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justanotherfan
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My hope for KU/South Dakota game plan • Dec 20, 2018 02:31 PM

The biggest issue right now is that Grimes needs to be able to just play through his mistakes. He's too worried about messing up and not nearly loose enough to just make plays. He has incredible talent, and can do just about everything, but that's also a bit of a drawback because he doesn't necessarily have one thing he can do to get himself going. But he has to just play.

Les Miles Coaching Staff • Dec 19, 2018 10:55 PM

FarmerJayhawk said:

Last one! ?s=21
Hecklinski seems incredibly qualified. Recruiting Coordinator, RB, and WR coach experience at Michigan and SDSU under Hoke and QB/OC experience at Zona. Also coached at Ft. Scott and Benedictine back in the day. Seems like a really good fit. We needed another guy who can get kids in the Midwest IMO.

My guess is that Hull ends up as recruiting coordinator, with Hecklinski overseeing the local strategy (Kansas, Kansas City Metro, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri) while Hull works in the southeast part of the country.

Hull has done the work to deserve the promotion.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 19, 2018 08:24 PM

Another signing that was not listed earlier is Torry Locklin, a dual threat three star QB from Texas (although he grew up in New Mexico). QB of the future?

Terry is still listed as committed, though he has not signed yet.

My hope for KU/South Dakota game plan • Dec 19, 2018 06:04 PM

@JayHawkFanToo

One thing I noticed with Grimes is that the early season offensive fouls seem to have him spooked about driving the lane. There were several times where he didn't even look to turn the corner on the weave last night.

One thing I did like was that a couple of times Grimes got one of SD's smaller guards on him and immediately posted up and called for the ball. Unfortunately, both times that I noticed it, KU failed to get him the ball in the favorable matchup. That's an area where he could find some success since he is a good passer and a matchup problem in that area of the floor.

Grimes understands his skillset, but he hasn't figured out how to use that skillset within KU's offense. Hopefully in film review the coaching staff sees what I saw and works to get him the ball in those types of sets.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 19, 2018 06:01 PM

@ReggieKansas

Neither have I. KU also added Malcolm Lee, a juco defensive end. That makes 10 signings.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 19, 2018 04:55 PM

Also, all five of the juco commits (MacVittie, Naylor, Parchment, Ford and Sampson) are expected to be on campus in January and participate in Spring drills. That is a big thing when recruiting jucos, as it makes it more likely that they will be 1) eligible and 2) able to contribute next season.

Fairchild, Russell, Terry and Agbaw should all arrive in the summer.

That's nine recruits, with a position breakdown of 1 QB, 1 TE, 2 WR, 2 DT, 3 DB.

We could still use depth on defense and along the offensive line. An impact skill player or two wouldn't hurt. With six scholarships left, that gives some flexibility. Miles has ensured that this year won't be a complete disaster on the recruiting trail.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 19, 2018 04:40 PM

Agbaw is official.

My hope for KU/South Dakota game plan • Dec 18, 2018 09:47 PM

KU may need to let Q handle the ball some even when he and Dotson are on the floor together. Q is struggling to find a rhythm. When you play off the ball on the wing, it can be hard to get back into rhythm within the flow of the offense and the flow of the game. It's why you can see talented wing scorers occasionally just disappear. But Q can handle the ball well enough to initiate the offense some, which could help jumpstart him by getting the ball in his hands where he can see the floor from a different angle and have a chance to be involved in the offense and a chance to be aggressive from the top of the key.

I'd also like to see some Q/Dedric PnR action. With both of them being as skilled as they are, this seems like something that could get Q going while keeping Dedric involved.

Les Miles Coaching Staff • Dec 18, 2018 09:42 PM

Bowen is more than capable as a position coach. He's a borderline solid coordinator. As a position coach, he could raise the level of play.

My suspicion is that Hull will coach the RBs and maybe TEs.

Miles has not hired a QB coach yet. That's still a major hire that he needs to nail if KU is going to turn this around.

LB coach is also still out there, unless someone already on staff is going to oversee them.

