Recruiting Spinfluence
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Self tells Udoka we play inside out and he would be focal point of our offense. No outside in mentioned. Talk @HighEliteMajor down off the ledge.
KU makes Final Eight lists of 6-9 Jarrett Allen, and 6-4 Rawle Alkins. Final Eight means everyone good plus 2 also rans that will guaranty 40 mpg.
Making a recruits Final Eight is about as fulfilling as making the final eight of a nymphomaniac trying to cut back.
Self met 6-1 Trae Young about replacing Conner Frankamp as the next KU player too short to make it.
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Alkins included us only by name. Nothing has been reported that we’ve put any real serious miles into recruiting him.
We watched Allen workout yesterday and I saw something saying that Texas has lost out with him. Still its going to be extremely hard to pluck a kid from Austin.
Just like Giles & Monk including us in their 5, we have a better chance of playing Mizzou again before they took us seriously.
The Big 12 has Zero momentum on the recruiting scene. Everyone wants to play in the ACC or the Big 10 this year. Can you blame them? KU blinders aside I don’t.
The Big Board has 8 guys left… Azubuike came and went without committing so I would say we probably aren’t as serious a threat as I thought we could be. Florida is now trying to get involved… Lightfoot I bet wants to go to KU or Arizona but the word is that neither school is ready to take him without knowing where other domino’s go first. All the recent activity with Bolden seems to point to Duke or Alabama now. Hopefully he’s still going to be on campus this weekend but we will see.
KU definitely has a good chance of striking out cold on this years crop of kids. It’s still early for Self’s standards but momentum is definitely not on our side.
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Yeah, Azubuike’s handler sure wasn’t gushing about the visit. Maybe he was playing his cards close to the chest…we don’t seem to be killing it the recruiting trail right now. Agreed, the B12 isn’t helping.
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I think the response was as good as expected. His handler is his brother by the way. What is encouraging that I just read was that KU is conducting another in-home visit just days after visiting. I may have retract my thoughts about this whole process with him.
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@BeddieKU23 Well, in-home visits speak louder than words, as they say. I hope you’re right! Seems like a guy who could tip an entire recruiting class in Self’s favor.
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This is why I have been banging the drum for years for the B12 to expand into the EST at all costs.
The three university chancellors, one apparently being our own CBernie, have read this wrong. They have made the classic American CEO mistake–the short term revenue criterion. They have goofed and don’t even seem to realize it.
The Big 12 schools CANNOT compete from the CST alone. Neither can the Pac 12 schools, frankly. Its form an EST division, or bust for both conferences downstream.
And this is an accelerating downward curve.
The B12 leadership thought if they made more money short term, they would get so strong financially in the long term that they could dictate the next realignment.
Wrong.
They incorrectly anticipated the erosion in the ability of the conference schools to recruit, as the asymmetric recruiting distribution increased in the apparent war between Nike and Adidas.
What has happened apparently is that the accelerating competition between Nike and adidas has apparently driven Nike to stack one or two programs in various conferences that create a high likelihood of occupying three of the Final Four slots in the Madness. Not surprisingly, Nike has apparently emphasized cornering the conferences attracting the most eye balls: ACC, B1G, SEC and Pac 12. And while it has tried to stack Texas from time to time, Barnes could not turn the corner against Self and KU. So: an apparent embargo/containment policy has ensued against KU in the B12, and the net effect of the stacking of the Big Eyeball conferences has been generally to dilute the B12 talent pool vis a vis the Big Eyeball Conferences.
The three chancellors have to wake up and smell the coffee. In their short sightedness, they used Chuck Neinas to come up with stand pat policy and a commissioner that would do nothing until they got their confidences back from the fat checks. The apparent plan with Bowlsby was to hire a guy that could facilitate a Pac 12 merger downstream. A Pac 12 merger, tried once and backed out of because the Pac 12 only wanted to skim a few B12 teams, makes some sense in political economy POV, because it unites resource states west of the Mississippi for a formidable voting block. Alas, it ignores the meager media dynamics of such a merger and the corrosive effect of those meager media dynamics on recruiting, big shoe relations, and long term revenues.
The B12 teams rely increasingly on the high population east, south and west coasts for their players, but their conference exposure is largely where they don’t recruit. It has always been this way to some degree, but TV, internet, gaming and shoe dynamics are amplifying these traditional tendencies to the point that Big 12 teams just cannot attract the numbers of good players in the major sports needed to stay competitive.
An exceptional bunch of coaches in the B12 has obscured the talent deficiency for a few years now with good interconference w&L statements.
But the Big 12 talent is not on a par with ACC, B1G and Pac 12 conferences.
Put the Big 12 coaches in any of those conferences and those conferences would be kicking ass in the inter-conference period of the season.
The Big 12 has to expand east or west to leverage up its media, gaming and Big Shoe dynamics to favor it, rather than handicap it.
Resource alliances in the political economy pull it west.
Transportation alliances in the political economy could pull it east.
