March 8: News Headlines Digest
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Also see our Daily Threads, March 8, and the News Digest for Yesterday, March 7, as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday, March 7 ####
##Newell: KU basketball has secret weapon when it comes to NCAA Tournament seeding##Much like the early-2000s Oakland A’s, who valued on-base percentage when other teams ignored it, KU seems to have found its own market inefficiency in today’s competitive college basketball landscape.
###KU basketball signee Cliff Alexander chosen as Naismith high school player of the year###
Kansas men’s basketball signee Cliff Alexander has been selected as the Naismith boys high school player of the year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday.
Alexander, a 6-foot-9 forward from Curie High School in Chicago, is the second straight KU signee to earn the honor, as freshman Andrew Wiggins won it a year ago.
###Kansas’ Wiggins makes his return to the Mountain State###
The teenage basketball prodigy from Canada had been in West Virginia for just a few months when his host father came home with an idea.
For two years, Scott and Lesley Thomas had been opening up their home to blue-chip recruits at Huntington Prep, a prep powerhouse that attracts youngsters from all over the world. The Thomases had two sons at home — Luke, 12, and Clayton, 9 — and they loved exposing their boys to new cultures. So in the fall of 2011, after Wiggins had joined Huntington and moved into the Thomases’ house at age 16, Scott gathered his family in the kitchen and explained the night’s entertainment.
“Andrew,” Scott remembers saying, “Our kids need to learn the Canadian national anthem.”
###KU men wrap up Big 12 regular season at WVU###
Kansas University’s basketball team has compiled a remarkable 86-5 record in Big 12 Conference home games during the 11-year Bill Self era.
That’s 12 games better than Texas, next best in the league at 74-17.
###### Also see our Daily Threads, March 8, and the News Digest for Yesterday, March 7, as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday, March 7
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@Crimsonorblue22 Thanks! Great suggestion! I added that to the stories above.
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@ Jesse Newell. Money Ball. Great movie.
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Too bad Cliff couldn’t have finished the season better. After the scandal last week they were bounced in the regionals by 18th seeded Dusable in OT. Cliff had 25, 15 and I think 6 blocks. Says he had to be helped off the floor by his parents after the game.
As for the scheduling, a person whose sole job is finding 30 games to play? We just found the easiest job in America! He probably gets paid more than most of us too.
As for those games in our tough schedule we’re all talking about. I wish we’d won more of those tough games, it would make me feel better about the postseason. At least we don’t have any bad losses, but do we have any really good wins? Aha, almost forgot in this too long of season, Duke, we beat them right? I think it was on the last day of the World Series!
I have enjoyed this schedule however. A lack of cupcakes is always better I believe. Of course more cupcakes and less non con stalwarts and our record is sitting pretty, but maybe we’re lulled into complacency by that too.
WVU does scare me, and it’s not just that their mascot carries a rifle at games. Staten can really play, he wowed most of us last time. Although I never predict a loss, I do sense a possible tough game today that given our road woes could end up in another disheartening loss.
Where can I sign up to host blue chip basketball recruits in my home? KU will never lose a big time player again!
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@wissoxfan83 cupcakes have worked well for WSU! Your home sounds like a great place, how 'bout taking in “just” a fan?
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@wissoxfan83 “We just found the easiest job in America!” I think someone was exaggerating in that story. He was Senior Associate AD before Zenger came and may be winding down near the end of his career. Here’s what the KUAD Web Site says:
"Larry Keating joined the staff as Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of Kansas in August, 2003. In July, 2011, he was named Special Assistant to Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger.
He came to KU from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), where he served as Assistant Commissioner for Basketball/Football Operations since July 2001.
…
At KU, Keating is responsible for scheduling football and men’s and women’s basketball games, and works with the coaches and administrators for all sports at KU." http://www.kuathletics.com/staff.aspx?staff=179
FYI, his wife, an admirable person I know somewhat, does a lot of tutoring for the football players.
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@wissoxfan83
Of the 30 games KU will play in the regular season, 18 are pre-determined conference games, which leaves about 12. Of those 12 there are a few that have been scheduled for while plus the “tropical” tournaments and the Series with Duke. MSU and UK, so in reality he is scheduling 6-8 games per season, but what a good job he did to find the right teams that would contribute to our RPI.
As far as good wins, 6 conference teams in addition to KU have been in the to 25, and any win against those teams is a very good win. Add to that wins against Duke and New Mexico, both top 25 teams and you have a boat load of good wins.At one time. KU had 4 consecutive wins against top 25 teams, something that had not been done in a long time. According to Sagarin, KU has 12 wins against to 50 teams; this is two more wins than second place Arizona. Just because KU beats at team that is ranked lower it does not mean it is not a good win.
Of the teams that KU has played this season, close to 15 will make it to the tournament. Compare that with Wichita State that only 1 team they have played (St. Louis) will likely make it to the tournament.
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Hey guys- Re: Keating, yes he schedules for men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football. I had it an earlier version and trimmed down to just say “scheduling” figuring most people would assume MBB wasn’t his only job.
Oh, and live blog is up.
