🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

I think Zach will need time to not get pushed around inside as the 5, but I could/would love to be wrong about that. Love his game overall and I do think he plays immediately next year.

Right I wasn't really commenting on what you were saying for that part. Just what I think their positions are which makes Hickman more of a need because we need more guys with elite ball handling as we know Self prefers two guys that can really handle it playing at the same time when he can. Harris is probably the only guy on the roster next year that fits due to Garrett graduating. Bryce potentially could, I know he's been coming along as a pg.

Clemence should be fine by his second year to handle playing in the low post. As a HS junior he's listed at 210 and probably comes to KU in the 220-225 range and then it'll be up to the new S&C coach to determine Clemence's ideal playing weight which I'm guessing will be in the 240 range which Clemence should be able to get close to by his sophomore year.

@Marco Jossell is a PG, but he's probably not a viable option at PG in the near future at KU and there's a strong probability he ends up transferring.

My biggest concern with both him and Harris are their size. Harris is listed at 6-1, 160 lbs. and Jossell at 5-11, 155 lbs. which is tiny. With the Big 12 being one of the more physical leagues, I do have doubts about durability with both players, but Harris especially since he's projecting to play some minutes and take over for Garrett next year.

Just from a durability standpoint, Hickman is probably the staff's current top priority in recruiting because KU desperately needs another player that can be a lead guard because while Thompson and Braun are good ball handlers, they're not lead guards though.

@BShark Zach Clemence isn't a developmental player. He's someone that can play right away as Dave's back up and step into the starting spot after Dave graduates.

I'm not calling Bates a PG or saying that Hickman is a 2. I'm saying because of roster composition it's likely Hickman would be playing off ball like Graham did when he played next to Mason with Dajuan Harris as the lead guard in the Mason role. I also think it's likely Hickman would come off the bench his first year or two until Thompson goes pro.

@Marco Nolan Hickman is the PG the staff is after and Zach Clemence probably ends up being the low post player in this class. And as mentioned above, KU offered another 4 today.

Tamar Bates would be a nice developmental player to add, but not near the priority of Hickman and honestly, if KU adds Hickman, he'll probably spend most of his time at the 2 next to Harris to give Self his preferred dual PG line up and making Bates a luxury signing.

@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:

Lol alright well if the kid picks ku today then I hope your wrong. Also sunrise is an academy they are different then a standard high school and play teams all throughout the country. Of course those type of programs will have more talent. Westlake is like a Lawrence or Olathe school In their region. Also your making too big of deal about high school competition. Kids play AAU and that’s were their rankings mostly come from. Braun did fine his freshman year at ku and Kansas 6a teams are consistently much worse then the area that Adams plays in. Also of course I know your from the Texas area. I’m saying your weirdly biased against Texas players. Oh and it’s odd that your such an expert about teams from his area but haven’t seen him play, hmmm!

I'm not sure what your hang up on comparing Texas to Kansas HS basketball is considering I've never made any comparisons between the Kansas/KC basketball scene being superior to Texas. The sheer number of high schools in Texas means there's naturally going to be more good players here than Kansas. I'm pretty here in Houston alone there's more 6A schools than entire state considering the city of Houston has more than twice the population of the entire state of Kansas.

AAU is also a flawed way to evaluate players because it's more of a showcase without much coaching and development actually happening. HS is where that stuff happens because those coaches spend a lot more time with the players.

In regards to Braun, there's also a reason he moved from Burlington to KC and that was to play better competition compared to where he was at.

I'm also not sure why you think it's weird I familiar with the quality of competition Adams plays against despite having not seen him in person. I live in Houston which is about 3 hours away from Austin so it's not exactly like I can go drive over and watch him whenever.

If you were here a couple of years ago, you would know that I did go see Quentin Grimes play a few times and called him being massively overrated based on his final recruiting rankings from the start. Before that, I have probably been Marcus Garrett's biggest supporter here ever since he committed to KU even when most here were ripping him to shreds his first two years.

My opinions of players are not based on where there are from, but what their abilities and skills are from the their videos. Because I'm from Texas, I can usually give more detailed insight into the quality of competition here when KU is recruiting a player from Texaa. And if that player happens to play in the Houston area, like Grimes and Ben McLemore his senior year, I will go watch them play when I can. I don't remember if I was posting here yet or not or if I was still posting at KUSports when McLemore was being recruited, but during that year he was sitting out, I kept saying he was only going to play one year at KU.

My evaluations of players and what they'll become tends to right more times than not.

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 do you know much about Ed'Xavior Rhodes? KU offered and he is from Dallas Skyline same as Marcus Garrett so I would think of Self really wants him then he can get that done.

Haven't heard anything about him and there's not any video out there of him, just general team highlights that don't show enough to get a good read on him. With the number of 4's KU is after in 2021, there's something we're not aware of yet going on whether it's sanctions or Jalen Wilson transferring or possibly even Enaruna turning pro and going back to Europe after this season. Looking at Rhodes' offer list, there might be something there.

@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:

I guess agree to disagree. Obviously you never know for sure how a kid will produce when they get to college but I’ve seen enough to give the guy a chance. I also find your evaluation of Texas basketball a little comical. Texas produces a ton of football and basketball talent every year. It seems like your a little over the top about Texas kids like Wilson. Hopefully the next kid self gets you will like more. Do you like clemence? He is less athletic but a little taller and a better shooter.

You might want to pay attention to my user name before you decide my ability to evaluate the overall basketball talent level of where I live is comical. There's a reason why most top players from Texas, like Zach Clemence, transfer to prep/private schools elsewhere. Did you know that Zach Clemence and KJ Adams played against each other last season as Sunrise (Clemence) played Westlake (Adams) and that Sunrise beat Westlake by almost 30 points, yet Westlake was still considered one of the top teams in Texas last year. Did you know that only 8 out of the top 150 on 24/7's 2021 player rankings play in Texas and most of those players are from the D/FW area which if you've paid any attention is where I've said the best basketball talent in Texas is.

