I like your story line!
drgnslayr
11251 posts
And on video so it makes Sportscenter Top 10!
At times I get frustrated with some attitudes, too. Then at other times I'm certain people in here get frustrated with me.
Seasons go long enough that we can't help but meld our personal lives (and moods) in with our comments. I know I was cranky half the time last year...
I hear what you are saying...
The key is if people just want to slam him or give him constructive criticism to help him lift his game.
I judge his play as a mixed bag. But I am thankful we have Tharpe, because if we didn't we would be fighting just for entry into the Big Dance this year.
On a personal level, I'm very happy with Tharpe and have total respect for his game and how far he has come. We have to remember... Tharpe was ranked as the No. 72 overall player by ESPNU 100, No. 91 by Rivals.com and No. 94 by Scout.com. Not exactly a big time talent coming to Lawrence, but he has proven himself to be worth far more than these rankings.
Will I and several people in here continue to post frustrations and helpful hints on Tharpe? I'm certain we will.
I haven't read anything in here that I thought was a personal slam on Tharpe. I can't recall anyone calling him a derogatory name, or completely bash his game. People have called him out on some issues... he often turns it over often and at bad times.... he shows up big one game and totally disappears in others.
I feel like he should be held to a different standard as a junior, then the pile of freshmen we have. I'd feel the same about all those freshmen in two more years, too.
And as our PG and leader, part of that position is to be held accountable for what goes down in games. Sometimes even when it is another player's fault. That is a part of leadership and Tharpe knows it and accepts it. He hasn't always performed well, but he understands his role as a leader.
Compare this to other fan bases and what they do to their players. Man... I only have to consider some in-laws from NY, and how they call every player on every NY team a foul name constantly. They insult their own players more than rival players. It's not only embarrassing behavior, it eventually becomes really sickening! I hate to be in NY at certain times... like in the heat of summer when the Yankees aren't playing well and people are feeling the heat. Very nasty 'climate' in the Big Apple!
Lawrence is truly Lala-land! Lalalawrence!
We can test this...
Does anyone in here think that Naadir Tharpe sucks?
This goes out to Approx...
Are you planning any SEO work for this site? I don't know if it is a good idea or not to be very visible to the public... it will attract trolls and antler varmints... however, it would also pick up some new Jayhawk fans.
I'm sort of mixed about it. We have an awesome fan base in here now... very good conversations!
Also great recruiting prospects! If anyone can contact them, please do! I've been booted from KUSports so I don't have access any longer.
I've got fried-day brain....
Where did Cole lose his tooth? Was it Austin?
Marcus Smart has finally met his match:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/06/could-you-detect-a-fake-nba-flop/ ↗
...and we owe it all to Mark Cuban... for flipping the bill on flopping!
Have you recruited this dynamic prospect yet (by posting this link at KUSports)?
It seems we would at least get a tweet response...
It seems like the refs always let play get rough in Austin... I'm sure many of you have better memories than I... does it seem that refs swallow their whistles in Austin every year?
" Inside will be critical, but Embiid and Co. cannot afford to go toe to toe with the big thugs of UT."
I'm pretty sure the refs will call it better in AFH. If Embiid gets thrown to the ground, he better get the call...
Just imagine a replay of what they did to him in Austin, and imagine a no call in AFH... and the reaction of the fans. There should be an NCAA investigation on the no call in Austin. That was sick!
The best move on Ridley is to attack his weakness.... his weight. His weight limits his floor speed and endurance. If 5 Jayhawks run the floor on a defensive rebound we'll force Barnes to bench Ridley... especially if we attack the rim immediately on our end, before Ridley can set in the post. Or he may take himself out of the game by fouling out! Embiid is great running the floor, and tomorrow he needs to run the floor and they need to pound the ball into him before Ridley can get set.
Hey... I just found this tidbit from one of Jesse's articles about the TT game. It supports our thread on how pace hurt us in Lubbock:
"Stat of the Day
Texas Tech completely dictated the pace of play. According to StatSheet.com, KU had just 53 possessions, which was its lowest total in a game during Self's 375 games with the Jayhawks. The 53 possessions also were the least by any Big 12 team in any game this season. To give some context, KU hadn't had a game below 63 possessions all season until Tuesday."
