West Virginia- a game finally
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I think we have seen the days where Ku has run rough shod over the Big twelve is done- - those days are over
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@SlimShaddy54 It’s something fans hold dear but truly is meaningless
People say hey it shows consistent winning but based on other big 12 teams not doing anything in the tourney 90% of the years it was a step up from what we hammer Gonzaga over dominating a weak conference
I’d trade the streak for 1-2 more titles without blinking an eye
Titles are all that matter
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@kuballin10 i think we made a false dichotomy around that one. “Trading” the streak for titles was never on the table. We won the conference in 2008, 2012 and 2022.
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TEMPO - What’s that? We don’t know because we aren’t aware of it. I was so optimistic for a couple early games when we ran… we literally got our shots up within about 5 seconds. Everyone was in full sprint. We even started games in a press. Use all those bodies!
STRENGTH vs WEAKNESS - Quit trying to force a style of play that clearly isn’t working. All those transfers had good numbers before arriving. Watch their past games and feed to their strengths. Create conditions they already know and make them feel comfortable.
JUAN - his strength is running an offense with structure, spacing, and timing. Handing him the ball and telling him to make magic doesn’t work.
KJ - he needs a male mentor to kick his ass. He doesn’t have a dad in his life… right? Someone has to make him into an alpha or he has ruined any professional ball ambitions he might have.
HUNTER - didn’t think we could find a big with worse feet than McCormick… but we did. He shouldn’t be allowed to step outside the paint on either side of the ball.
ZEKE - make him into a volume scorer. Set picks for him and run clear outs. Give him the ball and let him know none of his shots are bad shots. Get him up around 30 per game. Then start feeding others as he draws double teams.
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KJ has a dad, his mom died from cancer last yr right before the maui tourney.
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@kuballin10 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@dylans It isn’t uninspired……the team lead by 3 guys is going on another season of the exact same L’s
They just aren’t that good is the reality
I think they could be decent but the HOF coach isn’t maximizing his players and playing to their strengths let alone playing the right players to their potential….
Bless your heart.
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@approxinfinity said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@kuballin10 i think we made a false dichotomy around that one. “Trading” the streak for titles was never on the table. We won the conference in 2008, 2012 and 2022.
The lose the conference to win a national championship was the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard. Total loser mentality - could not handle the stress of winning. I can’t believe that anyone as seemingly knowledgeable about the game as posters on here would die on that hill and yet they did.
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@SlimShaddy54 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
I think we have seen the days where Ku has run rough shod over the Big twelve is done- - those days are over
The 12 year win streak wasn’t due to anything other than being adidas flagship program at a time other schools were less willing to pay their players than KU, Duke, and Kentucky were. More talent due to a bigger investment (cheating better) but the table has been leveled and the transfer portal makes it hard to retain all the talent.
When is the last time you can think of a team, not in a poor conference like Gonzaga, that won the conference more than 2 years in a row? It just doesn’t happen often and with the transfer market/player movement the way it is, it’s not likely to happen again.
Let’s calla spade a spade. The recruiting scene has changed - the NCAA witch hunt cooled recruiting and the rule change reduced KUs advantage.
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@kuballin10 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@SlimShaddy54 It’s something fans hold dear but truly is meaningless
People say hey it shows consistent winning but based on other big 12 teams not doing anything in the tourney 90% of the years it was a step up from what we hammer Gonzaga over dominating a weak conference
I’d trade the streak for 1-2 more titles without blinking an eye
Titles are all that matter
If KU was undefeated at this moment none of us would have heard a pep from you. That matters
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@dylans bless your heart….
You are like a talking parrot that repeats the same thought over and over
For proof yet again and I’ll repeat myself….please reference my posts during the Duke game this year as they were all positive and @approxinfinity can attest
I talk about the team but I heavily weight big games or when they play bad
When we play some crappy big 12 school at home and roll or some non con average team and roll that doesn’t show me anything. Opponent strength matters….
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@kuballin10 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@dylans bless your heart….
