Okie Lite Mulling Firing Ford



  • Are we in for another summer of Bill Self to Ok State rumors???

    ESPN Article



  • @Kip_McSmithers nuleaf started this rumor!



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    That Ford’s job is about 50/50 after three straight early exits or that Self is rumored to replace him??



  • @Kip_McSmithers I’m kidding around, but nuleaf said he was ok(ie) if Self left.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 Lol - you threw me under the bus, but I laid REAL flat and it went right over me!

    The only comment I’ll make is this - if Self left KU for Okie St, then he’s WAY too dumb to be KU’s coach.



  • The BIG12 is looking to overhaul its image. Talks of Fred Hoiberg going to the Bulls, Rick Barns gone too. If Gregg Marshall and Shaka Smart end up in the BIG12 things will get very interesting! ISU will have to scramble to find someone who can take over there too. I hope for competition sake Hoiberg stays.



  • @Statmachine

    I think it is too soon for the Mayor to move on. First… I don’t think his health issue will be completely resolved with surgery. There will remain an unknown factor for some time.

    Another thing… Fred is a king in Ames! Not sure he would want to go from king to a flogged peasant over night. He is really integrated in his community.

    Last… he has a great thing going on! Coaches constantly screw up by giving up great things for a new challenge that doesn’t pan out. If he stays at ISU, great things are coming their way. He will be immortalized eventually in the HOF and will have a legendary status in his town. In the NBA, he will be nothing more than a statistic unless he can figure out how to be one of the greats. Not many have succeeded there.



  • Self goes to Oklahoma St.; and introducing the new coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, Greg Marshall!

    That would be a completely upside down world.



  • @HighEliteMajor Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Don’t even say such a thing. Yuck!!



  • @brooksmd There are always other options. Surely you can think of someone else you would like to see coaching KU? I have always wanted Brad Stevens at KU. I like how he does business.



  • I know a lot of single guys out there that miss their old girlfriends. They traded them in to try to get something they didn’t have while not realizing what they lost!



  • Reading some of the articles about this rumor. Sounds like the AD Mike Holder gave Ford a 10yr deal back in 2009 and after that Gundy wanted one. But I guess Holder realized how absurd that contract was and has denied the better and bigger revenue generating coach which has irked Gundy.



  • @brooksmd At least he’d be our “slime ball”, right?



  • @HighEliteMajor

    Why not Bruce Weber?



  • @nuleafjhawk

    For clarification, you were thrown under the short bus.



  • Larry Brown, the next coach at KU!!

    Or since I led the 5th grade boys of West Elementary school, Antigo, WI to a nearly unblemished record and city championship, I might have the chops to step up to the next level.

    Oh, you question my credentials? I’m the only KUBuckets member to pick the entire final four correctly.

    And I’ll work cheap. A million bucks would be fine. Maybe my old apartment on Tennessee Ave. would be available.



  • @drgnslayr My question regarding Freddy is this. How could an existing heart condition keep him out of NBA coaching? Its not like he’s gonna be running the floor with his players. He would also have access to the best cardiology physicians on the planet with the $$ he would be making. I dont know what he gets at ISU but my guess is its not that good. Good, but not that good.
    I dont particularly want him to leave ISU, I think he is a genuinely good guy and good coach, does good things for the Big 12 image and all that.
    But, if he did want to leave, why would his current condition prevent it?



  • @HighEliteMajor said:

    Self goes to Oklahoma St.; and introducing the new coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, Greg Marshall!

    That would be a completely upside down world.

    HEM! Shame on you for saying such a thing! Blasphemy!



  • @Statmachine

    I just perused the Chicago Tribune and there’s no talk there of Fred to the Bulls. I think the Bulls are pretty content with Thibido (sp?) I don’t follow them that closely, but will watch when I can and don’t think of them as in need of a coach.



  • @Lulufulu

    I wouldn’t want to have a heart issue and be a NBA head coach. Fred is already pushing it by coaching ISU.

    If you noticed his mannerisms this year… even when his team had some bad breaks or a bad call from the refs, Fred stayed calm. He showed very little emotion on the sidelines. I think he is just being as careful as possible with his heart at least until he has another operation.

    The life of a NBA coach is brutal. They typically go around 100 games in a year. The travel schedule… these guys don’t see their own beds a lot. Hard to stay on a disciplined diet and get the right amount of sleep. It’s college ball times 3!

