Bill Self is not screwing with a kid's head (and future earnings) because of a simple parking problem. Preston's situation runs deeper than parking/vehicle registration. By now, after 3 sittings, the "situation" had best be cleared up satisfactorily by Billy and family...or we've got another Alexander deal on our hands, with no positive resolution.
REHawk
1583 posts
@dylans Man O Man! I watched Embiid's 46 pt. game Wed. night. That player is absolutely marvelous! If he can maintain enough health to keep earning 30 minutes, he is going to light up NBA stats.
He was inching toward a quadruple double vs. the Lakers. A most valuable commodity who has sold scads of tickets and reinvigorated the fan base in Philly. Just a colossal talent! Also a very fun commentator! Kudos for the 76ers for staying the rehab course.
@BShark Good to read another side of the situation. The "program" is certainly treading very carefully and fairly silently.
On the other hand if I was a talented freshman player who was offered a free education, room and board, I'd probably leap at the first opportunity to apply my monthly athletes' stipend to the maintenance and fuel tank of a set of wheels. This current investigation must be highly frustrating for all concerned....
Something smells fishy about this ordeal. Otherwise, the coaching staff, which seems obviously highly concerned about the situation with our Bigs, would have pushed Compliance to get this cleared up pronto. Bill Self looks to be wary about the situation; would rather hold Billy out and move slowly than find the program's reputation and wins in jeopardy after having played the kid. Gotta be more to it than a simple matter of registration and clearance, car and family.
For instance, how did the car get to Lawrence from Florida? Did BIlly's missing curfew have something to do with this vehicle? If all is as simple as twitter posting would appear to indicate, then we will see this recruit in action tonight. Me, I am growing weary of fishy or obfuscating social media postings.
Once again, good dependable coverage, Lumpy. I always look forward to your posts.
@HighEliteMajor "We could get him a car or something." Heck yes; there is a popular model positioned right now, out in the parking lot of the men's dorm. Just a wee bit of body work, and it is up and running for our next Big.
Gotta remember, even with Super Frank Mason we played some grind it out games last season, barely pulling out some key victories.
The Preston absence is a real concern; the DeSousa possibilities make for exciting anticipation; essentially, we now possess the best set of 5 guards in the nation, with a giant of a Big whose game is progressing right on target. At this stage I feel very positive about this season.
Billy, I am not amused at your "comical" accusations. Time now to get your act together and fulfill the hoops promise which surrounded your recruiting and arrival at KU. Personally, I am much more interested in you as a Jayhawk basketball player than as a private person with a growing set of problems which prevent your representing this fine program on game nights. You are in command of your own destiny. Please give your fans a break and actually show up to play in the next game.
Strike 2 on our prize freshman power forward. Bill Self is not messing around trying to baby this kid. If this car thing is not resolved quickly in Preston's favor the kid might get an extension at the plate for a possible strike 3; but his batting time looks to be running short. The words Personal Responsibility loom ominously.
Step up, Mitch Lightfoot! Make the very most and best of this golden opportunity to grow and shine!
Jb, I would say it is yet too early in the season to answer most of your questions. Also, specific opponents will contribute toward decision making. That said, I would, at this stage, trust Graham more than most of his teammates to take most of your posed shots. But if Bill Self promotes that scenario, then the path to successful shooting will increase incrementally for other gunners who are not guarded so closely as Devonte.
No one guard ever will replace the fierce determination of Frank Mason...and his 200+ from the line, 47% treys. We are bound to lose a couple of close games this season, games that Frank would not have allowed us to lose. That said, our over-all guard play looks to be on a speedy uptick. Devonte might not rise to the level of National POY, but he appears bound to become a giant headache for opposing coaches and frustrated defenders. Vick looks to have improved ever so much during the offseason. Finally, we get the services of Newman, the Macburger with Mustard guy who, for about 18 months, has chomped at the proverbial bit to get back into the arena. Steady Svi stayed around to embellish his credentials. Garrett looks to be an unusual freshman guard, born ready. Doke showed us that he is bent upon avoiding mega fouling. Now if Preston can bounce back and stay shy of Bill Self's dog house this current Jayhawk squad bears terrific potential. That word POTENTIAL is probably worth at least 3, perhaps 4 conference losses; but could be loaded with happy prospects for post season glory. Right now I would say that jaybate has touched upon a significant factor. Will Newman work in harmony with his talented point guard? If so, all comers BEWARE!
