@approxinfinity I have always admired the way Coach Self speaks at press conferences and on Hawk Talk. He speaks spontaneously and without any pretense or affectation. His agenda always seems to be to give a thoughtful and direct answer to the actual question asked. I don’t know of any other coach who handles himself so well.
Let me add my voice to the chorus… I just finished your post on the PG situation. I am impressed by your thinking and the way you present your ideas in words. Your post brought out a lot of good back and forth from other posters, and that is always a good sign. KUBuckets is such a good site because of thoughtful posters like you. Thanks for your efforts.
@approxinfinity Thanks for posting this interview with Travis Releford.
Listening to Travis talk reminded me of something about Perry Ellis. I have seen Perry interviewed a few time after a game and , as much as I respect his basketball skills, his skill at verbal communication is low. Especially for someone who was valedictatorian of his senior class. As a graduate of the Speech Communications program at KU, I hope there is a speech coach as good as Coach Hudy to help him improve his verbal skills.
And another thought along this line. I have also seen and heard Tarik Black interviewed and have been quite impressed by his presence and communication skills. Many posters question Tarik’s value on the court (and I can’t disagree) but I think he brings great intangible strengths to the locker room. Tarik is what young athletes should (and do, I think) aspire to be–a confident person who knows his strengths and his place in the world.
We should recognize and praise personal qualities that contribute to a high-quality and well rounded person, not just skills on the court. Does a leader have to play to lead? I would say no. As much as I like sports and think it can contribute greatly to a person’s life, it is only one part of a multi-faceted personality. Sports ability will inevitably decline over time but self-confidence and a sense of self-worth can last a lifetime.
One of my concerns about one-and-done players is that they miss the opportunity and time to develop themselves in early adult life. Staying in school for several years gives a player a chance to develop into a person like Tarik Black. Perhaps that growth and development can be done as a professional athlete, but I think it would be much harder.
I see that Oklahoma State beat Colorado 78-73 in Las Vegas last night and I got to wondering what the pre-season results say about the quality of the Big 12 basketball. I hope some of the better basketball minds will shed some light on the question.
Strenght of schedule This seems like the best indicator to me. It’s a good place to start, anyway. Perhaps some one can help with the formatting.
RPI School Record SOS from CBSSPORTS.com
1 KU 8-3 .6818
7 Baylor 7-1 .6248
35 Texas 10-2 .6199
45 OKS 11-1 .5659
67 Iowa St 8-0 .5534
114 OK 11-1 .5286
168 TX Tech 7-5 .5029
187 KSU 8-3 .4935
264 TCU 7-3 .4579
WV I couldn’t find one for this season–probably my lack of skill
(FYI, Colorado beat KU and lost to OKS. The Buffs have an RPI rank of 31, 10-2 record, and SOS of .6178. Between Baylor and TX)
So KU has the most losses but the highest RPI rating, not only in the conference but nationally. Pretty good, I think.
What say you?
@wissoxfan83 Thanks for posting. I think you pretty much nailed it, from my perspective. I’m looking forward to conference play to see how we stack up with Oklahoma, Baylor and Iowa State.
Keep in mind the spacing of the games during the regular season. It’s basically two games over a week instead of two games one day apart. This may make a difference.
His posts about the shoe companies stacking some schools with talented players has been proven, in my mind
@jaybate-1.0 I read the whole thing twice and I swear I felt my IQ rise by 10 points. And I’m now a little better looking, too! Thanks a bunch!!
@wrwlumpy I really enjoy your recent posts. Seems like you are more active than I remember. Keep it up!
Welcome and don’t be a stranger. I expect you will be amazed at the level of expertise here, myself notwithstanding.
The love of money may not be the root of all evil but I’m pretty sure the NCAA makes a lot of money by marketing student athletes. So they sound a little sanctimonious when they punish the student for violating NCAA rules. Seems the foxes own the chicken coop but don’t want to own up to their self-interest.
I don’t have a good answer for how to keep the game honest when there is so much money floating around. I don’t think all the onus should be on the athletes, though.
I feel bad for Cliff and KU, but mostly Cliff.
@wissoxfan83 I appreciate your recent contributions and this one is a good reminder to monitor ourselves so others don’t have to do it for us. Keep up the good work!
@BShark Tripper is a good nickname for Grayson.
