🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@SlimShaddy54 It has been frustrating. I think most of our recruiting issues are financial. The AD is below water because it's just stretched too thin. The football stadium is probably our biggest challenge right now.

I feel certain that we will need structural changes in our basketball program. The extent of it may not be possible while Bill is coach. I'm not positive he is sold on hiring a GM (for example). It sure seems like one of the missing pieces in our program now.

I also feel like we need new blood and likely younger blood in the program. I think we now are seen as an "old school" operation. Duke is a school I despise but I think we would do very well to model many of the needed changes to what Duke is doing.

Can't make a post like this without complaining about our ability to develop players. The closest example I have to compare us with is Houston.

@nuleafjhawk What is your work? Coaching college basketball is something I don't understand on the hiring practices. I know some of it is political... a bit of a popularity contest. Otherwise, I think it requires visionaries to see the future when hiring. I don't trust myself to pick the next KU coach... but I like the idea of JV coming in as an assistant, and I can sense the potential of him being the next Kansas coach.

I’m on board thinking JV is trying out to be Self’s replacement. And I support this maneuver!

@wissox I’ll bring a case of beer! 😂

And who do we have building NIL private deals? Another part of the job of a GM?

I’m thinking we need to go after endowment contributors to invest in NIL. Does this make sense? NIL is still relatively new… but I’m thinking KU alumni are happy to divide their endowment contributions to split into education and sports.

So Williams left town without signing…. Aargh!

@ImmunoHawk Or thirsty!

YES!

I think we pen in Williams today! I'm feeling the love!

@wissox I'll bring a six-pack... or... make that 12-pack... bet you have great sunsets up there!

@Texas-Hawk-10 Yes. I see Williams as a good possibility. Not sure we are a real consideration for Fland. I expect him to stay in the SEC.

@dylans

There is a reason why they call it “animal husbandry!” 😂

@Texas-Hawk-10 I’d be thrilled to land Williams and Fland. Like you said Williams is better now. We need quality experience to go along with DP.

@DCHawker

Picking early is what we did last year and it didn’t work out. I’m still optimistic this year will work out.

@dylans

Yes, we got punished but we got another trophy. Like I said, leave it to the basketball Gods!

BREAKING NEWS: Sarr goes KU after drgnslayr donates nipple pinchers!

But seriously, we’ve been down this path before. I remember when we lost Zion to Duke and the world ended. We went on to eventually winning another nattie while Duke has done nothing but disappoint fans with all-star rosters who can’t finish.

At some point I step back and leave it to the basketball Gods to influence the eventual outcomes and go to bed happy knowing we’ll be okay and we are scheduled for another nattie some day soon… still ahead of Duke. Hahaha. They looked so good this year! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Might this be helpful for recruiting those last open scholarships? It seems we’ve tried the money approach enough. Maybe some players are more sexually motivated? 🤣 I’m willing to donate some of these clamps if it gets the job done!

@mayjay said in Jacque Vaughn... Thoughts?:

@Crimsonorblue22 Larry might have had two if Archie Marshall hadn’t gotten injured in 1986. Besides Haase, Roy also might have won if Capt Kirk hadn’t hurt his knee. Bill, perhaps three if Embiid hadn’t …
You can go on and on with what if’s! It’s what makes sports fun–no season is ever over in our memories!

Bill likely scored another nattie in the Covid year. That team was a real smasher!

Vaughn is an excellent selection to replace Roberts! I feel certain he will help in every area… recruiting, development, game/practice coaching, team structure/strategy… and YES he is potentially a future replacement for Self! He is perfect to help modernize our program through all the current challenges!

@benshawks08

His off-court shenanigans will surely disqualify him. I can't imagine it happening either. I'm not going to qualify this rumor... yes... I heard it, but rumors don't mean facts!

Don't lose sleep over it.

What should we look for in a new coach? I think the landscape is changing. A skill has emerged on my radar… evolution! A coach who is open minded and capable to adapt quickly to the changing landscape. This makes me think YOUNG! Where do we find youth with vast experience? Maybe a past player who also played in the NBA, or coached in some role at that level?

@benshawks08

Oops. No, not now! I meant a phase out. 1 or 2 years. We probably learn more about his timed exit with Roberts’ replacement. I keep hearing Chris Beard’s name as a replacement for Self. Is this real? I like his abilities as a coach, but this is KU! Are we going to be able to keep our reputation for long coaching runs? I wonder if that will be possible moving forward!

It’s my opinion Bill’s staff will retire one at a time then Bill will announce. I don’t see a reason for him to stay.

To me, the most notable lefty was Langford. He brutalized defenders by driving to his left. I loved watching him play!

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

@Kcmatt7 think i was incorrect about those guys. Jesus. All i did was ask google the ones i thought i recalled being lefties. Apparently Google really wanted to tell me “yes”. So much misinformation. Just looked at the youtube vids thx.

