What About Mitchell?
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If my info is correct he will get to play this year. That is why our coaching staff and Robinson are even meeting this weekend.
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️ hope your info is right!
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@Crimsonorblue22 I have good info. He might miss a few games waiting on the NCAA but like Cheick, he will play.
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@Crimsonorblue22 It’s enough where could be a distraction - - we don’t need that route again this year, - -If he can get his head on straight, & get cleared then ya. - -Someone that just packs up and leaves campus doesn’t say anything and notifies via text isn’t what you call the best thing, that and his relationship with the other team mates while he WAS there, hearing he had some issues there , just having some attitude problems - -that’s a cancer we can do without. - -Is he talented? - -Hell yes he is talented, just got to get it together - -team and not me, me, me - I’m sure coach if he can get cleared can get that cleared up. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Come on, give the big guy a mulligan, and call it even. He won’t be able to look down his nose at a KU roster like he did with the WKU roster. He better bring his lunch bucket if he wants to survive practice. Svengali Self will have him on a tight leash. You won’t ruin our team because the team will run roughshod over a selfish attitude. They’ll fix him.
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@KUSTEVE A Mulligan it shall be lol - -and you are 100% right We know it’s Coaches way OR you butt gonna be sore from sittin, I sincerely hopes he does land here, just drop the other and we be good, he can be a big help. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Just saw where LSU isn’t recruiting Robinson any longer … this has the look of inevitability. Self with the rabbit’from the hat.
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@HighEliteMajor Now comes the question what happened? - -Why all of a sudden the did interest? - -so now Coach just needs to make perfectly clear how thing swill be if Robinson ends up here.
If they can work it out would love to have him eligible to play this season - -don’t think that is going to happen, if not sucks BUT just mean the following our front court gonna be tight. - -Maybe he will somehow get it worked out for this season - if that happens then DAMM. - Him & Doke together - - -OH YA - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Statmachine said:
@Crimsonorblue22 I have good info. He might miss a few games waiting on the NCAA but like Cheick, he will play.
So KU’s front court looks like it could be going from the thinnest of the Self era to absolutely bonkers with two 7’ studs. That’s something.
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GAHT DAMMMMMM boys and girls.
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@HighEliteMajor Where did you see that LSU was no longer interested - would love to read about it. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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No longer interested. Right. Lol.
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Jeff Goodman posted it
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Crimsonorblue22 said:
Jeff Goodman posted it
Yeah I linked in the other thread.
My last post in this thread was just pointing out the hilarity. My guess is they saw the writing on the wall and “removed” themselves from contention.
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Wow big news guys. Maybe we will land him after all? Imagine what our front court would look like. Robinson brings our ceiling to a whole new level.
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@BShark the ceiling for the team is as high as it’s ever been if we get him. Wow!
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Has anyone heard about him not having been fully processed at WKU?
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@HawkChamp Agree. Also R.I.P. Mitch Lightfoot’s minutes if he is eligible this year.
Oh and he is retweeting a lot of KU stuff, many recent follows are KU people, Matt Scott out there making Mitchell Robinson highlight videos, LSU “removing” themselves from his recruitment. The kid himself making a comment about how he let people decide for him too much in the past and that this would be HIS decision this time around. The math sure checks out to me.
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Well, I am counting on our Rabbit/Hat Puller to bring in a big kid to fill that lone scholarship, hopefully for eligibility this current season, at least by Christmas. Actually, I had kinda figured that he would unearth a budding talent while playing in Italy…but the taller prospects among the opposition apparently had not advanced much further than jr. high age level.
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@BShark We can only hope. Lightfoot looked rough in Italy.
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Kcmatt7 said:
@BShark We can only hope. Lightfoot looked rough in Italy.
Eye for an eye, Mitch for a Mitch.
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@BShark low! He had that mask on too! I know, excuses.
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I like Lightfoot and he is a good program player but adding a 7 foot athletic freak would cut into his playing time drastically.
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What no-one is asking is what did Bill have to promise the Basketball Gods in order to receive such a gift? Has anyone seen Tyler? Did Bill have to sacrifice his first-born son?
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@Kcmatt7 With the addition of Robinson, no reason for not gliding to Final Four…except for the fact that Mitchell is indeed a raw freshman…and he might immediately suffer a broken nose?
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@Crimsonorblue22 Great kid. Awesome practice body. But, I would prefer his minutes stick to the 5 minutes a game where we are playing so poorly he sends Lightfoot in just to prove a point to the other posts.
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Lightfoot was not big enough to play the 5, so the only place he could play is the 4, which doesn’t help us if Doke gets in foul trouble. Mitchell will solve that problem.
