🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@approxinfinity said in Norm Roberts Retires:

Again, i am not talking about this season.

Things change quickly, and posturing is a thing, we know.

We hang our hats on organizations we believe in, like the Spurs, wishing some things to be uncorrupted, but things fall apart.

Things also come together.

But nothing is static.

So proclamations of absolutes certainties and intolerance for counterpoint seem to be irrational takes.

Hope we can live in the middle.

Its a beautiful place.

If I am projecting and this is in fact a molehill, thats cool.

At this point, I think most people feel very comfortable/confident saying there is a zero percent chance of Bill Self ever being an NBA head coach.

Self isn't going to coddle stars in the NBA and in San Antonio's case, if management had to choose between Wemby/Castle and Self in a dispute, it would be much easier to replace Self than Wemby/Castle. Denver just fired Mike Malone less than two seasons removed from winning a championship and Jokic didn't fight it when he had the influence to keep Malone.

Self's health is also a big reason. The NBA is a much longer grind than college basketball. 6 months of 3 to 4 games per week, potentially two more months for the playoffs, and a month at the beginning for training camp/preseason.

Lastly, I don't think anyone in the NBA is interested in Self as a head coach at this point. If Self wanted to continue coaching in some capacity, I could see him taking the Jim Calhoun route of going to a lower level in D2 or D3 where players aren't going to those schools for NIL deals and Self could focus on teaching and coaching the game.

Norm Roberts has announced his retirement so there's one assistant spot open.

@FarmerJayhawk said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in The portal.:

@FarmerJayhawk said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 20-21 was the Covid year so it doesn’t count either

So in theory he has 2 more year of eligibility?

I still think just one because he’s played 3 years of D1 ball that count:
20-21 - Covid, doesn’t count
21-22 - JuCo, doesn’t count(?)
22-23: WVU
23-24: WVU
24-25: OSU

So he’d need the JuCo year to not count too. Weird situation.

The JuCo seasons no longer counting towards eligibility is why Diggy is playing at Maryland next season instead of being out of eligibility which should mean Suemnick still has two more seasons of eligibility then.

@FarmerJayhawk said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 20-21 was the Covid year so it doesn’t count either

So in theory he has 2 more year of eligibility?

@FarmerJayhawk said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Covid year

I just dug a little, it's not a Covid year, it's a JuCo year. I didn't notice that there was a year missing between his seasons at Robert Morris and West Virginia and it was a year at a JuCo.

A Covid year didn't make sense because his freshman year was post Covid.

@BShark said in The portal.:

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/pat-suemnick-1.html ↗

How would he have another season? Is he waiting on the 5×5 ruling?

Rylan Griffen is going to be joining Zach Clemence at Texas A&M.

@drgnslayr There's 3 dates to keep an eye on. The first should be coming up within the next week and that's when NBA Combine invites go out. Most players that have declared for the draft that don't receive an invite and haven't already committed to a school will withdraw from the draft and focus on their transfer destination.

The second date is May 18 which is the last day of the NBA Combine. Players that received an invite will still start withdrawing shortly after that if they don't like their feedback in regards to where their draft stock is.

The last day to watch is June 15 which is the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft.

On3 currently has KU projected as a 2 seed in the Fayetteville Regional, but if KU finishes strong, could end up hosting a regional.

@DCHawker said in KU Roster for 25-26:

@SlimShaddy54 said in KU Roster for 25-26:

@Texas-Hawk-10 quite possible , complete package

He may be the real deal, but what does that mean? Not very often that single freshmen carry teams to NCAA titles - Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis? Each of those had other NBA players on the roster. Hakeem Warwick was on the Syracuse title team with Anthony. Milt Wagner and others with Davis. DP may be the real deal and a complete package, perhaps the best freshman next year, but is he a NBA first team talent? Perhaps. Is there anyone else on the roster who is NBA starter level??? Most NCAA champs have multiple future NBA players - true of KU as well...

