@JayHawkFanToo I've no intention or desire to offend. Sometimes my jocular inclinations do interfere with my better judgment. I grew up in a somewhat rigidly religious home setting, so have spent a lifetime stiffarming what I feel to be religious dogma. Oops! There I go again....
REHawk
1583 posts
I am really REALLY high on Trae Young, and I am certain that he will give the Jayhawks absolute fits this season. That said, we saw what Bill Self was able to do with folk like Kevin Durant and Buddy Hield. Our maestro can work some fine magic, esp. on league opponents whom he seems to know, inside out. We SHOULD have a bit of time to work either Preston or DeSousa into the lineup before we play Oklahoma. A good thing. My bigger concern right now is that 3rd league contest, at TCU. If we can squeak thru these first 3 conference games without a loss, everyone will breathe easier, facing the likes of Young. My native pessimism declares that we will lose one of the first 3 contests. Big 12 race will be brutal for all top contenders. As I see it, no way this league is won outright with only 3 losses. Probably 4, with a tie.
@jayballer54 I'm sending word to Dok that if he does not become a lottery pick by June, and I mean a high lottery pick like top 7-10 guaranteed, then he definitely should stay in Lawrence until May 2019. He could yet become a top 4 pick, once his play smooths and his free throw shooting stabilizes. We're talking about the difference in mucho millions of dollar bills. As for Newman, he and Dad must be squirming. If Self works either Preston or DeSousa into his lineups, I think Newman's scoring will climb statistically. Right now he is rebounding, learning to focus on improved defense, passing the ball. He might play overseas next season if they are in a rush to earn dollars; but I think it would behoove him to stick around, even if he eventually should become a key 6th man. With all these new extremely talented recruits on next season's horizon, we will need experienced guys to settle the mix.
Will Vick, Newman, Preston and Dok hang around to play with these newcomers? If 3 of the 4 do return, O Boy!
@jaybate-1.0 GRINDING TO GOLGOTHA! Whooie! You have captured the very essence of Division 1 Basketball. I am picturing the many good coaches and outstanding teams which have gotten strung up on the proverbial cross in late March/early April play...after month upon month of steady or end of regular season surprise success. Then stretched like the wings of eagles, and BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!, nailed almost nakedly aloft!
@JayHawkFanToo I, too, am high on both Garrett and Cunliffe. And if Preston does not become eligible, maybe DeSousa can eventually climb the ladder to meaningful minutes. This could become a very different Jayhawk squad by March; a 7 man lineup transforming into a rare Bill Self 9-man fighting crew. Through the transformation Newman must find his niche and break out of a scoring slump. When he finds his angles we are looking at another 15 pt. scorer.
@Crimsonorblue22 kj! Thanks. I knew that Cecil didn't sound right, and that he would have preferred to hide behind some initials if indeed Cecil was his moniker. One of my favorite uncles was born Cecil. Folks called him Fess. Regarding that Bible reading, I gave it a twirl back in my middle years. Wife kept attacking me with grievous suspicion, asking what I had done to be so repentant for....
@jaybate-1.0 Freed up to the Christmastime posting of an 800 word diatribe, you were just bound to blow up somewhere along the written line. Midway, you insisted that Self has coached against some good folk in the Big 12, but that Huggins was the only GREAT ONE. I admonish you to check that very positive statement. Stop to take a look at the heralded success of the very man who swooped in to replace Huggins in Manhattan!
@Crimsonorblue22 Did they play sober? Seriously, I have always gotten a charge out of the demeanor of Eddie Sutton. I hope the selection committee does not keep him waiting.
A bit off track, but it appears that our Memphis transfers have toned down their offcourt brouhahas. So quiet, I can't even remember their full names. Were they 5* recruits, coming into Memphis? Ah yes, LAWSONS! Dedric and Cecil?
The thing not to forget about Mitch, he is a dedicated Jayhawk, to the core; and will do what is necessary to improve his contributions to winning games. I really hope he earns the opportunity to become a 5th year player, and can't imagine why he won't. His attitude and determination appear to be right up there with our best.
