K.J. Adams
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Man your just all over this athleticism thing aren’t you. Have you seen this kid in person several times? From the videos I watch the kid doesn’t look that unathletic. The kid is suppose to be a good rebounder and has a lot of great traits. Sure he’s not Zion vertical out there, if he was, he would be a top 20 pick lol. Strength and lateral quickness are also a big part of athleticism. Just bc you can jump doesn’t mean your necessarily a good defender or athletic. There have been plenty of super athletic players at ku that have been flops or mediocre bc they had poor coordination/skills etc. hell if the kid is even half of what Lawson or Ellis were he’s a good pickup. Sorry the staff missed out on Kendall brown but get over it
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@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:
Man your just all over this athleticism thing aren’t you. Have you seen this kid in person several times? From the videos I watch the kid doesn’t look that unathletic. The kid is suppose to be a good rebounder and has a lot of great traits. Sure he’s not Zion vertical out there, if he was, he would be a top 20 pick lol. Strength and lateral quickness are also a big part of athleticism. Just bc you can jump doesn’t mean your necessarily a good defender or athletic. There have been plenty of super athletic players at ku that have been flops or mediocre bc they had poor coordination/skills etc. hell if the kid is even half of what Lawson or Ellis were he’s a good pickup. Sorry the staff missed out on Kendall brown but get over it
Have you seen this kid in person several times? From the videos I watch the kid doesn’t look that unathletic.
Have I seen Adams in person? No. I just coach basketball and know what to look for in evaluating a player. I also know the level of competition in the Austin area where he played is shit so his numbers were put up against bad competition. Westlake played one good program last year, which just so happened to be Sunrise, and got ran out of the gym by Sunrinse.
Strength and lateral quickness are also a big part of athleticism. Just bc you can jump doesn’t mean your necessarily a good defender or athletic. There have been plenty of super athletic players at ku that have been flops or mediocre bc they had poor coordination/skills etc.
Adams is strong for his age, but he doesn’t have good lateral quickness. He’s not someone who’s ever going to be a good defender and doesn’t appear to have the length to be able to play at the 5 either. There’s a reason why KJ has plummeted down the recruiting rankings in the last year or so and the ceiling on his game due to his limited athleticism is a big reason why.
I agree with your second part since it doesn’t appear you are aware of my thoughts on Agbaji. I’m not going to sing the praises of anyone who’s athletic just because they’re athletic when there’s not much skill to go with it, like Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji’s only positive attribute on the floor right now is that he’s an above average defender on ball defender, but even that comes with the caveat that when he’s off the ball, he’s prone to mental lapses and losing his man when his man is moving without the ball.
if the kid is even half of what Lawson or Ellis were he’s a good pickup. Sorry the staff missed out on Kendall brown but get over it
Adams and Brown don’t play the same position so my thoughts on each player have nothing to do with the other, so my thoughts on KJ Adams would be the same regardless of whether or not KU had landed Brown. Kendall Brown is a very good player, but like Adams, doesn’t play a position of need for KU. As a 3, Brown would mostly be fighting with Christian Braun and Agbaji for minutes whereas Baylor doesn’t have much competition at the wing spot when Brown will arrive as the spot is currently manned by probably the second best defender in nation behind Garrett in Mark Vital.
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I always appreciate your response and more than often agree. I know I’d rather have every player playing at fast twitch level compared to a slow twitch level. But I’ve seen many players succeed without being super blessed with high twitch capabilities. I think aggressiveness is still a huge factor and I remember so many times when Perry and Dedric let up sometimes after being rejected. Even the fast twitch players get rejected sometimes (but less). Body build and strength is also a monster factor. Right away I think about Charles Barkley… someone not blessed with too much fast twitch but dominated the boards in the NBA.
Fast twitch is a great benefit… but not a factor by itself that will decide if a player can be effective or not. I do agree with you and others, that it is a factor that comes more into play in D1 versus high school.
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@drgnslayr Charles Barkley was not slow twitch until he became a fat ass later in his career at the end of his Phoenix run and while with the Rockets. There’s a reason Barkley was one of the most common comparisons for Zion and that was because of his abnormal athleticism for a player of his build.
