I put little faith in predictions... especially this early. It reminds me of preseason predictions on a National Championship. The recruiting process has been going on for DeAndre most of his life... but it will kick into high gear here shortly.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
Former NBA player Scot Pollard to compete on Survivor ↗
!survivor-2016-s32-preview-03-scot.jpg ↗
!scott-pollard-survivor-brains-vs-brawn-vs-beauty-season-32.jpg ↗
WARNING to all the contestants on the upcoming "Survivors 2016 Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty"... Don't mess with Polly!
Polly doesn't wanna cracker. He wants to win, and if someone "disturbs the peace" with Polly, they eventually realize the mistake they made by disturbing the frolicking giant. Just ask Cheryl Miller. Here are two clips from that episode. I kind of remember a third clip that really had the juicy stuff in it where Cheryl really got dissed and blew up and lost her cool. My guess is her legal counsel had that clip erased from public domain. Probably cost her a pretty penny to accomplish that, but she received an incredible amount of negative PR from it.
[link text](
[link text](
For those who need a refresher on who Scot Pollard is -
[link text](
Potential future Kansas "big man" coach? Imagine Scot on the recruiting trail. Top 50 players... how many have a sense of humor? Those that do will sign Kansas!
Great response.
I'm a GS fan... and it sounds like you are, too. You just "get it" too well to not be a fan of it!
"The first thing you notice about the GS offense is that the guys that can shoot are always spacing the floor for each other."
I really like how you phrased that. Most guys just try to create their own space. GS guys realize they are part of a team, and helping other teammates get their space will also come back to them, helping them get their space. It's like karma run amuck!
I'm with you. As long as no one else "breaks serve" then all we have to do is win one or two big away games to win the league.
Everyone always says "the road to the B12 title goes through Lawrence." Ha... truth is... it COULD go through Lawrence, but doesn't have to.
Lawrence is the toughest place for teams to win in. Let them keep focusing on that and then they lose at TT... Turns out that the TT loss is what cost them a chance at the B12 title (or to share it). And also... they have to "hold serve" at home, like when we visit. Instead... they just keep thinking they have to win in Lawrence to win the B12. Nonsense, but why should we help the rest of our league understand basic math?
I know our talent can't match the Golden State Warriors. That still doesn't mean their offense shouldn't be admired and mimicked on the D1 level. There is a lot of great clips out there to study showing good NBA offense. Kansas easily has one of the best perimeter shooting teams in college today, so it seems logical that they would study the offensive sets of one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the NBA.
People often state that players and teams DON'T PLAY DEFENSE in the NBA. The truth is that offense is run to such a high proficiency (and with the most talented offensive players in the world) so defense just can't keep up with high octane offense. Plays are often custom-designed specifically for certain players and to take advantage of their best opportunities, which may just be a spot on the floor where a player can't miss.
What I take most out of watching videos (like the one below) is that a big reason why these offensive sets work is because of the perimeter shooting skills of the players, but also, the fact that they have such a great reputation for perimeter shooting so defenses must spread the floor to cover the perimeter. This opens up huge lanes to drive, pass and shoot.
The stat book is building our reputation this year. Our perimeter shooting % is off the charts. That should be good not only for us because we make a lot of points off of 3s, but it should help build our reputation as a threat from the perimeter, and help push opponents' defenses out on the perimeter, opening up the entire floor perfect for attacking.
In the clip below, Steph Curry shows how dangerous of a scoring threat he is. Players like BG should be studying how he plays, how his biggest weapon may not be his shot, but his footwork! Imagine if we had a guard that could shoot like Steph and by creating his own shot and scoring space? One defender isn't enough to stop Curry. And with the double-team comes opportunities for the other GS players.
[link text](
Notice right off the bat the mention of GS having the fastest pace in the league. That should describe us in D1. We have the horses to run with anyone in college and run 99% of the college teams right out of the gym. This is where Cheick's development becomes vital. He is very capable of being a great rebounder and also to push the ball up the floor, either by dribble or by quick outlet passing.