Yes, I firmly believe there are already two other future NBA players on KU's roster for next season not including whoever else Self may bring in. If it's Darrion Williams, it'll be 4 future NBA players. I 100% believe both Elmarko and Flory are future NBA players. Maybe not after this upcoming season, but I can see each going to the NBA in 2027 after the 2026-27 season.

@Jhawk69 said in KU Roster for 25-26:

@approxinfinity I would be very surprised if he, or anyone else on the team, were as good a player as Frank Mason. Luckily, despite what the irrational DaJuan haters will tell you, you don't have to be as good as Frank Mason to be a good player.

Darryn Peterson very much could be better than POY Frank.

Don't really know where to put this, but Duke C Khamen Maluach has officially entered the NBA Draft. Not newsworthy itself because he's a projected top 10 pick. Unfortunately he may not be drafted as he is here on a student visa from South Sudan which were recently canceled. Since his visa has been canceled, that means he can't legally play basketball in the United States. He could play 41 games if he was with the Raptors (home games only) or play in Europe. ICE is currently trying to locate him to deport him, but Duke is doing what they can to hide and protect him.

Regardless of personal feelings towards Duke, this is a beyond f-ed up situation where Maluach may miss out on making generational wealth because of a situation far beyond his control.

@drgnslayr You also don't need a bunch of 40% outside shooters to be successful. Most of the players for next season project as mid 30% which is still good enough that opponents will have to respect and defend that. Florida was 35.5% last season (KU was 35.4%) which was 86th nationally, which was good, but not elite. I know you compared next season's roster to St. John's, but this team as constructed will be better at driving the ball and being able to score. Michigan St. made the Elite 8 shooting 31.1% from 3 which was 317th.

@DCHawker said in The portal.:

So, regarding Williams... Would definitely be a good get - can hit from outside and post his man on the blocks. But it seems like all our eggs are in one basket? What if he stays in the draft? What is plan B? If he does come to KU, does White stay? If so, do they both start at the 3/4? Still not a particularly long or big line-up. If White leaves, Williams is the better version of a similar player, but at a really high cost. Then we are still left with the problem of needing another started at the 3/4.

I'm still struggling to see the bigger picture. I get trying to get guys who "fit" and I don't have issue with any of the adds as rotation players, but it seems like we are looking at some of the same issues as this past couple of years with roster construction. Floor spacing, rebounding, and lack of 40% 3pt shooters...

St. Johns is a good comp. All Pitino had coming back was Zuby, similar to KU with Flory (although even that was in doubt). So Pitino hit the portal hard and landed a complete complementary starting roster - Hopkins, Mitchell, Sanon, Jackson, and Sellers. Any of the 3 probably better than the 3 we've signed so far. 5 guys - size, shooters and ball handlers plus Zuby. DP might be the only guy on our roster who I would take over any of the Johnnies. So, how is SJ able to do that, with I assume a much smaller NIL budget???

The guys Self has brought can all drive the basketball and/or move without the basketball and understand how to cut and use picks and screens. That was not something Griffen and Storr ever got comfortable with doing. Even if Dawson and White may not be as talented as Griffen and Storr on paper, their familiarity with running variations of the system Self does will make their learning curves not very steep. These are all players who know how to play in a motion offense. These also all players who know how to play defense and are willing defenders.

Yes, Self is looking for one more big name and Darrion Williams is the player they've targeted. Right now, tbest draft projections I've seen has him as a mid 2nd round pick with other places having him as a late pick or undrafted. There's a good chance he ends up withdrawing from the draft. Even if he stays in, I'm sure Self and staff have a list of who else they like and will target, but we won't know any of that stuff for about a month. There will be a wave of players who withdraw from the draft if they don't receive a combined invite and another wave that will withdraw after the combine. Remy Martin and Kevin McCullar didn't commit to KU until mid May.

People need to exercise some patience right now because there won't be much movement among top transfers right now because they are going through the draft process. Any players we hear about now are likely just bench pieces that are unlikely to be in the rotation next season. Without having a walk on program anymore, KU still needs players like this as practice bodies that could develop into rotation players down the road. We know Self doesn't play 14 players so we know some of these targets won't be rotation level players.

