Tarik said it rather succintly in post game presser. Paraphrasing some here, but he said "We get the in state rivalry and we have been in some pretty hostile places. Iowa State was really hostile and Oklahoma was okay. We have been really tested and we are ready."
Knowing he gets it as a new player in the conference says a lot and I am grateful for his leadership and enthusiasm he brings every game!
Wow, OSU and Baylor at the bottom of the league. OSU tied with Tech. Who woulda thunk that? I thought Smart told everyone just this week that he had to put all that behind him and was going to come out and be a better player. NOT.
Oh hey UT lost too. The tv down here in Austin had nothing good from that game to talk about or show. ;-)
Next Sat., the 15th, when TCU comes to AFH is the most logical but would love to see it against a more worthy opponent like vs UT on Feb. 22.
@wissoxfan83 I heard Jimmy Dykes speak the truth the other night, i.e., that Bill Self does NOT get mentioned for National or Big 12 Coach of the Year because "we all know what BIll can do, has done and we expect him to win year in and year out." He went on to say that it wasn't right that he is always omitted. I think individually many analysts get what KU is and what it has done but the agenda of their keeper is to laud the Big East/ACC/SEC (be it football or basketball). Look at all the talk about which conference is better this year and all the minutes spent by ESPN et al. on nothing but that. At least KU is always mentioned when they do go on ad nauseum about Big 10 v Big 12 v Big East, right?
[Intro Video to Iowa State game 1.30.14](
Hope the fans are this pumped for WV Sat. They had lots of empty seats at their OU game last night (maybe weather related) and don't think they will have experienced a crowd this size yet this season. But watching a lot of Big 12 games, arenas aren't full except for when we play (Baylor Tues. may be the only exception).
Rock Chalk!
[Pay Heed Season 2 Episode 3](
Love these because you get to see the real emotion of the team in the locker room afterwards.
@drgnslayr But he also whined about every player out to get him. Welcome to the real world. What, they are all supposed to be intimidated by him and let him score at ease?
@Crimsonorblue22 Right and he did that here in Austin too but still had to have ice.
Premiere appears to be in Lawrence per the LJW. I don't see anything about when it gets into theatres. As an indie, it may be in selected theatres based on interest. We'll have to keep watching. Bet ESPN will mention it.
Wilt Chamberlain film ‘Jayhawkers’ premiering Feb. 14
By Ashleigh Tidwell January 17, 2014
Kansas University professor and filmmaker Kevin Willmott will premiere his new film "Jayhawkers" at the Lied Center on Feb. 14.
"Jayhawkers," which was partially filmed in Lawrence, documents the recruitment and Kansas career of Wilt Chamberlain. It focuses on how his presence within the university's basketball program affected race relations in Kansas and across the country during the '50s.
Current KU forward Justin Wesley makes his debut performance in the lead role as Chamberlain.
The film was co-written and directed by Willmott, a KU film and media studies professor, whose past films include "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America" and "The Only Good Indian."
Showings of the film will be 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Feb. 14; 11 a.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Feb. 15; and 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 16. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at lied.ku.edu/events or at the Lied Center Ticket Office.
Here is a link to the first trailer:
http://msn.foxsports.com/kansas-city/story/watch-the-first-official-trailer-for-the-new-wilt-chamberlain-film-jayhawkers-011614 ↗
↗
Here is a link to the Kickstarter site they had for raising the $$ and some pictures of Wilt with Big Seven trophy, Mass St. celebration photo from 57, 57 team, etc.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grantbabbitt/jayhawkers-feature-film ↗ ↗
@joeloveshawks And he has fallen down hard on his knees the last 2 games. Just when he probably thinks things are progressing, he takes a hard fall and his knee swells up again. After the Texas game he had a huge bag of ice wrapped around his knee when they were headed to the bus.
@approxinfinity My husband videoed every time each player/coach and I talked. Special memories.
Wish WE could have sang the Chant on Sat. but it was great hearing it last night come out!
From my hometown newspaper - The Leavenworth Times (where Simien is from) - I worked at that Pharmacy they filmed at when I was 16.
By Rimsie McConiga
Posted Feb. 3, 2014 @ 8:39 pm
Kevin Wilmott, a film writer/director and University of Kansas film professor, will draw back the curtain later this month on "Jayhawkers," a look at KU, the city of Lawrence, 1950s America and integration through the experiences of legendary hoops coach Phog Allen and his prized player, Wilt Chamberlain.
