🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@Kcmatt7 Holy crap. Who and where's that guy we see in the mixtape video?
Must be that the competition wasn't up to snuff. Dallas area not known for good, quality players? K-Freeze! right?
Agree with other posters...if he sees what Ochai does on the boards, no reason he can't get in the mix. Unless it's not in his nature. hopefully that's fixable.
He just seems like a guy who isn't ready yet. that's all. give him another summer to get stronger, learn how to assert himself. Hopefully he stays.

Edit: I see he's from the Houston area. my bad. even worse!

If we are very lucky, I also see 23-8. I’m feeling more confident after today’s win.
The key game will be @OSU.

So happy to see this team on the winning side of a blowout. I know Huggy Bear’s boys were undermanned, but happy to see us share the ball, play with some freedom.

— Jacque back in da house!!! Can’t recall the last time he was around. New assistant next year???

— I wonder if Pollard would make a good coach. Always solid in the post.

— Malik looked tall.

Back to the game...

— KJ! Did he look good or did he just make shots? No comment (says the KJ basher).

— Grimes had a sweet dish underneath...and nothing else.

— I’m officially happy with the team and rotation. Do not allow Vick to even come back to clean out his room, please.

— Big Dave is a giant, currently semi talentless spaznoid. But I love him!

— Mitch and Ochai need to be in an energy drink commercial.

— The Ochai baseline dunk made me smile.

— I refuse to read another NCAA corruption story the rest of the year.

— Love to see Dotson’s growing confidence.

— Even Fran was even keeled tonight!

@Crimsonorblue22 nice photo! Is that Teahan next to Gueldner? And I forgot the big guy’s name next to him...isn’t he a doctor now?

KUSTEVE said:

Drop Adidas. Pick up Nike. All kinds of problems would go away very quickly.

Not so fast Steve!

https://sports.yahoo.com/nike-schools-pay-federal-court-docs-allude-corruption-involving-flagship-nike-basketball-programs-212410675.html ↗

A roadie! There’s still hope.
Thought we were on our way to an epic collapse after that 12 point lead disappeared.
Victory!

— so what was the deal with Lawson and Self? Lawson was out of sorts tonight.

— I expect Dotson to announce his run for president any time now. Think he’d get the state of Kansas?

— soooo close to a walk-on getting PT in crunch time. Whew. Although I am curious if Teahan can shoot...

— KJ gets a pass from criticism tonight. He made a couple very big buckets.

— The invisible man reappeared for one nice fast break pass. Then poof he was gone with his inconsistent jump shot. I’m just a schmuck on a couch, but to me it seems like Grimes can’t get the ball to come off the right spot in his hand when shooting. It’s in his palm when he misses, and he pushes it.

— I’m thinking Ochai for VP under the Dotson presidency. Self could be Chief of Staff.

— Love how Ochai hits the boards like a man. Hoping it will inspire Grimes to do the same.

— I think some games wouldn’t be as close if we valued the ball and possessions. Freshmen mistakes I guess.

A victory! how's about that. nice.
Now we need TCU to hold onto that lead over Iowa State! Go horny toads!

-- Mitch. Nice effort. Happy to see he keeps his attitude team first.

-- Grimes: Made two threes (yay), but otherwise invisible, other than the usual turnovers.

-- The flow of the game is interesting to me lately. Teams really make Dedric struggle to find a shot in the first half, then he finds his game after the break.

-- When Charlie's in, i wish we could find him regular spots on the floor to shoot from. Always seems to be hurling up 3s at the wrong time, place and distance.

-- KJ continues to be a hot mess. Oops, my bad. this is supposed to be a happy, positive thread since we won. ignore.

-- That McGriff is a beast. wouldn't mind having him on our team to add some thuggy muscle.

-- Big Dave. Despite repeated calls for him to play more, i'm starting to wonder if that's the right thing. At least starting may not be his thing. Good energy off the bench. Maybe he can bring the hammer down on opposing players who are off to a hot start. He's got the elbows for it. Charles Oakley style.

-- Ochai seems to be the most vocal player we have. New team leader? Own it.

P.S.: LOVE the mustache mystery man! Hi-larious.

And the train continues to derail...
Interesting about Vick. Pure speculation, but I wonder if he went off his meds and mom wants him to come home to get him back on track.
Who knows, maybe it really is a family emergency.
He is a head case, but we could use his shooting.
Then again, when he was on the bench the other day, we did have a good run.
He's no leader, but maybe the problem is we have no other leaders to keep him in line.

