I just permanently banned the NCAA from reading our website.
It is time to kick out all the moles.
Plus... some of these dweebs appear to have had bad grades in the 6th grade, so our website is above their comprehension levels. Their eligibility has been suspended.
Wicked response... but you deserve getting a dig in on Zenger. Well done!
I played various sports in HS but not basketball. Football, tennis, track.
I had a little different situation than BG while on the HS football team. I was ready to have a kick-butt junior year and then in a full-contact scrimmage I nailed our all-state running back in the backfield and broke his ankle. Just so happened he was the coach's son and was projected to be a star running back for Notre Dame. I ended our chances at a state title that day, along with knocking down our RBs football to a lessor university. Our head coach "piled on" me by putting me on meat squad every day and refused to let me play wide receiver where I could have really killed it. I grew up with our QB and played catch every day with him... so we had the magic connection. And I was, by far, the fastest player on our team and would run wind sprints with the backs and receivers and would run the last 10 yards backwards and still beat them by several yards.
I finally got sick of meat squad and no opportunity so I took my pads and knocked on our HC's door. The entire team came up and listened on the other side of the door while I reamed his arse and told him wear to shove my pads. It really sucked... and I felt bad for all my bros who also had high hopes of winning state that year. And it felt terrible about our star back who lost out on potentially playing at Notre Dame and maybe even going further.
This was my final blow for school sports. The politics.... the BS.
So I built a team to play city basketball and we also became a tournament team and traveled around the Midwest playing in tournaments. That was in HS and extended on into my first couple years of college.
Ended up in Europe with a sports business and played some semi-pro ball on the second tier. "Semi-pro" typically meant food and travel expenses. I already had my occupation as my bread winner.
From my experiences, BG should only have addressed this in private. If a coach would let this slide, pretty soon every guy is harping about PT in front of everyone else.
Most guys I played with always respected our coaches. Even I respected the coach I told to "shove it." I could have done him that way in front of the team hoping to make him look bad, but I didn't want to be anymore than an arsehole I already was. I was treated unfairly and no one felt worse about it than me.
The more a guy plays the more a guy learns to respect the system. I respected the system. Players and coaches can fight sometimes. Nothing wrong with that. But how it is done is what matters.
"Who’s the really bad team in Maui?"
I guess I showed my true colors (crimson/blue) in that post. I see ever team as a bad team compared to us. Ooops.
Chaminadeeeeeee! Wow... that was a long time ago when they were giant killers. Didn't they beat Virginia and Ralph Sampson? Oh yeah... here it is...
[link text](
"Diallo is allowed to eat w/team!"
I wonder if the NCAA is there counting calorie intakes of the team?
Haven't you heard of "pastagate?"
This has been happening often for the past couple of years, and schools can get in deep poo if their players eat "too much."
Here is an example down in Soonerland:
Sooners self-report excessive pasta ↗
The NCAA is concerned that players might use the old "mama bird" tactic of eating too much, then puking it up later to feed others, in this case selling it on the streets (predigested). Gosh... the NCAA is really on the ball!
I'm not saying this is Self... but I've been wondering if some coaches have become extremely envious of their own players.
Think about it for a second...
Andrew Wiggins is just a kid. He has only been out in the "real world" for 18 months and he is probably worth 5-10 times more money than the very best D1 coach makes and has saved.
Egos are a huge part of any sports.
Just makes me wonder.
I'm thinking it is about time to put some BigShoe comments on signs and fly them at games.
What are they going to do about it? I know they are mob, but they aren't going to Lawrence to murder a bunch of students.
I don't have those expectations in Maui. Without anything else going on, Maui, in itself, is quite a distraction. Stack on top of it the Cheick situation and Self being challenged by fans, BG...
I'm thinking we blow it against a bad team and people really start losing faith in our year. That might be the best thing that could happen... to get these guys serious about the game. A chip could be formed.
Just like the BG situation... it had to come to a head in order for change to occur. And I'm not just talking about Self changing... BG changing, too.
Hey... he came to Kansas and I don't think recruiters told him that someone would hold his hand through his development. This is HIS future, and HE should be the one working his arse off on the side and working on his weaknesses. Even if the coaches show him exactly what he needs to do, he still has to EXECUTE his own development.