Loved the post! Thanks for reviving it!
"Ask yourself this .. how can a team play college basketball for over a century and NOT make it to one final four? The answer is only in Columbia ----"
Reminds me of Dirty Harry... "I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking "did he fire six shots or only five?" Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?"
"Tharpe is either really on or really off. It's called inconsistency."
You nailed it with just a few words... something I have a hard time doing! Tharpe needs some pre-game zen. Many of the greatest players of all times would do it before stepping on to the court.
There were games after Towson where Embiid really whipped out hard "Kevin Love-like" outlet passes. We discussed it in here, about his ability to outlet the ball.
The fact that he hasn't done it in conference is a mystery for this entire team. It takes two to tango, and he can't whip a pass out to someone who isn't out there to get it.
It will be a pity if we don't see it return while he is at KU, because that is a big time weapon gone wasted if he doesn't use it.
You will see it in the league... promise. He's every bit as capable of a pinpoint rifle half court (or more) pass, just like Kevin Love.
I found links on our site:
Self: "We went on a 47-11 run to end the half. We were down 5-2 and then got cranked up pretty good. The guys played with good energy. We were much better defensively, much more active blocking shots. It seems like we had hands everywhere. We didn't get a lot of steals, but it seemed like we caused some havoc. I thought we really got out and ran better than we have, and Joel (Embiid) made some unbelievable outlet passes to get us going. A lot of guys played well. It was pretty consistently good for the most part, but the second half got pretty sloppy." That was after Towson.
I hear what you are saying... but the benefit from speeding up is more about US needing to speed up! We need to speed up our offensive possessions so we'll come back and play sped up on defense! It is all a strategy to keep our guys energized. Against TT, except for the one brief period in the first half, we slowed down, and we slowed down to their pace... which totally neutralized our athletic advantage.
I'm saying the byproduct of us playing faster will, in most cases, start speeding up our opponent. And as long as we are maintaining our high energy level, who cares what they do. They'll have to figure out how they can maximize their points on what possessions they have. It is rare, however, when you start building a big point spread on your opponent and they don't try to change their game in order to prevent a complete blow out.
Also, we have the talent and athleticism to become an outstanding defensive team... even now! We need a bit more coaching, and a heck of a lot more energy on defense. Our low energy on defense is the reason why we are the worst (or one of the worst) defensive teams in the B12 when it comes to steals! With our athleticism and arm length, we should be creating plenty of steals, but we don't put real pressure on the ball.
This is all about putting some fire under our guys' buttocks.
Read Self's comments about the TT game... and how he didn't substitute because none of his guys were even winded... That should tell you that Tubby's strategy, to neutralize our athletic advantage, worked brilliantly!
We are defining "outlet passes" as the same. Maybe you missed our early games. Embiid was rifling passes at least half the distance of the court, sometimes further.
If you put "Embiid outlet" in a Google search I bet you can find a lot about him. I did and just searching down a few links I found these... the first comparing him to Kevin Love, who, BTW, is one of the best at outlet passing!
http://kusports.net/boards/topic.php?board=1&topic=2836 ↗
Jason King got this one right:
"He’s already developed into a tremendous distributor—especially on outlet passes—and runs the court like a guard."
I guarantee you that NBA GMs are psyched at his potential on the outlet!
Here is a link from his game with Towson. The second half of the video shows his outlet passes. These are not the best example of what he has done or what he could do. In other games he rifled the ball out and hit his target spot on! But this is what I found doing a quick search...
"looking out" has a double-entendre... first... it could mean watching out for the best interest of student-athletes. Or... second... they are stalking (and possibly preying) on student-athletes to command control so they can gain the biggest benefit.
I'm comfortable in saying "looking out" fits the second definition more than the first!
This is where I have my hopes for this team.... and it would be a master move to bring it on now!
It's the team that is hottest at the end that wins it all. Usually a team will pull some kind of major tweak that transforms their play about now... with time (and games) left enough to polish the tweak and pick up all that momentum.
We can be the team with all momentum in March! I've felt we are a team that has been shackled for too long. The guys are restless... they are hungry for success... they want to prove themselves... and they are one big tweak away from running the table!