Wilmott, whose previous work includes "Bunker Hill" in 2008 and "The Confederate States of America" in 2004, answers a few questions for the newspaper in this latest Q5 installment, including tidbits about filming scenes from his movie in Leavenworth.
Kevin, can you tell us about your movie "Jayhawkers," which is slated to premier Feb. 14?
"'Jayhawkers' is about Lawrence and (the University of Kansas) in the mid-1950s, when legendary coach Phog Allen recruited Wilt Chamberlain to the team.
"Phog wanted Wilt because he was the greatest player of his time — and possibly of all time — and chancellor Franklin Murphy saw an opportunity to use Wilt's fame and power as a tool to desegregate the town.
"The film also includes a game that many consider to be the greatest of all time — the 1957 triple-overtime NCAA Championship game between KU and North Carolina."
Can you describe the scenes in which Leavenworth residents were used as extras in the film? Where were the scenes shot?
"We shot at two Leavenworth diners, scenes that take place throughout the film. Leavenworth was really nice to us.
"Ron Booth at The Corner Pharmacy. We used his place and the diner, Homer's. Both had great 1950s style and decor. They made those scenes work great in the film. We were lucky to find them."
How did the Phog Allen, chancellor Franklin Murphy and Wilt Chamberlain dynamic help jump start integration in Lawrence, and in your view, how has the city changed the most from the 1950s to today?
"Along with Dick Harp, Phog's assistant who replaced him as head coach, and Phog's son, Mitt, who was city attorney, they combined to begin the process of opening up the town.
"Wilt would go into a restaurant or movie theater and simply sit wherever he wanted. He also brought his friends. When he left Lawrence, the town was not yet completely integrated, but those few years made a big difference."
Do you think there has been, or will ever be, another duo like Phog Allen and Wilt Chamberlain in college basketball?
"Very hard to say. There won't be another Wilt, because he was really the first huge basketball player who could bring the ball up the court, and pretty much do everything."
What do you hope viewers take away from seeing your film?
"First of all, we hope they will have a great time. Along the way, they will see things about Lawrence and Kansas and 1950s America that they might not have known before.
"The events took place 60 years ago — it seems like a long time, but it really wasn't that long ago in the scheme of things."
@jaybate 1.0 "White out of sight, not out of mind"
I told AWIII when he signed my Jayhawk for me Sat. after the TX loss he "needed to hang in there. There were a LOT of fans wanting to see him stay and play."
He said "Thank you. Rock Chalk"
From NBC Sports. Guess no one proof read this before posting it. Headline is a mess! "Leds?" And we are No. 6????????????
Naadir Tharpe leds No. 6 Kansas to a win at Baylor
Rob Dauster
Feb 4, 2014, 9:39 PM EST
Baylor had their chance to knock off No. 8 Kansas on Tuesday night.
Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, the two superstars on the Kansas roster, did not score in the first half until Wiggins his a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. They finished a combined 5-for-19 from the floor. Wiggins had 14 points, seven boards, five assists, three steals and two blocks on the night, which is ridiculous when you consider that he played pretty poorly outside of a seven or eight minute stretch in the second half.
Embiid? He had five points, four fouls and three turnovers.
In other words, the Jayhawks were primed for an upset, and Baylor could do nothing about it, shooting 29.1% from the floor in a 69-52 loss. Take away Brady Heslip’s 4-for-5 start from three in the first 10 minutes, and Baylor shot 12-for-50 from the field.
That ain’t good.
And it puts them in an even bigger hole when it comes to the NCAA tournament.
Baylor is 14-8 on the season and 2-7 in league play. But they beat Colorado and Kentucky in non-conference play and the Big 12 has enough good teams that the Bears are still going to have plenty of chances to land the wins they need to win to go dancing. I’m just not convinced that they can get there, not when their zone is about as effective as using a coffee filter as a coffee mug and half of the roster has apparently already checked out.
As far as Kansas is concerned, this game was just another example of the growth of Naadir Tharpe. He had 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting and handed out four assists with just two turnovers, hitting a number of big shots in the process. He’s come up huge in a lot of big games this season, and it’s certainly a comforting sign for Bill Self that he can count on Tharpe to play like this on the nights that his best players are off.
They are reporting here in Austin that Javan Felix is out for the UT TCU game tomorrow night with a concussion after running into Jojo (3rd picture up above).
@drgnslayr As much as I want Iowa State to lose, I want OK State to lose even more.
@Crimsonorblue22 CBS shows he was dismissed. They are really depleted and will have a tough one tonight in Ames.