We may not be able to run true GS high-octane offense to its full degree... but look at how they score on fast breaks. Their preference isn't to finish at the rim. It is to nail the open 3. Why? Because the math works out to be a better play in the long run as their % from trey isn't far off from their finish at the rim % so the extra point means everything! This is a great way to get our real mileage out of BG. He is strictly a spot up shooter, and setting up his trey on either a primary or secondary break should earn him enough open treys in a game to put him in double-digit scoring easily in every game, even if he is only playing 10-15 minutes a game. When BG is in the game, we need to push PACE!
See how much of a fan I am... I LIKE those sweaters!
Got to have one of those, especially when I visit family back East and they take me to a Duke game. Everyone will think I'm supporting Coach K until they look closer! Hahahe...
Very good post!
Kind of makes me wonder... Self is a coach focused on defense. Why has he kept Hunter on ice for almost all of his stay at Kansas?
And Hunter has some offensive skills, too. It isn't like we have to trade offense for defense.
I mentioned this before... and I relate it to my experience with timid people. Timid people just don't get the chances in life that "more colorful" people do. Their quiet demeanor helps fade them to invisible in the wallpaper. I wonder if that is part of this?
Perry is timid, too. But Perry is a Kansas boy who was well-achieved before he came to Kansas. The politics were in place to help keep him earning full minutes. I'm not trying to discredit Perry's skills... not at all... but his quiet approach has never been helpful to him and his game.
Hey wait... don't be exclusionary in your love for dogs... many of us are dog crazy!
Your conclusion is EXACTLY what I came to, too.
Of course, we all want another basketball title. But our future, whether we like it or not, will be connected to football. And like you said, the financial impact would be huge!
Important to note... we have only 3 games left before we suit up for B12 play. We have Baylor, in-house, on January 2nd!
A big part of our successful B12 winning streak is our ability to get out of the blocks fast and make everyone else chase us.
We better be 3-0 when we play away at WVU... which is always a tough game. Then we will have at least a one-game lead on Baylor and OU.
Nice post and insight on Devonte's defense. He seems to know that a big weapon he has is to "disrupt the flow" of the guy he is guarding. And he does that by jabbing at the ball and mixing up his footwork to both overplay and underplay driving lanes. I am expecting a very good year from Devonte and am very excited to think of how well he will play by his senior campaign.
Just thought of an interesting question:
We get to pick ONE National Championship. Basketball this March, or football next winter?
Which would you pick? Jayhawk football pulling the miracle or Jayhawk basketball doing what is expected of them?
I know the quick reflex is to go basketball all the way... but think about it for a while before you pick which sport, because there would be long-term ramifications.
Football? We will win a National Championship in football?
You just gave me an idea for a new thread...
I've never questioned Bragg's attitude. I think he brings a great, positive attitude to the game. He has a solid skill set and potential upside, too.
He is just a bit raw. He needs to take a page from the BG development book... lower his center of gravity. HS ball just isn't competitive enough to require guys bending knees, widening stances and challenge each other by ability to properly leverage their weight and strength.
He isn't going to take 3 years to learn that like BG has taken. Bragg came to Kansas, mentally an open book, a sponge to fill with knowledge. No concept of "fools gold" ideas that a good perimeter shot will trump having to master the rest of the game...
I look at the Montana game as a little trap game. We could easily be looking ahead... We clearly know that we have to be ready for SDSU, even if they are not quite the team of past.
If we play bad at Montana, either with a loss or eek out a victory, Self will be on his guys big time and then I see us handling SDSU relatively easy.
Once again... the outcomes will be determined by what energy we bring to the game. We've all been cluing in on the importance of a fast pace, but to run a fast pace requires guys to come energized and ready to play.
There isn't a team in the nation that can handle us when we bring energy for 40 minutes.
Convincing our guys of that is another story....
