🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Yep, hit his knee

Our point guard is pretty good.

@COHawk That place is a zoo!

Isn't a Buccaneer a pirate? Shouldn't they be near the ocean?

@wissox And who scored 17 points for Evansville in that game? Sam Cunliffe, former Kansas basketball player.

Nice to see Kansas helping an Indiana school to glory.

@nuleafjhawk I don't think so. We played like crap and barely lost to a pretty good team. We can see the potential. The outcome of the first game of the season really doesn't mean much.

@BShark Our freshman show promise, but they still look like freshmen. Bill hangs his hat on defense, and the newbies will take a while to figure that out. I can't see him making any changes just yet.

@BShark I'm not so sure. The concern was how they would do on defense. Our defense didn't suck. Duke shot only 36%. We just need to get it together on offense.

Our issues are fixable.

@bskeet Exactly my thought. "Promote Kansas Athletics in any way" is a ridiculous addition. Could apply to any fan, or at least anybody who wears a KU t-shirt.

I suspect that was the plan from the beginning. He would be here for one year. Both sides agreed, and made plans accordingly.

Certainly a different way of thinking about commitment. A one-year scholarship offer? But if that's the understanding on both sides from the beginning, then they are just following through with the plan. Doesn't mean he was kicked off the team. His one-year offer expired.

Tuition & fees at KU for out-of-state students is $28,239.

Maybe they should get more, but student-athletes on full scholarship aren't getting nothing.

Oddly enough I'm kind of intrigued to see Bill with a ragtag squad.

I agree. I've never been that interested in recruiting drama. I get that talent is important, but without time to develop, expectations are rarely met. That's just disappointment. Let's see how Bill can do with a bunch of 4-year players without the NBA distractions. I like the silver lining.

@Crimsonorblue22 That could easily be a big part of it. Lots of kids have a hard time moving away from home for the first time, especially when the challenges exceed their expectations.

I like it!

I read that article too, and was thinking what a good job our coaches do at teaching players how to communicate with the media (what not to say). Q never whined or complained in public, nothing that could get printed. Self was always positive about him. Why he decided to transfer after the NBA didn't work out is a mystery to me.

If they don't, the coaches should also coach players NOT to read sites like this one. We're probably less nasty than most sites, but I agree that nothing good can come of players reading our inexpert evaluations.

I think we dodged a bullet.

I'm not allowed to discuss a university student's grades with a parent, without the student's written permission. Doesn't matter who is paying the bills. I'm pretty happy about that.

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

@JAYHAWKFAN214 8:30AM EST, which is 7:30AM CST.

Except we're in daylight savings, so it must be 7:30am CDT.

Time over space is confusing.

wissox said:

Really hard to know because last year at this time we were being touted as a preseason #1.

Yes, and how'd that work out for us?? I really enjoy the years more when expectations are lower and we exceed them. How can you exceed the expectations of a preseason #1? Chances are they won't even be met, and we will be disappointed.

I choose to embrace the cautious optimism suggested by @drgnslayr . Things are looking up, and it should be fun!

6-foot-10, 205 pounds? He needs to be Hudyized!

@justanotherfan I think Doke is actually a below-average rebounder for his size. He's almost always the biggest and strongest man on the floor. Should be grabbing more boards. I'd love to see the same enthusiasm for grabbing rebounds as he has for dunks. Huge opportunity for improvement. That and free throws, of course. But I am thrilled he's coming back, obviously.

Silvio declared for the draft today.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/apr/19/silvio-de-sousa-declares-nba-draft-will-return-ku-/ ↗

De Sousa said he would return to KU if he's allowed to play during the 2019-20 season.

"I will be back for sure," he said.

And if the appeal is denied?

"I will be gone for sure," De Sousa explained.

I could use a full-bodied uniform made of beaver pelts or another animal hide. It snowed here last night.

Right call.

@Fightsongwriter Actually, the AP has listed 3rd team All-Americans in basketball since 1948.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_america.html ↗

@Fightsongwriter Yes, first is better. But somebody must care, or they wouldn't have that category.

@Fightsongwriter I'm just repeating what I've read:

Lawson on Tuesday landed on yet another postseason All-American team, this one a third team honor handed out by The Associated Press.

That news officially made Lawson a consensus third team All-American, which is determined by adding up the various honors handed out by the four major All-American teams — The AP, the USBWA, the NABC and The Sporting News.

Lawson’s honor marks the fourth consecutive year that the Kansas program has had a consensus All-American, with Perry Ellis earning second team honors in 2016 and Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham earning first team honors in 2017 and 2018.

Lawson becomes the 13th Jayhawk in the Bill Self era to earn consensus All-American honors.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/apr/02/kansas-junior-dedric-lawson-earns-consensus-all-am/ ↗

I agree, great article. "It’s bigger than basketball." Despite what most of us may have thought previously, here's an example of a successful transfer. We just need to remember to focus on what the student-athlete experience should be about.

@approxinfinity So you would take lower-ranked recruits straight out of high school rather than taking a chance on a transfer? When the high turnover has already started and roster spots need to be filled?

Or would you roll the dice, not fill the spots, and hope for more 5-star recruits the following year? With the high turnover on college basketball rosters, that would likely just exacerbate the problem.

@approxinfinity I think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest Charlie was friends with the Lawsons. Then never played together at Memphis or elsewhere. Charlie may have merely been trying to upgrade each time, from Memphis to Cal to KU.

