Joe... I agree it is a stretch... a huge stretch. I'm just trying to think of a way where we can bring on these recruits without sending someone packing.
On the other hand... if we book that much talent, we will suffer the consequences of over-recruiting, and too much of that talent will sit on the pine more than they should.
Before we saw any play this year I was the guy defending Conner. I watched him dominate HS ball and he was a scrappy player. I thought he'd find a scrappy way to make his game work in D1. I'm still hopeful he'll figure it out. But from actually watching him go head-to-head, I've come to believe a RS will help him translate his game to D1 without losing a year while making it happen.
The concept of him flipping to a year of walk-on status isn't meant as a slam on his ability,but more about him (and his family) stepping up another level to help the team. This is not the first time this has happened in college sports.
Can CS call Larry and ask him for a favor and get Iverson to speak to our Jayhawk team?
And while he's at it, maybe he can ask Allen to mention his financial issues at the next level.
Two birds with one stone.
I think Conner is the odd one left out.
I've already mentioned him as the player most likely to RS. It's hard to judge his potential from just watching him last night... but I also attended the Saturday scrimmage and watched Late Night.
We all know he is playing at a size disadvantage. He isn't able to compensate enough with athletic ability. A RS could help him out there, by giving him the opportunity to bulk up to D1 standards while practicing for a year in D1 scrimmages.
If Conner is not able to hold his own on the defensive end, he has to be able to over-compensate on the offensive side of the ball. That means he has to be shooting (and making) a decent quantity of 3s as compensation. Conner can get his shot off fairly quick, but at the D1 level he still needs a decent amount of spacing to be a constant threat at shooting and making 3s. I hope, for his sake, he was just like all the other freshmen last night and showing his nerves.... but he did get scored on by a D2 player he was glued to, and he showed signs of struggle getting up his shot and even pushing the ball forward on his dribble. All of those signs tell me he should be considering a RS.
With the recent news about potential recruits coming our way, I am starting to wonder if he'll remain a scholarship player after this year. From what I know about Conner is he's a big-time KU fan and wants to stay in Lawrence. And if he's having issues translating his game to D1 at Kansas, he'll have those same issues if he transfers to another D1 program. If this is the case, he'd perhaps consider moving to D2 to earn a starting position and be extremely effective, similar to how he was in HS.
BTW: this post is all speculation!
Maybe Conner could workout a friendly deal with CS to shift his status to walk-on next year, but will be rewarded with decent PT whenever he can be used. That doesn't mean he'd always be a walk-on. He'd always have an opportunity to earn a scholarship in future years, or be rewarded one if we don't use it on a recruit (similar to Wesley).
Greene looks to have a better chance of being our 3-pt bomber... and not just because he nailed a few last night. His size makes it easier for him to get off his shot so he needs less spacing. And his size helps him on the defensive end, meaning he can contribute more on both sides of the court and will be a balanced contribution, whereas Conner needs to have an over-compensation on offense to makeup for defense, and I don't think he's got the spacing to do it.
Again... I'm a big Conner fan and I applauded his recruitment and coming to Kansas. I hope I'm wrong and he figures it out and becomes a dead-eye offensive weapon we can unleash (at will) on opposition! But as of today, I'm seeing less of that potential and more potential on Greene.
White will be in the rotation this year.
These are just ideas... don't flame me on this. I'm hoping to see a different Conner soon (like many of you want to see)!
So should we be hoping Embiid shows more potential as an OAD this Tuesday?
My notes from the game:
We may run into some foul trouble in the post this year. Black and Embiid seem to be candidates for creating lots of fouls, especially with the new rules in place.
Lucas seems like he'll be able to give good backup minutes, and will surely have to step in sometimes this season at the 5.
Traylor looks like he has more confidence and will have more to offer this year, especially on offense.
Perry is going to have a great year!
Tharpe may not be the flashiest PG we've had recently, but he will be the most-consistent and does a great job of protecting the rock.
Greene needs some PT... somewhere... somehow. He's the real deal, but will have to learn to play better d and work harder on the offensive side to generate more for himself and the team.
Conner looks more and more like a RS.
AW3 will earn lots of PT this year and all the hard work pays off (from the summer).