Son of a sheep lover...this team. SO many turnovers. Jeebus.
I’d say that was pretty much the game.
The harsh realization is that we have nearly zero ballhandlers. Even Dotson struggles when pressed. Grimes is kinda comical he’s so bad. How that guy even got a scholarship at a major program...hmmm. Hoping he stays and shows massive improvement next year.

On the bright side, Our defense was impressive for awhile. Albeit against a previously offensively challenged K-State team. Zone! Where’d that come from? Self is an enigma this year. Why go away from the plan/players that were keeping us in the game? Mitch, Charlie, etc.

K State once again game planned Vick out of the game. Self needs to do a better job of getting his guys in position to score.

Vick was benched the second I started screaming at the TV for his complete lack of effort or give a shit on D. I’m assuming that’s why. Anybody know otherwise?

The top moment of the game? When Mitch and Charlie bonked heads in the lane. Sums it up nicely.

Beat them sheep lovers!

@tundrahok The New York Post story is actually a column, and we all know that columns are where writers have an opinion.
Opinions are often meant to get a rise out of people, but you can’t and shouldn’t judge a media outlet’s trustworthiness on one man’s opinion.

The column above is by no means unreasonable or trash. It simply states that coaches should be held more responsible for their players. I don’t disagree.

And to the posters who think the New York Times is trash, you should read it more often, then judge. I think you’ll find otherwise.

@HighEliteMajor Good points.

I'm assuming all the college coaches are a tight-knit group. Nobody wants to toss another under the bus, in public anyway. So, would have been tough for Self to come out and really go after the "underbelly" with vigilance and hold his own program in good light.

Hey, do i want to see our program raked through the coals? hell no. Do i want Self to succeed? Hell yes.

He's a great guy. i remember the time i got to meet him in Reno way back in his earlier days, when KU headed out there for a few games. Chatted me up in the buffet line! Very personable, caring. I'll always remember that. (insert dramatic music here)

I'd love for him and KU to come out of this as if we really are/were the victims. But, it's just happened too many times for me to be a believer anymore.

approxinfinity said:

@jayhawkcsg you read up on UNC's easygate? That was 10 times worse than anything Kansas has done

@approxinfinity
yea, ya got me there. But, that seems to be an institutional thing rather than each individual recruiting effort. Maybe i chose the wrong school as an example, but you get the picture.

Are there other schools out there that deal with this crap every year like we seem to do?

Ugh. I'm trying not to be reactionary, but it's difficult.

It seems year after year we read about Kansas and a recruit in some sort of trouble, or about money exchanging hands. I don't follow other programs as i do Kansas, but i can't imagine this sort of news is normal. I'd feel more positive if, for instance, a North Carolina fan could tell me they read the same thing every year.

I'm guessing they don't.

The more I read, the more I'm convinced it's time to cleanse the program.

I love Bill Self, but I would not be disappointed if he and his staff got the boot.

I am a believer that equipment companies and handlers do tons of dirty work behind the scenes with all top recruits and programs. This will not change.

So, we'd likely be in the same position with a new coaching staff, but at least we could try to reclaim our image, which seems tarnished outside our world.

It may be time to remove the rose-colored glasses.

I know, i'm expecting the down votes and wrath of other fans, but think about it...Self can't be ignorant of all these things.

Lemme have it...sorry.

Extremely impressed with today’s win.

I thought this would be one of those emotionally drained kinda games. Nope.

This was their most aggressive and athletic game in recent memory.

Nobody was standing around. Everybody was attacking. Loved it.

I hope this team (and lineup) is now settled, and we play with this intensity going forward.

@Crimsonorblue22 No clue. Stupid lawyer crap most likely. It's either that or our AD is the dumbest AD on the planet. I prefer to think he's not.

@kjayhawks Ha. good.
Yep, let's hope nothing else comes of this crap. doubtful, but fingers crossed.

@KUSTEVE @kjayhawks Not to interrupt a blood feud...but there may be a subtle point you guys are missing...and it certainly needs more interpretation:

It could be that the "booster" designation as described was for purposes of Silvio's eligibility this year only, and may have no outcome on past KU games, etc.

I'm no expert of course, but it reads that way. that could mean the NCAA will not go back and punish KU for past wins, championships, etc.

