🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I'm curious where we would draw the line with players?

What if the player is in the 20-50 ranking but talks about being OAD?

What if the player is in the Top 10 ranking but talks how he wants to say longer than OAD?

How do we judge who is just a 5-star athlete and who is a presumed OAD?

Embiid was not a presumed OAD... I know that for sure!

I agree with @KirkIsMyHinrich that it would be basically impossible to maintain finding a team full of those recruits in the middle all the time on a 4-year revolving door where 1/4 leave every year and a new 1/4 come on.

Even if we could start out this way, eventually it would be tough recruiting a team full of these players because some of them would like to be on a team with one or two top tier players... thinking they would have a better shot at a NC and might improve their game more by practicing with top players all the time.

And if we bow out on the cream players, we give in to Calipari. We let him know he won on OADs, and what we don't get, we just up the odds that he nails more of them. That isn't always a big deal, but maybe Kentucky wins the NC this year if Wiggins had gone their way.

I just think these are the times we are stuck in and none of us likes the current format creating OADs... but we have to live with it and still fight to be the best team we can be.

Add up all the OADs we've had to date and they don't add up to even one complete OAD cycle at Kentucky.

This is all so painful because we have to learn to let go of such crazy talented players we only get to experience for a few months. We are used to seeing them develop over years and now we only get a few months. Yes... it is a raw deal.

And on the broader scope, it doesn't spell a perfect story for our kids when a team full of OADs walks away with the NC. Overwhelming the field of real student-athletes who endure so much more and develop real team chemistry with their pro-level talent. It just isn't right.

@HighEliteMajor

I feel your spirit... and no one can give the argument against OADs half as well as you can.

I used to be 100% on board with you on that.

I've changed my tune, largely after the last two years.

I think there is a balance of having a couple of presumed OADs. As long as the team can still be a team, and those OADs really have something to offer in their single year.

How many OADs have we had under Self?

Mmmmm.... Selby, Henry, Embiid and Wiggins... right?

Joel wasn't projected to be one and had no intent except to play basketball at Kansas.

I think we had good play from Henry and Wiggins... enough to sign them on. And Selby would have been more productive if he could have played right away and didn't get injured.

Almost everyone let us down in that Stanford game. I just posted my estimate of who let us down the most, and it wasn't from our freshmen. Wiggins did have a bad game, but we did nothing to help him out on offense. He still played the best defense in that game.

And we had the presumed OAD, Selden. He's returning, and there is nothing saying he won't return for another year or two after next. Should we have avoided Selden?

We wouldn't have won in 2008 without Rush... and we wouldn't have recruited him if we had the strict policy to avoid OADs.

In 1984, if the game had been different back then, we may not have had Manning to play 4 years and help us win a title.

In today's game, Wilt, without question, would be an OAD.

I think we just have to role with the times. Doesn't mean we have to run a puppy mill like Kentucky. We should carefully lay out a strategy on recruiting and make sure the players we do recruit want to play team ball. Wiggins and BMac may have been a bit too oriented to team and could have used a bit more selfishness.

Our best defender this year..... I'd say Wiggins, followed by Embiid.

So many of your arguments... I agree with. Yes... Kansas was a pit stop for Wiggins. Any selection he made was going to be a pit stop. But that kid is good, with potential to become a great NBA player and he'll always be a Jayhawk. Let's face it... Paul Pierce is awesome, but he's about done in the league, and the youth today have already forgotten him. HS kids aren't mimicking Pierce's game.

The final blow with me and this argument came last year. BMac was the closest player we had to being an OAD (and he wasn't). A team full of seniors... probably the best shot blocker we've had since Wilt... and we didn't even make the Final Four. How much more chemistry would it take? Our entire team had pretty much maxed out on their upside. And we still choked and made bad decisions in March.

And this year's Kentucky team was dang lucky to have made it as far as they did. The best group of recruits in a long time... they came up short, too. So I don't think going all in on OADs is a wise thing either. Plus, it drives your fan base crazy! Right now, the fans in Lexington are going absolutely nuts.

We need to be in between. This year doesn't count. We had no OADs last year, but everyone was gone. Do you really think we would have won B12 #10 with a bunch of freshmen 4-yr players?

Just admit the truth... and the truth is we all fell madly in man-love with Andrew and JoJo... now the break up time has come way too quickly, and we all ache knowing these two players best games weren't even close to what we saw in Lawrence this year!

It is a bitc# being on the beginning part of a star's upside! And when you have more than one... it just doubles in pain!

But what about the heartache of watching last year's team? All those 4 and 5 year players leaving early in March? We all endured blood, sweat and tears with those guys for half a decade and they left without advancing.... All those tough games where we were waiting for them to mature... waiting... and waiting... and having patience... and then nothing! We all play psychologist on EJ for 4 years! We all played doctor on EJ and Travis.... would they get their hop back?

Read back above... it just feels like we've been swimming in OADs. But we haven't. And I'm glad we went after all of these players, even Selby. They all showed the same respect for Kansas as our 4-year players. To me, that has to be a priority when recruiting potential OADs.

