What the architect of sustained excellence against the odds looks like
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@DoubleDD @DinarHawk Its been interesting to hear Self describe Lon Kruger as a guy who excels at “getting his players to play with free minds offensively.” Reveals this is a topic he’s been thinking about…and apparently embracing!
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@ajvan funny to me because I was watching OU quickly getting behind ISU by jacking up really quick shots. Once they settled in and ran some O they caught up and finally won.
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@ajvan Great quote. “Free minds offensively” – incredibly important; it was a topic that was greatly discussed last season, to be sure. But if coach Self isn’t going to pound the “fool’s gold” stuff anymore and limit shooters, we can all move forward quite contently, I would think. I know I am very content.
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Here’s what worries me about this team and the NCAA tourney. Over the long haul of the season we will be very good…I have no doubts about that. But I am troubled by our lack of big men’s ability to get points inside…without our guards penetrating (Perry can unless he is defended by a much taller player). What happens if we run into someone with the back court to keep us out of the lane and we have an off night behind the arc? I know I’m sounding the fools gold alarm, but… Can someone give me some comfort here?
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The BIA can neither confirm nor deny vulnerabilities in the team scheme, but I would keep that under your hat too.
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@Hawk8086 depth! Someone’s off? there’s a guy on the bench, or a few on the bench. A lot of weapons sitting there.
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KU scored 40 points in the paint against Baylor…looks pretty good to me…
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@jaybate-1.0 1992 UMass, a 2 that couldn’t make 3’s, and a front line that was 6-3 and 6-7 and he made the Sweet 16 with that group.
And who did Cal have besides Camby on that FF team? Camby was that team and his supporting cast was average at best that year. And Marcus Camby was not a McDonald’s All American.
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Some years a Camby is all it takes. Like some years having an Anthony Davis is decisive. UK had 6 OADs, but without Monobrow UK just wasn’t a contenduh!!!
This year, a team with Camby, or Monobrow, would probably clean up in D1. Capice?
If this year’s KU team had Camby, or Monobrow? I would bet the farm on KU running the table from here on and winning the ring, wouldn’t you?
The UMass roster was comparable in quality to any D1 Elite team that season. Cal and WWW reputedly saw to that. That was really the team that started the legend of WWW, as I recall. What more need be said?
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@Crimsonorblue22 Let’s hope they jack up quick shots tonight! At least for the all important, momentum-controlling opening minutes. Would be nice to have a big lead after 5 minutes ala Baylor.
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@HighEliteMajor I’m really curious what Self has done to free up mental space for this team’s offense, trey shooting being the case in point. His hangups with threes in the past are well documented. Quick hooks for quick triggers. Whatever he’s done to make his perimeter guys less gun-shy is paying off in spades. I love it!
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ISU controlled the game early and well into the second half…how did it work out for them? The key is controlling the game late., when it really counts…lead or not…just sayin’
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I’m really curious what Self has done to free up mental space for this team’s offense, trey shooting being the case in point. His hangups with threes in the past are well documented. Quick hooks for quick triggers. Whatever he’s done to make his perimeter guys less gun-shy is paying off in spades. I love it!
Most would call it coaching?
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" What happens if we run into someone with the back court to keep us out of the lane and we have an off night behind the arc? I know I’m sounding the fools gold alarm, but… Can someone give me some comfort here?"
There is no way anyone can guarantee we win out in March.
But… to answer your question and give you a bit of comfort… If we can’t score inside and our outside shot isn’t falling (this will surely happen, probably more than once), then we still have an excellent chance of winning a “GRIND GAME.” Let’s not forget, these are actually the games Self likes.
Remember the end of last year? We did win quite a few of those games but we pretty much were in grind games often at the end of the year, while Self had to be convinced that pounding the ball inside was never going to improve.
Now it looks like all those grind games may pay us back with some really great karma because it gave us the experience to grind it out to victory! I’m sure we will have several of these games in B12 play this year, especially on the road.
Consider a few of our advantages…
First… depth. That should help us in many ways. One… is we can play a deeper rotation so key players still have energy at the end of the game, giving us a slight advantage to win close games down the stretch.
