Wow. Only 3 possible losses in the Big 12?
I think someone is going to shock us this year. Don't have an idea who it will be. I see lots of reasons why much of the Big 12 might not be as competitive... but that ends up disappearing as the season progresses and players/teams come together.
The attitude we don't want to have this year is that another league title is a shoe-in. That right there is the formula for failure.
I think the HOF status is largely a political symbol. I personally care more about our coach fitting the needs of Kansas first.
In my book... Bill is the best coach we've ever had! A big part of it doesn't relate to our NC or Big 12 streak... I like where Bill has put our program. We are in that top elite circle and we were NOT in the same circle before Bill came to Kansas. Much of what has been done goes beyond Bill's work and relate to the administration and Jayhawk faithful. All of it has come together to put us in that top circle. And a few years turning it up just a bit higher will put us at the very top of college basketball!
We really needed something like this to happen.
We need so many players next year and to key it off a great start like Silvio is bound to build momentum. I'll be surprised if we don't sign at least one more 5-star recruit this fall.
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My jaw dropped to the floor. Wow!
Welcome to Kansas, Silvio!
That bad taste is back. How to describe it.
It's the first taste in the morning when you dined on Brussels sprouts the night before and didn't brush before bed.
It's great to read all the respect for Kruger. He is a class individual and the Big 12 and OU is very lucky to have him.
Kudos to OU for holding up their academic standards!
Maybe Doolittle should consider transferring to UNC.
At that risk level, maybe consider cryptocurrencies that have been making lots of millionaires this year.
Bitcoin and Ether have done very well.
Texas Hawk 10 said:
AAU is what's wrong with basketball in the US right now. It doesn't prepare players to succeed at higher levels and mostly serves to bring out the worst in players and coaches. There needs to be a major overhaul of prep basketball so that kids are learning skills that will gp them in college and the pros and so the coaches and players can be held accountable when they act like whiny little babies.
Spot on!
JayHawkFanToo said:
I would think that there are back channels schools use to get off the record info from the NCAA and I will guess the word is there will not be a waiver and this is why there are really no takers left.
That's my guess, too. Or... the NCAA has refused to give out any back channel info on him at this time.
I do think his threat to sit out is just a push back on the NCAA, trying to pressure them to agree to a waiver.
It wouldn't be bright for Mitchell to sit a year. He can train all he wants to... but what he needs is floor time in competitive D1 games.
Just my opinion... but I believe this is all about the NCAA giving Robinson the go sign on a waiver. Mitchell is stuck in limbo. There is a public campaign showing how he is being pushed out of going to college because the NCAA hasn't confirmed a waiver will happen (directly to Mitchell).
More bad PR for the NCAA!
Not sure yet... but think it all relates to eligibility for this season.
We don't have a formal conclusion from the NCAA, though I believe Bill may have asked for a rushed judgment. Bill will always be out there fighting for the player.
And if he can't play, I"m sure Bill has made it clear to him that his best option is to stay put at WKU.
I believe Bill has helped Mitchell discover his REAL options. What I'm not sure about is if the decision has come down from the NCAA.
I see the N.O. visit as a positive.
What we don't want to do is sign an unsure Mitchell. It wouldn't surprise me if Bill sent him to N.O.... just to help solidify his desire to come to Lawrence. And if we lose him? It wasn't meant to be and we would have been off worse if Mitchell came to Lawrence and quickly became unhappy.
Great point about having the double round robin.
Speaking of scheduling... we have a good track record of beating many B12 teams on their home court. Even though that may help them "get up" to play us in their home every year, as the game progresses sometimes you can see them wilt.
Meanwhile... many of our other top foes in the league have historically had trouble in many of their away games.
It really is a combination "perfect storm" that is going to have to happen to dethrone KU from being conference champions. We need to drop one or more of those games we usually win, and whomever is challenging us for the top spot has to win games they don't normally win.
I think it even gets tougher for our foes when there is more than one shining bright to challenge us. In the end, all those teams cannibalize each other, leaving us alone at the top.
Last... I always thank KSU. Those purple kitties always help us. They pull upsets on others that always puts the icing on the cake.
I think we should make Weber a symbolic assistant coach at KU!
LOL
If we get Mitchell cleared to go this year... I think he instantly gets a real shot at real minutes. Mitch is great, but he lacks body and strength. That doesn't mean he won't be a key part of our year if Mitchell joins us.
