Frank is a bull dog! Dang tootin'!
drgnslayr
11251 posts
I hope you are right. Next year is his pivotal year in basketball. He can make his career go much smoother if he can dominate in his senior year.
He is extremely capable. He may be the most-capable player we have had during his years. Pure talent. But he needs to learn to focus his intensity into his game, every single game. Frank was the perfect role model!
I don't think you are too far off in your pessimistic (but probably realistic) view of college ball.
But I don't think it is fair to lump coaches into a generalization on ethics.
I'm not going to pretend like Bill is some kind of saint, but the ethics differences between coaches is definitely huge.
One of my basketball player buddies who is 25 years younger than me knows quite a bit about it. He was a solid D1 recruit and he doesn't speak much different from the way your post read.
His overall perspective:
- D1 recruiting is slimy
- However... there are plenty of decent coaches who play pretty "straight up" ball.
I don't think what he told me shocks anyone. He refuses to put names to his stories... but he has told me some whoppers. The stories either involved him or some of the players he played with. Some of those stories even shocked me!
jaybate 1.0 said:
Frankly, I wonder if World Wide might be partial to taking on a new client with Larry out, and Cal plateaued.
Nah.... WWW can stay in his own slimy world. We've made monster sacrifices and have put in meticulous planning to bring our program to that final pinnacle at the top. The last thing we need is the pollution from someone like WWW.
Look how Gilbert tarnished the reputation of Wooden. Many won't even give credit to Wooden for anything because of Gilbert.
We'll pass on WWW!
jaybate 1.0 said:
@drgnslayr
Chicagoland would be able to embrace Self as a returning hero to Illinois and keep loving Fred.
Yikes... not sure how that would go. I don't know any old Illini but I do have family in Chicago and they've told me Bill is still hated up there at Illinois.
Guess it was a double-blow for them. Losing Self while winning Weber. I know Weber took them to the FF with Bill's team... but look after that... Their program never recovered.
Yeehaw! I'm thrilled for Svi's return!
This should be his break-out year and I think he has a lot more game to show us. Especially love his ability to drive and finish at the rim as well as his sweet stroke from trey!
So glad I didn't jinx his return with an early prediction.
I'm surprised Cal is still able to recruit as well as he does. He's only won one title with all that talent. And UK is usually an embarrassment with their final loss. He also talks down to his players, treating them like they are 5 yrs old.
Be careful what you wish for... maybe he takes Bill with him to SA!
Because of his young age and foreign background, I think Svi has always lacked enough entitlement on our team to really press his aggressiveness. He has always played "second or third fiddle" to others.
He should come back to have "his year" along with Devonte... It is "their turn."
I know roles are important on a team but I'd like to see more "alpha-dog attributes" from all our guys, not just the guy or two who are supposed to be next in line at the thrown of our team.
Just one more step up the ladder for Bill. Not many steps left. He's right there at the top and we are only beginning to take advantage of improvements made within our program.
Recently... heard lots of NBA chatter that Coach Pop might be leaving within the next couple years. I've heard the same chatter before, but he's now losing most of his old team he had for around a decade and SA is about to become a completely different team. Does he have the patience and desire to basically start over?
SA has always been the one NBA situation that I believe intrigues Bill. Doesn't mean he is truly interested in the job... but who knows?
I don't want to jinx his decision so I won't say.
We love you Holly and our thoughts and prayers are for your complete recovery!
I just keep an eye if we are going backwards offensively to the old hi/lo.
In the very least, I expect us to play a hybrid hi/lo which combines a motion offense with Self's traditional hi/lo.
In the most, I expect us to use the "spirit of Self's old hi/lo" within a modern motion offense. Meaning... using our bigs in the low post to attack while equally promoting driving guards. Some of that attack being "back to the basket" while other low and high post attacks come from slashing and screening. And the, of course, always having the threat of an open trey shot.
I think I became my own devil's advocate in my previous post.