As far as football recruiting in Texas, yes Texas is a top 4 recruiting area in the nation for football, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the quality basketball talent in the state. Do you know why Texas produces as many basketball players as it does? It's because Texas has the 2nd biggest population in the US, but quantity does not equal quality. If you happened to browse the 24/7 player rankings for the 2021 class, you'll notice that only 8 out of the top 150 on 24/7's 2021 player rankings play in Texas and most of those players are from the D/FW area which if you've paid any attention previously is where I've said the one hotbed of basketball talent in Texas is located.

Lastly, I'm gonna disagree on Zach Clemence being less athletic than KJ Adams. Zach Clemence has also done a much better job of building his game around his strengths and is one of, if not the best back to basket players in the 2021 class.

@drgnslayr Charles Barkley was not slow twitch until he became a fat ass later in his career at the end of his Phoenix run and while with the Rockets. There's a reason Barkley was one of the most common comparisons for Zion and that was because of his abnormal athleticism for a player of his build.

Adams has some skills that will give him a chance to have a decent career like his shooting and passing, but there's a reason his recruiting ranking dropped off a cliff though. Unless Adams grows another inch or two though, his strength may ultimately be rendered mostly ineffective because he'll be too short to stick in the paint because he'd get swallowed up by length. As a 4 on perimeter with his skill set, he'd get beat like a red headed step child on defense. I'm guessing his wingspan is about 6-9 or 6-10 based on his highlight videos which isn't something he can do anything about unless he grows taller.

Basically, I just don't see enough in Adams to believe he'll ever be more than an off the bench rotation guy for KU looking at his skill set, ceiling, and KU's roster composition. Right now, the only KU front court player I see KJ Adams having a higher ceiling than is Jalen Wilson who I honestly don't think will stay at KU after this upcoming season. He just doesn't jump off the screen to me in his highlight videos and that's with Adams playing against worse competition than Grimes did who I consistently called overrated and cited the quality of HS competition as well. I'm not calling Adams overrated because I think he's rated in the range he should in at this point and I think Adams is better suited for the mid major level instead of KU.

Best case with KJ Adams is he grows another inch or two his senior year and then KU could stick him in the low post so he's not out having to guard on the perimeter like he would if he stays a 4.

@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:

Man your just all over this athleticism thing aren’t you. Have you seen this kid in person several times? From the videos I watch the kid doesn’t look that unathletic. The kid is suppose to be a good rebounder and has a lot of great traits. Sure he’s not Zion vertical out there, if he was, he would be a top 20 pick lol. Strength and lateral quickness are also a big part of athleticism. Just bc you can jump doesn’t mean your necessarily a good defender or athletic. There have been plenty of super athletic players at ku that have been flops or mediocre bc they had poor coordination/skills etc. hell if the kid is even half of what Lawson or Ellis were he’s a good pickup. Sorry the staff missed out on Kendall brown but get over it

Have you seen this kid in person several times? From the videos I watch the kid doesn’t look that unathletic.

Have I seen Adams in person? No. I just coach basketball and know what to look for in evaluating a player. I also know the level of competition in the Austin area where he played is shit so his numbers were put up against bad competition. Westlake played one good program last year, which just so happened to be Sunrise, and got ran out of the gym by Sunrinse.

Strength and lateral quickness are also a big part of athleticism. Just bc you can jump doesn’t mean your necessarily a good defender or athletic. There have been plenty of super athletic players at ku that have been flops or mediocre bc they had poor coordination/skills etc.

Adams is strong for his age, but he doesn't have good lateral quickness. He's not someone who's ever going to be a good defender and doesn't appear to have the length to be able to play at the 5 either. There's a reason why KJ has plummeted down the recruiting rankings in the last year or so and the ceiling on his game due to his limited athleticism is a big reason why.

I agree with your second part since it doesn't appear you are aware of my thoughts on Agbaji. I'm not going to sing the praises of anyone who's athletic just because they're athletic when there's not much skill to go with it, like Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji's only positive attribute on the floor right now is that he's an above average defender on ball defender, but even that comes with the caveat that when he's off the ball, he's prone to mental lapses and losing his man when his man is moving without the ball.

if the kid is even half of what Lawson or Ellis were he’s a good pickup. Sorry the staff missed out on Kendall brown but get over it

Adams and Brown don't play the same position so my thoughts on each player have nothing to do with the other, so my thoughts on KJ Adams would be the same regardless of whether or not KU had landed Brown. Kendall Brown is a very good player, but like Adams, doesn't play a position of need for KU. As a 3, Brown would mostly be fighting with Christian Braun and Agbaji for minutes whereas Baylor doesn't have much competition at the wing spot when Brown will arrive as the spot is currently manned by probably the second best defender in nation behind Garrett in Mark Vital.

@drgnslayr said in K.J. Adams:

Really enjoying all the posts.

Concerning KJ... my opinion is only based on these two clips. What I see, I like. I see a young man who will probably be here for 3 to 4 years, but can offer some contribution from day 1. He still has another year of high school ball, and I bet he either puts on more height or girth, maybe both. He has a great build already, and that means he's a guy that won't be restricted in his early days at Kansas as we wait for physical development.

I wouldn't say he's a super fast twitch player, but then, he has muscle mass as a junior in high school. He may fool some people at Kansas and suddenly be called a "late bloomer." I see aggressiveness, and you really can't teach that. Add that with size and strength and how can anyone think he won't contribute. I don't see how anyone can put him in the same breath as Ellis or Lawson. His aggressiveness and body separate him completely.

I may be trying to paint him with rosy glasses... but I wonder if what is mistaken for slow twitch is a guy who just plays under control. We've experienced off-the-charts fast twitch with players like Wiggins... who really couldn't translate that on the court. Granted... OAD!

