🏀 KuBuckets Archive

dylans said:

Seems like a direct denial of him or his staff having done or known of anything wrong doing. Where he leaves the door open is where everyone should - I don’t know what others (3rd parties) are doing behind our backs. Bill has a good track record when he finds out (or when it becomes public if you’re cynical)there is an issue, he’s always pulled a player with eligibility issues.

Yes... this is where I feel some comfort with knowing a bit about how our compliance system works. It works all the way "backwards" through the recruiting process. So... coaches and staff advise "third parties" that they are required to report them if they slip up and tell them about unethical practices. At least, that is what I've been told.

HighEliteMajor said:

Bill Self went all in - "When recruiting prospective student-athletes, my staff and I have not and do not offer improper inducements to them or their families to influence their college decisions, nor are we aware of any third-party involvement to do so."

You know I still remain supportive of Bill. However, Bill isn't "all in" unless he makes those statements under oath of a courtroom. Public statements do not carry a threat of perjury charges.

HighEliteMajor said:

This can be a moment of leadership at its best.

You are spot on!

I am liking what I've heard out of Bill now, but this is an ongoing situation and won't be the last time Bill comments on this.

I am also hopeful that Bill and his staff, and all through the Kansas administration there will be new policies set forth to prevent any kind of contact with shoeco employees in the future regarding players and recruitment.

This is the perfect situation where optics alone damage the Kansas brand.

I know this isn't exactly what you want to hear out of me. But it is the optics right now driving public sentiment and creating a less-than-positive environment around everything Kansas.

What I'm not saying here is that we need to coverup unethical practices. We need to not be involved in unethical practices, including violations of NCAA rules as well as federal and state laws.

HighEliteMajor said:

@drgnslayr You know why it smells of a conspiracy? Because it is a conspiracy.

Bill Self could have done a press conference already and said, "We don't cheat, we haven't taken part in it, I've confirmed with our staff, we don't pay players, and we don't use or conspire with third parties to pay players."

I want to hear from Bill Self.

I want to hear from Bill, too. He said he wasn't going to respond until the trial was completed.

I agree with you that the optics here look pretty darn convincing. And one of the areas I always appreciated in Bill and Company was their efforts to control optics.

Unless the NCAA makes a major overhaul, I just see us continuing to have these issues if we are going to stay going for that top "tier of trouble!"

Remember when we didn't sign any of that top shelf talent? We were all complaining.... There just isn't any good answers here. Talented kids are connected to family that would like to cash in on their talents.

I think many of us are expressing too much fear... and that fear turns to attacks and accusations. Let's just let this play out.

I question why our coaching staff has any contact with shoecos. Why? Because no matter what, we will always look bad. It will always smell of conspiracy.

If this was the old west... Self and Co. would already be dangling from a rope. No trial.

We good? Ooops... I'm guilty now.

Here is what we do....

We will be on the receiving end of every opponents' jeers... Great!

Can we NOW start (finally) listening to me and bring a chip into every season, every game, every second and start kicking the snit out of every living soul that thinks they want to challenge us to a game designed by our very own Dr. Naismith!

Here is a little clue... it is friggin' lonely at the top! But guess what... it's lonely at the bottom, too!

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!

Duke is clean.... says the slew of attorneys they have chanting that from their own top-notch law school!

Aren't we all guilty?

We all have come to realize that college sports has an architecture that supports payoffs and other dirty play. We've all either slammed people like Calipari (or read the slams and laughed). Yet we allowed ourselves to buy into the fairytale that Kansas is different. Kansas and Self were just so superior we could win over top recruits with our finesse versus other schools and entities offering money to kids and their families who have very little.

I haven't read anything here that is shocking to me. I don't like it. But I try to not think about it and I focus on young athletes out there playing with their hearts.

I do have to admit that I am disappointed in Self and Company for ever having direct contact with any of these shoe people. Just how much of this communication was even necessary? How did they think these communications would be seen as harmless by the public (and maybe the NCAA). Why gamble that?

I'm pretty sure most of the payoffs in college sports has gone undetected by the public and media.

This all reminds me of the issue with marijuana. Look at our society change now and suddenly it's no big deal to be a user because of the news that so many people are users... probably even Sanjay Gupta. This should be the moment in college sports where it is addressed that most athletic programs (if not all) tolerate behavior around them that lets things happen, including prized athletes receiving subsidized educations for their sports efforts!

