Actually... I had the detached patella and ACLs, partial rotator cuff, broken ribs, and arthritis. The nose I already had fixed 20 years ago so I could breathe again. It would be nice to be compensated for all that. I can handle another nose correction after the check clears... might splurge for a knee replacement, too.
So when are the twins due back in Lawrence for a visit?
Yeah.... all those decades of blood and sweat basketball and I DID end up making my living from the NBA! Brilliant!
In my perfect dream world, we land Diallo and Ingram. And then Thon comes around late in the process and can only play second semester but we have what we need so he goes to desperate Calipari and FUGS up the Wildcats by putting their team in disarray by joining the team midstream.
I'm okay with us totally staying out of the OAD market. But Self isn't.
I'm saying we need to snit or get off the pot! (420?) Seriously... we need to decide what our identity is and then fit that identity. We'll never be a lasting, consistent OAD school if we stay with Adidas. And that is fine unless we sit on 3 scholarships in June without a big man.
I don't think Kansas is waiting around for Thon. And we will most likely have at least one extra scholarship left because of our recruiting woes. We may easily end up horribly desperate down the road (as usual)... because if you look back over the years, we do half of our recruiting long after the other blue bloods have filled their roster. Self will assess our needs when Thon's clouds vaporize and we know if he can play or not.
Your last comment put it all in perspective. Self's offense was built for juniors and seniors. So what the heck is he doing recruiting OADs? Why do we recruit OADs and run offense that takes guys 3 to 4 years to really get it?
We either need to adjust our offense to fit in with today's game of OADs and TADs or stay old school and recruit old school.
The contradiction is killing us.
So we avoid most of the 3-star, 4-star and lower 5-star guys to recruit the elite OADs, and we spend 20-odd million dollars for luxury apartments... but we stay with Adidas and we teach old school offense that takes 3 years to interpret.
Will someone please ask Self about this publicly at the next opportunity?
We can't have a cutting-edge perception (OADs) but be stuck in an old school world. It is like part of Self is modern, but his bones are committed to old school.
I really don't get it why any major D1 school is still with Adidas. Nike not only dominates college basketball, but both sides of the ball around college... AAU and NBA.
Hard to believe that schools like Kansas can't get the same incentives from Nike, especially since Nike would like to just knock out all competition in their markets.
This appears to be one of the last hurdles for Kansas to get over in order to really recruit OADs. Supporters kicked up the bucks for the luxury apartments, now it appears that Self might need to take a hit to convert to Nike.
No one is buying the story any longer that it just doesn't matter. It matters!
It's amazing how schools like Duke are never really in a recruiting hole. So Tyus Jones decides late to leave... no problem...
Five-star PG Derryck Thornton commits to Duke, will reclassify ↗
I don't know why we think we can compete with these guys for the cream. We can make the best butter by working the fat out of the milk instead.
Or paid a quarter for the shirt at a second hand store and thought it might get him more sympathy change. I once saw a panhandler wearing a POWERBALL shirt. Thought that was brazen!
Hey... I'd hit myself in the nose and break it for $2 million!
After this, the twins should wear shirts that say TARGET on them, and I don't mean the dime store!
I'm seeing the glass half full this morning... so I'd rather comment on the player I see improving most.
DEVONTE GRAHAM!
"does this mean jail time? Scary!"
Doubtful... more like plenty of community service and an expensive lawyer bill... twice... one for the criminal case and one for the civil case.
Oh... I'm sorry... I forgot... twins! Lawyer X 4!
"Would it really have cos them hat much to pu the " T " in SJohns?"
What hey missed was he "Saint ".... wonder why?
I don't think we know the real story on Thon. We only catch the dumb comments from his handler. Let's just wait and see.
Hey, breaking news, Bruce found a recruit...
And another one...
Gotta go with the tea leaves!
You can take the boys out of Philly, but you can't take Philly out of the boys. It is obvious that Hood did something to instigate this response, but the response was out of line for anyone, especially NBA players.
"But our fans really need to step it up!"
I tried to friend him but it says he has reached the maximum on FB.
