Ferguson to Bama
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The check cleared…
is the sky falling?
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Certainly not the end of the world. Seemingly every year (or every other) Bill comes up big just when we think all of the recruits are going elsewhere. Things will be just fine.
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I’m kidding but it is a big-time loss to a program known for its basketball as much as KU is known for its football. And Self spent a lot of time on this kid to lose out to a program which basically used his AAU program to get him… Always the sharks out there praying on the fish.
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@BeddieKU23 I disagree about this being a big time loss for KU. Is Ferguson a very good player and would I have loved to see him wearing KU colors next year? Absolutely, but KU will be just fine without him. Greene, Vick, and probably one of Selden/Svi next year will be back next year so KU isn’t hurting at the 2/3 position next year without Ferguson.
The AAU connection and playing time probably were the biggest factors here, but there are plenty of of wings out there who will fit KU’s roster in 2016-17.
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He likely did not see a lot of available playing time at KU…why be the little fish in the big pond when you can be the big fish in the little pond…just sayin’
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What I don’t understand…
If a big-time recruit won’t have a lot of PT in his freshman year at Kansas… why would he come to Kansas?
And, more important… why do we spend time and energy recruiting players at that position?
His decision must be a loss for us if we put in a lot of time recruiting him.
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Since Self has learned to flourish with great 2s and 3s surrounded by whatever the cat drags in, a logical hypothesis is that the shoe powers have decided to deny him his strong suit.
First Brown.
Now Ferguson.
Sooner or later, KU has to quit blockade running and make an alliance to break up the blockade.
Or watch the level of talent continue to decline vis a vis the other elite programs.
B12 has to expand east, too.
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Saw this coming. I’m one of the few here that called this one, was really hoping I would be wrong. Felt it in my gut and my gut has been pretty accurate over the years. I think this is a pretty big loss but definitely can overcome it. BS needs to crank up the heat on JJ!
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Blockade running is going after every possibility in hopes of slipping through once.
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Definitely a bitter pill. I was convinced as long as he showed up at Late Night, Bill would close. Self won’t tamper though, so unless he backs out in the next month, this won’t change. Too bad, but not the end of the world. There is Josh Jackson, and we’ll still have Greene and Vick next season at the very least.
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Hmmm … I’m trying to see on what level that I actually care. Haven’t got there yet.
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agree, big ENOUGH loss for the program. As stated put in a lot of time on him, I will never understand, but of course AGAIN you are dealing with 17, 18 yr old kids you never know how easily they can be persuaded away. Like was stated before some had him and Josh Jackson playing the same position, I’m not for sure if that’s true or not but if indeed they wee maybe he was afraid of the competition if Josh came, if Josh comes will all knew he would not, not saying Josh is coming but. Just goes to show never try to out guess 17, 18 yr olds for the longest time looked like he was a lock. but just like last year we will be fine with whoever commits. ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BAY
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I think this is a big deal, losing a top 10 recruit to anyone is a hard thing to swallow. It’s hard enough to recruit the best and have to battle Duke/UNC/UK but we had none of that with this guy, we were in the drivers seat and lost to a 2nd rate SEC school. It’s certainly not the end of the world but we could have used this type of talent the same way we’ve used other athletic wings in the past.
We (may) have a lot of wings back next and we might not. Who knows how Selden & Svi will do & if they will come back. Vick has tremendous potential but nobody can be seriously sold on Greene at this point.
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Read on KUSports… Chad Ford has Svi ranked 17th for the 2016 NBA draft. Can you friggin’ believe that? How in the heck does a guy who has done nothing but stand upright and bounce a ball a couple of times done to deserve that kind of ranking? I’ll say it again… the media does us no favors. We continue to get many of our players over-ranked. This is IMHO by far the biggest problem Kansas has. We have players thinking their dodo doesn’t stink because media ranks them way too high and our guys leave a year or two too early, only to discover reality is a bitter pill. And we are stuck without their services.
There should be a benefit in developing players. We get these guys that are decent but won’t stick around long enough to give us a benefit back.
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With Svi its all about potential. And he’s an international player who is very young so I can see the NBA intrigue. If he turns the potential into reality he’s got great size for the next level at the 2 or the 3. Worst case scenario is he will have a nice int’l career. So again I can see the reason why he’s highly thought of. I agree, the hype and media attention is outrageous and that alone could kick him out to the league before he’s really ready. Let’s be honest he’s not the 1st 2nd or even 3rd option if he starts on this team. He’s going to need more than just this year to even stand the chance of being a contributer at the next level.
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@BeddieKU23 I’m bummed too. It is hard losing these guys when it seems we are the obvious choice from the start. I guess I am saying that the sky isn’t falling based on Bill’s track record of getting great players over the last few years. I bet he still lands a few studs and we will be fine.
As far as him going to Alabama…I actually like that part. If he went to UK or Duke or UNC I would be more upset as he would be going to a team that is already a contender and he would push them over the edge.