If this is all about winning in March, then consider it less about OADs or not.. and more about guard play from the PG and the 2. Those guys need to be monsters and it definitely helps if they have experience.

At the 3, you need a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym. Wiggins was perfect for that! He would have fit in well on that UCONN team.

At the 4, on a Self team, should be a beast who can score well with his back to the basket.

At the 5, we need a rim protector.

Positions 3, 4 and 5... we just need the best players we can get. Presumed OAD or not.

It is the PG where you need experience. And it helps if your 2 has experience with your 1, so they can tandem. That was UCONN's weapon.

Thanks to Tharpe, next year will remain a question mark. We were counting on him to end well this year, and he didn't. So... can we count on him his senior year?

What shoots holes in your argument is our PG play for many many years. TT in 2012 was the most recent exception. He should have visited John Lucas at least one summer earlier.

Who sparked out and cost us most in March recently? Uh... EJ and Tharpe. Neither were freshmen or presumed OADs. Go back before TT in 2012, and it was Sherron. He didn't play his best as a senior either... and we didn't advance.

I think we focus too much on this issue of OAD. We need to focus more on what it takes to play our best in March. And it starts with solid guard play from our PG and 2 (emphasis on PG). Experience does count there, unless it is some miracle kid who is the exception.

So I'm down as sort of disagreeing with your thread... but I'm giving you a FAVORITE check anyways, because you brought your A-game (and there is just so much right on info in there)!

@ralster

"and this came to me after playing ball today for over 2hrs.."

I'm so completely envious! Wish I could still do that!

I'm glad to see Self on the hunt for another PG. Yes, we have Frank and Conner, both respectable players in their own right. But this is Self saying we have to start expecting more from our PG play. He should have thought that way years ago... good chance we would have a couple more NCs by now.

2013... I still can't believe we didn't win a NC with that team of seasoned players and one of the best shot blockers in college history.

I was very critical on Self this year, and I believe rightly so... but I'm feeling more optimism again. He's proven before that he can adjust his strategy, and I think he is doing it again.

A big goal for next year is to have our 1 and 2 guards play with lots of energy. Be able to beat a press and double-teams... and be able to apply a press and double-team well.

Even if we recruit another guard... Frank and Conner will still be big for us next year. We should have 4 solid guards to fill the 1 and 2. We should run lots of backcourt pressure and we'll need fresh legs for 40 minutes of basketball!

It is (finally) time we win backcourt play! We've dominated the post for a long time... and now we need to do both! The final piece to the puzzle on Self-ball is in sight. More important... it is within sight of Self!

I'm going to have me an awesome summer full of optimism! Not just because we have good talent coming back and good talent coming in... more because I think Self is realizing the need to have stronger play from his backcourt!

Now go get us another guard, Coach!

I didn't even see this before:

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/apr/14/nh-prep-guard-graham-plans-kansas-visit/?mens_basketball ↗

@HighEliteMajor

It's not too late for transfer news. I bet we have a 50/50 of still seeing a transfer.

Even if we don't sign another player... AW3 is nuts to waste away on our bench. That guy has starter written all over him at probably 1/3 of the D1 schools. I hope he leaves because I really like him and hate to see a kid blow his one chance.

@JayHawkFanToo

"Let;s say KU has only one schoolie left (no one transfers) and given a choice between Devonte Graham and Myles Turner, who would you pick and why?"

I think the answer is "both" and someone transfers.

We would never pursue Graham at the expense of Turner... and we are pursuing Graham. So that can only mean one thing (if we are still in the running for Turner).

Self said a while back that we are far from done on the recruiting trail for next year... and that was before Embiid decided to leave.

@JRyman

"Well if they are going to pay college athletes,

THEY SHOULD FINE THEM TOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

They could just levy against their pay... it's a fine against earnings.

"Get a technical foul, you get fined and so on, but the biggest fine should be for flopping, it's ridicoulous it is even allowed."

I'm loving that! Great idea!

@brooksmd - Bingo dat!

@FarSideHawk

Graham was a no-rank because he was already signed with App State, and then he stuck another year at Brewster and developed considerably.

@justanotherfan

"Graham could be a nice addition, and he won't be an OAD. The one thing I am concerned about is his lack of vertical explosion. He's a blur with the ball and has great moves on the floor."

I'd rather have a point who is explosive horizontally, then vertically. You mention UCONN... Napier wasn't a vertical leaper.

The smart little guys use quickness and the skill of creating scoring space to score on bigger players... not jumping over them. EJ was a leaper, but his only scoring at the rim were the blind alley-oops.

@truehawk93

"I know wissox, I know...believe me. I for one stayed on the Tharpe wagon a long time. He would have a great game and then disappear. I waited and gave him passes up to now. I just don't think he's able to handle the on and off court pressure and expectations. I hope to be wrong, but his last little fiasco pretty much sealed his fate. If he stays, it will be by the good graces of HCBS, but he has really hurt himself in so many ways."