You are like a talking parrot that repeats the same thought over and over
Pot meet kettle
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@Texas-Hawk-10 Haha as I was typing that I was thinking about what you’d say cause I’ve harped over and over about DeJuan
- pot has met kettle for sure!I can take a ribbing so keep it coming
Boards are to talk about the squad, bs back and forth but I never take it too seriously even when I’m ticked at Self
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@kuballin10 problem with what you do is you kill any legitimate conversation because you derail just about every conversation you join by repeating your same points ad nauseum to anyone who has a different opinion than you. It’s killed a lot of the legitimate conversations here because people are tired of you derailing every conversation back to your difference of opinions on Self’s approach.
You like to repeat how much Self got lucky in 2022. Remy didn’t do what he did in 2022 until after he finally bought into Self’s plan and vision and that’s when Self finally started trusting Remy on the floor amd giving him extended minutes. That’s what everyone is waiting for with Griffen and Storr, particularly Storr. I just don’t see it ever happening with Storr because I’ve said from day 1 of him committing that he was a bad fit at Kansas because he’s a Temu version James Harden and that style of player doesn’t work in Self’s system.
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@dylans said in West Virginia- a game finally:
“If KU was undefeated at this moment none of us would have heard a peep from [kuballin].”
I have accomplished that blissful omission of all those peeps by simply pressing that magical button @approx has graciously supplied us. More certain than better W/L!
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It’s feeling pretty dark post Christmas this year. Hope we can find stuff to feel good and engaged about.
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What are the odds of KJ starting against UCF? 100% 200%. We have a 7’2" center who can operate but he is being triple or quadrupled guarded or trapping with Juan beyond the three point line. That’s with KJ on the floor. We saw what happened with Flory in the game. Everything changed for the better. No second chance opportunities, No triple teams. No effective penetrations. It made it possible to release the Kraken. There is no other player like Flory there just isn’t. KJ is foul prone and so in Hunt but Hunt isn’t foul prone with Flory with him on the floor. AJ and Rylan are butterflies at this point but Bill has to change and park one of his beloved guys. The status quo is a losing painful to watch season. What are the odds Bill will change about this? Zero or negative prime of a gross?
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@Zabudda Flory will start by end of year.
This is the way.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 I just argue my point and people can’t argue back so they either name call, or block me.
The ad nauseam comment is I’d say due to the exact same style of playing for two years with the with minimal adjustments or minutes changes. The adjustments that have been made aren’t working and our hof coach is on the sidelines looking dumbfounded because he can’t figure it out.
How did Remy buy-in in your mind?
He didn’t play any different D than he did earlier in the season. What happened just like many years is the offense stalled because of the archaic positioning of players and Remy came in and showed he can get his shot off and create offense when Self’s fails. Very much Mahomes to Andy Reid….when the play breaks down Mahomes just overcomes it
Remy showed this in big 12 play and his offense not defense is what helped us and continued through March.
He had 1 game saving block but if you watch his defense he’s very jitterbug like - like coit or Yesufu. He was never some outstanding defender and even in the replay of those games he had missed assignments….
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@approxinfinity For who? If you say KJ I’m going to laugh :)! Self will never I repeat never sit KJ and we all know it
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@kuballin10 yep KJ. If only Bidunga had Tarik Black ahead of him on the depth chart…
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@kuballin10 Remy bought into on offense and finally understood his role on the offensive side and where to be on the floor. There were quite a few times that season where Remy ruined end of half or end of game plays because he didn’t understand what his role in those situations were and he would bring an extra defender with him into the set play and ruined what KU was trying to run for Ochai or Braun.
That’s where AJ Storr is right now. If we talk about Self’s offense being too complicated, then why have there been plenty of other newcomers that haven’t had the same struggles that Griffen and Storr have had? Zeke Mayo is a newcomer just like Griffen and Storr so why hasn’t he had the same struggles or leash as those two?
Two years ago, why did Gradey Dick or Kevin McCullar not have that same short leash that Yesufu, Udeh, or Ejiofor had?