We dropped to 8 in AP poll and still 1 in RPI.
@nuleafjhawk That is exactly what Barnes said in post game. He blasted the fans for doing it and said Andrew was not overrated!
@wissoxfan83 I'm not saying we lost becuase of officiating at all. I just wanted to show a different perspective on these calls. Yes we didn't deserve to win based on how we played but we didn't even try and that is what sucked.
@MoonwalkMafia And Sat. will be the ONLY time they have a full house so I guess we should take some pride in the fact that people wanted to see us. Too bad we didn't show up.
3 pictures from the Austin paper to show how brutal the fouls that were not called were.
Roger Clemmons (who wasn't roundly applauded) and Colt McCoy and Tom Kite (who were) were the former UT alumni that were there.
The chanting by the crowd of "Overrated" was just so over the top. Barnes was trying to get them to stop and the front row of the students below me were also telling them to stop. Once they also started chanting "Where is Wiggins" over and over. Wait till they come to AFH.
@Wishawk I asked Coach Howard if Jayhawks basketball was all that he had thought it would be and he gave a resounding YES. I also said "I bet you are glad to be away from that Chicago weather" and he said "Exactly. And this isn't bad either." He was referring to our 78 degress on Sat. here in Austin. I was in shorts on Feb. 1st. Imagine. Then it was down in the 40's all Sunday.
@Crimsonorblue22 OUCH!
@approxinfinity I quit at half time. How bad is it now? Has Denver scored?
@Crimsonorblue22 I saw KU lay an even bigger egg back several years ago.
I talked to Fran Fraschilla after the game and he was surprised about our lack of energy. He said tho that Texas came to play. When I asked Bob Davis about the officiating he shook his head and said it was bad but that it was hard to get calls away from home. I talked to Coach Townsend, Roberts and Self as they were walking out. Self was eating the jerky and walking out with Jesse and a couple other media guys. Brannen and Wayne, Perry and Frank were the most gracious. Perry said he wished we could have gotten the win. Each player had a box lunch from Chicfila but Joel was the only one with 2. He was not signing anything for anyone. And Jamari looked at me and shook his head no. Naa did ask me if I was from KS and I told him I was from here. He thanked me for the support. He told me they were flying back last night and then coming back for Baylor Tues. Andrew had some people there he knew and was talking with them and after he offered to sign. He is tall.
I think when Texas got up by 5 and right after Joel was thrown to the floor the crowd was so loud, they amped up Texas and KU got rattled. That was the only time this year the Erwin Center has been sold out. We just were never able to get going offensvely.
We weren't the only top 10 team to lose and as far as media coverage, AZ, Duke, Mich. State and Michigan are the ones being most talked about. Add in the super bowl so not as bad as it could be.
No energy is right. I couldn't believe what I witnessed. They didn't even arrive at the Erwin Center until 1:30 and couldn't make a basket in shoot arounds. Very lethargic. Without Selden wouldn't have broke 50. I just saw the TCU game. I did tell everyone here that Texas was a scrappy team. I didn't think we would let them score like that in the lane. Both Joel and Conner came out afterwards with ice bags on their knees. Joel and Jamari were the only ones who didn't sign my Jayhawk. Jesse was in the section right next to me.
@Crimsonorblue22 That is where we have the advantage on UT. They play 10 but their bench not anywhere near as good as ours.
@Kip_McSmithers YES! I had hoped it would be a surprise, but since you asked I put it out there. I'm on the KU end just on the other side of the basket next to the student section. Won't be in TV Eye level but hopefully they'll see it and show it.
Embiid
Selden
TharPe
WiggiNs
and Ellis
And I have in each corner and running up and down the sides the 1912, 1920, 1929, 1923, 1941 and 1946 mascot figures.
Seriously!
It may not come out properly formatted here, but you get the idea. The ESPN are in bigger Red letters than the rest of each one's name. What u think?
I found out that we will have for the game tomorrow:
Jon Sciambi (Play-by-Play)
Fran Fraschilla (Analyst)
Kaylee Hartung (Sideline)
I'm going to go down and introduce myself to Jesse before the game. I feel like I know him after reading him all these years and looking forward to it.
I'm on the Jayhawk's end of the arena and am so pumped so see the team in person. Need to get my sign finished.
RockChalk
The announcers commented several times that Coach was really after Perry in practice yesterday. Good constructive coaching and look at the results!
@Crimsonorblue22 This one?