Adams has some skills that will give him a chance to have a decent career like his shooting and passing, but there’s a reason his recruiting ranking dropped off a cliff though. Unless Adams grows another inch or two though, his strength may ultimately be rendered mostly ineffective because he’ll be too short to stick in the paint because he’d get swallowed up by length. As a 4 on perimeter with his skill set, he’d get beat like a red headed step child on defense. I’m guessing his wingspan is about 6-9 or 6-10 based on his highlight videos which isn’t something he can do anything about unless he grows taller.
Basically, I just don’t see enough in Adams to believe he’ll ever be more than an off the bench rotation guy for KU looking at his skill set, ceiling, and KU’s roster composition. Right now, the only KU front court player I see KJ Adams having a higher ceiling than is Jalen Wilson who I honestly don’t think will stay at KU after this upcoming season. He just doesn’t jump off the screen to me in his highlight videos and that’s with Adams playing against worse competition than Grimes did who I consistently called overrated and cited the quality of HS competition as well. I’m not calling Adams overrated because I think he’s rated in the range he should in at this point and I think Adams is better suited for the mid major level instead of KU.
Best case with KJ Adams is he grows another inch or two his senior year and then KU could stick him in the low post so he’s not out having to guard on the perimeter like he would if he stays a 4.
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I guess agree to disagree. Obviously you never know for sure how a kid will produce when they get to college but I’ve seen enough to give the guy a chance. I also find your evaluation of Texas basketball a little comical. Texas produces a ton of football and basketball talent every year. It seems like your a little over the top about Texas kids like Wilson. Hopefully the next kid self gets you will like more. Do you like clemence? He is less athletic but a little taller and a better shooter.
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VzOwZxLJ6R8
Here’s a video If anybody wants to watch, shows a matchup of west lake ( with Adams and his teammate a player who went SMU) vs Langston love and a team that had Will baker (he was just hurt). Adams has a few dunks and blocks. Plus looks like just terrible competition lol…Those teams would wipe the floor with most kc area teams lol
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@FarmerJayhawk Yeah, I was looking for his senior stats as well to post, but couldn’t find them. Saw the 18 point something stats, but knew that those weren’t even close to what he did this year.
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@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:
I guess agree to disagree. Obviously you never know for sure how a kid will produce when they get to college but I’ve seen enough to give the guy a chance. I also find your evaluation of Texas basketball a little comical. Texas produces a ton of football and basketball talent every year. It seems like your a little over the top about Texas kids like Wilson. Hopefully the next kid self gets you will like more. Do you like clemence? He is less athletic but a little taller and a better shooter.
You might want to pay attention to my user name before you decide my ability to evaluate the overall basketball talent level of where I live is comical. There’s a reason why most top players from Texas, like Zach Clemence, transfer to prep/private schools elsewhere. Did you know that Zach Clemence and KJ Adams played against each other last season as Sunrise (Clemence) played Westlake (Adams) and that Sunrise beat Westlake by almost 30 points, yet Westlake was still considered one of the top teams in Texas last year. Did you know that only 8 out of the top 150 on 24/7’s 2021 player rankings play in Texas and most of those players are from the D/FW area which if you’ve paid any attention is where I’ve said the best basketball talent in Texas is.
As far as football recruiting in Texas, yes Texas is a top 4 recruiting area in the nation for football, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the quality basketball talent in the state. Do you know why Texas produces as many basketball players as it does? It’s because Texas has the 2nd biggest population in the US, but quantity does not equal quality. If you happened to browse the 24/7 player rankings for the 2021 class, you’ll notice that only 8 out of the top 150 on 24/7’s 2021 player rankings play in Texas and most of those players are from the D/FW area which if you’ve paid any attention previously is where I’ve said the one hotbed of basketball talent in Texas is located.
Lastly, I’m gonna disagree on Zach Clemence being less athletic than KJ Adams. Zach Clemence has also done a much better job of building his game around his strengths and is one of, if not the best back to basket players in the 2021 class.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 do you know much about Ed’Xavior Rhodes? KU offered and he is from Dallas Skyline same as Marcus Garrett so I would think of Self really wants him then he can get that done.
