Preseason Hype/Discussion
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#17 RANKED PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY (CLASS OF 2018) STAR RANKING: 5 STARS
HEIGHT: 6’2”
WEIGHT: 175 POUNDS
POSITION: POINT GUARD
HIGH SCHOOL: PROVIDENCE DAY SCHOOL IN NORTH CAROLINA
CHOSE KANSAS OVER: ARIZONA, FLORIDA, MARYLAND, AMONG MANY OTHERS
SCOUTING REPORT Frank Mason. Devonte Graham. Devon Dotson. Kansas head coach Bill Self has done a great job recruiting the point guard position during the last decade. With Graham being a senior, it looks like Dotson is next in line of great Kansas lead guards. The North Carolina prep star has the make-up to become just as good, if not better than the 2 other names before his.
Devon Dotson jumps out on tape while evaluating him. Speed is the name of his game. The 6’2″ PG is one of the fastest players with the ball in his hands in the entire high school class of 2018. He explodes when attacking the rim. He thrives at getting into the lane and finishing or dishing. The top 20 prospect displays elite first step quickness and is virtually unarguable one on one at the prep level.
He can score from all 3 levels on the court. Dotson has pretty shooting fundamentals with a quick release. He already shows a consistent 3-point shot, which will make him that much more dangerous when in attack mode. Opposing defenders will have to play his ability to drive, which will lead to him using his sweet shooting stroke. And vice versa.
Dotson is a high level ball distributor who seems to always make the correct pass. The 5-star prospect displays court vision beyond his years. He sees plays happening a few steps before they occur. What makes the point guard so intriguing as a player is the fact he is dominant on both ends of the court.
Dotson is a defensive menace and plays bigger than his size. He can lock up opposing point guards and has been a steal machine during his high school career. Once he gets stronger and adds weight, we don’t have any worries about him defending at the division 1 level. He can totally disrupt an opponents offensive rhythm with the way he competes at the defensive end.
Like Mason and Graham, the future Jayhawk is a winning type of player. We really like the composure that he plays with and has the look of a future captain. He has intangibles that you can’t teach. We believe he will be handed the keys to the Kansas basketball program next season. Devon Dotson has that “IT” factor that can’t be taught. Look for him to have an immediate impact for the Jayhawks and be in the running for All Big-12 honors as a freshman. We are very high on his abilities.
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I do think the Charlie/Dotson combo is going to be great. All that will be asked of them is to pressure the hell out of the ball. I can already see our plethora of 6’5 wings denying the passing lanes, knowing that if they get beat backdoor the shot will have to be over a combo of Doke/Dedric/Mitch/Big Dave/Silvio. All of whom are capable shot blockers.
Fwiw, the 2008 team had 9 SPG and 5.8 BLK. That was 2nd and 5th in the country. I think this team should put up similar numbers. Probably more blocks and less steals. But still, dominating stats.
- Moore: .9 STL - 0 BLK
- Dotson: 1.3 STL - 0 BLK
- Grimes: .9 STL - .7 BLK
- Garrett: .9 STL - .2 BLK
- Vick: 1 STL - .3 BLK
- KJ: 1 STL - .7 BLK
- Dedric: 1 STL - 2 BLK
- De Sousa: - .1 STL - .5 BLK
- Doke: .5 STL - 2.5 BLK
- Mitch: .2 STL - 1 BLK
- Big Dave: .1 STL - .5 BLK
That is roughly 7.9 STL and 8.4 BLK per game. The above is based on numbers last year with some educated guesses based on previous BS players of similar statures at the same position. So while these numbers do seem high, I find think we will see them being a pretty realistic guess. We are just that friggen talented.
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KUSTEVE said:
@jayballer73 He does things that Frank wasn’t doing as a senior. His defense is light years ahead of freshman Frank, and his step back is an ankle breaker. If he can shoot half way well from 3, with the way he drives the ball, he could be a nearly instant star.
he is working on that shot. - -From what I’ve still a little inconsistent , but I’m not worried really - -the kid is a stud, You see how he kind of cradles the ball some on the drive? - looks like good form on the shot. Plus this kid is fast and man does he like to get out and drive the ball to the hole - not afraid of contact at the rim , great court vison - -that’s my boy lol - -I think like I said it’s going to be really hard to keep him out of that starting role. Thing is though like has been said before , doesn’t matter who really starts - - it’s who is on the floor at crunch time - -that critical part of a game. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@KUSTEVE - He has a sweet stop and pop – BAM and like I said this kid loves the open floor. Like the breakdown on him said he is as fast as I’ve seen in a bit and makes pretty dam good decisions with the ball in his hands. I’ve seen some hi-lites where there have been some pass’s like I was like OH NO HE DIDN’T lol the kid can flat out ball. - - - you put him on the floor with Grimes give them a little College game experience and for me - -I think very , very good possibility of look the f - - - out lol.- - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@KUSTEVE He has more talent than Frank for sure. But Frank had (and still has) an iron will and very strong work ethic. Frank willed himself to being a npoy and into the nba. That said, I’m high on Dotson too and hope he starts.