My Perry and Dedric comparison isn't a comparison of playing style or skill set or mentality. Perry and Dedric were not very athletic and we're often shut down and taken out of games by good defenses. Hell, good defenses shut Doke down last year and was an NPOY candidate, but still only a notch or two more athletic than Perry or Dedric. KJ Adams has similar athleticism to Perry and Dedric which means he's going to have plenty of nights throughout his career where's he's going to struggle to get into any kind of rhythm. It also means he's more than likely going to be a big liability on defense similar to how Perry was.

Andrew Wiggins didn't have and issue with his physical abilities, his issues have always been between his ears. He's never been an aggressive player and that's always been the root of his issues, not translating his skills to games.

@FarmerJayhawk said in KU's football game with Boston College could be in jeopardy after ACC's new scheduling provisions for 2020:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in KU's football game with Boston College could be in jeopardy after ACC's new scheduling provisions for 2020:

Are KU officials discussing moving the game to Boston in exchange for financial compensation or just looking to replace the game?

Realistically, I can't see the Big 12 playing non-conference games this year and will probably just go with a 9 game season. With the other four P5 conferences at the stage of having conference only games now, there's no way the Big 12 doesn't follow suit. I could see the Big 12 doing something similar to what the ACC did with Notre Dame by adding BYU for a year to get to a 10 game schedule. Obviously this would be a little bit more complicated to pull off since BYU isn't an affiliate B12 member the way ND is with the ACC.

Guessing BC goes with UMass as their plus one. Sans fans, it’s a lot cheaper than paying KU to travel.

Looks like it's moot at this point anyway since the ACC only went with the 10+1 model to allow FSU, GT NCSU, and UL to play their in state SEC rivals and now that the SEC has decided on a conference only model, the ACC is going with a 10 game model as well.

@BShark said in 2021 Recruiting:

@FarmerJayhawk said in 2021 Recruiting:

Good news is Adams is ultra productive. 23 and 9 for his HS team last year as a junior. Plenty of time to work on the jumper and his body. Ideally could be a nice small ball 4 man.

Just saw this. Yeah he compiled stats and his team won a lot. 33-2.

BSnow used that same term, production. Also seen it mentioned that he is known for his toughness and rebounding prowess. This kid, assuming he does come to KU, is going to be like Ochai, Lucas, Agbaji and play way more than many fans think he should. So in that sense, I feel this is a smart decision for him lol.

Adams level of competition in HS last year was pure garbage. Take anything I've ever said about the quality of the HS competition Quentin Grimes faced in Houston and copy/paste to Adams except Austin is worse than Houston. The D/FW area is the only area in Texas where there's a lot of quality basketball teams.

@FarmerJayhawk said in 2021 Recruiting:

@BShark said in 2021 Recruiting:

@FarmerJayhawk reasonable comp. Actually extremely similar size too. Do you know where he is on the priority list? Self seems more grounded lately but wondering if the staff thinks they have a shot at Reid, Kepnang, Etienne etc..

They’d take any of those guys before Curry. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to take Curry as your only center type guy because he’s only a year behind Dave. I do think it makes some sense to take Curry and a freshman as an insurance policy against Dave going pro (don’t think that’s going to happen) or a transfer.

Taking Curry as a bridge to give Gethro an extra year to develop isn't the worst option. I also can't see Dave leaving early either so by the time Curry would be gone, Gethro would be entering his 3rd year at KU at that point and be refined enough to start

Are KU officials discussing moving the game to Boston in exchange for financial compensation or just looking to replace the game?

Realistically, I can't see the Big 12 playing non-conference games this year and will probably just go with a 9 game season. With the other four P5 conferences at the stage of having conference only games now, there's no way the Big 12 doesn't follow suit. I could see the Big 12 doing something similar to what the ACC did with Notre Dame by adding BYU for a year to get to a 10 game schedule. Obviously this would be a little bit more complicated to pull off since BYU isn't an affiliate B12 member the way ND is with the ACC.

@JAYHAWKFAN214 said in Tristan Enaruna Back In Town:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in Tristan Enaruna Back In Town:

@jayballer73 Only reason Enaruna wouldn't have been back was travel restrictions. Jalen Wilson is more likely to transfer than Enaruna.

Do not think so that Jalen Wilson is likely to transfer

As buried as he is on the depth chart, and with not a lot of opportunities to move up the depth chart for the foreseeable future, I don't think Wilson transferring after this upcoming season would be too unexpected.

Even before his injury last year, he was the last big in the rotation. That hasn't changed and now Mitch is in the fold as well pushing Jalen further down. And with Zach Clemence coming in next year, it's very possible could Jalen Wilson could never start at KU or even be a major factor in the rotation until his 5th year depending on how long Enaruna and Clemence are at KU.

@FarmerJayhawk I'm not seeing where he averaged 24 PPG on Oklahoma PWP's site for last year, I'm seeing Bryce at 16 PPG.

@jayballer73 Only reason Enaruna wouldn't have been back was travel restrictions. Jalen Wilson is more likely to transfer than Enaruna.

@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:

I guarantee he will shoot 38% or higher from 3. And what’s the negative attitude on a top 25 recruit? The kid is a stud! If we want to break down a player, Kendall brown had a high dribble and no outside shot lol. Red flags right there

Shooting percentages very rarely increase when someone moves up in competition.

I'm also trying to figure out why you think me basically saying Bryce Thompson's not going to be an all-world player out of the gate is me having a negative attitude towards him. He's a very good player, but he has deficiencies in his game at this point which is why he's only a 20-25 ranked player.

I also don't think a post injury Wayne Selden comparison is a negative thing either because Selden was a very good player for KU during his 3 years even if Selden was never a superstar player.

Don't be shocked when Bryce doesn't meet you expectations as a freshman and isn't a OAD player.

@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:

Texas hawk 10 your so wrong on Thompson. The guys going to be a stud he’s already taller then he was in High school and he’s a sharp shooter. He’s a first round pick easy! Obviously we need some top 30 talent to be a great team but a foundation of that 2008 title team had a lot of solid top 100 guys (Kaun, Robinson, Jackson). Garret has been a great player and he wasn’t a top 20 player. Even trob wasn’t top 15. Last final four team didn’t have a nba first rounder and was great. Yeah NCAA vilolations and unchecked Nike recruitment of guys to duke and Uk Is hurting ku but Virginia, Villanova all won titles with 3-4 year guys. And by the way kJ is exactly like the Villanova big guys that destroyed ku in the final four. 6”7 shooting big guys with muscle so they don’t get pushed around.

