Wilson has been amazing for us so far this year. The guy is stretching into the 5 and can go all the way down to a 3. Love his rebounding and his aggression to the basket. Been a while since we had someone so hungry.
He's making a solid case for athleticism being overrated. What good is it if you don't use it? We've had so many amazing athletes that rarely left their game on the court. Always frustrated the cr@p out of me.
And then consider that the vaccine won't be mandated to the general public so it will be based on participation. As of now, maybe 40% will go for it. That might slow it down but won't stop it enough to take it off the radar screen.
I believe the Patriot Act has a provision allowing for mandating inoculations if it is considered a national security risk.
It will be interesting as this plays out. I can see the possibility of this getting very ugly.
I heard that professional athletes will bump to the top because of their potential for high spread and might be considered "essential" for the sanity of the country. Not sure of this info being factual.
It will soon be disgraceful to continue. At best... this year would crown a champion with an asterisk. Today I watched Xavier (5-0) vs Cincinnati (1-0). Not exactly as originally planned. There will be many lopsided situations, and then venues without fans, with some fans.
It is already getting to the point where I ask, "what are we trying to prove?"
Meanwhile, the bug runs wild. I don't see how we avoid mass shutdowns all over the country. At least the election is over and this seems to be slowly becoming less about politics and more about the true medical nightmare it is proving to be.
I am hopeful this will be the last D1 basketball season with this many problems.... but it will be up to us to step up and do the right things.
I see some Rondo. Juando will just have to learn to go stronger to the rack and know how to finish to seal that comparison. But he's so young and time to learn. Guys like him who have that innate knowledge of the game at a higher level usually advance their games at a quick pace. I'm certain every year he is here we will see a different, much-improved player because that is typical for players like him.
One thing is for sure... we are in for some incredible play while he's here... so enjoy every minute of it!
Let's hope this entire conversation is extremely premature.
I'm on board with the idea that Self may go another decade. I think his legacy is important to him and he knows his best path to add on to his legacy is to stay in Lawrence.
So 10 years goes by... just for giggles sake I'm going to say Self wins 1 more NCAA crown over that decade. I do think it will become tougher to do anything like becoming close to another conference title record-breaking streak.... but I do think we can build on streaks, like most consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. And during that decade we will win our conference most of the time... let's say 7 or 8 out of 10.
Then Self leaves.
I feel certain there will be one factor weighing the most on how we pick his successor. That factor is to find someone who will continue where Self left off without skipping a beat. There will be immense pressure to find the right coach and we will only consider someone with an already proven track history at the D1 college level. Second factor, right behind, is that this coach is young enough to build a huge legacy over time at Kansas. So as others have mentioned, age is pretty big factor and the coach shouldn't be too old or too young either.
So many of us used to think that Danny Manning would one day be the successor to Self. And I think the idea was more substantial when Danny stayed at Kansas and many of us thought Self would finish probably earlier than he will. When Danny was on the bench he was continuing to build his own personal Jayhawk brand and legacy status. He was developing himself as a "Self mentor" even though he didn't play under Self. He was building a reputation for coaching bigs but also recruiting in some top shelf talent. Had he stayed through it all many would think he definitely paid his dues because he could have left and sought earlier leaps in success, but he didn't. And he would have had decades under Self to carry forward his successful teachings. I feel certain he would have become our coach even if Self stayed longer than we earlier anticipated.
But to stress how important it is for a coach to already prove himself before arriving... I don't think Danny has much of a chance of ever coaching at Kansas again. I don't think his record on his own shows enough success.
I don't think anyone will be picked based on being a great Jayhawk. I think we will be looking for someone who will become a great Jayhawk! That will be from winning, running a legit program, speaking well and representing the university well... All those things Self does really well! Look back over Self's career here and you will see that we've had many challenges beyond the challenges on the court. Look around college basketball and you won't find many coaches who could have handled themselves as good as Self. His legacy will be solidified by his character and ability to show his character through the challenges we've faced.
Right on! He plays sped up while he is in a game that still moves fast for him. I think he's lacking confidence, too. It will help tremendously if we can use him to screen in plays where he isn't fouling, etc. Anything to help him execute successfully on the floor because it will help him with confidence and knowing he is contributing to the team.