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Jamari Traylor’s senior year stats. 3PTS 3REB. I like Lightfoot but he is not, nor will he ever be as good as Mari! I really hate saying that but that is what I think and I hope he proves me wrong! I just hope we are not forced into playing him 20 minutes plus a game any time soon!
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@BShark Very well put. - -I for sure love Mitch’s attitude, he gives 100 plus % anytime he is in, he will always give us that 100 % and think he needs our love, he can still be that spot guy, give some breaks to our players and you know it won’t be from lack of effort. Mitch is a player that might have done better maybe on a little smaller stage I think he go down as a true Crimson & Blue kid and don’t be surprised in his Jr year or wherever he is going to have a game that you might say Good for him. He is a kid where you never have to question his heart. - - It’s just that If Robinson does land here, it’s a case of numbers - -and athleticism there is going to be a game this year where we need him for some extended minutes. I think things work out fine -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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I would not count Mitch out, the kids has grit. A couple of years ago when KU was playing in the World University Games and Bragg had to wear a mask, friend of mine who was also watching the game mentioned that he had broken his nose before and had to wear a mask and it was extremely uncomfortable, particularly when he got sweaty. Considering how hot it was at the gyms in Italy, I would give Mitch a pass. I still believe he will be a contributor at KU.
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Let’s not undersell Mitch just yet. He is more skilled than Mari was. He has a similar motor, although he isn’t as physical as Mari was. Still, I think because of his skill level, he will ultimately be able to contribute because he has the ball skills that Jamari, for all his athleticism, lacked even as a 5th year senior.
@JayHawkFanToo some guys also have trouble breathing with the facemasks on. Don’t know about Mitch, obviously, but there’s a chance that he was struggling with conditioning as a result of simply not being able to get air.
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LiteFeet possesses that very fine Crimson and Blue Quality which appeals to fans, encourages them to pull for him. I see him as one of those competitors who, like was once said of the old west dreaded Texas Ranger, “…just keeps a’coming!” I’m betting on Mitch to prove his worth.
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Just think, we could have had three Mitch’s if Mitchell Ballock had signed on!
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So far so good!
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Read some about Robinson’s eligibility. - - Hmmmm, really don’t know.
Eligibility clock begins when - - -He enrolls as full time student at any College. - - Full time is defined as being enrolled minimum of 12 hours or more - - -Which Robinson was not.
as for Trigger clause: - -Student is a Student who transfers from a college institution after having triggered any of the conditions.
Which says Enrolled full time during any term and attended classes or D! - - you are enrolled full time, and are on campus on opening day of classes which the article says - - Does not apply to Robinson.
Or report for a regular squad practice - -Because season has not started. - - -again according to the article - - this appears doesn’t apply either.
Practiced or competed while enrolled less then full time - - This one is one that’s in clear, as the NCAA now allows a few practices in the summer.
The big one that is sticking is: - - -Received financial aid while attending Summer School. - - this is likely given since he was on Campus enrolled & living in a WKU dorm
This I didn’t know. - - It’s up to KU to request the waiver - - Robinson can’t request the waiver himself. After the waiver request then the conference NCAA take over.
The report from LSU is that it seemed highly unlikely that he would be granted eligibility to play this year, so they backed off, The big concern is that if he has to sit out - -then he just options to go over sea’s play a year on the AAU circuit, then enters the NBA draft - -OR sits the year and then declares for the NBA the following year
Just don’t know what to think. - -Would be a Sweet pick up - BUT do we really want to go through this again fighting the NCAA over gaining eligibility and maybe getting a half a year? - or maybe nothing? - – -OR maybe, maybe we get the eligibility -I’m in if we can get it worked out, we shall see. - - A lot of people saying we need to pass BUT like it was also brought up, ok we offer the Scholi - -he comes and sits out and then Declares for the NBA. - - What have we lost? - -Nothing. - -If we didn’t offer, the Scoli is just sitting there anyways not being used and probably wouldn’t get used & we get the Scholi back next year anyways if he did Declare - -So we have lost nothing - -we are not losing the Scholi as we would get it back for next year. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@jayballer54 He was never technically admitted at WKU according to the rumour mill. If that’s true, all that has to happen is their president (formerly at a high level position at KU cough cough) denies his admission and nothing else matters at all, Robinson would be eligible immediately.
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@jayballer54 Let’s fight. I’ll take a half year from him.