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Does this spell the end of Snacks time at KU???
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That is very interesting. As far as I remember, the only player that Snacks brought in is Alexander…and that did not work out very well for KU.
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@drgnslayr Read on KUSports…
Please - if that’s a real thing, just think it from now on - some things should not be said " out loud ". Thank you.
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@nuleafjhawk I was going to say out loud you are holding a grudge a bit too long - but I’ll just think it…
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I’m confident that Self will get players and we will certainly need them after this year where we lose 3 Seniors & could lose numerous underclassmen. I using the Sky is Falling analogy to get us talking about something as it relates to the future of this program.
Ferguson was the first fastball that we’ve now struck-out on. He was likely a OAD candidate because of his shooting & crazy hops but if the roster shakes out in the worst case scenario we could have really used a talented player like him to fill gaps we may have…
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The woes of recruiting… and worse for us fans… the up-to-the-second recruiting news feed.
It would be easier if we were left in the dark, unknowing of what players we missed on. All this does is build anxiety (and blood pressure) in us fans. If we coulda, woulda, shoulda…
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Did someone not tell him about the streak? i’m positive if he knew about the streak, he wouldn’t commit elsewhere.
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Agreed, 247 sports is the worst culprit with its crystal ball predictions. Recruiting has become a big $ game with social media & the internet’s reach to everyone and anyone.
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Agreed. These crystal ball rankings are based on nothing more than rumors heard from people that overheard a conversation, or saw him laughing and joking on a visit, or other random interactions and reactions. The truth is that very few people outside most recruits most trusted confidants (parents, siblings, closest friends, coaches) truly know what is going on, and generally that is not where these “crystal balls” get their information.
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Wiggins did not look particularly exited during his KU visit…it worked out rather well…
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@JayHawkFanToo - @ParisHawk will accuse me of holding a grudge, but I’m just not that hyped up about the whole Wiggins thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a GREAT kid. Very humble and likable and all that happy horsepucky. But we had 10 losses that year (not acceptable in my book) and we basically did nothing in the NCAA tournament. So what? Wiggins does well in the pros and we get to stake a claim to that? It means nothing to me. I don’t like the NBA anyway.
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I think the Crystal ball had him leaning away from KU for a while due in large part to that fact. These people read the body language of someone they have never met and use that to decide what they think that person will do in a major life decision.
That’s like me watching you house hunt and basing my opinion of which house you pick on whether you were smiling when you stood in the kitchen at an open house. That’s just me guessing at that point. I have no idea, so if you’re considering 3 or 4 houses, I have about that good a chance of getting your pick right.
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@BeddieKU23 said:
Agreed, 247 sports is the worst culprit with its crystal ball predictions. Recruiting has become a big $ game with social media & the internet’s reach to everyone and anyone.
Although I don’t hold the whole crystal ball thing in high regard, it is interesting to watch how the zeitgeist of recruits shifts among the peanut gallery. But if you’re looking for information from it, the only thing worth paying attention to is who Jerry Meyer is betting on, and then only because he’s really good about responding on twitter as to whether or not he’s going on gut feeling or real info. Meyer is often in the know and, unfortunately, it seems he was on top of it in the case of the Ferg.
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Some good news to report.
Schnider Herard has scheduled an official visit to KU. I believe he unofficially visited last year for Late Night if memory is correct. Not the impact big we will need but definitely a 4 year type with lots of development left. We are definitely the biggest school after him but I’ve always wondered if we have others we covet more & if he will go to a smaller school where the focus is more on him?
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I’ve also seen him change his mind 50 times (Diallo for instance) but I generally agree that he’s the most knowledgeable of the bunch over there. He should be, he’s the director. I was hoping he was wrong about Ferguson especially with KU’s long standing relationship but somehow someway Johnson found the right way to shake him his way. For me, it stings because I thought he was in the bag, even after not committing right after his visit.
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Lots of name programs after him. A 4-star center with bulk and good athleticism; a good senior year can propel him to 5-star. The ubiquitous crystal ball has him 75% KU
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He is a player with limited skill but tremendous potential to develop. He’s only played basketball a handful of years, if he was going to be making that kind of jump the grassroots grind would have been where he did it. I think he will continue to stay around where he is which is fine. He could have a big Sr year, that you are right about. Not sure what schools have placed a priority on him. I know KU and himself have mutual interest since last year but I’ve always wondered if we are considered the favorite for him or if other schools have made him the guy for them… Anyone have any real info on him??
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School that are interested (and most have offered) include:
Connecticut Indiana Kansas Kansas State Nebraska Oklahoma Pittsburgh Purdue SMU TCU Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech
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His only other visit is to Mississippi St at the moment in September. He’s coming to Late Night again…
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UK gets a commit from 4 star maybe 5 star recruit Sacha Killeya-Jones a 6’11 C who was once a Virginia commit. The only reason I mention this is because of Marques Bolden who is considering UK but that could change now with this commitment. Could bode well for KU…
