KU RECRUITERS HAVE BEEN DOING THEIR JOB WHILE TEAM WAS IN KOREA.



  • More good news after the Games. Curtis and Norm have been working their butts off while the team was in Korea.

    http://kansas.247sports.com/Article/Kansas-Targets-at-Under-Armour-Finals-38232677



  • Thanks for the link. That would be and awesome class. Ayton would have the position pretty wide open and plenty of playing time but the two SGs might have competition form returning players Graham, Vick, Green and maybe even Svi.


  • Banned

    @wrwlumpy

    What is the deal with this DeAndre Ayton kid? Why do they have him a 100% commited to KU? Did he already pledge to KU or something? I understand a school can be a heavy favorite, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 100% projection. Either way the kid’s game looks to be awesome.



  • Here is an interesting article that talks about Ayton and Thon Maker. A I mention a few days ago, looks like Maker has improved dramatically in the off-season and might be back in the good graces of analysts. When he decided to go back to HS, he had KU at the top of his list but this article appears to indicate that KU is no longer in the running; obviously if Ayton is a serious KU lean, I can understand why he would not want to be in the same team…although the idea of a twin towers based hi-lo is tantalizing.



  • @wrwlumpy

    File this in which Ka-Ka Runs Down Hill.

    To decode the above, the BIA Director and acting janitor will resort to an analogy.

    When a bully steals your lunch on the way to school, and the Principal won’t discipline the bully, because the bully’s father is the major donor to your school, you bow up your neck and decide to steal his lunch.

    But when you steal his lunch, he boxes your ears and takes your lunch every day for two years. Everyone knows what is happening. You can’t get any relief. And you are getting very hungry.

    What do you do?

    You concede your lunch to the bully and then you go looking for a weaker kid who’s lunch you can steal.

    You become the bully.

    Its maybe hypothetically like predator prey cascades in food chains.

    Hypothetically speaking, Nike is vacuuming up adidas leans and they are turning up in short and medium stacks in lowly places with .560 coaches, like in Baton Rouge and Berkeley.

    KU has apparently been bucking the trend for a couple of years now. It has appeared to outflank the stacking with Canadian and African players that seem to be more willing to change leans. But this past recruiting season the bullying got so bad that KU wound up netting only one projected OAD/TAD, because, ostensibly, real OAD footers just didn’t want to go toe to toe in practice each day with the likes of Jamari and Landen.

    So: the KU program with its voracious appetite for new talent each season of the OAD/TAD era (typical of all D1 schools trying to competed in this increasingly asymmetric landscape of D1), was apparently starting to feel hunger pangs.

    And then Nike-Cal apparently feeling the pressure of not winning with his long stack the last two seasons (Nike-LSU apparently suddenly joining the stacking party to make it two in the SEC) comes out and appears to suggest more or less that he is going to have to go out and go on (to take poetic metaphorical license to heighten the sense of the satyric absurdity) raiding parties (beyond the Nike lean base?) to keep up the talent level at Nike UK. He is going to have to try to start attracting kids younger where ever they might be. Whatever he really meant, what we witnessed was UK reputedly suddenly and unsubtly going hot and heavy after some adidas leans KU was apparently pursuing. So much for oligopolists respecting preceding regime boundaries.

    For lack of a better analogy, if you were an evolutionary biologist, you might call it moving down the food chain.

    So: what appears to be happening now?

    KU-adidas appears to be going after UA leans.

    Lunch anyone?

    You remember UA. They appear to be Chrysler to Nike’s GM and adidas Ford, at least back in the good old days of the auto oligopoly; i.e., before the most recent bail out circa late naught decade and before the next one looming after the rumored imminent currency crisis.

    It all appears a cascade of sorts, hypothetically speaking of course.

    Basketball Social Darwinism 2.0.

    Neo-Social Darwinism being the rationalization would-be civilized societies resort to when they decide to devalue the currency and prune the herd the hard way, rather than write-off the debts and preserve civil liberties and the republic.

    But I digress.



  • 2017 there is a lot of KU targets already identified this early on. The interesting part of that is at this moment 2016 seems to be the class we may need the most star power.

    The package deal of Porter & Young is one we definitely want to be in. Troy Brown, Mitchell Ballock, Ayton, Vanderbilt, Preston. All guys that have varying degrees of interest… Could be a great class. But its extremely early for any of these guys.