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We land Robinson; wait on the NCAA; he gets a late start; Self says he’s behind; Self won’t play him much; when he plays, we can see his potential; Self says it takes time and that he’s “raw”; Self makes cryptic comments about being in the right spots; meanwhile, other programs play their freshman who need to get experience; posters claim players don’t get better and don’t get more comfortable from playing in games; those who know better take deep breaths so their heads don’t implode; seniors supposedly vote and say they like someone else better (maybe not this time); Robinson doesn’t play much; we lose short of the final four; then the season is over and he leaves – and somehow he looks really good in the NBA D-League, lacking experience and all.
Weighing against that proven scenario - we don’t have Lucas or Traylor on the roster who Self can fall back on because they go to the spots he wants, and know the system – which Self favors over talent. Further, we a desperately thin. We need Mitchell. This is a need deal, too, not just a high talent deal.
The best situation is when Self has to play the more talented player from the start. Here, we don’t have a really experienced guy ahead of him. Maybe Lightfoot knows the system inside and out and we’ll be cursing his minutes vs. Robinson, but a I doubt it. Both Lucas and Traylor were in the 4th season in the system. Ronbinson is sure to get “first big off the bench” minutes at a minimum, assuming Preston and Udoka start.
Really, and not being too dramatic, but this sort of player acquisition makes a national title a realistic possibility. Without it, not so much.
And please, don’t say that Jamari Traylor was a good player. He just wasn’t. He did a few things well some of the time, and had a some good bursts. But that’s it. His PER his senior season was 12.7, which was by far the worst of any regular … by a full three points below the next worst player, and worse than Evan Manning. He was a Bill Self pet. A teacher’s pet if there ever was one. I’d rather take my chances with Lightfoot, no doubt.
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@HighEliteMajor If that is true, why did he start Doke ahead of Landen last year?
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@HighEliteMajor I agree with your points. There is pretty much nothing that would keep Robinson from getting 25-30 minutes a game. I highly doubt that Mitch would be chosen over him. Besides knowing the system better and stuff like that, what can he do that Robinson cant?
Diallo was much different because he was raw and did not learn the system. Robinson knows the game very well and it probably wouldn’t take him very long to learn a good portion of what Self teaches. Plus, he is qualified and eligible to play college basketball, so if he chooses KU, he can start practicing and learning the system even if he has to sit out a year.
Yes, it is exciting to think of the possibilities with adding a player like Robinson. It’s been quite a while since we had two legit shotblockers in the post and that much length in general. Our title defense in San Antonio has a much greater chance of occurring with him than without him.
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KUSTEVE said:
@HighEliteMajor If that is true, why did he start Doke ahead of Landen last year?
That post was mostly about Diallo, I think. That situation was ridiculous. Diallo should have played.
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@KUSTEVE The comparison was Diallo vs. Robinson and the basis for the comparison was that Robinson might get started late because of NCAA issues (like Diallo, as @Bshark observed). So that might exclude Udoka.
But pointing out Udoka makes sense. Self did start him over Lucas, which indicates Self was looking at “merit” not seniority.
Of course, though, I’ve never really figured out Bill Self. Many folks felt that playing Diallo and committing to him early was the best long term move. Self is the boss, and once he committed to Lucas, we ran off a great stretch of wins. Seemed like Self was right there. I was supportive of the move since Self had really not give Diallo the minutes to get better (understanding Self has certain requirements to get minutes in the first place, which we all understand is prerequisite, like it or not), and we had reached February (really the time teams need to be setting rotations pretty firmly). One wonders, though, vs. Nova if a more athletic and better player would have helped vs. Lucas. Who knows. We might not have gotten a #1 seed if we’d committed to Diallo.
What we do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is Diallo is a better basketball player than Lucas – Diallo is in the NBA. Lucas is playing for the Tokyo Ham Fighters, or whatever the heck they’re called.
@HawkChamp - I saw today that Jesse Newell was predicting 5-10 minutes per game for Robinson. I’d be betting 12-15, which is 3rd big minutes (though playing a four guard starting lineup might change things).
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@HighEliteMajor 67-86. Then the whole team said they wanted Landen. That score is how bad we got beat by Okie St in Diallo’s only start.
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@KUSTEVE if I remember correctly, it was then that Self asked the team who they wanted. This was a solicited opinion on the heels of Diallos only start. I think the question remains whether Self could have gotten more out of Diallo. He didn’t have to ask the team then.
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@KUSTEVE So you polled the entire team? And you really believe Self would do something that drastic if he didn’t think it was best?
64-59 - Score vs Villanova where Lucas was impotent offensively and as usual, zero rim protection.
74-60 - Score vs Oregon where Lucas was way over matched by guys who were athletically similar to Diallo. Cited for the irony, but also for the stark reality that game demonstrated in the post.
