Do we go after more recruits?
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“I think girls who insult people are very attractive.”
–Howard Hawks, Director of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Rio Lobo,” “El Dorado,” etc.
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@jaybate-1.0 couldn’t resist!
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Couldn’t either!
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I hope we get a slew of top talent. We can platoon 'em.
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@jaybate-1.0 Upvote for the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes reference.
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@wissoxfan83
The Basketball Bible on recruiting
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and ye shall find. Always trust in thy PetroShoeCo/Agency complex.”–The Book of Shoes, 7:7
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Gosh I love that flick. STILL!
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Great insight fellas. I stand corrected. I just hate having players like Greene who have been patient, payed their dues, and worked hard but are left on the outside looking in.
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I think what we need to do is go after guys that fill a need, ie rim protector. To fill this need, I say we land Diallo.
Top talent + experience + length + trey shooting = National Title.
Kentucky has set the example on how to have the potential for an undefeated season by having a lot of height and shot blocking ability. Combine that with seasoned veterans and good three point shooting and very few teams will come close.
Now I’m not saying that Self turns Kansas into D League team.
What I’m saying is that The Squid is trying to put together a team like this year’s UK squad every year. Self has to find a way to compete against him or else we are always going to be very good, but never capable of beating Kentucky.
Hypothetical scenario -
Oubre leaves for the NBA. Selden, Alexander, and Svi stay. Green is a junior and hopefully less of a wild hair. Mason and Devonte remain the point guards. Jamari, Perry, and Bragg are the other power forwards. Self also gets Diallo plus Jaylen Brown or Thon Maker (given that he reclassifies).
This hypothetical team, which is actually somewhat realistic, would have the potential to beat the current UK squad.
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What the heck! Tri-toon’em!!!
What the heck! V-toon’em for victory!!!
What the heck! Let’s sign an endorsement deal with Manitou V-Toons!!!
http://www.manitoupontoonboats.com/performance/vtoon
There is no limit to this endorsement stuff!!!
We can out market UK!
By gosh, Forrest Claire Allen had the hues to promote the building of KU Memorial Stadium way back 1920.
And KU built 16k seat Allen Field House in 1955-56 for the 1957 season when most colleges were playing in 3-6k seat arenas.
If there is no putting brakes on what is happening to college basketball, then let’s mount some Saturn V’s to KU and get going!
P.S.: I haven’t ridden in one of these Manitou pontoons yet, but they seem like a very good innovation. And I’m not connected with them in any way. Just really, really like the idea of a fast, good handling pontoon boat for partying and skiing. Fiberglass deck boats have been taken about as far as they can go and scratched, chipped fiberglass v-hull keels and cracking gel coats top side could use a rest.
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@KansasComet Good point. Until the OAD rule is changed you may be correct.
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I totally agree with you, but when the rules change, and everyone starts embracing them, then its a new game.
Regarding Brannen, he is such a great shooter he really doesn’t have to worry about any of the guys that might join the team. I really don’t think anyone can shoot him off the floor. He is too tall and too good of a shot. If he just gets a leeeeeeetle more consistent on the defensive end, which he almost certainly will by next season, he may not get 35mpg, but he will get 20mpg and all the 3ptas he wants.
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@jaybate-1.0 and he needs to go to wts-on time!
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@Crimsonorblue22 Yeah, no more showing up a half hour late.
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@jaybate-1.0 I was thinking we could a KU Jayhawks private airport, with a landing strip with our logo on it. I was thinking we could get Adidas to stick up some LCD signs where we could flash the player’s picture as they roll into the tarmac. There, we could have a small crowd cheering as they exit the plane. Then we pick them up with a KU themed Escalade with spinning wheels, with a hologram of Drake activated when they open the door.