Mitch has exerted very good effort. And yeah, it would be great if one or both of these two power forwards who are awaiting eligibility could get cleared. In the meantime we must count on Mitch for Doke's relief. But if Mitch could earn a few minutes per game to finish this season, then grab a red shirt while his body catches up with his determination, he could post decent numbers his last two years. On one of Doke's scores vs. Stanford, Reid Travis applied a body hit which would have sent Mitch flying into the 3rd row of seats. Doke was barely jostled aside. Play beneath the bucket becomes brutal. In retrospect, Frank Mason was a true crusader, drawing all those fouls when he roared to the rim. Current guards just aren't built or disposed to threaten that area. Mitch has been a real trooper, bumping with the brutes. Svi is becoming more of a threat to score down low, now as the season moves forth. If we get two bruisers into the lineup our guards might find clearance to do some damage low in the paint.
@BShark Wink, wink, worry hell! We got 6'8" 133 lb. Mitch Lightfoot and a bruiser named Sosinski. With the acquisition of practice player S. DeSousa we have merely doubled the Eligibility Waiting Time. Steamin' along towards The 12th of Never.
@Crimsonorblue22 I tell you what, Debbie, you got a fine economical way with words.
YIKES! Someone said they spotted a supercharged 2017 crimson and blue Jaguar convertible slipsliding out of a parking lot in Bradenton, Florida; a tattooed giant wearing a Santa hat, gripping the wheel, right foot thumping on the gas pedal, heading northwest!
@HawkChamp Any day now....
It is almost bizarre to imagine the league being won with five losses. If I were much of a betting man I would lay my dollars on 4 losses, and likely a tie. WV, TCU, OK are going to be mighty tough for us to defeat twice. And someone else is likely to slip up on us once...perhaps Tech. I think Self is too proud to succumb to Shaka Smart. Jayhawks must brace up, not lose twice to same program.
Even if Preston becomes eligible, his minutes could throw a monkey wrench into our mix for his first 100 or so minutes until he and current squad members gel. DeSousa...probably will take longer.
Intriguing situations, but no quick fixes for nights we are cold from the 3.
@wissox Garrett did play exceptionally fine defense last night; but I think Cunliffe should have earned at least 3 more of Garrett's minutes. And I would have stuck Sosinski into the game for 2 or 3 minutes, just as a matter of future insurance if the Preston and DeSousa eligibilities don't come to fruition. But then, Self and Co. know a hell of a lot more than do we fans about both current and future needs and situations. So....
I envision that as a probable positive scenario; and maybe in a 3-way tie.
Kansas bride a very determined woman. She insisted that I square my shoulders, walk a bit taller and straighter, wave goodbye to hapless old Norm Stewart, and begin veiwing KU basketball during the Larry Brown/Danny Manning years. After that very thrilling national title game I was hooked for life.
@HighEliteMajor A fan might come to think that Self has actually become enamored of small ball. But then a look at next year's probable lineup debunks that thinking.
@DoubleDD HA! Speaking of luck, I was born in Missouri. Yee-haw!
But I was fortunate to have unearthed a KU grad for a bride. So, occasionally sow's ears can be transformed into purses of silk.
Roy Boy, we bid you a fond welcome to weekly postings of the early season polls!
The thing which really tics off this family: Bigtime announcers spewing their extraneous bull hockey at moments when the viewing audience is waiting to hear precisely who was called for a foul. Just a simple thing like a foul call would appear to be an essential ingredient to sound, stable sportscasting. But, sadly, NOT! Wife and I would much prefer muting the tube, listening to our own announcers on img radio...but for the awkward time lapse between the two media sources.
I think it was KUSteve who slapped the merry label on this guy. Dakich really needs to move to the Coast to team up with Bill Walton.
@jaybate-1.0 Come now, bate, don't be for slipping behind shades of the two merry Os: obtuse or oblique....
@jaybate-1.0 Do I detect, correctly, that, word for word, you are again engaged in merry making?
@HighEliteMajor Your closing sentences stir my curiosity to trigger the DVR, esp. to watch Cunliffe's first dunk when he snagged his mitt on the rim and momentum flung him to the court, landing on all 4 likes a monkey. I think we are in for some future treats, watching the play of Sam, once he gels in the lineup. I sense that he and Garrott will provide very stable and sometimes exciting sub minutes in league play.
Here's my final post on this thread, as I am aware that I am waxing a bit too lugubrious on the subject. However; just think about this for a moment. Even though the Sooners were playing a not very strong opponent in Northwestern, Trae Young scores 26 points while dishing 22 assists! The previous Big 12 record in assists was 17.