He will never be anything like Doke or have that to offer. He has to make the best of his size and skill set. We sure miss having Danny Manning as an assistant right now. He would surely help him considerably... especially with his biggest fault... foot work!
Dave doesn't get a free pass and we have to stay on him to correct his game. It's for his own good and I'm sure he wants to play at the next level. He can do the right thing and work on his weak areas and he can have a successful basketball pro career. Just not sure it will be NBA. But who knows? I really think it would help him to take dance lessons... not only to help him with foot coordination, but also to bend and use his body in other ways so he's not playing so stiff.
I look at Dave out there and it makes me think of "cow tipping."
We are lucky for every game we get with Harris in it. He has "old man wisdom" out there. He understands deception! He puts on a show to draw the pass or the dribble. Man... we are going to have one heck of a time watching him pull his magic out there!
You are right. But it's a lot easier to set a low off-ball screen than a high ball screen. If he can't set that without drawing the offensive foul.. he's in trouble!
@BShark said in Dajuan Ball Hawk Harris:
@drgnslayr Who is setting the screen? That’s the problem right now. Self will figure out an offense and have it going after Christmas, will be interesting to see where he goes with it.
That's a screen for Big Dave to set. And if his big man switches then we have Mac in the post with a mismatch.... and we have some guys that can jump well for the dunk, like Agbaji.
Ha... you know I love seeing the x-axis burn the y-axis... even if it went down ugly. Our guys will have to learn to protect the ball better and not telegraph so much on their shooting in the paint. It's something they will learn. We still have quite a few players that are feeling the game is sped up for them.
It's been kind of a yucky opening of the season for us.. but gone are those easy bunny games to start off with to help with the jitters and build confidence. Washburn should be a fun game....
Even though it's been "eye-sore basketball" I do see a lot of things I like. Our guys don't give up. They continue to go after it, even when they are getting a dozen shots blocked. They had moments in the second have of that Zag game where they competed toe-to-toe, which I give them credit because we had very little of anything to run and the Zags already are playing like they are in mid-season. Very polished. I'd like another crack at the Zags in March!
I think you are right and that Harris will be more of a spark guy at first. It's just typical of how Bill does things. Those starting slots have to be earned and showing promise in a few games isn't enough yet. Self will want to push Harris to keep improving... and I think he has maybe the most upside potential of anyone on our team! The guy has a sense for the game I'm not seeing in anyone else.
I'm going out on an early season limb here... I think Harris is going to end up being a real legacy player at Kansas! I think his size will keep him a 4-year player and he will create some big waves (with help from others)... and it may be Final Four waves eventually! Like I say... I'm out on a limb! lol
I'm eager to see us learn some offense. Running the chop constantly is getting old and teams quickly adapt to it. Once that happens it's a real negative to run it because it wastes down a lot of the shot clock.
One of the first plays I want to see us do is run the backdoor alley oops off the baseline screens. Seems like forever since we've seen that and those dunks always help jazz up the team. It's also a great play that can involve Dave and he'll get a lift by knowing he is doing something positive to help the team.
When we run 5 guards, we have to do more than perch 5 guys on the trey line and throw the ball back and forth hoping the defense seams allow us to get a shot off. That's some of the offense we ran years ago ineffectively. We need off-ball screens and motion away from the ball.
I hope we get to play all our games this year. This team needs as many games as possible to come together.
We don't have an offense plugged in yet. We were just fortunate to get in a rhythm and exploit St. Joe. The Kentucky game looked more like the Zag game. An unformed offense just waiting for something to happen and when it doesn't guys force up a shot.
It looks like the easiest path to fix many of our problems is to keep Harris on the floor. Watch the game again... you'll see how he won us several possessions... got the ball moving on open court finishes... and set up some people on offense. The ball doesn't stick with him and the other guys need to speed up their passing and movements to open up offensive opportunities. I was impressed with Harris' defense and he seemed to help others get it moving to where we shut down Kentucky in the second half.
I've been saying this for a while now... Wilson is going to make his presence known on this team. He can have his shot blocked 10 times and it won't stop him from being aggressive. The guy has one speed and if we didn't have him going to the rack this was a bad loss. Athleticism isn't everything. I'd take a hustle guy any day over untapped athleticism.