    I know ISU is a real thorn in our side… but that is what we need! No one questions Fred’s character or his coaching ability. He is the real deal! I will be sad if he leaves the Big 12!



  • @HighEliteMajor Upon reflection, I don’t think I would have any problem with that scenario. Sure would make things more exciting around the conference.



  • @drgnslayr Yeah, your right. Fred doesnt get too rattled by much. He is a very calm guy on outward appearance. My nursing background makes me think that he could handle the NBA though. I mean he is in good shape and he is relatively young. He is 42 years old. Thats young. I dont know his whole medical history but if he stays in shape, keeps his stress low, which he appears to be good at, there’s no reason he wouldnt be able to handle NBA coaching. Granted, it wouldnt be a life time gig. But he could do it, if he wanted. Its not impossible to imagine for me. He could totally keep on a strict cardio healthy diet. One of the things in his potential NBA contract should state that he needs such and such a diet delivered to him when he is on the road. He can keep his cardio status up by doing drills with his players at times. I dont know if such a thing is done. My point is, he would have access to elite status health care and elite status resources for maintaining his health. He could totally do it.
    I would rather him stay at ISU though.



  • @Lulufulu I think it has been stated he left the nba due to his heart problems. I know he had a procedure done, maybe battery replacement this past year. Think I read he has another surgery coming up? Not positive. I didn’t think he looked like he felt well during the con tourney.



  • @HighEliteMajor Don’t you dare put that on us…


  • Banned

    And the drums are beating again. I wonder how many early exits from the tournament before it would take the most die hard HCBS fans to say ok enough is enough. It’s time to go?



  • @DoubleDD It’s a very ‘what have you done for me lately world’. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Duke had a couple of early exits, I know once losing to Lehigh, and Mercer another year. A sweet 16 loss to Arizona as a 1 seed and i’m guessing some Dukies might have been thinking ill of coach K as well.

    I wouldn’t say we’re to panic mode yet. Goodness, anyone remember the Roy ‘monkey off his back’ press conference when he finally won a 2nd round game? We had a few years then, but he hit the recruiting trail hard and got three guys who are still in the league and another, Wayne who should be except for his bum shoulder. He should have had a ring in one of those seasons. So it’s cyclical for sure and look for a KU bounceback next year…or else!



  • @DoubleDD

    “And the drums are beating again. I wonder how many early exits from the tournament before it would take the most die hard HCBS fans to say ok enough is enough. It’s time to go?”

    Or how about telling Self… IT’S TIME FOR CHANGES!

    Many have been saying it for the past several years… but if a larger crowd says it, maybe he changes, or maybe he leaves if he can’t embrace change. Basketball is not a stagnant game. Even the best have to adjust to the game.

    We are all focused on March… but where exactly is the problem? Recruiting? Developmental coaching? Game strategy? Offense? Defense?

    This was one of our better M2M defenses… well… on the perimeter. And we still couldn’t get to the Sweet 16. Self is really known for one thing only… defense. So we had pretty good defense, and our post did it’s best to hold down the fort there, too. Except for not having a back-to-the-basket big, this was a typical Self team. We needed the shot blocker… but actually… our defensive stats were pretty good.

    We spend more money than any other program in the nation on recruiting… but we can’t land a big? Even a 4-star big? How about a 3-star big?

    I think fans are going to erupt if we don’t find some real post solutions between now and November. How can we stink so bad at recruiting bigs?

    So obviously the hi/lo is not the kind of offense top bigs want to play in.

    Look at Bragg’s recent comment about why he chose Kansas… ““They play up and down and use the pick and roll and the pick and pop. That fits me well.”” Nothing about him playing back to the basket. We typically need a 4 and 5 to play that style to really incorporate the hi/lo. They rotate sides and circle through the paint. The 4 can pop out for other offense, too… but I think Self would also like a 4 that can play back to the basket. He can suck over the defense and feed the 5 for easy dunks, too.

    There are few to none big men out there that want to just be saddled in the paint. Most of them have ambitions similar to Myles Turner. They all think they will be hitting as many 3s as anyone else. 3s is where basketball has gone… whether Self wants to admit it or not.