I'm the guy who is "pro x-axis"... pro 4-guard lineup... pro small ball. But I posted my fear of our possibility of being short on girth in the post.
I felt good about having Dwight on our team to backup Doke. Dwight wasn't a tremendous defender, but he often showed how his girth helped us in the post.
I'm never for adding a big girthy slow poke in the post. Our 5s need to be able to get out and run. Run back on defense and stop a score... run out on a break and finish at the other end, often putting back a missed layup... run around in the half court and not be a ball and chain for the rest of our defense. Dwight was reasonable in those areas and was supposedly still getting his snap back.
Essentially... we have traded Dwight for Jack. Jack's offense in the low post should definitely be a plus. I just wonder about his defense. Will he get pushed around or will he stand his ground like Dwight did?
The Oregon game still haunts me. We were completely dominated in the paint. Dominated. I know Doke changes that... but only if he stays out of foul trouble and improves his condition to be able to run.
I'm a bit nervous about losing Dwight.
If you go over to KUSports website, Tom mentions possible minute distributions for next year.
At the 5 we have Doke. Behind him is small guys without big boy bodies. So... we have Doke at the 5 and that is pretty much it. We know he will be pushed on conditioning and he is a risk at foul trouble.
What happens when we face a team with a good 5? He goes inside and draws 2 fouls on Doke in the first 5 minutes? You know that is going to happen.
Dwight offered girth. He was a reasonable defensive backup.
I wonder.... perhaps we become another revolving door team like UK if we switch.
I'm not sure Self wants a revolving door team. If he doesn't, but top shelf talent wants to sign with Kansas... can he refuse? Of course he can... but wouldn't that hurt us immediately and also put into question his strategy?
I think going Adidas keeps us from that. It seems like we get a few of the very top shelf players who maybe even prefer Adidas.
I'm sill not sure how much of an impact it has on recruits' decisions. In the least, there are a lot more Nike events between high school and college. It seems like Nike schools have an edge for that reason alone.
!0_1494621408220_DAVID-BOREN.jpg ↗
David Boren gets on my nerves. Not as bad as the entire UT administrative body... but close.
He is now hedging the existence of the Big 12 in order to appear strong at Oklahoma. I guess I should expect this much from a politician.
The real reason why UT owns the Big 12 is because OU didn't know how to battle and negotiate over the media opportunity that ended up in UT's hands and marked the true end of a strong Big 12, when schools started peeling away.
What I read from Boren's interview... UT will continue to control the Big 12. The Longhorn Network will not be challenged by the rest of our league because OU (one of the dominant schools) doesn't know how to take the battle to UT.
Boren should be spending his time building relationships with the other members of the Big 12. Instead, he only builds his power through threats. He could easily lead all other schools not named UT to a bargaining agreement with UT to dismantle the Longhorn Network for a better league network, but Boren shows his weakness to form alliances and negotiate properly.
For gosh sake... when will he finally retire?
David Boren realignment rhetoric should keep Big 12 on edge ↗
Danny is a wealth of post information and experience. There is no one in D1 that knows the inside game like Danny.
Gosh... I remember his days at Kansas like they happened yesterday. His ability on the court was shocking! He didn't know what he knew later on in the pros... but this was experiencing Danny before injuries. In the open court, he was a gazelle. A gazelle that could not only dribble... but pass... and fake... and change direction.
Danny was the "most artful" college player I ever experienced.
And then watching his pro career was painful. No free gifts in the league. No remorse. "No Boys Allowed." Danny wasn't a boy by then. But he wasn't prepared to be cheap-shotted literally every friggin' night! He proved himself a warrior. He took the blows and he got up for more. But his knees couldn't take it. Couldn't take the pounding, day in and day out. Couldn't take being smashed by gangsta players from that time.
I have total respect for Danny. That will never change.
BeddieKU23 said:
Funniest coach in the land by far. And I don't mean funny in a good way, he's absolutely delusional.
I truly find Bruce to be funny in an entertaining way.