David... poor David. It's hard to not like him! He's really trying hard. But he's going to have to adapt a lot to help this team. It will help if we can start plugging in an offense. I kind of don't like the idea of this team running strict on a packaged offense, but not sure if the flow will be there.
Marcus was sick and it showed. I still question if he is a PG playmaker. And it was mentioned in this game that his focus on being a PG might sacrifice his defense... and that would be a real pity. I know I'd like to see him at the 2, where he belongs. Harris is a natural PG. The longer we hesitate from the obvious, the longer it will take for this team to figure the game out.
Calipari looks silly in this game on timeouts when he is out on the court educating his players like they are little kids. I find his coaching style to be horrible and I can't believe players want to go there and be patronized by him in public. Disgraceful.
@Kcmatt7 said in Expectations for the season:
@BShark haha oh yea boy did I swing and miss…
These kids just got one kind of test under their belts now. Let's see how they react to Big 12 play. At least they probably won't face the nasty home court fans en masse in some of these venues... like WV, Hilton, Bramlage.. but league play is so different from these early games.... especially concerning scouting and previous match up experiences.
I still expect us to have some bad offensive performances. Though it sure looks like we've got some serious fire power, especially from players like Braun out on the trey.
Let's hope we settle down on defense and start figuring out how to move our feet and play smart.
I think Wilson has made some big time steps in improving his athleticism. Every little bit helps... especially when you match it with a scrappy mind. The kid loves to go to the rack and that is always appreciated. We've had so many gifted players where many were so picky about applying that kind of aggression. As the St. Joe game progressed and we got into a flow in the second half, Wilson showed us a bit of what he has to offer by scrapping for extra rebounds, etc. I'm impressed with him and think he will contribute quite a bit this year.
@BeddieKU23 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
Its interesting to see a guy who gives effort like he does still struggle rebounding and providing help defense
I think his issues are 75% footwork problems, 25% mental education on positioning and other things. The guy works hard and has a great attitude. I really hope he comes along during the year. We still need a post presence, or at least the option for it.
This is something he'll need to do if he has any ambition at the next level. He is surely motivated after watching the transformation of Doke to the point where Doke went in the first round! Early in Doke's KU career I never would have guessed he could make it into the first round, but after this past year and his vast improvements on foot speed and work, it became apparent he could do it.
I think Dave will have to earn his minutes on the floor just like the other guys will. This already feels a bit like last year... when we kept trying to force two bigs on the floor and it just didn't work. Now... it's just one.
I do think it is too early to know how it will go, but from what I saw in two games, I think the only time we ever showed in game flow was the second half of today's game with 5 guards. Harris was sick. It was like turning a switch on when he came out there.
I know, I know... guard the paint. But that's only true if your big guy is moving his feet. I was hoping to see big improvements in Dave's feet but didn't really see that in these two games. He definitely is in better shape and moves better... but not seeing him being a real force enough yet to say let's slow the game down for Dave.
With Harris out there we started running St. Joe right out of the gym. Fast break finishes? Huh? Us? Seems like forever since we had scoring from the open court.
That period where Harris came in and we watched the game tempo change should be a definite lesson. Tempo is key to success with this team. The Zag game and the first half and some minutes into the second half we looked stiff and tentative. Harris enters the game and quickly draws his first charge. He was involved in several defensive stops and that alone made a big difference. Then add in the flow he brought to our offense. That was a fun part to watch. The ball didn't stick!
I'm not even sure we would have won that game without Harris. We kept letting St. Joe stick around, just like we let the Zags keep pulling away. In those moments we had no control of tempo and played awkward and sluggish.
Even in half court offense, Harris made a big difference. He's a natural play maker... setting guys up... sometimes even a few passes ahead of the finish, like a chess pro plays moves ahead. He definitely sees more of the game than others and the game moves slow for him. As of right now, he looks like our salvation to run him with Marcus because I'm just not convinced Marcus is enough of a play maker to run the show. Could be we do what we do best, and run two PGs (or slip Marcus back to the 2).
