We have 11 players fight for minutes right now, just the way Coach Self wants it. How else can you get maximum effort?
Looking forward to another great season of Kansas Basketball and reminding everyone that we have just as good a chance as anyone else. Win or lose, I love my Jayhawks!!!
It's a little of both.
@jaybate-1.0 There is something about Svi. He rebounds, gets in the lane, runs the floor, gets back on D, and can finish at the rim. The only thing he hasn't done well yet, is hit the 3. That will come in time, he is only 17.
Nobody knows until Tuesday. Good warm up game for KU. Good motivational game for Oubre. I'm thinking he will be fired up when the lights are bright. When Svi starts knocking down the J, and he will, watch out. I understand why Conner transferred. I miss him, but it was the right thing to do, win-win for everybody. Great kid, that deserves a chance to play.
@HighEliteMajor Thanks. I agree on the boxscore aspect. As they say, actions speak louder than words!
The starting lineup for the Champions Classic in Indianpolis will be a pretty good indicator. Tonight's game is just a tuneup.
One look at Graham and Svi and I see why CF transferred. It's not a knock on Conner as he remains one of my favorite players to watch. He just needs to find a school that would give him a role like J.J. Redick had with Duke years ago. Volume shooter and the ball touches his hand nearly every possession. I think he will do fine wherever he goes and I wish him well.
When Graham stole the ball and made the uncontested layup in the first half, I got goosebumps. That's what we have been missing since since Chalmers and Russell Robinson. Absolutely loved it. Svi hustles, keeps his head up, and does not allow the ball to stick in his hands. These are Coach Self kind of guys.
Not worried about Ellis, he is more than capable of getting double-doubles. Traylor brings hustle and intensity. I cannot wait to watch this team run.
What impressed me the most about this year's team was the defensive pressure in the first half. I believe that will be the staple of this year's team. Coach Self wouldn't want it any other way.
@HighEliteMajor That must be the case. The only thing that makes sense.
@HighEliteMajor I thought we were headed in that direction. Guess we will never know. The young guy Svi, must be pretty doggone good?
He appears more comfortable with the ball in his hands. Nothing wrong with that, if he can find a system that allows for it . Coach Self referred to him as a volume shooter, that has to sting a little bit. D-1 Basketball at a top 5 school is tough. Nothing is guaranteed. I think he will do fine wherever he goes. Conner can ball.
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Conner obviously wanted to know the truth, and was then set free. One player has never defined Kansas Basketball. Everyone is replaceable. The addition of a 17 year old 6'8" guard that can shoot spelled the end for Conner Frankamp at KU. At 6'8" Svi can pretty much get in an opposing guards path and get his hands up and play decent defense. Conner cannot do that at 6'0". As much as Coach Self liked AWIII, Tharpe, and Frankamp, they were all defensive liabilities, and therefore expendable. I love watching Frankamp play and will continue to watch him wherever he transfers to. If we can let Conner go, we must have a pretty good team this year.
Congrats to Jesse Newell. Always an enjoyable read!
Enjoyable article. Year 3 is usually the year for "Self" coached big men. (Pun intended). Perry is definitely more of an asset than a liability. Could be the MVP of this year's team.
@HighEliteMajor Excellent points. Bottom line is we don't know what will happen during the course of the season. No one predicted Embiid getting hurt last year or the blowout at WVU. Hopefully it will be fun finding out. I am not the least bit worried about Conner Frankamp on the offensive end. He can hold his on. He has excellent footwork with the ball and plays within himself. He can pass, and he can get in the lane. I think he is being motivated by Self, which should be a good thing. He was set up to fail last year, with the quick hooks. In a meaningful game with a chance to play, he showed what he can do. Shoot his team back into contention on a National Stage. I will take that any day of the week. Remember "Mario's Miracle"? Everybody is not capable of taking, much less making that shot. I think players like Conner Frankamp and Brannen Greene are up to the challenge.
@TheDrunkenJhawk Unless he is a medical redshirt, Lucas will play, and play well. Year 3 is usually where big men take off in Coach Self's system.
@HighEliteMajor I wonder what Self's track record is on recruits that commit after their sophomore year of High School as far as playing time and transfers?
