New Plan: Rebound with Guards, Score with Doke, Shorten the Game with Bragg and Big Luke, Bring on the Mothers
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I hope this isn’t how its going to go, but…
Self is having a little manning-up show down with Big Luke and Bragg. He’s saying, “Look, guys, I don’t care about you’re pain. You’re playing through and that’s all there is to it. And your minutes and starting depend on how well you play, even when you are injured. See?”
In the weird, wonderful world of Bill Self not one but three guards our rebounded our Deuce and 3 Quarter Footer. THINK ABOUT THAT!!! HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE BASKET BALL? Frankly, Vick, Mason, and Graham outbounded every KU big man but Bragg and Frank even tied him.
Real big men, the kind that are territorial like lions, you know, the kind that walk around the paint snorting and cursing with eyes flashing and muttering “the paint is mine, don’t even think about coming in here,” those kind of big men, the kind KU used to have, well, those kind of big men would call a meeting for front court players at some bulk restaurant with an all you can eat and drink buffet and grab a circular booth in the back in the dark and begin talkin’ in big, deep Barry White Muther@#$%^ing voices about putting the little pip squeak boys on the floor every time they come into OUR BOX. They would be scowling and wolfing prime ribs whole and shooting colt 45s and gettting more and more mule-ly the more hot buttered roles the terrified waiter keeps bringing.
Real big men would be called by their typically formidable mothers and told not to come home again for real cooking until they get their mommas double digit rebounds and bounce a few of those “little boys” off on the way to giant, manly man dunks. Mothers of real big men are nothing to mess with. Hell neither are the fathers. Fathers of real big men would take their sons out on the drive way and back the mofo’s down 15 straight times and slap them up side the head 5 times and say, “Don’t you EVER humiliate your mother and me like that again. I didn’t work unloading those semis in 100 degree heat and zero degree cold for 19 years so you could go out and stink up the floor. Now bring us some boards, or don’t come home, ya hear?!!”
Really, I think this group of big men are too much for Bill Self and Norm Roberts to handle. Bill Self and Norm Roberts were girlie men perimeter players in college. They don’t think like big men. They don’t talk like big men. They don’t dress like big men. They don’t smile like big men. Big men smile like they are going to eat you for breakfast. They smile like you are one little pip squeak and I’m not going to smash here at the Wheel, but you come in my paint, and I’m going to put a knot on your head the size of a bowling ball, you got that? That’s how real big men smile when they are looking down on your lowly ass.
These big men of KU are NOT REAL big men. Not yet. They are tall choir boys with no primitive sense of territoriality.
They are big over weight guards that cannot dribble well.
That is all they are until Self calls their parents in and their mothers and fathers go to work on them.
It isn’t going to be pretty.
The press will have to be denied access to what is going to be said.
The shaming is going to ooze out from under the locked door of the lockerroom like blood coming out of the elevator in The Shining.
Everything else has been tried; that much is clear. The guards have talked to them. The coaches have talked to them. Former players have texted them. But none of it has worked.
Its time to call the fathers and mothers in.
Oh, hell, just cut straight to the mothers.
I hate to do it to any young man.
But its time to lock them in their with their mothers and let their mothers do whatever awful thing it is they do to young big men to shame them into playing up to their abilities.
Go ahead. Get on with it!!!
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Bill mentioned the starting line-up my change based on the scouting report. That would be a first!
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I think losing their starting spots should be the best motivation for them. But long term, Udoka should be starting and I hope Bill sees that. A more seasoned Udoka can go against any big guy out there. Reminds me of the Joel/Tarik situation a few years ago
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@BShark I think he’s right. A lot of nice options
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@BShark said:
Bill mentioned the starting line-up my change based on the scouting report. That would be a first!
Read this again and it made me laugh AGAIN!!
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*Graham becomes an uber facilitator - 29 assts in his last 4 games. Only 4 shots taken. I thought he played great…11 assists…crazy good.
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Vick is a starter from now on, imo. It is simply impossible for him not to force his way into the lineup. 15 points from nearly perfect shooting, and his 9 boards are a site for sore eyes. Go get that loose ball, Vick.
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Jackson is our best player, and he shows it night after night. 7 assists from our superstar to go along with 3 blocks, 2 steals and 14 points. He is breaking the OAD mold, and is laying it out on the court every game.
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Excited but cautious about Doke. He had his way down low last night. Of course, UNC-Ashville isn’t exactly a powerhouse, so we’ll see if he can translate those results when we face better competition. But, it sure was nice to have a player that can protect the rim, alter shots, etc.
So, as of this stage, I’m predicting the following players stay/go to the NBA:
Josh - might be first pick
Devonte - stays, so he can be the star. He is handing out lots of dimes , being the team player, while Josh and Frank grab the headlines. Next year is his year.
Carlton Bragg - I said preseason it was going to be a big jump for him to become a starter, and that he would be back next year. That is looking more and more like the case, as CB has some growing to do.