What team in this country can stop Wiggins or Selden in the open court? What team in this country can stop Embiid's bullet outlet pass?
What team in this country can score on this Jayhawk team that is fired up (hearts pounding)?
Tharpe can make it happen. He has the ear of his troops... he can push it himself and he can push the guys to move it. He has built enough leadership with this team to get it done!
I'd like to see them move it against Texas. Use Ridley's size against him by making him a paperweight stuck on one side of the floor!
Yeehaw! Time to rope a Longhorn!!!
Rock Chalk!
We are missing that dominant outlet pass NOW! We have one of the best outlet passers the game has ever had in Embiid... we just weren't using him for that!
And Self knows... he can't count on freshmen to execute in March. If he put all his eggs in an open court game and then the freshmen freak out when facing a 35-second Princeton offense... we die! (if we cave in to not pushing tempo)
Taking that same argument... that freshmen can't be counted on to execute.... they can't be counted on to execute a half court game all the time either. It is the half court game that requires the largest amount of execution. I'm betting these kids, for the most part, would execute a faster tempo game better than a slow tempo game in March. We'll find out soon enough! You can bet your last dollar that teams will come out and drop the pace just like TT did.... not take a shot until 2 or 3 seconds are left on the shot clock, and not a lot of movement in their possession. Tubby is not a dummy. He knew that slowing us down for 35 seconds makes it hard for us to speed back up on our offensive possession. He was exactly CORRECT!
What people have to realize is... Tubby hoped his boys would score with 2 or 3 seconds left on the shot clock, but it wasn't a big deal if they didn't. His main objective was to deflate the game and take KU out of it's high-velocity game! He was successful with his strategy... he was just unlucky in the final seconds. The fact that they lost by 1 says enough. We should have smoked them by 20+! No one knows that more than Tubby!
Well... we've had 26 games of half court basketball... I think it is time we can open it up a bit!
If I'm not mistaken, probably 99% of our TOs have occurred in the half court, not the open court!
Good points! I'm not sure we have to finish every open court possession with a score. But we need the up-tempo to keep our guys' chests pumping with plenty of oxygen. They need the run to keep their minds at full speed...
If they push it more they will surely finish some of those open court possessions at the rim.... and it is easier to handle the ball in the open court with open space, then to drive the ball in the half court, through close defenders who are reaching for the ball.
I just think their potential weakness is to lose the grinder games. I'm thinking most of our losses were like that... low scoring affairs... Villanova, Florida, SDSU.
My guess is, first... he tries to teach fundamentals, and fundamentals are best taught in the half court. He may have had the right approach up until now. So the guys can play good ball in a slow game... "a grinder game" as Self likes to call them.
And it isn't like we haven't enjoyed some good results at a slower pace. Our offense has been ranked pretty high. It is mostly our defense that lacks the punch of previous teams. And in some situations, logic says to slow it down to be more effective on defense. But not with this team. They start falling asleep....
I'm not saying we need to become a run and gun team. We just need to up the tempo and tweak until we hit the sweet spot. Whatever that tempo is.
It will work because our guys seem to start falling asleep in these slow games. I'm pretty sure there is plenty of motivation for these guys to play a faster game. I'm pretty sure they haven't enjoyed all the criticism leveled on them in areas of motivation, competitiveness... etc. Maybe they even have a bit of a chip on their shoulders... (i hope).
We need to play at a pace where we are pulling away on the scoreboard, and our guys have plenty of spark in their steps! ...and look like they are having a good time out there!
There are software choices you have... that specifically deal with this. A time lag you can set to match the game. I haven't tried it but several Jayhawk fans have told me about it. If you find something that works, please post your results on here so others can do the same.
BTW: I'm betting the software is freeware...
Gheez... can a football player eat too much pasta? Their metabolism pretty much run at such a pace that their bodies use up the fuel of the pasta going in simultaneously with each bite. These guys could continue to eat pasta indefinitely... especially if they are sitting on toilets at the table!
Wow... lengthy post! At first I thought you must have had one too many espressos... then I caught the copy/paste.
That writer doesn't follow Shocker basketball. He has exactly the knowledge that Shockers are hoping everyone else has... that they will buckle under pressure and they won't have that underdog hunger any longer.