I hated to read that. I want ISU to do well (except against us) because they represent the B12. And... we have a good series going on with them. You always want to play teams at full strength.
But I'm not ready to write their obituary just yet. I remember when Kansas lost Archie Marshall the last time... This is an opportunity for ISU to build a big chip and dedicate their season to Long.
Tough break for ISU, but they need to step up and fight that much harder now.
I like our chances to win it all!
And this can do nothing but help our basketball team. We've already experienced the Royals domination and how their attitudes (chip and team cohesion) made that all happen.
This is Wayne's team. He may not be the most vocal one, or show leadership skills all the time... but our outcomes seem to be most influenced by Wayne's game performance.
The main question to be answered for the Montana game: which team shows up?
Will it be the first half team in the OSU game, or the second half team?
Will the guys be looking forward to their tough game with SDSU? Or... will they already be thinking about Christmas break and going home to their families?
I think the next two games are vital for us. It will tell us just how focused our guys are with Kansas basketball within their overall scope of their lives. This is the time of year when players can easily be distracted.
If we come ready to play these two games, I will feel optimistic about moving forward... knowing the guys want to battle hard in every game and they put effort into not being distracted.
If we don't come ready... I will have the same taste I have in my mouth most years in March when we don't come ready for a lessor opponent.
Is this team easily distracted?
"Gotta finish near the rim."
I agree, 100%. We have been talking about "interrelationships" in basketball... and if we can't finish at the rim eventually our opponents will realize that and scout it out and will sag less on post feeds and we will be guarded closer on the trey. Then our trey shot falls off (because we mostly just have spot up shooters, though Wayne is starting to look like he may have realized he can pop his shot on defense). We lose our trey shot and then Self returns to BAD BALL again.
So.... it's like dominoes. Interrelationships in basketball. At first it would seem that if we can't finish bunnies we just stop pushing the ball into the low post and take more treys, but it actually works the opposite... if we can't hit bunnies we force it inside and stress start making bunnies... and then we are back to scoring in the 50s and 60s in grind games.
For years now I have stressed that our real problem is chip... our lack of a chip. I put the blame on Self for not being able to develop a chip with his players. When I think about what I wrote above... it seems like he is trying to put a chip on his guys to play their best ball, and that includes shooting a bunch of treys... but to maintain high pressure defense while stroking down treys and make bunnies.... or else!
It may be harder than it looks to get 19 year olds on the same page and carry a big chip.
It was something that dribbling came about because the guys played too rough if they just ran with the ball.
Totally enjoyed the read! Thanks!
Didn't we play some of the combo of Frank and Devonte last year, including when we were playing BAD BALL?
I think the article was a bit naive to only credit having two small guards on the floor at the same time for the reason of all our offense. No doubt that having both of them on the floor and moving Wayne to the 3 has helped us. But... doesn't some of the credit belong to our guys hitting treys? And we are seeing more offensive movement that helps open up treys.
I think I would give Self most of the credit for not going negative after we started hitting treys. Who knows... if he starts giving our guys some real emotional support for taking the 3s we may still improve even more!
Jeff has "NBA journeyman" written all over him. He's long and can defend the post. Those guys always find "work" somewhere. He may end up having one of the better NBA careers because he may be able to save his body and still make a boatload of cash... plus... he easily has the hottest "supporter" in his corner!
I remember some fans became pretty hyped with Teahan and the possibility that he could shoot the lights out.
Few people know this but the NCAA reg book was written by Duke attorneys. On page 7329, article 84b, section 27, paragraph 4, there is a special emergency action that can only be used by Duke if they need to bring in instant help for whatever reason. And the player or players they will bring in can be of amateur or pro status.
This part of the reg book is not public information and is hidden at a secret location. Many think it is in Al Capone's safe, or buried with Jimmy Hoffa, or strapped to the North Atlantic cable at the bottom of the sea.
Coach K doesn't have a single gray hair. How can that be? He is 68 years old and not a single gray hair?