From what I understand, DirectTV NOW gives you an iCloud DVR. And also, you may be able to save programming if you have a USB connection on your router and install an external hard drive. Is that correct, @KUSTEVE ?

If so, perhaps the way to go for me is ATT internet (fiber optics) along with DirectTV NOW! No stinking dish to deal with and unlimited recording hours. I just heard there are still bugs in that virtual DVR system... like perhaps, no Fast Forwarding. I can't stand to sit through commercials!

Does anyone know... if I switch away from a Cox bundle, can I keep my old Cox email address?

nuleafjhawk said:

@drgnslayr I'v been pondering Directv for months now, because i am being tired of being charged $220 per month for being a "loyal customer of 24 years".

Good grief - wonder what dis-loyal customers get charged? I'm tired of going into the Cox office every few months and arguing with them about the price they are charging. My service doesn't get any better. I don't get more channels. All i get is a higher bill. Doesn't seem like a great deal to me.

I'm ready to pull the trigger now @drgnslayr - If i have to miss a couple of games, so be it - i'll go old school and listen to them on the radio. When i was a kid i did that all the time - and really enjoyed it. You get to use your imagination as the game unfolds.

I may get rid of TV altogether........

I've been a loyal Cox customer for a long time. What I found is that in much of today's consumer world, loyalty is punished! They think they own you so you are always swimming against the trend of more competitive pricing. The competitive pricing is about winning market share. Once they got you, they want to keep you at their old, less-competitive price. It isn't just Cox.

You may discover this is a game, and the most savvy players in the game get the best deals. I'm discovering you can negotiate many of your bills and pricing today. Start with utilities. Everything from trash service to phone service. And don't stop there. Unfortunately, it requires a level of commitment: time and energy!

So who is getting burned worse? Unfortunately, the elderly and less-educated are targeted the most. If you don't watch your bills, you'll get nailed with bogus price increases hidden in several areas. They make it complicated and difficult to challenge. What ever happened to consumer protection?

One other thing... ATT just dropped a fiber optic cable in my backyard a couple months ago.

I know that means more data potential, but I don't know how that could impact my decision.

I have two TVs, both internet capable. 1080P

What I did forget to mention was my need for a DVR and the ability to record several channels at the same time, hopefully 4 or more.

I record a few old movies from some channels that offer movies, but not premium channels, like HBO.

Of course I like sports and record the Royals season, most sports playoffs, some NBA, some college football, Chiefs, etc.

Also like some kids channels for my kids.

Greetings everyone!

I've always chosen Cox Communications as my TV provider in the past, largely because of their coverage of Jayhawk games.

I'm getting tired of paying a premium price for television, especially since I don't watch much of it.

I've been looking more at DirectTV as the answer, saving me something like $150 a month over Cox.

It would be great if fans could share their experiences with DirectTV and other providers to help me (and others) connect with the best source while saving dollars.

Does DirectTV show all the Jayhawk games? Other good providers?

Methods to get the best deals?

It's just a tough world we live in for every form of news. Over the last 10 years I've experienced almost every one of my news friends disappear into the sunset. There isn't a living to be made by talented journalists. This is perhaps the biggest threat to our country. It sucks for someone like me... who doesn't waste time reading aliases on social media and phony websites posing as journalists.

Suddenly, "We the people" are feeling isolated. Who to trust? The real journalists gone and what is left is slanted gibberish targeting audiences with red meat.

Civil war? Imagine a few more years of this garbage!

@justanotherfan

Heck... just having post depth should help.

No more big men playing timid trying not to foul!

What I will be looking for this coming year is how much offense we create off our defense.

And another thing... looking at our possession numbers. Rebounds anyone? Remember what that used to be like when we would out-rebound our opponents just about every game?

One sure way to build a lot of points is to give up a lot of points. Increase the game total possession count and total points rise. The heck with that!

How about we practice "grind game" on defense and then "smash ball" on offense?

There is nothing more refreshing than seeing a team play hard on both sides of the ball. Those teams are almost impossible to beat, regardless if they go hot or cold!

@justanotherfan

Question:

Do you think OU basketball suffers when their football does well?

One of my dear OU football friends says they can't have it both ways. The more promotion OU football gets its just a reminder that OU is a football school, not a basketball school.

