It’s early. Let me start by acknowledging that. Perhaps too early to be posting this. But with each passing game the near consensus number 1 recruit in the country (and Bill Self’s most heralded recruit ever) not only doesn’t look like the best freshman in the country, but doesn’t even look like the best freshman on his own team. In fact you could argue that for several games, 2 or 3 freshman have looked better.

I like Andrew Wiggins. I think he’s an incredible player. I think he’ll be a great pro for many years. How great? All-star? Hall of Fame? Not sure. And that’s not the point of my post here. In fact, I don’t even want to talk about Andrew. I want to talk about Coach Self. I think Coach Self is one of THE best college coaches in the game. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. That said, I’m starting to wonder about his ability to adapt. I know he can adapt pretty well to what the other teams throw at him. I’m talking about his ability to change the way he coaches in order to best utilize the talents he has at his disposal. Is he running the best offense to utilize the once in a decade talents of an Andrew Wiggins? That’s not a rhetorical question. I honestly don’t know. I’ll leave it up to @highelitemajor , @drgnslayr and others to speak intelligently about that. It seems to me that Andrew isn’t the focus of our offense. It seems to me like we’re running the same stuff we always have. That’s why Perry Ellis and even Embiid have been looking so good. The big men always look good in a Bill Self offense, right?

So back to my original question: Is this Bill Self’s last chance to showcase a top recruit? If the rest of the year looks like the first 7 games, I’d have to say probably so. I don’t think you can recover from an underachieving Wiggins who was (unfairly) hyped as the second coming of Kevin Durant. Add on an underachieving Josh Selby (yes I know he was hurt and suspended - no one else cares about that) and Coach Self will have strikes one and two against him. He’ll become known as the coach that can get you from a 10-50 Rivals ranking to the NBA draft, but if you’re a top ten talent he won’t know how to showcase you.

Depending on how you feel about the Calipari “strategy” of bringing in the best of the best, perhaps that’s a good thing? I mean we all want Self and KU and Wiggins to succeed, but perhaps the silver lining to the collegiate failures of Selby and Wiggins is… no more Selbys and Wigginses.

I’ll say it again. It’s early, and this may all be premature. But in my opinion, Andrew and perhaps even more so, Coach Self, is on the clock.

Over the last 10 years, Coach Self has had multiple teams loaded with talented underclassmen that played important roles for KU. But on those teams, there were always upperclassmen who were the team leaders. They weren’t always the best players, but they were guys who had been through the ups and downs of KU basketball. Guys who had fought through both self-doubt and Self-doubt to emerge as leaders on the floor.

Those upperclass players become vital at times like these - when losses mount and players start doubting themselves, the system, and maybe even the coach. Those leaders are vital when 18-19 year olds start to tune out the screaming of a coaching staff that is frustrated with them. They become as important as the assistant coaches. In essence, they are assistant coaches. Coaches on the floor that redirect the game from getting out of hand - keeping a 6-8 point run from becoming a 21 point run.

I can’t ever recall a Self-coached KU team devoid of those player leaders. Until now. Usually there are several guys who fill this role. Reed. Robinson. Morningstar. Withey. Darnell. Sasha. Chalmers. Rush. You get the idea. But who is that guy this year? Tarik Black? Greg Wesley? No and No. Certainly none of the walk-on coaches’ sons. Perry is just a Sophomore and not vocal enough to be that leader - at least not yet. It was supposed to be Tharpe and Traylor - and maybe it will be. But I’m not seeing it yet.

So while we look for Andrew to be the athletic leader on the floor - and he appears to be showing growth in that direction - we also look for the heart and soul of this team. That guy that will be an extension of Coach Self on the floor.

History has shown that a Coach Self team always finds it way. It has stumbled and looked lost at times over the years (see TCU) but then turns the corner and rallies for yet another conference championship and high NCAA tourney seed. So this year will be no different, right? I truly hope so. But I see a concerning difference between this and all previous Self teams… Who is our leader?

This is as good a time as any to restart the tradition of posting a Weberace pic that I begun at kusports.com …

I guess I’m the opposite @nuleafjhawk. The more Marsha talks the more I think I feel sorry for her. That poor homely gal just can’t get a date. She’s basically just standing in the obscurity that is the MIZZERY Valley Conference and jumping up and down yelling “Look at me! Look at me!”