@nuleafjhawk Morning. It was reported that he had hurt his knee in practice.
@ParisHawk Texas will be tough. Embiid hopefully didn't rehurt his knee when he went down those couple of times last night. He will need all his strength to go up against Ridley, Ibeh and even Lammert. However, I don't see Ridley being able to run and keep up with Embiid. Someone needs to get after their point - Isiah Taylor. He is fearless as a freshman and drives the lane but also has an outside shot. Who will be guarding Javan Felix is my question of the day? He is like Mason - a bulldog and unafraid.
On another side, I saw that "KU Wells" on the cjonline blog was coming to the game. Anyone know if he is on this board? Would like to know where he is sitting. The game is sold out. I am going to be sitting with Dr. Randall's brother and his wife. I got my tickets back in Oct. and am on the KU end. Hopefully I am going to be able to get to meet the players due to knowing Dr. Randall.
Last night's win was an all around effort by all 5 starters. The pace at which they played that first half was scary but yet our conditioning was amazing. They just kept going. Rebounding takes a lot of effort and we beat them 38-24, 11-5 offensive and 27-19 defensive. 10 less turnovers than last game but 14 still too many. ISU had 13 and was a huge turnaround in the 2nd half when they committed 3 in a row.
@jaybate 1.0 Reading your posts has helped with my quiet nervousness I have for tonight's game. You are right.....ISU is on life support as far as the conf. race goes and it is a must win. BTW, Baylor has been declared DOA.
I would kindly add that our home crowd advantage is going to hopefully rattle the Cyclones like they haven't yet experienced this year. That's a plus for us too!
Rock Chalk!
Kansas brings streak like no other to Austin
Jayhawks boast incredible run of nine straight Big 12 titles.
Posted: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014
By Kevin Lyttle - American-Statesman Staff
Nine consecutive conference championships. Think about that for a minute. Nine in a row.
The Kansas Jayhawks’ Big 12 regular-season title streak is one of the most remarkable accomplishments in sports.
“It’s not like they’re doing it in any old league,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “The Big 12, year in and year out, is one of the nation’s premier conferences. To have the same team win it so many times in a row is really hard to comprehend.”
Sixth-ranked Kansas, which faces No. 25 Texas on Saturday at the Erwin Center, has a good head start on title No. 10 in a row as the Jayhawks are 6-0 in the top-rated league in the country.
To put this in perspective in major American sports, the New England Patriots and Vancouver Canucks have the next-best current streaks with five straight division titles.
In Major League Baseball, the Detroit Tigers have three division titles in a row, as have the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat in the NBA.
UCLA, under John Wooden, won 13 Pac-10 titles in a row in the 1960s-70s. More recently, Gonzaga ruled the West Coast Conference for 11 straight years (2001-11). But now it’s all Kansas. In college basketball — and college football, for that matter — nobody else in a major conference has an active streak longer than two straight titles.
”What I’m most proud about is the consistency,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who has a 300-59 record at KU. “We’ve changed faces a lot from year to year, but we’ve remained at a high level. Credit the players. We’ve had very good players. And there’s a legacy of winning here.”
Kansas never has a bad year. The Jayhawks have won at least 23 games in 24 consecutive seasons. Their last “bad” year was a 19-12 finish in 1988-89 under Roy Williams. They’ve won 31 or more games for four years in a row. The 2007-08 national champs have made 29 NCAA tournament appearances in a row.
This year, playing by far the toughest-rated schedule, Kansas stumbled four times before conference play, losing close games to No. 3 Florida, No. 5 San Diego State, No. 9 Villanova and Colorado.
Since then, the Jayhawks, who play No. 16 Iowa State tonight, have worked over five nationally ranked Big 12 teams.
“I’m not surprised by anything they do,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “Bill always does a terrific job. They had a lot of young guys trying to put things together early on. They might have wanted to see more out of certain guys, but now it’s all come together and they’re one of the best teams in the country. Just like I thought they’d be.”
Kansas had to replace all five starters from a 31-6 team, and the new guys are pretty good.
Andrew Wiggins, the 6-foot-8-inch freshman and concensus No. 1 recruit last year, leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg) while sophomore forward Perry Ellis averages 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.
But freshman center Joel Embiid, a 7-foot, 250-pounder from Cameroon, has everybody talking. Most viewed Embiid as a project, but he’s a huge interior presence and improving virtually every day, averaging 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
“I think he might be the most impactful player in the country,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said.
