Pre-gaming with Jesse Newell -- Q&A
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All right, let’s do this. Here’s a link to the live game blog if you want to check it out …
http://cjonline.com/blog-post/jesse-newell/2013-11-22/live-blog-ku-vs-towson
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Jesse, you are a terrific and unexpected plus for this site. Thank you!
What are the chances that Mr. Wiggins will become an alpha dog this season? We seem to get OADs that are either underwhelming or team players, but not “put the team on their back” types. Is this inevitable in Coach Self’s system, or are we just waiting for the right game?
I’ve actually thought that Wiggins has been more “alpha dog” than I expected so far. He definitely had that look against Duke when he wasn’t in foul trouble (the stepback jumper showed that for sure).
Statistically, he’s taking 28 percent of KU’s shots, but only ending 22 percent of KU’s possessions. That might seem low, but it’s actually a good thing … it just means he never turns it over.
Self did give an anecdote about Wiggins yesterday, though, saying he’s a guy that won’t run as fast down the court after making three straight baskets because he feels like it’s someone else’s turn. Self wants to break that.
So yes, there’s still more “alpha dog” that needs to come out, at least in Self’s eyes.
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Jesse,
Andrew Wiggins has been good - but not great offensively. He’s been efficient (except from 3) but not aggressive, as Parishawk mentioned above. I know its early, so sample size is low. But here’s my question:
Is there any clear statistical measure yet of how much Mr. Wiggins is effecting the game defensively?
Thanks. I’ll hang up and listen off the air.
As you know, it’s tougher to gauge a person’s defensive impact. Wiggins is leading KU’s regulars in steal percentage so far, which is a good sign for him, but also probably a bad sign for everyone else.
More impressive is his defensive rebounding percentage, which ranks in the top 400 nationally. He’s a big reason that KU is the No. 1 defensive rebounding team in the nation at this point.
For more in-depth defensive stats … Rockchalktalk.com is doing a defensive scoresheet, which is a little subjective, but gives a much better idea of how guys are playing than anything else out there. It’s definitely worth a look … they do one after each game.
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Jesse,
:=? Do you think all these so-called “sports analysts” have been fair in that:
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They were the ones who “hyped” Mr. Wiggins as the next LeBron James; and
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Then because he hasn’t lived up to THEIR hype, they now claim Mr. Wiggins is “overrated”.
Is this just the nature of the business?
You’re right. It is the nature of the business. Gary Bedore and I actually have talked about this quite a bit, how a guy gets hyped then immediately gets torn down, even though he might not have asked for either.
I will say this, though: A lot of reports come from writers talking directly with Self. I doubt Jeff Goodman would write that Wiggins was struggling unless he watched it AND received some feedback from Self as well.
It’s tough, because Self wants everyone to know he has the No. 1 recruit (for recruiting) but he also doesn’t want him to have weight of the world on his shoulders. You can see how that might impact what he says to others about Wiggins.
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How do you contribute to the CJ blog? I couldn’t figure it out and it’s not like the KUsports live blog. I want it to be like the KUsports blog.
Trying to run it much like the one at the Journal-World. It’s through Cover It Live, so the application is different but has some features I like. To comment, just go to the comment button at the bottom, hit it and post the name with your comment. No username needed.
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Here’s my big, bold prediction: Frank Mason will finish his career at Kansas as one of the top ten scorers in school history.
Agree. Or disagree?
Disagree. Mason has done a great job of getting fouled this year, but let’s hold off the huge expectations for now. I tweeted this, but in non-transition situations, he’s made only 1 of 6 shots at the rim this year. It’s a small sample size for sure, but those are the kinds of issues that smaller guards sometimes have.
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Jesse, When I went to Kansas, the basketball team was terrific and the football team wasn’t. Why is this still true 25 years later, and has been for all but a few Mason years and Mangino years? Serious question really even though it appears not to be.