@ralster Conner can play. He will earn playing time. He is too good. Quick hooks can affect shooting percentage. Being left in the game, can lead to comebacks against a team like Stanford in the tourney. I enjoyed reading your post, you brought up a lot of good points. Thanks.
@JRyman It was Roy's right to leave. Glad we got Coach Self.
@ParisHawk I still like Roy. He meant a lot to Kansas Basketball. I did not like the distraction UNC created as we were going on a title run in 2003.
@DanR Thank you. I went back ten years because of course that is the Bill Self Era. Great breakdown of what happened in the Roy Williams Era. You were all over it. Again, thanks! No one has beaten Kansas in the Bill Self Era and gone on to win the National Championship. That is a fact. I think it has a lot to do with the physical and mental emotion it takes to defeat an outstanding program on one of the biggest stages. After the KU games, i feel, most teams don't have anything left. They have reached their ceiling. Everything else is a let down. Just my humble Jayhawk Fan opinion.
Games are not won on paper. They are won on the court. There are probably 10 teams that are capable of winning the whole thing. Each year, it is a combination of skill and luck. Who knows what team will win it all? I don't have a clue, but each and every year I hope it's the Jayhawks. When we lose it sucks, but the Program goes on. Question: In the past 10 years, with the exception of the Championship Game (because that's the end of the tournament) how many teams have beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament and gone on to win the National Championship?
Looking forward to another great season.
@HighEliteMajor Signing Andrew Wiggins was one of the best things to happen to Kansas Basketball, period. We will never know what last season could have been.? We lost a close game to Stanford. In order to win the NCAA Tournament, there always seems to be a close game or two that must be won. Adverse situations must be overcome. We failed, and were back in class on Monday. Had, we had Embiid, and let Conner Frankamp play through his mistakes, even though he didn't really turn the ball over, who knows what could have happened?
Back to Wiggins, signing Andrew Wiggins benefits the Program. It is the overall Program that you are concerned about? Recruiting has improved. We are on the radar of most Top 50 recruits. In this present day world, with all the Social Media, Kansas has become a trendy place to attend. Andrew Wiggins loves KU and has come back to participate in a Camp with Coach Self. This will pay dividends for years to come. We didn't win the National Championship, but we did win as a Program. I am glad we had Wiggins for one year.
Conner Frankamp is an outstanding D-1 basketball player. Coach Self did not give him a chance to play last year and he knows it. The problem last season was what to do with Naadir Tharpe? It was supposed to be his team last year. It didn't happen. The year before, he was supposed to have been Elijah Johnson's sidekick, it didn't happen. The reason it didn't happen is practice. Yes we are talking about practice. Not a game...practice (thanks for the assist, AI). Because on the practice court is where I am certain Mason and Frankamp destroyed Tharpe day in and day out. For Naadir to make mistakes and glance over to see two young men that were better than him, and he knew it, had to kill his confidence. We all know that lack of confidence leads to hesitation and he who hesitates is lost. The only proof we need is the Stanford game. Who brought us back? The kid that had been made to believe he couldn't beat out Tharpe. Sounds like a made for TV Movie to me. Conner Frankamp and Frank Mason can play exceptional ball. The only person that can stop them is their coach.
@JayHawkFanToo Now we know how Coach Self really feels about this subject. I am very happy he put it out there. Thanks!
I don't have a clue as to what players will start or get meaningful minutes. I am looking forward to it. Should be another exciting season. I feel like we are loaded and experienced in every position. The young guns should do fine.
Mason and Frankamp should have played the entire year last year. Tharpe was a mid major talent, on a top 10 team. He was in the way. Mason and Frankamp were outstanding as Freshmen. With a little more seasoning, who knows what they could have done in March and April. One team last went to the Championship game, not because they were good, but because they hung around, and one player on their team nailed clutch 3's against WSU, Louisville, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The young man can shoot, but more importantly, he was given the green light to shoot, and guess what, he was a Freshman. Didn't mention the school's name because we all know it, and most don't care for it. Anyway, my point is we had to Freshmen studs that weren't given the opportunity to show wha they can do.. You must have leaders at the point and two guard positions. Now that Tharpe has moved on, I believe we will return to our winning ways.
@globaljaybird Thank you for reinforcing my point! There must be a reason why the 3 ball is referred to as "The Dagger"!
