🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I think we have to deal with just not existing on the east coast. It seems easier for them to recruit the top shelf talent. They get most of the press and young players feel like going east is their ticket to the NBA.

Struggles should make you tougher. I think the challenge we have here is making us tougher. Look at Bill. He's been changing a lot in recent years, not settling for where he is at. Does he have a ways to go? I think he still does, but he is young and full of potential, too. We look at players all the time and assess them... but I look at Bill, too, and I like how he has advanced his game in the past couple of years.

I sometimes think that a few years ago, when we flipped off the tap from BG and others to pound the ball into the post (creating "BAD BALL") was a pivot point for Bill. The writing was on the wall, and Bill then knew that he had to offer more than "Iba ball" if he was going to advance his drive for winning.

Life really isn't about winning the big prize. It's about the journey. I know people hear that all the time and often dismiss it, but it is the truth. I really enjoy this journey, full of joy and struggle at the same time. We have an opportunity to constantly grow and improve, and eventually you all know another National Championship is coming to Kansas. The question is "when?"

This year was fabulous, except for the bitter end. And it was one of the more bitter endings for me because of my fondness for Frank and feeling like he isn't going to leave Kansas without a National Championship. I did really believe that. And I still believe we were the team to beat in March. We just didn't quite have enough "chip" to get us there while UNC proved how big their chip was.

What we don't need now is panic. Making changes just for the sake of making changes. I believe Bill is on the right path, he just needs to stick with it and continue to grow and find other ways to win. He seems to be more driven now and matching the drive he had before ever winning a title.

I'm happy for Tar! Congrats, man!

His outstanding attitude rubs off on the game and the game can really use more Tars!

I like how next year is shaping up. But there is the "unknown factor." Frank isn't heading up this team so some one will have to. Team chemistry is important. I hope we don't have another year with off-court cr@p happening, too.

@chriz

It's called "being in the right place at the right time!"

I hope Wayne realizes this is a big break for him. He better not take it for granted because there is a lot of extreme talent sitting at home just wishing for a shot like he got!

BTW: Go, Wayne!

@wrwlumpy

You really nailed it in your last post. Our defensive flurry against WVU at home in those last 3 minutes was intense.

Where did that intensity go in the Oregon game?

No one in here will ever convince me that Oregon was a better team than us. Not even close.

I think @justanotherfan did a good job of explaining how we still had questions a year ago about this past year's team, too.

Mark my words on what I am about to say... we are DEFINITELY not done recruiting for next year! I will be surprised if we don't get at least one more top level player, whether his ranking is at the top now or he is undervalued.

Bill is grinding it out on the trail now. He wants to bag TWO top tier players in case Svi goes. Now, we have Josh's scholarship to use and I will be surprised if it isn't taken within the next 1 to 2 weeks. And then I expect he will find a very good player to help our needs if Svi goes. Probably a utility player. The Hutch JUCO guy seems like a logical grab, possibly.

With the loss of our two scholarships for the Lawson brothers, we need to fill every scholarship this year and with talent that will help us next year!

Adding the Lawson brothers actually helps our recruiting now because we gave up two scholarships for guys that can't play next year.... meaning... more PT available for other players, including new recruits!

Well.... there goes my fantasy. Durn it.

Go kick some arse in the league, Josh!

Look forward to your returns to Lawrence.

I wonder if running the hi/lo impacts recruiting?

I have a hard time seeing us land a 5-star guard recruit if we are going to run the hi/lo most of the time.

Unless.... Bill has come up with a hybrid hi/lo that keeps the guards involved.

Surely we won't be returning to the old hi/lo where our 3 guards perch on the trey line whipping the ball back and forth waiting for the defense to not flex perfectly.

@Texas-Hawk-10

I agree. And yes, it could be one heck of a zone team.

I'm on board with Bill to mostly run M2M... but I like to see us mix in a little zone just to disrupt our opponents' offense.

Bill HATES zone and basically thinks it is a cop out.

He told me this to my face... "Eventually, you gotta guard someone!"

That was out of frustration when I asked him why not use a zone sometimes just to disrupt the flow.

My eyes spin and smoke comes out of my ears every time I think about him possibly coming back.

I know it is all about the money... but these young, gifted athletes miss out on an important part of their childhood.