Mitch will still come off the bench... and he will take minutes away from any of our post players who start slacking off. Perfect. He'll come in and he'll do what he does.... hustle... hustle... hustle.... while the big or bigs he replaces gets a taste of what a smaller guy can do who just brings hustle.
I think you hit on some good points about how we had some years we would struggle in the ACC.
I can see it like that, too.... but what I can't account for is Self's personal capabilities to put league at the top of his list.
Bill knows we can't drop more than one game a year in AFH... and rarely should we even do that.
But he also has his strategy on how to win the league. He knows how many games we need to win away from AFH. He pushes buttons to get it done and so far it has worked very well.
None of it happens without his emphasis on winning the Big 12. Even potential recruits get an earful of Self and his drive to win our league.
I don't think there is any other D1 coach anywhere who puts such a drive on winning their league. Nowhere.
It may seem the same with other coaches. But it isn't.
I hope we get slammed and laughed at this year.
We need fuel for a chip. We are always just way too "comfortable" every season and we get passed by any team that has a chip.
There is a reason why the statement exists about not counting chickens while marveling over the eggs.
It is fun to dream of the possibilities... but I don't get too deep in this because then I'm totally let down when one or two players don't work out.
I don't think any of those other teams could do this in the Big 12. No way. But perhaps not for obvious reasons.
Our biggest advantage is having Bill as coach. He played in the Big 8 and he personally puts winning our league as a top priority . He's been blasted for that with many saying he should invest more in preparing for March over the Big 12.
I still side with Self. He could "roll the dice" and sacrifice everything every year in hopes we have a slight better chance in March. I just don't see that as the right strategy. Period.
If he took that strategy we would typically end up with NOTHING every year. And then... I can hear the criticism... "Kansas can't even win the Big 12!"
With a strong showing every year in the Big 12, Kansas almost guarantees a 1# seed in March... and that has value, too.
I think you have a pretty good read on Int'l ball.
This should get interesting....
I only have time to come on here now and then right now...
Don't we still have a scholarship to give?
Had a past basketball coach visit me this summer and he was involved with WSU basketball long ago. He still knows many in the admin there and they gave him a current tour of the facilities and program.
After that, he told me when he met some of the old timers there the optimism is higher now than ever before. A big chunk of it related to playing in a better league.
Lots of high hopes at the W. We know how that can weigh down on a team....
It will be interesting to see them in less of an underdog status.
BeddieKU23 said:
I can't think of a single nice thing to say about the BPI.
You have a problem with British Petroleum? lol
Lots of great reading. I've become even more convinced that Billy will be a huge key to where our season goes.
My gut on him... he is one of the most-competitive players we've had in years in the post.
He's going to be a guy that develops in waves. He brings in great tools, just has to be able to apply it to the standards and speed of D1.
Should be extremely exciting! Probably best that the pressure is on him. Guys built at that level of competitiveness usually do best to be pushed with pressure. I'm thinking we will all be a bit nervous with his play, and then some time in Jan-Feb he will make a huge leap. Suddenly he "gets it" for some aspects of the game.
One thing he has to be careful with... he MUST multitask at a high level. Translated... that means.. he can't be in a game focusing on his scoring, setting screens or blocking shots so gives up putting his energy into rebounding.
Billy Don't Be A Hero...
No.... wait a minute... Billy PLEASE be a hero!
While watching my tomatoes grow, I've been thinking about our post play for the coming year.
Doke is a beast! He is going to be amazing for us.
While his assets are obvious, his not-so-good side scares me because of our lack of experienced depth. We are sure to miss Landen Lucas this year.
It appears that Doke is our one big post defender. Can we expect him to do his job well without fouling? And when he collects a few fouls, will he have to throttle his efforts in order to stay on the floor?
If I'm coaching against KU... wouldn't I go directly at Doke, trying to collect fouls early?
Speaking of fouls... what about free throws? Doke didn't even shoot 40% last year. His form from the line was completely unformed last year. Form and muscle memory can take years to tweak into something bearing fruit.
My tomatoes make me think about basketball. Round orange balls.
I've come to realize that Doke learning to shoot respectably from the FT line may be one of the biggest factors for us this year. If he remains shooting around 40%, won't teams play "hack-a-Doke?"
What happens then? Does Coach Self pull Doke from the floor?