Probably searched for democrats! :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

@BeddieKU23

I heavily advise KU to hire me as a GM. I’m a people person with vast sales experience. I’ll go out there and find all those private NIL deals for our players that will not impact their school NIL cap. Every day we go without a GM we are missing out!

@BeddieKU23

I’m uninformed on most of the NIL topic. Seems to me, the players who settled their NIL deals early this spring will probably be the big benefactors and the late players may be bought for a bargain and schools scrap to get late funds together. I’m thinking that creates a clash with those players in the draft process. And if those players exist later on should benefit by going to teams with talent for a late March run. I’m thinking Self’s recent portal failures where he jumped too quickly will now be a huge advantage as he sits patiently. This year we are changing our bumper sticker from “load the wagons” to “hold on, Hoss!” 🤣

Can anyone comment on my fundraising questions?

It’s been a slow time. Is it slow for most of D1 right now? Are coaches and ADs spending much of their days fundraising? Are they promoting specific players and asking for funds for these players? If this is the case, are coaches picking players or are the decisions made by those contributing? Maybe we stay slow until the NBA draft?

We continue to look at historical stats and apply it as a definite outcome at KU. We should now know from the past years we need a more creative view to perceive players and if they fit at Kansas. We need to better understand the historical conditions that determined how players created their stats. This is a big part of calculating their fit at KU. Also… a very pointed interview with the players should also help project their success as a Jayhawk. At this point… I would avoid players who only have the gift to shoot treys. We need aggressive players that can drive and then shoot/pass. Players that can create their own offense. And if they historically only shoot 32% from trey, figure out offensive schemes that will maximize their efficiency.

@FarmerJayhawk what really rocks about this Recteq is the 22” circular top! It pretty much pairs up with all 22” Weber accessories! This is a huge factor because this Weber model has been around forever and popular! So many cool, functional affordable accessories!

@dylans I share your fear because of the last two years. But when I’m not hiding under the couch I feel better about this team (over the last two years). I’m expecting DP to start every half court possession much better than the last two years. I liked Juan but just felt he limited our offense. First thing to expect from DP… any team fall asleep getting back on defense will get burned in the open court. Any team not set well in the beginning of half court defense will get burned. Throughout the possession, as the year progresses we’ll experience DP blooming in off-ball playmaking. This is a guy who can score in all offensive areas. I believe he’ll be putting up 20+ per game. Flory actually has a fairly easy developmental year; learning to cue off of DP. It would be great if we could find another primo scorer, no doubt, and I think we will. Outside of NIL considerations, what a perfect setup for a wing player with big offense! I feel like adding one more elite player (that fits our system) turns us from a top-3 B12 team to a solid contender. To be a March contender we need considerable help… probably 2 elite players that fit and at least 2 good players off the bench, one should be either a big 5 capable of dominating the paint, or a 5/stretch 4 who can hold down the 5 or play with Flory and offer more offense than dunks.

@FarmerJayhawk an accessory to that Recteq was a griddle top. You can smoke while working the griddle. Another accessory was a top converting it to work like a pizza oven with a pizza stone surface.

@dylans Before I picked up this $65 used smoker, I only used an offset smoker and had to babysit it and it would still be inconsistent heat. Usually got too hot and my results were chewy!

So the last two years was a disaster. This year our strategy is to first go get the #1 player. He’s our bait along with NIL. So far, can’t say the recruit results are overwhelming but maybe Self learned his lesson by going after better fit players. Exactly, what are better fit players? We know it isn’t just looking at stats. Obviously, players have to have specific skills we need on the court. But we know we need more. We need fast learners. Perhaps players that have been coached up similar to Self’s style. We all heard the nightmare practice stories from last year… players never “got it!” Isn’t it possible we need Self and staff to adjust coaching down to a one-year strategy? I still have hopes this year that Self will produce late finds!

@dylans big green eggs are awesome for grilling. Never had one but constantly hear the love from owners. Thinking the biggest plus is it insulates heat inside? That Recteq model I mentioned above is quite the rig. It’s not super heavy duty though. I do think some of the other recteqs get pretty hot for searing and fast cooking. More heavy duty. The idea to go pellet is to gain constant heat temps for long periods, too. Some now have Wi-Fi and meat thermometers so you can watch your all night slow smokes from your bed. But you can also buy WiFi meat thermometers to do the same job. I wanted the specific Recteq because of the pizza possibilities. I’m used to a real wood pizza oven cooking at 900 degrees.

@Crimsonorblue22

I was just informed of it closing last night. It’s the chicken place in north Wichita, right? Will they sell equipment?

Here's my recent BBQ story. It started in February.. I was in a Costco and there was a Traeger rep there, pushing their grills. For quite some time I wanted to try a pellet smoker. I was sick of using my offset smoker because I had to constantly watch it all day and then I couldn't really control the heat so sometimes my results were dry and chewy.

