Late Night Scrimmage



  • For those that missed it



  • @BShark This is fun! Bill with the announcers, starting out with saying he expected the game to be really bad. Then, in the first 45 seconds, what he calls 3 crappy possessions and a bad foul! HSBS: Head Swami Bill Self.



  • @mayjay He called TCU the team to beat in the Big 12. Such a rascal.



  • He can’t say the obvious that everyone else says - Kansas is the team to beat in the Big 12 until someone beats them. Period. End of discussion.

    Doesn’t matter who you are, who brings back who, who recruited who, or anything else. Until someone else wins this league, Kansas is the team to beat. Don’t like it? Who cares. The league title runs through Lawrence, Kansas until someone can win enough games to change that fact.



  • @justanotherfan Actually, for KU, every other team is the one to beat.



  • @mayjay

    I thought they were the ones that get beat. Same difference.



  • @justanotherfan

    A very successful gambler once told me…you never bet against the streak. The rationale was that if you started to bet for the streak when it was 4 0r 5 championships, you would have won 8 or 9 times already and will win probably more before you lose once…or something to that effect. 😃



  • Thanks for posting the video…of a hokey practice. I think late night needs to be mothballed until this team gets to the final four again. Of course anything that makes money for the team will continue to happen, but I’m just not a big preseason sports guy. I’ve never watched a full preseason game in any sport. Seen tiny bits of NFL until I realize there’s no one on the field I recognize, watched a few innings here and there of spring training games. NBA? I don’t even watch regular season games anymore! I guess it is nice to get a teaser on the team, see the new guys, see Doke again and whatnot, but once that season starts, I try not to miss a minute!

    Sorry to be a debbie downer. I’m really good at being debbie downers. Comes naturally I guess since I grew up in Downers Grove, IL (true story) but people like me are necessary to balance out all the positive thinkers out there so I do serve an environmental purpose in the world of sports and in Jayhawk nation.



  • @wissox I don’t think one should ever take much away from it as it’s not even really real basketball but it’s just fun to see the players again.

    Do you watch the exhibitions?



  • What I mean is the exhibitions against Kansas D2 schools. Last year for example I feel like Washburn was probably better than a few of the teams KU played that actually counted. UMKC for sure I think Washburn could have beat.



  • @JayHawkFanToo Whooooosh! Straight from another thread!

    Gambling fascinates me. But your friend’s comment, as related, was slightly ambiguous. Was he talking about The Streak? Or about any streak?

    If the former, good strategy in sports gambling is to bet on a winner on a streak because that winner in a contest has proven it/him/her-self already, and thus has past performance to judge the future.

    But if it was the latter, I am wondering if he deceived you about how successful he has been. Games of chance with independent events give no indication of how the next one plays out (assuming an unrigged or non-malfunctioning system, blah blah blah–Thanks, Prof Sherr (sp?), Spring 1977).

    I know you know this about the well-known Gambler’s Fallacy, so what I was just wondering, assuming it was KU’s Streak, if you followed his advice?



  • @mayjay

    The comment was about another sports streak at the time, can’t remember which, but necessarily championships and more like the Cleveland Streak in baseball this season.

    He also had a system to bet on dog races, which were popular in KC at the time, that relied on regression and seemed to work for him, among other things. He was not a big money gambler but a steady gambler and he seemed to be successful at it. The comment always stuck with me and I have heard many gamblers in Vegas say the same thing. I used to go to Vegas a couple of times a year but have not been there recently and I have no plans to go anytime soon.



  • BShark said:

    @wissox I don’t think one should ever take much away from it as it’s not even really real basketball but it’s just fun to see the players again.

    I’m often saying that. But I do feel like there are a few possible clues that can come out of this scrimmage, giving us directions to think about moving forward.

    I wasn’t impressed with Doke’s footwork. I hope he is just out of shape. But, IMHO, he looked like he was stomping on potatoes instead of moving gracefully on the court.

    It does have me concerned… that we may have serious post issues again. I question his stamina and ability to stay out of foul trouble while offering a consistent contribution to the team.

    I hope I’m wrong… I hope Doke proves me wrong. He has a solid month to polish his game and conditioning… and his footwork. He stuck out as playing at a slower speed than the rest of the team, and that is concerning. We need to have 5 guys running at a quick pace (our pace).

    Really liked the motor and aggressive play of Billy. He’ll still have plenty to learn in order to be effective in D1, and also in the Big 12. But… he sure has the tools to adjust quickly to being effective and I feel confident about his game… this year!



  • @drgnslayr Hard to disagree about Doke. The injury last year really hindered development. There is no substitute for real game time. Oddly enough, I think we’d kill to have McCormack THIS year. Kid is so smart, knows what he is doing. Can’t wait for him to be a Hawk and I’ll def be watching Oak Hill games this year.



  • @wissox Debbie Downer. Cheer up. It’s a good day for guys named Steve.