  • Banned

    @wissoxfan83

    Well I really don’t know what to think on the issue. I can understand both sides of the point. However I know when the drums start beating then it won’t be long. It may not be this year or ever a couple of years from now. However as the discontent grows so does the need for change.

    I will say this it’s not just the losing but it’s how we lose, that is making me raise my eye brows. It seems like KU is either outcoached or the players weren’t ready to play? That just doesn’t sit well with me. Also don’t forgot perception can be killer, even if there is really no truth. Nobody in the college basketball world thinks of Coach K or old Roy as chocker’s, yet everybody says that about HCBS and the KU program.

    I’m not saying lets raise our pitch forks and get rid of HCBS, I’m just saying I’m getting tired of being at my wits end every time they step on the court. It seems like KU could play a blind team and it would come down to a last second shot. That to me is a problem.



  • @DoubleDD well Roy and KU were considered the ultimate chokers during Roy years. Roy should have won in 97 and and in 03. Leaving after back to back final fours did elevate his perception though.

    Interestingly enough, I welcomed Bill Self as the anti-Roy in that his teams may lose a bit more in regular season but they will play tough and go deep in March. And his first season was kinda like that. Then after a couple of flameouts, 08 took the monkey off his back (which would have grown into an 800lb gorilla by now had Derrick Rose made a free throw!)

    But As I recover from the loss to WSU, I don’t think I’m anywhere near ready to give up on Self yet. We need to be careful what we wish for. Yes, we have underachieved in the tournament more than we’d like to buy the alternatives could be a lot worse. Here’s hoping Self makes some adjustments or the universe balances out for us gives us multiple championships in the next few years.



  • @FarSideHawk Very well said. I can’t believe that people are even beginning to think the thoughts that have appeared on this board. Self has won80% of his games. 11 straight. Yes…I get it…greatness is measured by final fours and NCs. He has 2 and 1. We would have preferred some more. Coach K has often underachieved in the tournament, spectacularly at times…but he has more final fours and NCs sprinkled in there…so that is a big difference when compared to Self’s tourney record. But, I’m not even ready to think about not having Self as our coach.


  • Banned

    @FarSideHawk

    I would say you pretty much nailed it for me. Sometimes the Devil you desire is worse than the one you already have.

    I think the problem with HCBS that some fans maybe having. Is it’s all or nothing come tournament time. No in between. KU either has a strong showing or they play like they should’ve never got off the bus. That’s kind of my frustrations. It’s not just losing that bothers me. I can handle losing. It’s how we lose and who we lose too. We don’t lose to big time programs, no we lose to teams you’ve never heard of or just really plan suck, are just lucky to be in the tournament.

    However if KU exits the tournament early again next year, then I’m done with all the excuses. No more but we were so young, but this player was hurt, or the but our shots weren’t falling. No KU is t00 good of a program to exit the tournament early 3 years in a row without even a sniff of the final 8 let alone the final 4. If you guys want to keep riding HCBS train then by all means, but I’ll be getting off. Next year is break or make for me as a fan for HCBS.



  • So if we win # 12 and lose in the sweet 16 you won’t ride the train any more. Will you still be posting?



  • @DoubleDD it is your choice.


  • Banned

    @wrwlumpy

    No I’ll never stop rooting for KU. I meant I won’t be a fan of HCBS. 🙂



  • Don’t know how the NC loss in 2003 can be blamed on the HC when one of our best ft shooters was throwing bricks at the hoop. Played Syracuse pretty much even except at the line.



  • @HighEliteMajor said:

    Self goes to Oklahoma St.; and introducing the new coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, Greg Marshall!

    I just threw up in my mouth.



  • @VailHawk Was he riding the short bus too? He, He !!



  • @drgnslayr Fred was like that as a player too. Never fist pumped, always calm & poised-that’s why I used to enjoy watching him shoot out the lights…& man what a shooter. Johnny Orr got excited enough for the whole damn team. Those were good old days slayr.



  • I have to be honest, I get the criticism and I think it’s warranted…but all of this talk about giving up on Coach Self is kind of blowing me away. If you think Coach Self is not the guy to get us banner number six then…well then I guess it’s agree to disagree on that one. Eleven Big 12 Conference Championships mean nothing? No, they don’t give us the high of a Final Four but that is a special run guys.



  • @VoyagingJayhawk: Final Fours are a fairly normal occurrence at Michigan State.