I think Tharpe has really put Self in a bind. Self has a reputation as being a "player's coach"... meaning... he is willing to put his own neck out there for his players, far beyond what most coaches will do. He's done it for several players... EJ coming to mind recently.

But it is starting to wear on the Jayhawk Nation. There will be a major major explosion in our fan base if he stays with Naadir this coming year... another year filled with big hopes and expectations after another blazing recruiting year, only to end with Tharpe falling out again.

I don't think Tharpe helped himself with his selfie. That was a real act of defiance not only to Self, but to all Jayhawk fans. It definitely pissed me off. Okay... he didn't post it, but he took the friggin' photo! He should have known better. When you put his horrible late season play together with his act of defiance, it is too much for Jayhawk fans to weather.

Self would like to see a happy ending for Tharpe... meaning... a good senior year with positive outcome. But is he willing to stick his neck out for him (again)? The stakes keep growing with each time he does this and it doesn't pan out.

And if Tharpe goes to the bench for a freshman, does he want to stay for his senior year? I don't know... but maybe it is in Tharpe's best interest to transfer... even as a senior! Sit a year, work on his game and getting his s#it together. Then he can sell the new, improved Tharpe to some school somewhere. I doubt this happens... mostly because Tharpe has proven he doesn't step up to take charge of his life.

D1 ball is a one shot deal.... either you do well and leave with momentum... or you start thinking of another occupation after D1, like being an auto mechanic or furniture salesman.

@JayHawkFanToo

"Maybe you both can site a source?"

I have no source except the knowledge that Roberts is the best recruiter Self has, and he's an east coaster who does his best work out east.

I could be wrong on that... but why wouldn't he involve Roberts on a full court press for a recruit?

Then there is this:

"Among those to reach out to the Class of 2014's best available point guard are Boston College, Cincinnati, Creighton, Florida, Florida St, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Providence, South Florida, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Xavier.

Coaches from most of those schools plan to fly to New Hampshire to visit Graham at Brewster Academy either Thursday, Friday or Sunday. Brewster coach Jason Smith said he expects Graham to narrow his list early next week once he has a chance to visit with all those coaches."

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/newly-released-devonte-graham-will-be-a-coveted-recruit-the-next-few-days-152157090.html ↗

I'm betting that Self is putting on a full court press for this kid. The timing is just right to pinch him in while still going for Turner, and having time to let someone go off our roster (if it isn't already a done deal).

Self is the best recruiter in the country after March Madness. Easily.

We haven't always won every recruit... but Self is dangerous when he really wants a player and it's crunch time. I can see this happening.

This time, Self has Norm Roberts by his side at Brewster.

Imagine landing Graham and Turner! I'm pretty sure we would be considered to have the #1 recruiting class coming in next year.

I've listed a couple of reads on Graham. The second being more current... and he has now been released and it appears Kansas and Florida are the biggest fish chasing Graham.

http://hoopdreamsmag.com/?p=8441 ↗

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2014/4/11/5604466/devonte-graham-recruiting-florida-kansas-providence ↗

In the second read there is even mention that Tharpe could be recruited over in his senior year. Do you think?

Self puts his own tail on the line if he goes another year with Tharpe and he duds out again in March. I don't see it happening. I sense a replacement coming. If this had been the only time Self had put his own neck out for a PG then I could see him chance it with Tharpe... but we've been down this road before... 2013!

Funny, in the second article the journalist made a big mistake.... saying Jeff Capel wouldn't let Graham out of his LOI at App State. It was his brother, Jason, who coached the Mountaineers. I had to look that one up, because we probably would already have signed Graham if Jeff was their coach because Graham has wanted out of his LOI for quite some time. I'm pretty sure Self has some strings with Jeff Capel... and he is now a Dukey trying to snag the vacancy when Coach K leaves.

@truehawk93

I feel very confident in saying that Self is not giving up on Turner. Turner fits into Self's philosophy, plus... why wouldn't he keep reinforcing Kansas as a big man school?

If we are trying to land Turner and a guard, you can bet we will see a transfer.

@jayhawkeyes

"Going back and watching early games again I noticed Perry actually slimmed a lot as the season progressed."

You did see Perry slim down during the season. That's something you will see from many Jayhawk players because they get pulled off of heavy weights during the season and get their exercise from running. I don't think that is an indication of him becoming a 3.

But I would like to see him play some 3 minutes. It would encourage him to work on his dribble and we already know he is working on his trey shot.

Withey did put on about 25 lbs as a Jayhawk... and that was all muscle. I don't think they ever gave up on him adding weight. It's just hard to add all the muscle, and he was battling with his own genetics.

His accomplishment was impressive, considering his genes and then what he accomplished.

@JayHawkFanToo

Nice post. And I'm trying to stay positive on these guys. Especially in the hands of Hudy.

I was amazed at what she did with Withey. He left Kansas a totally different player. Probably twice the strength and reflexes from the day he set foot on Lawrence soil.