Selden looked tight as drum and we didn't see the real Wayne-John Wayne last night.
That other guy... what's his name... Wiggins.... he played through big time pressure and started to loosen up as the game progressed. We still haven't seen what he can do, but he still managed to knock down 16.
As of last night, Embiid looks more like a TAD instead of a OAD. His defense reminded me of the early days of Withey... all that height but trailing the ball too far behind to get the block. His timing will improve. We just don't know how fast he'll learn the game... maybe he steps it up and becomes an OAD.
With the rule changes we need to have better penetration.
"It's just one game, but we will miss our floor general."
It's one game, but he'll also not start in our next exhibition game in order to help support Frank for the season opener.
That's not good news looking ahead to our Nov 12 game with Duke.
Tharpe represents a big chunk of our stability on the floor this early and we need him every game to help keep us moving in the right direction.
Both twins look like they are in for a long NBA career. That's great news. They continued to work hard after leaving KU and deserve earning a big paycheck for many years to come!
Wow, globaljb... that brings up lots of fond memories I have from my childhood when the majority of basketball was enjoyed off of radio. I haven't gone that route for quite some time but wonder if the quality of MCs can match that of the past. It used to be so much fun imagining the game off their words. Typically, you'd get the crowd reaction ahead of the game calling, so you'd know when something good or bad happened just ahead of the description. The anticipation would help build the adrenaline throughout the entire game.
I'm tempted to record the radio, and then play it in the background of my office sometime. Not sure I'll get any work done, but it would certainly help pass a slow day!
"Asked to identify the single-most important thing he has learned heading into his KU basketball debut — today’s 7 p.m. opener against Pittsburg State — the soft-spoken Canadian said simply: “Always running the floor. Always running the floor.”"
He should add a bit to that mantra: "Always running the floor and focusing on how I get involved in every play."
What I took from seeing him live at the Saturday scrimmage was how much energy he wasted without contributing something. He'll figure it out... and when he does, all of college basketball will feel it!
Rock Chalk!
Awesome posts! I picked up several things from everyone in here.
We'll all have answers soon on this one.
I had an odd thought...
We know we may be running into a scholarship limit issue if we land several of these top recruits. Could it be that one of our current scholarship players decides to "pull one for the team" and give up his scholarship and pay his way next year? We had that situation with Wesley thanks to Langford.
Here's a basic look at the 3-2 hi-lo similar to what Self runs. I think CS has created several variations off this set.
There are several things you could add to the list... like the dribble-drive offense which gained notice because of Calipari... I guess you meant the same thing mentioning "motion offense."
That's a pretty big request. I'm not sure anyone will feel like they can condense it down well enough to inform you properly or feel qualified. I know I don't think I could explain it well enough to teach on a blog... or maybe even in person!
The better solution would be if we find one book modern enough to cover what is going on today. You really want to find something written in the past few years because of all the nuances bringing change to the game. You wouldn't think the game changes that much, but you'd be surprised and it would be a great find for all of us in here. I would like to read up on some junk defenses and even some of the zone defensive twists added at Syracuse.
I always like to see new plays... there seems to be unlimited variations on high ball screens, in-bounds plays, and defensive pinches. Remember Withey coming on top and pinching guards last year?
I would look for something specific to college basketball because the rules differ in the pros making the games very different.
Hey... I did find this website:
http://www.coachesclipboard.net/DribbleDriveMotionOffense.html ↗
Thanks, Lulu!
FarSideHawk, I think you nailed it by saying it's a battle now for positions 6 through 9. I just don't see how we stop at 9. I'd hate to see Greene be 10 and basically sit out a year. If that will be the case, I hope Self works it out over the next couple weeks so he can redshirt. It is a real disservice to let a player of his skill level rot on the bench for a year while losing eligibility. That's a good way to lose a player to transfer, and I definitely see the potential in Greene down the road and would hate to lose him.
I hope we tailor (out of habit I almost wrote Taylor) minutes based on how players performed recently, like in practice. You want to keep them all on their toes and all fighting for a spot right through March.