I predict that our experience will lead to a Kansas victory, esp. at this stage of the season. John Cal is bound to work toward foul problems for our bigs, hoping that athleticism of his frosh will curb our guards. If Jayhawks stay focused and out of the doghouse until Tues. eve I am wagering on a Kansas win, probably by more than six points. But I envision foul problems for a pair of our players, even though Bill Self is a super manager at shuffling minutes. Garrett's debut minutes are an advantageous success, complicating Kentuck's strategy and planning. Marcus worked fluidly with our improving offense; and he was not a defense negative. He even displayed a penchant for thinking a step ahead, whipping some nice passes. For a first regular season contest some of our team passing looked crisp and exciting.
Whatever the cause, both former Jayhawks Bragg and C J Giles have turned out to be huge losses to the program. Both players gifted with super talent and gifted with the opportunity to play meaningful roles in a historically monumental site; but self destructive habits seem to have blitzed their potentials. For decades, Jayhawk Hoops has moved forward as a type of pressure cooker which elevates the lives of many while concurrently boiling a few others to a state of mush. I feel for those kids...and wonder: if I possessed such tremendous potential, would I have held up under such heat? Quite possibly I would not have done so. Maybe even the likes of a Josh Jackson might have crashed and burned if he had faced such intense KU Hoops Heat for 4 challenging seasons.
Roy and Bill are two very hardy individuals, maintaining their dominance year after scorching year. Life in the KU Basketball Program offers up a very challenging test for the creme de la creme.
@HighEliteMajor Yep. Mizzou, too.
@KUSTEVE A very good point.
Self proclaims that Devonte is perhaps the most popular Jayhawk athlete on campus. Spends some of his free time sitting in the Union. I see Lightfoot as a kid who embodies much of the Jayhawk Spirit. A player who always craved the opportunity to wear a Kansas uniform, now an upwardly mobile force whose energy and determination push toward meaningful minutes. And, when on the pine, he's a guy who gushes enthusiasm.
Did you folks notice how Bill Self dodged the Wichita State question in post game dialogue? Evidently, if such a charity exhibition situation should arise in the future, Bill would much rather play Mizzou than an in-state non-con rival. I have been a strong "denier" regarding future KU/MU matchups; but this exhibition contest and its magnificent response tends to bend my outlook. If MU can sustain hoops strength for the near future, I can envision a Big 12/SEC matchup between the schools, a situation which Bill might not dodge. And, of course, the NCAA Tourney managers are bound to calculate dollars generated by such a post season contest between the two programs. Looks to me as though the "series" might be bound to slide in again...by the back door.
@KUSTEVE Yeah, I am all for that gameday REMINDER.
I hope the hoops charity game idea sweeps the country...and at all levels of play, Division 1 right on down to Jr. High. But I am still opposed to Self's choice of opponent. KU should totally leave those traitors in their own garbage heap.
@JayHawkFanToo Well, something just doesn't seem right about Self's decision. I know that he probably leaps at the chance to get in an extra glorified practice contest with a real outside opponent; but WHY MIZZOU? Seems very bizarre to me. I am an old Missouri resident, and I had hoped to see KU stay shy of treacherous Tigers until I was in the grave. Kansas could have played some other opponent and earned more charity money with less bitter reprisal and grief.
Bill Self either is not in control or is a weaker man than I had long calculated.
@dylans I think you are dead on: Lew would have been able to generate 5x the money, probably with a worthier opponent. Like dragonslayr, I can't understand Bill Self's change of heart. What the deuce inspired him to seal this horrendous deal? Is he not in charge of his schedule?
@JayHawkFanToo Heck, I'm not sure that anyone at KU sits above Bill's pay grade. But I do imagine that he was moved by some political clout; maybe something by way of future funding for the university...or bigtime donor advice. Perhaps BigShoe made the decision?
Bill Self? It's kinda like some political clown recently said about the U.S. Secretary of State: I like him alright; I just wish he was a little tougher! This bullet he bit probably chipped a couple of incisors.
Any team but Mizzou. Invite Wichita State to AFH or Sprint Center, why not. Mizzou turned its back on a 100 year old rivalry. Shun them forever!
@approxinfinity My entry here is somewhat tangential to jaybate's original thesis, but does tie in to your killing games scenario. A distant acquaintance recently told me of a situation in which a five year old boy sits hourly playing a "game" in which "cops" are killed.
He recently brayed, "I killed 4 cops!"
@JayHawkFanToo Ah yes. I shouldn't have employed the word "lurking." How about "floating?"
@REHawk Betcha he would be a safe hire who wouldn't TAKE A KNEE!