It’s not about Self being blindly loyal to players like you claim, it’s about players understanding where they are supposed be on the floor together create the best opportunities possible for the offense and defense to work. We saw that with Bidunga on Tuesday in the second half until fouls dictated his substitution patterns and that Self left KJ on the bench. Flory just isn’t consistent yet, but it’s obvious the light is coming on for him.
Storr and Griffen aren’t there yet, but Mayo is.
People keep talking about Storr’s mind being messed up right now. Storr absolutely has the physical tools to play in the NBA, but he doesn’t have the mentality to make the NBA yet. There’s a reason he’s in his 3rd year of college instead of the NBA despite his physical tools. Storr needed to be mentally broken to get to the next level and that’s what we’re seeing right now. Is AJ Storr patient enough and tough enough to allow Self to finish rebuilding AJ’s mentality to get AJ where he wants to be?
Rylan Griffen is a different story. I believe many people here overhyped or overvalued Griffen’s talent simply because he was a starter on a Final Four team. Reality is Griffen was the 4th scoring option, had the lowest PER of any of Alabama’s rotation players, and was the second worst defender among their rotation players last season on a sub 100 ranked defense. Simply put, Rylan Griffen is a catch and shoot player who’s pretty much useless when he’s not making shots. Griffen was much more of a project player than what many here want to admit and we’re seeing that play out now with his inconsistencies.
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It is a bit shocking to me we are still tweaking with the starting lineup and playing 9-10 guys meaningful minutes during conference play.
Very not Bill Self.
On the bright side he hasn’t just gone to a 7 man rotation and is still pulling different strings
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@Zabudda Had to laugh. Media ask Self about the three bigs and if there was a chance of seeing more of Flory with Hunter, Bill says ya that’s a possibility , we just have to figure out a way to score – I guess he meant with that combo , well here is a news flash Coach , Flory with Hunter sure the hell can’t be any worse then KJ with Hunter with the scoring aspect of it.
I’d be willing too- -it will never hsppen BUT I’d be willing to bet the farm if you put Flory on the floor and had him play the amount of minutes KJ is playing right now I’d bet you anything that Flory would dam sure be putting up better scoring numbers then KJ-- 7 bet you again he would make KJ look silly in the amount of rebounds he would get over KJ if he was getting KJ’s minutes. Flory wants every rebound if he can. Give that kid the rest of this year and like possibly 1/2 of next , he is going to be really good j
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@Texas-Hawk-10 I agree with most of your assessment but Remy is so hard to compare with anyone with not only how good he was but him being hurt and missing basically 2 months in the middle of the season. I compare coaching to parenting in a lot of ways. I believe it helped me parent being a HS assistant and coaching rec league for my nieces and nephews. I can’t imagine not getting mad at one of my kids if they played with a lighter and burned my house down. Then beating one kids ass red if they spilled a glass of milk.
Hunter, KJ and Juan never get pulled for mistakes no matter if it’s major or minor. I feel like Coit and Mayo don’t get pulled unless it’s major. Now AJ, Rylan and Flory they get pulled instantly regardless of the level of mistake. I’m fine with that being the case with Flory because he’s a freshman. The other two you can’t treat like freshman because they aren’t. They have played a lot of ball at the power 5 level. They should be allowed to screw up like everyone else seems to be.
The best chance this team has is to bench KJ and start AJ/Rylan. KJ is the same exact player he was 3 years ago he’s stats are looking like this will far and away be his worst year as a starter. I love KJ and think he’s a good dude but the best players should play. Spread the floor with Mayo, Rylan and AJ. Then you have room for big Hunt to operate. I have no problem with Self trying to break the colts a little bit but at some point we have who we have and this is our best line up.
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Zeke plays with poise… he assesses the situation and finds ways to help his team. This is not just because he knows spacing. AJ/Rylan are thinking too much, hence they play slow until they commit on a move. Zeke is completely untethered from thought. It is a joy watching him play, and a pity other guys can’t pick up on his poise and apply it, too.