@DCHawker said in The portal.:

@BShark said in The portal.:

@BeddieKU23 Doesn't make much sense to me

I don't understand it either. Played 20mpg for UTEP. Yes, shot 44% from 3 with some volume (up from 20% freshman year), but only about 35% from inside the arc. Against lesser competition than in the B12. Based on stats, can't do much else. Who does he sub for? Do we run plays to get him open looks? Just 6'3'' (if) - can he get off shots off consistently?

We don't have anyone on the roster who can really score at three levels, and he isn't the answer. We need at least one, if not two starter calibers guys who can do that. All the FF teams had multiple guards/wings who could score at three levels, and multiple shooting high 30s or even over 40% from deep.

He is a non-rotation depth piece. KU still needs bench players to practice against since they can't have walk-ons any more. Darrion Williams is going to be the last big piece if he withdraws from the draft so we'll be waiting about another month or so on that one. Right now, Self still has to fill out the roster with depth pieces that are good practice guys while waiting on Williams to go through the draft process.

This was a weird draft. A lot of players who were expected to get drafted went undrafted.

Other issue with Cobee besides his size was lack of top end speed. Once he was beat, he couldn't run people down.

OL Logan Brown to Minnesota

WR Quentin Skinner to the Jets, CB Mello Dotson to the Raiders.

With UFA deals so far, WR Luke Grimm to the Chargers and LB JB Brown to Denver.

@FarmerJayhawk said in NFL Draft:

I’m really surprised Brown didn’t get taken.

He was the top Tackle on the board for quite awhile.

@SlimShaddy54 said in NFL Draft:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Sorry, maybe I am missing something I guess but man Bryant sure seemed like NFL caliber to me. Kinda sucks

He'll sign a deal with someone, but he's considered a bit undersized and he was a bit penalty prone.

None of the other 3 potential draftees were selected, just Neal and Cabeldue. Time to see where Brown, Bryant, and Dotson will go as UFA's.

So far, only 2 Jayhawks selected. Devin Neal and Bryce Cabledue both in the 6th round. Neal to New Orleans and Cabledue to Seattle.

Logan Brown, Cobee Bryant, and Mello Dotson still on the board.

@dylans Self recruited "real guys" from the portal the last two years. It didn't work out. Now Self has recruited players fit his system offensively and play defense. None of the players have been elite 3 point shooters, but KU won't be bad either. Dawson has consistent been around 37% at Loyola-Chicago so even the usual dip would still likely keep him around 34/35%. Tre White has gotten better each season by about 3% which if he continues that trend puts him around 35-36%. Council has been pretty, but his FT% suggests he could keep improving and his efficiency should be better with reduced usage. This team won't be elite shooting, but not the dumpster fire you think either.

Flory will make big strides between his freshmen and sophomore seasons with his biggest gains coming in the weight room. His body has plenty of room to add muscle mass so don't be shocked if he starts next season with 15-20 lbs. of added muscle. He'll average a double-double next season and potentially lead the Big 12 in rebounding.

@SlimShaddy54 said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Who do you see backing Flory ?--- Still no back up Big.

That's potentially one of the needs, but if Tiller can recover from his ankle surgery in an expected timeline which would have him cleared in time for summer workouts, that would be the ideal option behind Flory. Tiller has less shooting range than KJ did so he wouldn't be much use at the 4 on offense, but as a back up 5, would be a good situation. This might be what the staff is anticipating as well considering KU hasn't really been connected with many post options in the portal to this point.

Right now, Self is more focused on trying to find his 5th starter rather than a back up post option so we might see more movement in regards to a back up 5 after the Williams/Stokes situation is settled. That said, I wouldn't be all that surprised if Bryson Tiller ended up being Flory's primary back up.

@DCHawker The roster is still incomplete. There's still quality players in the portal and there will be players withdrawing from the draft who are mostly the highest ceiling players available.

As far as scoring, yes Darryn Peterson is that good. Flory should see a big bump as long as he bulks up a bit this offseason and probablymore than doubles his scoring output. Tre White will likely see a little scoring bump as he'll likely play closer to 30 mpg, but is a proven double digit per game scorer in a power conference at both Illinois and Louisville.