Yup. As i was saying earlier, something wasn't making sense about the punishment and statements. we were missing facts.
That new fact about the "booster" designation adds some clarity. The punishment starts making sense.

I was dumbfounded at first that KU would admit to such a thing (Gassnola was a booster), but if you think about it some more, maybe it was intentional. Maybe that simply focuses the punishment to one person (Silvio), and not the institution (Kansas -- vacated wins, etc).

I sense that our AD is spewing some subtle B.S. as well. Who the eff knows.

What i do know is that we should now disappear Silvio from the program to wrap this up. the longer it lingers, the fewer potential recruits consider KU.

Nothing about this smells right still...

BeddieKU23 said:

@Crimsonorblue22

I have the opinion they only proved the 2500 through the fbi trial. They are also holding Silvio responsible for the 20k payment Gassnola said he agreed to pay Fenny which never actually happened. Those two line up with the report. So one actual payment and one alleged payment is what Silvio is being punished for. Sad situation where alleged payments become part of a 2 yr suspension.

and don’t forget the “future” payments that Fenny was promised. That, too, according to the NCAA.

Vitale just had a short rant about the NCAA and Silvio on the Duke broadcast.
Of course interrupted by a giant Zion alley oop...
Basically called the NCAA a joke, but only for taking so long to rule.

Crimsonorblue22 said:

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article225440170.html ↗

Yep, this is the truly puzzling piece of the puzzle.

Fenny, if you believe him, is welcoming the NCAA with open arms, saying he’s got nothing to hide — bank statements open to all.

So the NCAA statement/punishment doesn’t really fit what Fenny is saying. Somebody is feeding us some B.S., or as I said earlier, we aren’t hearing all the facts.

There has to be more to this story. Just makes no sense.

Yea, that second suspended season doesn't make much sense. There's something fishy going on. we don't have all the facts. I feel strongly they are withholding information for some reason. maybe that was agreed upon with KU before releasing their statement. A guess of course. Self IS VERY pissed, which would not back my argument.

It sounds like their enforcement standard begins with "your NCAA career is over" and can be whittled on down to a lesser suspension, which it certainly should have been given the facts involved with only the KU part of the cash flow. I think they are punishing Silvio and sending a clear message to his guardian that you took money from TWO institutions or people with ties to the schools in some fashion. No bueno.

jayballer73 said:

jayhawkcsg said:

But the good thing is that we now know what we have to work with, and Self can adjust the lineup and offense accordingly.
Dunno what he'll do, but at least we can pretend we have a direction and can stick with it.

you would think wouldn't you that they just have to try and get Dave more minutes wouldn't you -- stat to develop him more add that other Big - -got to do something

I think so. I would like to see the 2 big offense used more often, including more minutes for Big Dave. that would help in his development, but also light a fire under whatever small ends up on the bench to perform or run their arse off when in the game (hello QG).

But the good thing is that we now know what we have to work with, and Self can adjust the lineup and offense accordingly.
Dunno what he'll do, but at least we can pretend we have a direction and can stick with it.

Mother effer.
Interesting that the Miami kid's suspension was more lenient than Silvio's.
Sucks. Sorry Silvio. I imagine there's even more behind the scenes we don't know about. Two seasons. that's pretty harsh.
I'm guessing Silvio is guilty of something that wasn't released in the statement.

Oh boy. That wasn’t pretty. Just finished the DVRd game.

Man, this may be the hardest KU team to watch play that I can recall in the history of my fandom.

It’s like pulling teeth just to get a shot off sometimes. My negative view of the game:

— Why is Vick so completely out of control every time he dribbles? It’s like he’s a merry go round trying to hold onto the ball as it spins.

— Ochai played hard. His future is bright. Tough. Hoping his handle improves over time. Nice southpaw flush!

— The few times Vick hasn’t started it hasn’t gone well for him.

— some interesting whistles.

— I can’t recall a game where it’s been so difficult to get a shot off. Texas ain’t that good.

— Did Grimes play?

— For apparently the best big man passer in the history of the game, Dedrick sure couldn’t pass out of a double team.

— God I hate all of Vick’s game except spot up shooting.

— Still love me some Dotson. I wish he’d find a midrange game and shoot the ball once in a while.

— Our lack of playable size kills us a lot of the time. Or is it that we should blame Self for not developing Big Dave and Mitch?