Please point to statistical evidence that Bryce Thompson is a sharpshooter and not what a scout says based on his shooting form.

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in K.J. Adams:

If Adams signs, it's going to be awhile before he ever plays meaningful minutes because he plays a position KU has zero need for in the 2021 class.

It's interesting to me that the staff felt they needed to go after someone at this position. Maybe they are expecting a departure that we are not, maybe it's just about filling the roster out because I do think this will end up being a 5 man class. It almost never happens where every underclassman stays.

Enaruna staying in Europe or Wilson transferring are the most likely scenarios of unexpected departures that would make the staff look at someone like Adams to me. I know Jossell seems like a prime transfer option as well, but he wouldn't impact KU looking at Adams so I'm leaning towards Enaruna or Wilson not coming back with Enaruna being the more likely option at this point due to Covid.

@Marco said in K.J. Adams:

So, and what of this past season's team? A total recruiting bust when going up and down the lineup? I am telling you, if Adams signs he is not going to be a chump. When all is said and done (if indeed, he does sign, and I guess we are all assuming that he will) if I am wrong I'll be the first to admit it. Kind of like I was, so far, about Enaruna.

If Adams signs, it's going to be awhile before he ever plays meaningful minutes because he plays a position KU has zero need for in the 2021 class. His best case scenario at this point for minutes is for Enaruna to be unable to return to the US due to Corona and decide to turn pro and stay in Europe and Zach Clemence to end up playing the 5 which opens a path for Adams to get minutes in year two. Even in that scenario, Adams would be a starter until year 4 after Wilson left.

@BShark This was your exact wording, "...2011 recruiting class except Ben, Anrio Adams, Landen Lucas."

The teacher in me reads that as you saying Adams and Lucas were part of the 2011 class, not that Adams and Lucas were part of the 2012 class.

ACC today announced teams will play an 11 game schedule which includes Notre Dame for this season. 10 of those games will be ACC games and they will play 1 non conference game that must be in the school's home state. That caveat was included to protect the 4 in-state ACC/SEC rivalry games that happen at the end of the regular season (FSU/UF, GT, UGA, Clem/SCar, and Lou/UK). Because of that requirement, BC will not be allowed to travel to Lawrence for their return game that was set to take place Sept. 19.

It's possible KU and BC negotiate to go back to BC again this year and I'm sure both schools are in discussions right now about that.

Other games potentially affected by this decision are FSU @ WVU, Pitt @ Marshall, FSU @ Boise, VA Tech @ MTSU, NC State @ Troy, Syracuse @ WMU, and UVA @ Old Dominion.

@mayjay said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Yep, Self failed by getting someone anticipated to be a project in 2013 who merely became the number 3 pick. Crappy recruiting....

Oh, don't forget the no. 1 pick that year, too...

My bad, 2010-2012 was the shit recruiting for KU. As for 2013, great talent, but damn sure didn't hp KU win any more games that year considering they lost 10 games for the first time under Self and got their asses handed to them by Stanford in the 2nd round that season in the NCAA tournament. That group was arguably the most talented group Self has ever had, but was also by far Self's worst KU team until the 2018-2019 team came along.

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

It's pretty apparent that the staff started making a big push after KB went to Baylor.

Some other scramble recruits: Svi, Graham, Vick, Billy Preston (does not pick KU if KU gets Ayton, period), Agbaji, Harris, Braun, Wilson, the entire 2011 recruiting class except Ben, Anrio Adams, Landen Lucas.

Rio Adams and Landen Lucas were 2012 recruits, not 2011. 2011 was McLemore, Traylor, Naadir Tharpe, Merv Lindsey, and Braeden Anderson.

@Marco said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Without Ellis those teams (all four of his years) would not have been much of anything.

My mistake, I was off on Perry's actual years at KU (since he was allegedly at KU for 15 years according to some). KU only made it to one Elite 8 with Perry. I keep thinking he graduated in 2017 instead of 2016. Perry was a nice player, but he never should've been the focal point of the offense of those teams and that's a big reason why they underachieved so much. A lot of that falls on Self and staff for failing to land better players to help out, but 2011-2014 was a pretty dark time for KU recruiting.

@Marco said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Thompson is known as an outside shooter, was Seldon ever called that?

It's not what he was known for, but Selden was an above average 3 point shooter being in the upper 30% range and Bryce's shooting ability is a bit overhyped at this point.

@Marco KU really didn't win that much with Ellis. Never made a Final Four and the 2 of the 3 worst seasons under Self happened with Ellis.

Perry was a better athlete than Adams is, but Perry still got shut down and taken out of games with relative ease by good defensive teams.

Ellis will always be a fan favorite, but that doesn't mean he was a great player. He was a good player, but there's also a reason why he never got a serious look from the NBA.

@BShark Dropping 60ish spots is major drop and an indicator that his ceiling/development is limited.

I don't think Gethro was a desperation move on KU's end. For a sub 150 recruit, he's had some other really good offers like Tech, Louisville, and Memphis along with a bunch of other P5 and quality mid major offers. Gethro's also the player out of this class (KU's 2020) that I'm highest on long term as a player.

My Bryce Thompson to Selden comparison is the post injury version of Selden that was noticably slower and less athletic than before his injuries.

@jayballer73 You do know at this stage, KJ Adams is nowhere near KU's top choice in recruits right? There's a reason why the staff waited until this point to start making a push for Adams and it's because of other players KU's staff liked better turned KU down for whatever reason whether it be playing time, fit, possible sanctions, etc.

This is more of KJ Adams being best remaining option rather than best option. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, even for KU.

