@mayjay I posted this in the thread that brought me to this site earlier this morning.

“Complaining about a problem without a solution is whining” President T. Roosevelt

I had this quote in my classroom and locker rooms through my time.

I had a junior player come up to me in my 3rd as a coach and ask me why a freshman was getting more time at practice with the 1s. At first I tried to tell him that this other kid was a better player without saying that to him. Then I remember this quot, and I asked him if he knew why and what he could do to change that? I asked him to come up with a solution by the next day and let me know and we’d talk about it.

He wrote out a list of five solutions.

1. Work harder in and out of practice.
2. Become a better student if the game.
3. Become a better teammate.
4. Do what is needed to help the team.
5. Get #14 kicked off the team. Sorry coach that’s just a joke.

That kid became an assistant for me 6 years later and replaced me as head coach after I retired. It was that note that made me want to work with this kid. He didn’t whine. He didn’t quit or make excuses. He tried. He learned and now he’s winning not just at basketball but teaching and life.

So I googled “fire Bill Self” cause apparently that’s a thing now.

This was the 5th one down to click. I wonder how @JRyman new this year would spark this debate three years ago.

Then again @JRyman hasn’t posted for over a year after some looking into it so maybe he fell off the cheering stage for KU? Is it cause they still have Bill Self as coach?

Sure Coach Self has had it rough since 2012. But these loses aren’t as bad as those first round loses to the Bucknells and Bradleys. He survived those set backs in sore he will from the Oregon loss as well.

But why did the writer use this year as a time Self might leave or be fired?? Was it because they saw when son Tyler was graduating? Did they see the weakened in recruiting and lack of depth? Why this year and not last or next years?

I don’t think Self leaves. Where is he going?

But could you imagine the spin cycle the coaching carousel would take if Coach self was fired from KU? How many other coaches would be fired just so they could get their hands on Self for their head coach?

Remember what President Roosevelt reportedly said “Complaining about a problem without a solution is whining.”

Yes I am a new member as I wanted to comment on something I saw online last night.

Now to read other commentary on the rest of this board.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Could be the players want to be the ones who get coach over that hump and out the pressure on themselves?

They get tight. They get “puckered” (which seems to be the word of choice around here). They try to hard to get coach the next Final 4.

Look at how they have played this past season. Once Number 13 was wrapped up it seemed the guys were a little more relaxed. You hear them and coach talk about how non of them want to be the team that snaps the streak of conference titles and they put that pressure on themselves.

Maybe the same can be said about the players wanting it so bad for coach in the Elite 8 that they put the pressure on themselves.

And once shots stop falling you tense up a little more to try to get the next one in and so on.

This was an incredible story.

After dealing with lots of teenagers and listening to them and working with kids who lost a friend or family member to suicide. All I can say is there are no answers.

There’s no right or wrong. You can do everything in your power and it’s still not enough.

It hurts.

@Crimsonorblue22 I’d hope not.

I’ve got the chance to meet a lot of coaches in the 15 years I coached HS ball. I got to meet Coach Self at a coaching clinic in 2006. Was brief but he is a great person. He shook hands with people and talked with us lonely HS coaches just to see how we were doing. Listening to him talk Xs and Os was an amazing experience.

@mayjay of course, since Bill already tried that last year by getting rid of Brannen Greene, and it didn’t work!

That’s funny. Well played.

Those two kids became pretty dynamic the next two years as teammates. They pushed each other to be better in the summer and just fed off of each other’s energy.

#14’s dad asked me what I said to him after his freshman season to make him work even harder. This kid was talented as a pg. handles for days. Court vision and a good shoot. Natural leader. I told his dad it wasn’t me. Wish I could take credit but it was his competition onnthe team. Unfortunately after his junior year he tore his Achilles heel and ACL in a bad wreck and was never able to play any more. His leg was orettt screwed up.

http://es.pn/2n94ST1 Cal getting it from National media for not winning it all enough.

@Texas-Hawk-10 So the defensive intesity the improved in the second have just happened! That wasn’t an adjustment made by the coaches?

I feel like you are asking to hear a story about Bill Self in the under 12 timeout telling jokes are pointing out a celebrity in the crowd ala Joe Montana in smthe suoer bowl pointing out John Candy innthebhuddle before the 49ers went on a game winning drive?

Different people handle pressure differently. Maybe Frank put so much pressure on himself to carry the entire team it affected him? How does Coach Self stop that? Bench him?