Svi- I’ve said all along him graduating from college would be paramount for a kid from a family of teachers, and his play screams for another year of seasoning. Great for spurts, he just needs more time to grow.
Our team next year :
DevonteNewman
Vick/Svi
Preston/ Bragg
Doke
Geez Louise, what a powerhouse team.
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@KUSTEVE YES! And Mr. Mitch the Rebounder Lightfoot adds 12 pounds above his Light Feet!
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Agreed, but don’t underestimate the difficulty of replacing Frank. Devonte might, but then could we replace Devonte and his near Frank like gifts on his wing when Devonte moves to point. These are the most gifted developed players at 1 and 2 guards since RR/Chalmers/Sherron. Very few point guards can go get a long Trey, or a short Trey, against almost ANYONE even when being trapped.
I suspect the reason our wings are feasting, despite no inside game to keep defenders honest inside out is that Frank is keeping wing defenders honest side-to-side outside. Most teams know that Frank can ALMOST ALWAYS shake free for a long or short Trey even on his off nights. Thus they HAVE to hedge to Frank even though our other guys are quite good. Frank is a great one. Very few point guards can just score at will 5 straight times on demand at the end, even when being schemed against. Frank can. That is greatness in college basketball.
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Coleby too, right?
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We will definitely miss Frank. 4 year players like Frank are a treat.
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@jaybate-1.0 said:
@BShark said:
Bill mentioned the starting line-up my change based on the scouting report. That would be a first!
Read this again and it made me laugh AGAIN!!
I think Coach Self is gonna do it. I think he’s gonna make good on that statement. Although, I have to admit that the chances are very eeeequal that he could just be pulling one of his sleight of hand tricks on opposing coaches.
He does it once and every other coach has to take it seriously.
Coach Self is Babe Ruth pointing a finger out into the stands in left field. Coach Self is aiming for ALLL the marbles this time.
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@jaybate-1.0 “Frank can” Which is why Ive said since his frosh season that he is equal to or better than Sherron.
I hope Bill Self has a genetic lab down in the depths of the AFH somewhere. I mean they need to be seriously cloning Frank and Sherron.
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@Lulufulu said:
@jaybate-1.0 “Frank can” Which is why Ive said since his frosh season that he is equal to or better than Sherron.
I hope Bill Self has a genetic lab down in the depths of the AFH somewhere. I mean they need to be seriously cloning Frank and Sherron.
Markese Jacobs is on the way. However, we need to bridge the gap a couple years.
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I missed the call on Frank as a frosh. I saw an after burner, but I didn’t see a lot of other strengths. He has developed. Sherron was so far along, when he started as a frosh, and he was crazy strong and explosive and had the shots and the dribbles. But injury and wear and tear slowly dulled his edge some. Frank has had a lot of injury, but he seems to come back stronger and better after each injury. He is just insanely conditioned!!! And good as he is at everything, he remains a rebounding freak of nature.
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@jaybate-1.0 hit the nail on the head with this post! It’s amazing being able to watch him force his will on people when they know the ball is coming his way a la Sherron and Tyshawn to a lesser extent.
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@KUSTEVE said:
Our team next year :
Devonte Newman Vick/Svi Preston/ Bragg Doke Geez Louise, what a powerhouse team.Plus Garret and Lightfoot for limited minutes and Maxwell/Coleby?!?
That doesn’t leave a shcolarship for Duval does it?!? I’d take a Sr. Graham over any Freshman.
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KU still has an open scholarship atm. Should go to Wooten if he chooses to come here. Preston slots into Lucas’s scholarship and Garrett into Mason’s. So, it depends on who stays, SR Graham would be fantastic. We know there is one more open spot for sure, Josh’s. I would lean towards 2/3 of Graham, Svi and Bragg being gone but we’ve seen a lot of odd staying/leaving decisions over the years.
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12 scholarships not 11 to give? Oops, I shorted us one.
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I know we’re all hopeful that Devonte stays for his senior year, but realistically if he’s projected to go in the first round - he’s gone and he should leave.
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@dylans Would Duval play ahead of Newman?
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@KUSTEVE I don’t know. Experience in the system for a high talent guy vs. a freshman with elite talent??? If Newman had a year of playing under his belt I could answer better, but depth is an issue if any 4 guard line ups will be used down the road.
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@dylans said:
12 scholarships not 11 to give? Oops, I shorted us one.
It’s very unusual that KU has an open scholarship tbf.
@rocketdog said:
I know we’re all hopeful that Devonte stays for his senior year, but realistically if he’s projected to go in the first round - he’s gone and he should leave.
Absolutely.
@KUSTEVE said:
@dylans Would Duval play ahead of Newman?
Self would be running the 5 star top 10 but less experienced Mason + Graham redux with those two. Both would play, a lot and together.
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@KUSTEVE My take is that Newman learned a valuable lesson, and that he is preparing to grab the brass ring next year in BIll Self’s system. What a marvelous opportunity for him this year, to practice daily against and alongside our terrific guards! He came out of h.s. as a very talented player.