I also believe that since KU hasn't really been linked to a high level PG that the staff expects Elmarko be a major factor and if he plays anywhere near his ceiling, he's another double digit per game scorer.

KU will be fine, Self has clearly shown this offseason that he has a better understanding of the portal and has recruited players that should be much better fits than last season.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/04/2025-nba-draft-early-entrants-list.html ↗

This has a list of players who have declared for the draft and has a list of players who could withdraw before the May 28 deadline. Somewhere in that list is likely where the last big piece of the puzzle will come from. Even if not, I do believe there will be at least 3 future NBA players on KU's roster next season with Peterson, Flory, and Elmarko.

@DCHawker said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Agree re Council. Seems like a really solid rotation guy willing to go hard when he is in. But, a starter? A <15ppg scorer at St. Bonaventure? FG% 44%. 3pt% 30%. Just 2 FTAs per game averaging 37 minutes. Against much lower competition. Just 6'4'' and 180lbs. Not sure how he will measure up against other B12 guards/wings. Same with Dawson. 14ppg for a double digit loss team in the A-10. Just 41% from the field. Also 6'4" and 185lbs. White also seems like a solid rotation piece, but just 10ppg for an okay Illinois team and just 23mpg. Is he really a starter on a team that aspires to titles? 6'7'' and 210lbs. Not really a 4 and doesn't shoot well enough from outside to be a 2-3?

All good rotation players, but starters??? Are we going to have to get 25ppg+ from DeP?

I don't think Dawson should start and I don't think White should be the starting 4, he should be at the 3. White's scoring average last season would've been 3rd best on KU. KU isn't asking him to come in and be the guy. As a 3rd or 4th option depending on who else comes in, I'm good with White's production. Just remember, that okay Illinois team was a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament than KU was.

Peterson might be good enough to be the highest scoring player Bill Self has had at Kansas, or at least join Jalen Wilson, Frank Mason, and Wayne Simien as 20 ppg scorers and Brandon Rush, Ben McLemore, and Andrew Wiggins as the only freshmen to lead KU in scoring under Self. I also think Flory, Elmarko, and Tre White can all be double digit scorers for KU next season.

I think KU has 4 of their 5 starters for next season and most of the rotation.

I don't see Council starting over Jackson (I know people will argue that one, but Council doesn't scream Big 12 starter to me, at least KU level starter). I also don't think Dawson should start either.

Right now, I'd roll with Jackson, Peterson, White, ????, and Flory to start with Council, Dawson, ????, and Tiller/???? as the rotation pieces off the bench.

This team won't be a great shooting team, but on paper at least, it looks like this team should be an above average scoring team and defend at an elite level. This absolutely looks like a Bill Self basketball team at this point on paper.

Passmore and Griffen were reportedly visiting Miami today. Would be interesting if they both landed there as Miami already landed one former Jayhawk in the portal this season with Udeh.

AJ Storr to Ole Miss for his final season.

@dylans said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 I had no idea they would withhold the playbook from Tiller while he recovered. Figured he would be at practice soaking it in like Elmarko. That seems like a ridiculous strategy.

The staff didn't withhold the playbook from Tiller. He was never medically cleared for 5 on 5 drills so he wasn't able to do scout team stuff and was likely doing whatever individual drills he was medically cleared to do like Elmarko was.

@dylans said in The portal.:

@MR11 I don’t hear much about Tiller. He’s been with the program practicing for a semester. He was rated around the 25th ranked recruit. But no hype, it’s interesting. I expect someone ranked that high with a 6’10” frame to find some minutes. But it’s pretty much crickets.

He hasn't been hyped because he hasn't been practicing. He came here early from Overtime Elite to get acclimated to college and rehab and ankle injury and then had a surgery to repair a lingering issue with his ankle about a month ago. He was never cleared to participate in 5 on 5 during the spring semester.