Second… our depth is DIVERSE depth. We have players with their own unique skill sets. So maybe our starting lineup is ice cold from trey. Maybe BG comes in and shoots 6-6 from trey?
Third… we have EXPERIENCED depth. We also have some newbies, too, but we have plenty of experienced players, both starting and riding the pine that can produce, especially in the clutch on close games. This is big!
Fourth… we have SOLID defense. We aren’t a “fool’s gold” team because we can win games where we shoot poorly from trey.
Look… we are capable of losing to any D1 team on any given night. Same can be said of the rest of D1.
As good as we are, and as good as we may become… a bit of luck will do us wonders in March.
Having good luck means… not losing key players to injury, especially during March Madness when it is hard to make adjustments quickly.
Having good luck means… we stay hot enough with our shooting over our opponents.
Having good luck means… our opponents never are hotter on FG% than us.
Of course, skill plays a big part in this. But sometimes it is just luck. Give me a basketball, blindfold me and set me at half court. Eventually I will make the shot. Sometimes shots just drop for players/teams, sometimes they don’t. An inch here or there can mean the difference of blowing out another team, or having them blow out us.
I think we have some margin for error this year. That should help us, but no guarantees.
Compare us to other teams. Compare us to OU. They lose Buddy to injury and they are a .500 team. They lose any of their other starters and they are not a Top 10 team. Also consider foul trouble. Also consider having to win the final moments of a tough-fought game when everyone is exhausted.
OU has NO margin for error. I don’t care what the stats say, their defense will have to buckle down big time to beat top teams. I like our chances mostly because defense is our calling card.
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@ajvan I know that some still don’t agree with me. But when a coach gets in the head of a shooter, puts limits on the when/where/why/how, makes the shooter think before triggering, that is going to negatively impact the player. It’s called a “free mind” as you aptly quoted. If a free mind helps an offensive player as Self suggests, then we can logically infer the opposite is also true – and anyone who has been around the game knows this to be true. We saw what happened last season when minds were free. We saw what happened when our offensive focus changed mid-game. And we saw what happened when the hammer came down.
What Self has done more than anything is simply supported their strengths. He’s embraced it. He’s opened his mind and been flexible. We can tell he’s not doing what he did last season – complain constantly about not being able to score inside, forcing us mid-game to pound it inside, etc. That doesn’t mean we won’t miss shots. It’s just that we have a culture and approach that supports a free mind. I think it’s really quite simple.
@JayHawkFanToo You said, “Most would call it coaching” – You say that as if this season exists in a vacuum. Do we simply forget last season? Just once, you might consider the possibility that Self handled things incorrectly with the team last season, and now he’s adjusted. It is called coaching. Good coaches “learn a lot” from experiences, as Self said after the WUGs. And all good coaches learn from their mistakes. The change in Self’s approach is amazing. I do think posters here can learn from their mistakes, as well.
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Are you suggesting that Self is not doing a great coaching job THIS season, which was the one the original post addressed?..never mind, silly question…
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@JayHawkFanToo No, I think Self is doing a tremendous job this season. While there may be little disagreements with post personnel that create a lot of discussion, that in no way overshadows the excellent job we’ve seen so far.
This is really a big deal for Self. He’s a guy that has done it one way for years – with unabridged focus and really, with little flexibility. I’ve said this may times before, leaders get to the top by being inflexible, by doing it their way. Hard to deviate from the tried and true formula. But he’s deviating. He’s pairing scheme with the team’s strengths. A complete credit to the man himself.
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You realize that even what you call poor seasons, most teams would kill for, right? Try being a UK fan losing in the first round of the NIT to Bobby Mo…now THAT is a bad season…and with a boat load of top players to boot You often mention UConn as an example of what you want KU to achieve…how many times have they missed the dance lately? Would you be happy watching other teams at the dance while yours sits at home?
If Coach Self continues coaching like he has since he has been to KU, I would be delighted, and if I ever start to think otherwise, I will cleanse my mind by reading how MU passed on him and watching a video of the UK-Robert Morris NIT game…that will set me straight in a hurry.