This team can't afford to be complacent. There are too many rough edges to work out and realistically we won't be able to polish everything this year. The key for this team winning in March is to have them bringing the intensity to every practice as well as every game.
BTW: I can see Frankamp or Greene redshirting.
I beg you, Cliff.... no hats, please!
HEM, you always bring game. Excellent post!
You really threw a curve ball. Who would have thought to compare Black with Young? But that comparison should be made because both are post players. I do believe there is a difference though between a 4 and a 5. Under Self, for the most part I expect our 5s to never stray far from the basket. They represent the rottweiler guarding the yard; the largest animal you can find to own space and guard the property. As such, you want to leash the beast near what he's guarding. I don't ever expect Black to play far from the basket. Sometimes Young showed he shouldn't have been out of the yard, too, even though he was a 4, someone you want to prowl around the perimeter.
Thanks so much for bringing some stats into this. I had no idea of Black's numbers.
On one hand, those numbers depress me and question what Black will bring to this Jayhawk team. But on further thought, I've come to another conclusion. Black's numbers express something else to me; that he wasn't ever brought into the real team mix at Memphis. And that was a problem that bothered Black enough to become excited to transfer over to Kansas. And notice what player speaks the most about team play? What player will do anything he can to help this team, including offering himself up in a leadership role?
I feel like Self found a rottweiler that had been abused. He was underfed and ignored at his old residence. He's a hungry dog, and he wants to prove himself in his new yard.
Those stats tell me that Pastner looked at Black like a lost cause. Black didn't represent opportunity to help his team. When he received the ball in the low post it was never considered that he could have the ability to pass out of the post for an assist on the 3-pt line, so no plays were drawn up or practiced. Black was instructed to finish in the post, regardless of what the situation was. And they didn't seem to want to feed it to him in the post in the first place. Black was abandoned by the concept of a team philosophy. Even a rottweiler needs some love.
Black is doubtful of becoming a lottery pick next summer. But that isn't to say he doesn't have value to this team. Self praises what he brings to this team and how much of a steal he was in landing him. Self isn't Calipari selling old Dodges. You can hold Self to his praises. I look at Black and I see another Darnell Jackson. He, like Darnell, is happy to let the attention go to the other side of the post... in this case, Perry Ellis instead of Darrell Arthur. Tar, like Darnell, is just happy to be on this team. Both players would sacrifice any part of their bodies for the common good of the team. Both players are happy to grind it out in the shadows of other players who have earned the spotlight. You have to have these players if you want to have quality depth and a team concept. You have to have these players if you want to make a real run at a National Championship. I don't think we would have won in '08 without Jackson. I don't think we'll win in '13 without Black.
With Black we have a player where we have nothing to lose and everything to win. If he doesn't turn it around, he already had a track record proving what he was before landing in Lawrence. If he does turn it around, he will be a great recruiting story for future bigs considering Kansas.
I'm in the category of those believing he will win! And in doing so, he will help Kansas basketball win! He was given this opportunity from an angel who was looking after him, and he's not going to disappoint his guardian angel or the fans, team and coaches who have opened their arms to accept him.
Approx... that link... pure Cal selling old Dodges. He's busy recruiting in that tape, going on 'n on about how many scouts have been hanging around his practices... blah blah blah... And how great his team was 2 years ago... meanwhile the graphic kept popping up showing their disastrous year last year and their 1st round elimination to Robert Morris. It looked more like a SNL skit than a real interview.
I heard a rumor that Mack Brown and Rick Barnes will trade jobs next year to see if it will help lift Texas out of their funk.
DanR.... good points.
Tharpe did hit a clutch game winner last year. He wants the rock at the end of the clock, and that's a good trait for our team leader.
Defense... It's great when your PG puts out tough d... but if they don't, they at least have to follow some rules to limit the damage. Sometimes they can counter their poor defense by getting out on the break at the other end and earning a quick layup because the other team's PG penetrates deep and no one picks up the slack on the other end. Another minimum requirement is a PG has to switch off when he's blown by. With any luck someone in the post has help to offer, but good PGs also look to feed off a drive. In the least, Tharpe can minimalize poor defense by learning some of these others abilities. I know Tharpe is capable of playing respectable defense. He did step up in a few instances last year. We just need him to hustle on d all game this year. I will trade off some d for a guy who can really run the show right on offense, but the ultimate deal would be to see him put the same energy on d as on o. We all know how Self preaches defense, so I'm sure he'll expect decent d from Tharpe this year. There were a few games last year when Tharpe was totally lost on d!
