There almost has to be a red shirt on the horizon for one of these returnees: White, Frankamp, Mason. Lucas and Mickelson already have burned the shirt, as has Jamari. Greene will be essential for significant minutes. I can't see Self starting 3 freshmen (Alexander, Oubre, Graham), at least not until February, or unless the injury situation dictates.
REHawk
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@Hawk8086 Looks to be a likely outcome, your 9 players. If Mason does not become a craftier distributor when he races to the bucket, I could see him losing out to steadier Frankamp, esp. if CF settles in to a dependable 3 pt. shooter. Of course, CF is not likely to settle in unless he wins much more playing time, so.... I foresee Greene sharing equal time with Oubre. We don't yet know how Mickelson will fit in with Self-ball, so Lucas can't be counted out yet. White still a mystery man. Your lineup should offer Bill Self a quite decent chance to win another league title, regardless of a few seasonlong adjustments regarding Frankamp, Lucas, White. Backups galore, hopefully agreeable talented backups sitting way down at end of bench another season. That has to be psychologically stressful for those reserves who will probably see less than 6 minutes per game. Players #10, 11, and 12 would probably start, perhaps shine, in the vast majority of Div. 1 programs.
Overall, very good news for the pt. guard position. If Graham is patient, he well could be THE GUY by midFebruary.
In the meantime, I hope to see Mason become a more sound decision maker, optioning for occasional assists when he drives to the hoop. And I really REALLY hope to see Frankamp glean enough minutes that he becomes comfortable, relaxed and focused with his potentially devastating outside shooting. Both of those current guards are likely to develop in leaps and bounds before November. If Graham is as good as forecast, and gets with the system by the middle of the regular league season, this Jayhawk squad should be much more reliable come late March and April.
1) Iowa State, with Hoiberg at the helm.
2) Baylor, because of Drew; K State, just because....
@REHawk Actually, I feel somewhat energized by this announcement. Had already begun to dread the point guard logjam for November.
I predicted weary loads for Naadir, his coach and team unity come 2014-15. Now he gets a chance for a new breath of life, sitting a year to get his game and life together in a different program, perhaps starting and thriving his 4th eligible season. Unfortunately, his presence probably would have cast a distraction on the next Jayhawk season. The highest acclaim I can give him: I think we would have whipped Michigan in 2013 if he had subbed for EJ. His junior season was topsy turvy bittersweet sad...and then the nude photo. We will be no worse off with Mason and/or Frankamp running the point. Maybe much sounder. Hope springs eternal, says the ironic poet. And if Graham or someone new shows up, well then....
@jayhawkeyes For some time I have given some thought, too, about a possible red shirt for Tharpe. But then, if he really does settle into a reliable starter for 2016, what does that do to the development of Mason and Frankamp...or to the solidarity of the lineup, year after next?
Bill Self has taken the appropriate stance on the prospect of KU playing Missouri. I stand with BIll Self.
@truehawk93 Tharpe quite possibly will be salty enough to lead KU to an 11th league title. But he is not the guy to compete with the twins or Boatright at the Big Dance. The Jayhawks go a different direction at pg, or we are right back where we were in April 2014. Mason and Frankamp need to step up quickly, one or both to lead the 2014-15 squad right from the getgo.
Whatever weaknesses happen to have sometimes affected his play, I hope to all holy hell he works diligently to overcome and stay in the lineup this season. From the day he committed to KU, Perry Ellis has been and is my favorite Jayhawk.
@HighEliteMajor I cannot envision Andrew's turning down a red shirt or a chance to transfer with the hopes of starting two years for another solid program. If he chooses neither, I don't see him playing more than 5 or 6 minutes his jr. year...unless Oubre or Greene suffers lingering injury. If Perry occasionally is slotted at the small forward position, AW3's playing time is definitely doomed for another season.
@CRH107 Happy to read your pointing out that recent Haith quote, "We beat Kansas at Kansas." HA! Once a shyster, always a shyster. Frank Haith, Coach of the Year...BALONEY!
