HAPPY HOLIDAYS and SAFE TRAVELS to my brethren here at KUBUCKETS.
(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)(party)
Here's all that needs to be said - direct from Leopards website:
No. 10 Kansas Hosts Men's Hoops on Saturday
LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette used contributions from up and down the bench to put away Susquehanna on Tuesday evening inside Kirby Sports Center by a final score of 91-66. The win moves the Leopards to 7-2 on the season, their best start since going 8-1 to start the 2003-04 campaign.
Senior Dan Trist and junior Bryce Scott led the offense with 16 points apiece, while senior captain Seth Hinrichs added 14 points and classmate Joey Ptasinski chipped in with 10 to go along with four assists and three steals. Sophomore Nick Lindner facilitated the offense to the tune of nine assists and just one turnover, and freshman Matt Klinewski was just one point shy of a double-double, pairing his nine points with 11 rebounds.
All 15 players on the Lafayette roster saw playing time in the game as the Maroon and White went 31-for-68 from the floor (45.6%) and 11-for-28 from beyond the arc (39.3%). The Leopards won the rebounding battle for just the third time this season, 53-32. The 50-plus board performance is just the second time the Maroon and White have eclipsed the 50-rebound plateau in a game in the last 10 seasons, doing so last on Dec. 20, 2005 when they ripped down 52 against Dickinson.
SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas, looking to improve upon a 25-10 record a season ago and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, is off to yet another successful season, starting the year at 8-1 and currently ranked 10th in the latest AP Poll. The Jawhawksâ only loss of the year came in the Champions Classic against No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 18, but they have reeled off seven straight wins since that game including a victory over No. 13 Utah in their last contest on Dec. 13, 63-60. Kansas is led by a pair of double-figure scorers in Perry Ellis (14.3 ppg) and Frank Mason III (10.6 ppg). Ellis also paces the Hawks on the glass with 7.0 boards per game. Kansas, an excellent free-throw shooting team at 74.7 percent, uses defense and rebounding to its advantage, holding opponents to 63.2 points per game and winning the battle on the glass with a +6.0 rebounding margin.
LAFAYETTE VS. BIG 12 OPPONENTS
Kansas is the second of a pair of Big 12 opponents the Leopards face this season after falling at West Virginia in their second game of the season, 83-56, on Nov. 16. All-time, Lafayette is 1-5 against Big 12 opponents, with its lone win coming against the Mountaineers on Jan. 23, 1973, a 61-60 victory in Easton. The Maroon and White have also matched up with Baylor and Kansas State in their history.
Sad to say Russell is no longer on the roster. :-(
@justanotherfan
Loyal UT fans down here in Austin know it is just a matter of time before Rick Barnes screws up the team. He is not thought of as a great game day coach. Tickets have gone on sale here and I've got mine. They do have a bench. I've watched most of their games and there are plenty of weaknesses. They average 8000 fans + a game but this one in Jan. will be the only one they sell out. I believe it is on CBS. Won't be like last year. Now that Cliff has had time to play vs big men, should be a great matchup with Ridley. Ridley can get quick fouls and sit most of a half.
Glad to see Kelly get to play and get in PT as it can only help. Like that he got to take questions too after the game with Brannen. Emailed the surgeon that I know this morning to tell him I saw him multiple times on tv right behind the bench and he said it is just a matter of time before Kelly explodes and that he is a really good guy.
@hawkster88 said:
Anyone know if Cliff is starting tonight? It would make sense.
Same starting line up as last 3 games.
@DanR
Glad to see I am not the only one who believes that Kelly will get his mojo. I read this article last week and was glad to see that Gary Parrish (CBS Sports) addressed it and even more impressed with the response by Kelly! Rock Chalk!
Kelly Oubre has a world of talent, but it might take awhile before he can flourish with Kansas.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- When I caught up with Kelly Oubre on Thursday he was getting ready to board the team bus idling in the parking lot here at the HP Field House, Beats By Dre headphones on his ears, a welcoming-smile on his face.
And I wasn't expecting that, frankly.
The welcoming-smile kind of surprised me.
Because, let's be honest, when you're projected as a future lottery pick but currently buried on Kansas' bench, the last thing you'd want to do, I'd imagine, is talk to me (or somebody like me) about a transition from high school to college that's not going smoothly, especially after you just scored two points in four minutes of a 76-60 win over Rhode Island.