Funny you mention Perry. I see both Conner and Perry in similar positions. Both need to build the right strength to go along with their huge skill sets. It is the only thing holding these guys back from reaching the top in D1, and solidifying pro options after.

Both of these guys are total gym rats. I'm hopeful their light will come on and they go get it done now for next year. Both have the brains to realize where they are at... and where they want to be.

@ralster

"Now fun discussion: 6'5 D.Wade is a combo guard. He does not have shaky handles against pressure, but he can also score. MJ was a 6'6 combo guard by ability, although he was listed at shooting guard sometimes, but more commonly simply as "guard". It was MJ who almost always brought the ball up. All those greats start somewhere. I want the guy that is big, tall, athletic, that shows some ability from Day 1. I bet that's Self's ideal guard. And I dont think his desires have changed in that regard...but he isnt going to get every such recruit every single year. "

We all want that... but that guard isn't always available (rarely is).

So... which camp are you in?

Camp A - Combo Guard. I'd rather have height at PG to defend well and he can pass over most PGs. He may not be a true PG, but he is athletic, can get to the rim some, can pump the 3 some... decent passer.

Camp B - True PG. I'd rather have the short guy who is a true PG. He knows how to run a team, control tempo, rarely gets stuck on the dribble in a trap, great passer, decent shooter, good basketball IQ, can get to the rim.

Usually we have to pick from those two camps. Sometimes... we get neither!

A big part of what matters is chemistry. You can't really teach that... Mason or Frankamp... or another guy... who knows who will create the best chemistry?

And then there are the other factors... speed, basketball IQ, dribbling passing and shooting... etc. etc. etc.

@ralster

Right on...

I think Conner, in the least, will offer us rock steady play from the point. Question is... can he lift his athleticism between now and then and become more than just a steady performer? He will have to do it if he hopes to play beyond college, at some level of pro ball.

Yes... last year was the year we should have taken home the trophy. All that experience, the best shot eraser in the post, a mix of players with differing abilities. I just wish BMac had been a bit more natural alpha dog. He was sort of pushed into that role and you could tell, because his aggressiveness didn't always come natural. It was a bit artificially-generated. I thought Wiggins was much the same.

Thinking back.. I know we look at Wiggins #s and see he had a good season. But with his insane athleticism, he could have done better, but it started with attitude going into the season. He had a good attitude, but not one of alpha dog. His attitude was centered too much on being a team player (blending in).

He'll have to sell himself now as being an alpha dog, because teams looking to spend their top draft picks don't want a player just blending in.

We've had some time go by now and it is a bit easier to look back on our loss with Stanford.

I'm going off my memory of that game and the stat box to determine how our freshmen class did against our upperclassmen. The typical definition of "upperclassmen" only includes juniors and seniors... but for this comparison, I've including the sophomores as part of the definition of upperclassmen.

I first decided to give each player a grade based on performance and no consideration for what class they are in. Here is what I came up with:

Tarik Black - A+

Perry Ellis - C+

Andrew Wiggins - C-

Wayne Selden Jr - C

Naadir Tharpe - C

Jamari Traylor - C

Conner Frankamp - B+

Frank Mason - C+

Then... I took these grades and weighted them against their class. I gave freshman 1/2-mark increase for being freshmen because freshmen are expected to struggle in their first March experience. Freshmen have no experience in March from previous years. Sophomores I gave a draw on weight. They have at least been there before, whether they played or not. Juniors and Seniors received a 1/2-mark deduction from their grades because they should have enough experience to have a clear advantage over younger, less-experienced players.

This is the weighted result:

Tarik Black - A

Perry Ellis - C+

Andrew Wiggins - C

Wayne Selden Jr - C+

Naadir Tharpe - C-

Jamari Traylor - C

Conner Frankamp - A

Frank Mason - B

So, we had 4 freshmen with significant minutes in that game. And their average grade was at the high side of a B-.

We had 4 upperclassmen with significant minutes in that game. And their average grade was between a C+ and a B-.

So from my calculations, the freshmen slightly outplayed the upperclassmen.

This is just looking at one game, but seeing that it was the game ending our season, it seems to be the most-significant.

If I think about what sticks out in this game is the poor performance of Wiggins and the exceptional performance of Black and Frankamp. If these three players had more their typical games (Frankamp being scratched from this calculation because he hardly played all year), the grades would have favored the freshmen even more. Then imagine had Embiid played... what grade would he have received? I'm pretty sure it would be positive.

There are so many factors not figured into this calculation. Like, why wouldn't we add in extra weight on our upperclassmen for their need to help lead freshmen through their first March Madness? Black was our only upperclassmen spark in this game.

We can't take anything too major from just one game. But I think this is worth storing away in our memory banks for the future, when we look back on this game and perhaps make a false conclusion impacting future decisions.

@Lulufulu85

" If Hudy can pack 15 - 20 lbs of muscle on the kid over summer, I think he is our man."

I think you are right.... but it is a big "if!"