This all directs my eyes over to Billy. We need Billy to advance as quickly as possible. I don't see how we escape with easy wins in games where Doke is forced to the pine. Our version of "playing small" always means having one big on the floor. I'm becoming a huge Mitch fan, but he just doesn't have the bod to fill the paint.
It seems like we have to work hard on our post guys from Day 1 this fall. Billy needs to learn "Self-ball"... which means Bill's philosophy and playbook. And he needs to do it within the team concept; learning how to play with the rest of our guys. His talent is off-the-charts, but we will never see his talent until he learns our game and can perform it in D1 real time.
Doke... I know he works hard and he wants to help his team. But I am going to remain worried until the issues above are proven to no longer be issues.
Free throw clanks will haunt me in my dreams.
Isn't game #2 over now? Updates? Score?
Before we get too negative on Dedric let's not forget other past players that needed to be disciplined.... like TT and the Morris twins.
I like the idea of making the Final Four more games!
Yes... football is a definite negative for the ol' noggen.
I think technology with safety will improve, as well as the rules, but there is no way stop the total risk.
Having said that... I don't believe the sport will vanish anytime soon.
To put in perspective, since I have two toddlers I look at what is in food and snacks, especially designed for kids. Most of those products are full of toxins that do everything from inspire cancer to shrink the brain. Yet... I don't see those products being pulled off the shelves, now or anytime soon.
So life moves on... and every year there are tragedies exposed in the media about head trauma from playing football. Sometimes youth will perish. People will be sad for a couple of days then will flip to the next game.
I didn't care when I was young. I thought I was invincible. Boy was I wrong! And I pay the price now and I'm sure in the future. It has made me reevaluate sports and safety and will try to direct my kiddos to a safe path.
Who am I to talk? I haven't banned games like football from my own TV.
I guess there are certain dangers that just exist out there and will continue to exist. Meanwhile, it has given me new admiration for the game of baseball. And the long, long seasons gives me a fix as long as all other sports I watch together.
Baseball. America's game.
I've always been a huge fan, especially a Royal's fan, but after having kids turned harder to baseball, hoping my kids would embrace the game.
I just hope the non-sport marketing wonks don't continue to destroy the game.
It has so much to offer, but requires patience from fans. It's better than soccer for no other reason than not allowing games to end in a friggin' tie.
What I like about the game is that I can actually relate to the players. Players don't have to have a freakish reach half a foot longer than their bodies, or the ability to deadlift half a ton. Some players even have a gut! Ha... It is definitely a game owned by skill over pure athleticism.
I definitely hear what you are saying.... I just think every team is different and sometimes the struggle of having less can be a plus.
And then... other times... the depth really pays off!
HawkChamp said:
Im just not sure our current guards are good enough outside of Devonte.
If we have that problem, then having two bigs in there won't solve it. It usually ends up creating foul trouble for our bigs if our guards can't move their feet well enough to stay in front of the competition.
I hope Udoka will sharpen his defense. Right now, I just see him getting into foul trouble often. That can change dramatically if his defensive game is coming along.
Remember the transformation of Withey?
I flip both ways on the issues of depth.
It sounds great to have a load of depth every year... but then we get into the issue of keeping the rust off of all of them. That sometimes creates friction within the team... I know it is a good thing to have competition for minutes... but when it gets too far out of balance, where we can't give minutes to players that really should be getting some, it can be harmful.
Sometimes teams with a short bench do very well because those players get all the PT they need to come together as a team.
What counts (to me) is the guys carrying a chip. Rarely does the most-talented team win in March.
I think the loss of Whitman is bigger than advertised. But what I'm not willing to say is that this will necessarily be a bad thing. It is starting to look like we will be playing more 4-guard lineups. I like 4-guard lineups, especially if we can have a monster like Udoka in the middle. I just don't know how many minutes a game we can get out of Udoka and Billy. They are both inexperienced and you can bet foul trouble will be an issue, especially as teams will attack our low depth in the post.
I think the issue with Whitman was his strength. He didn't have the strength to translate his game at KU. He just wasn't going to get there in a few months. Hudy is amazing... but she needs time to build players. So... perhaps we wouldn't have received much help from Whitman in depth.
Bagley? Yeah... that would be awesome to sign him. I think he is Duke bound.
Maybe we can still land a senior transfer? How does that work this late? I would think it would be tough to steal one because of timing. Isn't it likely that most or all of them have now accepted aid already?
I think it is a very personal thing for fans concerning support for robotic, mechanical refereeing.