He surely must require a bigger fix than Grecian Formula... black tar, maybe?
Big money rules the world. Washington DC is bought and paid for by corporate lobby interests. Politicians will vote against their constituents' desires just to guarantee the money keeps rolling in and they can rebuild their popularity with a few distorted commercials, paid for with that money.
Anywhere you see money in big piles you will find corruption. It is the grease that moves the wheel.
None of us have complete proof of anything done illegally (or unethically) but why would this "industry" be any different than the rest of big business?
My belief is that Nike is every bit as criminal as the very worst drug cartel on planet earth. They have monstrous "slush funds" that operate to keep the shoe world well-greased, and it is with non-taxed funds held in Swiss accounts that previously were protected from IRS eyes.
Areas where I believe companies like Nike operate illegally (and/or unethically):
- hiding revenues to avoid taxes
- bribing complete levels of "amateur" basketball (AAU, HS, college)
- running production sweat shops with children
- controlling and profiting from the gray and black market distribution chains
It is really hard to see this any other way. I have traveled the world and had plenty of exposure to the black markets. Like the weekend market in Bangkok... where you can go in and buy real Adidas and Nike shoes for $3 or so. I've examined the shoes carefully and there is no way those aren't the real thing. Building a good sports shoe is no easy task. These shoes are made at night in the same plants that make the white market shoes. You don't think Nike and Adidas know about that? The black and gray markets create the slush fund money they use to keep the system well-greased.
Big money corrupts souls.
However... there have been some huge whistle blowers in recent years on Swiss banking, and I am of the belief that Nike has been caught up in some of the material released by whistle blowers.
Another thing working against them is Homeland Security. Many of the areas of law breaking they commit now falls under the responsibility of Homeland Security to police, and they have additional international powers to go after companies like Nike.
Will this mean Nike gets exposed and taken down? Probably not. I can imagine that they will just have to bribe other new areas so they can keep in operation.
I prefer the Shark Tank store version -
They even have a Jayhawk version -
http://www.tipsyelves.com/mens-university-of-kansas-sweater ↗
Not sure... the chart is fun to look at and in the least helped me realize how little I know about the human body.
I didn't realize they were supposed to have a head? I thought all those who went to Mizzou or Duke were headless... well... brainless.
Hmmm... yeah... I can see the resemblance to a pile. Wait a second... It's Kentucky. better say Big Foot turd.
Yikes!
I think this one is even uglier.
Maybe we can take a vote in here?!
Give a "Like" for the ugliest sweater.
And everyone is invited to create and post their ugly sweater!
No... you just went ahead. The contest is still happening!
Gosh... why would anyone put a shrub on an ugly sweater? No wait.. it is a silhouette of the State of Kentucky... my bad.
It appears we want to be the next "revolving door" team... packed full of OADs. That means we need to make sure Cheick is gone after one year.
Another negative aspect of being a revolving door team. Even when guys clearly aren't ready, we need to push them out to make room for the next OAD while being able to tout how many OADs we send to the league every year.
If we "flop" with Cheick and he doesn't leave and become a lottery pick this coming summer... yikes! It may really pull the rug out from us on Top 50 recruits.
In some ways, I really want that to happen. Get out of the carnival atmosphere of OAD-land, and start really focusing on basketball again. Be the leaders in REAL player development and be the star program around the country for basketball fans in the know who want real basketball and see us beat carnival barkers like Calipari.
I believe a team full of experienced 50-100 players that have been properly coached up will spank any team full of OADs. 2012... we almost did it and we had gigantic holes in that team.
You have me totally figured out. Darn it! ;)
"Upcoming promotion: KU athletics will attempt to break the Guinness world record for “largest gathering of people wearing holiday sweaters” during the KU-Montana game, set for a 1 p.m. tip on Dec. 19 in Allen. The current record is 1,175 people set Dec. 10, 2014, at Loughborough University in Loughborough, United Kingdom. A holiday sweater is defined “by having long sleeves and at least one holiday themed item on it (i.e. reindeer, trees, snowman, peppermint candies, lights, etc.).” ... "
I've got my ugly sweater ready...