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@Crimsonorblue22 He’s going to be great…I am pumped…
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I think as many recruits as possible should be offered. Bill Self recruits people who have the potential to play pro ball; I don’t know what he and the staff tell the recruits, but I expect he is honest. Both Beal and Wall said in interviews tonight that their coaches guaranteed them nothing. I think if Coach Self thinks a player has pro potential, does it really matter if he is a OAD, a TAD, or horror of horrors, a 3AD? I mean, what, 5-7 of the NC team got NBA contracts. Sasha landed an NBA contract, but asked out of it to play in his home country. Wiggins and Embiid are perfect examples: Wiggins was expected to be a OAD, and he was. When Coach Roberts spotted Embiid and pointed him out to Coach Self, they thought he would be a project. At that point, he was ranked about #100, and would have seemed to be a 3- or 4-year player, but after he committed to KU, he shot quickly into the Top 10. At that point, I was thinking TAD, but he turned out to be a OAD. Wayne was projected as a OAD. If he develops, should it matter if he stays even 3 years, as long as he develops and gets to the NBA? Coach Self has said he expects Brannen Greene to play in the NBA. If it takes 3 years for him to develop, should that be discouraging to him?
With the juggling of multiple good players, many may wonder if they will have the durability for the NBA schedule, but many first and second year players have spot roles off the bench, giving them a chance to adjust to the rigors of a pro season.
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@KUSTEVE Drew actually used to pick up the recruits in an escalade with spinning wheels.
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@wrwlumpy When Roy was still here one of his providers of transportation to staff (complimentary of course) was Crown Chevrolet on South Iowa. I bought 2 trucks & 1 car there in about 6 months, one of which was a loaded black Tahoe that had been demo’ed to NFL HOFer Willie Lanier. Most of the autos comp’ed out to big shots by a dealer have every bell & whistle available; digital touch screens, Bose stereos, bun warmers, etc. List price on this one was around 48K & that not only was a long while back, but was one helluva truck to boot. I think Bill & staff are driving Lincolns now but haven’t paid much attention to that in recent years. But rest assured not many head coaches in D1 are scrunching their butt into a Corrolla-maybe their kids are, but dealerships write off much of that expense for advertising & cut very few corners. I wouldn’t be surprised if some get don’t cars equipped with hyd or pneumatic lift kits, powered woofers & tweeters, or more. Of course certainly none would have a the optional table dancer? LOL…I wonder if maybe Drew was over the top with ermine mud flaps & curb feelers on that Caddy? Oh I forgot, feelers have now been replaced by digital cameras…
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@globaljaybird I can’t wait till we get to the OGAD rule.
One GAME and Done
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I don’t want any more perimeter players, not even Brown, even if we lose Oubre.
Sophomore Svi/Junior Greene will contribute more and have better TEAM chemistry than OAD Freshmen Brown.
We could really use another post player (Diello or Zimmerman) but I’m not losing sleep if we don’t get anyone either. Even if Cliff leaves, you have the same front court with another year of experience and Bragg replaces Cliff. If Cliff does come back, even better.
PS If freshman Wiggins couldn’t carry us to the promised land; freshman Brown won’t either.
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I agree with you we have no idea what either might do next year. Self has had pretty good success with bringing in OAD wings so you would have to think Brown has a shot to dominate from day 1. The only reason he isn’t the #1 recruit is because Simmons is a beast and dominated HS kids. Brown isn’t a finished product but he’s in the same mold as other elite wings. Other than shooting to me, he’s an upgrade over Greene.
Ranking the players still available by need: 1)Diallo 2)Zimmerman 3)Brown 4) Upperclassmen Transfer 5)Dorsey 6) Maker/Rabb 7)Ingram
Diallo to me is the biggest need, developmental big with shotblocking/rebounding skills. I see him as a 3 year player with his offense needing a lot of work.
Zimmerman is combo of everything and likely OAD.
Brown is a OAD wing with Wiggins like Athleticism.
I have Transfer at 4, nobody seems to be talking about taking a 1 year graduate transfer like Tarik Black or someone who has to sit a year and develop and play in 2016. Especially the bigs as we will have 3 Senior’s.
Dorsey would be a great pickup to get a top 30 guard that can learn from Mason/Graham and Selden next year. Would be a great backup or potential starter down the road to replace Selden.
I have Maker/Rabb at 6 because 1 we don’t know yet if Maker will reclassify. We are one of the 3-4 schools recruiting him the hardest but with UK right there what confidence can you have we could get him. Rabb has said he will visit for a game but everything I’ve seen with him is he will stay on west coast. Maybe I’m wrong, Rabb & Zimmerman have played together for years if we landed 1 we could get both?