I see this as "make or break" with BG. Either he gets it or he doesn't. He is right to scream about his playing time, but then, he has to prove himself and why he deserves minutes. If he is just offense, heck, he hasn't even proven he can bring offense every time out (or close). Granted... we need to run offense for him, but with great scorers they just need the ball. Since he is incapable of creating his own shot or scoring space, we have to gift wrap a perfect situation for him to score. There will never be a team that can guarantee they can open up a spot shooter.
"Thumbs up" for Self finally unloading some needed negative commentary on the NCAA!
Whether or not people realize it... he made a bit of a risky move by spilling the marbles.
He is, by far, ahead of the curve compared to the rest of the soft KU administration, who are all basically afraid of their own shadows.
While we are busy blasting Self for how he plays players and focuses on inside offense... we should take a minute and give him some credit for HOW he commented.
Imagine ol' Roy in this position? I'm not a Roy hater... but man... Self is a zillion times better representative for the university than Roy was because Self knows how to mince his words carefully.
This is a part of his job, and I think he does it as well as any D1 coach out there!
So BRAVO, SELF!
I think this is all about human nature.
Coaches get in ruts just like everyone else.
Sometimes they need a push... and in order to push people you have to take them out of their comfort zone.
The "bashing" is part of that.
I can almost guarantee you that Self is aware of the current angst in the fan base. I doubt he reads this website... but surely he doesn't have his head buried in the sand.
His job is very similar to the job of a politician. There are going to be times when a politician (any politician) is going to have a negative reaction from voters. It happens. Self is in that situation now. Even mainstream media is catching on to this.
We are all very focused on a few things we want changed. And because those things aren't happening, we are showing our disapproval big time. But we aren't focusing on what Self is doing right! He does a lot of things right, every year. We take a lot for granted with Self, especially now because we are all focused on just a few tactical moves.
I think the impact is huge. There is no comparison between Cheick and Andrew. First... Cheick fills an immediate hole we have open the size of Texas. We lack rebounding and post defense.
Andrew was an athletic freak that needed to score in mass quantities. We don't know how to develop that or find a real offense to exploit it.
We really don't have to come up with an exploitation plan for Cheick. We just need him on the court hustling... rebounding... getting some free points off of offensive rebounds.
His biggest challenge is trying to stay out of foul trouble. Self has mentioned it already. He is very aggressive and has come to D1 right when the NCAA is cracking down on aggressive play.
I am convinced... having Cheick in the game will be like turning on a light bulb... taking us from darkness to light. And surely he will get the rest of our guys moving their motors a little bit because otherwise they will look lazy as all hell when playing beside him.
I hope we finally get Cheick's green light. And I hope we are able to build a little bit of chip in the process.
Look folks... we have some great basketball minds in here.
Everything has been spelled out crystal clear.
But we have built this into a monster. The frustration level is so high that it is becoming hard to reach the group for anything except a lynching. A lynching is not going to help Kansas basketball.
The problem now is our points are just staying within us. At this level, that will only add fuel to the fire because our level of frustration will continue to grow.
If we don't want to give it up... then why don't we EXECUTE A PLAN to try to get our message out there better? If we do that... then we do it in a civil way. Hey... we aren't Mizzou! This is Kansas... home of intelligent fans!
We could organize signage for games. The right signs will usually get hit by the media. And now, the media is starting to see what we have all seen for years now. But we can advance the cause without using pitchforks. And we can do it in a way where we don't totally insult our coach. This isn't about getting Self ousted from Kansas. This is about taking one of the best coaches in the nation and nudging him to advance his game with modern concepts.
We could also draft a letter and send it to the ADs office.
Imagine that we all have to come together and agree on the same thing?! Well... for one... if we are able to do that it will surely show just how big this has become and obvious what we are trying to communicate.
!web1_01-18-ESPN-Gameday-15--Kieser_anthony-story-.jpg ↗
By golly, we are bound to look more intelligent than the ISU fan base!
[link text](
I could see this getting very ugly and turning into a federal court case. This could be where the NCAA is forced to do the right thing and get out of the eligibility business... something they are hardly qualified to operate. What do these bean counters know about academic qualifications? About as much as the guy flipping burgers at McDonalds.
Or... the NCAA realizes they have screwed us and Cheick long enough. The damage is already done (to some degree). I think they just like to see how far they could hurt us without facing a court room.
Okay Coach Self... you want to keep running BAD BALL? Regain your popularity with the base by putting on a bandana and go kick some arse!
Check out the words to this clip. Sound like our situation?
[link text](
Thanks!