I'd like to hear what people in here think about that comment.

bskeet said:

@mayjay Well, this was when I returned to KU for grad school, but yeah... I would like to think I'm young :-)

If you are still driving down Memory Lane, then you are young.

Beats the heck out of tripping down Senility Road, or whatever it's called!

I was at an ice hockey game last night and a Jayhawk basketball game broke out in the crowd.

But seriously... imagine how intimidating our team is going to look this year?

I think, to some degree, we will continue to ask this question all year.

What Kansas should do is ask the NCAA to thoroughly investigate his situation so we aren't caught up in it later, after he plays in more games. Make sure we are on record for pushing transparency and responsibility.

Have we done that yet? It seems that if we are innocent, we will want to push for the truth being discovered.

@dylans

It seems like you are talking about "bad ball!"

Is it possible we all learned a lesson over past seasons? It seems like many of us were lured into BGreene's "potential." It was a kind of greed view. Have more.

Looking at it like finances... there are those who just want to make as much money as possible and not care about anything else. They always think they can out-earn their spending habits, which often are driven out of convenience because their time becomes so valuable.

But what happens when the well runs dry? All those expenses. Look at extreme cases like Allen Iverson. I'm not certain... but wasn't his final debts almost equalling what he earned in his career?

Somehow... Self needs to teach his players to not take plays off... on either side of the ball. Because taking plays off leads to preferences, and most young players would rather play offense than defense.

I think Self has to push BALANCE! I think Virginia is an example where too much emphasis is put on defense. They were a team quite capable of going 10 clock minutes without a point.

Players need offense. It's more than just putting points on the board in hopes of winning. Offense is a reward! It should be the reward for working hard on defense!

@BigBad

"Ma-nay! Ma-nay! Ma-nay!"

(the crowd roared)

I think the question here is.... if Zenger was still at Kansas, would this opportunity have happened?

I question if it would happen. Not passing judgment, but I wasn't seeing enough of a connection with Zenger and the fanbase. That makes me question it.

There were many complaints from Kansas fans about those early games not available to them and I always felt like Zenger didn't address those complaints well enough by looking for a solution.

Long steps in.... solution!

What was involved in order to accomplish this was for Kansas to specifically address this issue of lost games due to factors, like blackouts. That required contracting with existing media sources to open up those games for broadcast. And there is very little direct financial gain for Kansas because of the production costs and then the limited revenue from ESPN+.

This was a deal for us fans! Something Zenger should have accomplished, but didn't. His focus on this just wasn't there.

@jaybate-1.0

I believe this is where Self is probably under-appreciated as a coach.

He left the door open to Vick. He gave him a second chance. This is what Self is all about... his players!

Self checks his ego at the door and focuses on life for his players. This may be his strongest quality as a coach! He mentors players!

I'm not putting expectations on Vick this year. It's all up to him. The sky is the limit, but only Vick can decide his outcome.

And I hope Vick knows Jayhawk fans are there for him, too! No one has given up on him!

@jaybate-1.0

I enjoyed your lengthy explanation.

I think right now (actually a few months ago) Vick should be focusing on his future. What position can he play at the next level?

His athleticism is nice at the D1 level. I don't think he is anything unique with his athleticism in the NBA. Then size, durability, and skill set really decide if a guy like Vick can play at that level. Then add in aspects like matchups and being fortunate to play for a team where they need his specific potential.

Yes... it would be really something to see Vick mastered in the skills required at PG. PG will always be a position in the NBA where he won't have a size disadvantage.

The one thing I think all of us can agree on... Vick needs to improve his handles. And that then leads to other areas... like being able to create scoring space... like having a blistering crossover move... developed slash moves... All these areas really squeeze into the "handles" tag.

And then there is the question about his hunger. Vick needs to develop more of a "Type A" persona. Maybe it is there already, but masked under other issues... like self-esteem and just needing to grow up more. I do believe he is a very good person and he's had to deal with the same issues most young people have to go through at that age; what is his identity?

One thing I know about him is that we haven't really experienced ANY of his real athleticism! Another thing I know is Bill Self isn't going to stop any young person from going for their dream! If Vick has his mind set on being the next KU PG and makes basketball his 24/7 religion from here on out, who knows?

Let's hope Vick has used all of his developing months working on his handles. We don't need him at PG on offense (but he could be our BRush top of key defender in the championship game!).

Imagine if Vick's handles matched his athleticism! Imagine Vick with an explosive first step! Imagine Vick blowing by everyone!

