I've got a crush on Tarik Black



  • Sorry @KUSTEVE but it looks like I’m cheating on you. Tarik Black is my GUY.

    While his 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 3 foul night is an undeniably sexy line wah gets me most about the guy is how much he cares. He was predicted to play a major role within our team this year but his pension to hack and his overall lack of basketball ability seems to be hindering his playing time. He transfered to KU to get minutes and make a push to the NBA - instead he’s a glorified bench warmer who will be lucky to impact 3 significant games.

    But this is why I love Tarik Black - he doesn’t outwardly seem to care. He is 100% all in. He is the first guy up off the bench, he is constantly supporting the guys who are taking his minutes, he smiles and has passion even if he’s only wearing his warm ups. When Selden dove for the loose ball it was Black (along with Traylor who I also man crush on) who were the first to jump up and get excited at the hustle play, they were the ones pounding on Selden’s chest and getting the team into it. Compare Black’s reaction to my most hated player in KU history - Brennan Greene. I literally cannot wait for that *#!% to transfer.

    But this is why I love black. He cares. He wants it as much as anyone he’s just not that good of a basketball player. He doesn’t let this realization get him down - he keeps moving forward in a positive direction. He could have easily shut down but he didn’t. The kid graduated college in 3 years and has a wealth of experiences in his 4 year college career. I wish i owned a company simply so I could hire him - I have no doubt he’ll be successful whatever he does in life.

    Greene will probably be homeless.



  • Black won me over. I lived in TN and followed his saga in Memphis, so I didn’t expect him to be much of contributor on the court, but his attitude ended up being 180 degrees from what I feared.

    So, Iowajayhawk, give Greene a chance. He might have a face you want to punch, but he’s a smart kid (4.0 in high school) and a tough competitor.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 I agree 100% about Black. He’s not going to help us much on the court, but he has great attitude that hopefully will be infectious.

    But why the vitriol toward Greene? I’m still hoping he will clue in.



  • I noticed the same thing you did @iowajayhawk2005. With the multiple replays they showed of Selden diving for that ball in front of the KU bench, I found myself watching the bench players reaction. I wish I had a clip of that to post for everyone to watch as it was very telling. As I recall Black, Traylor, Niko, and Tyler were all very animated and fired up as the team assembled at the bench. Wesley, Lucas, Greene, AW3, and if memory doesn’t fail me Mason (surprisingly) sat there like they were at a funeral. That was pretty disappointing - and to me seems to be an indicator of where these guys heart and head are.



  • “He is 100% all in.”

    Most astute realization I read this morning!

    Bravo, @iowajayhawk2005 ! You got my fav button!



  • @iowajayhawk2005, it is okay to come out and say you have a foul fetish, too. FOE 🙂



  • I wish I could coherently state why I hate Greene so much but I can’t. The attitude, bad shot selection, and off the court issues are obvious but it’s much more then that. Maybe it’s the disappointment? I remember when he committed being very intrigued by the 4.0 gpa and the involved parents who helped Brennan choose KU because they thought it would be good for his development. I guess when I heard that I thought they were talking about his basketball development but clearly they realized their son was a princess from the get-go. He’s just caught me off guard and I hate him. At least with Rio Adams I knew he was going to be a cancer and disaster from the second he stepped foot on campus - being Roderick Stewart’s half brother there is no way he was going to be positive.



  • @iowajayhawk2005, Coherence and incoherence are perhaps immaterial here. Hate seems the key alibi. Hate is the hobgoblin of an Old Testament Lewis Black kind of mind schtick caught up in a Baudrilllardian reality that consists of hyper circulation of sign information disconnected from symbolic exchange value and reciprocal gift giving. It seems a futile, possibly narcissistic attempt at escaping nihilism with caustic humor masked as emotion that cannot in reality be experienced. 🙂

    You hate the sign of Brannen Greene, not the reality of Brannen Greene, which you of course cannot know digitally. And your sign conception of Brannen is a product not of any reality but rather a post post modern hyper synthesis of alibi invoked both to support the broader alibi of reality and so distract from an unsettling void of unfolding tedium amidst hypertelia.