I wouldn't trade my college days for a few million. You can't get that back later.

@Crimsonorblue22

I think Malik will only be a sophomore this next year. So he has 3 years of eligibility left.

A lot of impressive moves in that video. What I really like is the fact that it is D1 video, not high school stuff. So he is running at D1 speed.

Positive notes: lots of steals, spot up shooter as well as off the dribble, lots of energy/movement. basketball IQ using off-ball screens, great open court skills and finishes, good handles, good court vision, good passing.

Malik is a physically-built athlete. But he hasn't reached near his physicality peak. Just look at Frank Mason. It did take all 4 years until he stepped up to that top-notch player of physicality. Frank was unstoppable this year, mostly because he raised his physicality and his ability to use it. Malik should develop in a similar way, I just hope he stays in school longer than one more year!

@BShark

Wow... really LOVE Billy's swagger!

Can't wait to see him play in AFH!

Thanks for sharing!

@JayHawkFanToo

In spirit, I sure like your statement about the feds staying out of states' issues.

This is a topic that resonates with a lot of Americans, and it should.

I definitely don't claim to have any level of expertise on civics issues... but I sure marvel, at times, over the depth of our entire judicial and governmental systems. We do have plenty of checks and balances to keep our democratic republic from derailing.

So... uh.... Josh... if you are reading this...

Your one season was great and you are already a Jayhawk for life!

If you want to have your jersey retired in the rafters with Wilt and the basketball Gods... you best come back for one more year and win a National Championship!

That would guarantee your basketball immortality and legend status forever!

Somethings money can't buy!

@Texas-Hawk-10

Certainly right there. We need a low post scoring machine and Doke should become that.

I just want to make sure our 4 can maneuver his man out away from the lane to reduce the clutter for driving and also allow Doke more room for rebounding/scoring.

And then there is the pick and pop/roll from our 4 on high ball screens... something we should have received from Bragg this year but didn't. I still can't figure out what planet he was living on the last 12 months. It definitely wasn't "Planet Jayhawk!"

@hawkmoon2020

No, no!

It's a safe fantasy... better than a fantasy to rob a bank or sleep with a neighbor.

It's just for a short time... until I get totally engulfed in MLB.

I didn't mean this thread to be a bash on our Lawson brothers. Just want to shed light.

I think Bill and our staff can help the entire Lawson family better manage the media in the future. This is crucial to the success of the entire family. No more airing dirty laundry directly to the public.

Make no mistake about it... this is a "franchise family" holding all kinds of talent that will find their way to the league some day.

@approxinfinity said in Hope This Is The Last...:

Might this rift escalate personality disorders in American presidents?

Surely so. Future US Presidents will have to be uber-conscious about social media and their popularity.

Trump is into this and I think it was the difference in the election. It made the perception with voters look at him like he was always involved and transparent, even though he really wasn't.

I think the days of having a President "go invisible" for long periods is over.

My goodness... the world has become a super sensitive place to exist on.

This bleeds into sports, too. I wouldn't mind seeing Bill become even more "public"... especially since he is so darn good in front of the media! We should better exploit that.

@Barney

Feel free to tell me JJ is staying another year! I've been enjoying that fantasy with @jayballer54 for quite a while now!

@Blown

I'm curious if she is still involved with performance studies? If so... what is she finding?

A few years ago, our basketball program decided to study March performances and the possibility to improve in March.

I do believe we actually experienced some of their methods to improve March performances this year. Even though we seemed fatigued in our loss to Oregon (which may be for other reasons), we looked very fresh in the 3 games leading up to Oregon and we had a short bench with our guards racking up huge minutes all year.

Bill learned some tricks on how to save our legs... reduced contact practices and other restrictions.

I think it made a positive impact. More to come in this area soon.

One thing we will have to really grasp better next year is Devonte Graham's cramping issue. There are so many great tips and tricks these days for cramps. Plus... plenty of studies info showing the impact duration and other important tidbits.

Unfortunately, one piece of knowledge that has expanded concerning cramping relates to genetic factors. Relationships have been discovered but exact genetic tracings are still in the works.

@Barney

Now I'm thinking about Billy Preston and wondering about his perimeter shooting abilities.

