🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@DoubleDD

I'm not so sure we are fried. I'm glad the feds are in on this. If they weren't, I would have made your same prediction a long time ago.

The feds have no inside interest in frying any particular school. All of their work has oversight within their department.

Between the feds and the commission... I see the NCAA as suddenly being afraid to pull favorites like they always did in the past. It won't take much effort to motivate the feds to start looking harder at the NCAA itself if they crucify Kansas while giving almost no punishment to UNC and Syracuse for something that should have warranted a fed investigation and huge penalties.

Kind of makes me wonder if the feds are already investigating the NCAA. They should!

This conversation has gone ugly.

Everyone take a deep breath and look outside at the world. Do you see the spring flowers blossoming? Or do you see the neighbor's fighting?

Our social climate has become ripe for giving people the opportunity to unload baggage on others. So much of this is politics, and the corruption from both sides to appear "superior" by painting the other side negatively. And that negativity is built through generalizations and distortions... anything to "win."

Look... this forum is shared by many. And many people don't appreciate this going negative, especially negative and personal. This should be the place where people of all colors and political ideas come together to talk Hawk ball. In that one area we all become equals... brothers and sisters of Lawrence!

I'm a person of color. And I can identify with racism and inequality. But I can also identify with putting those things behind me so I can strive and be happy in this world. I don't feel like I'm a victim, because I have decided I'm not one. Have I been discriminated against? Heck yes. But I don't harp on it because I'm too busy creating fruit for life and my family's life.

I've recently been attacked for not being PC enough. Yikes! My goal is peace on this earth, meaning... I don't want to offend anyone. Yet... a few of my old words don't sound right today. What happened to being understood for intent?

The world is one big, dry batch of kindling and anything can be used as a match.

Time to bring out the hoses! Let's all strive to be the best people we can. That usually means accepting imperfections in others first. Learn to laugh with others (and not at them)... start by accepting funny things about yourself! Smiles and positivity go along ways.

@Gunman

One word.... corruption!

@mayjay

Then you just compete "amateur" dollars with pro dollars.

What these kids need in college isn't money. They need the best coaching and environment to develop into being the best.

That is worth far more than a few bucks. And paying them more money in college just makes them feel that much more likely to turn pro sooner because they think they are missing much bigger cash.

College is their last amateur world. It should be all about lifting their game instead of dropping a few bucks in their wallet.

I have a bright idea....

I've always felt that the players should receive more $ in college basketball.

But I'm okay for keeping that part as it is... room, board and education. However.... Why don't we have a structure within college basketball to help promote/develop players? Make it attractive for the players to stay in college if they are sitting on the fence on whether to jump. Create an incentive system to help keep players in school. Money flows through college basketball like water... create NCAA developmental centers (with the best coaches) only for use by current student athletes. In off-seasons... summers... Christmas break... open the doors for players to hone their game. Obviously, not every college player could go... but something could be figured out that is fair.

In some ways, my idea almost sounds more like something for the pros... but so does so many of the ideas proposed for solving college basketball. The big bucks are there, so it is hard to keep it "amateur." And it is pro basketball that is the enticement for players to leave school early.

All new solutions should put the student-athletes first. Put that at the top of the list and then there are great solutions everywhere.

The NCAA is corrupt.

I define "corruption" probably broader than most. It's more than just some guy taking bribe money in a dark alley.

The commission report exposed some of the obvious things to clean up college basketball. Why didn't the NCAA do some of those things earlier? That is corruption right there (in my book). Corruption is also the failure to execute the right path correctly.

So, by my definition, without any other info it seems obvious the NCAA is corrupt. And did they really have incentive to correct college basketball with lots of changes? Or... is it possible that they have received publicly-unknown mega benefits from various sources.... shoecos.... sports media... universities... ?

Gosh... just look at the suggestions of that basketball panel. Basically, they advise for so much clean up.... clean up the NCAA should have done decades ago. As @HighEliteMajor said... the real problem is in enforcement.

What we really need is a deep investigation into the NCAA. It isn't enough to just say they lacked the ability to enforce. They have been exposed to all those lose shoeco dollars just like schools and athletes are.

Anyone in here think the NCAA is squeaky clean and not taking donations/kickbacks/freebies/kickbacks? It could be done on an institutional level and/or within individuals. I guess the NCAA only has saintly staff members.... yeah, right!