If Conner can build more fast twitch muscle... he is our guy. Big difference between fast twitch and slow twitch. He needs to become a lightning rod.

You just never know with young guys... what they can mature into. His fight is with his genes. A tough hurdle for anyone to get over. But it has been done before. Guys come back after summer and are completely different players.

Conner will become a sophomore.. and Hudy gospel is that players advance the most between freshmen and sophomore years, in the summer. I hope she is right concerning Conner, and I hope the guy comes back a fast twitch beast!

I think Conner has the mind to lead. Good basketball IQ. He'll learn to read defenses and know what to do... thinking ahead of our opponents. That is what it takes.

He needs a very specialized training schedule this summer. All of it pushing reflexive tension... what is called "burst training." A complete focus on fast twitch development.

@JayHawkFanToo

Right on. Mason will come around... but you nailed his first hurdle to get over.

@JRyman

Wow... what a player! He could teach Tharpe a thing or two about "no-look passes."

@wissoxfan83

I thought Naa regressed this year. Sure... he had some improvements, and he won a game or two for us. But this year we got a real taste of him totally not showing up for several games. You just can't do that at KU. You can't come out and have games where your production is ZERO!

I was super high on Naadir coming into this year. I kept holding out hope... but by the end of the season I had lost hope and would rather have seen us give all that PT to guys with potential to be a part of our future.

There is something going on with Tharpe. He must lead at least two lives.... maybe his Jayhawk PG life and maybe something destructive or at least something that kept him from being totally committed to Kansas basketball. That would explain why many games he didn't show up. His mind was on the other part of his life. Just a guess.... but I bet I'm right on that one.

Too bad because Tharpe had all kinds of potential. He does possess whacky speed and athletic ability, but he didn't apply himself 100%. And who wants to invest another year in him? This is KU... we have certain expectations that we will do what is best for the team and whatever gives us our best shot. I can't believe that will be Tharpe next year.

@KansasComet

Not many college players have excellent basketball IQ. That means they find ways to exploit what ever other teams throw at us.

We certainly didn't see much basketball IQ this year. When teams did something that gave us trouble... we usually couldn't adjust to it then dominate.

Stanford was a good example of that. We just putted along until towards the end when we tried a desperate press.

We should have just found ways to exploit their zone.

It's easy to point fingers at Self on that one... but maybe he couldn't get them to wrap their minds around the changes and execute. Still.. then isn't the coach at least partially to blame for that, too?

@HighEliteMajor

I agree with your last post entirely.

Yes. PG is without question the most-important spot on the floor.

Yes... Malik is a 2, and as a compliment, let's call him a combo guard... which all that means, in a pinch he can play PG.

Until proven otherwise, he is a 2.

He does appear to have excellent dribbling and ball handling skills. Even if he does, that does not mean he will make a great PG.

Most HS players who are about 6'2" and taller get slotted into the 2 guard position. Most of these teams have a smaller guard they want on the floor, so the natural decision is to move the bigger guard to the 2. It does not always indicate the skill level and whether or not they can play best at the 1 or 2.

But he would have to prove he can be a PG. It would be to his advantage... especially when he wants to go to the league...

HEM... you get it... entirely!

@KansasComet

"You are not sure of Frank Mason's leadership skills or basketball IQ? The young man is a Freshman, and he chose KU. He's off to a good start. "

Hey.. I'm a big fan of Frank. But he is a question mark as to running a team all season and at the caliber we need. Yes... he was a freshman, and I give him high marks for his freshman year. But he is still a projected leader of this team. He hasn't earned it yet. He hasn't been given the chance to be the leader on and off the court yet. He hasn't shown us if he can read defenses and find exploits. He's green.... and we've had several guards that showed potential before, but to reach the very top (meaning March-caliber) Frank is an unknown.

I think more people in here are coming around to the reality that the PG position is the most-important position on the team. That position will pretty much make or break the entire season, definitely March hopes.

We need a new flair to our offense.

We can't just be known as a hi/lo team.

No star PG wants to just play hi/lo.

We have to create something that opens up driving lanes for the point and where we give him a total green light to play alpha dog.

I'm not sold on us doing that. We didn't do it for Wiggins. We made him carve his own space without help and told him to brute force his scoring at the rim.

We need some new offense.

I hate to say this.... but I will... maybe we should look at Iowa State's offense and try to pick a few moves from their plays. Fred knows how to showcase guard play, and he does it in ways that can be unpredictable.

@icthawkfan316

The only downside on Malik is that he is 6'3". I wish he was 5'11". He has the speed and skills to create scoring space without needing height... but the taller you get at PG, the more you open up the chance that the kid could jump to the league sooner. The NBA always rewards height.

If he was 5'11" he could do crazy stats in college and would still probably be a 4-year player.

That is the only downside I see with this total stud!

I know we don't want to get into PGs that could possibly be OAD. Not many exist. The Harrison twins might go OAD because of their size and decent talent. We need to build continuity at the point spot.