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope everyone has safe travels and enjoys some good food and family time. Today, one of the things I’m thankful for is this forum where my fellow Jayhawks and I can debate, extrapolate, pontificate, and above all else: congratulate. Rock Chalk.

Interesting thought. I think I like it. My initial concern would be fouls. Most games, we have a least one or two “bigs” sitting some of the first half with 2 early fouls. It’s mostly been Tarik, but JoJo and Jamari have also had their own foul issues. In limited minutes, Perry has done well to avoid foul troubles. But with stricter enforcement of hand check rules, I’m wondering if Perry at the 3 might expose him to foul troubles as well as he tries to guard typically faster players looking to drive.

Perhaps “PE at the 3” is something to employ late 1st half or 2nd as we see how the foul situation plays out. Additionally, in limited minutes Lucas has looked like a player - so we might have more depth with our big men than many of us thought preseason.

An additional concern would be having one less sharp shooter on the floor. With a small sample size, PE has shown that he can hit the three. But most of us wouldn’t pick him for a 3 point shooting contest. With @highelitemajor 's well-documented concerns regarding our 3 pt deficiencies, this lineup could exacerbate, not alleviate, that problem. That’s less floor time for Selden, Greene, White, and/or Connor. Granted, as a group they’ve been anything but impressive from 3 land. But Selden’s hit some recently, and I have to think that turns around for another 1-2 of them too (right?!)

Don’t mean to dump all over your suggestion. As a said, I actually like it and think we should look to employ it intermittently during a game. Just not sure I would start with “PE at the 3.”

I am the best poster on this site bar none. I have yet to see a single post that is even in the same realm of my intelligence. Everyone else’s posts are almost as boring …

Submitted without further comment.

Perry Ellis belongs on that list before ANY of those freshman, Wiggins included.

The nation is sleeping on Perry, and I get the feeling that he is fine with that. He will just quietly go about his business and when it’s all said and done put up All-American numbers on a (hopefully) National Championship contending team.

Self on Tharpe, THE team leader:

“He has to take ownership for everything,” Self added. “There’s nobody else that can do it yet. He has to buy time for these guys to give them a chance to grow up and he hasn’t done that as well as he can do. Today I thought he did a good job with that.”

Who is this team’s Leader? Question answered. Now don’t make me ask again.

I’m really just throwing this out there for discussion as I don’t have any great insights on this. I keep hearing Wayne’s name thrown out there as a likely candidate to leave after this season. I don’t know - he’s been very good at times, especially for a true Freshman. And I know the whole draft on potential thing - he seems to have the body of a prototypical NBA guard. But the 2014 NBA Draft is going to be the deepest draft in the last ten years and I just personally haven’t seen enough to make me think he’s a likely OAD candidiate. Don’t get me wrong - I love him and his game. He seems to be a very solid person with a good head on his shoulders. It’s still early enough in the season that a lot could change. But as things stand now, I really think he’ll be here next year. (Also why I don’t want JaQuan Lyle.) Maybe just wishful thinking… What do you think?

Just a friendly healthcare reminder: If you do take the blue pill, and your rationalization lasts more than 4 hours, please notify me or your nearest healthcare provider.

“I’m very pleased with this recruiting class,” Weis said via press release. “Our staff had to show good patience, and, through hard work, we filled almost every pressing need.”

I’m almost pleased with this class. It’s comparable to last years class ratings-wise. Less JUCO-heavy. But this quote bothers me and is a glimpse into what I think it lacking in our class this year.

Coach Weis says the word “almost.”… not real reassuring. He didn’t say “we almost filled every want.” He didn’t even say “we almost filled every need.” He said " we almost filled every pressing need." As in there’s a or some pressing need(s) that went unfilled. I’ll speculate here and say it’s the OL that still has some pressing needs that went unfilled. This, of course, is a huge concern. You can have the best QB, RB’s and WR’s in the world, but if you can’t block none of that matters. I guess that’s why I’m almost happy with this recruiting class.

@wissoxfan83 didn’t mean to step on toes. Just couldn’t remember the last time the Badgers went beyond a sweet 16 and recent memory for me was of an underachieving program in the big dance.

@brooksmd sorry. Brain freeze. Of course it’s Dallas.