Ha. Getting deep. The easy answer? Every football program is trying to win, and some are trying harder to win than others. I’m not saying Zenger isn’t trying – obviously paying $2.5 million/year to Weis is a commitment – but think about it. KU has upgraded facilities, but not really at Memorial Stadium, which definitely needs an upgrade. Plus, most (not all) KU fans are pretty content as long as basketball is successful.
Look at it this way: What if a Texas Tech basketball fan asked why TTU is bad every year? What would you say? Well, fans are more interested in football, the stands are empty, recruits want to play for a winner and the facilities aren’t great.
Turn that around, and a lot of the same things could be said about KU football.
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Jesse,
First off… thank you for participating with us! We want to make sure and continue to run links to cjonline.com, to help promote Jesse’s work and CoverItLive. Maybe we can even run an ad banner to help.
Question 1: We’ve been watching KU’s ability to hold down opposing team’s effective offense %s plummet from last year. How much of this drop do you think is related to having a completely new starting five along with giving so many PT minutes to freshmen, versus the new rule interpretations that clearly seem to target aggressive defense (especially man-to-man) and penalize them for locking down on the ball?
Question 2: From what few games we’ve played so far, what is your prediction for Selden and Embiid going OAD after this season? (discussion and express it in
Question 3: Will Head Coach Bill Self still remain at Kansas beyond 5 more years? (discussion and express it in
Thank you!
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A little of both, but mostly, it’s the Withey effect. The big guy saved KU’s defense last year, and until Embiid can be more consistent in that role, KU’s defensive FG% won’t look right.
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It’s so early, but I’d say both are above 50% to leave. If both are told by smart people they’ll be lottery picks, they should go. Not much more to it than that. With the skills Embiid has shown so far, it’s getting tougher to see him hanging around another year. The NBA loves potential.
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I think he would consider KU, but he’s in a great spot. He can be super, super picky. So how many jobs would he take? The Thunder or Spurs? Maybe a big name like the Lakers or Celtics?
I guess it just depends if those gigs come open and how badly the teams would want him. I see him liking what he has at KU, but not the kind of guy to say he’d never go after another challenge at the highest level.
So at five more years, I’d say 75 percent. Again, if the jobs he might consider don’t come up, it’s 100 percent. He’s not leaving KU for another college gig.
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Jesse, Who would you say is the most civil poster on kubuckets? If you’re not sure because you are new to the site, then I encourage you to base it on the posters’ names alone.
I’m going with Civilhawk. Do I win?
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I’m concerned about the benching of Greene. Last night on Coaches show, Self talked about over-recruiting for the possibility of transfers happening. Greene is talented and is much more animated than any other newby that has come in. Self said something about him not being in trouble, then says he needs to take care of things off the court also. What’s up?
Good question. We’ll learn more with how Self handles Greene tonight. He did say after last game that he likes him. It’s still hard to see how all these wings fit in the mix, especially with Oubre coming in next year. I’m guessing someone will want to look for playing time elsewhere.
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@Jesse_Newell Having trouble commenting on the live blog… Does it not show comments until its game time?
If for whatever reason we can’t get onto the CJOnline live blog we can always convene in www.kubuckets.com/chat until we get it straight.
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Jesse, best guess. If Bill signs one or two more players who will they be and who will they be replacing?
I’m probably the worst guy when it comes to recruiting. I check out JayhawkSlant.com for the latest on that stuff. Matt Scott is knowledgeable as well.
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Jesse - two questions:
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Have you ever seen a more uncivil site than kubuckets.com?
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(My actual questions): How many games until Embiid starts & Is it too early to perhaps lower expectations for Black? I see him as a relatively “unskilled” big body that has been hurt by the rule changes on D.
Thanks!
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Yes
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I thought best case scenario for Black coming in was a Jeff Graves-type bruising, hustling forward. Obviously, the new rules have played against him so far. You’re right, though, the clock is ticking quickly with as well as Embiid is playing. I’m sure Self would love to protect Embiid as long as possible – he still is learning the game – but if Black keeps fouling, Self’s hand might be forced in the next few games.