I'm not sure TT is our best selling tool to recruit this kid. First of all, Malik already has better scoring moves than TT had (and has today).

I think our selling point has to be a new twist into our offensive sets. We have to come show him we are going to give him the structure to be a star, and we are going to give him the total green light.

To be honest... If Calipari has an opening, it will be hard to snag him over Cal. This kid is cookie-cutter material for the dribble-drive.

@icthawkfan316

Ha... bravo for saving your breakfast!

Selby was a stud. But I saw those tapes, too. I think this kid is a solid notch up on Selby. More athletic.... and more developed scoring moves.

This kid doesn't have a gram of baby fat. Selby had plenty of it. He wasn't nearly at the speed this kid is.

To illustrate the difference, let's go ahead and land him so we can compare his first 7 games to Selby's!

@Crimsonorblue22

I can't really recall that we've ever had a PG with this much offense. Ever. His crossover is sick. He creates scoring space like a seasoned NBA'r.

@icthawkfan316

Malik Newman has sick talent! Wow... a real scorer at PG for Kansas?!

I'm doubtful he would consider us. First... check out his tape:

Now look at those plays and imagine him doing it in a Jayhawk uniform. You can't... because after 1 or 2 of those he would get benched for not feeding the post.

Here is even a better link... from the Kentucky perspective. They already have Kansas on his list. Check out the comments... "Don't need him" because the kid has some moxy and swagger. Okay... we'll take him! Wow... a PG with a set of rocks... bring him on!

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/2015-recruit-malik-newman-shows-why-hes-ranked-1/ ↗

Self would have to design a new offense that opens up big time opportunities for his PG to land this superman!

@truehawk93

"Guards learn how to make your bigs look good."

Exactly.... Look how good Napier and Boatright made DeAndre Daniels look!

I think we need to look real hard at what UCONN did this year.

They did it not just with a premiere PG. Their 1 and 2 guards (Napier and Boatright) made it happen. Imagine being trapped by these two? Both have insane speed and intensity.

I am a big fan of Wayne. But I'd like to see him firm his body up this summer. No more baby fat and drop 10 lbs. He has good athleticism, and dropping just a few excess pounds might make him a speed dynamo. Then, we have 1/2 of the puzzle figured out. Wayne showed us this year that he needs help on quickening his first step. I'm not coming down on Wayne.. he has incredible talent and we have only enjoyed a taste of what he can do.

What really stinks is that Naadir has the right athleticism. He has super jet speed and athleticism. But his wiring is short-circuited and we can't piss away another season on hope.

@nuleafjhawk

"...our current stupid Globetrotter Shuffle offense."

Offensive statement that I agree with! Thanks for crediting the right source!

I think we need to stay looking for a PG. So far, Conner just doesn't have the athleticism required to be a premiere PG. But maybe he'll up his game over the summer. This is the summer (from FR to SO) for him to develop most. He is a hard working guy, but I'm not sure if he can lift his athleticism enough to make the difference needed.

I love Frank Mason... but I'm not sure of his leadership skills or basketball IQ. I easily put him above Tharpe, just because he doesn't freak out. He has ice water running through his veins.

The PG should easily be the most athletic player on the team. Even though he may only be 5'10" or so, he should be able to bring it to the rim on trees, make a shake and bake move to bomb a 3 over a 6'6" guard from Kentucky, penetrate on the best defenders, be a total lock down defender stopping the best driving PGs, and last, be able to put all kinds of trapping pressure out on the perimeter and make steals. The guy should be superman.

The guy should LEAD the team... be a great communicator... always hustle and have a feel for managing tempo... have excellent basketball IQ... have ice water running through his veins in March... and he should be a motivator.

That's all I want for Christmas... my two front teeth, and a dynamo PG!

That's what it takes to up our chances of bringing home gold in March. Anything short of that and we open ourselves up to losing to mediocre teams, or teams that do have a superman PG.

@JRyman

If I was king of basketball... flopping would be gone. I'd give the first one the same penalty as a flagrant 1, the second call would be the same penalty as a flagrant 2.

And I agree with you, that they should overturn the live call on the floor when that happens. It makes no sense to penalize a player who did nothing wrong.

A couple of shots and the ball out... those can really turn a game quickly. I'm pretty sure the big flopping would be over.

@ralster

@jaybate has written volumes on Self picking and choosing to ramp up or down.

I've never been able to understand it because I'm the type that only runs on one speed.... high octane all the way. If someone told me to lighten up, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to flip back and forth. I never needed coaches to tell me anything to amp me up. Therefore... I talk about motivation and chips frequently in here because I see a bunch of kids that most the time don't even break a sweat after 20 minutes of play. But I don't have a clue what runs in their minds that allows them to coast. I really don't get that. Not just for basketball players, but anyone doing about anything.

I guarantee these kids would play amped if I was their coach. If I had to pull them out of games and rip them a new one for 20 continuous minutes, I would do it. Everyone would be terrified to not give it their all. That is the Bobby Knight in me. But then when the kids are putting out the energy, I would be too, on the sidelines being their biggest clapping fan!