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Mason also morphed himself from a 32.7% 3-point shooter his freshman season into a 47.1% 3-point shooter his senior season. It would be nice if Dotson could follow suit, though he will almost certainly not have the same amount of time to do it as Mason did.
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@KirkIsMyHinrich Frank is an alpha competitor, and that strong will got him a NPOY award, and a spot in the NBA. Dotson looks like he’s cut from the same cloth.
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KUSTEVE said:
@KirkIsMyHinrich Frank is an alpha competitor, and that strong will got him a NPOY award, and a spot in the NBA. Dotson looks like he’s cut from the same cloth.
your right. - All I can say is this ( just sit back and watch ) your not gonna be disappointed. - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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I need to see more than that highlight reel against junior high kids.
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Plus he possibly carried the ball or travelled on at least 127 of those blow-bys.
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DanR said:
I need to see more than that highlight reel against junior high kids.
ya your right against Devon they did look like Jr High kids thanks for the observations lmao. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@DanR http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/jul/08/ku-point-guard-devon-dotson-impressing-early-serio/
He played at Providence Day, which played the toughest high school schedule in the nation, playing 2 top 10 nationally ranked high school teams, including powerhouse Dematha.
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Playing pg for Self as a freshman is tough but Dotson has all the tools to succeed.
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@BShark some ripped looking guys!
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Holy cow. Doke looks LEAN. Like in a good way. All muscle.
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Kcmatt7 said:
Holy cow. Doke looks LEAN. Like in a good way. All muscle.
Holy crap - - -does he ever
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Doke is a legit footer. look how much taller he looks than Big Dave. I wonder if he grew at all while he was here.
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Look at the arms on Lightfoot. Couple of years in Hudy’s program does amazing things!
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@Gorilla72 Friggin gun show
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@Kcmatt7 Doke looks like a gladiator. All of them look ripped.
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Here we go! Season and practice starts today, right?? Rock Chalk!
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JayhawkSlant Verified account @JayhawkSlant
Self on Dotson: “He’s in the same league as Frank (Mason III)” #kubball
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Jarrett Sutton @JarrettTSutton
Bill Self: “Ochai Agbaji is the best athlete on our team.”
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…hopefully a better player than Sam who was…I guess he still is…a great athlete.
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@JayHawkFanToo Ochai knows how to play basketball for sure. That was Sam’s issue.
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Still hope to see Ochai redshirt.
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It would be nice to see guys start doing this under Self again. T-Rel, Morningstar and Lucas ALL made HUGE contributions at some point for us.
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Even Jamari had his moments!
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How about Tyler Self? He made sure his dad would stay for at least 5 years at KU.
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BShark said:
JayhawkSlant Verified account @JayhawkSlant
Self on Dotson: “He’s in the same league as Frank (Mason III)” #kubball
More on this: https://kuhoops.com/ku-basketball-news/219080790/
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Self has to be so happy. We shouldn’t get outrebounded all season.
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Kcmatt7 said:
Self has to be so happy. We shouldn’t get outrebounded all season.
2 scholarship players under 6’2. 10 over 6’4, yeah no excuse this season
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@BShark WOW…that is quite a compliment.
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http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/sep/26/tom-keegan-freshman-david-mccormack-leads-brute-fo/
http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2018/sep/26/hype-expectations-surrounding-ku-junior-/
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“[Boot Camp was] definitely probably the hardest thing I’ve gone through,” McCormack said at a media session before Late Night. “It’s also been a great bonding experience for the team, just like pushing each other on, making sure we get through everything together. And not just surviving, but to get something out of it.”
For McCormack, what he got out of Bill Self’s Boot Camp was going from likely being in the best shape of his life to being in even better shape.
“The best shape of my life? I would say so,” McCormack said. “I think it’s really pushed me conditioning-wise. It’s just helped me drop water weight as well. It’s definitely put me in a great position, physically.”
And that’s a good sign for the Jayhawks considering the four-star big man and McDonald’s All-American wasn’t necessarily expected to start, but he was expected to hold down a significant role in what should be a stacked KU frontcourt.
In the early summer, KU assistant Norm Roberts spoke to Phog.net about all the KU bigs and offered some glowing praise of the freshman.
“I think he’s got a lot of probably Darnell Jackson in him, the way Darnell played here,” said Roberts, who also noted McCormack has a “blue-collar, Charles Oakley” physical presence. "Kind of an enforcer, rebounder, tough, can run the floor, [a] finisher around the basket and has a decent 15-foot shot as well.”
Funny enough, McCormack was actually a little more humble on his own skills when asked by the media to break down his game.
