🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@kjayhawks There's 2 very important issues to consider when discussing Beaty's future. There's the on field issues and the off field issues.

In regards to the on field issues, KU still has a scholarship deficit that is going to take two more years to catch up on. KU also still has to two Louisiana studs committed and firing Beaty means resetting the clock on the scholarship numbers which puts the next coach in a hole from the start. It would also mean losing Tony Hull and the two Louisiana studs. Firing Beaty also leads to the off field issue

If Beaty gets fired, how do you allow Zenger to hire a 3rd football coach. If it was a situation where the coaches were leaving for better jobs, then hiring a 3rd coach is reasonable, but Beaty would be the 3rd coach Zenger has fired for lack of on field performance. That's almost unheard of.

The issue with firing Zenger though is all the work he's done on the fundraising side for the athletic department. Rock Chalk Park, DeBruce Center, Memorial Stadium, Hoglund, Allen Fieldhouse, and Horesji have all been built/renovated/upgraded as a result of Zenger's fundraising efforts.

My personal opinion is that KU has to give Beaty his full 5 years to get the scholarship numbers in line regardless of record. This also gives Zenger enough time to make even more headway on the remaining $300 million left for the Memorial Stadium renovations. To me, all decisions regarding the futures of the football coach and AD have to be made with the Memorial Stadium renovations in mind. That project is the absolute top priority for KU Athletics because of the upcoming round of conference realignment that will happen when we get closer to the expiration of the B12 TV deal and the GoR that goes with that deal. ESPN and Fox both vetoing B12 expansion this summer means the B12 is on its last legs now.

@kjayhawks It's possible, but I don't think the B10 has ever been interested in KSU because of their lack of AAU membership which Nebraska kept just long enough to get in. ISU has it, but I think they would be a last resort for the B10 because they don't add any new TV markets.

At this point, when the next round of realignment happens and leagues go to 16 and above, I think KU, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech will be their top targets. The wildcard is going to be Texas because the B10 has had interest in UT for a long time going back to the early 90's round of realignment when they added PSU.

@mayjay Big 10 added Nebraska to try and get into KC and it failed. Big 10 expansion has always been about adding new TV markets for their BTN. KC obviously isn't the size of NY, DC, or Baltimore, but it's still the biggest market left for the B10 in the midwest.

@ICTJayhawk Big 10 already has the St. Louis market covered with Illinois. Illinois might not be the dominant fan base in St. Louis, but it's significant enough that they didn't need Missouri to already claim a foothold in St. Louis.

Maryland and Rutgers were absolute door mats of programs when the B10 announced their additions to the league which were solely based on their locations. KU gives them access to KC which is the biggest market in that part of the country they don't already have a foothold in.

@kjayhawks If you legitimately think KU needs to wait for the right coach before rebuilding the stadium, you need to ask yourself this question.

If the best candidate KU can hire in the current situation is a guy who flamed out at Notre Dame and a guy who was a position coach, why should we expect another AD to find anyone any better? What incentive is there currently for a quality coaching prospect to come to KU?

A newly renovated state of the art stadium is a much better recruiting pitch than to have kids come play In the concrete mausoleum that is Memorial Stadium.

@ICTJayhawk Big 10 wants to get the B10 Network into KC and has been interested in KU for a long time. When the Big 10 expanded in the early 90's with Penn St., KU and Missouri were both very legitimate options at the time and had invitations, but both schools declined and chose to remain in the Big 8 and move with the rest of the league members into the Big 12.

@kjayhawks All that stuff began prior to the Orange Bowl season. KU tried to raise funds to add on to the east side of the stadium after the Orange Bowl and didn't come close to raising the $25 million or so that project was supposed to cost.

Phil Knight didn't wait for Oregon to have a winning program before pouring millions into the program, he just started giving them money to upgrade everything. Same with Pickens at OSU, the winning came AFTER the investment into the program.

If the administration waits for KU to find a coach to turn the program around before investing into the infrastructure of the program, we'll all be pushing daisies before that happens. Post WWII, KU has had 4 great seasons, the 3 OB teams and the 1995 team.

We cannot expect to be able to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t. KU has to improve their stadium to not only hope to attract a quality coach, but to also keep a quality coach when/if they find one. The 3 best coaches KU has had in the past 50 years either left for another program (Pepper Rogers and Glen Mason) or were actively seeking another job (Mangino). Having competitive facilities will not only increase the likelihood of landing a better quality coach, but also of keeping said coach.