Self should ask Hunter and Flory the same question… “Are you willing to stay in the low block and fight it out for positioning, rebounds, and shot selection?” Hunter is more gifted at low post scoring, but if he doesn’t apply himself it doesn’t translate to the stat sheet. Flory brings energy. It’s the energy many people thought KJ used to have. KJ was never much of an energy guy. People thought that because he has monster slams. Energy guys get rebounds, even if they are small guys (Zeke).
Hunter needs to always have a foot in the paint. He offers nothing when he’s not there. Flory… just needs to play from half-court to under the basket… the guy has a motor, speed, and enthusiasm!
I would now bring KJ off the bench. See if we can get him inspired to fight for minutes.
We should run more scoring plays for our guards not named Harris. This will help Harris’ esteem because he’ll go back to doing what he knows… being the assist leader.
This team has bad body language right now. Self has to find a way to get these guys jacked up. He’s never been that type of coach and I’ve been amazed how many wins he has without playing the role of cheerleader.
I wonder if there is some active dissent within the players. This is not a group of guys who seem like best friends, and friends with their coaches. There is ZERO team playing shining through.
My expectations for this team are quite low now. I see a middle-of-the-pack team in B12 standings. If a few things went wrong even worse, we could miss March Madness.
There are so many things wrong… but as Self said… all those things are magnified when you play with no energy. He has to take responsibility for this… it is part of the responsibilities of the coaches. Right now I’d like to trade 20% of Self for 20% of Shaka Smart.
Meanwhile… ISU is looking legit! Coach Ox seems to know how to make the transfer portal work for him.
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AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
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@Jhawk69 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
I really think the three of KJ, AJ and Griffey are the main issues.
KJ has been a total non-threat offensively. The other two have not been very good. Flory and Coit need more run with how things are going.
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The last game i coached last year was against an aau team with my 15 year old rec boys. We were down by 4 i think at half. Second half the aau guys shot about 5o% from three and there was nothing we could do. They practiced every day. We didnt. They shot 3s way way better than us because thats all they did.
Bidunga needs to be the only dude who cant shoot the 3 on the floor.
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@Kcmatt7 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@Jhawk69 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
I really think the three of KJ, AJ and Griffey are the main issues.
KJ has been a total non-threat offensively. The other two have not been very good. Flory and Coit need more run with how things are going.
Anybody recall if we have had these kind of discussions about players BEFORE the KJ/Harris era? I don’t recall anything this stern. Maybe the McCormack days?
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@Jhawk69 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
Yes as well as KJ @Kcmatt7 said and as I said above it’s because they are scared of getting yanked at every wrong move. They ain’t playing free minded in the slightest
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@approxinfinity Tarik was a transfer in right? KJ is a 4 year player and what 3 year starter and in Self’s mind he contributes as much to a game as nba player Ochai Ogbaji…there is 0% chance actually negative % chance that KJ doesn’t start.
The only way he doesn’t start is if he’s injured…
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@Texas-Hawk-10 Remy had 1 mishap down in Orlando when he drug his man too close to Big Dave on the last second play when Bill was drawing it up for our 4th scoring option (way to go Bill - trying to outsmart them all when you have Ochai & Braun & Wilson)!
Yeah actually you are 100% wrong. Bill does have blind loyalty and does play favorites. Would you like proof?
Picture this - Marcus Morris (4 man) just played in a game where he got 2 points and 1 board and we lost. Bill would be all over Marcus having to be a better player for this team to reach its potential. He wouldn’t throw other guys under the bus.
Instead of mentioning KJ’s AWFUL performance - he drew the last play up for him no less and talks about starting 3 bigs. He doesn’t once mention the 4th year player needing to contribute more especially a 4 man who flat out sucks at rebounding (never allowed on a Bill Self team - he was reluctant to go to 4 guards cause he is afraid of rebounding but Svi proved OFFENSE >>>> defense).