His current skill set is much more suited to play the post because he doesn't have a lot of range yet which is probably the biggest hole in his game. We'll see how the ankle surgeries affect his athleticism, but he has been someone that can guard on the perimeter a bit.

His defense is pretty far ahead of his offense so that's why Self is looking for a post who can score because Flory and Tiller aren't that player yet. As long as Tiller is healthy, he should have a spot in the rotation next season.

Turf is cheaper to maintain over a long period of time so in places that are already strapped for cash, it's a money saver. Since most college baseball programs operate in the red, it makes financial sense to do so. A lot of youth leagues do as well because of heavy usage their fields endure.

@TYOHawk said in The portal.:

@BShark said in The portal.:

Talk of a second visitor this weekend as well....

Please be a big or a wing

PG Xaivian Lee from Princeton. 1st team all-Ivy League last year while averaging 16.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg, and 1.2 steals per game. 22.7 PER last season and 24.7 as a sophomore and over 36% assist rate last season. Like other targets, not a great shooter, but gets to the line and he is a playmaker. 4.4 FTA as a sophomore and 3.8 FTA last season. Having spent his first 3 years at Princeton, we also know he's very smart and should pick up Self's system pretty easily.

I really enjoy how good of a passer he is in his highlights. He can create some pretty crazy passing angles and find lanes that shouldn't be there. Him and DP in a little two man game would be insane.

@drgnslayr said in How will our coaches adapt to rosters full of 1 to 2 year guys?:

Good zone takes practice, like any other defense. And it plays out differently depending on what players are on the floor. I like our 1-2-2 sometimes.

A 1-2-2 is not a standard zone and Self rarely uses a traditional 2-3. The ones he does run do take time to learn since they aren't typically a 2-3.

I know there's been a lot of movement already, but one I saw today was Dan Hurley being linked to the Nuggets. He's had his flirtation with the Lakers in the past. Does anyone actually think his antics would fly in the NBA?

@drgnslayr said in How will our coaches adapt to rosters full of 1 to 2 year guys?:

DEFENSE - if you ask Self what his calling card is, he would say his focus is defense.

Is it realistic for Kansas to only play M2M? It’s always seems to be effective when we sometimes flip to a zone when our M2M isn’t cutting it. Self always mentions they barely practice zone or don’t.

Should we practice more zone and use it more? Isn’t it a multi-year education process to learn M2M? When was the last time our guys fought hard to get out in front of picks and not switch?

A 2-3 zone is what most kids are taught as their first defense playing organized basketball. They know how to play zone because it's what you do when you can't play man. That's why Self and most teams spend very little time on a 2-3 because most kids grew up playing it. Come tournament time, Self may throw in non traditional zones because those can be effective is short bursts.

@msanchez said in The portal.:

Does anyone have some insights on Amarri? ref: https://www.si.com/college/kansas/basketball/transfer-portal-update-aj-storr-flory-bidunga-amarri-monroe ↗
He'll definitely a day-1 heavy contributor IMHO.

Already announced he's staying at Quinnipiac several days ago.

https://midhudsonnews.com/2025/04/07/maac-player-of-the-year-amarri-monroe-decides-to-remain-at-quinnipiac/ ↗

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

Indiana is the highest value Adidas program and was Flory’s likely destination before Kansas decided to pay him the NIL he was worth. Peterson basically said he was coming back to KU no matter that we looked like a complete dumpster fire at the time.

Pretty clear that shoeco money rules the CBB universe and university NIL is just the part of the iceberg visible above sea level.

Flory has already said it was either KU or Auburn for him just like when he was coming out of high school.

I assume Peterson has the biggest piece of the NIL pie and I'm guessing Elmarko's NIL deal is over $1 million considered his projections out of high school and what he would've gotten at the time as a projected OAD.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

Quintance to Kentucky. Rumor is 3 million... Yikes

UK also landed Dioubate from Bama who would have been nice at the 4 spot..

UK so far is king of the portal on paper it looks

Quaintance is coming off a torn ACL in late February. Best case scenario is he's ready for the opening of camp in October, worst case is he's out through non-conference play. UK is gambling a bit there with his health.