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@FarSideHawk - I agree completely on the perimeter players. If Oubre leaves, and everyone else stays, I prefer that over adding any perimeter player on the board.
Self of course is in a tough spot. He doesn’t know who will be back.
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@drgnslayr said:
I hope we recruit CAREFULLY!
More is not always better. If we oversign at one position and have weaknesses at another, we are bound to reduce our chances in March.
I really want Zim!
If we just land him, I’d say we had a great recruiting year… and that is regardless who we lose early.
That doesn’t mean I would have a problem landing a couple more players. I’d just be careful not to lose some of the talent we have.
It isn’t always a great thing to recruit potential at the loss of experience.
I’m kind of tired of being one of the youngest teams in America, AGAIN!
We need a balance. Some OAD-quality players mixed in with experienced quality players.
I am starting to see the possibility of losing Kelly. If that is the case, we have guys that can slip into the 3… but we won’t have that star swing 3. I wouldn’t mind landing one of those!
Part of it is about who will be available. I know Self wants Thon Maker. Does anyone know if he got his reclassification?
Where does that guy play? 7-foot PG? I can’t really see him pinned into the low post. The guy has freakish talent, but does landing him just mean another media circus and everyone having to placate their own ambitions for the star recruit?
Texas has a 7 foot star that isn’t pinned to the post and their offense is a mish mosh mess right now with everyone out of sync. Nice to have as a “hey, look at that guy” but not sure it really makes for good team basketball overall. KU does well to have a nice balance at all points in the game; a good post big, a big that can hit mid- to deep, solid wings that can balance between the deep ball and slashing to the rim to draw fouls, a lethal SG and a PG that can drive the bus.
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If you are taking about Myles Turner, he always said he wanted to play a stretch 4 or 5 and be a face up type of player, much like a Dirk Nowitzki and not a back to the basket players like most 7 footers. I thought he felt KU did not offer that opportunity.
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@JayHawkFanToo So, if Turner would have come to Kansas, where would we be? Maybe not talking about outside-in.
I think you’re correct. He had the stretch 4/5 on his mind. Dirk is a good example.
If he’d come to Kansas, he would have gotten major back to the basket work. I’m not really sure how that would have harmed his “stretch” game. Getting major back to the basket work would have only expanded his game and made him a better, more well rounded player. And he would have had many opportunities to “stretch.”
And maybe we aren’t changing our approach. Maybe all of this works out for the best. But I think Turner could have fit here very nicely, even if he apparently didn’t.
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I believe there has to be some continuity between seasons which comes from the 3-4 year players. I would like to see a footer recruited, one with reasonable athleticism but not a OAD or TAD. Lets say a Jeff Withey type, one that has to develop but when they do become quite serviceable as a JR and potential starter as a SR. While developing they provide a valuable service on the practice squad as an added bonus.
Not saying I am against the OAD/TAD players just that there is a benefit to 3-4 year players that is a bit less tangible.
AND Hello all, glad to find where the people talking KUBALL instead of having petty fights over random tirades disappeared too!
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No question that improving his back to the basket skills would have made him a much, much better rounded player, but if I understand correctly, he does not like playing back to the basket and prefers the face up game and Texas offered that to him and KU did not. As you know, Coach Self does not “guarantee” playing time and much less style of play; players have to earn playing time and play the system Coach Self has set for the season, usually the High-Low.
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“Texas has a 7 foot star that isn’t pinned to the post and their offense is a mish mosh mess right now with everyone out of sync.”
I mentioned long ago that Myles may not have helped us. Sort of depends on his mindset. His real desire is to be a big 3 at the next level. His goal is to be a bigger version of Kevin Durant, his long-time idle.
He’s a long ways from having the skill set of Kevin Durant. But I’ve been amazed at how much body size he has put on in a short time. He’s starting to look more like a post player all the time, whether he wants to or not.