— Did I mention Vick’s lack of defensive ability? Or is it lack of intelligence to play D?

— I guess if coach thought he’d have Dok and Silvio all year, no need to bring the other bigs along too fast.

— KJ enters the game. Whistle. Turnover. Perplexed look on his face.

— man. This team. I guess they aren’t frustrating because at this point I don’t expect a road win.

Well, I only caught bits and pieces of the game over my shoulder at work. I hope to watch the DVRd game soon. I guess the result is not all that surprising. Last I looked we were leading at the half. How did Ochai play?

If Garrett continues his impressive offensive output at the rim, I got no complaints about his game from deep.
Not everybody’s a shooter. (Insert joke here about the rest of our players)
But he for sure needs to clean up his free throws. That goes hand in hand with getting to the rim.

Holy jeebus, did I just see that Baylor score right? Dang. Anger from Saturday revisited.

On to tonight’s happiness...

— helluva second half. Like two different teams. aggressive. Mean. Liked it.

— Ochai’s energy was great. I can see now his handle needs some maturing, as evidenced by his awkward drives tonight. Good to see he’s got the nuts to go there though. Love his rebounding ability.

— Dotson is a gritty little mother effer. He’s got that Frank non smile.

— nothing positive from Grimes tonight. Looks like he only played in the second half because of foul trouble. He quickly needs to figure out one simple thing he can do to contribute, and do it well.

— KJ is a %#$@&** spaz. He’d fit in better if it were 1995. But I suppose he helped tonight.

— I honestly thought ISU was going to pull away in the first half. Shitty fan, I know. They just seem to have better athletes — bigger, stronger.

— loving the new Garrett.

Nice to see Garrett earning his keep on both ends of the floor now.
Maybe by next year he’ll even hit a free throw or two! :)

Ochai did look scared shitless for once.
I’m guessing Self didn’t want to destroy his confidence after seeing him struggle.

Nah, nothing to lose really.
It's still a bunch of misfits that haven't come together yet.
Still trying to fit the pieces together. This is his biggest challenge in awhile.
I don't see anybody mouthing off. Vick and KJ (to me) are the only potential troublemakers.

Crimsonorblue22 said:

🐦 View Tweet?s=21

OK, i watched it. He didn't hammer him. questionable for sure.
I think the rules say you gotta give him room to come down. Probably what the zebras were looking at.

Hawk8086 said:

After further reflection...and a couple of glasses of wine....I just can't believe that on two straight possessions, we ended up with Garrett trying to score off of the drive...I know he has been doing that well lately...but our first option should be Dedric, or Vick (when he is OPEN) or Dotson driving...since he is a good FT shooter....Garrett should drive when those options aren't open...
Tell me folks...Am I wrong about this??

Garrett driving to the lane IS a part of our offense, like it or not.
I'm OK with it, if he can learn to finish stronger. I like his size and aggressiveness. You're right. he's not a great FT shooter. not option one.

I DO like Garrett handling the ball way better than Vick handling the ball (but not Garrett's shooting of course). Neither is our best option. Vick couldn't get a good handle on the last possession, and thus not a good shot.

But Huggy Bear's boys did a great job of shutting down our main weapons today. sucks.

@Crimsonorblue22 No kidding? I never did see a replay on the Grimes 3 pt foul. i wouldn't doubt it. there were a few questionable fouls along the way.

Ugh. well, the ONE game i do get to watch live...that didn't go so well.
Nothing unusual to see here. We lose like we usually lose in West Virginia. Tons of turnovers, no energy for that enthusiastic defense, lack of focus, etc.
no big surprise. YET, i'm completely surprised we lost that game. again. we had the lead multiple times, committed careless, stupid turnovers, then crapped the bed.

A few thoughts on the chaos:

-- Grimes' stupendously amazingly idiotic foul on the 3pt corner shot was a game changer in my mind. It was an out-of-control shot anyway, let him have it.

-- Grimes, Part II: If you can't keep him in front of you, knock that WVU douche on his ass and don't let him drive uncontested for a layup! At least he could miss a free throw, stop the clock, give us another decent shot.

-- WTF is KJ doing taking all those 3s and wild ass shots??????? Puhleeze!!! And dribbing! Many lost possessions from his lack of talent.

-- So many turnovers, as usual. But so many turnovers were just so inexcusable. Passes for layups, turnover. Man. Coach i'm sure emphasized how important every possession can be in a game like that.

