Self is good to his players because he really feels it deep inside. Self was a real player himself… not some bench warmer who later took up coaching.
He has done a lot more for players than will ever be exposed in media. I know this to be fact. He isn’t doing it just because it makes him look good.
By the time these players make it to college… and especially 4 and 5-star players… they have been “played” by so many coaches and wannabees. Self has a solid rep with recruits.
HighEliteMajor said:
I have to disagree. You can play great defense vs. a drive by sagging off multiple feet. Gives significant time to react.
Historically, you are right on. But today, and also with refs preferring to eliminate almost all contact, it’s harder for defenders to stop those drives. The drivers also realize their advantage, plus they are becoming more aggressive how they drive. Marcus drives aggressively. And he realizes he doesn’t have to finish right at the rim. He often does a “drive by.” Where he just has to finish in the lane and use the backboard, even from some distance.
More players are (finally) realizing they don’t have to finish right at the rim. Driving by and using the backboard at the proper angle almost guarantees a score. Meanwhile, defenders are often trying to guard the rim and thinking they can maybe catch up at the rim.
Marcus is a cleaver player. A lot more cleaver than people give him credit for being.
Back to history… in the past, I always felt like it is best to give a player space to start his drive. I’ve changed my mind with the changes in officiating and drivers being swift of foot to slightly change their directions.
Self has masterfully taught our guys how to use a “curl drive” where they curl into a driving lane. This has been one of his big time achievements and I feel like in years ahead he will be recognized for this as much as the chop.
Teams are learning they can’t just back off Marcus because he’ll pick up speed and drive to the rim. And without pressure on him he can make very precise passes.
Every once in a while he’ll try the trey, and well he should. Sometimes.
I’d like to see him become a better shooter as the year progresses.
Hey, we are Jayhawks! We have no time to go backwards second guessing ex-players and bashing them. Let’s just look forward to our great season!
We see a kid like Grimes, and that body, and we think “man”… he was young, he is still young. Something didn’t rub him right and he was a kid. I tend to give kids quite a bit of slack. I was a kid once… back when dinosaurs roamed the great plains.
Anyways, Q… good luck and go make yourself a career!
Devonte is smoking the league. He’s like a magician. The real test for him will be next year or maybe even by the end of this year. Teams are just starting to realize him as a threat and spending the time doing deep scouting. All his tricks will be learned and he’ll have to adjust to being figured out.
But here is the thing… I think Devonte is the guy that truly has some magic! He will continue to go to his hat and pull out new tricks. He reminds me of Andy Reid at the Chiefs. Every year teams think they finally have him figured out and then he rebrands his offense with new plays.
Not a bad idea. What we need is our assistant coaches to spend time with Lucas. Learn how to teach our players better.
It all feeds into my concept of having the best developmental program in America! Let that be our recruiting card. Then when we hit the recruiting trail, let recruits know their game has a long ways to go and Kansas is the place to get them there. That should help weed out some of the headcases thinking their poop doesn’t stink while helping us land the smart players that have a grip on the game and where they stand and desire to get better.
I’ve watched him at Houston. I can’t even recognize his game from what he was here. He’s hustling and using that body everyone always boasted about.
I think he just wanted to be a star. He doesn’t want to share the spotlight with anyone, and if pushed, he backs down. My guess anyways. He backed down at Kansas.
It just goes to show that you can’t always tell about players. They are all unique individuals and some fit well on a team and others don’t. It speaks volumes for team chemistry and when you get a team where everyone is on the same page, it shows up on the final score and in March.
I know one thing… I like our current team, a lot! I’m not seeing the problem player that weighs down on everyone. I’m seeing a team of guys that all want to just be a part of making the team better. If we go far in March, this will be the reason why, much more than just having the guns. We’ve had plenty of teams full of guns.
There is a good write-up on Marcus at KUSports.
Is there still fans out there thinking Marcus doesn’t deserve playing time or when we play Marcus we are eventually doomed?
It seems that many voices against Marcus started to die down last year, before Marcus was hurt when he drove to the basket with ease. Marcus started to show us he can be an offensive threat.
Does Marcus have potential at the next level? I think he does. He’s doing an excellent job in the areas of the game that are hard to coach up players on. When he leaves Kansas, he will have a lot more time to work on his game, on his jump shot, on his handles. He will have access to specialty coaches who can help polish his game. I know most people don’t look at the NBA as a place where defense is valued. But defense counts, especially in June.
Self is open in praising Marcus and how he loves to coach him. That says something we should all listen to. And I bet it will carry some weight at the next level.
Marcus is the perfect candidate to take a trip next summer to hook up with someone like a John Lucas who can guide him through his shooting mechanics, and also help polish his finishes at the rim.
Marcus is a team guy. He makes other players look better. He makes defense look better and he’s a good passer who sees the game well. He fills in some areas on the stat line to help the team look better. I bet his time on the court shows a positive gain on the scoreboard.
If we go far in March this year we will have Marcus to thank for that. He’s a glue guy who makes the team better.
College sports has grown to be such big business that you need a figurehead that can pass the political mustard.
I feel that Self is the best speaker we have ever had in the position of head basketball coach.
I can think back to coaches like Roy and Larry and I can point to times where they said the wrong thing.
Self doesn’t put his foot in his mouth. And though it looks like Self and Townsend made a goof by communicating directly with Adidas, those snippets appear to be all that is against them. I’m thinking they are a dream for a good attorney to battle on their innocence.
Time passes and it works in Self’s favor. Emotions settle and reality emerges that the NCAA has little to base their case on directly relating to our coaching staff. In fact, their accusations now look more like bait, trying to get Self to flinch and blow it. He hasn’t blown it. And with every day passing, the NCAA looks more like gestapo and Self/Townsend look more like victims.
I know I have my crimson/blue glasses on… but my thoughts are that Self will receive a fat extension after this NCAA stuff. They may go ahead and extend him during the process.
So far every part of KU has been very supportive of Self and staff and fighting the NCAA. This bond goes back from the early days of Self at Kansas and we have been the beneficiary of a lot more than just winning games. Look around on campus… The Self/KU relationship has been the best thing that ever happened to KU!
Hard to point to many in college sports that will leave such a successful legacy as Self has.