@jaybate-1.0 Shucks, where the heck is Kelvin Sampson when Louisville needs him? Probably lurking around D.C. hoping for an opportunity to slip into position to work for current White House team as an ethics expert, knowledgeable and fully tested though twice removed.
Have any Jayhawk OADers signed pro commercial contracts with Adidas after leaving KU?
@jaybate-1.0 Life is a stacked deck. For the likes of Bill Self, the life of a topflight recruiter boils down to SHOES.
Regarding Bragg's Jayhawk demise, I view him as not bearing the maturity to make gravy out of his situation. Some players who are asked or forced to play out of their customary or desired position rise to the occasion, and, in doing so, elevate their overall knowledge of the game and potential on the court. Also, they elevate their pro draft status. Bragg seems to have lapsed into a fog. I wish for him the best, a very quick sense of renewed focus going forward. It would appear that he must govern his social attachments and promise himself that he is to be more committed to straight A to Z improvement in his game.
IF he really hopes to play the game eventually at a higher level. It is quite possible that the pressures of coaching and of the game itself is something that he really would prefer not to face in a regimented manner.
@JayHawkFanToo I hope that King writes an updated version, and includes the likes of Frank Mason. I would drive 300 miles to pay that kid to autograph a chapter.
Also, in BEYOND THE PHOG, sports writer Jason King did not pull punches in the matter of player feelings toward their now heralded mentor. A few of Self's minions are a bit reserved or sometimes lightly critical of their coach. That said, there exists no doubt in who was/is boss. I would say that, even though Self has developed amazingly effective change-ups over his coaching years in Lawrence, his recruits soon learn emphatically that IT's GOING TO BE MY WAY...or the highway! Ocasionally, perhaps in cases such as the Henrys or Wiggins, Bill has bent more than customarily to family input; but those probably were very rare compromises, and then only for the acquisition of very rare talents who obviously weren't bound to be 3 or 4-year mainstays in his program. He is capable of a tiny bit of GIVE, but only in a temporary sense, something which won't disturb his longterm sleep patterns.
@mayjay Man, you gotta read that book. Esp., I recommend the Sherron Collins commentary, Chapter 33. He calls B. Rush "the goofiest guy I ever met!" O Boy! This book is a must read for all fans of Bill Self KU Hoops. You are guaranteed to do lots of laughing, also to connect with deeper insights into Jayhawk Basketball even before Self's arrival. In Chapter One, Roy speaks.
@JayHawkFanToo You beat me to this punch. That was my immediate thought, the Simien and Co. graduation suit thing. Times they keep a'changing, but look at the ironical hypocrisy inherent in these situations.
@JayHawkFanToo As I recall, and admittedly I am at the age when memory has begun to fade, Padget's dad was not happy with the manner in which Bill was playing David. He had been recruited to play Roy's game which was very different from the Bill Self strategy.
And, yeah, I read Giddin's account of his "situation." I tend to go with Billy Packer's declaration that essentially KU was playing the game with 4 players when Giddins was in the lineup. The kid was highly talented but not a comfortable fit into what Self was still learning to do. Then the bar scene and fracas, a matter which always gives coaches major cause for hair pulling. Bill might not have that much remaining hair to yank. Ergo, all current Jayhawks should be advised to think rationally and very carefully in offcourt decisions and spontaneous actions. Oncourt, too.
@JayHawkFanToo My mistake regarding Russ Rob. l thought he was on that team Self's first year. And you are right, most probably, in asserting that the good juniors on that team were not quite at the level of the squad which Tubby inherited from Pitino. And, of course I am not saying that Tubby Smith is anywhere near the level of Bill Self as a coach. You are pushing the envelope of good communication in suggesting so. Also, Self inherited a big problem or two with that first crew: Padget and Giddins, both Roy's recruits, one who departed Lawrence after that year, the other who lingered long enough to drag the program into national negative focus. In retrospect, Tubby lucked out and got his national title right off the bat. And yeah, he has not competed well since. Bill has built a magnificent foundation, posted spectacular league notoriety, still struggles come April. His legacy far outshines the likes of Tubby Smith...or most any other but very few coaches in the history of the college game. I am in no way knocking Bill Self. In my opinion, his learning curve has always been on the ascent.
Bill Self can go several different ways with his current talent...and will probably have to. If I am preparing to defend against this Jayhawk squad I had best prepare for startling change-ups!
@JayHawkFanToo Well, I can't really speak for Tubby. He might not be laughing. But as for the team he inherited from Pitino at Kentucky, he did take them further than the really fine kids which Self inherited from Roy Williams. Shucks, Tubby might even have handled freshman Russel Robinson in a more productive manner.