Only four players are ahead of Oubre on DraftExpress.com's big board.
But nine different Jayhawks played more minutes than him on Thanksgiving.
And considering this was the second time in four outings he's played just four minutes, and because he's only averaging nine minutes per game, I assumed Oubre would be quiet or defensive or ... I don't know ... something less than welcoming. But he wasn't any of those things. Kelly Oubre was totally cool -- perhaps because, though I might be the first columnist to pull him aside and ask what's up, I'm hardly the first person to ask what's up.
"Yeah, I've gotten that a lot lately ... because, you know, I've never been in a situation like this," Oubre said. "I've always been at the top. But just keeping my confidence 100 is all I can do right now, and I'm just going to continue to do what coach needs me to do."
There are bigger stories in college basketball -- stories about how Big East schools already own quality wins over North Carolina, Michigan, VCU, Florida and Oklahoma, stories about how Kentucky's size in the frontcourt is proving overwhelming for everybody, stories about how Duke looks like a composed and veteran team even though Mike Krzyzewski is starting three freshmen. But a more fascinating story, at least to me, is unfolding this weekend at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, and it centers on a freshman who is, for the first time in his life, dealing with on-the-court adversity.
Off-the-court-adversity?
Sure, Kelly Oubre has dealt with that before.
He was born in New Orleans and lived there until fourth grade, when he relocated to the Houston area after Hurricane Katrina wrecked his hometown. That, by definition, is off-the-court adversity. But basketball has always been simple, relatively speaking. And Oubre's unique combination of size and athleticism helped him become a McDonald's All-American, earn a spot on a USA Basketball roster, and finish his high school career ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2014, according to 247 Sports.
Consequently, most figured Oubre would start on the wing as a freshman at Kansas, just like Andrew Wiggins did last season. And he might still, someday. But that wasn't the case Thursday. And it almost certainly won't be the case Friday or Sunday. Which, again, has produced a rare situation at Kansas, one where a lottery projection is 10th on his own team in minutes per game, and fourth among freshmen on his own team in minutes per game.
That's wild and surprising.
It's something I asked Bill Self to address.
"Mario Chalmers didn't play till Christmas [of his freshman year], Julian Wright didn't play till Christmas, Joel [Embiid] didn't start until like the eighth game of the season," Self said. "So there's a process everybody has to go through, and we have a couple of guys -- obviously Kelly but also Cliff [Alexander] -- who are going through it.
"They're going to be terrific players," Self added. "But they're not terrific players yet."
This, by the way, is the only thing Self concerns himself with.
He doesn't care about recruiting rankings or mock drafts, and he actually thinks they do more harm than good because, he believes, "they put unfair expectations" on prospects like Oubre and Alexander, the latter of whom is another projected lottery pick averaging just 16.3 minutes per game. All Self does each year is assemble a roster, develop it and, every single game, use the players he thinks best give him a chance to win that particular game, and it's hard to argue with his strategy given that he's won 10 straight Big 12 titles.
Still, I'd be lying if I said it's not strange to watch Oubre wear warmups all game, and Oubre would be lying if he said this is how he expected to spend November. Because it's not. He expected to play and wants to play. He's not sure what to make of this. But everybody -- from Self to his assistants to KU's other players -- insisted, both publicly and privately, that Oubre is handling things well, and that, if nothing else, is a good sign.
"Kelly has a great attitude," said fellow freshman Devonte Graham, who is averaging twice as many minutes per game as Oubre. "When you're a top player in the country, like he was coming out of high school, you just expect to come in and have a great year when you get to college, and it's not going great for him right now. But his attitude is amazing. And when he gets out of this little slump, he's going to be one of the best players on the team."
Oubre nodded at this hypothetical.
Yes, he knows people are wondering about him, and, absolutely, he understands why. But he promised he hasn't lost sight of the larger picture, and he swore he's simply embracing the process while still planning to be what everybody predicted he'd be.
@Crimsonorblue22 and @HEM
You are both right. It WAS a Wake Forest game we were watching. And I only saw the name on the jersey. My bad!