If you follow the Shockers you realize they have more of a chip on their shoulders this year than last year. They understand my concept of playing with a chip... something that few understand in Lawrence.
The Shocks haven't been focusing on their SI covers or undefeated season. The Shocks focus on all the doubters... and there are plenty... still... and they want to prove them wrong. Players tend to take on their coach's tendencies, and Marshall is the kind of guy who would cut through a crowd of clapping supporters to the one guy who wasn't and ask him, "why?"
I've read all the complete bullsnit from national media on the Shocks (all year) and everything they say pretty much feeds into pissing them off. They are like a powder keg ready to explode!
I understand why so many people dislike Marshall, especially when not Shocker fans. But the guy knows how to get his guys jacked. And for true fans of the game (me) I like to see players pumped up on the court! That's what made me set my DVR for Shocker games this year!
We can easily push tempo on offense... and we can pressure d up top to try to force our opponents to up their tempo on their offensive possessions. Full and 3/4 court presses also help push tempo.
If you caught WSU last night, they like to push tempo. Players like Baker and vanVleet would get a defensive rebound and would just take off on the dribble all the way to the hole. And they would finish at the hole, almost always getting fouled... often making the basket, too, and get the and-1.
I've been under the assumption all year that we have guys just a tad bit more athletic than those guys (I'm not knocking either guy, they play great hoops).
But the idea that we can only break off a TO is just plain flat out wrong! A fast break opportunity is there even if there is one or two defenders waiting in the paint. Those guys are typically your allies because they are going to foul you to make sure you score!
We can't absolutely make teams speed up on their offense... but it is a rare team that doesn't buckle eventually to the pressures of pace. Especially when they are falling behind on the scoreboard... and when our defense has intensity it is natural for the other team to start picking it up. If we had a faster tempo, and a higher defensive tempo, we would create more TOs with our defense. Just one more factor helping push another team to pick up the pace. Suddenly, we have resolved our crazy low TO stat! It's been our defensive pace that has kept that low, not our ability! We've got lightning fast defenders with arms long enough to reach France from Lawrence. And with the quicker defensive pace comes better overall defense.
The thing is... when you get our super-athletic McDs All-American players moving at a good pace, they tend to dominate! No more slow motion basketball where we are all screaming that they lack motivation, competitiveness, esteem, ability... All that can go in the crap can once these guys start moving the ball.
The one problem with Self's offense... with his theory of ball movement, and not letting the ball stick. It definitely works, no question. But it also enables players to stand in one position and let the ball do the work. It ends up acting as an enabler for a "laid back" team (like ours).
How many times on here have we all complained that these guys just play too laid back?
This is the only way to really utilize our depth. We can run so many guys on rotation and keep the game fresh. We'll exhaust our opponents and we will kill their ability to nail all those 3s. It's very difficult to shoot a high % from trey when you are exhausted. We have a horrible defense against the 3, something that will surely beat us in March if we don't resolve it now.
I'd like to test my theory on this because I don't want to believe, deep down, that these guys lack competitiveness or motivation. I just don't want to believe it. They do have a team personality of being laid back. Speeding up the game for them will solve that issue. I have no doubt about it.
All our guys would love to open up the pace and start having a game that flows. These guys would really smile and be happy. Enough of the stiff, grinding pace. It's really enough now.
This would be our #1 recruiting tool, too!
I'm a big fan of Wooden, too.
He was all about prep.
He started every year by showing players how to put their shoes and socks on. Players would laugh and think it was stupid. But the lessons continued... and intensified... until they weren't laughing any longer. Wooden was the master of preparation and detail. He then shifted accountability to the players, where it should be.
He was once asked why he spent time showing them how to put their shoes and socks on and he said, "I just wanted to be complete. To teach every aspect I knew that could help my players become their best. And surprisingly, many didn't know the right way to put on their socks and shoes!"
I'm sure he had it down to a science. And he never had a player trip on a shoelace.
I agree... we often run into problems in February. There is a reason for that. We typically have plenty of talented, experienced players that have come close to reaching their playing ceilings. We usually play well early in the year, and we make some gains over Christmas break. But sometime in February, our opponents often catch up to us in execution. At this time we are usually facing teams for the second time. They have us scouted and they put lots of energy into a game plan to beat us. Their energy can be directed just on us.