Ag alliances in the political economy could pull it either way.
But its got to go one way or the other.
Unless it were willing to go north and south and expand into the universities of Canada and Mexico and move their schools into basketball and football, and move its own schools massively into soccer. And let baseball and track become dominants sports along the north south access.
There are no other alternatives, except break up of the Big 12, with some schools going west and some going east.
The three chancellors have some decisions to make.
And the longer they wait the less they are going to be able to direct the outcome.
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We need something to end this drought we are in.
I like that we are putting in the effort with him. With no other visits lined up, Self should be selling him the world right now. Signing 1 impact big will really release the pressure for next years team. Because our next best options are not freshman impacts.
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My radar is 100% directed towards Udoka.
He is the perfect Kansas recruit… somewhat still under the mainstream radar. A commitment with Kansas and Self then suddenly he flies to being one of the top in his class, just like JoJo did. He will get the “Self bump.”
He is absolutely vital to sign NOW! With his commitment, and the subsequent build up in his ranking, and we have a real bonus in our corner to help recruit other prospects.
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There’s too much money invested in the Big 12 for football purposes that it will take Texas or Oklahoma breaking off to set a chain reaction like your assuming could be on the horizon. Baylor & TCU have greatly improved their brand to make them nationally relevant.
In Basketball KU is the only juggernaut but we are not the destination school for Adidas athletes. Being Adidas has done us no favors, Nike has really put the pedal to the medal & Under Armor is just as much a threat in the future. We have to get away from Adidas, there’s just not enough top athletes associated with them to be fighting Nike & Under Armor into the future in a shoe recruiting battle. It’s crazy how this battle has evolved even in the past year. I think KU needs to ditch Adidas before it ditches the conference.
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@jaybate-1.0 Fascinating take. I tend to agree with you about the coasts funneling off a majority of top recruits. KU coaches have always had to fight geography but the battle seems more obvious these days. Do you think if KU played ACC teams (for example) in the conference season as part of a new mega conference, more recruits would find their way to Lawrence? Part of me thinks the coastal teams would still have the edge, further amplified by regular games with the Jayhawks.
Wonder if chancellors are having this discussion.
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@jaybate-1.0 – Interesting discussion … I certainly want to make sure that it is clear that my outside-in preference was related to last year’s team. I am very much a “inside-out” guy. Once the inside-out philosophy was proven futile, and the character of last year’s team apparent, there should have been no fighting the change. Now, of course, Self took the outside-in approach in a different direction than the team had been succeeding with, changing to bad ball, but that is/was a different topic … now concluded.
I agree on the conference expansion ideas. I really thought Louisville was the perfect expansion partner (EST), and I thought Cincinnati (EST) made a great deal of sense. Having those two in the fold right now would be a major plus for the Big 12. I’m not so sure how realistic the Florida St. or Clemson rumors were, but that would have been terrific.
But we are where we are now. At least we’re alive.
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@HighEliteMajor I’m sure Cincinnati would still be on board for a Big 12 invite, and I think UConn would be a good fit at this point.
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If we consider an expansion I’m sure football will have the emphasis on who we select (or should). FSU sounded like the right choice… for one.
I think it is absolutely VITAL that we bring in a Florida team. It ain’t gonna be the Gators… so… Having a Florida team gives us Florida exposure. That would make a huge difference in recruiting… especially for football, but also basketball, baseball and all other sports.
I never understood why we added WVU. That was a colossal mistake. I know TCU is ranked high in football, but will they stay a powerhouse? I don’t believe we needed more Texas schools and view them as a mistake, too. Would have been nice to be more diversified in other key states… like Florida.
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Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
It is way, way too early to say what player will go where…
Remember last recruiting season? Most top ranked players waited until late to make a decision. no doubt because they wanted to know whee the other top recruits would end up and how much playing time would be available. Didn’t KU get Diallo’s commitment in late April? This is now the trend. I would not be surprised to see the remaining uncommitted players wait until next year and they will keep their preferences confidential to have more leverage and to extract a few more all-expenses paid junkets…I mean school visits
According to ESPN only 4 of the top 10 and 9 of the top 20 have committed. Rival indicates 4 of the top 10 and 8 of the top 20 as having picked a school. Duke is the only school with 2 commits in the top 20; UK and KU have none.
Again, It is way too early to assess how recruiting will end up but I am sure Coach Self will do what he always do and KU will be fine.
Maybe I can quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
or maybe more appropriately…
Trust thy “Self:” every heart vibrates to that AFH iron rim. - JayHawkFanToo
Since I started withe the Bard, let’s end the post with him as well…
This above all: to thine own “Self” be true - William Shakespeare
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While I agree more and more recruits have been waiting that isn’t always a 1 for 1 correlation. When you look at what’s left right now in the Top 100 or so & the guys we are actively pursuing you are left with just a handful of guys. I have no doubt that Self usually comes through but its looking a lot less likely that he pulls off a class that he’s used to getting.