“I would say I’m just kind of like a brute force,” McCormack said. “I’m a hard-worker, I go after every rebound, every loose ball, I run the floor, I bring whatever I can to help the team to have an impact on the game.”
Really, that’s the type of mentality that could earn him minutes on the current team.
A hallmark of Self’s bigger teams have been big men who scrap for rebounds and loose balls. Jamari Traylor, a Self-favorite, was an example of a player who wasn’t the most skilled or dominant, but earned his way into minutes as a high-motor, spark-plug type of presence
When the Jayhawks were recruiting McCormack, there was somewhat of a similar message, according to the big man.
“Just playing the important role of being a hard worker,” McCormack said of what Self told him to expect of his role. “Being a big man, definitely helping out — as you know, like last year, they were just kind of short-handed on bigs. So coming in, playing an important role, giving Doke and the other bigs a breather is going to be an important role for me and having a big impact on the game.”
So even before he left Oak Hill and headed for Lawrence, McCormack had a good idea of what to expect.
He had already transformed his body once and he was playing at a high level. Yet even he noted he wasn’t quite ready to jump into competition from Day 1.
“To an extent it does [prepare you]; it definitely helps playing with other talented athletes, but still, the college game is completely different from high school,” McCormack said of his time at Oak Hill. “I don’t think there’s really any way to just jump right in and be ready for it.”
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Today is media day for KU basketball. SDS reiterates he is going to play this year and is focused on his game and not the trial.
I understand that is what he has to say , but still worth mentioning.
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Media day quotes per Scott Chasen
Self on being a big team with depth: “We have been ridiculously thin the last two years. … I’ll be pretty candid on this. Our offense doesn’t look very good. … We’re going to have to score different ways.”
Self: “I haven’t even thought about a rotation, yet. We don’t even know how you play 12.”
Mentioned that KU has to decide whether or not to redshirt 0-1-2.
On KU’s versatility: “You could make a case that Marcus Garrett could be our starting point guard.”
Self says it’s important to have separation on roster before the season starts.
Self compares Dedric Lawson to Larry Bird in terms of being quick and athletic despite maybe not appearing as fast as a guy like Silvio.
Self on McCormack: I think he’s beyond his years from an on-court, IQ standpoint. … I think David will help us this year.”
Says he’s not going to beat out Doke but will get minutes at the 5.
Self on competitive 20 minute scrimmages in practice: “If we had officials (referee) our practices, … Mitch would have 22 fouls, Doke would have 18, Dedric would have 15.”
Self says Silvio has handled everything well with regard to FBI investigation. “It has probably made him grow up quite a bit.”
Self: “Who knows what could potentially happen in the next period of time, but I’m taking the approach, as is everyone on our team, that we’re going to have Silvio De Sousa this year.”
Self compares one aspect of Quentin Grimes to Wiggins: “I wish he had more of that assassin, attack mode. … I just don’t think he’s quite confident yet to really display that.”
Says the thinks he can get there.
Self on Vick: “He’s been a 10 so far. To me he seems like he’s more engaging, definitely more talkative and seems to be happy where he is.”
Self on Ochai Agbaji: “He’s going to be a guy that’s going to start a lot of games and play a ton of minutes and score a ton of points here.”
Said he needed to see him once in HS to be impressed. Said he expects Ochai to be one of the top 30-40 players in the class by the end of his career. Will take time.
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Very interesting. I always thought that Garret could play PG, after all, he was the Texas Gatorade POY playing PG. I am sure Jaybate will be disappointed that Vick will not be playing PG.
Grimes development will be the key on how well this team does. This team has the size and speed to be very good defensively and I am sure the offense will come along as well.
I take it that Agnabi is the primary RS candidate since he has indicated that he would be open to it. Many have mentioned Mitch as well but I personally don’t believe he will. Of course if Silvio ends up not playing then there is less of an issue.
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@BShark that sounds like he’s at least open to the idea of playing 12.
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@Kcmatt7 It was you that was hoping for the long squad right? Ryan was speculating on the Phog that the line-up to close out tough/important games might be Garrett, Grimes, Vick, KJ, Dedric.
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@BShark I love the idea of the long lineup
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If Garrett can drive the lane, dude should seriously be considered for starting PG. He’d be like a 6’5 Aaron Miles. Now that is a crazy hot take, but just the defensive presence we could put out there with him playing PG would be insane.
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Kcmatt7 said:
If Garrett can drive the lane, dude should seriously be considered for starting PG. He’d be like a 6’5 Aaron Miles. Now that is a crazy hot take, but just the defensive presence we could put out there with him playing PG would be insane.
Watching last year, it felt like Garrett is more at home playing on the ball as a PG. Felt out of place playing off-ball guard.
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@BShark By putting him on the ball, you almost force someone to guard him.