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@BShark I saw your post and gotta be honest, I’ve never heard of the guy. Saw where they were basically saying he is a crystal ball KU commit. If that happens (and I trust in Self and Co.) I don’t see Wilson sticking around.
@Texas-Hawk-10 I have never called out your basketball acumen, appreciate what you contribute to the forum. I just disagree with you from time to time. For example, I remember being on Ellis’ bandwagon when he was a freshman in high school. What was your assessment of him? Did you think he was a good pickup?
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Lol alright well if the kid picks ku today then I hope your wrong. Also sunrise is an academy they are different then a standard high school and play teams all throughout the country. Of course those type of programs will have more talent. Westlake is like a Lawrence or Olathe school In their region. Also your making too big of deal about high school competition. Kids play AAU and that’s were their rankings mostly come from. Braun did fine his freshman year at ku and Kansas 6a teams are consistently much worse then the area that Adams plays in. Also of course I know your from the Texas area. I’m saying your weirdly biased against Texas players. Oh and it’s odd that your such an expert about teams from his area but haven’t seen him play, hmmm!
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@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
@Texas-Hawk-10 do you know much about Ed’Xavior Rhodes? KU offered and he is from Dallas Skyline same as Marcus Garrett so I would think of Self really wants him then he can get that done.
Haven’t heard anything about him and there’s not any video out there of him, just general team highlights that don’t show enough to get a good read on him. With the number of 4’s KU is after in 2021, there’s something we’re not aware of yet going on whether it’s sanctions or Jalen Wilson transferring or possibly even Enaruna turning pro and going back to Europe after this season. Looking at Rhodes’ offer list, there might be something there.
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@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
@Texas-Hawk-10 do you know much about Ed’Xavior Rhodes? KU offered and he is from Dallas Skyline same as Marcus Garrett so I would think of Self really wants him then he can get that done.
From poking around a bit I can say they like his athleticism and defensive ability. Projects as a rim protector with plus length. Heard a 7’ wingspan but hard to say since they’ve never seen him in person.
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@FarmerJayhawk said in K.J. Adams:
@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
@Texas-Hawk-10 do you know much about Ed’Xavior Rhodes? KU offered and he is from Dallas Skyline same as Marcus Garrett so I would think of Self really wants him then he can get that done.
From poking around a bit I can say they like his athleticism and defensive ability. Projects as a rim protector with plus length. Heard a 7’ wingspan but hard to say since they’ve never seen him in person.
He could probably play at the 5 in that case.
@Texas-Hawk-10 I also think TGF is mainly going to play the four and his plan is to be OAD.
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@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:
Lol alright well if the kid picks ku today then I hope your wrong. Also sunrise is an academy they are different then a standard high school and play teams all throughout the country. Of course those type of programs will have more talent. Westlake is like a Lawrence or Olathe school In their region. Also your making too big of deal about high school competition. Kids play AAU and that’s were their rankings mostly come from. Braun did fine his freshman year at ku and Kansas 6a teams are consistently much worse then the area that Adams plays in. Also of course I know your from the Texas area. I’m saying your weirdly biased against Texas players. Oh and it’s odd that your such an expert about teams from his area but haven’t seen him play, hmmm!
I’m not sure what your hang up on comparing Texas to Kansas HS basketball is considering I’ve never made any comparisons between the Kansas/KC basketball scene being superior to Texas. The sheer number of high schools in Texas means there’s naturally going to be more good players here than Kansas. I’m pretty here in Houston alone there’s more 6A schools than entire state considering the city of Houston has more than twice the population of the entire state of Kansas.
AAU is also a flawed way to evaluate players because it’s more of a showcase without much coaching and development actually happening. HS is where that stuff happens because those coaches spend a lot more time with the players.
In regards to Braun, there’s also a reason he moved from Burlington to KC and that was to play better competition compared to where he was at.
I’m also not sure why you think it’s weird I familiar with the quality of competition Adams plays against despite having not seen him in person. I live in Houston which is about 3 hours away from Austin so it’s not exactly like I can go drive over and watch him whenever.
If you were here a couple of years ago, you would know that I did go see Quentin Grimes play a few times and called him being massively overrated based on his final recruiting rankings from the start. Before that, I have probably been Marcus Garrett’s biggest supporter here ever since he committed to KU even when most here were ripping him to shreds his first two years.