@Crimsonorblue22 I think it is embarrassingly awkward. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend, or something…
@wishawk I can’t believe no one has complimented you for posting this. It’s great!
PSU player Devon Branch bugs me because he can do (and did do) whatever he wants.
Branch scored 27 point on 9 of 22 shots and 9 of 12 free throws in 31 minutes. Not one KU player could stop him. How does that make sense?
Some possible explanations I can think of: –He is the next Michael Jordan. –PSU stole a great player who was not recognized by the other two or three places he played. –KU players can’t defend. –Players who are ‘in the zone’ cannot be defended.
I’m pretty sure all of these are wrong. So is there a better explanation?
Over many years I have watched games where one opposing player goes nuts and scores far above his average and expectation. I’m not talking about Kevin Durant from Texas dropping 40 or so points since it was no surprise and he is a great player. I don’t think this is the case with PSU’s Branch (no offiense, Devon).
What should a coach do when an unheralded player is having a career night: –Let him go until he reverts to his average? What if he lasts for 50 points? –Play a box and one? Deny him the ball by putting a lock-down defender on him–or maybe two? –Foul him before he shoots? Better two points than three, maybe. –Just keep playing your game plan and hope for the best?
All you indightful posters, help me out here.
Edit: Oops. Make that insightful posters. Is my typing worse or my proofreading?
Here is the link (http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/24/4573919/kus-dexter-mcdonald-finds-a-home.html)
I wondered about why Dexter McDonald had to go to Butler County Community College and then came back to KU. This article give an explanation.
One interesting aspect is that he considered himself a basketball player in high school and had to re-invent himself mentally to focus on football (yes, I am reading a lot into it). I think this is hard to do and admire his ability and success in doing it.
I loved this article!! The 1988 championship team worked their miracle and created a special era in my life that is connected to my first wife and our two children. Chris Piper was/is a part of that and always will be.
Piper was an intregal part of the team and went on to have a public life as a broadcaster. I liked his color commentary and felt he added greatly to any broadcast. I remember when he announced that he was leaving the television scene to do fewer games on radio. Now I can see why.
Chris Piper was a sterling example of a fine young athlete and the passage of time has shown us that he had matured into a fine person all around. I hope we will be saying the same for the current roster of KU athletes in 25 years.
Looks great so far. I’ll post if I have a problem. Reading this on my tablet while visiting my granddaughter (14 months) is wonderful. Thanks for all your hard work.
Thanks for posting a wonderful photo. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Going to a game in Allen Fieldhouse is a special experience for a fan and maybe a little intimidating for everyone else. I think you caught a piece of the essence of the Phog!
@jaybate-1.0 Dude, your writing is as dense as a double fudge brownie with thick chocolate frosting. I want two hours of college philosophy credit just for reading all the way though it.
That said, you set the bar pretty high when you advocate for such a reality-based and rational review of the KU football program. Sadly, I am too old and cynical to expect that the university will do this kind of analysis.
@bskeet This ESPN article hits the nail on the head. It points out what I am worried about. The OAD process will turn college basketball coaching on its head.
From the article: “Every season, Self’s teams have been a combination of talented youngsters, promising stars and reliable, program-sculpted veterans; every season, players from one group slowly move into the other.”
But not this year, when we will hope that the freshmen class can catch on quick enough to take us all the way to the national finals.
Thanks for the link
Not trying to be mean, but KUSports needs some good posters like HEM. The comment sections are anemic, to say the least.
I’m still mad about losing Jaybate, tho.
@HighEliteMajor I admit that my expectations for KU football are exceptionally low so I’m not as upset about it as others are. Still the optics are bad, very bad.
USATODAY has a good round up of the marathon of games Link : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/11/13/10-takeaways-from-tuesdays-24-hour-tip-off-marathon/3508415/
What caught my eye…
Wichita State beat Western Kentucky 66 to 49. Maybe the Shockers know something many other programs don’t–like how to play defense.
Joe Dooley and Florida Gulf Coast made the list, winning 65 to 51 over Hartford (who??). Then Joe breaks my heart by tweeting that the FGCU fans are “Best fans in the world. Thanks”. I feel so jilted (a little). Beak em, Eagles!
Huggie Bear at West Virginia loses to Virginia Tech 82 to 87.