Post Targets
Giles
Bolden
Azubuike
Allen
Herard
Lightfoot
I would venture to guess 4 of the 6 sign by the fall signing period.
Guard Targets Jackson
Fox
Alkins
Monk
All 4 of these guys could sign late, 2 of them are not even serious targets.
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Nothing can completely compensate, but that’s ok because life ain’t perfect and some one like Self is enough to overcome a small asymmetry. A Bi12 division in EST WOULD MAKE FOLKS AWARE OF US. Right now, it’s almost like we exist as only a switch that gets turned on and off for a GAME DAY broadcast they accidentally see. They have to live with us awhile to see us as human beings.
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@jaybate-1.0 Final Eight lists…BFD. I’ll be more excited if we actually land one or two of those guys. It seems like Coach Self wants to habitually build teams to run the inside/out, whether or not he has the right pegs to fit the holes. Although, Udoka could be a very big peg hole filler at the 5. Whats he at, 6’10" 250+? Big dude. We need him.
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@jaybate-1.0 reading everyones thoughts below, I wonder if a move to the BI6 conference is a good move for KU? Bigger recruiting pool, bigger tv exposure, etc.
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Less Conference Money???
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Yes, but the B1G is a voting block of states that has struggle sharply with the energy and transportation agenda (ETA) of the TOKA (Texas-Oklahoma-Kansas Alliance). The B1G would also not like to add a block of red states either. Indiana would be a better political economy fit to join the B12, than KU to join the B1G in terms of ETA and red state characteristics. But Indiana has to think about Great Lakes Basin issues first and it still has legacy ties industrially to those same Great Lakes states. But there are two prospects for change.
First, with the Anglo-American oil oligopoly flooding the world with cheap oil to try to cut the legs out from under Putin and the Chinese building the trans-Eurasian Super Corridor with oil money and financing military actions there with oil revenues also, the North American reserves are worth little near term, So: a state like Kansas might be enticed off the fracking teat.
Second, when the car cos crapped out in 2007, Ford avoided Federal bailout by mortgaging its future. It mortgaged it with British Banks and was reorganized by Brit Allen Mullaly, who put Microsoft on Fords dashboard. Mullaly came from Boeing. Boeing is reputedly deep in the crowns pockets. Boeing basically sired Microsoft to get IBM off their backs. Microsoft ran to the Crown to keep from getting broken up with USA antitrust laws. Boeing goes back to the Michigan Boeing family that made a small fortune in timber and then a large one in iron-taconite mining-refining that later became the backbone of the rail, auto and ship and building industries financed first by George Peabody and then by Junius Morgan, and then by JP Morgan. . William Boeing likely financed the iron and later the planes through British banks. The point is one axis of trains and cars and planes and computers in America tracks to one set of British-German banks, and another to another set of British-French banks–the Peabody-Morgan-Rothschild branch–to another set of British . And over time these branches have converged some. Note: Wall Street has never been an American institution. It has always been a British creature with two axes of power: British-German and British-French. Fit the Habsburgs in as you wish. New York is the Hong Kong of The Americas. Always has been. It started as New Amsterdam, then when the Dutch central bankers threw their lot with the British to avoid invasion by Habsburg Spain, they became British-Dutch.
Thus, it seems oil politics and international banking alliances may be shifting to the point that the B1G states might be allowed to embrace a resource and red state school like KU, rather than view it as a member of a competitive oil and banking alliance.
Maybe.
Note: no conspiracy theory here. Just geneology of fortunes and firms. Nothing illegal here either. Just not very well known.
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@jaybate-1.0 its fascinating and a bit disconcerting to see all of the ties between capitolism, WallSteet, other countries and collegiate level sports. The major ones anyhow. Basketball, Football, Baseball.
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The great private oligarchies of the world have to be in critical business sectors, or they have to finance producer oligopolies to be control those sectors.
Big Banking, Big Oil, Big Grain, Big Pharma, Big Gaming and Big Media are crucial sectors to dominate.
There is a race on to create a Big Apparel.
Big Shoe is a pathway to Big Apparel.
Under Big Media is Big Sports.
Big Sports are how you showcase Big Shoe.
Big Shoe is a pathway into Big Apparel.
Big Shoe and Big Apparel will use a lot of Big Oil.
Big Media promotes Big Shoe, Big Apparel and Big Oil.
Big Gaming bets on everything.
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@jaybate-1.0 " Mo money, Mo money, Mo money!"
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Why is it, that every year, so many people panic, when we don’t get recruits, early. Relax, we will be just fine! And as far as adding teams to the conference, Rick Pittino fought tooth and nail to keep Louisville out of the Big12! Does anyone remember that ‘Kentucky Masacre’, many years ago, and who was their coach at the time??? Adding Florida State would be great, and U-Conn would get us the television sets, and the Premier women’s team on the Country! Also, for those ‘Conspiracy Theorists’, who think the Big12 is going to go away-wake up! The Big12 is aligned with the SEC. Enough said. But I do think we need to have 12 teams, and a Conference Championship!!!