    Schtick and counter schtick.

    Live the simulacra. 🙂



  • ah ha! I’ve figured it out. I hate Brennan Greene because he reminds me of @jaybate



  • @iowajayhawk2005, Defaulting to an alibi with an additional degree of freedom. 🙂



  • Thanks men, this board has sincerely missed the simply marvelous soap opera, point & counterpoint exchanges of an Aykroyd & Curtain. Keep up the good work & we’ll stay tuned. Remember though, that spontaneity, civility, & subtlety are first & foremost when humor is created & enjoyed.



  • I’m starting to sense that I can draw a line and put @iowajayhawk2005 at one end and @jaybate on the other end. I’m not trying to induce friction with that statement… kind of like how I laid it out with Wooden and Knight.

    Let’s call it “philosophical differences.” I’m probably inviting a punch coming my way because I’m positioned too close to the action. It would be well-deserved, I’m sure.

    I’m on board with @globaljaybird … it is all in good fun and everyone has the cap-acity to keep it cerebral and in tasteful jest.

    @iowajayhawk2005 … I’m thrilled with your infusion! I admit my worshiping of Greene, and am glad you’ve challenged my thoughts around him. You can continue to punch holes in my delusions. My closet runneth over with deities.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 agree on Tarik. agree on the whole theme. want to root for the good guys.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 you graduated from KU in 2005? And grew up in Iowa? Just curious…



  • @iowajayhawk2005

    Compare Black’s reaction to my most hated player in KU history - Brennan Greene. I literally cannot wait for that *#!% to transfer.

    Whoa, whoa, whoa…I agree 100% with Black and love him too. But, you’re off the charts on Greene, WAY out of line. Please provide more insight to your horrible post about Greene. When you make such a putrid statement surely you have some solid reason, proof, evidence for making such a terrible statement.

    Where’s the board police when you need them? WOW



  • Classic joke @truehawk93! Disagreeing with my assertions by slandering me as well and then calling for the board police. Classic pot calling the kettle black - love hypocrisy jokes.

    BUT - being that I understand the gist of what you’re asking me I have no problem diving into why I can’t stand him. 1. the most glaring and obvious reason is he reminds me of jaybate 2. He is the anti Tarik Black - it’s only natural. 3. He needs a hair cut.

    In all seriousness though - he is my most despised player since JR Giddens and here’s why: First and foremost his attitude. I’ve been saying this about a few guys on the team but he seems to be the ring leader. It’s one thing to not show a lot of emotion (i.e. Perry Ellis) but Greene DOES show emotion. Specifically I remember a turnover in the FL game (maybe different game?) where he smacked the scorers table. When he hits a three he gets excited. When he’s in the game and things are going well he’s high fiving. This is exactly what the team needs and this is why I love Tarik so much but it is Greene’s absolute downfall because, knowing what he’s like when things are going well, you can read him like a book when they aren’t. His slumping in his seat, standing at the back of huddles, complete disregard for his teammates, angry disparaged facial expressions - everything. Everything about his attitude on the bench is attrocious. He’s a classic JJ Berea (yes referring to K.Love’s recent comments).

    Secondly - he continually takes bad shots. regardless if they go through the hoop or not I’d love to track how many shots he’s taken that he shouldn’t have. Most of us know that Self ball is dependent on creating driving angles, 1 on 1 opportunities for the big men, and open shots for guards by swinging the ball around the perimeter. He knows this and Self has been vocal about his shot taking but he continues to do it. There is nothing that makes me more furious in college basketball then taking a contested 3 point shot with 25 seconds or more left on the shot clock - especially when you’ve just checked into the game.