And just remembered while watching a Maryland game earlier this week that Scotty Wilbekin was playing on Maryland. Why did he transfer from FL? Was it like Tarik? A senior and already graduated? I remember thinking "well at least we don't have to worry about him when we play Florida." :-)
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on KuBuckets.com.
Agree with them switching conferences?
Saw this about another D-Leaguer. Anyone surprised?
Former Kansas University point guard Naadir Tharpe has averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 assists a game in his first five games with the Los Angeles D-fenders of the NBA Developmental League. The team plays in the Lakersâ practice facility which seats under 200 fans.
Tharpe, 5-11 from Worcester, Massachusetts, left KU after three seasons. He said he wanted to be closer to his 2-year-old daughter who had medical issues. Tharpe told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette his daughter is fine and her health wasnât the main reason he departed KU.
âIt just didnât work out how it was supposed to. Thatâs why I left,â said Tharpe. Remember, a risque photo of Tharpe and a woman appeared on the Internet prior to his departure, causing quite a controversy.
âIt was basically both the coachâs as well as mine, but the majority of it was the coachâs decision,â Tharpe added of leaving.
âBeing a point guard, you have to be able to lead in all aspects. So a couple of situations, I felt like I wasnât leading my best, and everything falls back on the point guard. Youâve got to be able to want to take that toll and commit to that. There were certain situations he didnât feel like I did my thing on the court. I also know myself that wasnât my best play at Kansas. So we both just came to the decision that it wasnât good for me to stay there.â
He decided against transferring because he was not sure the NCAA would grant him a waiver to play this season. He did not want to sit out a year.
âI definitely feel like I have a chance (to play in NBA),â Tharpe told reporter Bill Doyle. âI just have to be able to focus and showcase my skills. Thatâs what it comes down to. If Iâm able to do that, scouts and other teams will be able to see me.â
Pussycats lost to AZ too. Without Foster, would have been a shellacking.
@JayHawkFanToo
Seth Davis kept us at #5 on his ballot for SI!
The AP Poll I saw had us at #11. Coaches at #12.
@KUSTEVE So succinct. Not much else to say.
Am sad but not thinking that there isn't a way to get things back on track. I know Coach has a lot of ammunition now for teaching/motivation and he is pretty darn good about getting them in sync. UK has the pressure now and we will see how they handle the hype. We on the other hand must have a leader on the floor and Mason needs to learn how to pass the ####### ball. Wake up call for everyone.
Great thoughts by HEM. Think HCBS said a lot of those same things. Does it make any difference that they only have the 1 real game to scout us on? Do you think that since both Cliff and Kelly have played with many of the UK players on the 2nd platoon that they aren't intimidated as much as say any of the other freshmen? HCBS said that he will play our game and that a game this early in the season isn't the time to change what you are doing. Maybe Feb. or March he would but not now.
I hear you. They were all so hesitant to pick us last year with all the talent of Wiggins & Joel. Maybe they have come to the realization that once every so often if they pick us they might get it right? LOL. No, I think Myron is just considering what the potential of the team will be by the time March rolls around.
KU memes @KUmemes ¡ Nov 10
"@MedcalfByESPN: Who is in your Final Four right now?"
KU. A team that loses to KU in Final 4. A team that loses to KU in Championship. Team
@Crimsonorblue22
Kelly O is definitely comfortable with his do. I like his individuality!
And yes we girls do like him.
HE MADE THE ROSTER! Good for him. Hope to go see him play in opener Nov. 23rd. Rock Chalk!
Bryce Cotton G 6-0 163 Providence
Joshua Davis F 6-8 216 San Diego State
Jarell Eddie F 6-7 220 Virginia Tech
Greg Gantt G 6-2 205 Florida Atlantic
JaMychal Green F 6-9 220 Alabama
Erik Murphy F 6-10 240 Florida
##Russell Robinson G 6-1 190 Kansas
17 Jonathan Simmons G 6-6 195 Houston
Mfon Udofia G 6-2 194 Georgia Tech
Devondrick Walker G 6-5 205 N.W. Oklahoma
Keith Wright F 6-8 240 Harvard
The Morri have Bobblehead nights this Fri. and on Dec. 12. They interlock.
Here you go...
s....e......x?
See ARod and Lance Armstrong for habitual lying and cheating!