My opinions of players are not based on where there are from, but what their abilities and skills are from the their videos. Because I’m from Texas, I can usually give more detailed insight into the quality of competition here when KU is recruiting a player from Texaa. And if that player happens to play in the Houston area, like Grimes and Ben McLemore his senior year, I will go watch them play when I can. I don’t remember if I was posting here yet or not or if I was still posting at KUSports when McLemore was being recruited, but during that year he was sitting out, I kept saying he was only going to play one year at KU.
My evaluations of players and what they’ll become tends to right more times than not.
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Ku getting him
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Should be a free article. Stuff in there about why he picked KU, how Self thinks he fits etc
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Always happy to get good news. Welcome aboard.
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All things considered (the NCAA cloud and all), if Coach can sign Bates and a solid PG and maybe a big, I’m good. That would easily be a top 6 or 7 class.
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Great news! Now they need to land Hickman!
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@Marco Nolan Hickman is the PG the staff is after and Zach Clemence probably ends up being the low post player in this class. And as mentioned above, KU offered another 4 today.
Tamar Bates would be a nice developmental player to add, but not near the priority of Hickman and honestly, if KU adds Hickman, he’ll probably spend most of his time at the 2 next to Harris to give Self his preferred dual PG line up and making Bates a luxury signing.
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I’m more interested in Adam’s handles and jump shot than if he’s fast-twitch or not. I have more confidence in Self adapting his strategy around finding the right 5 to put on the floor. We saw that this last year. Going big didn’t work. If he can use his size and still motor well, he’ll be an asset in a smaller lineup.
He’s a Jayhawk now and I welcome him to Lawrence!
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@Texas-Hawk-10 said in K.J. Adams:
@Marco Nolan Hickman is the PG the staff is after and Zach Clemence probably ends up being the low post player in this class. And as mentioned above, KU offered another 4 today.
Tamar Bates would be a nice developmental player to add, but not near the priority of Hickman and honestly, if KU adds Hickman, he’ll probably spend most of his time at the 2 next to Harris to give Self his preferred dual PG line up and making Bates a luxury signing.
To clarify KU “offered” Rhodes in January. Rivals lists it but 24/7 does not however. It is my understanding that KU’s interest got a little higher recently. It’s also possible he is taller than his listed height by now, as that likely has not been updated. If KU got him that would be three developmental guys* on the roster that would be able to play the 5. If Dave goes, someone like Curry or pulling off a miracle with Kepnang becomes a high priority.
*Rhodes, Muscadin and Clemence with Zach being the guy most likely to contribute next year imo.
I would go as far to say KU/Self needs Hickman. KU probably won’t make the next cut for JD Davison, Auburn is all over Frankie Collins and Hunter Sallis can be plugged into next year’s UNC depth chart if they want him. So Hickman is far and away the best option for a PG. It would also be nice for Townsend to actually land someone.
Of course, Bates is a player I would absolutely love to see in Lawrence but he doesn’t play the same position. He could possibly develop into a PG but right now he is more of a 2/wing.
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@BShark Zach Clemence isn’t a developmental player. He’s someone that can play right away as Dave’s back up and step into the starting spot after Dave graduates.
I’m not calling Bates a PG or saying that Hickman is a 2. I’m saying because of roster composition it’s likely Hickman would be playing off ball like Graham did when he played next to Mason with Dajuan Harris as the lead guard in the Mason role. I also think it’s likely Hickman would come off the bench his first year or two until Thompson goes pro.
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I think Zach will need time to not get pushed around inside as the 5, but I could/would love to be wrong about that. Love his game overall and I do think he plays immediately next year.
Right I wasn’t really commenting on what you were saying for that part. Just what I think their positions are which makes Hickman more of a need because we need more guys with elite ball handling as we know Self prefers two guys that can really handle it playing at the same time when he can. Harris is probably the only guy on the roster next year that fits due to Garrett graduating. Bryce potentially could, I know he’s been coming along as a pg.
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Hope we land Hickman. With Garrett then being gone, it is certainly a priority. We would still have Jossell, but is he even a true PG or a very small two?