I know we have to see more evolve before jumping to conclusions. But I am feeling jazzed up with Harris. He performed just like his reputation that preceded him. I think he's the real deal... and hope it... because I want to see the brand of basketball he brought today on a regular basis! He'll make all our guys look a lot better and they will all spark up and perform at a better flow!
Ochai worked his ass off.... building his body and tightening his gate. He's going to be a big time producer this year.
And how about a guy who can dance in the paint? YES! My kind of big!
I was hoping to see Big Mac a little further moved along... just like how Doke made noticeable gains every year. David has continued to improve his body and I'm sure that means he's improved his athleticism. The part lacking now is mental. Just looks like he needs some schooling on all areas of his defense. He was badly beaten all game. Granted... he probably won't be tested more than this all year....
I think this Zag game will help us immensely. Self now has a tool to take into practice and show his troops exactly where they need work. Few did us a favor by beating us all over the floor at ease. I hope Self thanked him!
What a great snag! Curry is gifted and with size. He'll bring a big punch to our post game!
We got schooled... They were clearly far ahead of us in preparation for the season ahead. They did everything they wanted to do on offense... pick and rolls, backdoors, dribble drives, feeding the post, fastbreak finishes. Total domination. It looked like we were all freshmen playing seniors.
The good news is we put up a lot of points and showed we could match them at times. Take away our stupid turnovers, tighten up our defense (a ton) and suddenly we stand toe to toe and can win.
It was frustrating watching Timme doing the exact same move in the paint every time and Big Mac never catching on to his pivot move. Mac definitely needs to learn a ton on how to defend the low post. He let Timme have any space he wanted and would play him out of position. Then Timme would move with the ball and Mac wasn't moving his feet well. This is concerning.
All our newbies did about what I expected them to do... show some bright moments then goof in places, especially on defense.
Our defense was horrible... but realize it's the first game and we played a very well-coached team that has one of the top offenses in America. I just didn't expect them to make it look so easy.
Overall, I see a lot of potential. We have many scoring options. My main concern is Mac's defense. We need solid low post defense and also Mac can't be such a liability away from the basket. He's got to learn to play smarter, move his feet more... and then we need other players helping him in several ways... from sagging in or putting heavier pressure on the passers. I think all of our newbies were "caught in space" on defense... being not close to defending someone while the Zags quickly pushed the ball around easily.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in Here we go...:
I wonder how long Nembhard has practiced with the starting group? Yes... he's got the overall experience needed but not with this squad. Since this is game 1 of the season, I'm doubtful Few will have his squad anywhere up to speed with their high-powered offense. I think Nembhard and Suggs will be challenged by Garrett to the point of having it hard to run offense at their tempo. Having Marcus at point is new for us and having him settle down in that position, with his defensive prowess creates an unknown result. It could be as positive as making KU an almost impossible team to beat (if everyone behind Marcus locks down). I'm thinking teams that count heavily on their PG creating offense and setting tempo will have a harder time than teams that run a lot of offense outside of the hands of their PG.
Of course... lots of question marks on the KU squad, too.
I'm hoping for a very hard-fought, close game going back and forth and down to the wire. It could go the other way and one team just come out flat and be smashed like a pancake. Hope that team isn't us!
The key is we put pressure on the ball to deny the post feeds. I'm not that familiar with the Zags, but guessing Suggs is their big play maker. If he has to contend with Marcus breathing down his neck, it could be a tough offensive night for the Zags. Marcus can disrupt a lot of offense.
I concur. We have a lot of defensive firepower on the court and that advantage can largely disappear if we have a weakness out there. We will get a good test against the Zags and all their quality experience running Few's offense.
My perspective on this seems to flow directly with my politics. I'm an independent, basically despise both major parties. I've never seen this virus as anything political. I have friends on both sides, and I vowed early on to not lose any of them over this issue. Still have them all. I have strong opinions in some areas, but I do my best to stay respectful at all times and try to see other sides of this.
