Posts made by drgnslayr

@kjayhawks We don’t have any legacy football teams left once OU and Texas left. We are now a certified blue collar league.

On 4th down I felt it came down to Lance feeling more faith in our defense over our offense. All Mizzou needed was like one first down to ice the game and they were already smelling victory, at home! If we were the Philadelphia Eagles, I might have trusted my defense in that scenario… actually… no I wouldn’t. On offense, we needed 7 yards to keep the drive alive. One successful play and we are in the game to win. On defense… Mizzou would have had several downs to ice the game with another first down. This is math.

A few years back when we were one of the worst football teams in D1 we weren’t highly critical towards the coaching. Now, fan expectation is to WIN GAMES! What comes with that is a more critical perspective on the coaching. I’m a big fan of Lance… still… he made a monster error in the late punt and has to be called out on it. If he keeps that mentality, to that degree, we will remain very limited on how many games we can win!

I’m super psyched up on this team. I’m certain more of you would be if you saw them practice. The athleticism alone is going to shock you. I know we will have plenty of tests this year before March… especially teams like Houston. But I like our chances on preconference games because even though we are a team of new players, they will start off ahead of many other teams. The questions down the road will be about injuries and if we can continue to develop at a rapid pace to keep up with the competition.

I was screaming at the tv on that stupid punt. Mizzou was moving the ball with ease and giving it back to them was the end. And what a message he sends to his offense… he doesn’t trust their execution on big plays. @Texas-Hawk-10 called it right… indefensible!

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in KU Roster for 25-26:

On paper, I love the roster composition this season so much more than the last 2 years and I think as long as Self’s health holds up, I believe this team has a legitimate chance at making a Final Four this year. On paper, this could become one of the best defensive teams Self has ever had. Every player brought in that’s expected to play big minutes has a reputation of being above average to elite on defense.

My thoughts exactly!

Hunter was a unique player and I don’t think his game worked well for any team out there. He had skill with his repetitive offense… but he moved like a slug out there. Plus… he played soft. When we needed our guys to really buckle down against the better teams he wasn’t bringing that extra energy. We’ve usually had bigs with less offensive moves but they would get pushed to turn up their intensity when we needed it. Big Mac… TRob, etc… even Landen Lucas brought extra juice when we needed it.

@Jhawk69 Good assessment! I have to add… which Juan? I thought last year’s Juan was bad. I didn’t like the way he ran the offense. He rarely actually created offense himself like he used to by having plays with one other teammate to score. He was recognized for his defense in past years but he wasn’t outstanding at D last year and was often a liability. I’m complaining… but I still liked Juan tremendously.

The biggest problem with last year’s team on offense… every player (except Mayo) we had was one-dimensional. KJ, the year before last year, started to nail down midrange shots and floaters. That was gone and teams dared him to shoot those last year. Hunter was the closest thing to a 2-dimensional threat with his long ball, but failed and then teams learned to just get a hand up from trey. Rylan… only required a little outside D to shut him down. Juan… refused to attack.

I think we will have a lot more multiple-dimensionality. Just having a guy like DP to carve up defenses is a huge start.

I am hopeful for a team very improved over last year’s team. First, we will immediately experience a team with a lot more athleticism. That doesn’t always translate into victories, but I look back on last year’s team and how Harris and Dickinson looked anemic (along with defensive anemia from Storr, Mayo, and Griffen). I think DP will be the key and it is my opinion he is figuring out how to make other players better. Flory will be a beast, especially since his minutes won’t just be an afterthought. Part of our offense will be building offense around Flory. All his attention will just light him on fire with enthusiasm. My only worries are foul trouble, though he will have more weakside and on-ball defense support this year.

We are due for a good “chip year!” No more lofty, silly preseason #1 ranking!

So…. I’ve learned patience. I don’t have to watch games live. I’ve trained all the people around me to stop with spoiler alerts. I’m thinking I watch games after on YouTube. Even when I have live games I usually delay to cut commercials. Will I be impacted by all this gouging?