Everyone is starting to project how our year will turn out.
We are all keeping our eyes on Cheick's development, our players' health, team chemistry, and STYLE OF PLAY.
All of those things are important.
But I am also specifically watching SELF and noticing how engaged he looks during games.
From all of the thousands (if not millions) of words I and everyone else types in here... if I had to point to one factor as being the most important factor for how we do in March, for me, it easily would be the factor of how much Self is engaged in our games.
I know every coach coaches different, and with their own style. But I want to see coaches engaged in games, standing up for most of it and yelling out constantly to players. We have endured many seasons where Self wasn't really engaged in games. Sitting for most of the game and whispering once in a while to an assistant.
I think the "chip" I always talk about most of the time is developed through the head coach. There are exceptions.
"Think about it like this: With the current state of the KS budget, almost a yearly fiasco, there is no way on gods-green-earth that KS could “afford” Self’s 10-yr, $52mil contract Zenger signed him to prior to last season."
I know this is how it goes all over the country... but it sure isn't "amateur athletics." I know it is only about the student-athletes... but what a bunch of hogwash. Yes, Self does earn his keep being the face of Kansas basketball.
I know the Genie will never go back in the bottle... but I wish D1 was really amateur... no big shoe deals... coaches paid a bit more like professors.. no freshmen allowed on the varsity teams... no stupid AAU ball and all star games for high schoolers... make these kids stick it out in college for 4 years and earn a degree before they meltdown trying to be a pro in the league. You know... REAL amateurism!
College basketball would get REAL again! The top cream wouldn't have the same level of talent separation because they won't have all the extra coaching/game experience before arriving in college. The talent would be infinitely better and the game would be a million times better to watch, with quality players working their way up the system for 4 years....
I think I need my eyes examined carefully before I make any predictions.
I'm not even sure if Cheick will make a huge impact this year. But... I'm sure he'll have a few good games and the media will proclaim him as gone. Another teenager sent to the mens league.
"Look, it ALL is interrelated: put more fouls on the opponent. Don’t get our own guys on foul trouble. Get more rebounds. Hit your damn FTs."
So very true.
The bad thing about weaknesses is that they create interrelated problems.
So Greene allows his guy to drive past him and then Diallo comes over to help and draws his 4th foul...
Why isn't Diallo getting more minutes already? Clearly, he is raw, but will only make big improvements by earning PT.
But maybe there is an interrelated reason why he isn't seeing the floor much. The perception within the team is that he is a shot blocker (sort of true). I remember when we had Withey. He set block records not only because he was an excellent shot blocker (he was)... but also because our perimeter defense SLACKED OFF because they knew Jeff was there to fix their laziness. This created more opportunities for Jeff to get blocks. The team dynamics here fit under "codependency."
Damn good post!
"My friends, does this team have an identity that is beginning to solidify?"
I certainly hope so. Our PG, 2, 3 and 4 ALL are capable of driving the ball. We have to take advantage of that... drive the ball and score at the rim when it is open, and otherwise, just try to draw in the defense and then feed the open trey shooter, or feed a trey shooter who makes one more pass rotation to the open trey. Gosh.. maybe Self being a San Antonio Spurs fan has paid off after all!!!
One of the biggest potential problems here is if we FAIL to finish our bunnies. If we want defenses to sag in on the drives, we first have to prove we will convert most of those drives.
I don't get that... individuals profit on these contracts? That, in itself, means it is corrupt. Having the coaches personally gain from these contracts could easily mean the decisions are based on how much the coach benefits versus what is best for the program.
Since Kansas is a State school... shouldn't all business be public information? Can we all see the contracts and offers for equipment and sponsorship?
What? Self wore a University of Arizona pull over? ;)
"Are there really KU fans that think the sky is falling?"