@drgnslayr Much appreciated! Not only do we have great shooters, we appear to have confident shooters, which is a great thing to have come March and beyond.
@HighEliteMajor Mentally, 3 pointers hurt more. Remember McNamara? I don't even have to say what team he played for or what he did to us. 3 pointers can leave scars. It's the point I was making about Tharpe guarding Frankamp in practice. We have the 3 point shooters to break some teams down emotionally.
@HighEliteMajor Would love to agree with you, but BMac lost his mojo when he got a bogus technical against ISU for celebrating a 3 pointer. When it was time to go on a tournament run, there was no one for him to turn to. Love McLemore, but he was never the same after the ISU game.
@ralster EJ did not have anyone to run with his senior year. He had Tharpe. No offense, but that's like Michael Corleone depending on Fredo in the Godfather. Just doesn't make any sense.
@HighEliteMajor Mason/Frankamp vs Tharpe. With Tharpe starting last year. I am assuming he went up against Mason/Frankamp quite a bit in practice. Tharpe was not exactly known for his defense. Guarding Frankamp in practice must have been a nightmare. Frankamp is a deadly shooter, and in my opinion, there is no way Tharpe locked him down in practice. Taking numerous jump shots in one's face can wear you down mentally. Switch him to Mason, and it might have been even worse? Mason is a blur. No way Tharpe was able to keep up with him in practice. Mason is relentless and not afraid to get in the lane. Also has a decent set shot, and plays with no fear. So, one guard that rarely misses, and the other guard plays with no fear, is much faster, and can get to the rack a lot better. That's a lot for Tharpe to handle on a daily basis. Over the course of the season, that had to wear him down mentally and physically. By tournament time, he was a shell of himself. Just my opinion, but I don't think I am too far off.
@drgnslayr excellent post. We have been this way for years. Always entertaining. More to come. The season has not even started yet.
@HighEliteMajor I am not an everything is great about KU type. Not even close. Trust me, my phone rings off the hook from all over the world anytime Kansas loses. I used to get upset after every loss. I was probably not fun to be around in the early 90's after losses, let alone tournament losses. I am able to let it go a lot easier now. I have my favorites on the team. I have an opinion about who should play, and who(m) I trust in crunch time.
After the season ends. I usually go on a nice long vacation, enjoy life, decompress, and get ready for another season. I can't help but show faith in something that I enjoy.
I enjoy our back and forth. It's not like it's anything new.
@HighEliteMajor First and foremost "You do realize?" Not cool! Okay? If you want to talk hoops we can do that. You have an opinion, and I have one as well. We are on the same page on some issues and on others we will probably never be on the same page. That's cool.
Now you ask, does anything upset me? Yes, disrespect does upset me. As far as the Jayhawks go of course. I will lay it all out for your, since you asked. No holes barred: I loved Coach Roy Williams, but I thought the majority of his teams were not physical enough. Thought we were much better than Syracuse in 2003. We should have stomped Maryland in 2002 and not allowed them to comeback. The 1991 team was one of my favorites. The 1992 team that lost to UTEP one of my biggest disappointments. I was much younger, and I was probably upset for nearly a month. 1994, I thought we had no chance, but we still put up a good fight. 1996, 1997, 1998, I thought we would win the whole thing. It hurt each year. I really appreciate Final Four runs. They are hard to come by. Every year, a top 2 team goes home early. It's a fact. What I love about our program is that we seem to always punch a ticket to the dance. If you have a ticket to the dance, then you have a chance. The Michigan game in 2013 was horrible, because I thought it was over at one point, and then we self destructed, not just one player. Yes, I get upset at losses, but I have a cornerbacks mentality and I look forward to the next play (season).
The top seed in the MVC will probably never get a 9 seed again. I stand by the fact that when we win games we were supposed to lose, and the Arkansas game is a perfect example, then everything is okay. But when we lose to a team we are supposed to beat then its the end of the world to some. I believe in Karma in sports.
Am I critical ? Yes. I don't believe Young, Stewart, Brady, Reed, or Teahan were KU major minute worthy. I don't think any would be recruited today by Coach Self. I like them all as role players, but not for major minutes. I believe it set back KU Basketball a few years. As did the recruitment of players such as Downs, and Giles that had zero chance to work out. We are just now coming out of that fog, (no pun intended) and things are starting to shape up for our program.