Either way, this coaching staff is world's better than anything KU has had on the sidelines, particularly recently.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 18, 2018 03:47 PM

Terry could be a very interesting player for KU. He's maybe a bit of a project, but he has the physical tools to be an interior force. Even more importantly, he opens a potential secondary recruiting pipeline into Mississippi. While KU can't necessarily count on always getting into a state like Mississippi for recruits, having connections there will always help, as Mississippi turns out a good amount of talent every year.

So far we have three HS players and three juco players. Parchment was previously at Northern Illinois, while Naylor committed to Kennesaw State (FCS) out of HS. That should immediately boost the offense by having a new QB and some new threats on the outside.

Still looking for some defensive signings at the juco level. Having the HS guys is good for the future, but the D could use some stabilizing forces as well with Dineen graduating.

Dean Wade Outski • Dec 18, 2018 03:41 AM

Crimsonorblue22 said:

@Woodrow yeah, just said that on the news here too. Crazy. Do we consider him a big man susceptible to foot injuries?

He has an injury history. That has to factor into it.

Marcus "Glue" Garrett • Dec 17, 2018 11:03 PM

Garrett is playing at the top of his game right now and should be commended.

However, for this team to get anywhere close to its ceiling, Quentin Grimes has to play to his talent level. He's playing hard right now, but it's just not happening for him offensively. It seems like every time he's aggressive, he has a 50/50 call go against him, or he has a shot rim out. Credit to him that he's playing hard. At some point, he will break through.

Best Jobs in the Big XII • Dec 17, 2018 11:01 PM

JayHawkFanToo said:

@justanotherfan

If I recall correctly, Ron Baker was not recruited bu any major program and even when his dream program was KU he ended up being a walk-on at WSU and also had to red shirt one year. Amazing how well that worked out for him and WSU.

You are correct. Baker was not heavily recruited. I only pointed to him because he was such a success story making it to the NBA from western Kansas.

Dean Wade Outski • Dec 17, 2018 09:12 PM

KSU still hasn't put out a statement saying

  1. What the injury is
  2. What the timetable for return is

That leads me to believe that Wade is done for the year.

They will probably delay until after Christmas, then make an official announcement.And that announcement is that he is likely done for the season, which is unfortunate because Wade is a heck of a player that looked like he might be primed for a big year.

Best Jobs in the Big XII • Dec 17, 2018 09:09 PM

@wissox

Depends on where they are from.

For Western Kansas kids, most certainly KSU and WSU are going to be the leading options (guys like Dean Wade and Ron Baker come to mind).

But for eastern Kansas kids, especially those in the KC area, Mizzou is as attractive. Certainly, Mizzou recruits the Missouri side of the border in KC harder than the Kansas side, but K-State or WSU isn't more attractive than Mizzou (or Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Iowa State, etc.).

And the fact they are competing with five or six other programs for those same kids means they don't have a built in advantage other than western Kansas, which doesn't produce a P5 level player every year. That means they have to win almost every P5 battle regionally. That's not happening.

Ochai Injury • Dec 17, 2018 05:05 PM

Stress fractures can also be caused by poor running or jumping form (i.e., the exercise is putting more strain on a particular area than it should, resulting in the injury). That's something you have to be very careful with, as that's why they can recur with a high frequency.

Best Jobs in the Big XII • Dec 14, 2018 08:53 PM

Can't really argue with anything in that article.The spread between the places also makes sense. KU is #1 in hoops by a mile, and the thing that hurts the most (lack of high level in state recruits) is made irrelevant by the fact that KU can recruit nationally.

It's the same thing that absolutely kills K-State. They can't really recruit nationally, and regionally, if there's a high level player, KU, Oklahoma, Mizzou, etc. are going to be options before K-State.

Unplug the Chargers • Dec 14, 2018 02:47 PM

What a way to lose a game.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 14, 2018 02:47 PM

@JayHawkFanToo

@Kcmatt7 basically took the words off my keyboard. Without a clear link to Ohio, it will be tough to beat out (in some order) Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Purdue. And that doesn't include Cincinnati, West Virginia and then close to home options like Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, etc. for the three star that wants to stay in the area. That's a hard hill to climb, and KU does not, at least not yet, have a link to Ohio.