In the real world we have comedians that TRY to be funny. Their efforts show in their attempts... making it tough to fool a fool like me.
Bruce is the "real deal"...
He is as odd as the 3 of clubs.
His voice cracks like he just hit puberty.
He's animated like the penguin in Batman.
He really believes he is going to win.
I laugh every time I see him. I'm not laughing at him to be mean or belittling. I just can't help myself.
My money says he goes to the league...
I hope my jinx works.
"I laughed.
Then.... I laughed some more.
Then.... I paused.
Then.... I laughed some more."
~ Transcripts from "The Internet Hobbit."
Bruce should have been a comedian.
The word on Carlton is he liked to party too much. He did get nailed for drug paraphernalia... I don't want to claim he was smoking pot... but if he was... that sure would explain a lot. I'm not an "anti-pot" person but I do see it as a negative for young athletes.
I don't have any negative feelings towards Carlton. Hard to do that with a kid that has a million-dollar smile! Hope he finds his way at ASU.
I just don't see how Kansas benefits from jumping conferences. In my opinion, it becomes the very last straw.
I believe we should put our efforts into becoming a stronger conference.
There is still a lot of creative Jayhawks here posting... so much for garden discussions...
@approxinfinity Love the Perry comparison. Perry and Jack have differing styles somewhat, but the bottom line is both have good footwork around the rim. I can see using some of the same Perry playbook. I think both players have their strengths. I really like Jack's pick and roll/pop talent. He hides it pretty well. Better than anyone I've ever seen in a Jayhawk uniform. Perhaps he will become the player I thought Carlton would be.
Every time I think of us signing Jack I come away with a better feel and a more positive outlook.
My first impression wasn't good. He just didn't have a basketball player look to me. Then... I found the tape on him and started changing my mind.
Now.. I think mostly of our possible team chemistry and I'm feeling like he will become a big plus. It seems like we want superstars at every position, even on the bench. But... most of our players need to be role players. There is only a few slots open for superstars. I see Jack as a role player who can be extremely valuable. A Landen Lucas type with a lot more offense.
I guess we can join the AAC... they claim they will soon become the 6th power conference -
Power conference? American Athletic plans big push on idea ↗
But seriously... The Big 12 conference is run more like a 4H rabbit show than a major D1 conference. I've never seen any organization exist strictly off a reactive demeanor. At this point, they need to become completely proactive... but I'm not holding my breath.
First.. they need to hire a media marketing company to help build their strategy to move forward.
Second... we can't take any more Texas teams. 4 is the max. Otherwise.. we just rename our league for what it is, "Texas 12 Conference" and then embrace becoming a mid-major-styled league.
Third... kill the Longhorn Network. It has devastated our conference more than anything else.
"Self has now apparently conceded that the adidas conveyor is NEVER going to bring him any top 1s and 5s, and maybe even fewer and fewer 5-star and 4-star types at those positions."
I'm thinking Bill just takes advantage of what is right in front of him. The transfers were right in front of him.
I think Bill had a great season. Okay... he would have liked to bring home the trophy in April. But... he finally had a team with plenty of experience and that helped him execute his plans and win a bunch of games this past year.
Maybe he just didn't want to go back to having a super young team for the next few years... the transfers will help prevent that.
I'm psyched for next year and the year after. I think we will have a great mix of talent, from experienced to newbies.
It's time to pull Self above Wooden; Kansas above UCLA. Let's secure that conference streak record and pile on top of it! While we are at it, we should take home the big trophy in April, too!
justanotherfan said:
"The Wizards couldn’t let him continue to take shots at guys"
True. Boston was pushing Washington around with ease. They needed to stand their ground and even push back harder.
Kelly did the right thing. He didn't hurt anyone, just made a statement. Without making a statement like he did, it would have taken one of their guys cheap-shotting a Celtic.