I'd also like to see Tharpe go coast-to-coast, and that would help fulfill some of his responsibility to create offense... when it's there. He has the wheels, the question is whether or not he sees the entire court and the potential, and does he have the confidence? He better have both, or he'll be watching Mason run the show!
Oh man... I'm just thinking about "Roy ball" and how his ball works with the new rules. My guess is the game will be slowed down so much his guys won't be able to keep the momentum up to push the ball. But if they are able to push it, they shouldn't settle for anything less than a dunk! Between the mini circle directly under the basket and the new rules giving the advantage to the driver, it seems that open court basketball could be a splash hit, if teams are able to force pace off so many dead balls due to fouls.
Couldn't have said it better, HEM!
I am giddy about both our PGs... Tharpe and Mason. And I'm holding out a bit of space for Frankamp to become a specialist used to pull defenses out. Conner will have to lift his d considerable to earn real time, and he doesn't have the athleticism to penetrate, but he does have the #1 gun in the country at 3. He'll have to realize that he's not helping our team if he isn't shooting the 3... so he pretty much has to bomb a 3 at least 1 per minute while on the court, otherwise, we are making too many tradeoffs for what he gives up on d.
The minimum we should expect out of a PG is:
Protect the ball. That means being able to dribble or pass out of a double-team.
Lead the team. Lead first by being the go-between from Self to the rest of the players. Communication is king.. between the bench and team and also within the team on the court.
Controlling tempo. Finding the speed on offense that gives us the best advantage over the team we are playing. Good PGs feel tempo. This is something very hard to teach. This should come with experience, bball IQ and instincts.
Create offense. A PG has to be able to create offense, and should be able to create to the situation of what a defense gives. That may mean penetrating in one game, feeding assists in another, being patient until the zones collapse late in the shot clock... whatever it takes.
Keep the cool. If your PG freaks out, you can furgitaboutit.
Since PGs play way out on top, height becomes less of a factor. Because height is marginalized (usually), it is typical to want a X-axis type player... meaning... a player who has strength going laterally. Speed, timing, lateral dexterity, dribbling skills..
If you look at the PG position like this... you will quickly realize what we gave up last year by having a 2 play the 1.
Magic Johnson did a real disservice to the game of basketball. Yes, he was a great PG. He was an enigma at that position. He took it to a new level; a different level. But once he proved his weight in gold, GMs started applying their golden rule ("bigger is always better") to the PG position. College programs quickly accepted this rule, too. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with height at PG, but you never trade the skills required at that position just for a few inches of height.
If Tharpe and Mason hold their own this year, we are in for some fantastic basketball! We will be regardless, but imagine a Self team holding under a dime on the TO stats every game! Imagine Tharpe or Mason driving the paint and either finishing or having crazy options for earning an assist! Imagine an entire year where we escape from the sometimes doldrums offense of 3 guards along the trey line standing flat footed and doing nothing but feeding the ball back and forth until the shot clock ends.
I've had a pretty good look at Smart already this year and we better be ready, because he's not the same guy. He looks like he's been through a Hudy summer.
JayDocMD... I hear you. But it's just a matter of getting used to this site and how it works. In no time at all, you'll be zooming around in this site at mach speed. Eventually, you'll look at the way KUSports works and like this better for blogging because this is specific for blogging with less "weight" to slow it down.
Great post, HEM!
You are spot on concerning Keegan's remarks that Selden will surely be a PG in the NBA.
Selden COULD be a PG in the NBA, but he'll be what fits the situation with the team he's with, and if he hopes to earn NBA PG minutes, he'll have to show the world he's got what it takes to own ball control for a NBA team.
In my imagination, Selden is a 2... including at the next level. He'd be wise to own his identity now as a 2, and polish his skills there for the NBA. Selden's build is beastly at the college level.. it is for the NBA, too. He will have a unique skill set for pro ball and he doesn't have to sell it short by trying to fit in at a position he doesn't belong in. Can Selden play point? Sure he can. So can EJ. You all know where I'm going with that...