I think many of us (including myself) needed to vent some frustrations. But at a certain point, it starts building momentum to the point of "breathing on its own."
I am very critical about Bill Self. But I'm critical about everyone. My wife snaps me back into shape periodically when I get overcritical about dumb things. I'm sure I drink too much coffee.
It feels like we all need to suck it in and move on. When venting on here... at first, it is a big relief. Finally get something off your chest. But in the end, Bill Self (or whoever we are blasting) doesn't come on in to defend himself. We are not given the opportunity to vent at the one we want to vent about. Since a decent sized crowd reads in here, it isn't tough finding others to agree with your point, even if it is blasting our coach. Two becomes three, and so on, and before you know it, we seem to have a KUBuckets consensus. The venting converts to a lynching.
I am definitely one of the culprits in this lynching. Though I have no desire to toss Bill from Lawrence. Even if he doesn't change his ways... I'll then have to continue to support a program that wins 80+ percent of our games and leads the country in continuous NCAA tournament appearances, and the Big 12 conference streak. Granted... we may be on the decline, but things change rapidly in basketball... and before you know it we are on the rise again. After all... where will all those elite recruits want to go after Calipari finally gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar? We all see the crumbs on the floor and his face...
I've got family at Duke. Trust me when I say "K is King!"
I am willing to bet big bucks that K will help pick his predecessor. Duke is his baby. And Duke wouldn't be diddly if K hadn't come along. They owe it all to K.
No one can say 100% that Self couldn't end up at Duke. I find it hard to believe though. His coaching style, even his accent... none of it is understood at Duke.
The first thing they would do at Duke is give Bill the nickname "cowboy." A boy from Oklahoma... going to a school named "the cowboys".... the way he talks... and how he says things. He is definitely a Midwesterner... but to the folks back East, Midwest is West. And West to them means cowboys and indians. They probably think we all ride to work on horses.
Ask for any kind of opinion about the Midwest from someone back East. You will be shocked by their answers.
Okay....
We've managed to turn Tuesday's tight loss to a powerhouse team into a Self lynch mob situation.
By now... we all should have expressed our deepest angst about Kansas basketball.
It is time to move on.
We can prove to ourselves that we are not the shining definition of insanity by stopping what we are doing and turn the page. Who knows... maybe something still good happens this season!
Let's all take a deep breath and exhale the remainder of bad breath, garlic, and anger. Our next breath will be fresh again.... and we will look forward to our next game, and the remainder of games in this season.
Right now we need to bear down on thinking good thoughts for our boy, Cheick! He is going to be released to play any day now! Believe it and lets make it happen!
At some point this season, Cheick is going to help us forget many of our post woes.
Let the dark cloud cover our recruiting issues. All we have to do is go out and win games. Time to take home another trophy for our constantly improving AFH! Then let's look at our recruiting year... when it gets into the time period where nobody recruits better than Self!
I know our Coach Self is feeling the heat. It comes to him from more directions than this forum. It really is about him figuring out a way to make 15 guys bond and perform like the Royals. Everything tough now will just be a lesson for our boys to help them obtain their manhood and focus on what is really important to them and their lives. It just so happens that winning a National Championship fits nicely in their plans!
Can I get a ROCK CHALK from someone out there that is ready to enjoy a great basketball season?
Brothers and sisters... we have crossed the river of despair. It is time for us to seek higher ground, atop the mountain, where the sun shines all the time, and if you blink your eyes quickly, you may just see the shadow of an honorable fellow by the name of Dr. Naismith!
Let's put this in its real proper perspective -
Mali attack: more than 20 dead after terrorist raid on Bamako hotel ↗
This is what Cheick faces with a failed attempt at D1 and the NBA.
We've all tolerated these as$holes way too long. They obviously have it in for Kansas. And in their efforts to reduce Kansas, they take a young, innocent, hard working kid from a war-torn nation and they give him the royal screwing over.
It would be bad... but wasn't that the year after Calipari won his first and only NC?
I'm pretty sure most in here would like the idea of winning a NC then following it up in the NIT, versus no NC but continuing our tournament streak.
The freaking out from just one bad game relates to what people experienced being very similar to what our team was like at the end of last year. It was frustrating last year and it is frustrating now.
The season has just started and fans are feeling deflated. That isn't a good thing at Kansas. We need to feel like we can win it all but instead fans got an instant repeat of last year already.
I'm with @Crimsonorblue22 ... well said!