But this year, we have such a young team.... very far away from reaching their ceiling. So we should be making big improvements all through the season. We shouldn't be dipping in February... we should be improving all year.
Here are a couple of good links on what I'm talking about... zen...
The Russians did a study several decades ago on this. It is called "creative visualization."
This is what Ellis and Tharpe need to do!
And here is an over-simplified description on how to do it:
"Perry's struggles last night were a real head scratcher. This should have been a game he dominated. Tech didn't have the bruising front line that gives Ellis problems sometimes. And against zones...well Self made the comparison to Julian Wright after the TCU game. How when opposing teams went zone Julian's eyes would get real big and he could really dominate, and how Perry had a lot of that in his game. Granted Tech did a great job switching from M2M, to one zone to another. Also, the only thing I can attribute it to is foul trouble. It's not the first time I've posted how Perry gets completely out of rhythm and is a non-factor in a game he has foul trouble."
I think you put it all into perspective in this one paragraph (concerning Perry's play). You answered your own question... your own head scratch.
Perry seems to be a player who flows in and out of harmony. It's his rhythm (or lack there of).
When he gets going out of the blocks early, he seems to feel the rhythm, and he relaxes more and lets his body play the game on instincts. He looks much faster because there is no pause in his game. He is very explosive because he makes his moves the very split second he receives the ball.
When Perry is out of rhythm he makes it a head game. When that happens all of his motions are on hold until decisions are made in his head. Then he looks slow and lethargic. He then has other issues that start piling on. It is all a head game at this point and he's been self-conditioned to realize that the game isn't going well for him. He instantly loses confidence, and it just piles on top as another complication for his brain to deal with on the court.
This is just my opinion... but I'd bet the farm on it as being the reason why one game he is on and the next he if completely off.
I doubt there is much anyone can do for him to help him... he has to come to the realization of what is going on in his head and body and he has to learn to make proactive adjustments to prevent staying off rhythm.
When Perry gets off rhythm, and his brain starts to short circuit his actions, he needs to override that relay by hard-wiring around his brain. Cut his brain off from participation. Both him and Tharpe need to practice zen. They both need a zen moment in the locker room before each game where they go to the same place (in their minds) and they find wholeness. And from that place they can install the game plans. Perfect execution, total confidence... all visualized before they hit the floor. Their rhythm is in place, and they go out and start every game on the right foot.
Notice how many times Tharpe starts games with a TO. Uh.... wasn't it Tharpe who made the TO on our first possession last night?
If Tharpe and Ellis would come through the tunnel in the right state of mind, we won't lose another game this year! Yes... we will run the table, including March Madness!
Andrew said this was his first game-winner... ever! I hope it sticks in his head and becomes a permanent source of stimulation for him in future games. The stakes are rising and so is the pressure. He should take advantage of every positive to draw energy from... and self confidence!
In the middle of the first half of this game it appeared Kansas was going to give TTech their typical beat down. The Jayhawks were up by 10 and making it look way, way, way too easy!
Then something changed. Then the war over who owned the pace shifted over to TTech's advantage! They didn't really change their game as much as just kept trying to slow the pace of the game down... to a snail's pace. This entire game they probably didn't shoot the ball with more than 10 second on the shot clock more than a handful of times. We knew they would attempt this before we arrived in Lubbock. It has been their strategy all year, and it has helped them lead the B12 in holding down opponents to 68.5 ppg. Their strategy definitely worked against the high-powered Kansas offense, holding us to 64 points.
But for a while there, in the first half, Kansas was winning the pace battle and they were getting out on primary and secondary breaks. Even though this team could easily become the best open court team in America, it seems to refuse to push the pace, even turning away from a faster pace when it is working and stretching a lead.
For those of you who have the game on DVR, go back and watch our first possession of the game. We had an open court opportunity and we pulled it out instead to run our half court offense, only to turn the ball over. When I saw that first play, I immediately had a feeling we were in for a long night in Lubbock.