As a coach you can prepare prepare and teach and talk about it. But once the flame of the game is lit. Things change.

@nuleafjhawk Good to know. Gotta have something to fill my time during retirement now that basketball is over and I don’t get to scout any more.

@cragarhawk Whitlash, MT hence the name here. Not much around. Not much to do but stay warm in the winter and enjoy the outdoors once we thaw out.

When I read about this and they said fund raising wasn’t going to be enough. I wondered how many alumni are or have played professional ball? How many ex players became coaches at different levels?

Why not ask some of those guys for some backing?

Unless they knew Hurley was going to retire soon and knew finding a replacement would be almost impossible.

But it’s always sad to see any school close their doors.

This was an incredible story.

After dealing with lots of teenagers and listening to them and working with kids who lost a friend or family member to suicide. All I can say is there are no answers.

There’s no right or wrong. You can do everything in your power and it’s still not enough.

It hurts.

Does anyone know the number of Division 1 teams that are located within the Eastern time zone?

There are 347 Division 1 basketball teams. It does seem there are more D1 teams in the Eastern time zone than the other three time zones (putting Alaska and Hawaii in the Pacific time zone for sense of ease) together.

Just wondering on a keyboard what the odds are on Eastern time zone teams winning it all compared to the percentage of teams located in said time zone compared to the number of schools located outside of the Eastern time zone.

My late afternoon two cents on this, is to me this year it seemed the further you moved West the softer the team was.

You always here coaches say they want that “Philly tough” or “New York Tough” kid on their team.

After watching UCLA a few times this year, Ball didn’t like contact, he avoided it at all cost. Oregon may have been the toughest team in the Pac12 this year and it wasn’t Dorsey or Brooks that made them that way. Bell was their toughest piece until he went against Meeks who had a career night against him.

Who was KUs toughest player the past two years? The kid from Virginia Frank Mason. Speaking of of Virginia, West Vitginia plays a tough game inside the paint. Fouls or not they are a physical team. Maybe Tony Bennet should incorporate some of that to his Virginia team.

Duke didn’t have the toughness this year. Kentucky had Bam. South Carolina had a few guys taking a que from their coach. Gonzaga had the bearded giant and Williams-Goss who were both very tough physical guys.

Maye, Meeks, and Berry were all tough guys and played very physical ball. The toughness of the title game really affected Just Jacksons game.

So be it population, playgrounds or whatever on the east coast that toughness goes a long way.

Again that’s just me adding my two cents and not saying anyone is right or wrong in their beliefs.

I was worried after the 2008 National Title what Self would be able to do by replacing so many parts to the wheel gone. All he did was get a few late recruits and use the “next man up” philosophy and kept winning and recruiting for seasons to come. Self has a way to fit players in roles that work for them. This year Josh at the 4 instead of the three. A stretch 4 but it not only helped Josh but opened things up for everyone on the floor. So it should be fun to see the difference between what the team looks like from November to January.

@JayHawkFanToo shouldn’t his first goal be to get them out of the cellar of the SEC?
Maybe working his way up to competing for a conference title?

Will be a cold day in He!! When MU wins a National title.

@HighEliteMajor I always took issues with Refs who anticipated a call and blew their whistles early thinking there was going to be a foul. Cause once that whistle blows it’s not like football and they can wave it off. The other thing that got to me were officials that were overly dramatic when making a call.

Those things may or may not have cost me a few warnings.

@JayHawkFanToo You are a lucky man to have family. Wouldn’t trade family for anything in the world. I miss my wife every day. Never had kids of my own, just the kids who played for me. It’s missing them come back to town and seeing how they’ve grown up. But the internet helps a little with that.

But Minot uh. And I thought I was in he middle of nowhere. Lol.

@jayballer54 where will KU be ranked st the end of this season?
Ended the regular season as #1. Will we be 4th? 5th? 6th? Can’t see us going too much lower than that.

@JayHawkFanToo Got enough firewood to last. Collected a lot with this cabin but there are plenty of trees around.

There’s a sign in the Postoffice that reads, “Welcome to God’s country. Because if your car breaks down only God can fix it.”

It’s pretty true

When I split the land and built the road decided that the two cabins would be within a half mile. That way if all else fails we could snowshoe and play cards and see somebody.

I enjoy being up here. Last winter which was my first had a few questionable weeks but this year it was all good.