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@Marco Jossell is a PG, but he’s probably not a viable option at PG in the near future at KU and there’s a strong probability he ends up transferring.
My biggest concern with both him and Harris are their size. Harris is listed at 6-1, 160 lbs. and Jossell at 5-11, 155 lbs. which is tiny. With the Big 12 being one of the more physical leagues, I do have doubts about durability with both players, but Harris especially since he’s projecting to play some minutes and take over for Garrett next year.
Just from a durability standpoint, Hickman is probably the staff’s current top priority in recruiting because KU desperately needs another player that can be a lead guard because while Thompson and Braun are good ball handlers, they’re not lead guards though.
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@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
I think Zach will need time to not get pushed around inside as the 5, but I could/would love to be wrong about that. Love his game overall and I do think he plays immediately next year.
Right I wasn’t really commenting on what you were saying for that part. Just what I think their positions are which makes Hickman more of a need because we need more guys with elite ball handling as we know Self prefers two guys that can really handle it playing at the same time when he can. Harris is probably the only guy on the roster next year that fits due to Garrett graduating. Bryce potentially could, I know he’s been coming along as a pg.
Clemence should be fine by his second year to handle playing in the low post. As a HS junior he’s listed at 210 and probably comes to KU in the 220-225 range and then it’ll be up to the new S&C coach to determine Clemence’s ideal playing weight which I’m guessing will be in the 240 range which Clemence should be able to get close to by his sophomore year.
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Exactly. I am hoping Harris bulks up a little bit. Jossell is a D2 player imo. His jump shot actually looks really nice but it will be hard to him to not get abused on defense.
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@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
Exactly. I am hoping Harris bulks up a little bit. Jossell is a D2 player imo. His jump shot actually looks really nice but it will be hard to him to not get abused on defense.
am sure harris is bulks up
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I see Harris as a Russell Robinson upside. He has good defensive potential, can drive a little, not much of an outside shot but could be average with it by his senior year. I don’t see him having NBA potential. They need to have that nba level guard. Hickman has that upside. Jossell is such an unknown. Either we will be surprised with his game or he’s merv Lindsey level and your left shaking your head what the coaching staff saw. I never see braun being a true pg, just in emergencies. Garret should do well next year but the worry is offensively he has only been consistently effective when playing the 4
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@jayhawks2010 and he’s so injury prone
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I feel pretty good about Harris (though he does need to bulk up), but agree that if we sign Hickman Jossell will more than likely, and probably should, transfer. I just wonder if Coach maybe signed him due to keeping an eye on and wanting to sign someone that Jossell might know?
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@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:
I see Harris as a Russell Robinson upside. He has good defensive potential, can drive a little, not much of an outside shot but could be average with it by his senior year. I don’t see him having NBA potential. They need to have that nba level guard. Hickman has that upside. Jossell is such an unknown. Either we will be surprised with his game or he’s merv Lindsey level and your left shaking your head what the coaching staff saw. I never see braun being a true pg, just in emergencies. Garret should do well next year but the worry is offensively he has only been consistently effective when playing the 4
Russ came in around 200 pounds. Pretty big difference though their game can be similar in the ways you mentioned. Harris might be a better passer, need to see.
I will bet Jossell never sees the floor.
I am not even slightly worried about Garrett. He frequently handled the ball last year to give Dotson a breather and did fine in the game Dotson had to sit out.
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I guess I don’t mean that Garrett can’t run the team or create some looks for others but he was such a mismatch at the 4 spot and most of his offense translated from mismatches in drives. It will be interesting to see if he can score at a similar rate driving against quicker guards
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He played PG frequently last season from what I remember. I’ll rewatch some games and see who guarded him primarily.
I think more important is Agbaji taking a step forward or finding less minutes. There will be less of a strain on Garrett if other players around him are capable of driving it.
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@BShark said in K.J. Adams:
Exactly. I am hoping Harris bulks up a little bit. Jossell is a D2 player imo. His jump shot actually looks really nice but it will be hard to him to not get abused on defense.