I don’t think people in here realize how important it is for Perry to hit some 3s. Every time Perry hits a 3 he makes a statement for the Kansas recruitment of big men… especially those who think they have guard-like skills. Come to Kansas and we’ll give you the outside if you can handle it!
I continue to wonder what our team would be like with Myles as a Jayhawk. Just because Texas’ offense is a big mess doesn’t mean it would be that way at Kansas had he chosen to come here.
I really like Rick Barnes as a person. He’s probably the nicest coach in the Big 12. But I feel the same as many feel, that he doesn’t maximize the talent he is blessed with.
Even though we always want to beat Texas… it is better for Kansas if the Big 12 starts producing winners besides Kansas (in March). So I support all the Big 12 teams except when they play us.
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@Kubie Welcome Kubie and nice post. Have a cold
with me.
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@drgnslayr I’m really not trying to make fun of Turner, but does anyone else think he looks like Steve Urkel? If Steve could run, I think they would run like each other, too. Ewww, I’m not very nice!!
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Uncanny that you discovered the resemblance… haha… YES, I see it!
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@Crimsonorblue22 Didn’t Aaron Miles looked like Rudy Huxtable from the Bill Cosby show?
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@globaljaybird Rick Pitino’s demo from his Lexus dealership in Louisville.
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@wrwlumpy I’m tellin ya, the car moguls spare no expense-it’s an advertising tax write off for many. Think a few years back some do-gooder in Lawrence raised hell cause all the coaches drove cars with dealer tags & felt as that was an “improper benefit” that other prof & administrators were not receiving. So maybe they have to put real tags on their wheels now-go figure.
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@globaljaybird Yeah, give me a fully loaded Escalade and see how fast I make it down to DMV for tags.
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@brooksmd Tags is a bargain. Now the insurance & taxes? Whew !
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@jaybate-1.0 Coach Self wants another ring and banner to hang in AFH. In addition to your prediction Jaybate, I raise you that HCBS will get his next ring in 2-4 years. Final Four appearance maybe even sooner.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Haha. Thats hilarious. My daugher said that same thing watching the game last evening. “Is it me, or does that guy look like Erkel?” I said yeah… On lots of steriods.
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@cragarhawk I can’t describe the way he runs and not be rude, so everyone just watch him.
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My kids are playing basketball right now. One Jr high, one High school. Cant recall which one was playing the other night. Doesnt matter. The point is… There was an official that looked and ran like Beldar Conehead(Dan Akroyd) from Coneheads. If ya can picture that. I couldnt take the guy seriously… One of the funniest things ive seen
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@JayHawkFanToo BG diff/really no comparison being coached by Bill Self or Rick Barnes. More Kool aide barkeep !! LOL
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I watched Jaleel White, aka Steve Urkel, in a celebrity basketball match and he was nothing like his TV persona, he was actually a pretty decent player. Maybe this is a video of Turner’s early years…:)
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@globaljaybird
Most top players/kids that age think they are good enough to go to the NBA and don’t need any coaching…of course they are wrong, but good luck getting them to agree. This is why Calipari gets top players, by promising perks rather than coaching.
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Yes i think you must be correct. I dont why they didnt have a link to this recruiting video on rivals during his recruitment. Haha
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@JayHawkFanToo hilarious!!! Thx!!
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This is a bit long but it is nice to see that we are supposedly this involved on so many recruits.
Kansas finally got on the board in the 2015 class on Thursday, when five-star forward Carlton Bragg announced his commitment to the Jayhawks (after initially saying Kentucky).
There probably wasn’t any real concern in Lawrence about the lack of commitments in the senior class, but there is a segment of the Jayhawks fan base that breathed a slight sigh of relief late last week.
Now, where does Kansas go from here?
The Jayhawks have the No. 36-ranked recruiting class in the country, but expect that number to improve dramatically over the next few months. There is still plenty left to be decided in the 2015 class, with seven of the top 10 players still uncommitted, along with three other five-star players.
And Kansas just happens to be involved with at least six of those remaining five-star prospects, as well as another top-35 prospect. So how might the Jayhawks go about finalizing this class?