@ralster Wigs was rarely if ever on a leash. By the end of Feb. Brannen KNEW that if he ventured far from his box he would submit to another choke collar, way down the pine. I think that Self had best let up on Greene early this next season, allow him to do what he does best: bring immediate Kevin Young-like energy onto the floor while keeping his body in constant motion. He will still race into some mindboggling turnovers, but the upside will compensate. If he and Self can mesh, I look to see Brannen cement his spot in the starting lineup by year 3. If he stays a 4th season, somewhere along the way he will be adorned with a national championship ring and become a first round draft choice.
I am as certain of that as I am that Tharpe cannot start and lead the Jayhawks to March and April tournament titles. Naadir might do one hell of a strong job coming off the bench, but he can't begin to compete against the likes of Napier or those cocky Kentucky twins.
Truthfully, I did not fully realize until Tournament Time (Big 12 and NCAA) that Tharpe's mercurial inconsistencies would contibute so heavily to doom what was left of this squad after Embiid was forced to sit. Mason might have maxed out for his freshman potential; Frankamp barely touched his surface potential, delivering startling A/T stats in crunch time. The guy I thought all along needed perhaps an additional 3 min. per game average was Greene, who appeared to be a difficult study for the coaching staff. In my humble opinion, Greene's potential is off the charts.
Too many freshmen for Self to develop and maneuver this season....
@JRyman JR, 2 of the most knowledgeable, verbally gifted and, actually, very best posters on this site bear the social graces of wolverines. Stand your ground, but don't allow them to get close enough to bite!
@Wishawk Succinct thinking and commenting re the "mentorship" of our pair of OADers. For a freshman, max effort night after night most probably results in injury or burnout. Even Aaron Miles appeared to undergo senior burnout from seasonlong 35+ minute games (although he hadn't the advantage of spending 4 years under the trainer tutelage of Andrea Hudy and Co.).
@jaybate 1.0 jb, as you well know, I am not the keenest of X's and O's contributors on this site. My coaching was in a very different millieu. However, I do read people and situations well, athletically speaking...I think as well as any poster on this site. Andrew White's second year minutes appeared to be on the rise until the hip flexor (or whatever). I'm willing to wager that AW3 was reluctant to leap back to action as quickly as Bill Self would have liked. Ergo, another Russ Rob situation, tho of different circumstance. Hardheaded but immensely gifted Brannen Greene was beginning to "get it," so earned gradual minutes which AW3 might have secured, but for the injury. Tharpe's mercurial play opened the door for Mason to pounce on available minutes; Frankamp, too, by season's end. White was lost somewhere down on the end of the pine. I will still be amazed (bewildered?) if AW3 does not transfer. In my humble opinion, he starts for 2/3 of our league squads. (By the way, has any thread yet contained commentary about Royce W. transferring once again, leaving Washington State?)
@ParisHawk Just about my only pet peeve with BIll Self: pushing players to play through injuries in lieu of developing promising bench players. Right from the getgo, Aaron Miles' legs might not have been injured at season's end, but he appeared to be worn out...while freshman Russ Rob had been chained to the discipline box.
I like the way Oubre moves without the ball; and he seems to have knack for positioning himself as a rebounder. An early concern: both Alexander and Oubre appeared to have both knees padded. Myles Turner, who broke an ankle in h.s. left the game with an ankle problem. Ralster declares that end-of-season leg problems not esp. a viable concern for Bill Self's NCAA Tourney squads. Lankford, Collins, EJ, and Selden have certainly experienced sad wheels at ShowTime.
@nuleafjhawk Commemorative hanky: O MY! Nuleaf, this post is of Hall of Fame prominence!
End of season sad legs (and back); seasonlong quick yank of talented newbies. Regardless of Xs and Os, those two items encase much of the failures of many BIll Self squads to play to their seedings in the NCAA Tournaments. From the Miles/Lankford/Simien squads thru 2014, those two factors appear to be constants.
HEM, you have really opened the floodgates with your brilliant red pill/ blue pill debate! Hell, I came onto this thread as an 11-year-long right hand hitter. Now I am at least considering stepping up to the plate from the other side. Thanks for setting the kettle to boiling.