@Statmachine

I agree.

Self has said several times that he is drawn to the best talent the world has to offer. If he could have, he would have done what Calipari did at Kentucky and what K has done now at Duke. He wants to recruit the highest level of talent he can get. And just look at our past... full of 4-star recruits and often marginal 5-star players and then sprinkled in the top recruits like Wigs. Look at all that very top tier we have missed on. Self went for it. No reason to think he couldn't have landed more top shelf talent if he was "dirty."

Heck... it took a long time just to get Self to change his recruiting strategy where he would tell the top shelf guys that they would be treated like everyone else... no special deals. They had to fight to earn their minutes. As it became more apparent that wasn't what players wanted to hear, Self changed. He started giving the very top tier guys extra benefits... different from the rest. They wouldn't just get the fast hook for making mistakes in games.

It is clear that Self wants the very highest ranked players. Why hasn't he done better?

@BShark

I think Doke will be a completely different player by fall of this year. His ability to advance rapidly is his biggest upside.

Not sure about his improvement at the FT line. He should just be able to mechanically develop his stroke and form and practice enough to develop muscle memory. That alone should pull him to 60%. Beyond that % he will have to add some additional polish.

I imagine a real beast in Doke appearing next year. Just look at this year... he became a real threat about half way through the year, where teams had to deal with a real scoring threat inside.

I imagine Doke returning with a new defensive game. One where he fouls a lot less but challenges shots better. I imagine Doke learning a lot more about rebounding. That is more about desire than anything else... just look a Silvio. He often snagged rebounds that weren't even close to him. He really wanted the ball.

@bskeet

One of the current shoe companies would get the annual contract for all the schools. That deal would be huge and would invite very obvious corruption between the NCAA and the shoecos.

The NCAA likes to slither around and have the focus be on the schools' "deals" with shoecos.

Meanwhile.... back at the ranch... I'd like to know the direct benefits the NCAA receives from the shoecos? Anyone know?

I'm certain the NCAA tries to hide their own business dealings... Make it appear that only schools receive benefits. But I bet there is money making it into the NCAA directly. There are no rules in corruption.

Shoecos obviously don't have a problem targeting bribes to HS players and their families... why would they suddenly have ethics concerning paying off NCAA staff members?

Money is being thrown up in the air... hundreds of millions. But we are to believe NONE of the money lands on the desk of NCAA staff? Imagine how much power the shoecos obtain from a few payoffs to the NCAA?

And what about payoffs from schools to the NCAA or NCAA staff? Yes... I'm just making an allegation and not stating known facts. But there is so much cash flying around here. Why should I believe that the NCAA isn't corrupt just like every other part of our society where so much money is involved?

I'm still ticked off over cases like the UNC case. All graduates from that school suffered damage from that case. There was clear participation within the university. Essentially... we could end up with a stiffer penalty than UNC even if there is never a direct connection made with any Kansas staff and the payments.

I'm still trying to fully comprehend Zenger's statement of Kansas not liking to be called a victim.

It appears we will take a hit for all of this, and if we didn't actually participate in the payments or have knowledge about it... WHY aren't we a victim?

It seems that he's laying the groundwork to accept the contract with Adidas.

I think he shouldn't have made that statement. If we aren't a victim, then we participated in the "crime?" We are definitely taking a hit for this. So we have damages. We are either involved in the payments or we aren't. So we are a "victim" or a "perp."

Money is still ruling the day. Very touchy with the hearts and minds of Jayhawk fans. Yes... we know big money is involved. But most of us are drawn to the game because it isn't "pro" ball.

This is a time period where we need to see the focus from Kansas being targeted on the investigation, and to be as straight with the public as possible. This feels like just a big business PR stunt, helping preserve the Adidas contract.

So... I'll ask all of you.... does it appear that Kansas is a "victim?" We did get a benefit from Silvio.... we didn't get a benefit with Billy. If we had knowledge of Silvio's family payment, why would we have still used him when we didn't use Billy? It seems that the Billy situation would have already drawn extra eyes on us, too.

truehawk93 said:

The NCAA will have to cover their asses and make an example.