We have a link to Louisiana. Without Hull (and now Miles), we would not be getting these guys from Louisiana. LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, etc. would be taking those players.

I'd love for KU to get into Ohio (and Florida, Georgia, California), but we honestly don't have the connections to win a lot of those battles right now. We do have the connections to get guys from the areas mentioned yesterday, and that's how you can rebuild the program. Then you can reach into Ohio.

New 2019 Recruiting • Dec 13, 2018 08:56 PM

Green was caught in a tough spot. He's a good shooter, but on the small side and doesn't have the elite athleticism to make up for it. He can land at a lower P5 school and probably be their starting PG for a couple of years after sitting out, but I don't think he is a miracle solution anywhere, just a steady hand to help get things in line.

Coaches are critically important at the college level because even if you have a great player, they won't be there for very long. Gene Chizik is perhaps the greatest example of this, going 24-38 without Cam Newton, but a perfect 14-0 for a national title with Cam. Chizik was/is a mediocre coach, but had one great player. Without him, he proved to be mediocre, despite owning a national title.

A great coach builds continuity (and a recruiting advantage) year over year.

Unplug the Chargers • Dec 13, 2018 08:47 PM

dylans said:

@stoptheflop I’m not positive, but I believe it would go to the third tiebreaker of record against common opponents with the Denver loss biting the Chargers in the rump.

Here's the tie breakers scenario

  1. Head-to-head, if applicable.

Chargers win would make this even, sending us to the next one.

  1. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.

Chargers losses are Chiefs, Rams, Broncos. Assuming a Chargers win tonight, Chiefs losses would be Patriots, Rams, Chargers. If both teams win out, that would be tied, moving down to the next one.

  1. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.

Besides division games (Denver, Oakland), common opponents are Rams (both lost), 49ers (both won), Browns (both won), Seahawks (Chargers won, Chiefs TBD), Cardinals (both won), Steelers (both won), Ravens (Chiefs won, Chargers TBD), Bengals (both won). Chiefs have beaten Denver twice, and beaten Oakland once. Chargers have beaten Oakland twice, lost to Denver.

The Chiefs are be 9-1. Chargers sit at 8-2. The Chiefs still have Oakland and Seattle, and Chargers have Baltimore and Denver. Chiefs in the driver's seat here, but would have to play the last two games all out, as a Raiders loss would tie this up.

  1. Strength of victory.

The Chargers blew out Arizona (45-10) and Cleveland (38-14). That could swing this category towards LA, so the Chiefs want to avoid getting this far. That's why common games matter so much.

  1. Strength of schedule.

This could end up even, depending on how things play out over the next couple of weeks. As of right now, the strength is a dead heat, with the Chiefs uncommon opponents (Patriots, Jags) and Chargers uncommon opponents (Titans, Bills) having the exact same records (9-4, 4-9 respectively). Because the Chiefs and Chargers play common opponents over the next couple of weeks, if these records remain intact, it goes to the next tie breaker.

  1. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.

This tiebreaker will lean towards the Chargers on the strength of their defense. The Chiefs have given up too many points. They are #1 in points for, but #14 in points against. LA is #3 in points for, and #4 in points against.

For the Chiefs to guarantee HFA, they must either win tonight, or win their final two games because the chances the Chargers win the tiebreaker skyrockets if the Chiefs slip tonight and again versus either Seattle or Oakland.

Winning tonight eliminates the Chargers from catching the Chiefs because KC owns head to head at that point. That would leave only Tennessee and New England. Chiefs could win either of their final two at that point to seal the division.

Lose tonight, and the road is much, much harder because they would have to win the final two, as the tie breakers don't favor KC.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 13, 2018 08:28 PM

Kcmatt7 said:

I'd like to see us hit Denver, St. Louis, Memphis, NW Arkansas and Minneapolis hard recruiting. It gets back to Les saying he'll have a radius to build a base from. There definitely won't be enough Kansas/Metro Area kids to build a base from. But building relationships in these other cities could provide us a solid pipeline to tap.