@Jhawk69 said in The portal.:

Ian Jackson from UNC in. Would love to land him.

St. John's most likely.

UConnjust absolutely destroyed South Carolina by 23 to win their 12th national title and first since 2016. I really wouldn't have guessed this was their first title in 10 years. Paige Bueckers has been so much fun to watch over her career and will now be going to Dallas in the WNBA draft on the 14th.

@BShark said in The portal.:

@kjayhawks said in The portal.:

I keep hearing about Nigel Peck to Kansas haha that could be funny

It's on the table. Him and Kyan Evans are options for another handler/shooter.

Big issue with Pack is the same as Dawson and that's health. Both a pretty injury prone players.

State Department ruling on South Sudan could impact basketball players. The US is revoking the visas of all South Sudan passport holders. One of the most prominent names that could be affected by this and potentially face deportation is Duke center Khaman Maluach whose family fled South Sudan during the Civil War over there amd grew up in Uganda. Malachi is expected to be a top 10 pick in this year's NBA draft so this is something worth keeping an eye on.

Whatever personal feelings you may have towards Duke, it sucks to potentially see a kid like this be denied his dreams because of that Oompa-Loompa in the White House.

@dylans If Flory's guardian is seeking more money, how is that accomplished if there's no real threat of Flory leaving Kansas? College sports is a cutthroat industry, even before is was legal to pay players, especially when it comes to recruits/players from Africa because of their guardians. In a lot of cases, including Flory's, kids from Africa have guardians living here in the States looking to make as much money as possible to exploit these kids that don't actually care about what's best for the kid, just about how he money they can make off of that kid (see Cheick Diallo and Silvio DeSousa).

I would just about guarantee if the decision was solely Flory's, he would choose either Kansas or Indiana and Auburn wouldn't be in the picture right now like they currently are.

@msanchez said in The portal.:

@Texas-Hawk-10 No offense taken — just sharing my perspective here. Kelvin’s system might not be flashy, but it’s adaptable. It does blend motion offense principles with ball screens, and more importantly, it empowers everyone on the floor to contribute. Every guy is expected to defend, rebound, and score.

On the flip side, Self’s offense often feels too rigid — overly structured and built around one or two primary scorers. That’s exactly the issue: by building the roster to ‘complement’ a central piece like Dickinson, oh, now DP, you’re creating a hole elsewhere that never really gets filled.

I’d much rather watch a team full of solid, versatile, gritty, physical & athletic players who can all handle the ball and score — not just stand around while the system runs through a couple of ‘go-to’ guys.

What you want to see in regards to scoring isn't how the vast majority of basketball teams function. Why would you not make the person who is currently projected to the #1 pick in the 2026 draft the focal point and build a roster based on his strengths? That's what Duke just did and it got them to the Final Four. As for the two teams that just reached the title game, Florida rebuilt their team around Walter Clayton Jr. and Houston added pieces to compliment what LJ Cryer does well. Auburn built their offense around what Jhonni Broom did well this season.

The player a lot of scouts are comparing Peterson to is a bigger version of Damien Lillard. So if KU is getting a version of "Dame Time" next year, you go out and find other players who compliment his game. KU has done that so far with Jayden Dawson and Tre White. No, KU's current roster is not complete as KU still needs to fill out the rest of the starting line up with at least two more starters and potentially another starting caliber guard given Dawson's injury history. This is where KU is likely to find their second leading scorer for next season at the 4 or 5 spot and if rumors play out as true, it's likely to be a name very familiar to everyone here.

@Crimsonorblue22 said in NCAA Tournament Discussion:

I just read an article on Golden, how on earth is he still employed?

Look at what school he is at and what they let Urban Meyer's players get away with.

@RockkChalkk said in The portal.:

@Jhawk69 said in The portal.:

@FarmerJayhawk DaJuan caliber defender?

Hope not! Need way better.

Than a guy who was a 3x all-conference defender and a former conference DPOY? I'd take level of defender any day and twice on Sunday, but apparently that's not good enough for you.