@AsadZ As recently pointed out in another thread, I am taking a giant step back in my annual customary criticism of John Calipari. The guy is finding ways to win, and on the biggest stages. If he stays in the college game another five or six years, it appears likely that he will go down as one of the greatest Div. 1 coaches of all time...even if the NBA Player Assoc. yields to a chage to a 2-and-done rule. Considering the difficulty which most really strong coaches have in developing freshman phenoms into winning team players, Calipari has experienced unusual success, even with hard heads the likes of which are pumping up endless jump shots regardless of his shrieking at them to drive to the bucket. Although appearing to live a charmed life in recent team achievements beyond Regional NCAA Tourney play, the guy is bunkering down to hold on and win major victories. His charismatic recruiting and body of work are becoming spectacular. Now if it should become evident that thousands of dollars have flowed beneath the table to secure all those recent Wildcat high school All-Americans, I will take another giant steep back in my assessments....
@ParisHawk And here we are, heading into next season with the point guard situation still very much up in the air.
@jaybate 1.0 Thanks
@jaybate 1.0 jb, your first sentence throws me off here. Please clarify for this aging mind.
National Championship and Final Four appearances remain a crapshoot. Just look at the way Kentucky has won its last 3 contests. Rankings of this year's title contenders: #7 vs. #8. I'm not trading 10 consecutive league titles for that national trophy. Bill Self's KU stats not yet salted away and filed in the dustbin.
Just my humble opinion that if we do retain or recruit a rim protector to play with Cliff and Perry, we are bound to see Perry at the 3 position occasionally this season, esp. in situations where we compete against taller, slower teams. I look to see Perry work on foot speed and shooting from deep during the offseason. If we retain JoJo, and if Myles should decide to join him, someone is heading out the door. Probably White or Tharpe. Because of prior red shirts, Lucas, Traylor and Mickelson appear to be a lock to stay; and I envision lots of playing time for Greene.
I'd like to see Selden spend 25% of his minutes at pt. guard. I hope not to see Tharpe back in the role of running the show. His minutes, only as a backup at the 2. Might really be best for him and the program if he pursues a different venue for a year of readjustment, then a potential experienced starter during his final season of eligibility. He has pretty much worn thin his credibility at this juncture. At the very least, perhaps red shirt him to offer him time to gain focus and dependability.
Speaking of point/combo: A Conner Frankamp head and focus molded to a Rio Adams speedy body! Now there's a combo which might dance to multiple Final Fours.
Andrew is a topnotch Jayhawk, a surprising team joy in his one year in the program. I don't envision that 10th league title w/o his contributions. Lulls on offense were somewhat puzzling at times, but perhaps a reflection of the intricate system which AW was forced so quickly to try to master. This one-and-done thing still appears not to gel well with Bill Self's mode of operation. Going forward, will be interesting to see the direction of Kansas recruiting and the overall Self System, the successes or pitfalls for highly ranked future one or two-year players. I'm holding out hope that most future recruits spend at least 2 or 3 years in the program. Bill Self, Andrea Hudy and Co. possess ever so much in the way of development and instruction to prepare patient focused athletes willing to absorb and stick with everything the program is prepared to offer. Selfishly, I am a fan unhappy with one-and-done phenomena; yet, I want our Jayhawks prepared always to compete well with the very best, from late November into early April.
I've done my share of Calipari Bashing the past few years, but I've gotta step back at this juncture and hand it to the guy. How he ever managed finally to turn the Harrison twins into team players in such a turbulent Wildcat season is indeed a credit to his tenacity. The guy goes from a first round NIT loss to Robert Morris last season all the way to the Final Four with a core of freshmen again this year. Therein lies some quality Div. 1 recruiting and coaching.
I'm not trading my Jayhawk 10 consecutive league titles for another national championship. Those titles represent the blood and sweat of a season's body of work. NCAA Tourney always has been a crapshoot. Look at UK, Ucon, Michigan State; Duke, Syracuse, Wichita State. Ya get on a roll by late March/early April, SHAZAM! If injuries or exhaustion or a hot handed opponent beat ya down, SAYONARA. Not saying that the coaching staff does not have much to answer for in our Self years of frequent early exits. But I'm not willing to denigrate that fantastic string of league titles. After early March, anything more is gravy. A sad exit this season, but the futile Embiid wait exemplifies typical postseason tourney frustration. Time now to buckle up, prepare for a next season of hopes, dreams, and better good fortune. Hope springs eternal...said the satirical poet....
@REHawk Or does White leave, and Ellis accompany Oubre at 3? Embiid (or Turner)/Mickelson/Lucas at the 5.
Still, where's Tharpe?