The Denver metro could yield 1 or 2 a year.

St. Louis will be a competitive spot, but they usually turn out a fair number of D1 recruits, so you might be able to get 1 or 2 a year from there.

Minneapolis/St. Paul doesn't turn out a ton of talent, but again, if you build some good relationships, that's another place to find a little talent.

Memphis is super competitive with the SEC recruiting, but you can do as well there as New Orleans, so that could be a secondary spot.

Houston and Dallas are good targets, because you have to compete there to compete in the Big 12.

All told, if you can get 4-5 in each class from Denver/STL/MPLS area, plus 4-5 more from Memphis/New Orleans/NW Arkansas and 5-6 more from Dallas/Houston, you can get your 3 or 4 Kansas/KC area kids to round out a nice 18 or 19 man class.

Broken down like that, its very doable. But you have to have a pretty wide radius of recruiting to pull that off.

Unplug the Chargers • Dec 13, 2018 03:40 PM

If the Chiefs win tonight, they can guarantee home field throughout the playoffs with a win in either of their last two games. That gives them a chance to win tonight, and again in 10 days, then have a nice, long stretch to get everyone healthy.

I know people talk about being in sync come playoff time, but just as important is being healthy (maybe more important when critical playmakers like Hill and Watkins are gimpy).

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 13, 2018 03:38 PM

jayballer73 said:

From Jayhawk slant: - -Phone was ringing all day from area high school Coach's - - -Dirk Wedd was spotted in several local High Schools representing the Jayhawks - - Stops in Blue valley - - Bishop Meige - -Shawnee Mission north - - -Shawnee Mission East - - sound pretty sweet. - -Yet my question is - - Who is Dirk Wedd? - -Anybody help me? - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

This is a critical step in rebuilding the program. While some may think I am down on Kansas HS football (I am not), having those local ties is critically important. We need to repair the bridges that were burned in the past, largely by Charlie Weis.

We need to do the same on the Missouri side of the metro area. KU also needs to have a stronger presence in the Wichita area.

Instate talent won't be the base - Kansas simply doesn't produce enough D1 talent year in and year out to do that, even if KU were to land every prospect each year. But it can act as a starting point.

Outrecruiting K-State, Mizzou, Iowa and Nebraska in the KC metro area is the first step. Securing Wichita from the Oklahoma schools is step 2.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 12, 2018 05:19 PM

JayHawkFanToo said:

@justanotherfan

I was talking about the program, very solid.

Programwise, NDSU has been better than Alabama, and for longer.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 12, 2018 02:39 PM

Kcmatt7 said:

https://247sports.com/player/cameron-burt-46056131/ ↗

His QB was Graham Mertz, but you can't say he doesn't deserve a chance. Has the size, and made HS kids look slow so I assume he has the speed. Give him a chance Les!

How did he do against Aquinas and Miege? Those are the two programs that have D1 level DBs on their rosters.

That's one of the tough things about evaluating Kansas kids. You can look good, but might not be doing that against D1 or P5 level competition. And since most Kansas teams don't face teams from out of state, you may only have a couple of games to really evaluate on.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 12, 2018 02:37 PM

@jayballer73

Even if we don't flip Starks specifically, we can compete in recruiting down there, now even more than before. That can make a huge difference in terms of talent coming into the program.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 12, 2018 02:34 PM

@JayHawkFanToo

Just to add a bit of context to the chart, Klieman was head coach at NDSU since 2014. He only oversaw the wins over Iowa State and Iowa. Still pretty good, but that record isn't entirely due to Klieman.

Data sez: Bill Self is frickin awesome • Dec 11, 2018 08:18 PM

My gripe is this.

If you want to build for close games, then a guy like Quentin Grimes needs to be on the floor in those tight games because you will absolutely need Grimes to win in March (and April). So if you want to play close games to get those reps in, Quentin Grimes needs to be in those types of games, not the latest security blanket (a la Morningstar, Traylor, Lucas, etc.). If you are playing close games and not getting experience for your highest ceiling players, you're just running in place.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 11, 2018 03:30 PM

kjayhawks said:

I'm just gonna be honest Jucos scare me a bit I think 2 or 3 is okay but if we get crazy with them as did Weis and Beaty even at times it will hurt scholarship numbers.