The Embiid vs. Cam Ridley battle Saturday will be worth the price of admission. If you already have a ticket. The game is virtually sold out, and not all those fans will be rooting for the home team. Kansas travels well.
“We have great fans, and they follow us wherever we go,” Self said. “We always have a lot of people on the Texas trips.”
AND I AM ONE OF THOSE FANS THAT WILL BE THERE :-) (clap)
Kansas 6-0 1.000 W6 15-4 .789 W6
Oklahoma 6-2 .750 W4 17-4 .801 W4
Texas 5-2 .714 W5 16-4 .800 W5
Kansas State 5-3 .625 W1 15-6 .714 W1
Oklahoma State 4-3 .571 L1 16-4 .800 L1
West Virginia 4-4 .500 W1 12-9 .571 W1
Iowa State 3-3 .500 W1 15-3 .833 W1
Texas Tech 2-6 .250 L3 10-11 .476 L3
Baylor 1-6 .143 L5 13-7 .650 L5
TCU 0-7 .000 L7 9-10 .474 L7
As of January 28, 9:25 PM CT Big 12 Standings
@wissoxfan83 Thought of you during that first half run. Great seats.
Which is worse -- UK losing to LSU or Baylor losing to WV? :-)
Bet the talking heads will be gawking about Baylor's fall more than UKs.
P.S. I get to see KU play in person this Sat. Got to take care of business tho tonight.
@JayHawkFanToo And he was over on the bench after his 2 quick fouls in the first half yelling at the officials each time another foul was called on OSU. Fran and Brent even remarked that Ford during a timeout once got on the officials because OSU had "too many fouls" called on them. Smart was not in the "limelight" he thinks he is entitled to. His kicking the chair last game was something that no coach with cajones would have put up with. Ford lets him get away with all his antics because Ford knows he is nothing without Smart getting all the attention and that attention hasn't been good the last several games.
OSU got beat by OU.
@AsadZ Texas will have had the whole week to rest and that can be good or bad. I'm in Austin and going. Embiid will have his work cut out for him w/Ridley's size and their point, Taylor, likes to drive. I have watched all their games and they can be scrappy and have some shooters but they also are very young and haven't played a schedule like ours. However I think our bench will be the difference maker. Foul trouble for UT is going to hurt them more. And I believe HCBS is far superior to Barnes when it comes to game day coaching. I can't wait.
No. 6 in AP, tied for 7th in Coaches and 1 in SOS/RPI!
@jaybate 1.0 Had to laugh seeing Riggo's name and antics. He has sobered up and has a web hunting show -- Riggo's Ranch -- or something like that.
@globaljaybird Thanks. My boss (who read this first) called me from Colorado where he is vacationing just to tell me about it. He knows my passion for all things KU.
I felt I needed to put the disclaimer in there because I don't have a subscription.
In the article they mention 2 videos that I couldn't figure out how to get in here. One is Joel's scouting video and the other is a video of Joel vs. Andrew in high school. Check them out.
Like Jaybate, I can't figure out how to get this with the headlines.
The 7-Footer Who Snuck Up on College Basketball
By Ben Cohen Updated Jan. 23, 2014 10:22 a.m. ET
Less than three years after he started playing basketball, Joel Embiid is regarded as a possible No.1 pick in the NBA draft this June. Getty Images
Joel Embiid started playing organized basketball only in late 2011. Before that, he played volleyball and soccer in Cameroon, his native land.
Now he's projected to be the NBA draft's No. 1 pick come June.
In a sport that anoints superstars before they leave middle school, the 7-foot-tall Embiid is an outlier, a superstar college freshman who was virtually unknown until his senior year in high school.
Even after signing with the Kansas Jayhawks, Embiid received little attention compared with that program's higher-profile recruit, Andrew Wiggins, by many estimates the top recruit of his class. In fact, Embiid started this season on the bench. But he came off it with such promise and explosiveness that his performance has overshadowed that of Wiggins—and arguably everyone else in college basketball.
In his last four games—all against ranked opponents—Embiid has averaged 19.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6 blocks per 40 minutes, prompting many NBA scouts to declare him the likely No. 1 pick in the June draft. Some observers already are comparing him with Hakeem Olajuwon, the retired Hall of Fame 7-footer whose Dream Shake shimmy Embiid has studied on film.
Last week, after the No. 8 Jayhawks beat No. 16 Iowa State, Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg called Embiid "the best player in the country." Asked why, Hoiberg, a former NBA player, coach and executive, said, "Did you see him play tonight? That's why."