What’s Self do - he slams AJ & Rylan. It is simple - when Juan and KJ fumble the ball for a turnover literally at the elbow he doesn’t throw his hands up in disguist. He doesn’t throw his papers on the ground EVER when D2, Hunter or KJ do ANYTHING negative.
Yet, the second AJ or Rylan do ANYTHING REMOTELY poor he is absolute throwing papers like a child in disgust as if HOW DARE THEY NOT PLAY A PERFECT GAME.
Perfect game you say Self----how the efff has KJ done you dumb@$$. Yeah the same KJ that DOMINATES A GAME LIKE OCHAI…geez he’s so blind and you are as well if you can’t see it.
He doesn’t grant every guy the same encouragement or leash. Instead of encouraging AJ to go dominate he’s messed him up (billy’s own words) and instead of running plays for Rylan to hit 3’s (elevator play) he doesn’t call trash.
The State of the Program: 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 and about to be 2025 all teams with ZERO final four chance. 2023, 2024, 2025 all have 2 players in common and 3 if we just go 2024 & 2025. These players Self values things that don’t win.
You know what I haven’t heard much of lately…how much Juan and KJ are winners…HUH WONDER WHY? Because people can literally judge talent and roster construction better than Bill. What he values won in 1990 and early 2000’s consistently but not in today’s game.
Instead of Koby Brea chucking 3’s here he’d be in the doghouse cause he didn’t rotate defensively well enough on ONE play MEANWHILE KJ, HUNT AND JUAN BLOW ASSIGNMENTS ALL GAME AND PLAY.
I’ve never seen a KU team get blown out and play so poorly on the road until the Lawson bro’s and we are about to have 3 straight years of this trash #levelupnahleveldowndumb@$$ - #adjustorretire
@BShark2 knows…
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@Kcmatt7 Yeah 2 new guys are the issue that play 10 minutes a game not the 3 guys who have played together going on 2 years while playing 30-35 mpg…YOU NAILED IT!
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@kjayhawks said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@Jhawk69 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
Yes as well as KJ @Kcmatt7 said and as I said above it’s because they are scared of getting yanked at every wrong move. They ain’t playing free minded in the slightest
#Genius and not difficult to see. I’ve harped on this though with Bill on many many freshman. He gives leashes to a few but he just absolutely hates some.
He’s the literal parent that plays favoritism and unless you have 4 years here to fix it he won’t view you any differently. You show up and within an few practices he either likes how you play or doesn’t.
AJ was brought in as a volume scorer who couldn’t defend well or rebound
Self tries to make he rebound and defend and in the process kills his aggression so now he’s left with a guy who can’t score anymore either…took the Alpha right outta him
I got connections with the Bama program and don’t be surprised to see Rylan jump back there this offseason. He’s tired of watching guys get to play through mistakes after getting blasted in the RD32 last year while he played big minutes and contributed in a final 4
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The conversation about Self and his quick hook has been around for years. Your posts on this makes me think more about specifics and impact. I’ve always questioned PT with various players. I think this year’s issues over the last couple weeks has taken an optimistic fan base to an angry, pessimistic group quickly. The real season has just started and few fans feel any sort of optimism, including myself. I feel like this is probably the least-prepared team I’ve experienced under Self while we are touted as the most-experienced team in America.
How do we have so many seasoned players unable to play basic offense or defense? Why does our 5-yr PG look lost? What exactly is KJ doing out there for 30+ mpg and hardly even gain a single stat on the stat sheet? Why isn’t HD setting up in the low post and averaging 20 ppg?
I am quickly confused. I see some of your points then I wonder how we won in 2022? I coached kids for probably 20 years and I played for 20. If I taught a kid to do something then asked him to do it in a game… he did it. This isn’t rocket science. My son is 11 and I guarantee you his team plays better set offense than this team.
Something stinks in Denmark. I don’t know what it is yet but I feel very negative news is coming our way soon.
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Self gave an update on Clemence that didn’t sound good going forward. Mentioned his injury is not good and hasn’t done anything in weeks, can’t practice.