We're in a bit of a bind for next year anyway, though. We don't have very many commits (still less than 5). We need to sign at least 16 or 17 guys total. We can't afford to sign only 8 or 9 guys just to stick with HS players. If we have to take 7 or 8 juco guys to fill out this year's roster, so be it.

I do agree that long term, we have to look at HS players, but for this upcoming season, we have to get numbers on campus.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 11, 2018 03:28 PM

This is a good hire for KSU provided he can do his job without interference from Snyder. The biggest challenge for him is going to be recruiting. The step up from FCS to P5 is probably three steps up the recruiting ladder. It will be interesting to see how he does recruiting against Texas and Oklahoma.

Data sez: Bill Self is frickin awesome • Dec 11, 2018 03:26 PM

I'm undecided on what this graph proves. For example, Saturday's win would be a positive datapoint on this graph. However, I don't think anyone on this board is exactly thrilled about scratching out a 3 point win against New Mexico State. That game should not have been on this chart. KU should have won by double digits. But KU has a game or two like this every single year under Self.

Not saying Self isn't a great coach, but this chart highlights both his strength (getting wins) and his weakness (allowing inferior opponents to hang around).

Hamilton • Dec 11, 2018 03:23 PM

I don't get this signing at all. The Royals aren't going to compete next year or the year after. Hamilton is already 28, so he will be on the wrong side of 30 the next time the Royals are in the playoff hunt. @AsadZ is on the money that the outfield is very crowded now. I take the opposite stance, though and see this as a waste of money in a non competitive year. Better to let Phillips and Goodwin patrol centerfield for less with Gordon, Soler and Bonifacio on the corners than spend an extra $5M to send one of those guys to the minors, or trade them for a lousy return.

The Royals baffle me. They need to plan for the long term, and instead they make what looks like a very shortsighted move here.

Quentin "Big Game" Grimes • Dec 10, 2018 09:49 PM

Woodrow said:

@justanotherfan It's not just about the NBA when players decide to leave early. I don't think Dedric is going to be a NBA player, but what does he accomplish by coming back next year? He is just wasting another year. He can go to Europe and make a very nice living.

I don't think anyone should think Dedric is coming back. It makes no sense for him at all.

If Dedric goes to Europe, I think he will be an absolute stud. He will put up double doubles just rolling out of bed. He could play a dozen years overseas if he wanted.

Chiefs • Dec 10, 2018 09:47 PM

Mahomes is ridiculous.

Mahomes makes me feel like Broncos fans must have felt with Elway, or how 49ers fans felt with Montana - all we need is to have the ball and be within a score, and he will find a way to get it done. I wasn't even panicking on either 4th down on that game tying drive. If that's literally any Chiefs QB over the last 30 years, that game is lost because they take a sack, or throw a pick, or somehow screw things up. Mahomes just kept making plays.

And the crazy thing is, he wasn't even "on".

Quentin "Big Game" Grimes • Dec 10, 2018 09:41 PM

I think Dedric will be back. He just doesn't have the athleticism to get it done on that end of the floor. He's not fast enough to keep up with perimeter guys, and the 4's in the NBA will expose his size.

Grimes needs to get the ball and get downhill more often. He can't seem to find his place in this offense yet. He also may need to crash the offensive glass. Sometimes a few effort type plays can get you back on track offensively.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 10, 2018 03:53 PM

dylans said:

Why does it matter what Snyder wants? Dude was fired, regardless of the story the public was given.

Snyder is incredibly influential at KSU. He's the most powerful man on that campus by a large margin. He has more "juice" than the president and AD combined.

Snyder has more influence at KSU than Bill Self does at KU, and its not particularly close. He basically has a say in anything he wants to have a say in. They teach a leadership class based on his 16 pillars or whatever he calls them.

I'm not sure there is a person at a D1 school with more power and influence at their university than Snyder has at KSU.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 10, 2018 03:47 PM

Miles looks like he will be able to flip some kids.