Interesting thread... good job!
I understand how a player's attitude can be detrimental to the team he plays on.
But seriously... BG is wasting his one big opportunity to ball in the league over all of this. He should be direct and passionate. He should ask WHY? Maybe he asked it in an immature way... so what!
Here is a small list of NBA players who would have gone much further than BG did if they had been in this situation:
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Paul Pierce
Michael Jordan
etc. etc. etc....
BG has had attitude problems that hurt him and the team. And maybe this suspension is just what he needs to make that final leap into greatness. Time will tell.
My impression is that he will come back from the suspension with a renewed vigor. Will that count with Self? Did it count for AW3 when he worked his ass off all summer, building his body and his game, and was mentioned how he was the best player in camp before the season.... only to be put in deep freeze that year?
We are about to see BG's last attempt at making it at Kansas. If he concedes to some attitude changes and comes out hustling and he doesn't get rewarded... he is gone. And if he doesn't want to leave I will personally go kick him off the team (for his own good).
I know many on here focus on Cliff Alexander's situation as being the downfall of our recruiting. I think I would point to the BG situation and that trumps Cliff's situation. Everyone can see the potential in him and his development is zippo as he starts his 3rd year at Kansas. Friggin' pathetic!
You just continue to come up to the plate and knock it out. Great job!
Stand back and look at everything you posted above.
I'm thinking to myself.... Isn't there really just one issue with this Kansas basketball program?
Isn't it all about our current lack of ability to develop players?
For example... this constant discussion about Traylor. I know he has improved quite a bit in his 4+ years of Kansas basketball... but he hasn't improved enough to be a big time contributor. If we were a program that really developed players, wouldn't Self have a reason to play Traylor? For one, he would be a much better ball player. And we should see him improving almost game by game (which we don't).
None of our guys should be reaching anywhere near their maximum talent level. They all should be making huge gains from year-to-year. They all should be coming back from summer and hit fall basketball at a much higher level.
So... Self invests years and years in Traylor. And for what? For a guy only marginally improved over his half-decade of Kansas basketball experience?
This is the reason why Traylor should be playing. But it doesn't hold water because his game isn't advancing. The experience he just had getting beat by MSU will do nothing for his advancement, because we don't have developmental coaches to help make advancement possible.
Gosh... are these kids going into the video room every week and do they go through the game footage and discuss what is wrong and what is right, and what to do to correct the wrongs? No. There is no way that happens. We see the same old redundant mistakes.
Here is a list of just a few that always bothers me to no end:
Rebounding - Lucas is the only guy that has a clue about sealing off for rebounds. The others don't have a clue what they are doing. Traylor takes his over-energetic butt and he over-runs the goal 90% of the time and gets directly UNDER the basket to rebound. The only rebound coming to him is a made basket through the goal. No one on this team has been coached on eyeing a shot to get a very good idea of where the rebound will go. It usually goes back the direction it came, or it is like a bank shot in billiards... and mirrors to the other side at the same angle. That is where something like 75% of rebounds go. No one on this team has been taught that 3rd grade lesson in rebounding. I was doing that when I was 8 f#%&ing years old!
Fakes - I will never forget last years monster beating we took from Kentucky. And how I was yelling "shot fake" at my tv from the opening tip-off. Even the crappy announcers were screaming at Kansas to use a shot fake at halftime to stop embarrassing ourselves. The entire game was an embarrassment. Not only the final score, but how the game played. We couldn't have beat that team if they had to play with only 3 players. They still would have blocked 15 shots or so. Once again... we needed to learn the plethora of fakes used in basketball in 3rd grade.
Tempo - So rarely do we control tempo. Even if we play a total crap team... we usually don't run the game clock. Pity. And we also waste having all the depth because we don't run in enough fresh bodies and run an aggressive game to wear down our opponents.
Depth - Speaking of depth... instead of wearing other teams down, we get worn down. By season's end, all our main players are totally beat up. No wonder they can't produce in March. And then... one of them goes down and we have to bring out a player from the "deep freeze" and see if he can knock his frozen rust off. Using depth not only helps keep players fresh and reduce their chances of injury, it also is good for "team concept." Just ask the Royals... who played their entire team in the World Series.