Speaking of "Bill Self vision...."

I think the next step for Bill is to put more into his vision before recruiting and then targeting specific recruits to fulfill his dream.

This is one area where Jim Boeheim does very well. I believe this is his one big advantage in coaching and helps gloss over some mediocre areas of his coaching. He specifically goes after very specific players to match his zone defense vision.

I think it is possible for Bill to pull this off more in the future, as we increase our marketability with recruits.

@approxinfinity

I think you mean in 2 years since they are ineligible next year.

I come on here constantly and whine about the possibilities of going back to the hi/lo. I do so just thinking about the hi/lo we used to run.

But... I'm now looking at this with a "glass half full" mentality. Surely, Bill is a different coach from what he was a few years ago.

Is it possible Bill will look at a different flavor of hi/lo now? Perhaps a hybrid version blending with a motion-style offense?

I can imagine that having unlimited potential! The best of all worlds where we take advantage of post and perimeter scoring, while still having good possibilities to drive the ball.

What would make this a real TURBO OFFENSE is a stretch four that can bomb the trey and also if both post players are good passers. Good hard passing with an eye for opportunities makes this vision SCREAM!

I think we live in a world of "gotcha media." Kansas and Bill Self have been making headlines for a while now on the quality of Jayhawk basketball, so we appear on the radar, even back east. Now, given the chance, they really enjoy bashing us.

The only real news in this story is "Kansas transfer." Pull that out, and you can find these exact same stories every day on Twitter and other social media.

Maybe I should think a bit more like Donald Trump; all media is good media.

@JayHawkFanToo

Yep... that explains it all for him. He just needed court time to lift his game and needed a lot of it.

!0_1492181628942_dedric.jpg ↗

I hope this is the last negative headlines for the Lawson brothers.

Kansas transfer K.J. Lawson caught on video ripping, cursing Tubby Smith ↗

The last time I witnessed national media so negative towards Kansas was after Larry Brown won the championship. We have been targeted all year.

@DCHawker

I think Svi's age has to be remembered in all of this. He is still very young. Isn't he about Josh's age?

@JayHawkFanToo

Good points... until other states jump into it. Then it must be decided in federal court.

!0_1492097648272_roy.jpg ↗

My second reason for preferring Bill over Roy... we all know what my first reason is.

Roy Williams refers to Maryland president as 'double idiot' after death penalty comments ↗

Roy always said the wrong thing (and still does). Sometimes it is necessary to be an adult, even when approached with comments you deem as childlike. In this case, by the time Roy worked through defending himself, his comments appeared far more childish and questionable than Loh's. UNC violated nothing?! Seriously?!

Roy's comments does nothing but create more angst for UNC. Great job, Roy!

Wow... Roy and UNC is the VICTIM! I changed my mind... bring on the DEATH PENALTY!

@JayHawkFanToo

Unique cases like this usually end up in federal court because of their magnitude. The impact of this case reaches far beyond the State of North Carolina. It would be almost certain there would be lawsuits from other states and it would end up in federal court.

@Big-Clyde52

Josh coming back would put us as #1 in preseason rankings and a heavy favor all year to win it all.

@Blown

Publicly, Bill already stated that he thinks testing the waters has been a huge improvement for college players to do without risking anything, but also to discover their road map to success the following year by hearing out their weaknesses from scouts and management. They also start making connections and are making impressions for the future.

I am happy for Svi to do this. It is a wise move. He knows it... Bill knows it (and probably advised him to do it)...

@Kcmatt7

Unfortunately... yeah... I can believe it. And I'm not surprised the black plague is more popular than politicians.

@BShark

Freaky news. At least they aren't in the ACC. The UNC victory glossed over the rest of the poor performances from that conference.

I think Bill sees the reality. He knows he is one big-time player away from making next year's team a real threat at a FF.

@dylans

Hahahaheeeee.... thank you.. for adding to my dream!

Just one more thing to consider at UNC -

Proposed bill would force North Carolina, N.C. State to leave ACC due to boycott ↗

Kind of a laugher because no way this bill can hold water when tested in federal court. Just politics as usual...

Gheez....

Imagine the potential for KU to go BIG next year with Tilmon onboard?

Doke as center, Tilmon as power forward, and Preston as our swing forward.