    Jackson & Ferguson would be such a deadly combination at KU. And they both could co-exist because Selden & Svi could be pro’s next year…

    @DoubleDD

    Not sure why Ayton is a 100% lean according to the crystal ball. At this point his recruitment is in the infant stage so its really to early to tell what’s going to happen. He’s not committed.



  • Also interesting tidbits on Marques Bolden the Center a lot of fans on here including myself would like in a KU uniform.

    Apparently his AAU coach Jeff Webster will have a major role in choosing his school. Webster was also Julius Randle’s mentor & we all know how that worked out for KU. He also is friends with Kentucky assistant Payne.

    So far Kansas, Kentucky & Duke will get 3 of his official visits. He may not take anymore than those although I bet he visits UNC as well. Of the 3 schools Duke is definitely the school late to the party but they have been at his games so far. He’s not sure how he would fit in at Duke and he doesn’t consider himself to be a true 5 as he said at the Peach Jam.

    Nowadays nobody wants to be known as a 5 it seems

    "Position in college—are you a center at that level or do you envision a different role?

    I envision more of a 4, I don’t think I’m a true 5 guy, like a traditional center. "

    "Based on that research so far—who do you think presents a favorable roster situation for what you are looking for?

    Probably Kentucky or Kansas. They are going to be losing people at my position. Kentucky will probably be losing Skal, so they won’t have anybody like me in the post. Kansas they are losing Perry Ellis and a few guys, so they are going to need somebody to come in. "

    He also goes on to say he’s probably a late signing which means we can expect to hear from him in late April!

    Clearly not as clear cut for KU as we may have thought before??



  • @BeddieKU23

    There is clear trend in the NBA away from labeling a player Center. If you look at the NBA rosters, you will see a small number of players listed as Centers and most of the players that we think of as being Centers are now called Power Forwards or better yet “Stretch 4” if they have any kind of outside shot. It is not surprising that prospect with NBA aspirations are following the trend.



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    Your right about the NBA trend.

    I just thought it was funny that a 6’10 240 pound player thinks he’s a 4. He’s got good skills around the basket but not much in the ways of a stretch shooting, certainly not the stretch 4 that Carlton Bragg is.



  • @BeddieKU23

    Most HS kids come to college with inflated opinion of themselves and quickly learn that playing a the next level, even if you are an McDonald’s All American, is a lot more difficult than dominating HS players that work at McDonald’s. At KU, just about every scholarship player was the best in his team, conference and even his state and go from being the proverbial big fish in the small pond to the little fish in the big pond.Some can cope with this and others…not so much.



  • @BeddieKU23

    Hi, my name is Wilt Chamberlain and I’m a four. 😀



  • @jaybate-1.0 LOL re: Wilt. Really, more like a big three, could play point in a pinch.

    What is it with these high school kids. Not one player wants to play the position they’re naturally built to play.



  • @DanR

    Howling!





  • @jaybate-1.0 One option would be to become a man of courage, whip the bully’s ass & then assume the position…JMO



  • @globaljaybird

    PHOF!



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    "There is clear trend in the NBA away from labeling a player Center. "

    Right on the button!

    It is all about giving the illusion that a big can shoot the 3-ball. Put on top of that… that he can GUARD the 3-ball!

    Big, clunky centers are old school. It sounds great to have a guy 7’4" - 285 lbs keeping the post filled. In reality, those types are falling to the wayside because the game has become a perimeter game, and much more a x-axis game. Big, clunky centers can’t keep up with laser passes or jump out to defend the 3-ball.

    And with more shots coming from 3 it has brought us longer rebounds. Much better to have guards like Westbrook to snag rebounds instead of planting a tree in the post.

    That doesn’t mean I am “thumbs down” on Ayton! Bring it to Kansas!



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    Thon will have a year of dominant college basketball, as long as he is cut free from his clingers.

    I thought Thon is 2016 and Ayton is 2017?

    Would be nice to get them both. Both are likely OADs and should be able to make an impact on one year of college ball.

    Maybe through all of this we can get one of these guys to sign early. It would help us start our stack on a downhill slope.