You have a case like 2011 where Self didn't plan on the Morris Twins leaving early (still don't know how he didn't plan on that even being a possibility) where that class was put together late and only 2 of the 5 ended their college careers at KU and only 1 of 5 was here two year later.

Frank Mason was a similar case as he was the 8th or 9th player Self recruited at PG alone that year.

More times than not though, beginning to recruit a player this late is more of a desperation move than anything else because that player has major holes in his game that may or may not be fixable.

@jayballer73 Perry Ellis and Dedric Lawson could also dunk and nobody has ever called them an above the rim player. Players of Adams size who play mostly below the rim tend to be poor defenders due to a lack of athleticism and bad rebounders due to poor jumping abilities. Players with Adams profile at programs like KU have a history of struggling and not panning out as expected due to their physical limitations. Another difference between Adams and Ellis and Lawson is the Ellis and Lawson were both top 40 recruits while Adams is barely a top 100 program.

I also remember a lot of people giving me shit when I kept saying that Quentin Grimes was going to be a busy because of him being from an area that's weak in HS basketball. The HS Adams attends is the top football program in Austin and a top 10 program in Texas having churned out a lot of NFL talent including two Super Bowl winning QB's currently in the NFL in Drew Brees and Nick Foles, but Austin isn't exactly known as a basketball hotbed so I also have serious doubts about the level kf competition he's faced, especially without an AAU season this year to go against better players and improve.

So add all of these factors together along with doubts about a HS season happening and a not very athletic kid without much, if any, organized basketball activity potentially over a year is going to make me skeptical about what he'll ever be at KU.

If you want to try and claim I'm always bagging on recruits to taking a dig like you did, then you might want to check history, because there's plenty of recruits I've been high on that others weren't.

I'll go ahead and breakdown KU's current roster right now you can comeback and see what I got right and wrong.

Marcus Garrett is going to be an NPOY candidate this year and a second round NBA pick. If Garrett could shoot, he'd already be in the NBA as a lottery pick. His defense alone is going to keep Garrett in the NBA for a long time and he'll probably have a Pat Beverly type career.

Bryce Thompson is going to be a good, but not great 2/3 year player for KU. My comp for him is Wayne Selden. Thompson isn't elite at anything specifically, just a solid all around player, but that lack of an it factor is what will hurt his NBA prospects.

Ocahi Agbaji is someone I've made pretty clear my feelings on and I'm nowhere near as high on Agbaji as others here are. Even playing on a top AAU team he didn't get much attention from other P5 programs. I do believe he is the most naturally athletic player Self has ever had at KU, but he's also one of the lowest skilled players as well and one of the lowest basketball IQ's Self has had. He'll be a 4 year player, and test off the charts in regards to physical abilities and maybe get picked up in the 2nd round based on potential, but I believe that's all he'll ever be is potential that spends a year or two in the NBA before headed overseas for the rest of his career.

Mitch Lightfoot is a future coach and honestly wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a GA after this year. Mitch is one of the smartest players Self has had which is why he's always maximized his time on the floor and why Self wanted Mitch on this team this year. He's also a great leader and does the little things well like setting screens, knowing how help from the weakside defensively, and whatever is needed to help KU win. Mitch's game is a perfect compliment to basically everyone who will be on the floor for KU because this is going to be a group that looks to drive the ball first and then kick out to an open 3. Mitch is going to be instrumental in making that happen.

Tyon Grant-Foster is one I'm less up on than others because I'm always naturally skeptical of JuCo's in basketball. TGF is an above average athlete, but he falls into that Ochai, Jamari neighborhood of a good athlete, but lower skilled player. His shooting is a big concern as are his turnover numbers. He is a solid rebounder for his size which means he's aggressive. I don't think he's a bad player, but I'm less optimistic about the immediate impact he'll have than others are this upcoming season.

David McCormack is an upgraded Landen Lucas that can score more. He's a guy we know effort is never going to be an issue with and is always looking to get better. He's probably going to be 2nd or 3rd team Big 12 this year and a Big 12 POY candidate as a senior. I don't see him getting drafted, but I can see him making an NBA roster based on his hard work and dedication to getting better.

Christian Braun is that guy we all hate when he's on other teams. He is that annoying white kid who can go off for 5 or 6 made 3's any night. Even if Braun doesn't start this year, I think he should start over Agbaji personally, he's going to play starter level minutes for his remaining 3 years at KU.

Tristan Enaruna is KU's best NBA prospect to me. He'll take all 4 years to develop like Svi, but he'll be a very good player by his senior year. Being brought up in the Euro game, defense is probably always going to be his achilles heel, but he has the makings of being a Svi clone.

Jalen Wilson is another 4 year guy. Another Texas player with subpar athletic ability. I don't see him ever becoming more than a role player and if he doesn't develop a consistent shot, he's someone I don't see finishing his career at KU and probably ends up transferring to a mid major conference.

Silvio DeSousa is going to go down as the biggest what if player in Self's tenure at KU. We saw flashes of what Silvio could be as a freshman, but the NCAA and the KSU incident have majorly derailed his development. Silvio is probably a top 3 rebounder under Self and is a phenomenal shot blocker, but is someone who needs a redshirt to focus on refining his game. If I were Self, I'd seriously consider redshirting Silvio this year honestly because I think Silvio would be best option at the 5 next year out of the realistic options Self has.

Dajuan Harris is someone I've struggled to get a solid read on. I don't see him being ready this year to even be the back up for Garrett which is a little concerning since he's probably taking over in 2021 for Garrett. He's currently listed at 160 lbs. on KU's most up-to-date basketball roster so durability is going to be a big concern with Harris until he can get into the 180 lb. range.

Gethro Muscadin is a player that's going to need all 5 years to maximize his potential at KU. I think he can eventually develop into something similar to fellow Haitian Skal Labissiere except being able to rebound. He definitely needs to add bulk because so he doesn't get bullied. He's also still relatively new to basketball from what I can tell so he's definitely a work in progress, but I'm just not expecting much of anything his first 2-3 years here.