In the early part of this season, we were exposed by teams like Villanova, who proved they could use high ball pressure and disrupt our offense. For the most part, we resolved that issue. And then teams started attacking our bigs, trying to win the foul war. We haven't resolved this issue but we've reduced it as a problem. Now... as we move forward to March, teams are realizing that the way to beat Kansas is to control the pace, and to bring it to a dead still. This is, by far, the main problem we must solve moving forward.
When our opponents take the air out of the ball they, essentially, take the air out of our team. We have one of the best offenses in the country... definitely in the open court, but also good in the half court. Until.... until our guys slow down. When the pace of the game drops our guys slow down and they stop fighting for effective offense. When they do that players like Tharpe get anxious. When players like Tharpe get anxious, we turn the ball over. And... we settle for bad shots. At one point in the second half, Tharpe turned the ball over on consecutive plays.
When we push the tempo, we create scoring opportunities in the open court... both on primary breaks and on secondary breaks. We score points in clusters... and we can quickly explode a lead. In doing so, we put pressure on our opponents to speed up their game. When we get them to speed up their game they miss more shots and they turn the ball over more. Another benefit... when we push pace it makes it hard for our opposition to tweak their half court defense to give us fits. Once the game slowed down, TTech was able to run shifting defenses that made it even tougher for us to attack. Many times they would shift from a zone to M2M in the middle of our possession.
When we control pace on a team like TTech, who is by far less talented, we run them out of the gym, regardless if it is in Lawrence or Lubbock. We should have cruised to an easy win in Lubbock last night. All we had to do was maintain control of the pace.
The person in charge of controlling the pace and controlling the game is Naadir Tharpe. He should have seen (and felt) the shift happening in that game and then he should have put up a fight to push the tempo. He should have been vocal with his teammates, to keep up the pace and high energy. Good point guards fight to keep momentum going in their direction.
Tharpe isn't the only guilty person in letting the pace battle slip away. Controlling pace is a team effort. But Tharpe is the leader of this team and controlling pace is one of his responsibilities. So now he must be held accountable. It would be nice if his teammates would make it easier on him by noticing and reacting to shifts in the game without having to be pushed so hard to pick it up. Tharpe is also responsible for making sure these guys react, and when a player or players don't, he should call them out on it! Perry Ellis didn't seem to respond to much of anything last night. He wasn't into the game and it might have helped if Tharpe had gone up and tapped him on the head to "wake up!"
I hope the guys go back to Lawrence and visit the video room. This is an excellent game to learn from. This game clearly showed how owning the pace meant owning the game!
We were extremely fortunate to leave Lubbock with a win. If we don't take the lesson that was clearly exposed in this game then the net outcome from Lubbock is a loss! If we don't learn the lesson we would have been better off if Wiggins had missed the bunny in the closing seconds!
@jaybate 1.0
Ground and pound, JB! You laid it down... especially with the comment about how most of the team went on break because Joel was back. As I said a few days ago, we should have left him out of this game, too. Make the rest of the guys fight for this win.
The season is too short... not enough games to teach these kids lessons.
There was only one question to answer when deciding who receives the FLOOR BURN AWARD this time: Is it Andrew Wiggins alone, or should he share it with Joel Embiid?
Joel is coming off a holiday retreat with lots of therapy and spa treatments. The rest did him good and he responded with 18 points, 8 rebounds (3 offensive) and a block. He made a definite impact on the game and he deserves to be recognized.
However... Andrew Wiggins owned this game! He went for 19 points, 6 rebounds (3 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. In a game where Kansas veered off their game, Andrew kept them alive by putting himself in the middle of almost every play, including going down on the court to fight for 50/50s. He played 35 minutes, but still had the energy to turn a loose ball into a game-winning basket! He was easily the best player in this game (on both sides of the ball). He took over a dysfunctional offense and forced his will on Texas Tech and it was the difference in Kansas being up 2 games instead of 1 on Texas.
There were plenty of lessons to be learned from this game. Lessons mostly for Naadir Tharpe. I hope he realizes why we won by 1 point instead of 20... because we should have won by 20.
Conference Season Tally:
Wayne Selden 5
Andrew Wiggins 4
Joel Embiid 3
Perry Ellis 3
Naadir Tharpe 3
Tarik Black 3
Frank Mason 2
Brannen Greene 1
Landen Lucas 1
Conner Frankamp 1
Jamari Traylor 1
Andrew White III 1
Justin Wesley 1
Evan Manning 1
Niko Roberts 1
Christian Garrett 1
"Syracuse excellence in zoneD: Dedication & practice."