Admittedly, I seem to have trouble leaving alone this Cedric thing. There has just been too much Lawson bros. smoke since April. Blockhead behavior. Perhaps it is just a shoe brand problem which dogs our recruiting staff? The success of this grand transfer plan is yet very much an unsettled matter for debate. I recognize that Tubby Smith is caught up in the downhill slide of his coaching career; but I can envision his chuckling at out headaches with his transfer brothers. After all, at stake is the status of heralded Jayhawk Basketball.
I am really surprised that some distant big player has not found his way to Lawrence to grab that waiting scholarship. Shucks, with just a little bit of big help this looks to be a Final Four squad. A rising European or South American star could immediately embellish his NBA draft potential and gain national attention by becoming a part of this ready made unit.
There exists a double edged sword in the matter of recruiting players who did not fit comfortably into other programs and settings. Our coaching staff can look for players who already show super talent on the court; and the year of Jayhawk practice time while gaining eligibility to play is a major plus. So, by the time transfers are eligible they, ideally, should be tried, tested and hungry to fit comfortably into a winning operation. On the other hand, players who did not fit in elsewhere (or were headaches to other coaches) sometimes fall into very touchy trial projects, quite likely to push various envelopes both on and off the court. From what I have read, I've a feeling that Newman is set to fit right into Bill Self Basketball as well as to glean favor from Jayhawk fandom. The Lawsons were hit with immediate negative fan, and probably coach reaction, what with the Tubby Smith bashing, verbally on record by KJ. Then brother Dedric drew a major setback via summer actions which cost him a team trip to Italy. Now more Dedric adverse publicity, perhaps not fully warranted, but broadcast negatively in the sporting news, nevertheless. And tucked away somewhere is the account of an explosive Lawson eruption vs. a former Memphis teammate, perhaps an incident reported to involve weapons on one or both sides. I am fully aware that recruiting quality bigs to an Adidas program located in the cold old winter Big 12 heartland is tough; but OUCH!
For a couple of decades I have been a devoted follower of Kansas basketball. Have come to cherish and respect the character and good behavior of most of the players who have worn the crimson and blue. But if I find that Dedric purposefully broke LightFeet's nose I will rant against that recruit until he eventually and finally slithers away from Lawrence.
My gut flinched from the outset when one of the Lawson brothers offered up a "F... you, Tubby!" upon parting from his former Memphis coach. Then when Dedric was left off the Italy trip, I thought, "O MY, another upcoming season of conflict." Now more Lawson controversy involving a 1:30 a.m. bar incident. I'm old enough, and I have coached enough to know with absolute certainty that this recruiting project ain't bound to go smoothly for all concerned. Bill Self has too much credibility at stake to allow this crap to scar his legacy.
After watching and re-watching Diallo's high school super performances, I was absolutely drooling at his KU signing. Then reality leaped into the fray and his summer and early season progress were absolutely stymied. Crushed. By now we all know full well that player development under Bill Self is a slow but steady process; and those early non-con games are essential to a freshman's moving forward to fit into dependable team play by the meat of the league season. Cheick just wasn't destined to be ready when needed. A kid who might have become one of the most exciting players in the Bill Self years faded into the varnish of the pine. Can't blame him for packing his bags and moving on. He was much more confident in his potential than were his Jayhawk teammates and many college pundits. As it has turned out, justifiably so. Conversely, I don't blame our coaching staff for not gambling on his playing time vs. that of the lesser talented but more knowledgeable Lucas. The situation was one big clusterfidaddle.
LiteFeet possesses that very fine Crimson and Blue Quality which appeals to fans, encourages them to pull for him. I see him as one of those competitors who, like was once said of the old west dreaded Texas Ranger, "...just keeps a'coming!" I'm betting on Mitch to prove his worth.
@Kcmatt7 With the addition of Robinson, no reason for not gliding to Final Four...except for the fact that Mitchell is indeed a raw freshman...and he might immediately suffer a broken nose?
Well, I am counting on our Rabbit/Hat Puller to bring in a big kid to fill that lone scholarship, hopefully for eligibility this current season, at least by Christmas. Actually, I had kinda figured that he would unearth a budding talent while playing in Italy...but the taller prospects among the opposition apparently had not advanced much further than jr. high age level.
@approxinfinity Did you pull the wire from the plug, then attempt to spin the blade? If no resistance you might need to replace the key in the blade housing. Other than that, how about the carb spring?