Young leads Division 1 in scoring, and is dishing over 10 assists per game, which propels him near the lead in that category, as well. A freshman! The opposing coach compares him to Magic Johnson in his ability to see the entire floor, focusing on all 9 other players, knowing innately precisely where to target his passes or place the ball. Our league is in for a rare treat, watching this kid play the game. Our Jayhawks in for a scary pair of regular season opportunities to match up against his talent. Trae Young will fill arenas wherever he sets foot.
@JayHawkFanToo In retrospect, producing the likes of Buddy Hield and Frank Mason has really embellished the level of guard play in Big 12 Basketball. Trae Young looks to be cut in the mold of another spectacular Big 12 guard; and one who, from early appearances, won't have to develop several collegiate seasons to reap national recognition. Unless league coaches figure out a way to thwart his progress, Young now looks to be a player who someday will represent this nation in Olympic level competition. Born ready.
After he left Manhattan I have voiced a healthy respect for the demeanor and coaching prowess of Lon Kruger. Am happy for him that he landed this kid Young. Will be a huge loss to Kruger, Oklahoma and Big 12 Basketball if this freshman's play catapults him into the 2018 NBA lottery. Could very well happen.
@HighEliteMajor That is a very intriguing question: What would have happened if Young had chosen KU over his home state school Oklahoma? We know with some degree of certainty that Bill Self is not much inclined to place control of the ball into freshman hands.
Bill had Graham and Newman at slots 1 + 2. Young would have lit up practice sessions, perhaps creating mayhem for decision makers on the coaching staff. I have watched Trae play twice this season. There is no doubt whatsoever that he is the real deal; one of the premier Big 12 guards (already) of the past two decades. With Newman struggling, so far, this season, it would seem that Trae Young and Graham could have wreaked havoc for the two opponents who defeated our current lineup. But that is just speculation...a huge WHAT IF. Personally, I think we are yet to observe Malik Newman settle in as a very successful scoring guard, although a player whose defense is not first rate. If we eventually obtain the services of a traditional big power forward who can stretch the floor, Newman's offense should leap to an uptick. But then, perhaps I am just rambling. Trae Young would have been a jewel of a recruit for any team in Division 1. IF healthy, he will give us absolute fits in Norman and AFH.
Recently I read that Townsend was working with Sam a lot in terms of his defense. Sam said that Townsend's advice to him involves not allowing his man even to catch the ball. I saw him working to prevent that. Sam declared that he had come to the program with fairly good offense, but was looking to improve his defense. That determination will go a long way into Bill Self's decision to play him.
The kid looks to be quite athletic, with a nose for the basket.
@wissox Those garbage lines of that fella Dakich absolutely personify the word BANALITY. He ought to work a mic out on the West Coast, beside Walton.
@KUSTEVE Dick itch. O Boy! That's pretty clever stuff.
@DoubleDD I don't know how your 401K was doing at the end of the 8 year Bush administration, but mine made quite decent gains during the Obama years. Trump inherited an upswing which Obama labored to jumpstart. And Obama did it without the promise to promote a tax bonanza for corporations and the rich boys.
Wife and I represent low end of middle class U.S. citizenry. We are definitely opposed. In the past 3 years my generation has stepped into voting booths wearing blinders, ethnically angry and eager to tilt the stability of the greatest nation ever to serve as a dreamsite for the world. "Make America Great Again!" Bull hockey!
@KUSTEVE I am with you. After suffering through a night with Bill Walton, I'd rate these two Fox guys at least 4 star. Networks gotta limit Walton's flight tickets to the Midwest!
@dylans Even if it should finish in a squeaker I hope our bench earns lots of minutes today. Rest Newman.
Appears to me that this is a game where Garrett and Cunliffe each draw 20 minutes of playing time. Rest Newman. Give the 3 walk-ons a few minutes of exposure. In retrospect, Newman is to be praised for his 30 minutes of effort at Lincoln; but the coaching staff walked a shaky line in the decision to play him, esp. so many minutes. Cunliffe has been in the program right at a year. Why transfer in a kid who possesses a semester of quite decent playing experience, then glue him to the bench? It's not like he just walked in from the football locker room. I am well aware that the counter argument is that the program could not afford to lose 3 in a row. Obviously, that dictated the decision about playing time. Head injuries are not to be screwed with, in my not so humble opinion. Our starters have been hampered by recruiting decisions. Talk about SOFT! Bringing in 3 scholarship transfers who are ineligible this season...and a lamebrain power forward who couldn't live within the rules. Our starters are being pounded with too many minutes.