Once Jesse left, I infrequently went there. Now it is just the same old tired posters. The only thing I like is Nick Krug's photos.
I think it was you who said that Kelly had issues with his knees because he was wearing those "dreaded black knee wraps." Looking at the pictures on the other site that will go unnamed, all of the other players except Landen, Perry, Svi and Hunter have the black stretch stockings on. If I am mistaken, please clarify. Thanks.
Just got the following email:
You see Russell Robinson ex-Jayhawk is on our training camp roster?
Allen Schlesinger
Premium Sales Manager
Austin Spurs
Austin Toros changed their name last month to Austin Spurs. This weekend they traded away Mike Kabongo (formerly UT). Saw Julian Wright play many games there a couple of years ago.
Good to get the first one in the bag. Loved the energy from Cliff. Glad to see Landen wasn't as dinged up as we had assumed and he made the most of his minutes. Will be important if Jam Tray racks up the fouls like he did last night. My favorite player before the season began and still is the Lefty - Oubre. I expect him to progress each game.
Fired Up for the game. Thanks for posting.
When I put the url into Google, 4 hits came back and 2 were for KU Buckets!
Tarik Black | KU Buckets
www.kubuckets.com âş KU Basketball News
Just maybe Excluding Covington, Mitchell and Powell, the Rockets would have to make two more cuts. Rookie center ... I don't follow the NBA much so I wouldn't know about Tarik if you (or some one) didn't post about him. ...
KU Buckets: Home
kubuckets.com/
Found this story last week here in Austin. Oh to have such problems!
Falling mattress + fancy art = litigation
Posted: 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014
By Ken Herman - American-Statesman Staff
ďťż
Youâve seen the ads, you know the deal: If you donât buy a new mattress every few weeks something bad will happen to you, something like creepy crawlers creepy crawling up your nose during sleep or other bedcentric activities.
But bad things also can happen if you do buy a new mattress. Austinites David and Suzanne Booth found that out the hard way. So says a lawsuit.
Letâs meet the Booths. Heâs co-founder/co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, which manages $378 billion for investors and strives âto add value over benchmarks and peers through an integrated and flexible approach that considers the interactions among premiums, market frictions and costs.â Sounds like it involves math.
Forbes magazine this year named Booth as Austinâs third billionaire, joining computer guru Michael Dell and hair-goo guru John Paul DeJoria.
The Booths are major philanthropists. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is so named because the Booths gave it $300 million in 2008. (Itâs his grad school alma mater.) They founded Friends of Heritage Preservation, which selects projects for restoration. See its impressive work at fohpinfo.org.
In 2010, the Booths paid $4.3 million for basketball inventor James Naismithâs original 1891 rules of the game. The rules are displayed at the University of Kansas, where Naismith coached and David Booth graduated.
Now to the Boothsâ new mattress, ordered for them in June 2013 from Wildflower Organics (where you can now get the Keetsa Tea Leaf Dream for $2,098 or the Royal-Pedic Latex 7-zone Quilt Top for $4,149. Call Gunnar at 888-760-5856.)
Delivery was by Elephant Moving (and no, the mattress was not delivered in a trunk, and this is my column so keep your jokes to yourself) on Aug. 5, 2013, according to the lawsuit, which notes a âwide winding staircaseâ was involved.
All went well until it didnât.
âWhile defendant Elephant Movingâs employees and/or independent contractors carried the mattress up the stairs to the second floor,â says the lawsuit, âthe mattress shifted position and struck a valuable oil on canvas painting by a reputable artist, Ellsworth Kelly, that was hanging on the wall, causing it to fall and hit another piece of fine art, a wall sculpture by John McCracken. Both pieces of art fell to the first floor and sustained damages as herein set forth.â
Alas, we are not told whether either Booth was home to see the action. âMr. Booth is unavailable,â his spokesman Adam Martin said in response to my request to speak to Booth. We are left to assume a transcript of the mattress delivery would look like this: CRASH â#*&%#!â
If youâre laughing now, if youâre even smiling about other peopleâs travails, youâre a bad human and Iâm initiating proceedings to have your voting rights revoked.
The lawsuit was filed by Federal Insurance Co., which covered the Booths, is paying their claim and now wants to collect from Elephant Moving. The suit says the painting is worth $1.35 million and the sculpture goes for $225,000.