Yikes!

Time for Bill to dream up new schemes!

But seriously... with Preston's handles, he should get some minutes at the 3. That will be his NBA position.

We should have enough minutes available to make a serious run for TIlmon's services.

@Blown

I don't read anything extra into Svi's comments. And at the end he still mentions being without an agent, which is where he needs to be if he would like to return.

It is a good idea for players entering the combine to basically think they already decided for the league. The optimism counts as a plus by NBA management. Or another way to look at it is if he sounded like he was coming back and only doing this to see where he needs to improve... it is more likely he will be viewed as "not ready."

If you want to read into his comments with tea leaves... what about him stating he improved every year while at Kansas? I'm certain he knows that he will continue to improve with one more year at Kansas.

I see him still as more likely to return. At worse, 50 - 50.

Svi is doing the right thing. In the least, he will learn what areas of his game needs improving by next year at this time. I believe his academics are very good so he won't suffer an academic hit for taking time/energy to compete in this.

Svi is still very, very young. Basically... he's a freshman. No one can say he is better off jumping to the league while he is still young. He will still be young next year!

@BeddieKU23

Does Rivals still think Mizzou is in the Big 12?

Tilmon could end up at Mizzou or back to Illini.

Or... it would be great if he came to Kansas!

@mayjay

That is exactly what I said initially, too...

But @jayballer54 and I are "livin' the dream" right now! My dream has extended to preparing space for new 2018 NC memorabilia at my Jayhawk shrine...

@Kcmatt7

I believe a financial punishment could include provisions preventing tuition increases And they probably have a Board of Regents that determine rates anyways. So it isn't a simple case of raising fees to pay for it. UNC is like Kansas... and has several revenue streams, including endowments.

Heck... if I was a UNC grad I would be tempted to sue the university over this. Their entire academics reputation is at stake and that bleeds down to damages suffered by every student.

@approxinfinity @Kcmatt7

I agree that this involved systemic collusion of a crime within the UNC administration level.

I would like to see them receive a very harsh penalty. But I don't want to see innocent people hurt anymore than necessary.

The question is... how can they be punished without hurting the innocent people? That not only includes current players, but also signed recruits. Whatever the penalty is, those players should get a free pass to transfer without losing a year.

And then there is the ACC conference. As much as I'd like to see every team in that conference take a hit (only for my own selfish personal reasons) it really isn't fair to get them caught up in this anymore than necessary. These other teams were also victimized by the cheating at UNC.

I think one of the fairest penalties would be a financial punishment. Go back over those years and take a fat slice of their revenues.

@wissox

I don't expect the death penalty for UNC... nor do I think it would be a good thing to happen.

But some kind of harsh punishment should be enforced.

@JayHawkFanToo

We don't need to get too deep in the academics scandal at UNC. Let's let the President at Maryland do our talking for us -

Maryland president suggests 'death penalty' for UNC over academic investigation ↗

@jayballer54

Thanks for keeping me in "dream land!"

I think the outside chance of him staying could have to do with his competitive level. He knows if he stayed one more year he would completely dominate college basketball.

It is tough to create that kind of talent separation in the NBA. Even if he becomes dominant, he is just one of several dominant players on that stage.

I know Josh felt bad after that loss. He carried his share of the responsibility for that loss. Maybe he doesn't want to leave college basketball on such a sour note?

It is such a pity if we can't realize a bit more of his potential while in college.

@DoubleDD

I am with you on frustration. I had a heck of a time coming on here after our loss and posting like a human. I wanted to rip some arse.. basically everyone except Frank.

Frustration is a part of attraction. We all have a huge attraction for March Madness. We tune out just about everything else and focus on the prize. As we get sucked in deeper, the frustration levels grow along with everything else.

I don't think the tourney itself is where the problem is. I think WE are the problem! We obsess.... and obsess... and obsess.

Hey.. we post all year about this and it all comes to a head in March. We are all invested.

I really thought this was our year for March. All that experience and being lead by the best player in college basketball, who was tough as nails. But it wasn't meant to be. Other schools probably felt the same way.

But after watching the NC weird game, I still think the right team won it all. I believe if all things were equal, we would beat UNC. But... things weren't equal. UNC developed a monster chip that became apparent once the tourney started. And it wasn't like they had an easy path to the championship, either.