I'm well-educated in the sciences and had years experience as a lab tech in one of the largest hospitals in Kansas when I was young and thinking medicine would be my life. I dealt with infectious disease daily and still give thanks to being well protected with PPE. I feel strongly that masks are very effective at slowing this virus down, especially N95 or better. I wear N95 today, try to keep social distancing (but not perfect) and don't do the large gatherings. I've made it this far, but feel fortunate because my kids are my biggest source of risk, and their lives have created the need for three quarantines so far. I am the medical administrator of my 87 yr old father. I can not completely separate myself from his presence. He is high risk. Covid isn't a game with me. Not a hoax. Not some bragging point for a political side. It's a threat within my family and I respect it as a threat.
We can argue all we want until we are blue in the face, but I only have to state one word to defend my side.... Taiwan! Google "Taiwan Covid" and you will receive an education on the right way to handle this virus and how our country failed miserably. I know Trump and his administration could have done better... but I don't think any administration would have been able to do what we needed to do, which is what Taiwan did. Their secret weapon was having Chen Chien-jen (an Epidemiologist) as their VP. Their people are not so focused on independent liberties.
To date, Taiwan has suffered only 7 deaths with a population of 25 million. They had their first case around the same time as us, while receiving a higher traffic of Chinese mainland visitors. They've never shutdown their economy. Didn't need to. Life goes on for them while we fight among ourselves.
My point is... science wins when we believe in it and play by the rules. Our only hope for getting our lives back is to back science. Our economy will not recover just by keeping it open. Most of the public does not have confidence to get out there and live like they once did. I know I don't, and I can't. I have too much at stake to risk people in my own family and also have no desire to spread it to others.
We have only begun to deal with this virus... many who have contracted Covid have developed chronic issues that may continue for the rest of their lives. Turns out Covid may actually be a vascular disease. All your organs are at risk for long term damage. That damage may show up now, or down the road. You can bet Covid is going to cost us financially for the rest of our lives. We are not even having those conversations yet. Google "long haulers" for a taste of chronic issues.
I am a business owner and I have been heavily impacted financially because of Covid. I totally agree that we need to do whatever we can to keep people from financial collapse. This is where the gov should be of more assistance. I'm not a socialist and have never taken a single free cent from our gov, and haven't with this either. I don't want free money. But I see it is necessary to help people at this time. Actually, it fits in my beliefs as a fiscal conservative to rescue people at this time as an investment in our long term stability.
Sometimes being a nation of individualists doesn't pay off. Sometimes we need to come together with a single purpose. We once were a country that did that... but we aren't any longer. Consider this virus the warning shot of something much more deadly ahead and we will again not listen to science and all do our own thing.
During WWII, my grandfather took my mother to Los Angeles so he could work for Lockheed Burbank. Because of the threat of Japanese bombings the city was on a blackout. You couldn't even light a candle. The community came together. Renegades who didn't follow orders (not many) were flogged. This is the America I like to remember... but it is gone. And if it isn't this virus with it's death rate of 1-2% but potential to kill 2+ million Americans, it will be the next one. Perhaps H1N5. We won't have time to play games with that virus.
I don't even know much about the teams... but thinking what glares at me is Iowa and Texas.
I share birthdays with Russell Westbrook, Tonya Harding, Grace Kelly and Neil Young. What a mix.
I'm making myself and kids as cardboard fans... not putting them in AFH... just sitting them in front of my big screen. A realistic vision of my fandom currently. Cardboard popcorn, too! lol
Very thrilled for Doke! He's worked hard and intelligently lifted so many areas of his game and his athleticism.
Wish Dot could just come back and play out his college career. I never thought he should leave, but understand the necessity to try to make a living as fast as possible because you never know when your playing days are up!
Future headline: Duke opts out of early rounds to go directly into the Final Four to reduce Covid risk for prized coach.
I'm currently dealing with 7 friends who are positive for Covid. Only two had heavy symptoms. One had to be hospitalized but is now released.
It's a mistake to view this as harmless because only 1 or 2% are fatal especially because of the level of contagiousness.
I carefully watch the positivity rate. That gives us an indication of how widespread the virus is and if we are doing enough testing. This rate is growing rapidly in most places throughout America. Meanwhile, hospital beds, personnel and supplies are running extremely low. If you just look at known confirmed test positives then add in a couple lag time weeks... we are headed for a disaster in ERs and ICUs.