-- WVU had a great game plan for Dedric. Didn't let him touch it within 12 feet of the hoop. Forced him outside. Worked.

-- Same with Vick. Didn't let him spot up much. that and the above were the main difference in the game.

-- Disappointing loss. that could be the difference in winning/losing the league this year.

I'd like to see all our guys succeed of course, but selfishly i'd like to see them all stick around for four years -- or more.

As for Dotson, i don't see him as a major NBA prospect just yet. Hope he's around for a few more years. The only skill we've really seen him display is quickness to the bucket. Great. no complaints, but it's not like he's got a yo-yo handle and is leaving guys with broken ankles. Hasn't really shown much shooting either. OK, toughness on D. But, it's the NBA, defense is optional, right?

Again, love the guy, but i don't see him competing in the NBA next season.

The thing that gets me about this team is the defensive mental lapses.
That Texas 3pt make after our free throw near the end of the game was comical. The guys were standing around and laughing coming back onto the floor. Nice to see them relaxed, but carefree is another matter.

@Texas-Hawk-10 yea, I can’t argue he played well. And I did watch the game at midnight, so I was a bit bleary eyed.
But, his performance in other games makes me believe he has earned the right to be on the floor.

And in general it is fair to say our team struggles with defensive switches all over the floor. Way more so than in previous years.

I only remember one big out of position error by Big Dave, and that was when we were pressing and he left his guy open under the bucket — or we assume it was his guy. I blame that more on us just putting the press into play, and not practicing much.

Not his best game, but overblown, I think, to say he’s not ready for more action.

Well that was an interesting finish! Mother effer.
A few things that stood out to me:

— That’s how to use Vick. Less dribbling, more spot up shooting. Even less dribbling would be better.

— Statistically Dotson looked good, but I thought he was a bit sloppy. Still love his ability to get to the hoop. His D was off too.

— 26 offensive rebounds for Baylor? That has to be a typo, or a World Record. Somebody call Guinness. Or the NCAA to get Silvio cleared.

— which brings me to PT for bigs other than D Lawson...about 20 minutes. Not much. Other guys have to man up and hit the boards.

— crazy stat line: fg/3pt/ft percentages all in the 50s. Odd.

— what did Mitch whisper in Self’s ear after he ran into dude’s head?

— I think we found a worse free throw shooter than Dok (Vital)

— ochai continues to impress. Looks good across the board. Was the initial red shirt Self’s worst decision since adding Anrio?

— it’s official: I have decided Grimes simply does not look like a basketball player. Maybe a slugging outfielder?

Ok, just done watching after work on the west coast.
I’ll keep my comments simple tonight...happy we won.

— Ochai!!!! Gotta wonder WTF Self was thinking sitting this kid early on in the season. He looked so smooth and calm. Keep it up!

— I continue to wonder why Vick is allowed to dribble. I cringe when he touches the ball. It rarely ends well.

— We are in for some tight conference games!

Didn't we also sign some other kid late who eventually hurt himself? or was hurt to begin with? I don't see him on the roster. Sure you're not confusing Ochai with him? Or am i getting senile...

I haven't been paying attention...Ochai had a stress fracture? what to?

@approxinfinity The bigger question beyond why can't Mitch hit threes this year is why can't Lawson hit threes this year?
Looks like he made about 30 in each of his Memphis seasons. 35% as a frosh and 27% as a soph.
Way behind that pace this year at 16%.
It would help tremendously if he could pick up the pace in the 3 pt. department.

And i'm with ya...MORE Big Dave!

@DanR Always possible, but it could also mean that players like KJ and Charlie see less time on the floor.
If the "new" emphasis seems to be on defense, well there goes Charlie.

Oops, i forgot to add...do not expect him to come in and be lights out savior from the 3 pt line.
that's a very rare thing as a freshman.

Too late to redshirt KJ for a few years or so? (sorry, couldn't help myself)

Really, i'm happy to hear about Ochai. Can't hurt, hopefully. I liked what i saw early on. Seemed big and aggressive.
I'm not so concerned about him losing half a year down the line. Players come and go. We'll find a replacement 3.5 years from now.
Sounds to me as though we'll spread the floor some when he's in the game -- with priority No. 1 being go North/South and get to the hole. Not an easy ask for a freshman. that's what we need more of IMO. Keep it simple.