Your statement about the huge difference between dribbling it a few times with a few moves and being a point guard hits the mark so tight I'm going to remember that one. Sometimes I wonder at what level Keeg understands the game. I've always questioned his knowledge of the PG position. Heck... I've been über critical of Self in the past for his concept of going after tall, athletic utility guards to run the team at point versus going after small PGs who know what it takes to be effective at PG.
If we want to hang more NC gold in AFH we better learn how important the PG position is, and we better always make it our #1 priority to land quality talent for that position, because it's a tough road to victory on a consistent basis when you don't have the right talent running the show. UCONN proved it in 2011... how an under-qualified team can win it all as long as they have a real PG.
I really liked EJ and don't want to blast him. But what if we had a real PG last year? Who would have stopped us in March? EJ was a 2, and he did what Self told him to do. I won't challenge him for that.
I saw with my own two eyes Mason last weekend. That dude is the real deal. What I'm not sure is if he can "get it" enough this year to earn big PT. I hope he does get it... and then we'll have a real showdown for the PG position this year. If Tharpe wants it, he'll have to fight him for it.
Self's comments on Selden playing PG touch on some possibilities that could happen. If we end up playing UK in March... they've got more size on the perimeter and if they exploit Tharpe's small size, maybe Self would try Selden at point for that particular match-up. We'd suddenly become a big team if we had Selden at PG, AW3 at the 2, Wigs at the 3... I don't ever see this as a permanent lineup. It's just something we might be forced to try against only a few teams, like Kentucky, who have NBA size on the perimeter.
Nice, JayDocMD!
I agree... and I hope we get BBall2012 over here. We had a nice thing going comparing match-ups KU vs UK. BBall actually helped get me over some UK anger I had for hiring Cal.
We have enough Jayhawk feathers around here to complete a tar and feather on anyone, whilst maintaining a respectable decorum.
Approx... maybe you can offer up some space on your server to load photos and vids? Not everyone in here has their own net space to load their photos for linking to your site.
If you do it, you can secure it by forcing us to login to our blog account and use that as the security gate into the upload area. A method that is even smoother is to have it all seamless and be able to directly upload material to individual blogs. That may create more work for you to make it happen.
Whatever you do... make sure and have a disclosure statement to protect yourself because I'm sure some people will attempt to upload copyright-protected material that they don't own. In those cases, if you get caught you get served a notice to remove the material. Not a big deal.
I know, I know... it's Friday. I just thought of a good theme for starting our Mondays in here... Matchup Monday! (and I like how it rings)
Will everyone do their best to bring us a matchup in college basketball that we can discuss in depth? Monday is a good time, but anytime is good to talk basketball.
I'll get it rolling with a matchup we are all creaming to see... Selden vs Smart
Tale of the tape: We all got a big taste of Marcus Smart's size last year as he blasted through our Jayhawks on our own home court. At times he seemed larger than life; a bull in leotards dancing around our china closet without cracking a teacup. I remember that game like it was yesterday...er... like it was Halloween. I kept asking myself, "how can he do that?" I asked the same question about Durant when he was in our league. Marcus Smart is 6'4" and 220 lbs. of ballerino pitbull. How can Wayne-John Wayne-Selden hang with that? He can hang by being bigger! Wayne Selden is 6'5" and a ripped 230 lbs., edging out Professor Smart by a catch-of-the-year large-mouth bass, or a tenor saxophone, or a juicy Black Diamond watermelon. On paper it looks like Wayne-John Wayne takes Prof Smart on size, but don't be fooled... Smart has spent his off-season in the weight room and has added considerable size to his upper body. Size advantage: draw!
Experience: Got to give it to Prof Smart. He's been down this road before. He had a good year last year as a freshman, even in his wrist-injured performance in March when the Oregon Ducks quacked all over his team. Smart still lead his Cowpokes with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. For the most part, Smart played like a seasoned veteran last year. How will he top that this year? Wayne-John will have to counter Smart's experience by just remaining poised and grinding through with a solid effort. He can't match Smart's experience, but he can mask the difference by not playing like a rookie.