Latrell Jossell along with Jalen Wilson is someone I don't see finishing his career at KU. Jossell probably has this season to prove something in practice to convince the staff to not recruit over him, but he's even smaller than Harris so durability again becomes a major concern because his body doesn't look like it can handle much past 170-75 lbs. without taking a hit on quickness.

@Marco said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 Maybe because there was more talent around him?

Which is my point on a Doolittle comparison. Doolittle had by far his absolute worst season when there was some talent around him and wasn't even a regular starter his sophomore year after starting as a freshman. Doolittle's PER that year was 8.1 when they had talent around him.

@BShark I got mixed up on which year Nova beat them, but my point still stands about Doolittle not being very productive when there was more talent around him though.

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

Jerry Meyer is projecting him as a P5 starter with the comparison being Kristian Doolittle. I'd take that and run with it.

I'm not seeing a Doolittle comp at all unless all he's comparing is a short 4. Doolittle couldn't shoot for shit from the field and was quite a bit more athletic. The one year OU had a good season was also Doolittle's least productive season and that was Doolittle's sophomore season when they had Trae Young and went to the FF. Fewest minutes, only year Doolittle wasn't a regular starter, lowest PER by a lot.
Doolittle was productive when there wasn't much talent around him.

If KJ Adams came to KU, he'd have to wait quite awhile to play and is someone that would likely redshirt early on because of the logjam KU has that spot. Just in 2021-22 alone, he'd likely have a senior TGF, a Jr./So. Enaruna (depending on if he can get back or not), and a So. Wilson in front of him on the depth chart and that's just with current players. If anyone wants to view him as a wing, then you add a Sr. Agbaji and a Jr. Braun into the mix not including any other possible recruits KU could land.

Just based on that, the earliest KJ Adams would project to be a factor in the rotation would be his 3rd year at KU.

@justanotherfan Jamari Traylor was athletic as hell, but minimally skilled. Ochai falls ino that same category of very good athlete, just not very skilled. About the only way Adams and Traylor do compare is body type as Adams definitely looks like he has room to add another 20-25 lbs. of muscle onto his frame.

KJ Adams kinda reminds me of a poor man's Perry Ellis. Decent skill set, decent shooter, but subpar athleticism. That lack of athleticism is almost certainly going to force Adams to be a stretch 4 at KU, but even then Adams is probably always going to be a major defensive liability at the P5 level.

His shooting form looks solid so he looks like he could develop into a really good shooter which is probably his best bet to ever see extended minutes for KU if he came here.

@jayballer73 Adams being a below the rim player is an issue because it's a sign of lack of athleticism. At his current size of 6-7 and about 200 lbs., he's probably going to be a wing and an unathletic wing doesn't typically do too well in Self's system.

How many times did Perry Ellis and Dedric Lawson get their shots blocked because they were below the rim players?

So while the premise that a dunk and lay up are worth the same is accurate, someone who is a below the rim player is much more likely to have their shot blocked than an above the rim player which does affect a player's ability to score.

If you can't grasp how being a below the rim player is a major concern for a player, then I don't know what to tell you.

@BShark said in K.J. Adams:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in K.J. Adams:

Functional athleticism sounds like a below the rim player that's going to end up being an defensive liability.

He has some in game dunks in his highlights but he's no Udoka or even that JUCO kid KU offered two days ago.

Most of his highlights are lay ups and not dunks so I stand by him being a below the rim player. Even Perry and Dedric had a few drinks in their highlight tapes.

Functional athleticism sounds like a below the rim player that's going to end up being an defensive liability.

Missouri Valley hasn't announced their decision on fall sports yet, but I'm assuming they're going to cancel it this upcoming week when they have their meetings. I honestly don't see a non conference schedule happening unless the Group of 5 conferences agree to play non-conference games, but I doubt even if those leagues play that they'll do non-conference games.

David McCormack, Silvio DeSousa, and Mitch Lightfoot.

If Gethro Muscadin contributes for KU this season, KU's got serious injury issues.

@jayballer73 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

This might be something that Texas Hawk might be able to tell us a little more about. - - -I saw this ans right off I called bullshit , and so did many others , there was a lady that had this Headline that said that in Texas the Hospitals were so full they were sending people home not treating that were more likely to die.

People were all saying delete this bullshit and calling bullshit , then another poster saying that yes here is the proff and shared a link. It was from the Ft Worth Star Telegram and pulled that up and sure enough statements be made from Hospital personal , but it wasn't the only link there was two or three they put up to reference to , also CNN news had reported suposedly. - fricken hard to believe but had multiple links.

The lady had stated - - -And so it begins , and then she said probably people that was poor or no insurance, somewhere in there was mentioned about people that had multiple underlying health conditions. I still think thats so insane, IF that's the case you think they would be sitting themselves up for a major Law Suit. - - - Texas Hawk ? is this true ? have you heard anything ?

Couldn't tell you anything about DFW's status, but I'm assuming it's just media manipulating numbers to make it seem more dire. Same thing happened here in Houston where there were reports of the Texas Medical Center, which is the largest medical complex in the world, was at 98% capacity. To clarify the situation, the heads of several of those hospitals explained what was going on and it was nowhere near the crisis that it was being built up to be.

The biggest issue hospitals are dealing with at this point is storage space in morgues for the dead, not just Covid deaths, because the social distancing restrictions mean people can't have funerals so they haven't been able to bury their deceased.

@FarmerJayhawk said in The "crap on Trump" thread:

@approxinfinity said in The "crap on Trump" thread:

Waiting for the Nationals opening day game at 7 on ESPN. Why is this no mask wearing piece of shit on the television? Petty B couldn't stand that the Nats invited Fauci to throw out first pitch.

White House personnel and guests get tested upon entry so there’s no reason to wear one on WH grounds if you test negative.

From the stand point of contract Covid, there's no reason, but it would set an example for everyone who doesn't believe in wearing them to wear a mask so we can finally start seeing things return to normal. Although those people would probably just call Trump a traitor and hypocrite for wearing one.