He really needs to improve his handles because he doesn't get to take advantage of his athleticism with the ball because the ball can't keep up with his speed.

I keep thinking about your prediction that Dedric is our top rebounder.

I'm not sure where he will be positioned most of the time on the floor. I have the feeling he will be the guy that goes all over the floor on offense, including pulling outside for the trey, but more important, to set high ball screens. My guess... he'll live around the FT line and on out to the top of the key.

That can actually help him rebound if we are hoisting up lots of treys that give off long rebounds.

I see Dedric as a dream "pick and pop" and "pick and roll" big!

@JayHawkFanToo

Hey... you are on to something.

I'm willing to plant the appropriate garden; crimson tomatoes and blue blueberries...

Everyone knows I am a Jaybate fan. His literary creativity is unmatched in a sports forum. But he is like a specific wine and will always have his critics along with his fans. In his better posts I become drunk in his alphabet soup. Campbell's soup with a shot of tequila. Wine? Tequila? Not sure why I'm focused on alcohol today. I barely touch the stuff.

@BShark ..... I hope you realize you are missed in here! Your contributions are huge and you are well-respected and knowledgable... and friendly!

@jaybate-1.0

Even better.... Roy only gets half a statue. The east side of his body will be missing... representing the east coast basketball players he refused to recruit because of UNC.

I'll never understand how he got away with that. Doubtful he could do that today. I smell lawsuit.

@Crimsonorblue22

How about a statue of Self?

@KUSTEVE

Better make sure it's the exit facing east... Better add "recruit-free zone" in there somewhere since he won't be able to take recruits with him.

I see Roy is being immortalized at UNC -

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/aug/02/unc-name-basketball-court-after-head-coach-roy-wil/?mens_basketball ↗

I hope we never decide to rename the James Naismith Court!

@justanotherfan

I hear what you are saying. But I think I feel very comfortable with Vick and his experience over players with less experience.

And I think we have seen little of Vick's real potential up to now. He has always played with hesitation and holding back. Probably over-thinking. That is usually the case when players aren't playing with full confidence in their game. Vick has lacked that total, killer confidence needed to take over games.

I think if this is a game of "meso-ball" and the losers are put to death, we would see a Vick definitely be up there with any other players. His handles can use some definite improvement... it's his weakest area. But his athleticism makes up for a lot. It really wouldn't take much for Vick to pick up a few moves to create scoring space. Another of his weak areas.

I hope Vick is working his tail off right now. He should be thinking this will be "his year" and he should be right!

If we hear more within a couple months that Vick really worked his tail off and improved... we can expect to see him put up some monster numbers this year! I buffered my optimism by making it conditional.

Of all the players we need to step up this year... Vick is right there at the top! He can easily end up being the pivotal player that makes the difference of going home early in March, or playing for the championship! I believe he was the pivotal player this past year. He stepped up enough to get us to the Final Four, but we couldn't close the deal without him putting together monster games in the FF. And think about what he could have done in the Nova game. Nova wouldn't have been able to defend against an athlete like Vick. He could have been the piece to break that defense. Nova had the answer for limiting the post and guarding the trey. That leaves one place wide open; the penetrating swing forward. Vick!

I'd like to see Vick step up in a leadership role where he leads by his play.

Imagine his attitude becomes, "hey fellas, I got this!"

@Texas-Hawk-10

As talented as this team is, I can see them struggling a bit on offense if the refs aren’t blowing their whistles.

Let's just hope we get back to being a decent rebounding team. This will be a year where we can really use the extra possessions.

HighEliteMajor said:

In fact, I think the bias is based in large part on sound business decisions.

That's exactly it. Not a second of national tv happens without a complete assessment by media wonks. Every second has a value, and the goal of tv is to get the highest price they can. You know it isn't paramount to show Big 12 basketball in the east when they can show teams from their area and it will bring perhaps a larger crowd and may involve substantial savings in production costs.

I'm pretty sure we will remain undefeated... for at least the next 3 months!

What I don't get... if it is about fundraising, wouldn't the main revenue stream be from televising?

@jaybate-1.0

Really enjoyed your post. And I used to be in that spot. It felt like we were finally curing that enduring jock itch rash. And it really did have that feeling of cleansing us from poison.

But it started to weigh on me. It was always a game not to be missed. It sent our guys into a battle that should always help us through the rest of our season because this game showed us how to get amped for a game! And how much tougher we play when we are amped!