I believe @justanotherfan and @HighEliteMajor are on the right path.
@JayHawkFanToo - You are right in your post about Self saying he had to dumb it down and it takes players more than a year to get his offense. That is all we need to know why we need to change our offense. If guys have to go out there and think a lot while on offense, they aren't going to be moving at the right speed to execute. Play (on both sides of the ball) has to move quickly without much thought. Guys need to know what to do and execute.
Basketball is a game about feel, not too much of a head game. Yes, players need high basketball IQ... and that will help them play smart and responsive because they aren't freezing to think about something... they are reactive and proactive.
It shouldn't be rocket science for these guys. When a player gets on a spot on the court, he should be able to know how he can score... depending on what the defense gives. And that player has to know where to look for other guys on his team to make an assist.
From March play, I really got off on ND's offense. Those guys were programmed to never give up on a possession. When a guy is open, the other guys aren't standing there watching him... they are either cutting in for a rebound, or making a move to get even a better shot because they know the guy with the ball will be looking to pass for a better scoring option even though his is good... right up until the split second he shoots (or passes instead).
"Not to be a negator on Bad Ball, but how about we run a more diverse offense and actually vary our screening patterns and our personnel placement? And perhaps .. just perhaps .. work a touch harder to get those three ball looks? These are not complex adjustments. Our current offense can easily be adjusted to make it more dynamic."
So are you saying we should run a better offense so we don't have to pressure our defense to keep our opponents below 50 ppg in order to win?
Looking Better! Do our recruits realize they get free trips to the KU Med Center Dermatology Clinic?!
"when I think of Duke I think of the word entitled. That's how I think they feel. I always thought they looked alike too."
You are not alone.
Did you see the 30 for 30 "I hate Laettner!"?
It shows why everyone that doesn't go to Duke hates them.
Let's see... "Play Angry" is taken.
How about "Play Pissed!"(?)
Lots of Rock Chalk love going on over there in the Twitter universe!
Should make him think... why become part of the Big Blue Nation when you can become part of the Jayhawk Universe?!
I can see it now.
We hire Dennis Rodman as an assistant coach. Surely we can find a dozen players out there who care more about defense than offense.
Did the bio on Rodman. He attended Cooke County CC... is that the penitentiary or school? 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 7x All-Defensive First Team, 7x NBA Rebounding Champion, 2x NBA All-Star, 5x NBA Champion.
And to toughen up the troops every year we'll go on an exhibition tour through North Korea. Give them a concept of how tough life can be.
I'm game for that over directly copying Calipari's recruiting philosophy.
"Cheick Diallo recently frended Christian Garrett on FB. That's an interesting find?"
Finds like that give me more hope than reading all the sports babble from all those recruiting sites.
Good comment. Right on!
I did the exact same thing, but I seriously was not trying to nail him. Guess my accuracy at throwing a baseball was at about the same level as my jump shot in basketball. I felt really bad about it because the runner wasn't doing anything he shouldn't have been doing.
Yep... sorry... SS... but on occasion it can work for a second baseman.
I believe as long as he didn't take any benefits from signing his grant in aid he can freely leave (without having to sit a year) unless he signed a LOI and UCONN refuses to let him out of it. On situations like this, universities tend to let players out because it really crashes their reputation plus in the past several players hired attorneys to help get them out of it. This is why many players don't like to sign LOIs.
Jalen played at Brewster Academy... breeding grounds for Kansas.
UCONN also landed Shonn Miller yesterday.... a 6'7" forward who was on my radar screen, especially if we get none of the OADs. This is the kid that couldn't extend to a fifth year in the Ivy League at Cornell without completely withdrawing from school first.
One of the best players in the Ivy League last season, Miller averaged 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 31.3 minutes of action per game.
The right play is for the second baseman to jump in the air to avoid the collision and come down with his spikes on the top of his legs. Talk about old school.
I'm all in on your comment about guys freelancing out of a set. The key to running good offense is still about having guys with a high basketball IQ and can play aggressive. If you have that then you can run about anything and score. Defenses will continue to adjust and you find a way around their adjustments.