Players mimic their coaches, unless they disdain them.

When the coach shows how important it is to play amped (like their lives depended on it), players are either going to jump into the momentum, or quit. There is no middle ground.

I find myself in constant conflict with the world I live in. Because I see most people doing a half-arse job at everything, including their occupation, and I'm not afraid to call them on it, especially if I'm trying to be their customer or they are recruiting me as their customer.

My perception of Self is he is a hard working coach. He knows the game as well as any coach in the country. But his personality is more laid back than I'm used to, especially in the position of coach.

I'm not sure my perceptions (or ideas on this) have any validate to them whatsoever. Because according to my philosophy on this, Frank Martin should be winning the tournament every year!

I think that is one more wrinkle of this game that keeps it interesting for me. During basketball, every year, heck every month, no... every week and almost every day (or second)... my ideas get shot to hell!

In my mind I am some kind of basketball professor. However, I am constantly being shot down to "the nutty professor" and my wife, using her simplified instincts, triumph over me as headmaster.

@JRyman

I thought the rule interpretation changes in college basketball would create a basketball armageddon in March. It didn't really happen and I was wrong. But I also predicted a year where flopping would become bigger in college basketball because of the changes...

I guess one out of two ain't bad!

Might as well teach our young to deceive right out of the gates. We are sending the message that deception helps create victories. And if it is right to deceive in one area, why isn't alright everywhere?

@HawkInMizery

"I completelyagreee, baseblal has the best system as far as this goes even allowing them to get drafted to see where they go and if they don't sign they can go to college still."

That's the part I like. Let these kids see where they go and how high, and if they don't like it they can stay in school.

What other job works this way where you are pushed out of something in order to throw your hat in the ring somewhere else?

And, btw, these guys are now EMPLOYEES of KU. That was determined a few days ago at Northwestern.

I'm hungry for a Kevin Young fro....

Something organic please....

@JRyman

Oh man... just what I needed on a Friday!

I think I pooped myself!

Thanks...

@EdwordL

"I just didn't expect we would beat UNC by so much."

We had something to prove in that game. That game represents one of the few times WE carried a chip into a game since maybe Danny and the Miracles in the '88 finals. There was a lot of talk going back and forth concerning Roy and Kansas. Fans made sure our guys understood certain pieces of history concerning Roy and Kansas and why it was absolutely critical that we beat Roy.

The only time I've experienced that much vitriol with an opponent was with our rival Mizzou.

What gave us such a lopsided victory was the fact that the UNC players had nothing pushing their buttons to jack them up for that game. That's why we came out and murdered them from the get go.

It was a reversal of what we often face from these lower ranked teams in March.

@JayHawkFanToo

That's the tough question. I believe Kurtis was recently named as the top assistant coach in the nation. Norm is a recruiting genius. And now Jerrance brings his territorial powers for Chicago recruiting and is supposed to be a good communicator with the players.

Maybe we sit back and do nothing and wait for a position to open. It seems we have an opening every few years....

Kansas is not known as a guard-oriented school. We've certainly had several top notch guards over the past decade, but our reputation is that we are a big man school.

I think we've built our reputation as a big man school over the past few decades... maybe going back even further because we were fortunate to have the very best big man ever to play the game, Wilt Chamberlain.

Danny Manning took the torch from Chamberlain and brought us national acclaim by leading us to a National Championship in 1988. Danny extended his impact on Kansas big man basketball from 2007 to 2012 as an assistant coach and big man specialty coach.

Bill Self's offensive strategy is based first on a hi/lo set. The focus of the hi/lo is to make the post players the center of where the offense runs. On a typical possession running the hi/lo at least one post player will touch the ball several times, often leading to the shot coming from the post, or the assist coming from out of the post. The offensive focus of Kansas basketball goes through our big men.

But today, we can't help but look at teams like UCONN and admire their performance and reputation for being the best March team for the past decade or so. As competitors we should always stay open minded for improving our methods for developing competitive teams in March.

UCONN has proven the importance of a "guard first" strategy going into March. UCONN is known as a guard school. They typically bring a team to the tournament every year that has tough, scrappy, capable guards at both the 1 and 2 spots. This year, the tandem of Napier and Boatright helped propel them over a dominant all star Kentucky team.

So how can Kansas become more competitive at the guard position?

We need to stir the pot and make some changes that will build our reputation as a good choice for quality guards.

The first big change would be to shuffle in one more assistant coach. This assistant won't be hired strictly for what recruiting territory he is good in. This assistant will be recruited for his skills developing guard play. A new feature we need to offer moving forward.

I have my ideas of a good candidate for this position. He is an assistant now at UCONN. Let's not forget Andrew Hudy was from UCONN before we lured her away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Hobbs ↗

I have to admit not being the best source on guard coaching... but he seems to be a qualified guard coach with a reputation working with great guards.