  • @VoyagingJayhawk I don’t think any of us ( at least not me - YET ) are really ready to give up on him. It’s just the end of a frustrating season and we are venting. Kinda like when one my wife’s family does something stupid and I’m like " let’s move away from here - I’m tired of dealing with morons all the time. "

    Wait - bad example - I really do feel that way. LOL - MY WIFE DOESN’T READ KUBUCKETS!!! WHOO HOOO.

    Anyway - a little sidetracked, but you get the idea.



  • @VoyagingJayhawk

    I still support Self… but I think it is a natural, healthy situation to challenge him on this. If you look at it like an organic process… perhaps all the chatter drives him harder now to improve his coaching. The results may not be seen next year… but maybe the year after or the year after that.

    I wonder what gave him such a spark that led him to 2008?

    It would be great to see him with that same hunger level again.



  • @drgnslayr That spark was not losing Brandon because of a knee injury and having him return to KU to play an extra year. Also not having to sit Darrell because his Math transcripts were not discovered until after the season and the NCAA was the one that certified him. Also, having the whole team turn pro after the season helped to light the spark.



  • Right now we seem to be in the Final Four every 4 years and that’s not good enough for most of the bloggers on this sight. If coach would only let the bloggers do the recruiting and the coaching we’d all be better off, right. As it stand, next year will be the fourth year, and that is the year we are supposed to be back in the FF. Calipari would have been fired if our bloggers were UK fans the year they lost in a high school gym in the NIT. I’m in Bill Self’s corner. I for one am resigned to the fact that UK vs Wisc was predetermined last year when they met and the 10 OAD’s vs the Seniors would of course be there again. Most of the people act as if Self should have said no to Wiggins and Embid to let Brannen learn how to handle a ball and play defense. I too miss the 5th year seniors like Conner Teahan and Jeff Withey that took us to the Final Four. He received Coach of the year awards this year from many in the media for winning the conference with smoke and mirrors and it seems as if everyone hates him because of a fresh memory of a loss which is always tough when you are intent on winning it all.



  • @nuleafjhawk Hello dear, this is your wife. Yes I do read KU Buckets and you are sleeping on the couch tonight!



  • @wrwlumpy then it would be time to have @approxinfinity start a new site!!



  • @wrwlumpy said:

    Calipari would have been fired if our bloggers were UK fans the year they lost in a high school gym in the NIT

    At least we would have gotten rid of him!



  • If there are rumors of Self going to Okie State, then:

    a.) Self must be very near to signing his first 3-5 OAD class, and those that don’t want to have to compete with him on a level playing field are desperately spinning (Shoe Brand-Agent Complex Effect) ; or

    b.) Self’s folks are getting old, and he wants to be near them the rest of the way (Roy Effect); or

    c.) the same folks that dumped the baloney news story about WWW controlling all of sport and paying refs are at it again!!!

    Anyone is possible, but I think Bill Self likes that amazing things happen in Allen Field House. Its a great place to go to work every day.



  • @wrwlumpy

    This came up earlier in the discussion. Do you think Self has the same spark he had back in '08? I don’t think he quite has that spark… but I think that is just part of human nature. He’s already won it. I know coaches say the second trophy feels as good as the first… but that’s like saying the first time you made whoppee wasn’t something extra special.

    I see a fire in a guy like Gregg Marshall… that dude is on a mission, probably to achieve what the rest want, a NC. I think if Mario didn’t hit that shot in '08 and Self still hadn’t won one, that game with the Shockers would have looked completely different. You would have seen TWO coaches standing up and coaching up their players all game instead of just one.

    I think coaches that have won it have an advantage in some areas. First… it looks pretty good on their resume. But also they have a certain ease to them because they are just going back for seconds (or thirds, or whatever). I also think they are at a disadvantage because they are being challenged by coaches that don’t have #1 yet. It is “the chip” for coaches in D1.

    I’m not saying this to bash Self… or throw out ideas to get rid of him. I’m glad he’s here. But am I the only one that sees a lack of spark in our guys in March most of the time? I’d say it goes all the way back to '08 except for '12… which was a unique set of circumstances with TRob losing his mom.

    I’d just like to see us as sparked up as the teams we play in March and I’m friggin’ sick of hearing excuses!


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