What distinguishes Embiid is his height and dexterity but also his lack of experience.
Like Olajuwon, who grew up in Nigeria playing soccer, Embiid came late to basketball. As a 17-year-old in Cameroon, Embiid was invited to a basketball camp there because of his height.
Coaching at that camp was Cameroon native Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, the Minnesota Timberwolves forward, who was immediately smitten with Embiid's natural repertoire of moves. "Those were moves that guys who had been playing for years were making," said Mbah a Moute.
Mbah a Moute brought Embiid to another camp in Johannesburg, South Africa and later convinced Thomas Embiid, the boy's father, to let Embiid come to the U.S. to play high-school basketball.
Basketball was still a foreign sport to the elder Embiid, a handball player himself, but its stars were known to him.
"Here in Cameroon, we see NBA players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron—he wants to be like that," Embiid's father said in an interview this week. "When he plays four or five years, he'll get better and better."
Embiid moved to Florida to play his junior year of high school for Montverde Academy. But he sat on the bench for Montverde, stuck behind better, more seasoned centers.
In search of more playing time, Embiid switched his senior year to The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla. So little had Embiid played as a junior that The Rock coach Justin Harden hadn't heard of him until Mbah a Moute called on Embiid's behalf.
Embiid gained national attention as a senior. But if his potential was suddenly clear, so was his lack of experience, as evidenced by a grading system that Harden employed each game.
According to last year's report cards, which Harden shared with The Wall Street Journal, Embiid received an A or A+ in 19 of 37 games. But in 12 games, his grade was a C+ or worse, and in only three games did he score more than 20 points, a small number of games for an elite recruit.
At moments, however, Embiid showed glimpses of the player many are seeing now. In a high-school matchup with Wiggins, his future teammate, Embiid dropped 18 points, including an Olajuwon-like hook shot that takes most big men years to refine.
Norm Roberts, a new assistant coach at Kansas, had come to the Jayhawks from Florida, where Embiid had come to his attention. Early last season, Roberts persuaded Kansas head coach Bill Self to come to Florida to watch Embiid practice. At that time, Embiid hadn't played enough organized basketball to produce a sizable bunch of statistics. But Kansas has a tradition of great big men, dating back to Danny Manning and Wilt Chamberlain, and has had four drafted in the last three years.
Watching the young man practice, Self was unusually quiet. When Roberts asked for his impressions, Self responded that he thought Embiid could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft someday.
"We never thought Joel was a project," Roberts said. "From a skills standpoint, he was farther along than most big guys."
Embiid's coaches say his soccer and volleyball experiences left him more flexible than most basketball players, not to mention big ones. Kansas conditioning coaches have also added 12 pounds of muscle to him, even if Embiid prefers feasting on ice cream and brownies.
Despite his inexperience, Embiid's game already compares favorably to other big men. As a college freshman, he has attempted shots on 57 possessions after posting up near the basket and is averaging 1.3 points on those trips, according to Synergy Sports Technology. The last eight college centers taken as NBA draft lottery picks averaged only .91 points per possession on their post-ups.
Large players often require time to develop. Olajuwon, for example, spent four years in college. Embiid hasn't even played the game for three full years. But he might not need that long.
"I think he could play in the NBA right now," Mbah a Moute said.
Write to Ben Cohen at ben.cohen@wsj.com
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@Blown Found KY sitting right behind KU's bench (right behind the Gatorade) in his Superman T-shirt. His 'fro looks good! Aaron Rodgers is in the row right behind him down 3. Found Charlie Weis too. Too bad the team is not there for this.
@jaybate 1.0 I know you asked on Jesse's blog what was up with all the orange behind the bench and recall that you thought they were all HCBS's relatives!!
I found David Booth in the panaroma link that Blown posted. He has great seats.
Front row, in the second seat over from the aisle, right before Greg Gurley/Bob Davis. He can probably sit wherever he wants to. :-)
@Blown Had an 404 Not Found Error on your link.
I didn't get to post after the OSU game but LOVED LOVED LOVED the crimson and blue sections. Looked really cool on TV.
@drgnslayr Not shooting like Creighton for sure! Texas has some fire power and happy that they beat the kittycats last night. UT's bigs have experience and Ridley gave it good to Gipson all last nght. If Iowa State fixes their issues or the rematch with OSU has Smart hitting his, you never know.
I emailed a professor at Villanova who used to work here with me with a simple "Ouch" to pay him back for his email to me after the Bahamas. Karma is a ..... :-)