Ideally, this means we have some backups and foundational guys in this class, with the stars and starters on the next bowl team predominantly coming in next year when Miles has a full year to recruit.

The current KSU situation helps as well, because all of the cracks that KSU has been papering over for years with Snyder are about to come out for the whole world to see. KSU could be heading for some really rough years on the gridiron.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 10, 2018 02:58 PM

The current hold up in signing a new coach is that Snyder wants, at a minimum, that his son be kept on staff, if not named the new coach. Most new head coaches want to bring in their own staff, so its tough to insist that the new coach retain the current special teams coach. But that's just another way for Snyder to keep the new coach under his thumb.

Sean Snyder was kept on staff by Prince (we all see how that turned out). I am sure the current candidates are keeping that in mind.

UH-OH - Sounds like trouble in Aggieville • Dec 07, 2018 09:23 PM

JayHawkFanToo said:

This is pretty petty ↗ any way you look at it. No wonder why so many players left; the Snyders really did think they owned the program

I've heard rumors of similar things from inside that program for years. If Snyder does not (or did not) like you while you were within the program, labelled you a troublemaker or whatever, he would withhold your ring or delay your transfer request - petty stuff.

As the article indicates, its the type of stuff that is tough for the player to make noise about in the moment - it looks bad to transfer while tangled up in a dispute with your former school/coach.

Snyder and his family think they own Manhattan (to some extent, they do). I think Snyder's large shadow is going to affect their coaching search more than they realize.

Louisiana recruiting for Kansas!!!!! • Dec 07, 2018 08:37 PM

Texas Hawk 10 said:

@jayballer73 It would be ideal if the basketball team was at AFH, but this staff doesn't have the luxury of picking and choosing when potential recruits come in. They need to get as many recruits in ASAP to try and salvage this class as much as possible.

Agree 100%. You have to get some numbers up in this class. KU has ONE player in this recruiting class so far. If they don't get to at least 15, they will have a numbers problem moving forward.

The les miles effect in recruiting • Dec 07, 2018 08:34 PM

The Miles affect should really be felt in the 2020 class. He's getting such a late start in 2019, particularly with lots of guys already signed during the national signing day in November. I think he can salvage this class, but its the 2020 class where he can make his mark and potentially turn KU around.

He should at least see if Daniel Jackson would be interested in coming to Lawrence and should try and keep Turner Corcoran in town, but he should have an all out effort to get Ky Thomas (Jackson is probably heading to Notre Dame, and Corcoran is rumored to be heading to Ohio State - Thomas is not currently linked to anywhere). That's a kid he cannot lose in 2020. He won't be the star of the class, but if Miles can't get local kids like that to come to KU, it's hard to see how he can get enough out of state talent to come to build the program.

Pooka • Dec 07, 2018 04:40 PM

This is at the very least another example of a young man putting himself in a position in which there are no good outcomes.

And that's at the very least, viewing it in the most favorable terms for him.

It could also be that he's done something despicable and should be kicked off the team.

I don't see Dotson leaving after this season. While he has incredible speed, his athleticism isn't eye popping. He's a backup in the NBA right now. I think he's at least back next year, maybe the year after as well. His size, while solid, isn't on par with a lot of NBA PGs. Remember, Grimes likely will move to the point in the NBA. He's at least 3 inches taller than Dotson. That's the type of player Dotson has to be prepared to go against every night in the NBA. I don't think he makes that leap after this season. Steph Curry is thought of as a smaller player, but he's listed at 6-3 and people attack him defensively because of his size. That's the challenge Dotson faces at the next level.

Les Miles Coaching Staff • Dec 07, 2018 03:12 PM

Football recruiting is chaos because there are so many guys. Most every school will sign at least 17 or 18 players, and the vast majority sign over 20 each year.

Generally, each school has one or two guys that don't qualify for one reason or another. That doesn't happen as often in basketball because you're dealing with a much smaller population of people. Almost as many guys will sign to play football at P5 schools as will go D1 in basketball total (roughly 1300 P5 football recruits each year vs. about 1350 for D1 basketball). With so many guys out there, switching at the last minute is common.

