What's wrong with Coach Self?
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@Lulufulu No its not one game. This game will now belong in the same discussion as Nova, Oregon, UNI and VCU. It was pathetic in every single aspect.
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@HawkChamp Same significance as tourney ousters? Wow! I hope blood pressure meds are available if every game is that significant to you.
I think HCBS previously has been criticized for focusing so much on winning every early game so that he didn’t have to address team vulnerabilities revealed in March. Now he let them come out and can do so.
I think a deep breath and a little faith are in order. But, stress if you wish.
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@mayjay I’m not stressed. I find that as time goes on I’m less and less “involved” in the game and I focus more on the technical aspects. Last night, so many things jumped out at me that leaves me to file the Washington game into the same category as the other pathetic showings.
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Thank you for your calm and levelheaded analysis.
Interesting that every time that KU loses people come out of the woodwork asking what is wrong with Hall of Fame Coach Self and wonder how KU ever wins.
Yes, It was a bad game but it was just one game. KU will get back on the winning track, it always has; let’s worry when it loses 3 or 4 in a row.
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Coach Hopkins did a marvelous job of preparation for this game. Telecommunicated with his former head coach Boeheim, then chose to focus on clipping the beak of our Jayhawk point guard and to hit the court with maximum hustle and energy, not growing dismayed when leaving Vick relatively free to do his thing. On a night when KU gunners were missing 3 pt. shots, the strategy worked well for Washington. Outcome was something of an outlier, I would conclude. But it did expose Jayhawk weaknesses: lack of another solid big man and relying too much on the glory of normal outside shooting success. Fool’s gold, anyone?
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I tend to think this was a growing up game for LaGerald Vick. He appeared to grow tentative about carrying the load, as the game wore on. Should perhaps have glued his nose to the hoop and gone for 40 pts. His game has improved mightily in the past 2 and 1/3 seasons. Now his mind and determination must take an accompanying leap. Maybe the psychological shock of his first half success wormed its way into limiting what he might have accomplished? This was an occasion when we needed someone to step forward with Frank Mason’s grit.
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@RockkChalkk I was at the game last night and my friend said the same thing. It was about 8 mins left and she was like what is going on with Self he isn’t’ angry or yelling at them to get them motivated.
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Does anyone else think that part of the reason we were missing shots is that those shots were contested and not as clean as in previous games? There were a couple of in and outs that I remember that were pretty open looks and on another day might go in. But some of the others, I thought, were missed because they were not necessarily good shots…but they were all we were able to get given our execution against their zone defense. I’m talking mainly about the 3 pointers.
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He is playing three dimensional chess with the team. He does this every once in a while. Sometimes it works spectacularly- sometimes it doesn’t work ( TCU loss a few years back ).
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@KUSTEVE maybe he’s saving his energy for late in the season.
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@Hawk8086 We had an open shot all day from 2 feet further out than where we were shooting 3s.
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Just listen to Selfs presser after the game “Our fans are great but if I’d paid money to see that tonight I’d want a drink”. Couldn’t agree more lol
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@KUSTEVE But is that a good shot? (Yes…I know Devonte was hitting them against Cuse)
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@Hawk8086 We’ll never know- we never tried it.
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Heard this driving home from the game the other night. Posted on Kusports now. It concerned me when I heard it. Still been thinking about it. How can you have a team with players in the system 2-4 years as your current starters, and not know the plays–or not be able to execute them?
“We’re not a good execution team,” KU coach Bill Self said after the loss. “When we’re playing well, we’re a good playing team, but we haven’t scored all year on plays. We had some plays that we tried to do, but our execution’s so bad. We got the ball where it needed to go, for the most part. I just thought our defense was horrendous and our hustle plays weren’t very good either.
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Behind the former #2 ranking, Bill had BIG problems. He apparently knew it, even if the fans were too euphoric to notice.
Car investigation? HUGE. Could easily wreck his great career.
One inexperienced, project type, D1-grade 5; then 1 210-pound Tulsa type backup, then nothing but a football walk on. This alone would guaranty any coach at an elite program insomnia!
No back up point guard. Insomnia.
No backup 2 guard. Insomnia.
A starting 3 combo guard transfer that isn’t scoring and won’t dish. Insomnia.
No backup 3. Insomnia.
No big 4. Insomnia.
A 3 trying to play 4 with no back up. Double Insomnia.
The above are what are wrong with Self.
If he put the spurs to this team now, one or two might just quit and he would be looking at a 10 win season at best.
It appears Self doubts this team is capable of much more than its giving him right now. Hence no spurs.
He also had to not let the no amp, 25% shooting might interfere with the planned amp for the second game of the 2 in 4 set. Getting a split was what mattered most. He may chew on them during the next game.
But my hunch is he will not get fiery with the team til after January 1, when he knows who will be on the roster.
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jaybate 1.0 said:
If he put the spurs to this team now, one or two might just quit and he would be looking at a 10 win season at best.