Two Thumbs up!

I don’t remember a single soul in here predicting a natty just ahead of the 2022 season. Play the game and enjoy the show! RCJH!

It’s a long season. Once we start play we get an early gauge, then it becomes the real test as the season progresses and we find out if they can continue to improve at a rate equal or better than the pack. This is where the joy came into focus with our last championship team as they stepped up big time towards the end. Other teams fall off often from injuries or players showing too much wear. I haven’t had much of a view of our new team but my early impression is positive on physicality and overall depth, holding promise of not wearing down as long as we avoid injuries.

I just returned to the states from a 3 week holiday. Flipped on YouTube and caught Andy Katz “The Sideline” and a 5-day old interview with Bill. I highly advise everyone catch this for a great update on Jayhawk basketball and also get a glimpse of Self right before he went down. He seemed very vibrant to me. Same with the the official KU pressie he gave at the same time. Bill had a sunburn!

@SlimShaddy54 absolutely correct!

People… stents are common. I know many who have them for more than a decade.

This procedure is common with men his age. I’m not jumping on the bandwagon his days are much shorter at the helm now.

I found this read interesting. It centers around B12 football but surely has implications for basketball, too. It seems that schools like TT have adopted quickly using their big dollars on front loading. Also interesting how HS NIL is growing.

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/we-dont-know-the-rules--big-12-coaches-still-wrestling-with-new-world-order-after-player-payment-changes-013454522.html

Just a feeling and I don’t want to jinx anything with a detailed prediction.

I’m holding on to a thought that Self has one more trick up his sleeve for that final scholie and it might be the key to our season success!

I’m curious what this does to the world of college agency. Might this finally put an end to less-than-professional agency representation still present in college sports?

Is Lexi now our first GM?

And Self is waste deep in 2026 recruiting… doesn’t show signs of him walking out the door. Maybe all the recent skepticism is fueling him. Might he have a recruiting chip on his shoulder? It’s been ages since I preached chip!!

@wissox said in The portal.:

If I could get paid for each of the comments on this thread…Wondering if it’s safe to shut er down now? Is Bill done? Roster is set?

I don’t believe we are done. I’ll be surprised if we don’t use that last scholarship. Seems like we have our immediate needs addressed now. Maybe its time for Self to pull an ace from his sleeve and land someone who can offer additional flexibility in a lineup… like a 6’8" PF capable from the perimeter with handles and defense. A guy who could play 3-5 position. Maybe we sit on an Int’l prospect who has to get legals in order because we aren’t really at a loss if we don’t fill that scholie.

I’m happy about this addition and feeling very positive on the team potential. We should have a more athletic team than the past years and possess solid defensive capabilities. For those worried about height… I’d rather have athleticism and long wing spans. Should be a very difficult team to beat anytime we bring energy!

@dylans

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

I don’t think NIL has destroyed college sports either. This will take an adjustment period and trial-and-error rule changes to make things smoother.

Until there are multiple year commitments it will be unstable and not super enjoyable for this fans particular taste. Time will tell.

I’m not so sure legislating that within the NCAA framework will hold up in federal court. I feel like college basketball will more likely mimic pro ball with player contracts that specify years and amounts. Even that would require major changes.

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

Are we getting closer to imposing harder transfer rules now that universities can pay athletes directly and there is a clearer contractual legal path? I dont think NIL destroyed college sports, it just pulled the curtain back. Now we have to align what the schools and fans want with what the athletes want. Time to make the fans happy and lock kids into multiyear contracts.

I don’t think NIL has destroyed college sports either. This will take an adjustment period and trial-and-error rule changes to make things smoother.

We were all living an illusion before that college athletes would pick schools strictly by being fans of that school. I am sure that money is the biggest or one of the biggest factors now for players, so why shouldn’t it be? Money incentives drives most employment situations.