Has Coach Self's coaching lead to losses in the tournament? I can't say one way or the other. Starting to lean toward yes, when I read that he said he should have played Frank more last season. My opinion is that Tharpe was getting absolutely killed by Mason and Frankamp in practice, and it affected his play in games.
Being critical and badgering the team the entire year are two different things. Fairweather fans is what it means.
Hope I answered your questions? We are what our record says we are and nothing more.
@Statmachine Very well stated! Thanks. As we all know the NIT is the Gold Standard! NIT is a stain that is not easily removed from your resume. I will take 10 straight Conference Championships, and the fact that most teams don't want to play KU home and home. Longest tournament appearance streak is not too shabby either. Comparisons to Conferences with over 12 teams are not good comparisons.
Finally, I can fully understand the right for everyone to have an opinion. I have mine as well, and I stand by it. Upsets happen all the time in competitions. I have read about the UNI game as a major upset, when it really wasn't . UNI was the best team in the Missouri Valley that year, nearly 30 wins and only 3 or 4 losses. They were mis-seeded. I would have love to have played them in the Sweet 16 or beyond. It didn't happen. We lost, it hurt, but that's why I watch the tournament, knowing that there is a chance we could lose. It's not underachieving, it's competition against other D-1 schools. I know Arkansas fans that are still upset to this day about the game in 1991 when the 3-Seed KU team upset 1-Seed Arkansas in the tournament. On paper, we had know chance. Arkansas was loaded, but I thought we had a puncher's chance, and we succeeded. We advanced to the Title Game by beating Dean Smith 1-Seed UNC team. Another 1-Seed that was quite upset that year. We lost to 2-Seed Duke in the title game. A Duke team that had gotten blown out by 30 in the Championship the year before. I cherish that season. We didn't win it all, but we put up one heck of a fight!
To answer a desperate question from a previous post. You damn right I would take my 0-30 Kansas Jayhawks over a 40-0 UConn team. I don't even like UConn. I am a Jayhawk supporter for life! As I have said before, "Babies have made babies since the last time Kansas had a horrible season". In my humble opinion, true fans are with their team in good times and in bad times. Championships are great and they are to be earned and appreciated.
I cheer for KU. I do not want UCONN's record or Championships. I get disappointed when we lose. I am elated when we win. I look at each season as a "chance" to win it all. It hurts when we lose, but then again, I know and accept my role. I am a fan. I have never thrown up in a trash can during "boot camp", been frustrated by sitting bench, or nailed a game winning shot for KU. All I can give is my undying support. I enjoy the ride every single year, and I will enjoy this year too!
The KU Experience!!! That's what matters. There is nothing anyone can say to tarnish that. It's the University of Kansas. Not winning the National Championship every year? So what? Who does? Last 30 years. The most won is 4. We have two, and list in the title game in 3 others. 5 championship games in the past 30 years. I believe 8 Final Fours in that timeframe? 8 times the Regional Champion. Damn...So on average The University of Kansas participates in the Final one every 3 point something years. Heroics from other teams kept us out of a few more or we would have at least 10. Basketball is a very easy game to watch. It is not an easy game to play/coach in front of thousands of people with your heart racing. I applaud every Kansas team for their efforts and win or lose, I will continue to support them in person or in the comfort of my own home. I hope my attempt at math is okay, it's late. Go Jayhawks.
If the NCAA Tournament was a computer, then it would be loaded with spam and viruses. My opinion. I enjoy watching the tournament, because I love watching basketball. However, the seeds are meaningless. Too many teams that don't belong. Cinderella is for Fairy Tales! The best teams and only the best teams should be allowed to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Conference Tournaments, generate revenue, that's it. Teams with losing records should not be allowed to participate. Teams that get hot at the end of the season, should not be allowed to participate. They should qualify for the NIT or some other tournament. No more than 4 teams from any given conference. Have the Conference Tournament mid-season, with every team playing the same amount of games. As far as the Big XII and the strength of the Conference. I can't think of any place in the Big Xii where it is easy for opposing teams to come in and get a win on Campus. Neutral sites, yes. On Campus, no. Don't see teams lining up to play in Aames, Iowa, Waco, Texas, Austin, Texas, or Stillwater, Oklahoma.