And very specific recruiting. Boeheim goes after very specific players to fill each position. He may not be the very best recruiter in the game, but he knows what he wants and every player he goes after is specific to a role in that defense. As far as meeting those goals... I'd put him in the top 5 of top recruiters.
I have a hard time believing he would leave KU as long as we have the B12 conference consecutive championships going on. More than any other accomplishment, that is his to own and is what separates him far more than winning a national championship. It is his conference work along with his winning % that will shine out most in his legacy.
How could he leave while his record of consecutive conference championships is still in progress? It is his legacy as much as the university's.
Question is... how long can he keep this streak alive? From the direction we are going, it is hard to see us drop one in the immediate future!
Rock Chalk, Coach Self!
Man..... that is a whole-lotta butta fer one slice of toast!
So since they won't make the investment, I guess the basketball team can start turning the revenue they bring towards the private sector.
Great leadership... huh...
Kansas basketball is THE #1 connection out of state people have to our state. It has only improved under Self. So we fall behind Kentucky I guess...
I've never disliked UK.... only Calipari. I've always been envious of how well the State of Kentucky nurtures Wildcat basketball. If you want to know why Kentucky is at the top of everyone's list for blue blood basketball schools you will quickly understand why by visiting the State and absorbing what is the Big Blue Nation! Wildcat basketball pays back more than it takes... by a landslide!
Jayhawk basketball pays back far more than it takes, too... but our State doesn't share in the level of support like they do in Kentucky.
You don't solve State financial problems by refusing to fund areas that pay back exponential returns. I guess this is how our State got to the shape it is in. Kansas basketball pays back not only in positive State PR... but also in revenue!
I'm happy to support our State building better facilities for the KSU football team! They don't quite have the pay back ratio our Jayhawks have, but they reflect well on our State! This isn't about favoritism towards one school... it is about common sense!
Kentucky is far out advanced on us and everyone else. Here is their next development project:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/rupp-arena-university-kentucky-wildcats-stadium/ ↗
Kentucky doesn't have near the State revenue potential Kansas has... but they don't let that stop them from keeping UK at the top of the basketball world!
Right on... wissox! I've caught plenty of Badgerball this year! Glad they've played so well and beat so many quality teams! I have a friend who is a huge fan of Badgerball and I'm happy for him, too. I recall some very unsatisfied seasons for him and Wisconsin is a good basketball state! Maybe the best sports state in the country! Fans for all sports!
That's it! We'll guarantee his jersey is retired in the rafters of AFH!
So how about it, Oak? Your name immortalized and right beside Danny Manning's.... You will have a heavenly award awaiting you... eternity with the forefathers of basketball... you will be able to keep them laughing with comical lists!
Those are my feelings exactly.
Sure CS wouldn't stay in the B12. Most of his legacy in coaching will be from KU, and I don't see him turning around and thumping us... regardless of the money. However.. if Pickens comes a knockin'... who is to say his offer won't be used as a bargaining chip? Even though... I think CS would like to bargain next against a big accomplishment at Kansas, like another NC, or maybe 10 consecutive B12 conference championships (or both)... He'd like to be rewarded for his accomplishments more than just a counter bid from a higher bidder.
I've always been impressed with Oak's ability to sky above the competition! Imagine a back court with Oak at point and Jaybate at the 2? The pair would become a natural, and would be excellent at feeding Ralster on the wing, or global in the post!
Coach HEM would have these guys playing all the way through March... bringing home the hardware to Lawrence once again!
@jaybate 1.0
"If they insist on having a dunk contest, then continually raise the basket until only one person left can dunk."
Now your talking!
I'll get excited when a player learns to run up to the goal and do a front flip in the air and stuff the ball with his feet! Now that is special and deserves some kind of trophy!
Dunks are only magical in games... when it counts. Like when there is a defender involved!
Hard to beat the professor of dunk... Dr. J! His under-the-goal-and-come-out-the-other-side-and-finger-roll beats anything I watched the other night! ...and it wasn't even a dunk!