Thereâs nothing in the suit about how the mattress fared. Maybe Gunnar knows.
The suit said Federal Insurance has paid for the sculpture damage (Brief pause for limited audience reference. Overheard at repair shop when this sculpture was fixed: âRelease the McCracken!â) and is awaiting final word on the cost of the damage to the painting.
The Elephant folks, according to the lawsuit, failed to âproperly and adequately plan, inspect, oversee, transport, deliver, carry and place the mattress using safe methods and to protect against damage to the Booth home and personal property during delivery.â
Elephant Moving sales manager Joanna Levi said she was unaware of the lawsuit and âvaguelyâ recalled the incident, which she said happened because the customers failed to clear the way for the delivery. The deliverers, she said, âmay have brushed a picture off a wall.â
So add this to lifeâs difficult choices: Live with the creepy crawlies in your old mattress or put your high-dollar art collection at risk.
Have you seen the YouTube of a farmer in Kansas who serenades his cows with a trombone to the tune of "Royals" by Lorde? Pretty cool.
[
@globaljaybird That's what I remember about Hrabosky too! Was always a treat to see him and guess what he would do next. Darrell Porter was a fav too. Freddie Patek, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Clint Hurdle and Hal McRae showed up every game and were workhorses. Harold Ensley had to have been in his late 80's when I sat by him and was such a gentleman. Have fun at the Speedway. My brother worked for the concrete company out of Leavenworth that poured all the concrete there and he got a special deal on a suite.
Great week for KC Sports - Chiefs beat Brady, Royals Win Wild Card and the soccer team getting recognized by President Obama at the White House today. "So, clearly, something is going on in Kansas City," Obama said during a White House ceremony honoring the city's soccer franchise. The President also praised another proud Kansas City product, White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
P.S. The attorney I work for is representing Huston Street, pitcher for the Angels, on some real estate deals he is doing here in Austin. He's a really nice guy!
I was sitting 11 rows behind home plate from 1976-1978 when they won three straight division championships. Harold Ensley and all the player's wives were around us. I never watched another game until the 1985 World Series. Was happy to hear that they won last night and hope they keep it up.
I have a George Brett Christmas ornament that I put on my tree every year that was issued by Hallmark on the 20th anniversary of the 85 World Series.
Remember Al Hrabosky (The Mad Hungarian or Hungo)?
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/wiggins-first-pitch â â
Good to see him being himself.
A_Hudy just posted an Instagram video of Wayne!
50 minutes ago
264 lbs clean by Wayne Selden
Check it out!
Had been away for several days. Thanks @approxinfinity for your efforts.
@RedRooster All my settings are the same as when I logged off early last week.
Could it be your browser version?
Just trying to help.
I had seen headlines about the firefighters but had not read further to realize what they had done. Sad for all involved.
The video link with the clip I watched above had an ad for the new movie "Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For". That's the new movie by Robert Rodriguez (with co-director Frank Miller). Robert is our client and my boss and I got to watch Jessica Alba during filming this spring. During the practices we were allowed to watch, but when it came time for actually filming her on the stripper stage she asked us to leave. All the extras were there. WTF? How many hundreds of thousands of people are going to watch the movie and she was worried about me and my boss? My boss went to the premiere and after party last night here in Austin. I declined to go to the Cast and Crew Showing Wed. night. as it was too late and too long of a drive for me.
WOULD LOVE TO BE THERE FOR THIS :-)
Former Kansas University basketball coaches Ted Owens, Larry Brown and Roy Williams will gather with current coach Bill Self on Oct. 27 on Allen Fieldhouseâs James Naismith Court to share memories with fans as part of the program, âCelebrating 60 Years.â
Ticket information will be released in early September.
The four coaches, who have guided the Jayhawks over the last 50 years, will enjoy a night speaking about KU basketball and the fieldhouse, which this season celebrates its 60th season.
Proceeds will go to Selfâs Assists Foundation as well as the other three coachesâ favorite charities.
âOnly at Kansas do we get to celebrate a milestone such as this, bringing four living legends together to honor our history and our legacy,â KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger said.