    Third - He is the first and only Freshman this year to have off the court issues and I’ve never thought that to bode well. He clearly was either doing something very wrong or has an incredible ability not to accept punishment for his actions. You don’t run into a parked car at 2 in the morning and flee the scene if you aren’t doing something you shouldn’t be doing. I get it that he’s young and he made a mistake and that’s fine, totally understand it, but it won’t make me ever condone it.

    fourthly - there are WAY too many rumors about this kid. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. multiple scources saying he’s slamming doors and complaining when things don’t go his way. Deleted twitter posts. Transfer rumors. Look at the way he conducts himself as the way someone like AWIII does. Both are surely frustrated with playing time and may transfer - I hear nothing from White’s camp whereas I hear something monthly from Greene.

    fifthly - he is constantly in Self’s dog house. In Self I trust.

    You make a bad off the court decision, you sulk a bit at a lack of playing time, you say something dumb on twitter, you lose your cool once or twice in the towers, you get in the coaches dog house. Do one or two of these things one or two times you’re immature. You get a talking to and you right the ship. Do all of these things with some of them seemingly multiple and endless you’re crossing a line into my region of hatred.

    For his sake and the teams I hope I’m wrong but that would be a first. ever.



  • @iowajayhawk2005

    “Classic pot calling the kettle black - love hypocrisy jokes.”

    “In all seriousness though - he is my most despised player since JR Giddens and here’s why: First and foremost his attitude.”

    Lol - you are one funny guy…



  • hate is bad, mmmmkay.



  • @Blown-Wolf in sheep’s clothing ya think?



  • @nuleafjhawk - should i change my name to @ironyhawk? Would that make @civilhawk mad?



  • @globaljaybird I was just thinking Wolf in Wolf clothing 🙂



  • Being that the wolf is my spirit animal I’m taking that as a supreme compliment. Thanks @blown.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 Nah, don’t change your name. Although, I did change mine two or three years ago. I wasn’t as smart as you, but I think we had similar attitudes. I just decided it was more fun for me to lighten up and get along with (most) everyone. We’re all different, but I personally enjoy a laugh and some good sarcasm.



  • @nuleafjhawk sooobawls, i knew that was you 🙂



  • @Blown lol - I don’t know who that is. Honestly I can’t even remember what my old name was ( mental block maybe? ). It was back when I first joined Kusports.com. My attitude stunk.



  • @nuleafjhawk Do you remember jayahawkinnebr, then?



  • @Blown Sorry, I don’t. But no one’s ever accused me of having a laser sharp memory…



  • @iowajayhawk2005 Wolf, the supreme compliment should be that you are not hiding who you really are. Well, at least if you are trying to, you are not doing a very good job of it.

    “All I can do is be me, whoever that is”–Bob Dylan



  • @Blown : Two classic posters there…



  • Greene hasn’t taken a whole lot of shots this year. He’s 50% (4-eight) from 2 and 30% (3-10) from 3. Pretty small sample size with a rather decent % to be hating someone for shot selection. But when you have it out for someone you just have it out for someone.



  • Good shots are not judged by whether or not they go in.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 Frank Mason is the King of ill-timed shots. Fortunately, a few are starting to drop for him.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 It’s great to have an opinion and even a dislike, but to hate? Most of your points are personal opinon, rumors, and just overall personal. I’ll let him be a kid that will learn and grow from this experience.
    We can agree on two of your points: I trust Self will do the right thing. He does have a way with players. I also believe because of Self’s coaching ability, Brannen will overcome this just like the twins, EJ, Sherron, TT, and even BMac to a degree.

    Did you hate each of these players too? Just curious because they meet your hate criteria. It’s all good and disagree with you, but will never ‘hate’ you for your extremely opinionated attitude. One last comment, you actually hold his hair against him? I find that odd.

    Oh well…have a great year watching KU and you do know that you are the only one that loses by hating an 18-19 yr old kid?

    Thank you for the response. I still don’t understand your hate.



  • @Blown It’s amazing what a little pt will do for a player’s confidence, shot, and attitude. Frank is overcoming and finding his groove on the court.



  • It is hard to hate Greene based on his lack of play. He looks to me like he has the tools to be a great player in future seasons at KU. He probably does have a bad attitude but that is not abnormal for an 18 year old kid. He will mature.

    Does anyone think that between Greene / AW3 / CF we will ever see a consistent piece of our puzzle? We have discussed this ad nauseam but I am starting to think Self may never pick just one to get big minutes. We may be looking at this one game this guy one game that guy philosophy for the entire season based on matchups.