I don't think it is necessary to use drones. You would build a system with cameras on the ceiling, down on the floor at several angles, and tie it into a computer brain. Add sensors and tracking inside the ball itself, too.
This could be done and mastered.
Even though I scream at refs constantly... I'm not sure how the game would feel without the "human element" from officials.
I think I get extra ticked off at refs when they go on a campaign to change the game, as per direction from the NCAA. Calling the game "closer" often means officials calling games with inconsistency. I think I could handle this better if it was unbiased computer-based officiating.
Go, Wayne!
I believe crystal meth was invented in Missouri.
I know it is the world headquarters for meth, too.
Please vote!
BShark said:
Looks like Calipari wants another raise from UK, I'm sure he will get it.
BINGO!
From what we have personally experienced from the NCAA, it doesn't matter if allegations have legs or not. The pursuit by the NCAA relates strictly to their own motives, not some kind of real justice.
I voted... will do so every day. We need to keep promoting the vote!
HighEliteMajor said:
@mayjay The hypocrisy is Self's rationale. We play and have played Colorado, Texas A&M, and Nebraska. All left. In fact, NU was the first domino and we are playing at their place. Any rationale that differentiates MU is severely strained, thus hypocrisy.
Absolutely.... and we are enjoying our own hypocrisy! Successful hypocrisy is a power play and I'm glad we are wielding power over the scum to the east.
I hope Bill can find ways to accentuate the hypocrisy even more. It's hilarious to hear Tigs whine about it. Maybe we can invite Nebraska, Colorado and others into regular series!
It's not enough to stab the Tigs... we need to keep moving that knife inside for maximum effectiveness.
I typically don't hold long grudges. But there are exceptions.
I will explain this on a level our Missouri readers can understand.
"If you decide to take crystal meth, you will lose some teeth."
They decided for the "instant high" of joining the SEC, now they have to deal with losing teeth.
I had come around to thinking we should have the rivalry back. But then a Tiger idiot pops up his head and I am reminded how torturous it was to have to deal with "Tig trash."
The more they want it, the more I support staying where we are at.
jaybate 1.0 said:
I don't want the greatest game ever invented wrapped up in that bottomless black pit!
I agree... I think. Not sure exactly what your definition of the "bottomless black pit" is... but for me, it is politics in general.
Politics has been a big negative tool that tears friends and family apart. It just isn't worth it.
I hope we can limit the politics in here because I would hate to see our Jayhawk relationships shattered because of politics.
My wife is from Serbia. Left Serbia as a child because of the war. Neighbors killing neighbors.
America has the reputation of "re-inventing" the wheel on everything. We just don't study what happens outside of America to learn lessons the "easy way." But I wish more Americans would look back at the history of the former Yugoslavia and realize where the real threat is to America. It sure as heck isn't from Muslim extremists or undocumented workers. The threat is from within us.
Maybe the world's big answer is to convert 10 billion people to become Jayhawk fans!
Peace, love and brother/sisterhood... my fellow Jayhawks!
RCJH!
Politics today are so toxic... but so profitable for tv... especially a gift to cable tv.
Politics is cocaine for tv marketing wonks.
Sports on tv is also a diversion away from politics... but I still expect some politics to continue to leak into sports media.
That would be great if Udunka becomes an All American! All we an do is wait and see. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Conditioning, health, footwork, basketball IQ, chemistry with team, adjustment to officiating, aggressiveness...
I hope he gets there... another special experience watching a player come in to Lawrence and mature both on and off the court. Very exciting times! Udunka was always my pick for the post during his recruitment.
"Despite the injury, Azubuike continued to work closely with the team throughout the season, even going through workouts that did not put the wrist in any jeopardy. Self said earlier this spring that the KU big man did more running and conditioning after the injury than he did before it.*"
That is encouraging.
I don't think people realize what a monumental task Doke had (and has) in front of him. His body, when he arrived in Lawrence, might have been better suited for football or shotput.
It is very difficult to get in the kind of shape he needs to be at for D1 and beyond. And also developing a bit more "fast twitch" muscle is a must.
He's fighting genetics more than anything. To get an idea of the battle, think back about Ridley at Texas. He worked his tail off to drop weight and become an athletic basketball player with just medium success.
This task is as monumental as Withey's tranformation... which I feel that few people really understood how much work Jeff put in.
Congrats, Devonte!