Because we have fatigue and we did take earlier measures to setup field locations, we are now not moving to prepare for what is coming within the next 30 days. I hope I'm wrong, but I see a major catastrophe coming and I don't expect any schools anywhere to remain open.
I don't expect our season to happen. I'm not even sure we get started.
The vaccine potential looks promising, but not having an impact until spring or later, maybe end of next year.
I didn't read about the scheduling. Would they compress the games into just one week?
@BeddieKU23 said in Preseason Predictions:
Matt McClung
Fun basketball coming to the league. This kid is fun! He'll not only make his own team players better, he will make players throughout the league better because those kind of moves get attention and followers.
Lockdowns are coming. A lockdown could come on a national level with Biden, but I doubt we make it that long and it will happen on local levels.
We are reaching a cap of both critical care space, medical personnel and certain medical supplies. Just letting bodies stack up at home and in cooler trucks will force lockdowns regardless what the public wants.
Everything will elevate as the temps drop and holidays approach as families come together inside.
I'm extremely doubtful this season is going to happen.
Let's do it as quickly as possible before possible cancellations. Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Danny took over that game. He controlled the pace almost by himself... rebounding and then driving it right down the court, sometimes finishing at the rim. I never saw a big man dominate a NCAA playoff game like that.
He was just one of those guys you hated or loved, nothing in between. In Lawrence, it was the former.
I always figured that somehow he would end up at Mizzou. I'm sure the Tigs would have hired him just to piss off KU.
Surely there are some of you that have stories around this "legend."
Guess he deserves a mention and a few minutes of our time to reflect, laugh, and maybe snarl a bit.
We are on the same page about Christian. Let's hope he comes through with consistency because we will definitely need consistency this year.
How many of those guys have NBA titles?
I wonder what impact Covid will play in all of this. It surely will make things different like it has in all other parts of life.
Always nervous about early season games, especially with a squad counting on production from newbies. It sounds like Gonzaga is loaded and with quality upperclassmen.
But heck... I'm always game to play Gonzaga! Bring'em on!
I hope he has been working as hard on his FT shooting... an area we know counts big at the pro level.
Christian shot 44% from trey last year and he didn't even show full confidence most of the time. He was learning our system, getting used to D1, his teammates getting used to him. That 44% was impressive, though I think he'll have to fight to keep it up there this year as he will have pressure to pump up more shots.
I'm trying to imagine the NCAA going after Alabama football. That's a fight I want to watch.
How will our season go? I think schools and conferences have created a list of possible actions, depending on the circumstances. If Covid continues to climb in Kansas and the rest of the Big 12 the first thing I see happening is fans get shutout all together from games.
Then we will look at player infections. What happens when a team has 1 or more infected players? Testing the team, coaches, external people around players (dorm personnel, etc.) takes time to be accurate because it should involve more than one test over a gap of time. How will that work when we have, say, two games a week? Travel is usually involved.
I hate to be the skeptic, but I just don't see this season working out. I'm thinking there should have been no preseason, jump into league play in November, and then leave lots of gaps for makeup games. The key is getting in league needs before March Madness.
That would open up all kinds of legal issues... for sure in a civil courtroom, but also perhaps criminal. That would not be a wise step for any coach.
It looks like Ramsey has become invaluable! Thought it would be hard to replace Hudy.... and it was.. but Ramsey brings several helpful elements to this team both in strength and other areas. His strength/conditioning cred should be on full show this year!
I know Marcus is capable of handling the ball. What I don't know is how well he sees the game from the perspective of a PG and then acts on it. Does he know how to create offense? As good as he is, I'm wondering if he will be able to excel at PG within one year. Dot was just coming into a good flow and then was gone.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in No Silvio:
I’m guessing Silvio was blackout drunk if he doesn’t remember the incident, but I’m still wondering why it took LPD almost 9 months to investigate this incident and present the case to the DA’s office?
I've seen cases take 3 years to hit the bench. There are many reasons... waiting on a witness/evidence, short on staff in DAs office, etc.
"I like Silvio and I defended him his entire time here. But I’m willing to bet we will be better off with his departure. Our best chances of going far exists when we limit distractions."
Worth repeating. I wish Silvio well with his life, he needs help and probably some growing up. Regardless... time to close the book on Silvio and move on.