Noted SELF: âFor 115 years, Kansas has been a standard of excellence for our sport. There arenât very many places â if any â where you can invite back the last four coaches who have led the program for the last 51 years to celebrate an anniversary like this one. This is such a special place. Kansas Athletics has really made this a unique event, using the money to benefit the charities that mean a lot to each of us. I know the fans will enjoy it and I will be honored to be a part of it.â
Said WILLIAMS: âSixty years in one phenomenal arena â wow! That has been the site of some unbelievable victories and accomplishments of one of the greatest home-court advantages in the history of college sports. The tradition of Kansas basketball is a tradition of success and Allen Fieldhouse has been a great part of that. The Jayhawk faithful make it almost impossible for the opponents every night. Coaching in that arena is a real treat and I loved it. Iâm ecstatic to be part of this anniversary celebration.â
Said BROWN: âThe years I spent at Kansas were an incredible time in my life that I will always cherish. The people I got to know, the players who were part of the program and the coaches who worked with me will always be a big part of my life. I am thrilled to be included in this celebration. I canât imagine a place being more special than Allen Fieldhouse. It was such a great opportunity to coach in that environment. And coming back to KU with Bill Self as the head coach always makes me smile after having the opportunity to coach alongside him.â
And noted OWENS: âI am honored to be a part of the Kansas basketball family. I really look forward to spending the time with these three men for whom I have the greatest respect. I also look forward to being back with our great Kansas fans.â
@Statmachine Whoever has the "insider" access on ESPN, there is an article by Jay Bilas that should be added (cut & paste?) here.
The Jayhawks are coming off a 25-10 season in which they won the Big 12 with a 14-4 conference record and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed. Coach Bill Self lost two players, Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, to the NBA draft, along with his starting point guard, Naadir Tharpe. And, without the late-season injuries to Embiid, one could argue that Kansas' postseason results would have been much better.
But the cupboard is hardly bare. It is fully stocked with young talent, and Kansas will be the favorite to win the Big 12 yet again and have a legitimate chance to be even better.
@HighEliteMajor I know you have stated this position in the past but I am one who is proud of that accomplishment by the whole program and think it is something to be very proud of. And yes I have tshirts that I bought to commemorate them.
Maybe you hadn't seen this quote from Perry (15 days ago). I agree with your assessment :)
Quote from Perry Ellis:
Love that he will get the younger guys to understand the importance of the "game by game, winning" mantra.
WOW! Hadn't been to the site this week and JUST WOW. Love it.
Can't wait for the season to begin so all the guys can show what they have. HCBS will have a hard time trying to figure out who plays and as he has always said, doing good in practice gets them closer to PT.
Thanks for the stats. Where are the articles on these games?
I'll be the only one to go out on a limb and pick Cliff Alexander. I believe his ability to protect the rim and block shots (not to mention his short range shooting) will make him a stat leader way beyond what he did in high school. His shot blocking will be what is needed to fill that void that has been lacking since Jeff and TRob left. I like his dominance around the rim and think he's had plenty of experience playing against the best players in all his post-season games so as not to feel intimated going up against seasoned players in the league. Can't wait to see him vs. Ridley! (All this is said with the proviso that his ankle sprain doesn't turn into an ongoing issue.)
Quote from Perry Ellis:
Love that he will get the younger guys to understand the importance of the "game by game, winning" mantra.
The story was written by Eamonn Brennan for crying out loud. Someone who thinks he knows everything about college basketball. So full of himself.
@Lulufulu85 Good luck on your move. I have AW22's autograph on my Jayhawk from the game here in Austin. JoJo didn't sign it as he was not feeling good and had ice on his knee and you'll remember that was the game Ridley threw him to the ground and we lost bad. He and Jamari were the only ones who did NOT sign.
Re: His outfit. Here is an explanation from LJW article:
âYou know what his agent told him,â said KU coach Bill Self, who sat at Wigginsâ table in the green room. ââIf youâre gonna be the first pick, you gotta carry something with ya.â Twenty years from now, theyâll go back and heâll still be here. So from a marketing standpoint, I think it was a pretty good move.â
Self didnât stop there.
Making a splash was precisely the plan, according to Wiggins, who still had the bright smile but added a look you might expect from someone who said the whole experience âdoesnât even feel real right now.â
âWe just wanted to do something different so we could stand out with the style points and going No. 1,â he said.