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Jesse, a couple of questions: I know that Mr. Zenger has tried to rationalize the existing contract with TW; however, I would like someone with access to him ask the following questions;
Shouldn’t a contract for KU sports ensure that every Kansan in the Sate of Kansas has access to every broadcast of sports programming of the State’s flagship university?
What is the rationale for blacking out ESPN3 only for the state of Kansas and the KC Metro area? Does he understand that TW is not available in many if not most areas of the state? Does he understand how upset the fan base in the KC metro is is with him and what most of us consider to be a contract that has seriously alienated the fan base? Does he realize that we can watch EVERY KSU and MU basketball and football game but we cannot do the same with KU games? Are we starting to see his true (KSU) roots/colors?
It’s a great deal for KU in terms of exposure. And with all the frustrated folks, I’d be shocked if this is still an issue next year and TWC isn’t picked up by more outlets. I guess we’ll see …
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Jesse -
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What is your preseason prediction for the outcome of the B12 this year?
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Frank Mason has been a nice surprise so far… how do you see him fitting in to this year’s team?
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Big 12 race should be great. Not sure if you guys saw, but KU is No. 3 in KenPom’s rankings and isn’t the top team … OSU is No. 2. Those two games should be sensational. It’s interesting, because this could be one of KU’s most talented teams in the last decade, and it easily could be the one to end the conference streak because of how good OSU is.
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If he can continue to get the foul line, he’ll be fine. I’m hesitant to make too many conclusions on him this early, as freshmen point guards definitely go through spurts. But he’s been better than advertised so far.
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Jesse -
I was at the Duke game sitting behind the KU bench and noticed multiple times Self shouting at the bench to get up, get excited, and get involved. For the majority of the game the body language wasn’t good. I made note of it and have been watching the body language of some of our guys who are 7-12 off the bench and haven’t been impressed. are you worried the amount of talent on this team and subsequent lack of playing time for some will lead to a negative attitude or am I just being paranoid?
- How many 3 pt attempts do you think Ellis will have at the end of the year?
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That’s a great point, and one I hadn’t thought of. Will keep that in mind. Also a lot of new guys not playing, as opposed to Reed/Morningstar types that might be more supportive. Definitely could have some impact, though I’m a guy that has always though chemistry might be a little overrated.
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30-ish? About one per game. I see him only shooting those if he’s wide open.
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Here’s my question, Jesse:
Now that you’re in Topeka (and closer to being downwind of Manhattan), in your professional opinion, exactly how bad does K-State Basketball stink this year?
a) truck full of manure (chicken)
b) decomposing body
c) raw sewage
d) dog farts
e) elevator packed with teens wearing Axe Body Spray
Just kidding, but I am curious if you will be covering the Wildcats over there at the CJ.
Won’t cover the Wildcats much (sticking with KU mostly), but I was shocked by how bad they got drubbed by Georgetown today. Yikes.
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Should be good now hopefully. Had to manually put you through. Still working to get posts to go up automatically.
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Think I got to most of your questions. Thanks for letting me chat. Check out the live blog here if you get a chance:
http://cjonline.com/blog-post/jesse-newell/2013-11-22/live-blog-ku-vs-towson
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Thanks for answering a bunch of our questions rapid-fire, Jesse!
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Wow Jesse,
I’m impressed with how many questions you took on.
And I must say your take on things are pretty objective.
Many thanks to you and the kubuckets team.
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Good one
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And you can add assist leaders to that
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I hung out on Jesse’s live chat. Pretty nice! I tried to post but I had just registered and they didn’t email me my password yet… but next time I’ll try to participate.
Great job, Jesse… and thank you for coming in here and answering so many questions! We’ll see you soon!
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Thanks. And actually, you shouldn’t need a CJ username to post … just go to the comment box at the bottom and type the name you want to appear.
We’re doing the live blog for football tonight if you’d like to test it out …