There is a reason why I have always pounded the "chip concept" on everyone reading KUBuckets.

Redemption won it this year, more than UNC. When will we claim our "redemption year?"

@BeddieKU23

Memphis has never been the same since Calipari dumped on them. And that is a real pity... because Memphis is one of the best basketball towns in America. Always has been. But after Calipari, the fans and university haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye. Lots of distrust... lots of frustration... lots of apathy.

It doesn't surprise me that many fans came out to boo Kentucky. Other fans wanted to but didn't feel the resentment towards Kentucky, just Calipari. They know their basketball in Memphis. I feel bad for them. They may need another decade to recover, or may never recover.

@BShark

I believe you are correct.

I'm not sure there is a way to vastly improve where D1 ball is today (concerning the NCAA tourney).

Imagine we kept the bracketology like it is now, except making the Final Four a grouping of best of 3 games. Now... we have changed the Final Four from needing to win two games to possibly needing to win 6 games. That in itself would make it a lot tougher on the athletes. Most teams are pretty worn out in March as it is... and are just operating on adrenaline.

I feel certain that only the top blue blood programs would support a "best of 3" Final Four... because it would heavily favor blue bloods. The emphasis would be put on depth more than just having a better team with emphasis on starting 5. It would also be harder for a team to just get hot and beat a better team.... another key component for lessor teams having a chance to win it all.

The harder we make it on lessor teams winning it all, the more we rig up college basketball to favor the blue bloods. I'm definitely against that even though Kansas might benefit in a playoff "best of" system.

As unfair as it seems for teams like us to fight hard and beat so many great teams all year, only to have a hiccup in March, we have to realize that our sacrificial loss provides a gain for the college game itself.

I believe our unhappiness in March relates to us not quite matching success with just a few other blue bloods. I don't think we should fret long about this. Look at our basketball program overall, beyond just March, and understand how many improvements we are making around our program that is only going to help our future.

College basketball success is a migration... not a game or two, which is only a random situation.

No other program is making so many big steps that we are making. If we have a weakness, it may be our conference... but that is just a "maybe" because we have many positive aspects in our conference, too.

As tough as it is to have patience... it is what we need to do. I keep telling myself that... trying to keep realistic.

Roy is a very capable coach... without question.

I've stated my opinion about Roy for years now. I lightened up on him a bit after '08 and he broke the ice with his Jayhawk chest sticker.

But I can't let go of his fatal flaw of not recruiting out east. And if our US Supreme Court made decisions respecting anti-trust laws on the books instead of bending over backwards to support big business... and our US DOJ then enforced our laws... I'm not so sure Roy wouldn't be in deep deep trouble for violating anti-trust laws. I realize he was representing the university instead of a large corporation, but business interests surround college coaching.

The second problem I have/had with Roy relates to his ability to insert his foot into his mouth... something Bill very rarely does. Roy should have never thrown it out there that he wouldn't recruit east. That was very damaging to Kansas basketball at that time and into the future. It pegged Jayhawk basketball as being BELOW UNC basketball (status wise). It not only hurt us during his years for not landing east coast players, it also probably hurt us recruiting players from the rest of America because players have always want to go where they can win.

Let me put it this way... imagine today... Bill out there recruiting and he announces he won't recruit out east. That would be devastating for the reasons I stated above. It also wouldn't fly now because the administration at Kansas... from the ADs office on up... has a much higher esteem level than back during the Roy days. We really have to realize how Larry left our program... not exactly on a high note!

College sports programs are not just about today and tomorrow... success is about time... MIGRATING to a positive structure, from the water boys right up to the president of the university.

I am convinced we have made more moves to climb to the top of college basketball since Bill Self has come to Kansas than any moves we have made in the past. Roy did help stabilize our program after Larry left it in tough shape. But Roy didn't make any of the big steps Bill has made to help guarantee success in our future.

I believe Bill is staying at Kansas for a long, long time. But if he does leave soon, if he leaves on good terms, we will be smart to thank him for years into the future... because we will be gaining benefits for at least a few decades.

I can't think of any other Kansas coach that has done anything near what Bill has done for Kansas basketball and it's future!