@ralster I could envision Selden/Mason at the point...and even Greene/Frankamp at the 2, Oubre/White at the 3. Ellis/Alexander/Traylor at 4? Embiid or Turner/Alexander at 5. Where's Tharpe? Mickelson/Lucas?
@jaybate 1.0 Then who is your starting 2 guard?
@icthawkfan316 Man, are you ever right about Rio's tools. He was the closest match we have had for Tyshawn (in many ways!) during the Bill Self Jayhawk era. What a shame that Anrio hadn't the patience or disposition to work out and survive in Lawrence. If that kid ever settles down and gets focused he will make some Division 1 coach very happy. I am still amazed that Bill Self was able to stay the course with Tyshawn during TT's first 3 turbulent years. More than once during those seasons I ground my molars and muttered, Get rid of that jackass! I suppose that by the time Rio popped onto the scene, Self was wary and weary of such travail.
@konkeyDong Well, if Rio were 22, and had settled down, accumulated 60 credits of C+ av. grades and was immediately eligible, I'd say Yeah, lure him back aboard. However....
Well, if Self should go searching for a transfer or juco pt. guard, he's going to have to usher someone out the door. Unless, of course, Embiid leaves, and we go with the pt. guard hunt over the prospect of fetching Myles Turner. As has been suggested, it probably is in the program's best interest for JoJo to announce his decision within the next 10 days. Solid news, Selden's announcement. Personally, I view "pt. guard by committee" to be a shaky business. I could see us going in the direction of Frankamp 25 minutes, Mason 15. Tharpe subbing for Selden at the 2. Still too much congestion at the 3, esp. if Ellis gets some time at that position. Greene, Oubre, AW3 and maybe a touch of Perry? Something probably needs to give....
@Crimsonorblue22 Thanks loads for referencing this daincarter site. What a beautiful piece. I, too, would like to pitch in my two cents: Thank you, Andrew Wiggins. You have done much to make this a very special season for the fans of Jayhawk Basketball. May the very best of all good winds sail you forth upon new waters.
@approxinfinity You have provided a most generous service, esp. to those of us who abandoned the LJW site, all thwarted and disgruntled. Thanks for setting up this marvelous opportunity, and for the continuous tweaks. Would be nice and appropriate if some single advertiser would provide innocuous ads to remunerate you for your time and energy. Please keep the site alive!
@HighEliteMajor HEM, you are a knowledgeable hoops analyst and commentator whose posts I ALWAYS read carefully. On days when my schedule is loaded, and I have very little time to scan posts, I tend to look for your contributions; yours, jaybate's, ict's, ralster's, slayr's and a few others. As I have declared before, I do not always concur with your analyses, and sometimes allow my feathers to be ruffled by your bold declarations; but I respect your opinions and have learned much from your posts. I suppose what I am attempting to say: in the heat of current criticism, I hope to see you stick by your guns until the last bullet is fired. Regarding my own feelings after this loss, I need more time to swallow completely and digest. I am a dedicated Bill Self fan and sometime critic. For almost the entire Bill Self era I have criticized his tendencies not to develop and employ more of his bench for meaningful minutes throughout seasons. The waste of Russ Rob during his freshman year, imho, cost the team dearly when Miles and Co. were worn out and worn down by the time of NCAA Tournament play. This season, Bill's reluctance to provide more opportunities for Frankamp, Greene and Lucas throughout the season falls within that same parameter. White? Who knows what is going on there? Perhaps AW3 did not bounce back quickly enough from the groin injury, then got himself in the box? Anyway, at this juncture, bench development, or lack of it, is about the only direction of my muddled focus. I sense that Tharpe should be dead in the water, as a future starter. I'm still grousing about EJ and that Michigan loss last season. In looking back at Bill Self's Tournament record of "too early" exits, some form of adjustment would appear to be called for, whether by way of a personnel change among his assistants (bringing aboard a specialist in offense) or a change in focus regarding the necessity of developing a comfort level for the 3 pt. shooters available to him from the benchwarmers. I think he recruited some topflight subs who were healthy and available to him throughout the season...but were wasted come crunch time because they hadn't the game background to play comfortably and relatively unerringly.
@wissoxfan83 The use of proper sportsgrammar is one hell of an accomplement.