Baylor beat S Carolina (coached by Frank Martin) 66 to 64. According to the article, “After a lengthy video review, officials determined that the game was over, and Baylor had a victory over the Gamecocks on Tuesday.” I saw the video of the refs telling the coaches their decision. Frank still has his trademark stare.
Well worth the read.
Thanks for having the courage to share with us. I’m not a very spiritual person but I will be pulling for you. And we will celebrate your return in a few months. Rock Chalk, you!
According to the story, “Taylor etched his name in the record books again by shooting 35-of-70 from the field, including 24-of-48 from three-point range. He made 15-of-17 free-throw attempts to finish with 109 points, the third-most in NCAA history.”
I can’t even imagine how a player puts up enough shots in the course of a game to score this much, even if there isn’t much defense being played. Is this a one-man Globetrotters show?
I just logged in after being away several days and all I can say is it looks great. I’ll have to nose around a bit to get familiar with it but the first impression I have is favorable, for sure.
Also, there is a nice round-up of Saturday’s games over at USA Today, including this tidbit:
Kansas: For all the emphasis on Andrew Wiggins, we’re starting to realize the Jayhawks’ frontcourt is mighty impressive. That was clear in an 86-64 victory against Georgetown, with Memphis transfer Tarik Black battling for 17 points to complement star freshman Joel Embiid’s also-sound 17-point performance. Kansas had 46 free throw attempts against Georgetown, tied for its most in a game over the last 15 seasons. Another kicker for KU: The Jayhawks seemed to have found a point guard in Naadir Tharpe, who’s playing much better under poise and had 10 points in the win.
@mayjay Here in Topeka the occlusion will be 99.2%. I think I can be satisfied with seeing it here is the 60% chance of rain doesn’t interfere. The DW may have other ideas, tho…
@wissoxfan83 Arizona in 97. I’m still hurting.
@wissox so is the eligibility use-by period more or less than a hundred years?
@justanotherfan I used to think this way too but now I realize there is so much more to life than money. First I can’t feel bad for any 20ish man who has five million dollars. He should do well if he just a little financial sense. So what if he doesn’t get another thirty mil?
Second he also won’t get physically punished for several years. He won’t have to travel all over and be away from home.
I don’t mean to minimize his bad luck and he will have a challenge adjusting to losing his dream. But five years from now he may well be thankful.
@jayballer54 Thanks for the warning–I’m glad I WAS sitting down when I read this post. Pretty amazing!
@wissoxfan83 if he were my son I’d be proud as punch of his character and performance on the court. He did so well in a tough situation and I hope we get more like him in the future.
@Gunman It’s great to see Gary win a major tournament. Since I’m not a golfer, he is the only reason I watch it on TV.
@HighEliteMajor I respect your knowledge and experience, and I also mostly agree with you. I do wonder if we would be discussing this if Embid didn’t get injured and we had won the national championship. So my question is how much should injuries affect your analysis. Kentucky wasn’t the same without Nerlans, but with healthy players, they do very well, thank you. And KU was a lot better when Joel was healthy. Just saying.
@drgnslayr thanks for the chuckle. I sure do appreciate you and all the other posters here. Some of the other boards get quiet in the summer but you guys keep cranking out the smiles!!
Thank you for posting this. I don’t follow the NBA much so I wouldn’t know about Tarik if you (or some one) didn’t post about him. Tarik Black impressed me with his maturity and positive attitude during his one year at KU and I hope he prospers in the NBA.
@KUSTEVE Thanks for the chuckle… “The Most interesting team in the world”
Thanks for the smile. I do wish you had left Bob Knight out of the story. Thinking of him kind of ruined it for me–just sayin
Thanks for posting this. Jamari has always been a favorite of mine. I would love to see him do well in post-league play.
I agree with most of HEM’s points. I also think the second half fizzle was due to playing through Perry Ellis when he was clearly injured and ineffective. I think we would have been better off with Mickelson and Lucas.
So if a coach leaves, could all the players go with him to the new school?
@Crimsonorblue22 I just checked the score KSU 23 and OK 9. EMAW!!
@nuleafjhawk I can’t disagree and yet the wildcats did KU a big favor recently I’m grateful for that
I can’t read about this without wondering how the current trial and its outcome will affect 2019 recruiting . Will the payoffs be out in the open? Who will be the highest bidder?
I don’t see how this genie goes back in the bottle.