That has been their history. But they only slapped the wrists of Syracuse and North Carolina. Heck... what North Carolina did should have brought the feds in to prosecute. Their academic gift giving diminished the value for all other students graduating with a diploma from North Carolina. Cases of such magnitude should have invited federal prosecution.

I certainly hope he stays... not only for himself, but, or course for our benefit. I see us contending for another Final Four next year with Doke, but think it much less likely without him.

The NBA isn't focused on limited big guys any longer. He needs to have some game away from the rim, and even his rim game needs to tighten up considerably. His FT shooting is a whole additional story. His basic ball handling is rough. His passing still needs help. His rebounding is still undeveloped. His defense also undeveloped. He really hasn't polished any area of his game. But he will, and he will do it quickly.

If he's thinking about this carefully, he'll paint a scenario leaving and staying and see which one is to his biggest advantage in the intermediate future, not just for the moment.

I feel better that the feds are conducting this investigation over the NCAA. The NCAA dictates to members and can shift the burden of proof to levels that would never be tolerated outside of being a private organization with voluntary inclusion.

If the feds find Kansas is involved, they will have solid evidence.... like Stumpy's call at Arizona.

Kansas needs to make sure and get the message out there that Kansas is a victim in all of this. They are stepping up by denying the need for an internal investigation. Our program is in a constant state of investigation, 24/7/365.

@mayjay

It's called a "Duke call" and it is the same thing as what refs often give them. But other schools get Duke calls... UNC... Syracuse...

Did our coaches know that Preston was driving around in a car he couldn't afford?

It seems like if he didn't have the little accident, Preston would have played all year and nothing mentioned of the car.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/2r9r83/suicide_of_hunter_s_thompson/ ↗

Not everyone thought it was a suicide...

@nuleafjhawk

Love that Thompson quote.... ever been to Owl Ranch?

Heck.... I'd like to see a 5-guard offense sometimes. Why? Because it forces the guys to compensate. The only way to stop a decent opponent with a big man is for our guards guarding their guards to put enough pressure on them to stop an easy pass in the post... something we should have been doing all year but we didn't. Our guard defense this year wasn't up to snuff. That showed in our Nova loss, big time.

"“I think if Romeo would just come to Kansas, it would be an automatic lock for the national championship next year,“ Grimes told USA Today at the McDonald’s game."

He definitely has the ability to sell. I hope he can sell some leadership to next year's team.... we are going to need it!

I've always liked Izzo. He's old school, just like me. Not sure if that's a positive today or not. lol

@Bwag

Bravo!

I'm curious... so is that a 15 ft tall fence? It would seem the ball would go over it often and good luck retrieving that ball!

All Star games are nothing more than hype festivals. The sponsors get hyped, the players get hyped... even the popcorn boy selling on aisle 7 gets a shout out.

No defense.... everyone tries to get in a few highlight dunks or whatever... and literally millions of photos are taken, thousands of videos... pure hype.

It's all about commercialism in the most-commercial country in the world!

Once you see it that way, take out of it what it has to offer. Not much. Just a rough opportunity to see players at the end of their HS careers and moving on to college.

@DoubleDD

Oh so true... but the thing is... it would actually be to Vick's benefit to have competition for PT. He needs to be pushed. He wasn't this year and so he was just allowed to play through a very poor conference season. Had we more depth, chances are Vick would have been benched early on and then we would have seen him hungry to see the floor again.

Many young players don't get it. They think it is in their best interest to find a big hole in someone's lineup guaranteeing them all the PT they can handle. WRONG! They need to be pushed. They need to fight competitively for PT. And if they won't do it in college, how easy will it be later if they are going for a pro career?

@BShark

Yep. I don't think Mitch is going anywhere either.... except... he should consider a redshirt if Self agrees.

A solid year of protein shakes and Hudy and our boy Mitch should be 20 lbs of muscle heavier. It's what he needs to do anyways if he wants a pro career somewhere. And then work on his jump shot and other aspects of the game, like his handles. If he redshirts next year... then the following year it is hard to imagine him not getting valuable PT.

@Ralster

Yeah... I don't want to judge him yet either. And we never know what a player will do once given PT. He might just end up being a find like Frank and Devonte!

I hope Romeo becomes a Jayhawk. We have a definite hole that needs to be filled now.

What's that song? "Purple Rain?"

