VIDEO FROM YESTERDAY"S SCRIMMAGE



  • who is the little guy #5 at about the 3:00 minute mark?



  • Charlie More I think?



  • My 5 thoughts:

    • Oh how I wish Dedric could play this season…

    • Newman looks silky smooth.

    • Udoka is going to foul out of every game this season

    • DG looks like DG still. A good thing if you ask me, as those questioning him about turning into EJ will be silenced shortly

    • This will be Vick’s last season in Lawrence if he plays this confident during the season.



  • @Kcmatt7 Vick looked great, hit a lot of threes in that video. I’m guessing he starts over Svi.



  • Statmachine said:

    Charlie More I think?

    Correct.



  • Lightfoot might not play much, but it was interesting to hear coach say that all of the bigs will have to watch him to learn the flows of the offense and defense.



  • @wrwlumpy I’m not convinced Mitch won’t end up seeing some playing time this year as an energy guy if nothing else. Even last year, it was clear he understood the spots to hit on the floor. He’s a surprisingly good shot blocker and rebounder as well.



  • @DanR i think we’re going to need him if Udunka can’t stay on the floor due to fouls. Love that kid’s attitude. The baby face belies a bad hombre who is going to assert himself more and more as he carves out a role on the court.



  • @RockkChalkk Still not sold on that. If he starts its because we start 4 guards. JMO.

    If Svi can do what he did in some of his NBA workouts in an actual game, he’s a better player than Vick. Although, if we get last year’s Svi, I agree with you that Vick should probably start.

    I have been waiting for a Svi breakout for 2 years now. It’s coming. You can tell it just hasn’t quite clicked at 100% yet for some reason. A 6-7 guy who can hit 85/100 from NBA 3pt range is special. He just has to get a little more confidence in himself. I’m excited to watch his games this summer and see if he plays better than he did last summer.



  • @Kcmatt7 Somewhat agree with you. Seems to me like Svi’s issue has been translating from practice (or workouts) to actually doing it in the game. There were so many times last year where I expected more from a kid that was a 3rd year player in the program. Even if Vick is slightly less impactful on the offensive end but his defense is much better, I’d give Vick the nod if I was Self. Just feels like Svi is improving slowly while Vick has shown improvement at a rapid pace. If their trajectories remain on the same path, Vick will likely be the better player this year.

    Being a former college athlete I have seen players like Svi before, where they can be great in practice but when the lights are on and the crowd is in the seats, etc, they seem to underperform. Actually, I have seen the opposite much more often. There are some players that when its a live game situation, a switch gets flipped inside them and they are just gamers.



  • @Kcmatt7 “Udoka is going to foul out of every game this season.”

    Based on what? He is clearly in much better shape and quicker, contrary to what our internet coaches guessed.



  • @Kcmatt7

    Complete backcourt overhaul after this year with Graham and Svi graduating and Vick and Newman likely leaving after what I anticipate will be huge seasons from both of them. Whitman’s gone up from, along with maybe both Azuibuke and Preston if things go well for both. That’s potentially seven spots opening up. We have three filled with Moore and the Lawson brothers, but we will still need some major contributors for 2018-19.



  • @RockkChalkk It could come down to Vick being here & practicing with the team while Svi is in the Ukraine.



  • @Barney quite possible, also I think playing D will determine playing time.



  • @HawkChamp The fact that almost every basket he scored in that scrimmage was after he committed an offensive foul to get open 😂



  • @justanotherfan The funny thing is that i’m not even worried. If we lose all 7, man oh man did we have a great season. And for Bill to bring in those 3 transfers was just genius at that point. Like next level genius. He is skipping the typical dropoff even blue bloods have every once in a while.

    And, something to think about. 2019-2020 could be the year. We could have 3 Lawsons playing with a Garrett, Markese Jacobs, Cunliffe, Lightfoot, and Moore. DEEP. Super deep.

    This could finally be the time where Bill wins a championship two of the next 3 years. If he lands the one of the stud OAD pieces for next season (i.e. he lands a Bagley, Zion or Langford), it could be 3 extremely crazy years in Lawrence.

    Anyways, 7 gone, doesn’t matter. The streak will continue.