@BShark That was a quite decent coaching job, Self and cohorts yesterday. The truth of it was to be seen in the post game faces of throttled Cornhusker fans. Roaring down the stretch those home fans just knew they were going to wave their upset flags of glory.
Then, Pfffft!
@jaybate-1.0 That was, indeed, a gutsy 31 minutes from a guy whose brain cells took a big hit last week. His scoring numbers have been down for a spell, but he displayed the determination to fill a vital role when his teammates, coaching staff and fans really needed the effort. I've a feeling that soon the bucket will widen for Malik.
I have not followed the intricacies of Big Baller Brand circus performances much. But someone did report that the two younger brothers of Lonzo are sitting in a ritzy spa site, living the life of teen jet setters while dipping their mud hooks into Euro ball. I am trying to imagine the warm reception they are bound to receive when they lace up their world renown tennies to take the court and win the hearts of teammates and knowledgeable hoops fans. O Boy!
Folks, Trae Young is the real deal. KU missed out on a very fine talent when this kid signed with Lon Kruger. He will give us fits in our two league meetings this season. Our entire league is now beginning to climb in the polls. Gonna be a real nail biter. I don't envision our winning the crown without addition of some BIG help.
The Preston mess is a giant disappointment. And Newman is not posting anywhere near the stats which most of us thought he would. Our guards are playing 4 or 5 too many minutes nightly, accumulating wear and tear, sometimes vs. ho-hum opponents. We could not build or maintain enough of a lead to get Cunliffe solid playing minutes at Nebraska. Udoka is on the steady uptick, but really needs some help.
Future looks a bit shaky at this stage.
I don't know what is worse for a coaching staff: dealing with wayward athletes or coping with interfering parents. In my years of public school coaching I faced my share of both. I found that I could do much to affect change in the difficult athlete; but the parent thing was a much more difficult matter.
I watched much of that 76er/Thunder game. Made me shudder, the obvious body discomfort which JoJo is experiencing. They say he can barely practice most weeks, and spends hours on the massage table. Yet he plays like a behemoth. Remarkable talent for a guy who has spent so little time on the practice and game court since he picked up a basketball. The Kansas connection makes of him a real joy to watch. Not much of an NBA fan or follower, I always try to tune in to 76er contests. Simmons, too, is an extraordinary young talent.
Speaking of optimism, when my wife just pointed out that our Jayhawks are set to play 3 games in the next 6 days, two of those away, I blurted, "Hell, we are likely to lose one of those!" She said, "Oh, I believe you might be thinking a bit optimistically!"
@HighEliteMajor You know, I used to think you were something of a pragmatist, a fella pinched a bit tightly into a cassock of pessimism. But now I read your little ditty about Marcus Peters and our Chiefs.
Only a died in the wool optimist could enter the words CHIEFS and PLAYED BETTER in the same paragraph!
Now it appears that Kansas Basketball has reached the point that the "program" has to lever traditionally ineligible players into positions of partial eligibility. Invest enough coin waging legal battles vs a beleaguered and bewildered national accrediting agency...and SHAZAM!, borderline players get to represent the university half a season. (I had to check back to see if my comments were staying within the parameters of the heading for this thread; and, yeah, I suppose I am VENTING.) Of course, who was to know that young Preston would show up on campus behind the steering wheel of a vehicle, the purchase or ownership being suspicious of impropriety?
@HighEliteMajor Actually, I think it would be terrific to win a pair of national titles every decade. That said, a couple of powerhouse programs, Kentucky and North Carolina, have paid a very high price to do that...crashing the credibility of what some folk would still like to feel is "amateur sport." Am I an uninformed rube, thinking that the KU hoops program hovers much more closely to the fairer (tho ever changing) RULES OF AMATEURISM? Essentially, I guess that I am saying that schools have to cheat to win clusters of national titles. Of course, Big 12 opponents probably feel the same about Bill Self's current conference streak....