Oubre was justified in erupting. Olynyk is a dirty player and threw his shoulder into his face. Then, turns around and flops on Oubre's shove to make it look worse. Glad it lifted Washington to the win and hope it inspires them to a victory in the series.
I just don't see a good reason why Bill would leave. He has big bucks already, and plenty of challenge right here in Lawrence. If he coaches around more now he has a distinct chance of losing some of his prestige, too... especially when discussing "legacy."
Yep... I have faith in Bill on this. He knows what he is doing.
I don't know how to compare some of these coaches from the distant past up to now, against Bill.
I was born in the 50s and up to now I have Bill as my favorite Kansas coach that I experienced in my lifetime, by a long shot.
Could it be that we signed Jack because he offered us diversity? Do we have another big that mimics a similar game to Jack?
I don't know... but it seems like Bill prefers having a big mix of differing talents/capabilities. Jack fit that bill.(?)
I can't believe how many transfers we have on this team. I'm totally fine with it. And what I really like is Bill's willingness to change in hopes of bringing home a trophy in April.
Yes... I used to be one of the dorks that claimed Bill was too hardheaded to change!
Frank is smiling right now! Yes.... Frank is smiling because he has the very best shot possible now. Why?
If you don't follow NBA, just google "Isaiah Thomas."
He had 53 points in Game 2 against Washington and he single-handedly brought back Boston, sent it to OT where he finished off Washington.
Isaiah Thomas is only 5'9" tall.
Yes... Frank has a legitimate chance. The first thing is for him to get drafted.... hopefully high enough to where he gets a solid look and maybe even a guaranteed contract.
Thank you, Isaiah!
Matt has a write-up on this... lays out some possibilities. Heck... he still thinks we can get Svi back and land up to two more recruits. I believe it to be way too much "pie in the sky" but who knows?
http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2017/may/2/an-overview-of-kus-scholarship-situation/ ↗
Good luck, Carlton!
Do we know who teaches our bigs these days? After Danny left?
It took 4 years to teach Landen to stop the lengthy gatherings under the rim. And I still don't see our guys knowing how to seal off for rebounds.
At this point, I'm for grabbing any decent big that has been taught fundamentals because it doesn't look to be guaranteed they will learn them at Kansas (or any other D1 school).
I know that sounds whiney... but I'm sick and tired of our bigs not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
Look... we get a guy with 3 years under his belt in D1 and it looks like he has a grasp of fundamentals, at least, some of them. I think that is a huge leap forward. Let's just hope he can teach what he knows to our young post guys.
I really enjoyed that clip and immediately adored his pick and roll move. We've NEVER had a post player that could deceive like that before. NEVER!
Might he help Doke, too?
Whitman seems to have pretty good footwork underneath him. I'm pretty sure he can help out all our bigs.
"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."
~ Walt Whitman
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Jack Whitman, alleged (imagined) great-great-grandson of the late Walt Whitman, proves his ancestor's point; simplicity is the "art of arts."
Jack has fundamentals. He is our next Landen Lucas but with a lot more offensive fundamentals figured out. He knows how to deceive on the pick and roll, he knows how to pivot his way in the post to open blue sky (and easy scores), he knows how to "shoot through the paint" for eye-popping offensive rebound finishes.
Jack represents the experience we need in the post. He has his school bus driver's license and is raring to go!
!0_1493408516961_1988_ku_championship1027_t960.jpg ↗
Kevin Pritchard will replace Larry Bird as Indiana's President of Basketball Operations.
Congrats, Kevin!
Larry Bird resigns as Pacers president, Kevin Pritchard to take over ↗
Hey... you never know!
At least Tyler can go directly towards a coaching career now and not mess with trying to still play the game himself.
I don't think I know where to start on this one.
First... I will be blown away in shock and sadness if we lose Bill within less than 10 years.
Imagine what Bill is yet to accomplish at Kansas but is aligning the stars to happen between now and his departure? I am hopeful we can score at least 2 National Championships between now and then. But I also put equal desire to keep our conference streak alive.