  • @Kcmatt7 Based on the video, I can only agree with you 100%. Doke either fouled or traveled every time he touched the ball; however, there is 5 months till the season begins so I’ll remain optimistic. I love that he’s beefed up and lost what looks like another 20 pounds. I just wish he would throw it down with 2 hands more often. These are merely petty criticisms though. The squad as whole looks pretty solid.



  • Vick, man he is money from that right corner.



  • Game knows game.



  • @BShark - -OH thee is money, there is the man right there - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Man I could watch video like that all day long! Thanks for posting.



  • @Fightsongwriter KU sports has some others



  • We are gonna be chippy this year! @Kcmatt7 thought the same thing about wishing Dedric could play. Dug that drive and kick drill, where passer returns to catch and shoot. No wonder we are so good at finding the third side. Who here thinks returning to the high low is this years fools gold and Bill has flipped the script? Man how high was Udoka on those dunks? Felt like he was arms length above the rim. I don’t know if they will call O fouls on him. It’s pretty apparent he’s freaking strong. Maybe that’ll normalize the whistles in his favor if he starts getting national press. Can’t wait!



  • After watching the video, I feel good about this next year. As I have been saying, the summer trip will really help kick start team chemistry, cohesiveness, play running, etc. Would be nice to start out with a W over Cal’s uber hyped group of freshman. @Kcmatt7 - that’s called Dok not playing for six months and he had little experience prior to that. He’s the one that will benefit the most from the trip as he will learn what he can and can’t do.

    I have heard a lot of bad stuff about Billy regarding his work ethic from internet coaches, but it sounds like from all reports that he is working hard to improve his understanding of what coach wants and expects on the court. Dok and Billy are our x factors. We all saw how hard it is to beat a team with good inside outside balance (Gonzaga and UNC). Yes, playing small is in vogue, but at the college level, inside outside is king and is what I am looking forward to seeing.

    I predict that this year’s squad will make it back to the elite eight and this time they will finish the job. Feels like a title season to me.



  • @RockkChalkk I feel the same way about Vick/Svi. Svi, show me something. Until then, I think Vick should start.



  • RockkChalkk said:

    Being a former college athlete I have seen players like Svi before, where they can be great in practice but when the lights are on and the crowd is in the seats, etc, they seem to underperform. Actually, I have seen the opposite much more often. There are some players that when its a live game situation, a switch gets flipped inside them and they are just gamers.

    The practice/gamers phenomenon that happens earlier than college. Heck I see it in elementary age sports all the time.



  • @BShark Chalmers: “Nobody–no one guy is bigger than the program. That’s the mindset you’ve gotta have coming here.”

    Listening, newbies and future recruits?



  • @KUSTEVE wonder if svi will come back to practice w/team before we leave for Italy? I would think so.



  • mayjay said:

    @BShark Chalmers: “Nobody–no one guy is bigger than the program. That’s the mindset you’ve gotta have coming here.”

    Listening, newbies and future recruits?

    Yeah Mario is a boss. Really liked that he was impressed with Newman.

    Graham/Newman/Doke is a really, really salty trio. I’m excited about this team.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 I would prefer Vick over Svi, considering Preston should be on the court at the 4. However, that opinion is subject to change.



  • @KUSTEVE I like Svi off the bench better because of his versatility. He could sub for any of the starters and the line up wouldn’t fall off, just move to a 4-1 if he came in for a big. Svi’s ability to play 1-4 makes him a more versatile player off the bench than Vick is to me personally.



  • Did the old guys get to use the League 5-step dribble?



  • @Texas-Hawk-10 Svi could be a starter and versatile: just move over when needed. Self tends to be loyal to players who stick around for 3-4 years.



  • Svi and Vick will play a lot, again.



  • BeddieKU23 said:

    Svi and Vick will play a lot, again.

    Yep. Garrett is feeling like the odd man out here. “I wish we would have played Garrett more” - Bill Self in the future



  • @BShark

    You know its coming.



  • I’m anxious to see Garrett play. Like his size. Hope he can play some D.



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    His D is what he’s known for. Played for a defensive minded coach in HS. Hopefully that translates up seamlessly


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