Offense - I mean... stagnant offense. Self will never be noted for his offense. We have wasted so much talent that has walked through our doors because we don't properly use their talents. A square peg is a square peg. It will never fit in a round hole. This Kansas team will never become a solid interior post scoring team. Never... even if their lives depended on it. Yet... that is where we will waste the entire year of practice, effort, focus... on become something we will never be. Talk about insanity. Hard to knock Einstein on his definition. Someone could write a book on how bad our offense is. We run nothing for the perimeter shot. Nothing.
Shot Creation - I am sick over the Brannen Greene experience. This should be his last year at Kansas because he should have been developed into a lottery pick by now. Instead... it is doubtful he will even get drafted after his senior year and will be forced to look abroad to make a living. That totally sucks. He came to Kansas very raw but with the gift of shooting. He is finally starting to make improvements in the rest of his game. Finally. At this rate, there is no way he is ready for draft day after his senior year. His development is moving at a snail's pace. He should have been a top 10 pick after his junior year. None of our guys understand shot creation... creating scoring space.... shot/body/eye fakes... exploiting the seams of a zone... developing "sweet spots" on the court.. etc. etc. etc. Just flip on the tube and watch Wiggins. You won't even recognize his play from his Kansas days... just 18 months ago! And the NBA isn't really built to develop players.
Game Ready - One of the few games in the Self era we came ready to play was the semi-finals in '08. We came out ready against UNC. Haven't really seen us ready to play since that game. I don't know why it is so tough to get a team psyched to play... the only reason I can think of why they aren't psyched to play is our coach isn't psyched to play. I don't know. I'm not at practices or in huddles or on the travel bus/plane. How many times do we see this in March? A single-elimination tournament and we don't come ready to play. It is friggin' embarrassing. Many games we win just because of the complete talent advantage... and that is the only reason.
I don't think our issues will come even close to being resolved just by shuffling in different players for more PT. The problem is our lack of ability to develop.
Be careful what you ask for because it might come true. I know it feels like we have hit a dead spot... and maybe we have. But sometimes you have to weather through the storm to later find the sunshine.
I don't think anyone in here questions Self's overall ability to coach. However... it feels like Einstein's insanity occurring before our eyes and all of us are screaming trying to get us on to a different path. It really wouldn't take that much real change to flip the switch with this team and with this program.
Now... will enough changes happen to make a difference? I don't know... it is pure speculation.
I think it helps to read how Self took the position at Kansas.
He is a stubborn man. That personality trait is a big reason why he is being "kicked around" recently.
He is also NOT a quitter!
I don't see him leaving Kansas unless it is for a better job. What job would that be? It certainly wouldn't be going home to OSU....
Bill is tough. He can handle criticism without a problem.... you might even consider that he handles criticism a little too well!
I'm curious what your take is on our slow recruiting start. Are we doomed? Is there an embargo?
Why aren't the luxury Playboy Mansion apartment suites making elite recruits line up to sign with Kansas?
Why didn't we sign an elite big for next year? Or... do you think we already have a silent verbal out there for spring signing? Just a few elite bigs left....
Why can't we sign more elite players in the fall?
Is there any hope for our offense coming around?
We all know the statement:
"Offense wins games, but defense wins championships."
However... no team has won a championship without scoring points. That last time I checked, points win both games and championships.
"@drgnslayr is it loss of asst coaches who had standing with Self to sway some adaptation. Or, is it the recruiting failures or, OAD turnover that has just ascerbates the situation on the inside out game?"
Basketball is a changing game. It is a fast-moving river, not a still lake.
The game has changed considerably just since Self has been with Kansas. The hi/lo made a lot of sense when he came here. Post players were still post players. Every team wanted to sign a 7-foot Goliath that could barely dribble and do anything but make a couple of back-to-the-basket moves.
Those days are largely over. It is all being dictated by the NBA. Players see the "pot of gold" (not "fool's gold") on the 3-pt line. And they were right. In the NBA (and even in D1) a typical-made 3 trumps a typical-made dunk by crowd approval. The game has moved away from the rim. Last year... Golden State won it all, and they did it by having great perimeter shooting. And... for the first time... they often turned down an easy basket at the rim (a dunk) for the risk of gaining an extra point by throwing it out of the paint to an open shooter on the trey line.
What all of this means is big men don't want to play like the big men of yesterday. They want to be the next Kevin Durant... popping 3s. So... there goes the attraction for big men to embrace Self's hi/lo... it is a dinosaur strategy living in the times of high-speed computers. I can't believe Self can't see that.