Sometimes, its because a guy gets recruited over. In basketball, that may not be a big deal because if a top prospect comes in, he may be gone after one year. But if you get recruited over in football, you're stuck behind a guy for three years. You may never see the field.

Coaching changes, especially with playing style changes, affect that as well. If you're a FB and you sign with a school, then they bring in an air raid coach, well, you're probably screwed. Might as well go to a different school. Same thing if you are a NT and a school switches to a 4-3 and you don't have the speed to move off the nose. Maybe one coach sees you as a corner, while another wants you at safety.

Football recruits also generally form their biggest relationship with their position coach. Position coaches tend to move around quite a bit more than hoops assistants, so guys might be more inclined to follow the guy that actually recruited them (position coach) than the head coach.

Kelvin Benjamin Visiting • Dec 07, 2018 03:02 PM

It's easy to forget the human side of things. Benjamin was not happy to be traded from Carolina to Buffalo. That can affect someone.

Pro sports is one of the least forgiving professions out there. If that trade took away even 5% of his motivation and effectiveness, that takes him from being a very good player to being a very poor player.

Think of it this way. Let's say a guy runs a 4.4 40 when he's motivated. That makes him a guy with decent speed for a WR. Add 5% to that. That means he's running a 4.62. That's a slow WR in the NFL. A 5% dropoff is basically the difference between being solid and being out of the league. Spread that across every skill and you can see the difference.

Get that 5% (or 3%, or 2% or whatever) back and you see the difference.

This can happen to anybody, and probably happens in the real world even more. The difference is that not everyone in our workplace is on the same elite plane, so if you're pretty good at your job, the drop off isn't noticeable. In pro sports, the drop off is clear because everyone is at the absolute peak of their abilities.

Hopefully Benjamin can regain that edge.

Quentin "Big Game" Grimes • Dec 06, 2018 05:39 PM

Grimes' struggles have a lot to do with how KU's offense was running. KU was looking to get Dedric and Doke involved first, using Grimes as a floor spacing shooter. This is a role Grimes has probably never been in his entire life. Add to that the fact that Dotson was handling the ball, and suddenly Grimes isn't even getting touches on a lot of possessions. That's something Grimes probably hasn't ever experienced as a basketball player.

His offensive rhythm was off. It's somewhat similar to what we saw Malik Newman struggle with last year. For the first time in their lives, these guys were 1) off the ball and 2) not the primary (or even secondary) offensive option. That's a huge adjustment.

With Doke out now, I think both Lawson and Grimes take their games up a notch. The question is how to reintroduce Doke once he comes back.

Wiggins. Not good. • Dec 06, 2018 05:32 PM

The big question you have to ask when evaluating OAD players is how they would have improved in another year (or more years) in college versus what they became in the NBA.

Would Andrew Wiggins have developed into a cutthroat scorer and playmaker at KU? I'm betting on no. More time at KU would not have changed his core personality. He doesn't have great court vision, so it's doubtful he would have developed into being a better passer and playmaker. He averaged 1.5 assists at KU in his only season. I doubt we would have seen that number climb very much had he stayed at KU 2 or 3 years.

So as a basketball player, I don't know how much Wiggins changes by being in college longer.

As a person, that's up for debate because I don't know Andrew Wiggins. I will note that I have never seen him featured in the police blotter or heard about him involved in questionable off court stuff. It looks like he's just a quiet guy that happens to be an incredible athlete.

I don't think more time in college changes any of that. He was too good an athlete for most college players to handle, so it would not have helped him develop his secondary skills (the ones that he is still lacking today). Andrew Wiggins could have stayed at KU longer and I don't think the trajectory of his career would have been significantly different.

I'm Not Saying I Told You So Yet • Dec 06, 2018 05:22 PM

This team is still struggling to figure out how to compliment each other best. We have yet to really have Azuibuke, D. Lawson, Grimes, and Dotson all playing well at the same time. That's what's really limiting this team right now. We can't get our best guys on track at the same time.

And that doesn't consider that our best perimeter players (Dotson, Grimes, Vick) have not all hit at the same time. That is coming eventually.