  • @truehawk93 - “hate” is definitely a strong word and I mostly use it because I’m emotional. It potentially is better to say I STRONGLY dislike Brennan Greene.

    In regards to all the guys you mentioned - no, I never hated one of them. I never even disliked one of them. I’ll admit that part of my hatered is simply irrational and inexplainable - it’s who I am. I will argue though that none of those guys ever possessed ALL of the things I mentioned above. While TT teetered from immature to stupid he sure as heck gave a darn. His issues I think stemmed from an inability to handle success after his freshman season. He was KU’s darling year 1 and fell apart years 2 and 3. Maybe it’s a case of the straw breaking the camel’s back - I don’t know. I expect our freshman to act like freshman so exhibiting some of these things is just part of it. He simply possesses all of them.

    Nothing I stated above is an opinion. I gave you my opinion based on my observation. The facts are he is outwardly projecting a negative attitude, he has a pension to take early shots without moving the ball (self has said so himself), he got into a car accident at 2 am (I guess it’s a semi opinion that he clearly was doing something wrong), there are a lot of rumors about the kid, he’s in bill self’s dog house.

    A lot of what I say is intelligent observation wrapped in ridiculousness and irrationality. I understand this. You will too in time. While hate is a strong word I feel wholly justified to dislike this kid’s play and attitude at this point in his career. To be quite honest - I don’t see how anyone could like it.



  • I’m wondering, what are your feelings about Tharpe?? I’m sure there are a few board rats that would think the falls into the criteria of a quick trigger and throwing up guarded shots. His %Poss is lower than Greene with a lot more minutes. And his suspension to start the season shows he makes bad decisions and was in the wrong place, wrong time. Do you only like him because of his hair? Or maybe it’s the way he ties his shoes?



  • Naadir has great hair - no qualms there. I am becoming a bit frustrated with his inconsistent play and definitely with his shot selection. Shot selection, in fact, has always been my biggest complaint with Tharpe. His 1 game suspension for playing in a summer league game in Chicago is quite different then illegal activity. Everything I’ve heard is that he was unaware this was a rules violation - if he knowingly knew of the rules violation and subsequent 1 game suspension beforehand and still played then, yes, I would detest Tharpe for his absolute selfishness. Furthermore, Tharpe’s lack of leadership and passion on the court is getting under my skin as well. It’s an attribute he needs to bring the table and he seems to forget that some games. While this frustrates me it does not anger me as he does not act brooding, angry, disinterested, and completely checked out as my friend Brennan does.

    Naadir should give Brennan a hair cut.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 - Your recent posting spree has been like a first date for all of us. We are getting to know you.

    I am intrigued with your lengthy post on why you “hate” Greene. Some of that info is new to me. I’m digesting that post, and might end up with some gas from the process, but often times the nourishment I really need will do that to me.

    I think we’ve about ended the first date with you. While I don’t think most in here are ready to disrobe, I think it is worthwhile for a second date and many would agree. Behind the rough texture is someone with depth. Your perspective is enticing. Bait for another date.

    I’ve read all the date books and the bloated text about “first impressions mean everything.” I’ve always considered that phrase a sucker’s bet because anyone can fake it for one date. I appreciate that you didn’t come in here with a sappy heart and sticky fingers.

    I just hope you keep posting and you find cleaver enough ways to express your rough edges to keep the blog police at bay. Just make sure and keep as much edge as you can, because you were correct in one of your earlier posts when you said you had your own methods for getting results.

    It is becoming easier to spot which threads you participate in by noticing the amount of posts in each thread.

    Strangely, “hate” used to be a softer word. But now media has cut off the softer edges of that word so it’s context relates to things like “hate crimes” and often lead to mass death. Because of that reason, “hate” is one of the few words I would scratch from use in here. You can go to the edge without using that word… how about, “despise, scorn, loathe, disdain…” None of these choices are as connected to horrific deeds like “hate.”