Sometimes I have been feeling that way lately.
Our fall recruiting seems to have been a disaster, and we are getting press mentioning how we don't play OADs enough compared to the other puppy mills (like UK and Duke).
And then it seems we are really targeting OAD (or near OAD) players almost exclusively.
I started feeling like the sky was falling.
I like all the challenging conversations we have in here. For one thing, for the most part we act civil to each other even when we have disagreeing parties.
I think it says volumes that we "question authority" when most college fans just give a 'hooray' now and then.
But I have started to wonder if we damage the program by posting anything and everything.
This is what started my thoughts about KUBuckets impacting our program:
Guinness changes recipe to go vegan ↗
So a few vegans signed an online petition and a snap of the fingers and Guinness changed their 256-year old recipe. I've had a life long love affair with Guinness. It is known around the world by the nickname "medicine" because Guinness often makes you feel better (in more ways than one) when you are sick. Many believe the fish bladders (now being removed) are one of the very helpful ingredients. Kind of like cod liver oil.
And now... Someone asks Bill why Hunter isn't getting minutes and a snap of the fingers later... Hunter is starting.
"Public opinion" seems to carry some weight. It may not even be that. It may just be "public exposure" to issues. We definitely "expose" everything in here. Hence, the concern.
Jayhawk basketball is on life support and hospice is the next step.
A quiet passing of one of college's great basketball programs.
Dead.
Who killed it? Who will be held accountable for the death of Kansas basketball?
Head Coach Bill Self?
The crew at KUBuckets?
Before we pronounce Kansas basketball "dead" we better check for a heartbeat first. Maybe, just maybe, Kansas basketball will live and thrive in the future.
Many of us have challenged directions and people associated with Kansas basketball. Sometimes it seems that WE have killed our Almighty Jayhawk during the dissection process. I wonder if recruits are sent to KUBuckets to read our negative comments? Most schools just have fans blindly supporting their programs.
However... while we mourn our near death, lets bask in the glory of our current #2 ranking! And our softness in fall signings seems to be a pattern we've had for quite some time. Perhaps our recruiting year will pull together (once again) in the waning moments.
If I take off my shoes, BG is considerably taller than me.
If I leave my shoes on and count my "KU inches" I'm up there with all of them.
(joking)
I agree that Perry is a tweener in the league. Doesn't mean he won't try to make it anyways.
He is a hard working, focused individual with high intelligence. For those reasons, I will never count him out wherever he puts his ambition. If he simply has to have it (NBA career) then I see him playing D-league and working every breathing moment with trainers and get the best advice on what he has to improve. Many guys bring lots of natural ability to this game. I don't think Perry has lots of that. He has worked his butt off since junior high and it has brought him to starting at a blue blood program. Hard to say where he can go from here, but I will never count out Perry Ellis on anything.
He is a tweener in the league, not because of his size... it's about playing soft. Charles Barkley was 3 inches shorter than Perry, but was no tweener at the 4. He won rebounding crowns in the league. Perry can make huge gains by getting with the right personal coaches. It will take very little time to teach him how to get his shot off on taller guys in the paint. Once he learns that, he'll put his perfectionism to it and practice drill it into his DNA.
Look how quickly he became a threat from 3. That mostly happened over his summer last year. I think he has made gigantic leaps in his development while at Kansas and he definitely has plenty of upside left in his game. Not to be more athletic, but to just play smarter ball. He is a smart young man, so teaching him new techniques shouldn't be an issue. I can't believe he isn't being coached on scoring space while at Kansas. He should have mastered this long, long ago. For example, Frank doesn't have a problem bringing his shot into the post and scoring on footers. He is 9-inches shorter, and when you add in his loss on reach to Perry, we are talking about something like 14-inches of extra length Perry has on his shot release.
At least they lost minutes only to other 5-star players. And they still received more minutes than Kelly and Cliff!
I'm pretty sure no 5-star players want to come to a place where they have to sit and watch behind a 3-star player!