Can't believe he was allowed to assault an ump with his helmet. He'd be picking his teeth out of the back of his throat if he had done that to me.
I remember that.
I thought the biggest factor in the Wisconsin-Duke game was how the refs totally flipped their calls the second half. It was glaring...
Even though I think this way, I also believe the game was for Wisconsin to grab. In my books, they were far superior, especially in experience.
I thought they just played too cautious and didn't attack. Okafor should have had zero impact (IMO) because he should have had his 3rd foul within just a few minutes in the first half. Frank had several opportunities to go to work on him but he would back off and throw the ball out (from the post or baseline). Those were missed opportunities, even more important than their missed FTs.
I will never understand why teams play different in the championship game over the style that brought them there. Wisconsin didn't take advantage of their size and experience in the post. To be honest, I wasn't even expecting this game to be close. Wisconsin should have pounded Duke, and by letting them hang around Duke built momentum.
It was tough to experience because Wisconsin doesn't get many chances at a title, and Duke gets them all the time.
If I caught my daughter doing that I'd cut her tongue out myself.
Most-likely Ventura. Perhaps Herrera.
I hope so. It just helps build their chip. If this team stays healthy, watch out!
"Enter another of sports' accepted traditions – take perceived disrespect, manufactured or otherwise, and turn it into a chip on your shoulder, the cliché version of a motivating force."
No, I didn't write that, but I could have.
Royals are ready to rumble, but they're also hurting themselves ↗
This all fits perfectly into the Royals being disrespected this year because everyone saying last year was a fluke. I hope everyone continues to say that!
BTW: The writer of that story may have had it right with the sentence above, but he missed it on his storyline.... it should read: "Royals are ready to rumble, but they're also helping themselves!"
Nice job!
I missed most of the game but I did see Herrera get thrown out. Sure, he deserved it... but he was sticking up for his guys. It is refreshing to see so much enthusiasm from a Royals team. Haven't seen this much swagger since Brett.
The rest of the league is testing them out to see if they are willing to back up that swagger. So far, so good! Hey... we can throw at guys right back, and we will. And most of our pitchers have real heat. Big difference in getting hit with a 100-mph fastball over a 90-mph pitch.
It is always going to be a showdown this year with the As because they feel robbed from last year. Very good team and good teams don't like coming up short. It gives them an advantage because they carry a chip for us, and we carry a chip for the Giants, but can only work that out in the WS.
Meanwhile.. we aren't going to back down a hair against the As. Frick no!
I wonder what that ride cost? I guess Booker's parents have money?
Not to anyone's surprise.... LSU is Nike.
Duke is putting an all-out recruiting blitz on 5-star wing Brandon Ingram ↗
Our only mention was in the piles of teams being considered.
This is kind of fun to watch:
LSU, not Duke or Kentucky, will have college basketball's best freshman class ↗
If we don't get to the top of recruiting this year, at least there might be a new sheriff in town!
LSU is stacked!
Imagine being a Wildcat fan a month ago... and now today?!
Self did change his hi/lo last season. He positioned guys differently and had different motion.
Isn't it time he gives his offense a new name? Isn't this a branding issue?
I know I have zero knowledge about what happens behind the recruiting scenes... but does anyone believe that Self's hi/lo ISN'T being used against us on post recruits? Heck yes it is. All the schools competing against us are saying how Self will force these guys to live in the low post. No big wants to do that. And also they will be forced into making their living with back to the basket moves... No big wants to do that.
Maybe we can all help out. Seriously. I bet some recruits check out message boards, too. Since Self doesn't have a marketing background enough to understand branding, we do and we can help. I have two degrees in marketing and spent a lifetime working in sports marketing. This hi-lo horse has run it's last leg. Time to send it out to pasture or shoot it in the head to put it out of its misery.
I'm open to suggestions....
At this moment I'm thinking we call it the "POWER FAN." If you look at the goal from above, the perimeter 3 line makes a 180-degree fan. Our post guys can be positioned anywhere on offense... whether it means a high ball screen, base line, FT line, out on the perimeter to hit their own 3, our out away from the basket to drive it to the hole. We give our post guys full range.