The financial picture seems to be a big loss in revenue. From a branding prestige factor, it was priceless! Kansas was involved in one of the biggest rivalries in America! And now we are left with K-State.

Last... and what is behind all my points above... I just miss kicking their arses! And the occasional loss just made us want the next mugging even more!

I enjoy games like KU vs UK... but those games will never have the emotion of KU vs MU. That can't be replicated. And while we are all tormented and commenting on how D1 has just become a game about money and shoecos.. here is an example of legitimacy! That rivalry was real!

I miss having more authenticity in the game, and a big part of it is the history that follows schools and games. "Grudge matches" is about all that is left in D1!

http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2018/jul/27/rivlary-renewed-ku-mu-border-war-revival/ ↗

I thought I might be having a heat stroke when I read this...but it isn't even hot right now.

So out of the blue there is a game, and limited or no tv coverage?

I guess this is all old players... making it perhaps even more entertaining than the current teams that aren't even really familiar with the war.

It would be great if someone posts any possible tv coverage.

@jaybate-1.0

I look at Nova and I think first about defense. They always know what to do to beat another team, and they execute. Last March, they shut us down on the perimeter. Time before that, they shut down Perry in the post with a clever pinch double-team.

Let's think back to Self's one single NC. We won largely by executing during the game. When we needed to change, we did. Suddenly Rush is at the top of the key defending.

As in basically everything in life, "execution is king!"

I think many people think it must be easy to execute... after all, our guys are practicing a lot. But let's remember the age of our team and just how much pressure is on them all the time! Huge crowds...

I would like to know how Jay gets his guys to execute at the level they do.

@jaybate-1.0

I'm just throwing out my opinion on this without being sure... but maybe Wright started recruiting just a bit better talent. Still not going for the top tier where attitudes have to be addressed.

A small shift in talent will show up in a big way if all the players are truly "bought in" to the coach.

I think Wright might be the best coach in D1. He gets his players onboard and they execute. All other teams, including us, often try to gloss over the game with pure talent.

As long as Wright continues to bring teams to March that will execute, they will be a tough out and are bound to stack up more trophies.

Svi has a great opportunity. He's getting this because of his size and shooting. He's built well to take the hardship of a long NBA season, and he can really shoot and create his shot. He will have to step up his defense if he wants to earn much time but that will be learned. So much of what he needs is individual coaching. There are many resources available for players like Svi, and I'm sure we will see him take advantage of it. None of our guys leave Kansas knowing how to hedge. They give up easy drives and easy passing lanes. None of this stuff is rocket science, it just requires coaching, focus and effort.

I see a tiny bit of Klay in Svi... like sometimes on how Svi creates his shot. But otherwise, they are miles apart in style, athleticism and ability. But let's give Svi a break! He's a young player with an opportunity and we all need to sit back and watch what he does with it! I believe he has his head on straight, and that is usually the biggest hurdle for young players.

I worry less about Kentucky all the time. Look at the one year Cal won, 2012. Anthony Davis single-handedly won that trophy, and he did it with his defense. Davis is an anomaly... a guy with that kind of talent who took over games on defense.

Defense is tough to teach these revolving door teams and without defense, it's a tough path to a title.

Many people believe Coach K is one of the best coaches in D1. Look how bad Duke's defense looked last year. It's tough to get that top creme to buckle down on defense.

When comparing us to Duke and Kentucky, I like where we are today. We continue to go after the top players and we get some, while we still build a base with other players. I continually see Self learning and growing with the game. We are in a great place! Let's just get this fed probe out of the way...

Dedric a point guard? Lost me after reading that. There are a lot more intriguing lineups than shown here. How about a "big man" lineup? A center and two forwards, all with size. The big lineup reminds me of "bad ball" and we could really clamp down on teams. Something that could help stop the momentum of an opponent who is on an offensive uptick.

@BeddieKU23

I'm just speaking in general terms here... not so much just about the upcoming year.

I know plenty of unhappy UK fans. I don't even poke them with a stick anymore because they are plain frustrated. And I don't go on and on about having all that talent but not able to capture another crown.

Cal has run a hype machine for so many years. Keep the fanbase dreaming ahead, regardless what is currently happening.

Duke and Nova are proven. Not just one title. And though Self only has one title, he doesn't go out on the hype circuit trying to keep the fans going.