I didn't buy a grill that day but went home and started studying pellet grills. After days of reading and videos I decided on a Recteq RT-B380X Bullseye Deluxe grill. The name alone convinced me if I also needed a missile system to shoot at a pesty neighbor, this was the grill/M72 LAW rocket. These grills get up to 1000-degrees, so it is more than a slow smoker. I wanted it to be my "all-in-one" smoker/grill/pizza oven!

By the time I tricked out my grill I would have a grand in it. I signed up for emails on their site and received promo/sales material. Suddenly, they had a great sale and all their grills were heavily reduced EXCEPT the model I wanted! This pissed me off so I looked on FB Marketplace and bought one of those Masterbuilt electric upright smoke boxes (used but clean). I paid $65. I figured if I didn't like it I could at least use it as a warming box when I have a crowd over to keep my cooked meats warm and the flies away. I then bought a $19 smoking chip cage to add more smoke inside the box.

I've had it for about 2 months now and I smoke everything! It's awesome! The temp is very reliable and I'm able to do anything from a light smoking to heavy smoking. Still can't do pizza, but I'll live! It gets to about 450-degrees so I can cook in it but not really sear. I have other quick ways to do that.

I lend my services always for sampling BBQ!

@Texas-Hawk-10

You are spot on here. Self is being more careful to only look for players that fit in his scheme this time.

I feel comfortable that we get at least one more very solid starter piece.

Flory needs more offensive moves... but he's going to rack up good numbers regardless. This year he will be starting and counted on... that means everything to him. He will rack up numbers just by hustling more. I don't see him as NBA ready for quite some time. But he'll have plenty of NIL money to bide his time and develop. If he's smart, he'll do it in college instead of being traded every other week in developmental ball at the next level.

@TYOHawk Wow... just watched Stokes. In some states he could be arrested for molesting the rim like that!

I'm with you. Let next year be a "Self tribute" year and let Self SMASH THE F*CK out of college basketball! Lets put an exclamation point on college basketball. Lets show Duke how to get the job done with star freshmen!

Go on, Bill... show college basketball how its done!

For the first time I now watched tape on Council. Thought I was watching TT. It doesn't appear that he can finish with his left hand. His jump shot is like TTs first 3 years... shuffling his feet and not establishing his lower body form. TT went to shooters camp before his senior year and started to correct his form. To me, he looks like a 6th man candidate. Maybe his defense can earn him more PT.

I'll take a guard tandem that drives the ball and scores any day over a couple of perimeter shooters. All it takes is trey shooters getting cold to lose games. I'd rather not count on the trey and then take it when its there. Penetrating guards are the guys who stir up the defense and create scoring space for others. It also earns us plenty at the charity stripe and puts defenses in foul trouble. Another thing it does... rarely discussed... it exhausts all those non-contact-playing guards who then suddenly can't hit their treys.

@dylans said in The portal.:

All I know is there is a big push to get as much money right now before the ruling on NCAA direct payments puts a salary cap on it. Basically breaking the salary cap before it’s in place. More loopholes to come…

It seems like that new rule will be a big mess immediately. So I'm KU and we only have $2 mil left in our legal kitty fund. Won't we contact a corp with big pockets (cough.. cough.. Adidas) and have them make up the difference with a private NIL package for the guy we want to sign? Private NIL is unlimited and will remain unlimited!

Gosh... is this another one of those KU-Adidas situations where the NCAA smells trouble so they just investigate us again for a decade and then come up with nothing?

Sooooo... we are all sitting on our hands, awaiting news on our portal grabs or even possibly having 2 #1 picks playing on the same team next year.

I read where most of the guys in the portal are still there. What a friggin' zoo!

Are people in here optimistic or pessimistic on our current situation? Seems like there is plenty of negativity out there, but I'm usually suspicious of it being purple kitty trolls. They should be focused on their own transfer problems.

To me, it feels like we are in the running for some good players and Self is being more careful and refined this year to attempt to have a better result than last year. I'd like to know where our NIL budget sits right now. Anyone have a clue?

Will be interesting to see how Storr does next year and compare his last 3 seasons with KU in the middle.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

If he was healthy there would be more to talk about with him. Unfortunately, he came to KU early from the HS ranks still recovering from a major ankle injury

Just recently I visited AFH and read what was on the Phog Allen statue... "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." :grinning_squinting_face:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in The portal.:

I really enjoy how good of a passer he is in his highlights. He can create some pretty crazy passing angles and find lanes that shouldn’t be there. Him and DP in a little two man game would be insane.

My thought exactly. Let DP create off the ball sometimes...

@MR11

I'm sure you are spot on. And since he usually likes that 1:2:2, like @Texas-Hawk-10 mentioned, it definitely requires some practice.