Skill level: Both of these players have talent light years ahead of most players in D1 basketball. Smart can do more with the ball between himself and the goal. He has a solid crossover in both directions, good ball skills, and the capability to create space for his shot and can make shots in artful form in so many ways. When the Prof is on his game, he has to be guarded by a real lockdown defender, and has to have the other 4 defenders ready to cut down driving lanes. Selden is a rougher-cut version of Smart concerning penetration. He doesn't quite have the precision and speed of Smart when cutting through defenses... but he's close, and he looks to have better lower body strength than Smart. Smart comes at defenses like a tailback. Selden comes like a small fullback. Selden will surprise a lot of fans this year with his ability to pop the 3. He gets the edge in perimeter shooting over Smart. On defense, Smart has to be considered one of the top 5 defenders in the country this year in all of college basketball. When he amps up his game he inflicts total control over opposing guards. Smart has the skill advantage over Selden, but will it be enough to help his team overcome lopsided disadvantages at other positions?
Shoulder chip: This factor will help the Cowpokes hang with the Jayhawks. This was supposed to be OSU's year to take the B12. This was supposed to be Marcus Smart's year to stand atop of college basketball. Who got the cover of SI? If we think we've had teams jacked up to play us in the past, we haven't seen anything compared to what we will see this year! Every game will be: Kansas Jayhawks vs SI Cover. Smart says he came back because of his wrist injury. Don't believe him. He came back because he has unfinished business to take care of. There are few players in college basketball that have his level of competitiveness. One thing for sure, he has something to prove and he's not carrying a chip on his shoulder this year, he's carrying a boulder. Our only solution for beating down the Cowpokes this year is to come ready for a street fight. Come prepared for a game that will end tight. Come ready to play 40 (or more) minutes of basketball because if we let up for a minute, we'll pay the ultimate price.
Overall view: Our games with OSU this year will show us all what Wayne-John Wayne is made of. He appears to be a man playing a boys' game. Appearances are not always reality. These games will show us what our fullback is made of. Consider this a heavyweight fight, and Prof Smart is not backing down; he's coming at Wayne with everything he's got. Wayne will have to back up his handle "John Wayne" with the heroics of the cowboy John Wayne, and the killer instinct of John Wayne Gacy!
For some reason I have uncivil discourse stuck in my head... or is it in my a$$!
I guess we should all know what the rules are in here?
And what are we going to do when we lose our virginity from a Mizzou troll diddling with his privates in here?
I know we want to keep a standard, and most of us will do so regardless of the rules... but is it okay to let loose on a troll? We have the mental marbles to keep it PG-13 through the decapitation process.
Can you post video?
I took some photos but mostly video at the scrimmage last weekend.
How do we post this stuff?
Gone are the days I'd hit my refresh button on the KUSports main page to see if the blog reply count had risen... giving me reason to track down the latest replies. Sometimes it was a challenge... when the blogs were long and you are looking for one new reply and it wasn't at the bottom.
I've got a big fat smile on my face right now! We've accomplished a blog page that is building some weight!
I bow my head to all in here who are showing their resilience and taking on the challenge to start a new habit... errr... maybe state that as an old habit on a new pony!
As I write this 24 viewers are online, sifting through.
I probably converse with about 10 hardcore Jayhawks in person and I'm going to make sure all of them know where to go to read the real goods!
ROCK CHALK!
BTW: Gosh... the uncivil discourse in here is killing me! We better put up an electric fence around this!
Approx... I consider that trailer on a 1000-acre parcel in the Rockies!
You've really come through for the cause! 3 cheers!
Thanks for pulling the weight! If you need anything... let us know.
Hawk8086... You are right and the NBA drafts on potential. Also they draft on name recognition because they want to sell tickets, and they can build hype on a recognized name. And they sell products based around players now more than just the team itself. Like if you buy a jersey it has your pick of player's name on it. That's huge revenue.... huge business. Imagine how much revenue the Bulls scored on Jordan? Perhaps a $billion? I've seen Jordan gear in the Sahara desert! Some of it was even licensed gear!
