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Free-the-3: We did. (best 3% in bigXII, not IowaSt). But y’all know the rest, Greene got hurt in Feb, so the 3shooting goes in the tank, and you see Self trying to develop the post game for 2 reasons: cannot have incompetent post presence heading into Tourney (but then Perry gets hurt, never the same)…and maybe he had to, since his very own Ray Allen-pure 3gun (Greene) was never the same.
I did NOT see Mason or Graham stop shooting 3s, both with 40% 3guns…Selden was his usual yo-yo. Oubre didn’t stop shooting them. But you cannot expect a no-post-presence team to make it far in the Dance.
Square-pegs/Round-holes is not as powerful a statement as you might at first think: This is basketball, and KU has its share of athletic ballers. It comes down to experience and heart. You could put any coach in the practice gym or in the huddle and have him finger a player in the chest (I know, that’d send ripples thru ku athletic dept…lol!) and say “How about you guard somebody?” or “you gonna let him (opponent) shut you down like that?” To me, square-peg/round-hole is a cop-out that is seeking to let someone off the hook for not performing basic basketball.
Anybody want to tell me how the midmajors with no 5stars or McDs are in the right spots, and defending, and running offense, etc,…with their OBVIOUS lack of talent (hehe…). What would Mark Few and Gregg Marshall say about square-pegs/round-holes? Very likely they’ll say the same goddamn thing Self would say: "This is your assignment, now get out there and play the f–king game, or your ass is comin’ out!..*
This is high, elite, Div1, major program basketball–> I wish we’d quit pussy-footin’ around whichever of our starters/subs aren’t getting the job done. Because they’d shortly lose their job…
The logic of square-pegs/round-holes very quickly ends up with: OK, if they’re a “bad fit”, then they’re off the team. Man, these players KNOW the coach and playstyle before they commit. That is known. Greene picked us. Selden picked us. Ellis picked us. They already know they are going to have to bust their ass. We all know Self is up-front in recruiting. Doesn’t it seem like a stretch to say we are recruiting the wrong guys for our system? I mean when does that happen? Its a system, watching guys from when they are 14 or 15…
Stop letting guys off the hook. Im not talking about proven guys, Im talking about the young variables…Again, another example: why is frosh Devonte sooo much better than Tharpe ever was? He may even be better than Tyshawn or Elijah Johnson. And why is 5’11 Mason so different than 5’11 Tharpe? Teams depend on their key parts. Look at the difference at just one position when 1 key part is changed. But we’re not a complete team, just look at what’s missing. So easy if you look for it, instead of trying to make excuses for piss poor play, right there on the hardwood, right there in front of your own eyes.