There was the one dunk from Jordan when he took off before the free throw line and seemed to float in the air... that was pretty special. I watched some kind of techie show where they studied his dunk and showed calculations proving he didn't float. It must be a special dunk if techies get involved!
"... did you read the link I posted on the OAD or sleeping giant? It was from the hutch news on Wiggins."
I did just now.
It's amazing how people see things differently. In some ways I agree with the writer... that we don't run enough plays specifically to help him. But he shouldn't need much help with his athleticism. He should be able to create on his own. He should be able to run through the pack of post players (making his own screen) and come out the other side ready to score.
Andrew is largely untethered. Heck... he can even go against the coaching and jump over and guard someone who isn't his assignment. You can't get too much more "untethered" than that!
I say all this... but I've been guilty myself of falling into the crowd and experiencing Andrew's motions as effortless, when in fact, they are not effortless.
What I don't question is that Andrew is in excellent condition... condition that 99.9999% of the world will never come close to. Yet... on ball stops he is most-likely the one panting out of breath, or holding up his slim frame by his knees. He is putting out effort... plenty of it!
I think what we really care about is results. And early on in this season Andrew wasn't getting near the results he is starting to get now. His defense is tightening down, he is getting a few TOs or causing disruptions in oppositions' offense. He is snagging some rebounds.
He will continue to improve.. to make his game more proficient for the energy he exerts.
I'd like to see us try to open up the court more and get him the ball. That should be our goal, and by doing so we would definitely be showcasing his talents.
We should not build an offense around Andrew. I like how the writer made the comparison to Durant. Well... Durant averaged 25.8 ppg and 11.1 rpg on a Texas team that couldn't even win the B12 and finished at 25-10, became a fourth seed in March and lost in the second round. Not exactly up to KU standards! We'll keep to the team ball concept!
I agree with that writer in his comments at the end.... imagine being the NBA team that repeats the blunder of picking Bowie over Jordan! What I don't understand is how sports media builds news by creating it themselves. Who cares what some non-player thinks will be the #1 pick in the draft. None of that is relevant or news. None of it is a factual prediction. Yet sports media gives it credence.
Wiggins will be drafted near the top. There are many factors involved, like what kind of hole a team is trying to fill. A Bowie could go before him... whatever!
I'm on board with that, too!
I liked BMac's dunk for the crown... but have to admit Wall brought the winner.
I'd like to see us repeat some of the attributes we possessed in the TCU game against Tech tonight. We should push tempo! The secondary break will be there, and we could push for some primary break opportunities as Tech tries to score at the rim and send several players for the offensive rebounds.
We need a strong performance from Embiid... and when he snags defensive rebounds he needs to look quickly for an aggressive outlet pass to push the break.
Perry should stay playing aggressive, too. Not only on scoring, but defending and rebounding, too.
This should be a game where we push for scoring in the paint, and to win the foul war in the post.
Our post guys could get into foul trouble if they don't play smart.
For those who have never seen Oakville's game, here are some videos...
Wichita State started recruiting him at age 2 1/2, so we have some catching up to do. They even brought him to Wichita for one of his official recruiting visits:
Here is a current highlight reel of Oakville:
BTW: Please bring the rest of your team with you!
We need OK Oakville's spectacular basketball leadership because the entire game of basketball (all over the world) is in decline.
Kansas Buckets is now recruiting an All-American 7'6" point guard from Oakville, MO (a suburb of St. Louis) by the name of OK Oakville.
The recruitment process has begun with a simple list asking the question "why?"
WHY OAKVILLE SHOULD BRING HIS GAME TO KUBUCKETS:
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Just read this list... we can't match his wit, even as a group!
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Because so many of us are so lacking in guidance.... we couldn't find our way out of a four-door outhouse!
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Because his message has the power of Boobs! "It can make a 6-month old baby and an old man act the same way."
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To loosen up some of us keeerusty old board rats, that's why. Sometimes these comments are tightern' a rusty lug nut on an old Ford pickup.
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Cause for cryin' out loud, a PG that's tall enough to c**p in the back of a pick up truck? Even Smart will flop over & bare his throat!
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Come on... our floor is oak, our furniture is oak... what more can we do to show our support!