Let's not forget about injury. College is like a healthy oasis compared to the NBA. The schedule is ridiculously long... heck, the NBA is already in preseason now. I went to an NBA game last night. And there is no time for players to work on their own game unless they cut away some of their sleep and personal life (what little they have). These guys not only play ball, they have autograph signing promotions at malls and car dealerships and so much more.
Embiid would be well served to stay another year and go through 12 more months of 'Hudy-ization.'
All pro sports are reckless when it comes to players' health. It's all a system built on playing through pain. I've been fortunate to have contact with several ex players in the NBA and NFL... all say the same thing: they are pressured into playing through injuries and pain, and if they need something for pain, doc is there to give them what they need. It's a life of switching from ice packs to heat and back to ice. The body is not designed to heal through these situations.
Embiid has so much potential and it would be a shame if he lost maybe half his career because of lasting injuries. He probably won't reach his potential for maybe even another decade (if his body holds up that long).
So is it worth it for him to exit college after 1 and make that extra year of $$$ at the risk of chopping off maybe 5-7 years on the long haul?
Bingo, approx! If they are selling CPMs then it is based on all of us constantly refreshing their stories to get updated blog text.
Hawk8086 - I thought they want to verify by phone and then use your real name on your postings. Maybe I understand it wrong? I'm not concerned about the NSA... if they want my rear, they can have it! I just ask that they wipe it first!
Wissoxfan83 - I've already vibed in that KUSports staff is snooping this site.
bskeet - The civil discourse argument doesn't hold water.. mostly because they have always moderated the content on that site. We've all had some of our posts trashed going way back. Plus... when we were targeted by KU haters, we all did a good job of discrediting the post in a respectful manner.
It feels like we downgraded our residence from a middle-income ranch to a trailer home... but we'll carry on and we'll do some remodeling and before you know it, we'll match our old residence, or maybe surpass it! I'm looking for new carpet and light fixtures now!
I think we can make it a consensus in here (so far) on picking MSU, based on their experience.
If you read the article, Izzo has high praise for where this team is already. KirkisMyHinrich is spot on describing Izzo teams as slow out of the blocks. Izzo likes to lose a few non-conf games every year in hopes of building a chip on their shoulders... plus, it gives him all the excuse he needs for grinding them through months of tough practice.
But come March, if the pieces fall right for UK... watch out!
Embiid will be exciting to watch this year. I caught his play at the scrimmage last weekend and he has a long ways to go. But from everything I read on him he learns at mach speed. That's what it will take if he hopes to be a dominant force in March. Otherwise... we'll get another full year of his services next year. Even if he is projected as a lotto pick, it may be in his best interest to return for one more year. He won't have the opportunity of working with Hudy once he leaves the campus, and for Embiid, he can use the body building as much as the game building because the NBA takes no hostages... especially ankles and knees.
While he is busy watching old tapes of Olajuwon... he should watch some tape from a few months ago on Jeff Withey. He can learn a lot about timing and how to block a ball and keep it in bounds.
"Tom Izzo says Spartans have chance to reach Final Four"
MSU plays Kentucky on the same day we play Duke... it's all part of the Champions Classic.
Opinions on who wins this game?
I was upset earlier today when KUSports whacked my user account... but I've had some time to process that and enjoyed a nice pastry from a local bakery. I'm over it.
I'm happy we all now have this site to work with. If the admins need any help improving the format of this site, I'm happy to volunteer.
ParisHawk, you are right and I don't want to cook the goose... unless I can improve my Peking goose sauce recipe!
If we can build this site, or another site with the same intentions, we can eventually grow it to the point of earning media status with the athletic department. I contacted an old friend today that used to work in the AD and she said they are always happy to accept additional media outlets. Perhaps there will be the day when we have our own capabilities to create our own stories on Jayhawk basketball!
So if it's going to be played like this... I don't see why I should give KUSports the marketing click of viewing their pages any longer.
They may receive some $$$ only by having a high amount of views to their pages.
My question is how to stop going to their site directly but still be able to read their content? It is one thing to link their pages to this site... that actually helps their viewing numbers. It is another thing to copy their content and post it (which may be a copyright infringement).