KU didn't work out for him. Maybe he wilted under the brightest lights. Maybe parents' illnesses this year really did take a toll on him. But I don't think it was a bad move by Self, based on the information available at the time. Charlie did pretty well at Cal. No reason to think he wouldn't continue to improve, much less regress, under a hall-of-fame coach.

Unless transfers are just bad news. Maybe they should all suck it up and stick with their initial decision. But players can change their minds, and it can turn out well. See Frank and Devonte.

@approxinfinity You're right, once it's started it's hard to break the cycle of needing a big recruiting class.

Basketball transfers could be like recruiting JuCo football players. Pretty strong arguments have been made that JuCo players aren't the best long-term strategy for football. But few jump to the NFL early, and there aren't as many professional options for professional American football. We might just be stuck with what we have in basketball.

Man, you're too fast for me! I'm a couple of posts behind.

@approxinfinity So the discussion reverts to the question of whether we should recruit one&dones, with the corollary of whether we should recruit transfers. Once you go that route, recruiting classes necessarily get big. Self thinks the best strategy is to recruit the best players, but should he leave empty spots on the roster if he doesn't fill them all with the players he really wants? Would we be better off with unused scholarships than Charlie and KJ?

Tait recently discussed the uptick in transfers all over the country.
http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2019/apr/5/updating-kus-transfer-numbers-under-bill/ ↗

It’s not just the big schools, but small schools too that are subject to transfer issues. We can blame society, entitlement, or whatever. But it’s just an issue we’re stuck with. Great players don’t stay in school. Other players transfer, both in and out. Should we not recruit the best players, or not invite a good player from another school to join our roster?

A good argument can be made that the best strategy is to recruit decent players who aren’t the highest ranked coming out of high school and develop them. Fill the roster with Franks, Devontes, and Svis. But I don’t think that’s very realistic. Especially with bigs. You can’t teach height. Big, skilled players are rare.

I think we’re stuck with the way things are now. I’m not sure you can blame Self. It’s just the way things are now.

When my kids were little the refs let players run all over the court without dribbling. Or some kid would dribble a while, then pick up the ball when somebody guarded them close, then dribble around the kid guarding them, then pick up the ball when somebody else guarded them, then dribble around that kid, all the time getting closer to the basket. Finally when they were right under the basket (which was only about 6 feet high) they would shoot. No incentive to pass, encouraged ball hogs. The kids who actually passed and tried to play by the rules never got the ball back. Used to drive me crazy.

Yes, they were really little. But they sure weren't teaching them the right way to play.

He sure wasn't perfect, but 3rd team is still on the team!

@approxinfinity Dedric Lawson was the consensus All-American. That other guy never played for KU.

@approxinfinity I don’t see how a recruiting class that contains a consensus All-American can be given a D.

@approxinfinity We didn’t pay players. Adidas paid players.

In my field we wait until we have all the data before drawing conclusions. The information that’s available to the public can be interpreted in opposite ways. I suspect more info may become available, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going to wait and see.

In the meantime, I’m not going to get so down and depressed. I’m not going to assume the worst, like others who claim absolute certainty without any more information than I have. That’s just not healthy.

You in particular aren’t usually such a downer! I have often appreciated your positivity and perspective on the world. I hope your family is ok. I hope your pets are healthy. I hope your job is secure. I hope you continue to watch college basketball. Otherwise this site would end. And that would really suck.

@HighEliteMajor All I meant was that I wanted to focus on wins and losses, for this particular question. Not having Silvio last year may have changed our recruitment for this year. Would you give up last year’s final 4 for better success on the court this year? The debacle I meant was not extending the conference championship streak. The vacating issue is a different issue.

@dylans Ooh, that's pretty harsh.

approxinfinity said:

De Souza - horrible for Kansas

Without Silvio, we don't get to the Final 4 last year. So here's the old question again. Was last year's Final 4 worth this season's debacle? Is that a trade you'd take?

(I'm not interested in any vacating paranoia)

@FarmerJayhawk With a full year of performing the way he did in the post season last year, he might have played his way into the draft. He just hadn't showed that sustained level of performance yet. If he could have kept it going this year, a lot of people would have been watching him.

Personal issues can certainly influence on-court performance. People have wondered why his play this year was so much poorer than the numbers he put up at Cal. I think we finally have a plausible reason. Both parents being ill and hospitalized would be a serious distraction.

From the Journal World:

Moore, whose father has been battling health problems for some time, took to Instagram on Saturday evening to confirm the news himself and deliver an official goodbye.

"First of all, I want to thank the entire Rock Chalk Jayhawk Nation," Moore's post began. "These past two years I've learned so much and couldn't ask for a better college environment to be a part of. Through this process, I've been dealing with my father being (ill), which has now taken a toll on my mom, causing her to be in and out of the hospital the last couple of months. I feel it's best for me to be home with my family to help them out daily."

Moore emphasized that his decision to leave KU was not "a basketball decision" and added that it was "a tough personal decision that had to be made," before signing off with a simple farewell of "Again, thanks for everything."

Third time's a charm. Duke should have lost the last 2. 'Bout time.

UCLA has a great history, but not like Kentucky. Nor does it have the same fan base. I think Kentucky is the better job.

@wissox Like you, I have a hard time NOT picking KU to go all the way. Most years, though, it's not that unrealistic. So I usually fill out one bracket, with KU as National Champs. But this year I made a second, with a bigger dose of reality.

I'm rooting for my second bracket to tank. KU all the way!

@jayballer73 To be precise, Auburn has made 1,012 attempts from 3-pt range, for the season. According to ESPN.

I had to look it up, you made me curious!

@jayballer73 I'll guess twelve.