Jossell is a lot better than a D2 player. KU was the only offer he officially had that I’m aware of, but he had interest from several other P5 schools and some good mid majors. NC State, Texas A&M, and Missouri were other P5’s interested according to 247 and Louisiana Tech, New Mexico, and South Dakota St. we’re the mid majors interested.
He’s a classic example Self seeing him something shiny in a river bend and hoping that Jossell pans out as gold instead of pyrite. Credit to Jossell for stepping up and challenging himself as well, but it’s probably a case of produce and shine in practice without getting overwhelmed since he’s probably going to redshirt along with Gethro this year or transfer to a mid-major where he can shine.
The biggest concerns I see with Jossell other than his size is he’s not super quick and his shot is pretty slow and low. A couple of videos I’ve watched on Jossell and he struggles at times beating defenders off the dribble which he has to be able to do at KU to be successful. His shot also needs retooling otherwise he’s going to get blocked a lot on close outs. He starts at his chest his release is slow.
He’s got good handles and good vision and is a willing passer as there’s a lot more of his assists in his highlight videos than most players put in there so Self is probably thinking Jossell’s going to be a pass first, low scoring style PG.
I can see why Self would take a shot with Jossell, I just don’t know if he’ll develop enough to effective at KU.
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@jayhawks2010 said in K.J. Adams:
I guess I don’t mean that Garrett can’t run the team or create some looks for others but he was such a mismatch at the 4 spot and most of his offense translated from mismatches in drives. It will be interesting to see if he can score at a similar rate driving against quicker guards
Garrett rarely played as the 4 last year on offense. He primarily functioned as the 2 in Self’s offense. He was also usually guarded by opposing 3’s. Ochai is the one who spent most of his time at the 4 in the 4 guard line up.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 This clashes with what another poster here that knows the DBU coach said. Found the post actually: https://kubuckets.com/topic/8959/latrell-jossell?_=1596322053091 I do hope it works out of course and he should have a year or two to develop before needing to play at all.
He still has that low release after looking at him taking some practice shots on Instagram. Of course that will take time to attempt to fix.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in K.J. Adams:
He primarily functioned as the 2 in Self’s offense.
This is what I was thinking, but still gonna watch some games to kill time tonight.
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@BShark That post was also 9 months ago before Jossell’s senior season. Being a back up on an AAU team isn’t necessarily indicative of where a player ability level is. Christian Braun was also a back up his AAU team. That’s not meant to compare Jossell to Braun, just some of the evidence used to say Jossell is only a D2 talent isn’t concrete. Also, his interest list wouldn’t have more P5 than mid-majors either. Jossell is someone whose talent level appears to fit in well at the mid-major level.
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Garret played the 4 lol. He caught the ball in the high post in many of the sets and was guarded by the other teams power forward
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I think in certain instances Coach if going small ball will play Garrett and Harris at the same time, allowing Harris to be the primary ballhandler. At any rate, after the season that he just had I am never going to doubt Garrett again.
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I have followed him as he has gone through high school and believe it’s a great get for our program. He was on live ABC local station to announce. Of course they were hoping for UT, but even in the paper today, there was a big article at the top of the front page of the sports section, with the headline: WESTLAKE STAR ADAMS MAKES HIS CHOICE: ‘KANSAS, BABY’ The announcement with over 50 friends and family gave out party favors of bottles of Jayhawk-decorated hand sanitizers.
Here’s the text of the article in case anyone wants to read his glowing praise of HCBS!!
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.
ROCK CHALK
**By Danny Davis
Posted Aug 1, 2020 at 3:58 PM
When it comes to college basketball, Westlake fans have a couple of schools in the Big 12 to root for.Three former Chaparrals — Brock Cunningham, Will Baker and Shay Holle — are now playing at Texas. Matthew Mayer is playing at Baylor.
But when asked this weekend about which Big 12 team the Chaparrals should pledge their allegiance to, rising senior KJ Adams presented a new option.
“Kansas, baby. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk,” Adams said with a smile.
Inside a basketball gym in South Austin, Adams announced his commitment to Kansas on Friday on live TV. He revealed his plans in front of 50 mask-wearing friends and family members. Bottles of Jayhawks-decorated hand sanitizer were given out as party favors.