OK I just noticed Iowa was in the AP top 10. So I’d have to pick WSU over Iowa - but OkSt is 11th and I would pick them over WSU.

@Crimsonorblue22 That’s a great point. I’ve specifically noticed Wiggins just dropping the ball or letting it slip out of his hands unprovoked at least 1-2 times every game. Usually his heads up planning his next move and he’s not looking the ball into his hands. Michigan last year showed us it can be one possession at the end of the game and something as simple as that that can knock you out the tourney.

@drgnslayr I agree with everything you said. I certainly wouldn’t want to see them on our side of the bracket - they will be a tough out. That said, if you take the rest of the AP top 10 and have them play WSU on a neutral floor right now, is WSU a favorite for any of those games? Maybe. I wouldn’t pick them. Granted, that may be my heart speaking more than my head. I’ve had enough of their whiny coach and fans.

Arizona = best team on paper, although not being tested much in PAC12 may hurt their tournament toughness. (Side note: I would love to have Embiid give Tarczewski an up close look at what could have been in the championship game.)

San Diego St = Their only loss is to Arizona. I don’t think their win at the Phog was a fluke. Sure we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn that game, but a lot of that was their excellent defense. I think they have the tools to make an elite 8 run.

OK St = I hesitated to include them, but I think the Big 12 is too strong not to put 2 teams in the final 8. Ultimately I think they will be the second best tourney team in the Big 12.

Mich St = even with injuries, don’t bet against Izzo to advance in the tourney

Florida = another team battling injury (and eligibility) issues. They are deep and talented and seem to be clearly one of the best 8 teams in the country.

Kentucky = They could flame out first round, but they have the talent to make a run as well. I think they make it to the elite 8 and lose.

Memphis = my “darkhorse”, although it’s not that big of a stretch. They have a lot of talent, size, and athleticism and a few veteran leaders. But then again, they have Pastner. A nice guy but someone who seems in over his head in the big games.

KU = if they continue on their current trajectory, would be the best team heading into the tourney. Tested by a rigorous schedule, they could easily cut down the nets in New Orleans. I worry, however, about their youth and turnover problems showing on any given night and an early exit against a pressing team (VCU?) is a real possibility.

My omissions:

Wisconsin = come on, they’re Wisconsin. They always under perform in the tourney.

Louisville = too many injuries/suspensions, but they will be a dangerous out and wouldn’t want to see them on our side of the bracket as a 3 or 4 seed.

Syracuse = They’re not battle-tested and I’m not a believer.

Wichita St = not enough solid competition through the year to really be a tourney-tough team. I mean they’re barely squeeking by some of these MVC teams.

Villanova = would have included them until that beatdown by Creighton. Granted it was an epic shooting display, but still it was a 30 point loss at home. Elite Eight teams don’t do that

A quick update on this Embiid staying topic with kusports.com link and pertinent quote below. Adds further hope to those of us thinking his odds of staying are higher than one might think:

"Due diligence: KU’s Joel Embiid, who is projected by some to be No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, told ESPN.com he’s been researching the careers of some great NBA centers and noticed they stayed in college more than one year. Tim Duncan stayed four at Wake Forest, Hakeem Olajuwon three at Houston and Shaquille O’Neal two at LSU before turning pro.

“I was curious because I want to be great, I want to be the best at my position one day,” he told ESPN.com. “I’m trying to learn everything and what other people did. All of the great big men went to college at least two or three years. I think it’s a big factor. I don’t know if it will always work, but I think it’s the best choice.”

Of the NBA, he told ESPN: “I don’t know. I think it would be too overwhelming for me right now. I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Earlier in the season, he told the Journal-World: “I am not thinking about the NBA right now. I just want to get better and play and reach something this year. If I get the chance and think I’m ready, I might do that (go pro). I don’t really think about that. When I signed for Kansas, I didn’t have any idea I’d go NBA. In my mind, I always thought four years, getting my degree. My parents want me to get my degree. Luc (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, NBA player who advises Embiid) does,” added Embiid, who said he was planning on majoring in something business related.

Self recently said on his Hawk Talk radio show Embiid has yet to learn how to drive a car. Embiid told ESPN that was still the case."

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/jan/21/notebook-joel-embiid-earns-national-player-week-ho/

Hey @approxinfinity (or anyone else who knows) - why is this thread not showing up on the Home page?