Mention this because playing both Flory Hunt at the same time means we have no bigs to sub. Yikes
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@rockchalkjayhawk Marcus Garrett, Land Lucas, Naadir Tharp come to mind…
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@Kcmatt7 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@rockchalkjayhawk Marcus Garrett, Land Lucas, Naadir Tharp come to mind…
Brady Morningstar as well.
Lucas for me is the huge one.
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@BShark said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@Kcmatt7 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@rockchalkjayhawk Marcus Garrett, Land Lucas, Naadir Tharp come to mind…
Brady Morningstar as well.
Lucas for me is the huge one.
The Lucas bashing sounds on the same level as the KJ/Harris banter. Undeserved in the end?
I don’t recall Brady reaching this level, nor Garrett. Tharpe maybe. He just wasn’t very good?
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@rockchalkjayhawk lucas’ senior year we had dwight coleby, freshman udoka and sophomore carlton bragg. The talent was there but bragg was a headcase, and udoka was not in great shape until junior year.
As far as I can tell, Bidunga is a better option than any of those. The only problem is he is not a 4.
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@kuballin10 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@kjayhawks said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@Jhawk69 said in West Virginia- a game finally:
AJ and Rylan are not playing good basketball and they are causing our struggles. They are not the only factors but are the biggest factors by far. I find that fact to be obvious. Is there anyone who disagrees?
Yes as well as KJ @Kcmatt7 said and as I said above it’s because they are scared of getting yanked at every wrong move. They ain’t playing free minded in the slightest
#Genius and not difficult to see. I’ve harped on this though with Bill on many many freshman. He gives leashes to a few but he just absolutely hates some.
He’s the literal parent that plays favoritism and unless you have 4 years here to fix it he won’t view you any differently. You show up and within an few practices he either likes how you play or doesn’t.
AJ was brought in as a volume scorer who couldn’t defend well or rebound
Self tries to make he rebound and defend and in the process kills his aggression so now he’s left with a guy who can’t score anymore either…took the Alpha right outta him
I got connections with the Bama program and don’t be surprised to see Rylan jump back there this offseason. He’s tired of watching guys get to play through mistakes after getting blasted in the RD32 last year while he played big minutes and contributed in a final 4
AJ Storr came to KU to be developed into an NBA caliber player, summarized version of his words when he committed. Being a volume scorer as a career 43% shooter and 35% from 3 wasn’t going to get him to the NBA.
Here’s a scouting reports on Storr after last season and what he needed to do to become an NBA level player.
"The swing skill for Storr as an NBA prospect will be his ability to score efficiently. Many players around the country can put up points on a high number of shots, but in the NBA it’s about making each one count. Storr has been fairly up-and-down as a 3-point shooter in his career, so that perimeter efficiency will be something teams monitor. Furthermore, his shot selection has been poor at times, so continuing to develop as a decision maker will be key.
At 6-foot-7, Storr has the ability to play multiple positions. However, if he’s really going to take that next leap, his ability to make those around him better will be of extreme importance. In each of his first two college seasons, he produced less than an assist per game on average. On the defensive end, he has the positional size, athleticism and ability to be impactful, but will need to become a more consistent player on that end of the floor to emerge as a two-way threat."
I find it curious how a lot of the things you’re criticizing Bill Self for in the skills he’s attempting to develop in Storr line up pretty well with what NBA scouts believe AJ Storr needs to work on to get to the NBA.
I also believe that Storr now being at his 7th different team in the past 7 years says a lot about his mindset. I understand moving from a public HS to a private school basketball factory like Bishop Gorman. Why leave Gorman after a year to go to another top private school in Arizona? Why leave that school for IMG for a post-grad year? He didn’t leave Gorman for better exposure because Gorman is one of those schools at the top of that food chain. When he gets to college, why did he only stay with Rick Pitino for one season? Anybody going to make a legitimate argument that Pitino isn’t one of the top coaches in the sport?