Adams said he made up his mind more than a week ago and that Kansas coach Bill Self was the deciding factor. Adams said he had talked with around a dozen players who did and did not attend Kansas, and that he consistently received positive feedback about KU’s coach.
“With all this quarantine stuff, I didn’t have a chance to go out there,” Adams said. “I’m just blessed to know that no one has ever talked bad about him or said anything about him. That’s rare to see as a coach. You always get one player that says something bad about a coach.”
Adams, a four-star power forward, is the state’s sixth-best prospect for the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports’ composite ratings. The 6-foot-7 big man was a unanimous selection to the Statesman’s All-Central Texas team this past winter. As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points and 6.7 rebounds.
What should Kansas fans expect out of him? Westlake coach Robert Lucero had a list of intangibles.
Athleticism? Check.
Defensive versatility? Check.
High basketball IQ? Check.
“Everybody wants to win, but to truly sacrifice for wins and then be happy at the end of the night regardless of how many points you put up, that’s kind of rare,” Lucero said. “I think that attitude will fit in well when he gets to college.”
With his commitment, Adams added another accomplishment to his family’s archive of athletic achievements. His father, Kevin, played football at New Mexico. His sister, Brittany, was an all-conference volleyball player at SMU. And Adams’ mother, the former Yvonne Hill, twice led Texas A&M women’s basketball team in scoring.
Like his mother and sister, Adams could have chosen an in-state school. Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor were among his suitors. Adams, though, has decided to forge his path outside of the state.
“It wasn’t really about location for me,” he said. “It was just about what I can do to be a better basketball player. Location is one thing and basketball is another thing.
“It doesn’t matter about my (comfort level) with the state or who’s there. I think whatever was the best place for basketball for me, wherever it is, I was going to go there.”**
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@RockChalkinTexas nice reporting! How’s the garden?
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Hey there!!! Burning up. Got no rain from Hurricane Hanna. It’s been over 100 for better than 30 days so far and this whole week it’s going to be over 100 with no rain in sight. We got a good crop of beans and cucumbers but they are not worth watering anymore. Mostly concentrating on keeping all my trees, palm trees and flower gardens from drying up. Have put off going anywhere and have only gone to grocery store 3 times since March 12th. It’s bad in the Austin area and so grateful I live where I can control who we come into contact with. We ran out of milk this weekend (for white russians!!! for me) and may need to go to the market in the closest city to me, about 12 miles away. It’s not a very crowded store but you sure do pay more than twice the price say at Walmart, but not having to deal with that outweighs the cost, IMO.
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You know, off topic, but after that last post I have to say this - we’ll be okay everyone. I wish all of my KU Bucketeers nothing but the best, and we will beat this fucker! This country and world has faced alot worse.
…I like the Adams and Clemence pickups, now we need to nab Hickman and Bates
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I’m happy with the Adams pickup, but have one other item of concern.
For an interior player with D1 size and athleticism, he averaged less than 7 rebounds per game. HS basketball affords plenty of rebound opportunities. I would hope he averages better than 9 rebounds a game this season at a minimum (10 to 12 would be ideal). Less means he’s either not working hard enough on the glass, or he is not a good rebounder. Each has its own issues.
If he isn’t working hard enough, that will only get worse in college because there are guys whose scholarships literally depend on grabbing every available rebound. If you aren’t as hungry as them, you won’t eat.
If he isn’t a good rebounder, again, that will get worse in college because that means he has either poor positioning or poor timing, both of which will hurt him when he can’t simply use his size and athleticism to grab a handful of boards each night.
I will be watching him closely this year to see where things go. He has talent, but, as his ranking suggests, there are some holes in his game as well.
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@justanotherfan Everything I’ve read indicates that he is a strong rebounder and gives good effort. Said to be extremely coachable and sacrifice personal accomplishments for wins. That said, the number is low as you mentioned so I would lean towards something besides effort. We will have to see how that progresses his SR year and then as he potentially gets PT at KU.
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Hard to say, but he hustles on the court and has size.
We don’t know how he was utilized in high school. Doubtful he was planted under the basket all the time. I see often he was on the perimeter to shoot or drive.
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@BShark 7 boards a game doesn’t seem too bad for a 6’6 guy, but he was probably one of the taller guys on the court.