If anyone doubts how much money is at stake here for major conference football teams, Barry Alvarez gave an interview saying that even with a 10 game conference only schedule, Wisconsin Athletics is projected to lose between $60-70 million dollars this year. If football is cancelled altogether, losses would be over $100 million for Wisconsin. Alvarez said Wisconsin has an operating budget of about $140 million this year.

College football is going to happen this year at the Power 5 level for sure whether it's in the fall this year or next spring because a lot of schools simply can't afford to not play, even with limited capacity of fans.

@mayjay You're kidding yourself if you think Cancel Culture only goes back to WWI. The French Revolution, American Revolution, Crusades, Rome trying to snuff out Christianity just to name a few examples. Cancel Culture isn't something to really worry about because it's largely ineffective and doesn't usually change things.

Unless it affects the bottom line, cancel culture rarely has any meaningful impact on something. How many people have "cancelled" Nike over Colin Kaepernick or China? How people have "cancelled" LeBron over his hypocrisy involving BLM while refusing to condemn China because that would hurt his bottom line. How many people actually quit watching Nascar over the Bubba Wallace noose incident?

Cancel Culture in the 21st century is largely people complaining about something they disagree with. Nick Cannon only lost his podcast deal with Viacom because it lost sponsors. Cancel Culture doesn't work of it doesn't affect the bottom line.

Scott Drew is a good, not great coach. Bill Self is a great coach. Chris Beard is on his way to being a great coach. Bob Huggins was a great coach.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the worst coach, 5 being average, and 10 being the best, I would rate Scott Drew as a 7. Very few programs would say they wouldn't take Scott Drew as a coach, KU happens to be one of those very few programs.

Realistically, how many schools would not interview Scott Drew if they had an opening and Scott Drew expressed interest in that job. In PAC-12, maybe Arizona, but at this point I would doubt Arizona would pass on Drew. In the Big 12, KU passes and that's it. In the SEC, Kentucky would be the only school pass him up. In the ACC, Duke and UNC would be it. In the B10, maybe Michigan St. and in the Big East, maybe Villanova.

I feel comfortable in saying that Scott Drew has elevated Baylor to a point that very few schools wouldn't at least bring in Scott Drew for an interview if Drew expressed interest in that job. The 4 top tier blue blood programs (Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina (these are specifically in alphabetical order)) are probably the only ones who don't bring Drew in for at least an interview at this point.

@justanotherfan said in 2023 Recruiting:

@BShark said in 2023 Recruiting:

@FarmerJayhawk that's a WILD top 10.

His top 10 includes several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Williams' mother went to Hampton, and he has already said that when his list cuts down, he will include HBCUs (he stated this in the plural) on his list.

• North Carolina Central (top, far left)
• Alabama State (top, second from left)
• Texas State (top, second from right)
• Hampton (top, far right)
• Tennessee State (bottom, to the left of KU)

More and more top notch recruits are seriously considering HBCUs for basketball. Makur Maker (ESPN #16 recruit for 2020) picked Howard. It would not surprise me to see more high level recruits consider (and even pick) HBCUs. It wasn't that long ago that top black athletes attended HBCUs regularly.

Charles Oakley, Rick Mahorn, and Ben Wallace all went to HBCUs.

So did HOFs like Sam Jones, Willis Reed, and Earl Monroe. And that's just basketball. Football boasts the likes of Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, John Taylor, Doug Williams, and many more.

A lot of those older players attended HBCU's because it was their only option because of segregation in recruiting, especially if they were from the south which most were since that's where HBCU's are.

Philly was a unique place for basketball back then because a lot of their playground legends (which Monroe was) chose to leave the Philly area for college. I'm sure there are plenty of similar stories from Rucker Park legends as well, but I'm more familiar with the Philly scene because of Wilt's story.

I don't know if Mikey will end up starting a trend, but that kid is a different breed and I'd be shocked if he doesn't spend a year at probably Hampton before going to the NBA.

@BShark said in 2023 Recruiting:

@FarmerJayhawk that's a WILD top 10.

He's the one who started the talk about high profile recruits going to HBCU's. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at Hampton which is where his mom went to school and played softball at.

He's also going to be the first player to really put NIL rules to the test assuming they're in place by that point because this kid is a social media star who already had over 1 million Instagram followers before entering high school and now has 2.3 million followers on Instagram.

@FarmerJayhawk said in 2021 Recruiting:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in 2021 Recruiting:

@BShark said in 2021 Recruiting:

Agbaji is a more or less a replacement level player at KU, maybe slightly below even but he has traits that Self values a bit too highly at times.

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in 2021 Recruiting:

Doesn't mean he should be though. He's a solid defender, but that's about his only positive attribute on the floor which is why Self plays him. That said, Agbaji's defense isn't good enough to negate how bad he is on the floor unlike Garrett who, even as a worse shooter than Agbaji, is a much better offensive player than Agbaji because Garrett can dribble, pass, and drive to the basket and be a force on offense. Agbaji only plays the minutes he does because Self doesn't have a better option at this point. I will also say that I think Agbaji's defense only seems as good as it does because he's spent a lot of his time on the floor at the 4 spot so he's mostly guarded slower players.

I'm gonna call it now and say that after Agbaji leaves KU, he's gonna be debated about in the same category as Jamari Traylor who actually had a better career PER than Agbaji does now and was actuallyuch better PER in Big 12 games.

With the plethora of 4's KU has next year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Agbaji have a big reduction in minutes this upcoming season. I'll say it now that KU's best line up next season is going to be Garrett, Thompson, Braun, Lightfoot, McCormack.

I agree with some of this but I can't even envision KU's best line-up next year involving Mitch Lightfoot. If we are going to bring up stats with Agbaji, which I think is fair then you have to look at Mitch's stats too. Career negative OBPM, average PER (factoring in he mostly played as a big, it's more or less on par with Agbaji because PER favors bigs) etc... I will believe he is a real threat from three when he takes and makes a real number per game. Where he does well is defensively, which is where I think next year has a lot of potential in general.