If you look at Perry in last year's offense, he was anything but in a typical hi-lo position. He was bombing 3s from the top of the key or on the sides. He was positioned on the base line and slashed into the paint. He was setup around the FT line as a passing hub. And once in a while he was in the low post to take on a mismatch.
Doesn't get any more diverse than that! But we fail to take advantage of it because of a failure to brand it! If this was a product on the market it would fail without proper branding.
"It used to be a kid knew what college they wanted to attend when they where in junior high. Now they just sit back and let all the offers come in. Kind of makes you think what's in those offers? Huh? I think HCBS should still recruit the best, but I also think he should have a line in the sand. He shouldn't sacrifice the future of the program to chase some kid that is just looking for the best deal. To many quality kids in the 20 to 50 range that want to play for KU, to just dangle in the wind so you can see what a top talent is going to do."
I watched "Sole Man" over the weekend and it was like a light bulb going off a hundred times. These kids are probably waiting to get some shoe verbal commitments. There is obviously quite a bit of negotiations going on that none of us are privy to.
I can't believe Self would put himself back in the same position he was in with Tarc... and Diallo isn't even a true 5. He must have some knowledge where he feels we have some leverage, otherwise... he has gambled our entire program off on a long shot. I give him credit for being a guy who learns his lessons in life (eventually). He didn't get to where he is at today strictly by being stubborn. Stubborn works when you are right... but when the recruiting season closes at a blue blood school who couldn't recruit a real 5 in a couple of years, there is nothing right about that!
This is where my head is at right now, otherwise I'd go off on a total destructive rage!
As I mentioned above... we still stand a good shot at winning #12 even if we don't sign anyone else. Even though I project we will get some good support minutes from Bragg... winning #12 would largely come from suddenly have a more-experienced team of guys that weren't OADs.
The point being... we should always make our priority getting those guys 20-50. And those guys mostly sign early. Sign those guys and if we pick off 1 or 2 top tier guys now and then, great... if we don't... great!
I'm not thrilled to see us in the position we are currently in even if we sign Diallo and perhaps one more top guy. We threw our entire program into a slot machine and total gamble. We shouldn't have to do it this way at Kansas. Duke and UK are on another level, whether we want to believe it or not. And if we are willing to accept that, we can actually recruit better and lift our performance in the regular season and in March. But for some reason we keep thinking we are on their level of recruiting. We are forcing everything in hopes we are at their level. The one year where we really topped everyone was a couple of years ago when we scored Wigs and Jojo and others. That was shear luck when we crowned the year with the Wigs cherry on top. We had no clue on what he was going to do, and it seemed the difference was his brother playing down the road at WSU.
It seems like this is an ego thing now... and I'm not sure why. It is almost laughable that we can't sign a big.
" I never thought I'd see coach k, capuchin crypts and Disneyland in the same thread on a message board."
Really? 3 piles of bones awaiting a proper burial?
I'm pretty sure this boils down to Kansas vs Duke. Most of what I've read points him to Duke. Too bad Sonny Vaccaro isn't still with Adidas... we'd have Ingram and others if he was.
There is no balance in the ShoeCo war.
"If Self does not get Diallo, could this force Self move outside of his bubble and install a system that is suited to the talent on his roster?"
Diallo is being courted by the ISU offense. Imagine that. And I haven't heard him peep a word about the hi/lo.
Even if we don't score another recruit, we should be capable of winning #12 next year. I didn't say we would.. but could. As long as Diallo doesn't sign with the clones.
Surely we'll get someone. My fear is if we don't sign any of these top tier guys then Self goes way down to the bottom to fill out his roster. We've got a few of those guys now and then later it becomes hard to recruit the guys we should be recruiting over those guys. The guys we need are the plethora of 4 to 5 star recruits that sit 20-50. We get in a bind and we keep signing guys around 90 or so. They may be rough gems, but we seem to have no one in our coaching staff who will polish them out. Many of the guys 20-50 can have their games lifted within a year or so.
I hope we are planting plenty of seeds for 2016 now, because it doesn't really appear this is going to get easier next year.