His career trajectory screams one of two things to me. Either AJ Storr doesn’t have the mentality toughness and desire to put in the work to get to the NBA, or he’s got someone in his ear (dad, if stories are accurate) being way too involved as a parent to the detriment of AJ.
Rylan Griffen was overhyped from the moment he committed to Kansas. People were expecting him to step in and replace McCullar when Griffen has never been that style of player. Griffen was the 4th scoring option for Alabama last season and the 2nd worst defender on an already terrible defensive team.
He’s a role player than many claimed would be more than a role player here. His main skill is shooting, but he hasn’t been making shots recently and he doesn’t add enough in other areas of the game yet to justify giving him the minutes that Coit is getting right now because those two guys largely fill the same roles and Coit is playing much better than Griffen right now.
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@approxinfinity said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@rockchalkjayhawk lucas’ senior year we had dwight coleby, freshman udoka and sophomore carlton bragg. The talent was there but bragg was a headcase, and udoka was not in great shape until junior year.
As far as I can tell, Bidunga is a better option than any of those. The only problem is he is not a 4.
Doke got injured 11 games into his freshman year and had taken over the starting spot from Lucas prior to his injury, but not playing big minutes because he was still extremely raw on offense and couldn’t play defense without fouling yet.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 ah thats right.
Are you in the “Bidunga will start by years end” camp, if you had to guess?
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Wasnt there a players only team meeting after which the consensus was that Lucas should start in 2015-2016? Did we put Mickelson on mothballs after something like that? A precedent to put a Hunter on the shelf.
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@approxinfinity said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@Texas-Hawk-10 ah thats right.
Are you in the “Bidunga will start by years end” camp, if you had to guess?
I don’t see Flory becoming a starter barring an injury to Hunter and I don’t see him starting at the 4 under any circumstances.
Flory is a worse partner for KJ than Hunter is because Flory is a non-threat from 3 that doesn’t need to be guarded out there like KJ. The reason the Flory-Hunter pairing works well is that Hunter is enough of a threat from 3 that he needs to be accounted for and that opens up the paint for Flory and KJ and when they’ve had the most success on offense.
Also, Flory fouls way too much still be think he can play starter level minutes yet. If he starts over KJ, he’s going to be targeted and likely pick up 2 fouls pretty early most games and sit the rest of the half and not be available to gove Hunter a break.
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@approxinfinity Lucas became the starter on that team because he was the best rebounder on that team which was the biggest hole on that roster. That team was by far the worst rebounding team I can remember.
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@approxinfinity said in West Virginia- a game finally:
Wasnt there a players only team meeting after which the consensus was that Lucas should start in 2015-2016? Did we put Mickelson on mothballs after something like that? A precedent to put a Hunter on the shelf.
I don’t see Hunter being benched. He’s a walking talking double double! He could improve his effort level for sure, but the coaching staff needs to help him out and spread the floor to give him some room to post. If dumb asses like me can see that, surely Self can. Why he won’t is a mystery.
Would love to see him at least try four out for a spell more often.
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@rockchalkjayhawk said in West Virginia- a game finally:
@approxinfinity said in West Virginia- a game finally:
Wasnt there a players only team meeting after which the consensus was that Lucas should start in 2015-2016? Did we put Mickelson on mothballs after something like that? A precedent to put a Hunter on the shelf.
I don’t see Hunter being benched. He’s a walking talking double double! He could improve his effort level for sure, but the coaching staff needs to help him out and spread the floor to give him some room to post. If dumb asses like me can see that, surely Self can. Why he won’t is a mystery.
Would love to see him at least try four out for a spell more often.
This is a flawed roster that has a major weakness somewhere no matter what line up combination Self puts out there. A 4 guard line up couldn’t average 85 ppg, but that 4 guard line only has 1 good defender and would give up 95 ppg.
Self has always prioritized defense first and that hasn’t changed this season. Notice how Dan Hurley’s name hasn’t been thrown around as the model much this season even though UConn still has one of the top offenses in the country, their defensive ratings are pure trash and why nobody has them as a legit title contender this season.
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Foury Flory