So I think Agbaji should see a minutes reduction, but I don't think Mitch should be playing more than 15 in any given game. If Mitch does prove to be a much improved player then he should and will get big minutes.

I have heard that Self is absolutely enamored with TGF, fwiw. @FarmerJayhawk Have you heard similar?

Self has gotten enamoured with plenty players before that didn't live up to his own hype. I've always been very skeptical of JuCo's because it's very common for JuCo player's to get overhyped and then come in and struggle. Rewatching TGF's JuCo tape, he's got some significant holes in his game that have me doubting how effective he'll be right away.

@FarmerJayhawk sorry, but Ochai really should not be starting or playing crunch time minutes for KU because he is a net negative for KU in end game scenarios and is someone that you can leave unguarded on offense with minimal risk of getting burned.

I absolutely think he'll have an adjustment period. In TGF's case it's not just Self either. NBA guys are really high on him as well.

He did make some boneheaded plays down the stretch last year, but also got put in some bad spots (Dotson wasn't a great passer and sometimes got tunnel vision). I expect his feel and basketball IQ to improve this year. He's still newish to the game and should make some progress. But could also see Braun in that role, especially if he keeps shooting 40+% from 3. Bill still loves Ochai's defense, and will play a lot. You may disagree, which is fine, but that's the way Self will play it.

Agbaji made stupid plays consistently all year long. There's little evidence his basketball IQ will improve because his situational awareness is garbage. Agbaji's defense is not good enough to compensate for just how bad he is on offense. Christian Braun is already a better all around player than Agbaji and should get all of Agbaji's minutes this year while Agbaji plays 15-20 mpg.

NBA guys loving players doesn't mean much to me honestly because they still focus a lot more on potential instead of production. Those same scouts after 2019 were projecting Agbaji to be a 1st round pick this upcoming 2020 draft at the time because of his tools. TGF has good tools, but there's just been too many JuCo players over the years, not specifically KU, that have been hyped to the moon as instant impact and potential NBA players that never amount to anything more than a role player at their school. Coaches and scouts always drool over players with the tools TGF and Agbaji have, but I'm to the point that players that get hyped by coaches like that have to prove it to me.

This is why I like Lightfoot so much. No, he's never going to be a guy to game plan around, but he's a guy that will go out and steal a couple of possessions a he, make good decisions with the basketball, get other players open with his screens and play sound, fundamental defense.

@BShark said in 2021 Recruiting:

Agbaji is a more or less a replacement level player at KU, maybe slightly below even but he has traits that Self values a bit too highly at times.

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in 2021 Recruiting:

Doesn't mean he should be though. He's a solid defender, but that's about his only positive attribute on the floor which is why Self plays him. That said, Agbaji's defense isn't good enough to negate how bad he is on the floor unlike Garrett who, even as a worse shooter than Agbaji, is a much better offensive player than Agbaji because Garrett can dribble, pass, and drive to the basket and be a force on offense. Agbaji only plays the minutes he does because Self doesn't have a better option at this point. I will also say that I think Agbaji's defense only seems as good as it does because he's spent a lot of his time on the floor at the 4 spot so he's mostly guarded slower players.

I'm gonna call it now and say that after Agbaji leaves KU, he's gonna be debated about in the same category as Jamari Traylor who actually had a better career PER than Agbaji does now and was actuallyuch better PER in Big 12 games.

With the plethora of 4's KU has next year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Agbaji have a big reduction in minutes this upcoming season. I'll say it now that KU's best line up next season is going to be Garrett, Thompson, Braun, Lightfoot, McCormack.

I agree with some of this but I can't even envision KU's best line-up next year involving Mitch Lightfoot. If we are going to bring up stats with Agbaji, which I think is fair then you have to look at Mitch's stats too. Career negative OBPM, average PER (factoring in he mostly played as a big, it's more or less on par with Agbaji because PER favors bigs) etc... I will believe he is a real threat from three when he takes and makes a real number per game. Where he does well is defensively, which is where I think next year has a lot of potential in general.

So I think Agbaji should see a minutes reduction, but I don't think Mitch should be playing more than 15 in any given game. If Mitch does prove to be a much improved player then he should and will get big minutes.

I have heard that Self is absolutely enamored with TGF, fwiw. @FarmerJayhawk Have you heard similar?

Self has gotten enamoured with plenty players before that didn't live up to his own hype. I've always been very skeptical of JuCo's because it's very common for JuCo player's to get overhyped and then come in and struggle. Rewatching TGF's JuCo tape, he's got some significant holes in his game that have me doubting how effective he'll be right away.

@FarmerJayhawk sorry, but Ochai really should not be starting or playing crunch time minutes for KU because he is a net negative for KU in end game scenarios and is someone that you can leave unguarded on offense with minimal risk of getting burned.

@Marco said in 2021 Recruiting:

@Texas-Hawk-10 I never said that Agbaji could shoot, but he's been a starter for two years now.

Doesn't mean he should be though. He's a solid defender, but that's about his only positive attribute on the floor which is why Self plays him. That said, Agbaji's defense isn't good enough to negate how bad he is on the floor unlike Garrett who, even as a worse shooter than Agbaji, is a much better offensive player than Agbaji because Garrett can dribble, pass, and drive to the basket and be a force on offense. Agbaji only plays the minutes he does because Self doesn't have a better option at this point. I will also say that I think Agbaji's defense only seems as good as it does because he's spent a lot of his time on the floor at the 4 spot so he's mostly guarded slower players.

I'm gonna call it now and say that after Agbaji leaves KU, he's gonna be debated about in the same category as Jamari Traylor who actually had a better career PER than Agbaji does now and was actuallyuch better PER in Big 12 games.

With the plethora of 4's KU has next year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Agbaji have a big reduction in minutes this upcoming season. I'll say it now that KU's best line up next season is going to be Garrett, Thompson, Braun, Lightfoot, McCormack.