I think he is adapting some new twists on the inside-out game. His post players are in different spots and often on the move and fed the ball while in motion. There is some definite potential to win games with this strategy, but I am still uncertain how it will sell Kansas to big man recruits. There is no verdict on his twists. Unfortunately, it will take time and success to prove it works to recruits today. I don't think there is time to renegade a new strategy. Within just a year or two, our program could fall considerably and then have to deal with that more than the new offensive strategy.
I think we need to adapt to a contemporary-style offense that recruits are familiar with. This is no time for us to renegade a new flavor of offense. We will be toast before it can ever prove itself. Then it may be decades (or never) for us to fight our way back up to the top. Meanwhile... teams like Kentucky and Duke will solidify their grip on owning college basketball. The time is running out for us. Between now and the next 2-5 years, we will either hang with the super elite programs, or we will be knocked down a level... and with the times how they are now, it will be next to impossible to lift us back up to that top tier.
You know... Self's job is political. There is no way he can keep everyone happy.... perhaps even if we take home another National Championship.
We all want that big trophy in April... expectations are what rule the day. If fans don't consider it a "good year" if we don't win it all, then they are in for unhappy times almost every year. Even the Kentuckys and Dukes aren't winning it every year.
But this recruiting thing is a puzzle. After '08 I think it raised our fans expectations... and we thought we would climb to the top of the recruiting world. Calipari moving to Kentucky changed all that. Meanwhile, Duke seemed to constantly increase their recruiting classes. Now, we definitely feel like we are behind these schools (and others).
@Texas-Hawk-10 has a legitimate question about Self and Einstein's definition of insanity. In fact... one could argue that we aren't even getting the same result year-after-year. So... if a person is insane for doing the same things over and over but expecting different results (I'm guessing wanting good results) and the results are on the decline... what does that mean for this definition of insanity?
I mentioned in another post that I thought we have an identity issue. I think all of us know several reasons why we aren't landing the top tier talent right now. So... why don't we adjust our strategies and become a place welcome for OADs?
OR....
We decline the "revolving door" strategy and go for guys a step or two down. But then... why do that without a solid plan for developing players? Danny Manning is gone. Hudy is great for strength and conditioning... but who is developing these guys' game? After Manning left, what development are we selling to recruits? Why go to Kansas? I get that we are #2 (behind Kentucky) in current players in the league. But that doesn't seem to be getting guys lining up to sign with Kansas.
We have way too much to offer top recruits to not be landing top recruits. I'm pretty sure there is something GLARINGLY wrong with how we are recruiting, but the coaches don't see it because they can't see the trees while standing in the woods.
I'm involved in sales/marketing. Have been for a long time. There are different strategies available... like the "shotgun approach" where you blast away very broadly and see what comes your way. And then there is the "rifle approach" where you limit your efforts to focus on less of a crowd, but hopes that the crowd is going to give great rewards. It seems like we are trying to run both approaches at the same time. We are definitely shotgunning it... willing to sign uber elite players and guys not even ranked. Our assistants are on the recruiting trail doing both. We seem to be on a rifle approach with some OADs. Perhaps we are even dropping decent ranked guys while we go after top elites. It seems like a big hodgepodge effort. When there is this disorganization in your strategy it comes off to those you are trying to sell as desperation. I know for a fact that right now we are seen as desperate by many. And maybe we are. That creates quite a mountain to climb.
I think we have counted on getting top talent late in the game for way too long. Self has been the master at recruiting late. Getting guys that are transferring or wanting out of the LOIs, etc. In some ways, that success has masked negative issues we have with recruiting. And it all "comes to roost" when we have a year or two where we don't pull off the last second recruiting miracle. We all know how important it is to get out early in recruiting.... build momentum by getting one or more elite players early... it makes it easier to sign more on because the momentum is there. Our momentum right now is Lightfoot. How many great players is that signing going to help us with? (no offense to Lightfoot. I have high hopes for him.)
I know I have my fingers crossed he will still become a Jayhawk. Until he commits, he is open territory...
You hit on a lot of great points.
I mentioned this earlier... we don't have an identity right now with recruits. We have never been a "revolving door" team like UK and Duke. But yet, we are going after the revolving door players. And then our game strategy doesn't jive with OADs. The "Self system" takes years to "get" for the players. The focus is on defense when the NBA teams are looking (mostly) for offense. Seniority obviously counts big in our system.... what good will that do for a 1-year player?
