2009 vs 2014.... Similarities
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KUSports is running a blog on our 2009 team. Amazing… some of the similarities with our current team!
http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/all_eyes_ku/2014/mar/5/10-years-of-big-12-supremacy-2009/
Back then we had our experienced junior guard running things… Sherron Collins. We now have a junior guard running things in Naadir.
We had a great shot blocker in the paint, Cole Aldrich. We have a great shot blocker today in Joel Embiid.
Key players back then included: Collins (JR), Aldrich (SO), Mc Morris (FR), Mk Morris (FR), Taylor (FR). That is a junior, sophomore and 3 freshmen… like what we start now!
So here comes the obvious question: Which is the better team?
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I’d say this year because its’ freshmen are quite a bit better than those three freshmen. I don’t recall the twins stats freshmen year, but I imagine they didn’t knock our socks off.
Of course guard play was better. I imagine Tyrell Reed and Brady Morningstar played significant minutes on that team as well? I’d guess they didn’t have the TO’s like this years team. Of course they were good enough to come close to knocking off MSU to get to the FF so until this years team accomplishes that, then we’ll wait to see! It feels like I’m starting to change my opinion on which team is better!
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@wissoxfan83
At first I thought this year’s team was a shoe-in pick. Then I thought about it more… now I’m not too sure.
Two things stick out at me. A healthy Embiid is a game-changer.
Second… I always think of the twins as they were on their final year. In their freshman year they played like high schoolers. We kept blogging about whether they could dunk or not.
Those two things made it obvious.
Then I think about our last game. Sherron would eat Naadir on a piece of toast as he drives the lane. No matter what, this game would be close, because Sherron was capable of keeping games close.
Then think about our current foul trouble. How many FTs would Sherron and Tyshawn have in this game? And could they stick Embiid into foul trouble? We only possess one Wiggins, and he can’t guard both Sherron and Tyshawn!
And who would win the battle between Perry and a softer Kieff? I’m leaning Kieff…
Now my skepticism steps in on our current team.
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@drgnslayr in this new foul system, the twins might be both thrown out! Wish we could see how the 09 team could play D in this years foul system. “Played like girls”, watch it!
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Sorry… I’ve actually coached girls teams before… and they played tough basketball… I don’t know why but girls always do the best job of boxing out for rebounds. I’d bring in some of my basketball bros to scrimmage them and the girls would always have them boxed out well.
I think I’ll edit that comment…
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@drgnslayr just playing!
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Actually it wasn’t what I meant because I totally respect women’s basketball… especially all the discipline! The comment is a bad tick I’ve developed from an on-going joke I have with my wife. She teases me about several boy issues and I tease her about girl issues. It is all sarcastic humor based on generalizations… but we’ve carried on enough for me to overlap those comments into the real world.
I’m glad you caught it!
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@drgnslayr just don’t say, “he throws like a girl”.
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Ha… I won’t.
What makes our humor work is the fact that my wife is athletic… she really doesn’t do anything athletic that seems feminine (athletic or non-athletic feminine). So I can really pull her strings when I say something like that.
In reality… all of the time it is her that makes statements about other females… “throwing like a girl!” And she constantly tells other women to “man up!” I don’t have the cojones to throw out a comment like that!
I bet my wife can throw an 80 mph fastball!
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@Crimsonorblue22 While home yesterday after the “ice storm” hit here and I was unable to get to work :-), my girls and I re-watched the last 1/4 of and OT of our 08 championship game vs. Memphis. I must have counted 30 times where either Rio, BRush or RussRob would have been called for a “reach” nowadays. Yes, things have really changed.
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@RockChalkinTexas I think that change has really effected a Bill Self team this year. I don’t like it!
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This girl throws throws pretty darn well, and even is she could not throw…who would care?
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@JayHawkFanToo good one! Did she marry dragnslayer?
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Only if his name is Casey Daigle…
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@JayHawkFanToo well dragnslayr???
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The 09 team fit together better and faster and played much more aggressively. They seemed fiercer competitors.
To really decide, you have to decide which way the game would be refereed. Then rules. Now rules.
Sherron would have punked Naa.
Tyshawn was lightning fast but very soft. Remember how he used to fade away from contact on drives? Selden holds an edge, as much as I love Tyshawn.
The biggest edge would have to go to the current team with Wigs over Brady. Brady was a lot more sound in most ways and a better trey shooter, but Wigs just has an enormous amount of talent and size and so huge edge Wigs.
At the 4, Marcus Morris after mid season was an accomplished garbage man 4 that outplayed pretty much every one he matched up with at 4 from mid January on. Advantage Morris over Ellis.
At the 5, Cole was a lot more sound, and territorial, after he got his face busted up, but Joel is much the better athlete and much taller. Edge Joel.
When this year’s team plays very well and Joel is at his still raw best, I would take this team.
But anything short of this year’s team’s best and I would go with Sherron and Cole; they were tough, tough, tough hombres by February. Marcus would have been exactly the kind of guy Perry would not have liked to player against. Brady would be the weak link, but then Brady played a lot of good long 3s even up without TOs and making his open look treys. If Wigs were on his game, he would eat Brady alive and force KU into a zone, though.
Neat question.
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That is a good question. I would go with this year’s team because of Embiid being more of an offensive threat than Cole and Wiggins being more of a force as a freshmen than the Morii. I believe these things offset the better guard play of 09. Now, that team was more consistent, but the upside is higher for this team. 2009 team lost in the sweet 16, although to the eventual NC in a game I thought we were going to win at halftime. But that team still felt like they went as far as they were going to go, I think. Although…that seems like a long time ago now.
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This is a cool question … however, it’s a bit scary. Comparing a team we want to win the national title to a team that was not really worthy of that discussion. I agree with @jaybate 's player by player comparisons. This team is deeper. And it has more upside per @Hawk8086. I’d take this team. But ask me again in a few weeks.
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" well dragnslayr???"
You know I have to plea the 5th on that one. All I can get away with is a limp affirmative on the photo from @JayHawkFanToo .
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@jaybate 1.0
"The 09 team fit together better and faster and played much more aggressively. They seemed fiercer competitors. "
I’ve felt that way through about 94% of this season…
Then Texas happened… then last night happened.
When our current team decides they want to get after it, they are unstoppable, while stopping their opposition.
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@drgnslayr I feel as though this year’s team does not consistently bring the intensity that they should (which of course has been widely discussed), though games like last night, Texas, and the first half against OSU at Allen Fieldhouse have been exceptions.
I mentioned in an earlier post that Perry needs to become a stretch four instead just staying inside and getting his shot blocked. The past couple games he has been doing that and having success. Did he even miss an outside shot against Tech?
While the Morris twins were better down low than Perry, he has just as good of an outside shot as them, if not better. Perry getting involved in the game and using his perimeter shot will be vital to us making a deep run this year.
Last night, Nadiir had the look of someone that was on a mission. He had the look of a veteran point guard that knows that this is March and its showtime. That is the look I want him to have from here on out.