I'm shaking in my boots about the purple kitties winning the league next year.

LOL

@Lulufulu

I hope we will see the 4-guard lineup sometimes! It would be great if we keep more tools in our tool chest.

A big thank you shout out to Malik!

He figured things out and became extremely effective. I wish him the best moving forward! Another great Jayhawk that will always be remembered and honored in Jayhawkland and AFH!

Many of the names people call me can't be repeated in here and come with free hand gestures. lol

@Statmachine

Agreed. There are many one-dimensional players in the league, but their one dimension is so strong they can be used to just work their one big thing.

Players wanting into the league should bring in several skills if they hope to make it and see a lot of floor time. Contrary to what many think, defense is played in the NBA. It's just the fact that players/teams have mastered so much offense that it tends to dominate the game, and the league wants to see plenty of offense, too, so seats get filled. Adding in a 3-pt perimeter line was all about bringing more offense, by adding a point and helping spread out defenses. Imagine the game without the trey now? We would look at it as ugly play, mostly in the post. A lot bigger players with limited handles, smashing it up in the paint.

Doke has a long long ways to go to be pro ready. But on the bright side, he seems to be a fast learner and is dedicated to the game. I never thought he would be this good at the end of the year. He has come so far, so fast! Still... a long ways to go.

In my book, it would be nuts if he left this year... but I've usually guessed wrong about players. I expect him to be a very improved player by next fall. I believe he will work out his form on a shot, so he will be improved at the FT line, and also be able to hit mid-range shots. Hopefully, he will learn more tools for his chest, like how to keep his big body between the defender and the ball and his shot.

He needs to learn how to better use his lower body to battle for rebound position. He has the size needed, but just hasn't acquired that skill yet of bending his knees, lowering his center of gravity, and then pushing with his butt while keeping his arms wide to prevent anyone slipping by him for a rebound. This same skill will come in handy when trying to establish himself in the low post on offense.

I hope he stays. It will be good for us and him. I'm excited to imagine him back next year and can't wait to see all the improvements he brings with him!

@BShark

Yeah... the post game is becoming rare in all of basketball. Hard to beat the odds with an inside game when you spot the perimeter an extra point on every score.

Our loss in the tournament was more than just flipping to more treys. We were guarded much tighter on the perimeter versus our attempts at defending Nova's perimeter. But even if we were better at defending the line, I'd still give Nova the advantage because they shot through our defense from the perimeter more than we did against them. That extra point did prove out to be a key factor, too.

One thing will be very different next year... we won't be limited to one post player on the floor at a time. The argument for the 4-guard offense is that it spreads defenses out so our post player can dominate the paint and score easier. The key factor in all of that is timing, spacing and passing. Even though we were fairly efficient at that, we weren't quite efficient enough with it against Nova, and their sticky defense.

Next year, Doke (if he remains) will have help in the post area. Yes, it will clog up more space in the paint... but if it forces more double-teams, then someone is open, now another post player nearby and nearby the basket. It's just a different brand of basketball, one that Self knows well with his inside-out history.

I am one of those guys that like a 4-guard offense, but I'm game to just let Bill do what he knows best, the inside-out and focusing on inside scoring.

What we missed in the 4-guard offense was rebounding. That was the silent killer for us all year. Having at least one more post player on the floor at the same time should help us over that issue. Another weakness was defense. We could have used more size on the floor to help that out. We often sagged our defense with plenty of not-so-good weakside help. That ended up being one of the biggest factor (if not the biggest) in our loss to Nova. We kept doubling players with the ball once they came inside the trey line with the ball. That always left someone open, and we paid dearly from their trey effectiveness.

I'm anxious to see our new post next year! I know Bill knows how to use a bigger lineup!

@BeddieKU23

As time passes it gets much easier to really appreciate this team. Definitely a group of over-achievers!

@JayHawkFanToo

What is key for Devonte is to find the right pro situation. The right team... owners... coaches... and of course, the right situation.

He will have to raise his level of play and to hold that level consistently. I think he can use quite a bit of work on his defense... crossovers... etc.

@Statmachine

Your post is right on the money. Doke needs at least one more year in college (the focus on "at least").