@kjayhawks KU made significant improvements to the facilities early on during Mangino's tenure that helped his recruiting. Anderson Family Football complex being the most significant of those improvements at that time.

Improving the stadium has to be the absolute top priority for KU Athletics and preparing for a probable move to the B10 after the Grant of Rights expires at the end of the current TV deal. Even more than the on field product, positioning for realignment has to be the #1 priority and imlroving the stadium will help significantly to build the infrastructure of the program which will increase the odds of on field success.

@BShark That was posted middle of the day before quite a few games ended, including Florida.

Just because I listed a team, doesn't mean I think they get there, just that they still have/had a shot based on today's games. I would also now bump Michigan down quite a bit after their loss to MSU tonight. Utah also looks like they might be in trouble against Stanford at halftime.

I think the conference champs from the other 4 P5 leagues make the playoff and possibly 2 SEC teams if there's a major upset in a conference title game.

@Kcmatt7 Most people expected the defense to be about the same because of the DLine re turning in tact and having 2 of the best in the league in Armstrong and Wise.

@BShark That was a terrible game for the Big 12. OU just got eliminated from the College Football Playoff with that loss and now TCU is the Big 12's lone hope for a playoff berth. The other 4 P5 leagues all still have multiple teams in contention.

The ACC still has Clemson, Miami, and possibly NC State that can reach the CFP

The Big 10 still has Penn St., Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio St. in the hunt.

The Pac 12 still has USC, Utah, Washington, and Washington St. in the hunt.

The SEC still has Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and Florida in contention.

The Big 12 has TCU and that's it.

@JayHawkFanToo Yes, the refs made a lot of bad calls against KU, but even in the best case scenario, it would still likely be 28-14 Tech.

Even though the QB's knee was down, the QB fumbling after being down is not relevant, it will be Texas Tech football on the 1 yard line because screw Kansas.

@Crimsonorblue22 Saw that this week. I didn't know he wasn't in Oakland this year.

@Crimsonorblue22 I don't hate the Chiefs, but they're not my team either. I will actually be at that game tomorrow night though.

About damn time!

@stoptheflop That's not why this quarter has taken an hour.

After further review, it doesn't matter that the toe touched first, incomplete pass, 4th down

Booker's TD will be overturned somehow.

I agree with that kid flipping off the refs.

How the hell does that get overturned but the Tech one didn't? What a load of shit!

BULLCRAP!

How are the refs going to screw KU on this one?

That's not Bender, that's Stanley at QB now.

Dud I just see a sack?

Get ready for screw job #3 on this review

Not that it's going to matter in the end, but why was that TD not reviewed? Receiver clearly never had complete control of that ball at any point and should've been an incomplete pass.

@kjayhawks Worst coordinator. I'd take him as a DB coach all day long. Most of KU's recent NFL players have been DB's so Bowen has clearly been a capable developer of players.

47 yards untouched.

Clint Bowen has no idea how to utilize the talent on defense.

KU got screwed on that spot on 4th down.

OU is the only gimme pick this week. I think the other games will all be pretty good match ups. Offensively challenge KSU against defensively inept Texas will be interesting. I think I'll take KSU in that one.

WVU and TCU has game of the year potential, but I'll take TCU in a close one.

I'll also take Tech in a game that'll be closer than the 47-32 score Vegas is predicting for this one.

@JayHawkFanToo There's also another expression I would lean on about Jurich. A leopard can't change its spots.

KU is very lucky today. Tim Jurich was one of those names a lot of people wanted to hire when Zenger was hired. Avoided a possible major headache with him.

Graham, Newman, and Azubuike definitely start. Preston should start, but if he isn't as good as we hope, I could see Svi at the 4 and Vick on the wing. Svi vs. Vick for that starting spot at the 3 should be the battle to watch in practice.

I think I'd rather see Vick start over Svi because Svi can come off the bench and sub for 1-4 without a major drop. Obviously if Svi subs for Graham, Newman slides to point.

@Kcmatt7 Zion is the best wing in the class, he'll be the featured player wherever goes regardless if it's Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, or anywhere else.