But what about using websites like http://archive.org/web/ ↗ that archive websites? That site doesn't seem to run into copyright issues and you can read content through their backup servers. Problem is... the content is not stored second to second, so you may not be able to stay exactly current.
Does anyone have a solution for viewing their content without going directly to their site?
I've now been banned from KUSports under my current FB account.
I can't believe they decided to take this attitude with the fan base that also played a big part in helping build their popularity.
I've posted quite a bit concerning the FB issue with KUSports. (under William Blake)
It can be read at:
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2013/oct/23/one-kind-wiggins-focused-own-career-not-comparison/ ↗
I realize it is starting to be an old issue, and perhaps I'm hitting the rug once too often, but dust is still clouding the air.
Anyone like to comment?
Blown - I had planned to go, and was psyched to go... but now I have a scheduling issue and will miss it.
Can't wait until Nov. 12 to see us take on Duke, and Jabari Parker.
*Surprise dunk at the end of the clip from their madness event.
The package deals sound great on paper... but in reality, they typically don't add anything special for the recruits. This example shows why. Both of these players need to go to the right school for them.
I like truehawks take on it... Jones would be best served as a Golden Gopher and Okafor would be a great Jayhawk. They can still stay close friends from a distance.
And I think like truehawk said... Okafor and Alexander are a great combo in the low post and would reincarnate Self's hi/lo beyond anything Self has done in the past!
What it treat that would be... to see the hi/lo run to perfection! Imagine how these two would feed each others' stat line! They'd both be nailing either an assist or basket almost every time down the court.
Thanks, DanR.
I liked the link showing BMac in his new house. The ad that ran before it (when I watched) was DRose talking about it not being the money or stuff... it's all just about basketball. Thought that was fitting before seeing BMac gush on his bed. I hope BMac takes that ad to heart...
Question:
Why does my ID on here appear in green sometimes and red other times?
For nostalgia purposes I'll see if I can find my old drgnslayr avatar. I created that a long time ago and didn't appreciate it when KUSports trashed our avatars.
That was one more thing that ticked me off.
I created a FB account so I can still participate on the KUSports site... but I didn't like it.
What I did like was the fact that we would get anonymous posters who would trash KU or a player or two and the rest of us would self-police by reacting well and so the negative posts had the opposite effect of what those posters wanted. That was a big part of why I liked about that site...
I think you throw the FB verification in on top of the mysterious banning of some posts plus those ridiculous ad surveys and it started to become more of a hassle than it was worth.
I was at the scrimmage yesterday.
My notes:
Greene is going to be awesome. He has that same basketball mind Larry Bird had in college. Give him time...
Tharpe better push hard because Mason is right on his heels. Mason can drive at will on anyone.
Perry is going to be a machine this year. He's going to rack up some big numbers.
Jojo has a ways to go. He may have great legs and can dance the cha-cha in the paint, but he's got to learn more about the game and how to anticipate events.
Wigs sometimes looks like he isn't putting out effort because sometimes he doesn't know what to do. Once he figures that out, he'll be twice as effective because he has great potential for making things happen out of thin air.
If I was taking a team into a prison game or an inner-city, chain-link net game I'd want Mason, Selden, AW3 and Black on my team.
Conner is going to have to learn to shoot at least one 3 every minute he's in the game because otherwise he's giving up too much on the defensive end to warrant PT.
AW3 worked way too hard in the off-season to redshirt this season. Plus.. he's going to get plenty of minutes this year.
Selden is a man playing a boy's game. Unless he gets injured, expect him gone after this year.
Where did Black's tire go?
I've become a huge Frank Mason fan. I can see him beat out Tharpe this year for the starting nod... unless Tharpe continues to raise his game exponentially. Tharpe has to create offense somehow. Mason will create plenty with his penetration. Heck... Conner can punch out 3s from point. Tharpe has to bring something, preferably he'll bring some of Conner and some of Frank to the floor.
Okafor looked like he enjoyed the scrimmage. He did spend plenty of time on his phone texting... guess that's a good thing. I sat directly across from him on the other side of the court on the floor.
I'll be putting out the word on this site to several of the old posters!
I'm pretty sure it will still make you run today, too!