He has three super-positive attributes, making him worthy to pursue the NBA:

1. Size

2. Improves Quickly

3. Attitude

I don't think people give him the credit he deserves for how quickly he changed his body over the past year.

If you really want to be shocked, view some recent game footage of him (before he was injured) and compare that with his footage before coming to Lawrence. He's still adjusting to his new body, and his new body is still improving dramatically!

I am thinking he will stay for one more year. I'd love to see him stay 2 years to rocket to the top of the draft boards, but who knows... maybe he can get there in 1 year!

Welcome to the "digital age."

Nothing ever really goes away on the net. It's a real-time archive. Truth be.... none of us should show any comments with our real name because eventually something said in those comments won't fit future times and then the trouble starts.

@BShark

Better add "FT %" under negatives.

I don't see Doke leaving. Testing the waters? Maybe.

He is such a long ways from being NBA-ready.

Thank you, to everyone, for all the great discussions!

This team deserves all the credit in the world. Just erase that last game because Nova was on the "run of runs."

Let's not forget some of the memorable games.... smashing teams like Mizzou, KSU, WVU, OU, Shaka, Coach K, Calipari...

The real problem was that Nova guarded aggressively on the trey line.

But we have shot okay sometimes on contested treys. No guarantees. And the more we pushed treys, the harder Nova was going to guard from the perimeter. That you can count on. Wright has his guys listening to him and executing. If he calls timeout and tells them to defend harder on the perimeter, they will.

It must be frustrating to be a coach and watch Wright operate. How does he get his guys so completely onboard?

Nova took the guesswork out of this year's tournament. They thrashed every opponent with double-digit wins in March/April.

One key factor: "margin for losing" was essentially eliminated by their focus and effort in every single tournament game.

Got to hand it to Wright... whatever he is doing is working. I expect more coaches to look closer at his approach to the game, because his approach works. His players are totally bought-in. They have excellent basketball IQ and they hustle every minute on the floor. Last, they execute.

@benshawks08

Doesn't it make you wonder why we didn't run the same defense Nova ran?

Why did we give away a dozen or so trey baskets in that first half, when the game was really on the line?

We always had a player or two floating around in between their man and the goal... floating in "weak-side help" land.

We needed to "man up" and each player be responsible for defending 1-on-1 on their man. It sure worked with Nova.... they didn't even double down on Doke most of the time (when he got the ball in the low post).

We were well-rested for this game, but we weren't prepared for this game. At least, that is my humble opinion.

All and all... this was a GREAT season, filled with exciting basketball and with a team that could have easily lost our conference streak and failed early in March.

These guys deserve a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate and giving it their all!

I think the difference in this game was Nova's players are better coached up. Athletically, I still give us an advantage. But the game is won with basketball IQ.

Think about this. The high basketball IQ players don't have to be coerced into "getting up" for a game. They also learn how to stay focused through adversities.. like playing in a Final Four. They know how to execute. They know how to adjust when the play isn't going their way. They know how to play defense, both on-ball and weakside.

I lost my voice by halftime. I was screaming at the stupid TV until I couldn't scream more. We gifted Nova so many freebie points with wide open trey shots, I couldn't stand it.

Their ball movement was okay, not great. Their spacing was okay, not great. We kept doubling players and leaving guys wide open. Even the sportscasters mentioned it several times and they only see the obvious.

Anyway you want to look at it... their players played a smarter game. And that is what beat us. We were double-teaming Brunson sometimes with 6'5" Vick and 7' Doke. That didn't make sense. Everyone knew their big guy could bomb treys.

We fell behind so quickly and by so much we needed real changes in order to disrupt their flow and change the game. It only happened briefly when we flipped to zone. Even then... they still had open treys, just missed a few.

We can only coach up players so much. Time restrictions. But our coaches can appraise every player's ability and can create their own personal development guide they can do on their own and with other players. Something needs to be done to help give our guys more basketball IQ. Some of that IQ is strictly knowledge, other parts of it requires learned physical skills along with it.

@Kcmatt7

I'm with you.... I LOVE this team, too!

I hope this gets him stoked and focused.... I recall some other past players that really stepped up when a parent or parents showed up.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2018/03/30/kansas-ad-who-fired-porter-moser-loyola-final-four-run-best-story-college-sports/474131002/ ↗

Could we face the ultimate chip team on Monday night?