  • @BShark Usually I watch the exhibitions for a half, then get bored and kind of tail off. The exhibitions at least feel like for real games so it’s more enjoyable to watch.

    To continue my cranky ways, I do get tired of posters who say did you see the way Joe Smith played in the Late Night Scrimmage? That guy’s going to be awesome! Dude, it’s a freaking show they’re putting on where no one really exerts any extra effort so as to not get hurt. Same with the two exhibition games. How many times have we seen a guy score 10-15 points against the Gorilla’s, and then takes the whole regular season to score another 10-15 points? I know it’s happened.



  • @wissox I think KU fans are a tad more knowledgeable than that???



  • Time to comb over exhibition box scores.



  • Crimsonorblue22 said:

    @wissox I think KU fans are a tad more knowledgeable than that???

    Every fan base has its share of dumb. Especially on twitter.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 I can’t think of any specifics, but i do recall people getting giddy over a late night scrimmage a few years back. Unless it was 2007, or 2011, we all know how those seasons turned out. Sure I’d like to think KU fans and Bucketeers in particular are more knowledgable but I read it with my own eyes!



  • @wissox

    You are really overthinking Late Night. It is nothing more than a fun marketing tool to showcase the program to high level prospects and show the team can draw a full house even when there is no game. No doubt that a loud, full Field House sends a powerful message.

    While you can get quick glimpses of the various players, I am not sure anyone, least of all Coach Self, makes much of the scrimmage and it is nothing more than an unstructured practice for fun and nothing more.

    Relax, lay back and enjoy the spectacle which hopefully will tie us over until the real season begins.



  • @JayHawkFanToo I do think HCBS takes a relaxed approach to it, but his observations to the team are no doubt very pointed and no player should not take him seriously. Letting them go like playgrounders probably sets up a few compare/contrast video moments to show the difference between structured vs unstructured offenses, and disciplined vs headless chicken defense.

    Of course, most years they would not have already practiced and played a bunch of games, so my theory is probably not applicable to this crew.



  • I honestly don’t get the appeal of late night (early evening) as a recruitment tool. It’s boring and/or awkward as hell (to me). Half the fans are asleep by the time the scrimmage starts. At least this year on TV they showed the scrimmage instead of a split screen with Gurley and Bill standing in the upper deck. (And I like those guys; just don’t need to see them while they’re yakking.)

    That said, I’m pretty sure I’m not the intended audience, so I can live with it if this is what the kids enjoy.



  • @DanR Seemed like the kids were REALLY into it this year. I think bringing in a rapper was a great move, even if I am not personally a rap fan.



  • I got there about 4:30, didn’t have to wait to long. I think the crowd had a great time, the skits were funny, the hype videos were great, clips of Self at hall of fame, no pressure no diamonds, history of AFH. Mario surprised coach, Wayne and Ben Mac were w/him. Rapper was great, he went up in the crowd and on the press table. After he was done everyone was pooped. Some of the fans were probably there most of the day. The guys dancing is just not very good. I had a good time!





  • @BShark I was at Midnight Madness back in whatever year Ostertag was a freshman, and I thought it was a blast 28? years ago. Probably even more lame back then. If the students are still having fun with it, then I’m definitely OK with what they’re doing.

    TV production should be a lot better now than it is though.

    Edit… and that blackout was BS



  • https://t.co/2fqFLRHqby

    Bill self intro



  • wissox said:

    I do get tired of posters who say did you see the way Joe Smith played in the Late Night Scrimmage?


    Ha… I deserved that smackdown. Kind of broke my own rules on that post. Just tried to keep it about extreme basics, but thanks for putting me back in place. I probably should have just let it go. It’s just a friggin’ scrimmage!

    Think I’m just anxious to post something fruitful…



  • @KUSTEVE Re your signature: Lots of nearby attractions for the spouse, too!

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  • @drgnslayr man o man I wasn’t referring to your post! Sorry if I implied that.



  • Late Night is a showcase for the atmosphere, not anything related to the actual team. It’s a chance to be a little goofy, have some fun, see the guys run around, etc. They spend as much time dancing as they do playing. It’s as much a recruiting tool as anything. The big programs use it as such. There’s really no other purpose for it. Heck, they could not play the scrimmage and probably be just as effective.



  • @mayjay LOLOL…I had originally said that having his wife in Kentucky could significantly boost bourbon sales, but it was too long for the signature tag…



  • I love Late Night because I get to watch my favorite team scrimmage. The other stuff is frankly boring to me, but whatever floats their boat.



  • @wissox

    Ha… don’t fret it. I agree with your post!

    Also… I don’t get my feathers up in a fluff very easily. Had a lifetime of hard ass coaches who needed their mouths washed out with soap.

    I’m always attracted to people with an edge. It’s what I know. The nice, sweet politically-correct people usually can’t keep my attention.

    So… if I get too nice in here… slap me upside the head! lol


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