I do believe people are starting to realize what a big deal that conference streak is. It has given us a definite spot in the top 4 elite teams, without question.
Why would Bill leave a situation where he is just now actually starting to reap the benefits? His HOFr status will just start to kick in now, giving him one more of the pieces he needed all along.
If Bill can win a couple of NCs and explode Wooden's conference streak by like a decade... and keep our NCAA berth streak alive... and his overall winning dominance... who will be seen as a better coach in college basketball? Coach K and Roy are in their sunset years. And when it is all said and done, isn't it possible Bill could be viewed as the all-time greatest coach in college basketball? I realize that sounds like pie in the sky... but put it all together and if the pieces fall in place. His dominance will be well-recognized and he will have plenty to show even more than the greats that are up there now.
That is what Bill has on the line at Kansas. And for him to leave... what on God's earth could he gain by leaving? Just to become another "Larry Brown?" Nothing against the great Larry Brown, but the real achievements happen at one school. Wooden/UCLA, K/Duke, Roy/UNC, Knight/Indiana... No one adds much value into Roy's work at KU, or Knight's work at TT.
It looks like we just signed the next Frank Mason for 3 years of eligibility left.
Guards his height aren't exactly smeared all over the NBA draft boards so he will stick it out in school.
I'm thrilled with Charlie! Totally thrilled!
Welcome aboard, Charlie!
I'm thrilled Bill is picking up more transfers. I am kind of shocked we will have 3 transfer redshirts next year but I'm okay with that.
Problem is... quality players want to get PT. If we load our team with too much depth, we end up wasting it, guys get rusty, attitudes go south... etc.
The transfers keep our practice sessions highly competitive, while they learn the system without losing a year of eligibility. Often, I would rather have the extra depth spent on a transfer learning Self-ball over having a guy sit on the bench all year, wasting away.
Look at Newman. Let's say he is gone to the NBA after this coming season. Compare that to a OAD. At least we got a year of his contributions in practice AND he got a year to learn Self-ball so his one year can be more effective.
I'd really like to see us pick up more grad transfers. That's a lot of college ball experience we get for free. And the guys are more like men instead of boys.
Gosh... sometimes it is hard to recognize the game as even similar, between college and pro.
Though, some things never change!
[link text](
Really get a kick out of that lady pointing her finger, like it is a gun!
NBA playoffs: After skirmish, Jimmy Butler says Marcus Smart is 'not about that life' ↗
Sometimes really small guys can outplay really tall guys.
I'm thinking back on Gonzaga, and 7'1", 300 lb, Karnowski.
I want a guy shorter than 6' shooting in on him when he catches it in the low post. I want my 5'-something guy never to look up. I want him to attack Karno "from the ball... down." So if Karno holds the ball, tie him up. If he dribbles, my 5'+ guy better be stealing that ball right in front of his eyes! Meanwhile, Karno has to dribble the ball a long vertical length... ball traveling from his hand to the floor back to his hand. That is a lot of distance. He should never be able to put the ball on the floor or bring the ball down. I don't care how big he is... unless he is standing right below the rim, he is going to have a hard time scoring!
This "moment" is for @wissox ... to point out the "not-so-obvious!"
I'm all over this young man. He fits our need for a "utility big" - small and nimble enough to play some minutes at the swing, strong and physical enough to even fill in at the 5 (when needed).
What I like about him is his "edge." He has a natural chip. Frank had a natural chip, too. We need at least one guy on our team that carries a big chip and never stops while on the court.
There was a recent article at KUSports about how Frank impacted other players. Frank did so much more than just produce off his finger tips...
Juiston might be the next Frank!
Or you can flip that...
Roy Williams - 15 years at Kansas, ZERO National Championships while there.
Bill Self - 14 years at Kansas, ONE National Championship.
I don't think we can compare the two fairly when considering different schools are involved. But both served almost equal terms at the same school, Kansas.
I do think Roy would have won at least a championship at Kansas had he recruited from the entire country!