And yes, Adidas was paying players to go to specific schools. Part of the condition for Brian Bowen receiving the money he did was that he went to Louisville. Nas Little was in a bidding war between Nike Arizona and Adidas Miami that Nike was going to win. It doesn't matter where the money is coming from whether it be an assistant coach or ShoeCo, those players accepted payments which is a violation of NCAA rules and why any player in that DOJ/FBI report will never play college basketball. It also doesn't matter where the money was coming from because it was all going for the same cause in the end. Player takes money from ShoeCo, ShoeCo tells player where to go and who to represent him after college and what shoe to wear. Assistant coach pays player to come to gets in school, assistant coach tells player who to represent him after college and what shoe to wear after college.

@FarmerJayhawk And KU didn't put in work on him prior to this summer? I seriously doubt the coaches were changing their pitch to him that much because there isn't that much you can tell a top 5 player that every other program isn't telling him as well.

Something happened with Zion and I doubt a change in the recruiting pitch made that big if a difference in his recruitment.

@Kcmatt7 Adidas funneling kids to schools regardless of money changing hands is still against NCAA rules. This is why none of the players in the report are being charged because they didn't do anything illegal in the eyes of the law when they accepted payments. Accepting those payments is still against NCAA rules and makes them ineligible according to the rules of the NCAA.

I can legally accept gifts at my job all day long and the FBI and DOJ aren't going to care one bit about that. My contract with my employer however does not permit me to do so or I risk losing my job.

In regards to Zion, I never said KU wasn't recruiting him from the beginning, only that KU didn't become a realistic landing spot for him until very recently.

@mayjay For a long time, national champs in football were declared prior to the bowl games so a team could win a title while still losing their bowl game because they were already declared champs.

@BShark KU currently has 5 national titles and 3 NCAA titles.

@KUSTEVE Considering an Arizona coach was one of the people that has actually been charged so far for paying players, it's not difficult to figure out who thise players are.

@Kcmatt7 You can dismiss the story all you want, but then you're still left with why KU suddenly went from after thought to front runner on Zion Williamson.

Doesn't sound too far off from the DeAndre Ayton situation and we know he was paid to go Arizona after he was considered a lock to Kansas.

@BShark Why did KU pretty suddenly became a major player for him? For most of past year, Zion to KU was never considered a realistic possibility. Then a couple of months ago, everything changes and KU becomes the front runner almost overnight after being a total after for much of his recruitment and you see nothing suspicious about that in light of what's happened in CBB this past week?

@JayHawkFanToo The story I read on Zion was that Adidas was paying him $100k to go to KU, but KU was unaware of that part of the story. The story came from a non KU site (don't remember right now). It would explain KU kind of coming out of nowhere with Zion and fits the Adidas MO of funneling their top prep player to Adidas schools and signing them after college

This is a story I'm inclined to believe because the logic is sound and fits with what's known about the case so far. As great a player as Zion Williamson is, I would be pursue anymore because if this story. I would focus solely on Langford as the prized wing in the class because his name has been nowhere to be found even in the whispers of who might be involved.

@Kcmatt7 I don't see him being the risk that Zion Williamson is. True or not, there were rumors that Adidas was going to funnel Zion to KU and pay him 100k to do so. No such rumors have popped up about Langford that I'm aware of.

The recruiting scandal has changed a lot. As great a player as Zion Williamson is, his named being mentioned as being peddled by Adidas to KU makes me hope KU backs off because I would be under the assumption of where there's smoke, there's fire with any recruit right now.

This does also open up the possibility of Self landing both Langford and Grimes. Langford is a 2/3 combo like Vick and even though Langford might have a higher ceiling than Vick, I'd still rather have senior Vick, who would be the only senior next year over Langford.

I would still love a Dotson, Grimes combo the most, but I just don't see Dotson coming here. I've been skeptical on that pretty much since the beginning and I think Dotson goes Florida. I think Grimes with a multiyear wing and PG would be ideal for this class and have KJ Lawson play the 3 next year.

Texas, KSU, and OSU.

There's also 3 games between ranked teams this week. I'll take USC over WSU on Friday night, Auburn over Mississippi St., and Virginia Tech with the upset over Clemson.

@JayHawkFanToo I never said eminant domain was only used by governments. I said it was never going to happen with UT's preferred arena site because it was former headquarters of the newspaper in Austin who still owned the site.

Trying to use eminant domain on the city newspaper would be about the dumbest thing someone could do.

Considering how late KU entered the picture with Zion, I wouldn't be at all shocked if there's some truth to Adidas trying to push Zion to KU.

@bskeet Ben Simmons godfather was on staff at LSU.