No need to answer. We both see it differently and I am not. saying that my view is better or worse…just different. Fair enough?
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“You often mention UConn as an example of what you want KU to achieve…how many times have they missed the dance lately? Would you be happy watching other teams at the dance while yours sits at home?”
I totally get your point… but most of the people in here would trade 11 conference titles for 1 national championship. So… I’m pretty sure people will trade a year or two of sitting out March for another National Championship.
I, on the other hand, really enjoy our conference titles and NCAA March streak of participation, as those two things show we are a consistent powerhouse. Of course, I want more NCs, too…
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“I’ve said this may times before, leaders get to the top by being inflexible, by doing it their way.”
Let me add to that…
Leaders get to the top by being inflexible, by doing it their way. Leaders STAY at the top by being flexible, and adapting to the times.
I think Self is starting to realize this.
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@JayHawkFanToo Ya think? Teams that close out strong typically win but a fast start is fun to watch and can create an insurmountable lead. Just sayin…
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@JayHawkFanToo Thanks, great insight there! sarcasm font
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@JayHawkFanToo I don’t even understand how you get from my post to your post. It did give me a chuckle, though. Thanks.
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If you can’t see the big change in how Coach is game planning this year then I don’t know what to tell you? Last year had so much promise as the team and fans got a taste of what things could be. Sadly Coach went back to his tried and true and the season ended in a disaster. No a conference championship though nice didn’t not save the season. As we all know KU and coach win it every year.
The fact is coach is embracing a new style of playing the game. Take a minute and give him some props. This team last year was barely a top 20 team. This year they are quickly becoming the team to beat. Even media types are saying the MSU lose was indeed a fluke. This isn’t happening because Coach is playing his tried and true High/low scheme. No he is embracing the trey and the midrange jumper fully knowing at some point the ball will go inside.
Give Coach some props. It’s not easy to change what you’ve always done.
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@drgnslayr Makes me feel a little better. But, I don’t think our defense is as good as past years. Hopefully will continue to improve.
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Yea in so many ways I would agree in what you’re laying down
That UK was most impressive. Yet I don’t think it was the UK overwhelming talent that one that game. It was indeed the Unibrow that just took over. It got so bad that KU guards were passing up easy layups for fear of being rejected. Not a fond memory by any means.
Yet I would debate the taking the foot off the pedal a little bit. Yes I know it does happen, hell we’ve seen KU do it. Yet I would make the argument that UK played lights out in the first half of that National Championship game with no hope of repeating the results in the second half. Think about it is quite a rare thing to see a team play lights for two halves. Meaning and my point there was no way UK could duplicate the numbers they put up in that first half.
I firmly believe if given another 5 minutes KU wins that game… Alas that is not how it works. Yet I stand by my guns. UK in all their greatness got rocked in that second half and were grasping for anything to hang onto the lead they damn near lost.
Yet what do I know?
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U make a really useful comment about OU trying quick treys, then running the stuff. It means Lon is already on Bill’s page. Quick treys to steal a lead one can defend; then if that doesn’t work, run the stuff.
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Coach has to play with what he has at hand. This year’s edition is quite different than last year and the players themselves in addition of having one additional year of experience, seem to also have a much better attitude and the chemistry is quite different as well. I don’t believe last year’s team had the skills, maturity and chemistry to play like the current team. The better Self teams had a fair number of junior s and seniors and that seeems to be the type of players that run the system the best.
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It’s basically the same team from last year? Ah never mind I’m to tired my friend. The epic OU battle was about all I can handle.
Good night.
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The argument that a college team with the same players is the same from one year to the next is silly. The additional experience and maturity and the off season or preparation make a huge difference. Maybe in the NBA this is the case but certainly not in college where the younger players improve by leap and bounds…can you honestly tell me that the current players re not much better than they were last year? I think not.
Now to enjoy the KU win…
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@JayHawkFanToo I have no idea how anyone even takes the time to read your posts.
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If you can’t refute an argument, attack the poster…got it…