Jaylen Brown (No. 2): This one is expected to drag out until after the high school season is finished. Brown isn’t tipping his hand one way or another, but Kansas is in very good shape after getting an official visit in the fall. UCLA, Kentucky and North Carolina are also in strong spots, while in-state options Georgia and Georgia Tech aren’t going anywhere.
Malik Newman (No. 3): The Jayhawks have picked up momentum in this one, especially after Kentucky landed a commitment in November from Isaiah Briscoe (No. 13) – on top of the Wildcats likely returning at least two of their four current guards. Kentucky is far from giving up, though. In-state schools Mississippi and Mississippi State are also in the mix.
Ivan Rabb (No. 5): Kansas might be playing catch-up for Rabb, as local school California has done a terrific job so far with the 6-foot-10 power forward. Rabb also visited Kentucky, and Arizona is still there despite losing some of the momentum it had early in the recruitment.
Cheick Diallo (No. 7): Kansas has been in the driver’s seat or the co-driver’s seat in Diallo’s recruitment for most of the past year, along with Iowa State. Kentucky has made a push, too. Diallo is another player who won’t make a decision in the near future, likely waiting to see what happens with the other dominoes.
Stephen Zimmerman (No. 10): This recruitment has changed so much, but Kansas is the pick on RecruitingNation’s Hot Board. He’s also visited Kentucky, UCLA and Arizona, while UNLV gets a boost because of proximity. Zimmerman’s recruitment will continue to take twists and turns.
Brandon Ingram (No. 12): The prevailing thought for much of Ingram’s recruitment was that he would stay in the state of North Carolina, either at North Carolina or Duke. Since visiting Kansas in the fall, though, the Jayhawks have really made up some ground on the in-state options.
Tyler Dorsey (No. 33): In the fall, it looked as if Dorsey would decide early – but he chose to prolong his recruitment. Kansas had the early buzz after Dorsey’s decommitment from Arizona, but California picked up plenty of momentum in the fall and has made him a priority moving forward. The Jayhawks are behind in this one.
There are a couple of other storylines to watch in relation to Kansas’ recruiting. The Jayhawks have made an effort to get back in the mix for Thomas Bryant (No. 16), who was down to Missouri, Indiana and Syracuse before adding Kentucky to his list recently. Kansas would obviously be playing catch-up for the 6-foot-10 big man. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks are also one of the two schools – along with Kentucky – thought to be in good shape for 2016 stud Thon Maker. There has been talk of Maker reclassifying; should that happen, expect Kansas to be in play for his services.
Kansas – and the prospects it is pursuing – might have to wait and see how many spots the Jayhawks do have for next season. Kelly Oubre, Cliff Alexander and Wayne Selden are all early-entry NBA candidates. An inconsistent couple of months from each player has left their immediate future up in the air. The common thought is still that Oubre and Alexander will leave, meaning Bill Self could reel in up to three more players.
Of course, there’s the risk of putting so many eggs in the spring recruiting basket – and the very slim chance that Kansas strikes out on all of its primary targets and has to settle for lesser players to fill spots out of desperation. If three players leave Lawrence early and the Jayhawks miss most of its remaining recruiting targets, that would be a disaster scenario. It’s extremely unlikely, though.
Will Bragg’s commitment create any dominoes for the other big men on Kansas’ wish list? He’s capable of playing alongside most post players because of his ability to step outside and knock down 3-pointers, so it might not make a difference just yet. Should the Jayhawks bring in another big man, though, that likely forces the other remaining power forwards and centers to go elsewhere.
When all the dust settles, Kansas will likely have one of the best recruiting classes in the country, the third-straight season Self has brought in a top-10 group.
Shortly after Bragg made his announcement, a reporter at his news conference asked him whether other big-time recruits would join him in a Jayhawks uniform.
His answer: “I hope so.”
All signs point to Bragg being correct.
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@JhawkAlum said:
Great insight fellas. I stand corrected. I just hate having players like Greene who have been patient, payed their dues, and worked hard but are left on the outside looking in.
Greene has been given AMPLE rope to earn that spot and has largely hung himself with it. If he’s the best player available then he’ll play. I love that players have to earn their time versus having it gifted to them for nothing more than time served.