@Lulufulu85 Speaking of AWAX, did it not seem that Bill Self's "ears" had zeroed in on E. Kentucky's game plan to thwart KU's pt. guard. Prior to tipoff, Cach tells Frankamp, "Be ready."
Well, after rewatching the game and reading a bevy of post-game articles and comments, it appears a certainty that E. Kentucky focused primarily on thwarting two of KU's starting players: Wiggins and Tharpe. It might be assessed that the Colonels did a reasonable job of controlling Wiggins...at least holding him to less than 20 pts. But their most enlightening report of game preparation involved assessing and controlling the movements of the Jayhawk starting point guard. Tharpe's deficiencies played right into their game prep, and would probably have cost KU an early loss but for Wily Bill Self's timely subbing...and the heady response of Frankamp and Mason, each of whom rose to the challenge. I predict that our coaching staff will approach the Stanford game lineup in much the same way they did our first Tournament contest. If Tharpe can't cut the mustard, Plan #2 goes back into action, probably more quickly than before. Next season, the starting point guard position will be wide open for determination; and Tharpe, most probably, becomes a reserve player.
True to pattern, Bill Self has made every effort to bolster his more experienced junior point guard and keep him on the floor as much as possible. For the faithful Jayhawk following, Tharpe's 21 minutes appeared too much yesterday. However, after an ugly start, his reinsertion was designed more in the manner of shooting guard, with Conner and Frank running the show. Though I have viewed this squad's entire season of work intensely, I was still amazed at Conner's composure and effective careful generalship in this, his first opportunity to shine on a major stage. I was inclined to think of it as something of an anomaly, probably a one-time happening in this tournament.
Then I am slapped awake with Conner's spellbinding season stats: NO TURNOVERS IN HIS LAST 122 MINUTES OF PLAY! Only 3 turnovers to 15 assists for the entire season! WOW! Evidently, BIll Self had the inkling that Conner Frankamp might be called upon for important playing time yesterday...and told him to be prepared to play. I suspect that the coaching staff has now moved beyond the verge of turning the corner regarding future point guard dependability. Though he might yet start this season, essentially Naadir Tharpe has played himself into a reserve role for the remainder of his time in a Jayhawk uniform.
@jaybate 1.0 illyray...as in pigbray
My greatest concern, at the outset, was that the signing of Andrew Wiggins might eventually, in some shape or form, tilt or upset the balance of our man at the helm of Jayhawk Basketball. At this stage, I feel comfortable in dismissing any vestige of such concerns. If anything, Bill Self has grown and probably broadened his future scope and impact on Division 1 Hoops as it is best administered and played. If my son or grandson were an ubertalented recruit, I would pay heed to the attention of a coach who was selective enough to evaluate and bring the likes of Andrew Wiggins into his esteemed program; a coach who could tutor and develop such talent to steady ascension regardless of unreal pressures from external media hype and fan expectations. It is, indeed, to be respectfully acknowledged that the two human beings involved have handled the situation so comfortably. Two very talented, very special people.
For whatever reasons, Frankamp and Greene are not yet accomplishing what they were projected to do: Shoot lots of 3s at a 40%+ rate of success. By now, I should think that their confidence levels are hurting...to the extent that it just ain't gonna happen this season. Bill Self's system appears not to be designed for the potentially explosive 3 pt. contributor, esp. at the expense of defensive stops. We might yet see it happen in this tournament, but only as a very rare anomaly resulting from desperation insertion of one of these subs who just happens to get hot at the right moment, opportunity in conjunction with necessity and potential prowess. If our Rim Protector does eventually return to action, there exists that rare possibility of Greene, Tharpe, Wiggins (or Frankamp, Tharpe, Wiggins) absolutely lighting up the scoreboard from beyond the arc. I am still optimistic enough to hope for that to happen. My viewing season will not be complete unless I watch it happen.
@JayHawkFanToo I, too, will root for the Shockers. If we can't pull together and grind our way into the Elite 8 I hope to see WSU plow once again to the Final 4. That said, I would love to watch the Jayhawks derail them in that Elite 8 contest. What an event for the Wiggins family...and for Perry and Conner, each with his Wichita heritage and former fan base.
@JayHawkFanToo Gregg Marshall processes and preserves Anger in pint jars. Spreads it on his toast early mornings.