Our coaching staff isn't geared towards development any longer (after we lost Danny Manning).... so we aren't geared towards the 4 and 3-star players either.
We really aren't setup to recruit anyone except the unranked players that just want to say they play at Kansas.
If this was all my choice, I would go for the 3 and 4-star guys exclusively. Maybe even reject a player or two that has OAD potential just to send a message to all those guys that are ranked around 25 to 75. And then bring in real assistant coaches that are all about development. I'm thinking someone like Aaron Miles would be a good start. I've gone on and on about this before...
We look silly trying to compete with UK and Duke for the revolving door players. We must have the NCAA record for most recruits considering Kansas but picking another school. I'm starting to think we even look more silly with our McCarthy luxury dorms being used to house players ranked 100+.... I can just imagine how easy it is for other recruiters to easily slam Kansas and have the recruits buy in to it all.
I hate to be so negative... but this is what we are going through.
I think we should use BG like OSU uses Forte... get him out there and send him running. BG isn't ever going to rack up more than 20 mpg.... he should go out there and expend himself against defense that is already tired. Even if he doesn't hit 3s, in the least he can waste out the SG or SF guarding him.
That would be a case where stats don't show the contribution of a player. Of course I would love to see BG go out every game and go 6-for-6. But if he just goes 2-for-2 but wears out a guy or two on the other side, that is helpful, too.
That is a big part of what Forte does. He is one of the best conditioned players in our league. They still run him until he is spent. So in the least, they get him to "take out" someone on the other team, and hopefully nail a few 3s in the process.
I just don't agree with Self or about any coach in D1 that has depth. If I had depth, I would use it every game. My guys would be trained to run, run, run. Set picks.... and run. Wear down opponents. Start in the first half. I want to see the other team with hands on knees half way through the first half. I would run offense geared towards wearing teams down. Lots of picks and constant motion... something we never do now! We never take advantage of our depth. The only good we get out of our depth is to have a backup if someone gets hurt.
You qualify as a FAN! Bravo, my friend!
So I guess we won't be throwing our hat in on the new D1 basketball tournament to be held next year in Jamaica, called "Jam Kill." (?)
I wonder what the drug policies are at Univ of Colorado?
Is that from "Trading Places?"
I have a feeling Cheick will be cleared... and then the news comes about WHY he was delayed. Something trivial.
But the NCAA operates like the IRS. Suffer the consequences because THEY lost your return!
Ba$#urds!
Can you transfer that post over to BAD JOKE FRIDAY?
"“The sport of basketball is 113 years old today,” Jay Leno reported on December 1st, 2004. “Did you know James Naismith came up with the game as a way to keep young men away from women and out of trouble? Well, that sure worked well!”"
"Q: Why did the basketball player go to jail?
A: Because he shot the ball!"
Thought that one was a bit too relevant.
"“He’s great on the court,” a sportswriter said of a college basketball player in an interview with his coach. “But’s how’s his scholastic work?” “Why, he makes straight A’s,” replied the coach. “Wonderful!” said the sportswriter. “Yes,” agreed the coach, “but his B’s are a little crooked.”"
As long as the Royals keep their current management (Moore and Yost) I think it is safe to say they will be playing winning baseball for many years to come. Those two make a great combination... and then add in Eiland for pitching... wow!
These guys know what it takes to win. We played every player in this World Series... we had depth beyond depth.
I think we were so good late in games because of our depth (and also our guys never gave up!).
Go Brannen!
Gosh, that was BAD! Ha...
I mentioned on another thread I was done making cat shirts from coffee stained shirts.
Maybe I should consider rhino shirts....
Okay... my boy...
Those dang coffee beans...
I heard WSU now refuses to book a home-and-home with us.
Marsha said it could hurt their recruiting....
Okay... we all STILL need to blow off more steam.
I just heard on the radio... this is BAD JOKE FRIDAY!
So let'er rip!
Anything is fair game...
I hate to say it... but WSU could sure use another sharp shooter next year...
(sorry... this is "Bad Joke Friday")
"The word is out: playing in Allen Fieldhouse provides the home team a significant advantage."
Hope we can still say that after the Kentucky visit.
Calipari may not be the best Xs and Os coach, but I bet he is preparing to sit his team down in the video room to show them what happened the last time Kentucky came to Lawrence....
I mean this...
Are any of us sane?
Don't all of us fit in Einstein's definition of insanity?
The first time I read Einstein's definition I mumbled to myself.... "oh oooooh!"