My hope is that they push each other in practice and make each other better players. Not going to try to predict what's going to happen. I have a feeling we could see plenty of both of them depending on the fouls and injuries this season. Looking forward to another interesting season.
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Money, Fame and Beauty and the Beast Syndrome.
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At least 10 days.
@drgnslayr I think it would be great if Jamari is given the opportunity to have a breakout year. I am hoping for the same with Landon Lucas. It's his 3rd year in the system. Lots of players have had great years in the their 3rd year in Coach Self's System. We shall see. Thanks for starting a great thread!!
@wissoxfan83 Thanks, you just made my day!!!
I want to win in November, December, January, February, March, and especially April. I can accept it when we don't. It is easy to sit back and the coach isn't very good come tournament time. I have been in the stands during the regular season, and I have been in the stands during March Madness. Two completely different experiences for me as a fan. Regular season games are a lot more relaxing, because there is always tomorrow. NCAA Tournament games are completely different. I remember sitting in the stands at the game in St. Louis last year, and thinking the last person I want to be right now is Coach Self. This was 10 minutes before the game started. I was nervous as hell. I can only imagine what he is going through? It is the reason I watch on TV and attend games. It is fun. It is exciting. The thought that we could lose, takes me through all different kinds of emotion. I love it. Leaving an arena after a loss is not fun. I cannot see myself lashing out at a coach or players, because of the result of a game. I am sure Coach Self tries as hard as he can to win every game. As I said, I was in the stands, It is much easier to watch, than to play or coach the game. Glad they didn't ask me to check in or make a decision about who plays or sits at that moment. I wasn't ready for the big time, I can admit that. As I have said before, after the game is over, it is easy to "Arm Chair" quarterback and say what should have happened, who should have played and so forth. However, when the live rounds are being fired, I am not so sure that is an easy task. I applaud Coach Self for his recruiting, his coaching, and the class that he brings Kansas. 10 Conference Championships and running, 1 National Championship, and 1 National Runner Up, and 3 Elite 8's. I would not want to be UConn. I am proud of the Kansas Jayhawks. On the subject of the Big XII being a weak conference. That is just not true. I don't see any of these so called major conferences lining up to play home and home games against Big XII Teams. It is not easy to go into iSU, KSU, OSU, OU, BU, or UT and get a win. Most teams want to play Big XII teams at neutral sites. The Big XII is an excellent conference.
@drgnslayr Excellent post. I think 10 consecutive Conference Titles in the Big XII is incredible! National Championships are hard to come by. The format is not the same as when UCLA dominated. Coach Bill Self is an excellent coach. I would not trade him for any other coach in basketball...Okay maybe Coach Pop from the Spurs! Anyway, thanks for an excellent post!!
I watch every KU game hoping our team wins. I am disappointed after every loss. It sucks leaving the arena after tournament losses. However, the pride that I feel watching Kansas compete far outweighs any negativity following a loss. I want the best team possible from start to finish. Regular season, Conference tournament, and NCAA. I want to win them all. Congratulations to every team that has won an NCAA Championship. It's quite an accomplishment. I am sure their schools want to win as bad as we do. I enjoy watching nearly every moment of KU Basketball. Not necessarily the end results some seasons, but I get over it and move on to the next. Time waits for no one. Obsessing over what might have been will not change the result.
@HighEliteMajor Andrew Wiggins is still on your mind? I thought you went on vacation? I just got back from mine. I had a wonderful time. Picked up a few pounds, but I will work them off quickly. Are you looking forward to the upcoming season? I know I am. I think Oubre will be an assassin this upcoming season. Ellis and Traylor should be much improved. Mason and Frankamp will have more of a leadership role. Alexander should be ready by conference time, if not sooner. I am looking forward to another exciting year of Kansas Jayhawk Basketball. I look at these young men as I would my own children. I root for them in good times and bad. I enjoy every win and try to get over the losses quickly and move forward. During down times like this, I watch the ISU game when EJ dropped 39 on them and it still brings a smile to my face. There are so many positives to Kansas Jayhawk Basketball. I am looking forward to another great season. Hopefully another Conference Championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
I am hoping it is Landon Lucas.