Of course, you cited a game that meant very little. I cited the two most important games of both seasons.
That said, Lucas played very well much of the time that year (2015-16). He just had times when he was overmatched due to his talent limitations – where a better player would fair much better. Oregon is a great example. And vs Nova, we sorely needed rim protection, which Diallo offered. None of that is even debatable.
And it’s not debatable that Diallo is a better basketball player. Coaches are tasked with developing that talent, not taking the easy way out and playing the comfortable, low risk option. The real risk is losing when it counts.
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What we do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is Diallo is a better basketball player than Lucas – Diallo is in the NBA. Lucas is playing for the Tokyo Ham Fighters, or whatever the heck they’re called.
After one year of 24-7 training in the D League, Diallo is probably a better player than Lucas, although he still has to show what he can do consistently while playing with the big boys and not in the Debvelopment or Summer Leagues.
Having said that, there is no question that while both were at KU, Diallo was the player with the bigger potential but Lucas was the better basketball player. Nobody wants to win more than the players and they all thought the team was better off with Lucas…can’t really argue with that.
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@HighEliteMajor @JayHawkFanToo
The same complaints about not using Diallo in 2015-16 were also raised about not using Bragg more, who stayed another year and was virtually useless. Based on “potential” and “talent” Lucas should have been #3 big. Diallo got better in the D league, but not good enough to convince any team he should stay in the League consistently. Bragg didn’t get better despite ample opportunities offered by Doke’s injury.
Sometimes it is a crapshoot when someone will “get it.” Diallo may finally be getting it. Bragg hasn’t yet. Neither of them did during their year together at KU. Lucas was a backup plan forced to the fore, and was good enough to help get KU to 2 regional finals.
In both of those finals, the biggest aberration on offense from the regular season wasn’t remotely Lucas (6 pts, 12 rebs vs Nova; 9 pts, 3 rebs vs Ore). It was dismal 3 pt shooting by players we had relied on all year (Mason and Selden, 1 for 12 combined vs Nova; Graham and Jackson 0 for 8, Mason 2 for 8 ).
To chalk it all up to not having better developed a Diallo or a Bragg because of a lack of rim protection is a bit simplistic to say the least. It was our inability to score both years, including untimely turnovers and fouls, that did us in.
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First off, Robinson vs Diallo is night and day. Robinson will be able to practice, even while the NCAA decides his fate. Diallo got a late start for several reasons. He decided and graduated late and wasn’t on campus until very late in the season. KU could have worked on his eligibility sooner had he committed before May. And that way he could have practiced with the team and built rapport starting in June instead of October. 4 months lost. Bill and the team were put in a bad spot with his situation and lack of transparency. With that said, I think Bill should have given Diallo more minutes even if it meant sacrificing a few wins with the hope it paid off come March. Think U.K. when they were an 8 seed in the NC game because Cal let all those youngsters play and take their lumps all season. It paid off. Talent wins games.
With that said, Robinson is NOT Diallo. He isn’t raw and unskilled. He is a legit footer with basketball skills. And, again, he will be able to practice as soon as he decides. He will have 2 months of practice to learn and compete, and as someone who has played basketball his entire life he should be able to pick up the nuances that Diallo could never pick up in the little time he had to practice. Just 100% nights and day. To be honest, Robinson has the potential to start at the 5 over Doke come year end. Or even, if Robinson can shoot as well as billed he could play along side of Doke and our rim protection could be other worldly. if Robinson commits he will play. Period. He will play 20+ minutes a game. And lightfoot won’t stand in his way, even if the guards like him better. If Robinson commits and doesn’t play, KU might as well not ever try recruiting top 20 post players under Self because they won’t come here. Self will be under the gun to develop Robinson into the lottery pick he was projected to be more than any other post he has ever recruited.
If Lightfoot gets more minutes than Robinson this year and this team doesn’t win the NC Bill should be scrutinized harshly.
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Teams with no post presence don’t make the final four. If Diallo could have potentially given us a post presence we should have played him over Lucas. Plain and simple. Lucas gave us a higher floor, but a much, much lower ceiling. Bill’s competitiveness might very well be his biggest fault. He doesn’t let players play through mistakes (except a select few teachers pets). Being a 1 seed is important and statistics back that up. But a talented team on a roll is the scariest thing in the NCAA tournament. Ask South Carolina, UCONN, UK, Danny Manning, Butler, 2012 KU, etc. The most important thing is that we are playing our best basketball at the end of April. I’d rather be a team talented enough to win a NC who is a red hot 4 seed than a 1 seed with noticeable faults and a small margin for error.