Then... I'm not saying we should abandon the hi/lo... but what about running more of a combo offense? It sort of seems we do that now, but in the future put more focus on developing a combo offense that utilizes both the hi/lo and maybe some kind of motion offense like dribble drive. We should be able to just veer slightly off our traditional hi/lo to make this work. Opponents shouldn't know on any particular possession if we will finish the play through a hi/lo creation, or from whatever twist we are running with it, like a dribble drive. Granted, dribble drive usually puts 4 players out away from the basket, but we could at least run 3 players out and sometimes 4 if we have the right big man who can absorb that much defensive intensity by himself.

I'm not sure exactly what I am trying to convey here, except to open up for change that will encourage more finishes for our guards. Something that we can sell to quality guard recruits.

We have to take on a healthy amount of change if we want to gain a reputation for also being a guard school. We shouldn't have to sacrifice our reputation for being a big man school in the process... just diversify a bit.

Note to Wake Forest from the administration at the University of Kansas:

Please note for future reference: we are temporarily loaning to you the coaching services of one Danny Manning.

@JRyman

Awesome graphic. Only change I would make is the coaching timeline. Think I'd flip it around to have Wake Forest on top... it's just a psychological thing, but it feels like a digression instead of a progression by putting WF down at the bottom.

Both timelines make it feel like it is all about Kansas and Kansas belongs at the top!

@ralster

Nice to see you post on this. I like when your posts are more in depth.

Yes... the tired legs argument shouldn't work for any D1 player. Come on, these kids are 19! They should only get tired for a few seconds then be recovered to hit hard again.

Okay... they want to be tired, then let's go back to the full on boot camp. Let's grind these guys into shape. Self shouldn't have back down off of boot camp. It's a great tool to build character in a team and gain some early team cohesion.

And if top tier recruits won't come to Kansas because of boot camp, we don't want them. Talent really isn't worth anything if the attitude isn't in the right place.

@justanotherfan

"UCLA is in jeopardy of having an Indiana type fall. Most of their points are tied to their titles. They only have 10.5 points in the last decade (basically the same value Michigan got from their title game appearance last year). If they don't right the ship in Westwood soon, they will start to see some of those Big 10 teams pass them."

It's amazing to see teams like Louisville projected towards the top. I remember them mostly as a Missouri Valley team... Denny Crum wearing that God-awful cardinal red/black/white plaid houndstooth jacket every game. Looked like car upholstery.

I think I have to give the credit of their ascension to the guy that best represents the State of Kentucky... Colonel Sanders. There aren't many venues in America where you can go watch basketball with 22,799 other people sitting down for some southern fried chicken. That IS the KFC Yum! Center, home of Louisville Cardinal basketball.

It's time for McDonald's to step up and be accounted for. Richard James "Dick" McDonald and his brother, Maurice James "Mac" McDonald made it happen back in 1940 in San Bernardino, California.

It's time UCLA dumped small town Pauley Pavilion (capacity 13,800) for the brand new "McDonald's Scrumptious! Center" with a capacity of 28,800 and Big Macs available to all! It should have a play area for children and Happy Meals with toy Bruin current players. Small canals could run down the aisles, the world's largest fountain of bubbling soft drinks so you could just reach to the end of your aisle for a free refill. The scoreboard could double as the world's largest french fry basket. Fans can keep track of the score while at the same time track when the next batch of fries are ready.

Yeah... that's what I'm talking about... Bruin Basketball is back!

There has to be something in place to give athletes a shot at affordable health insurance after they leave school, especially if they suffer injuries while playing school ball.

That in itself, would relieve a small bit of pressure for these kids to leave early.

If we raised their stipend, too, it would help ease some of the financial pressures to leave early.

I vote for anything that will encourage these kids to stay in school.

I have to hand it to Calipari on this one...

@nuleafjhawk

And you weren't even being sarcastic! That's the upsetting part of all this!

Gosh... imagine if our entire starting 5 were OADs? New team every year.

@nuleafjhawk

I agree with everything you say... but what if that back injury becomes more serious next year when he's a Jayhawk? Let's say serious enough to can his career. It could happen. Then what? After the season he will no longer be a Jayhawk either and he'll be out in the health care free market, fighting for himself.

You should know me by now. Previously, if it had been my choice, I wouldn't let any of these kids go until they achieve a real diploma, and could at least grow facial hair before getting mugged in the league!

I'll change my mind on this the second I know these kids aren't left in the dark on health care. That should be a crime, and Emmert should do time!

@jaybate - perhaps we can have a special OAD section of AFH for the best-of-the-best OADs (and their jerseys). Just to bring home the message on rank of importance, we make sure their jerseys are hung much lower than the greats. Or how about the OAD jerseys be made into a collage? We can hang one collage for every 4 OADs, symbolizing the reality that it takes 4 of them to match one of our old greats. ;)

@brooksmd - not to be political.... but I was thinking about the same sarcasm as you mentioned as I was writing this thread. Obviously, I was sarcastic enough in my thoughts on it to keep going with my post, knowing full well that there is no guarantees on the federal level for proper care.