  • @drgnslayr

    What’s interesting about Maker is what changed from April when the Hoops Summit clearly showed he was over-matched compared to other bigs in the game (especially Diallo & Labissiere). He was a defensive presence but seemed really out of whack on offense. Now he’s dominating events again and even the #1 player in 2017. Tantalizing talent with red flags. The NCAA Clearinghouse will have a field day with his eligibility.

    I’m not going to lie I haven’t been on the Maker train since all the issues with his handler have been become known. There’s gotta be reasons why Kentucky & Kansas & every other school that was drooling over him before is no longer after him. Why is it Indiana & Arizona St are left? Because his handler has made it that way (or making it seem that way). Why is this kid not able to make his own decisions, its not like he hasn’t been in America for a while now. Everyone seems to have a “handler” or a glorified booster telling them what to do or influencing their moves.


  • Banned

    Um @drgnslayr I’m not sure Ayton is your typical tree. 😉



  • @DoubleDD kid will be 2017? Wow



  • @BeddieKU23

    Spot on. Maker will be 19 in February of 2016 and if he can claim that he was really part of the 2015 class then he is eligible for the NBA immediately…which I believe it is what his handler wanted in the first place.



  • @BeddieKU23

    “What’s interesting about Maker is what changed from April when the Hoops Summit clearly showed he was over-matched compared to other bigs in the game (especially Diallo & Labissiere). He was a defensive presence but seemed really out of whack on offense. Now he’s dominating events again and even the #1 player in 2017. Tantalizing talent with red flags. The NCAA Clearinghouse will have a field day with his eligibility.”

    The kid just needs time to grow up and also get a bit of real coaching. I know I won’t be one of them on the wrong side of the fence. As long as Thon isn’t bringing his handler around Lawrence, I’d like to see him become a Jayhawk. I’m pretty sure by the end of one season he would become an insane post defender, capable of getting way outside the paint to block shots, too.

    With his basic abilities, he is bound to become better offensively, too. This kid is a tall piece of clay, waiting to be formed. If he stays healthy and gets some decent coaching, he is bound to become a big name in the league.

    We all just have to open our minds and let loose of some of those bad comments said by his handler. We tend to pass judgment on this kid, when the negative aspects that created the negativity were created by other people… his handler and the media.



  • @drgnslayr

    I certainly don’t disagree with what you said. He is a talent and he’s got a chance to be one of those rare post players that has skills you don’t see often from that size. Defensively, he would be formidable at the College Level and coaches have to think his offense will come along with coaching.

    From all the recent interviews with his handler, it seems KU has had zero recent contact so Self might have moved on from all this? Which is crazy to think he has chosen to recruit others after spending a lot of time before tracking him. How did Arizona St get involved with him? Because his handler knows the staff. There has to be more to this than meets the eye which I suspect has to do with his mentor running the show. Whatever school lands him pretty much gets the green ticket with his brother as well.

    Given a clean slate I’m sure us fans would take Maker in a heartbeat with the talent he could become. But the uncertainty of him ever playing College Ball has to be the biggest issue surrounding him.



  • @BeddieKU23

    I’m pretty sure Self read Maker the riot act. He isn’t going to let any player come in with his handler and give his handler a place on the bench. Self will call the shots, period.

    And after we heard all this nonsense about Maker playing half a season, I think the entire basketball world (perhaps even Cal) took a step backwards, Kansas included.

    No matter how tantalizing a guy like Maker is… no program can totally sell-out their values and structure to let one player change they way they do “business.” In fact, I’m certain the rest of D1 would desire to “black list” a school for opening the door for recruits to come in and pull a “LeBron James’ takeover.”

    Maker would be wise to detach himself from Smith. “We’ll probably go to Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky,” Maker’s guardian, Ed Smith, told Peegs.com Saturday night. WE’LL? Does Smith realize he isn’t getting a scholarship, too?



  • @BeddieKU23

    Sometimes the writing is on the wall and I would think that if KU saw that there were too many complication with Maker or he had already select another program, it decided it was better to spend the effort (and recruiting costs) on a more feasible player.

    A while back there was talk that Maker would stall until he was able to go directly to the NBA and by-pass college all together and this is the reason why he went back to HS. Now, by the time the next NBA draft comes around, he will be 19 and he can claim his class graduated in 2015 and thus he becomes eligible for the draft…a distinct probability.


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