@jaybate-1-0 Thanks for the well thought out reply. I especially like this line about the spurs and do think there is some calculation behind Self’s apparent restraint last game. I don’t think anyone would actually quit but its probably not a risk worth taking. The depth situation is my guess as well for the most likely reason. In seasons past when KU had a deeper bench, the team could afford to have a player go into the “toughening box” for a few games. Its a much different situation now. Its probably a calculated risk to not lay into anyone too hard in order to avoid a confidence spiral that could impact future games as well. There is no doubt that some people react positively to some spit and fire while others don’t. Knowing when and with whom to ignite the flames with is a skill and is why Self is paid the big $.
Thanks to all others who posted rational responses as well. I’m not worried about the team quite yet and still have full confidence in Self, but was definitely surprised by the way he kept his cool all game during that debacle. Appreciate all the thoughts from the board rats family, thank you.
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Copy and paste
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@jaybate-1.0 Very well stated. I would add that if Cunliffe is not a big help, and if Preston does not get cleared, and if De Sousa does not become eligible, IT WILL BE A VERY LONG YEAR!!!
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Yep, just the regular wear and tear could be enough to sink the team without Preston and DeSousa and with an unproductive Cunliffe. Self needs a hat rabbit. Heck, at this point, he needs a hat, too.
But I just watched Jimmy Cagney, as Halsey, again in THE GALLANT HOURS to fortify myself for what looms for KU and America.
I already have seen Devonte rise to two 30-point games twice and Clay Young impossibly bridge us through Syracuse.
We are down to a situation where ordinary men are being routinely confronted by extraordinary challenges.
This team is, regrettably, in synch with our nation.
The team is a fast ship sailing into harm’s way.
I only hope our country is still fast, too.
Rock Chalk!
And god bless America!
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What is wrong with some of you posters? Quitting on the team after one loss when the team has an enviable long term success? Heck we gave the football team the benefit of the doubt for half a season before quitting on it and considering it has a pathetic record.
Has anyone figured out why the basketball team, as soon as it added one football player, lost a game? Coincidence? Maybe it was trying to make Sosinski feel at home.
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Hey - we’re gonna win a lot of games this year. Hopefully a lot in March and all of them in April. BUT - am I the only one that’s concerned that we’re too " nice " ? Nobody on this team intimidates anybody. I want a couple of big dudes with dreadlocks (don’t care if they are black, white, brown, green or whatever (people that is, not the color of the dreads). I want them missing at least one tooth, preferably to have multiple scars on their face and an eye patch would be a nice touch too. And they should never speak - just growl.
Seriously, i think we’re too soft.
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What is wrong with some of you posters that accuse other posters of quitting on the team, when no posters have done so? What makes some posters misrepresent other posters, thus creating a false issue, and then pretend like insouciant phonies to advocate what everyone already appears to think in the first place? What-what-what-what-what is wrong? What!
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Buffer 1
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…no, no, no, no eye patches, no depth perception and he would be whacking the air and not upside he head of the other player as intended. Just kidding.
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I’m going with @Dylans on this one. I personally LOVE Bill Self’s new demeanor. It was apparent last season too. You know why? Do you all want to know why?
Three pointers. He’s accepted the devil. It’s calming. So no need to flop around like a newly hooked Mackerel. He still blisters guys a new one, but the gyrations during the action are much more limited.
It’s really terrific in my opinion. I like three pointers, too.
By the way, the WU coach said they were trying to stop Graham. Meaning, anyone beats them except him. Just saw that.
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I Give Washington credit and I believe that they will be one of the three powers in the Pac 12. Boeheim gave them a great scouting report. “Just hope that Vick doesn’t score more than 25 points but give them the paint. Don’t leave the three point line when the ball goes in the middle and make Vick try to score over the two Bigs. Don’t Let Svi and Devonte have a big night, because you’ll lose. Also, until Newman shows that he can get his shot, don’t worry about him.”
We will play agains’t one more Zone team in Baylor. Vick needs to work on a quick 8 foot jumper. and Newman needs to show up against non-mid-Major schools. Boy, do we need Sousa or Preston.
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Correct!
I gave the Huskies credit before the game and practically got hooted out of the cloud. Usually level headed board rats insisted the Huskies were terrible based on early season stat rankings (beware the small”n”!) even though they were 7-2 and were coached by a new guy coaching a brand of Boeheim zone ball that requires a team to shoot significantly above 25% outside to win. Alas, we had not yet had a really bad shooting night and Devonte was coming off two 30-point games. This seemed a recipe for potential problems, if we shot poorly and Boeheim gave Hopkins a good scout, which seemed likely. I thought I was simply being prudent in my warning, but I was viewed as very unrealistically concerned.
But this is what is great about sports: chaff gets separated from wheat…if the whistles and seeding are symmetric.
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HighEliteMajor said:
I’m going with @Dylans on this one. I personally LOVE Bill Self’s new demeanor. It was apparent last season too. You know why? Do you all want to know why?
Three pointers. He’s accepted the devil. It’s calming. So no need to flop around like a newly hooked Mackerel. He still blisters guys a new one, but the gyrations during the action are much more limited.
It’s really terrific in my opinion. I like three pointers, too.
By the way, the WU coach said they were trying to stop Graham. Meaning, anyone beats them except him. Just saw that.
I like it too.
Self is not stupid. His being a bit of an ogre was impacting recruiting.