  • the more you post @drgnslayr the more I trust your judgment on humanism. I’m glad we can keep this tango going. I love dancing. I would say my “rough edges” are exposed due to my desire to be the opposite of the professional world I live in as I read these posts. Maybe I’m just saying here what I want to say out there. I don’t know. As I said - I’m emotional.

    I promise from my end to try my best and always be a free spirit if you promise from your end to sometimes allow me to say a poop joke.

    Happy weekend - I’m going home.



  • I agree with your last post comments on Naadir. He is inconsistent, and shot selection has been an issue with him. I do think his shot selection has improved recently, consequently his FG% has risen along with it. Naa reminds me of a miniature poodle. Have you ever owned a miniature poodle? They take about 40 breaths a second and anytime the ambient temperature drops below 68 degrees, their head starts convulsing into shivers. Their movements in themselves creates a kind of chaos.

    Naa often creates his own chaos on the court. I could fix that for him with one lesson on zen. And then he would have a short zen session right before every game. It would settle him down and bring him into focus. He wouldn’t go out there on the court with the shakes and shivers. That’s just a small tweak and he would be a completely different player. This is the reason why he typically starts off so poorly in games. He needs to get running to tire a bit and slow down his heart. Think of him as a poodle and all I’ve said here becomes clear.



  • Make our web conversations a challenge in being out there on the edge as far as possible, without giving the blog police reason to complain. At times, you’ve already succeeded. It was hilarious how you defended yourself and it backed down the critics. That’s all brilliant bantering… something really most of us in here like.

    So don’t get all soft on us, or we’ll kick you in your fruit sack!

    Happy Weekend back to you!



  • @drgnslayr comparing Naadir Tharpe to a miniature poodle is the best comparison I have ever heard. Thank you. You should come shotgun beers with @KUSTEVE and I sometime and we can come up with the rest of the team’s comparisons.



  • I’m always thirsty!

    If you focus in on watching Naa, you’ll see a guy who wastes tons of motion, like a shivering poodle. He expends all that energy but he can’t stay in front of his man on defense. His motion is chaotic. Zen allows the mind to focus on motion. To break it down to it’s simple necessity to go from point A to point B. No wasted energy, direct path. Visualize stance and the motion to go from A to B. Then visualize the entire context of play… when you have that down, you are ready to close your session, walk out of the tunnel and go play basketball. That’s what Naa needs to do.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 : Glad you’re not just picking on Greene for poor shot selection and feel the same way about Naa. I too dislike the early threes. Even more so when they’re misses. But I’m also guilty of throwing up a few a little too early so I can’t hate on a guy for that. Sometimes you’re feeling it. And sometimes you’re feeling it but they’re not feeling you. Hopefully they will all learn with more experience and rear-end chewings from Self of when it’s appropriate and when it’s not. Or they could end up like me and never learn right and wrong and keep upsetting us all…

    But it’s obvious with Self that Tharpe has a green light while Greene has an amber that’s so close to red that when he makes a bad decision his butt is pulled.



  • @iowajayhawk2005 Hehehe. My friend, I want to share my sage wisdom and advice with you concerning Mr. Greene that was told to me by a wise KU fan two months ago: His name is Brannen. This was after I used the name “Brennan” 14 times, so I have loads of experience. I have a theory about Brannen. Brannen is trying to prove himself. He might seem like a punk, but I think it’s a kid trying to prove to everyone he’s just as tough as the next guy. I’ll let you fill in the blanks for the underlying causes of that. Mr. Black will be extremely important to our team at some point this year. You cannot put out that much great karma and not be rewarded at some future point. Maybe it’s a key block that sends us to the Final Four - maybe it’s an earthshaking slam dunk that changes an entire game… at some point this season, Tarik is going to do something very special.



  • @KUSTEVE I literally cannot spell his name. I’m over it.



  • @Kip_McSmithers

    “And his suspension to start the season shows he makes bad decisions and was in the wrong place, wrong time” has a bad connotation.

    Tharpe was suspended for playing a basketball game during the summer outside his geographical home area, something only the NCAA thinks is wrong.


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