It will take us years to uncondition all of us to start treating athletes like people in other work places.

@dylans said in The portal.:

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

@SlimShaddy54 I worry about visas for Int’l players. Our current federal government is a mess.

Wrong thread. The politics section is wide open for comments.

Sorry about that. I definitely didn’t want to inject politics in here. But in this particular case, there are issues happening with foreign student visas.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/06/18/us-will-resume-suspended-foreign-student-visas-begin-vetting-students-social-media/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=forbes&utm_term=se-staff

@SlimShaddy54 I worry about visas for Int’l players. Our current federal government is a mess. I’m pretty sure if Bill gets a shot at a USA big he’ll sign him.

He reminds me of Bill Russell when he’s 2-ft from the basket. . But seriously… he would fulfill one of our needs. Love his athleticism. Solid for ball screens, rebounding, defense, maybe even top of the key defense.

Yep… My wording was a little strong on the use of “stupid”… I apologize. And even under the heat I didn’t mean that directed personally… but to an idea. Again, sorry to everyone in here.

I’m not an expert in this area but I haven’t forgotten how this all went down originally and harnessing every aspect of NIL will be unlikely because it starts infringing on rights then ends up back in court.

I know I keep mentioning Duke… I have Duke grads close by and they let me know how Duke is on a real mission to dominate and are doing it by getting out ahead of the changing landscape. Of course, that leads me into hypertension!

So the good news is we managed to divert our thoughts away (a little bit) from recruiting. And on that, some of the people in my circle dropped a heavy on me by stating the recent KU recruiting failures weren’t based on KU coming up short on NIL funds. Then my blood pressure shot up again! Lol

BTW - we are only viewing this like a traditional celebrity-style endorsement contract. Where the real money is …. Far above the NIL abilities of KU is the support of Kansas alumni owning valuable companies who are huge fans of the basketball program. These people are spread all over the world. There are opportunities to connect these people with players in the role of sponsorship but it’s essential a gift but structured as a business tax write-off. This alone is an endless resource and though they are hit up for endowment contributions hitting them up directly for basketball contributions and more personal, directly helping one specific player is an opportunity for raising about any amount possible. To my understanding, Duke is all over this.

Before you comment… I’m not describing an AD fundraiser. I’ve attended those lunches. And every month I’m hit up by endowments. But no one has contacted me specifically on behalf of a player. Granted, these times are only developing now, as universities will be capped on NIL and the big avenue for extending benefits beyond this limitation will be private NIL.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I knew the Freddy’s management and it carried at least throughout Kansas. It was more lucrative than $25k.

I never indicated there would be a huge sponsor matching KU’s contribution. If it was someone’s 365-day job to locate sponsors there would be many deals that would add up considerably… doubtful to match KU funds, but still a consideration for athletes.

I’ve had a lifetime of sales and just the people and industries I’m associated could make their most notable athletes pretty good spending money and nothing to sneeze at. My own business is national and not much in the midwest or I would be a sponsor of one or more athletes.

To say finding NIL deals in this area isn’t worth considering is absolutely stupid.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Flory received sponsorship from Freddy’s. It was NOT from KU.

@Texas-Hawk-10

Flory wasn’t much last year and he did a sweet deal. Don’t pretend to know it all.

@Texas-Hawk-10

There is some valid points there. But I guess you know a lot more than Freddy’s marketing.

KU basketball is the only winning basketball in the KC area and, once again, we scored the best player in the KC area. Royals and Chiefs are great but no basketball fans in KC? KC is a big fan base for college sports… a major reason why they own the B12 basketball tournament.

Hell… how about selling KU to Lawrence businesses?

I guess why I’m frustrated is because I come from the business world. KU AD comes from education/not-for-profit perspective. It seems like such a no-brainer to me that KU leaves a fortune on the table by not fully utilizing the marketing potential of the athletes. We LOVE our guys! When I see an ad with a player I don’t change the channel. And I think more favorable towards the sponsor. I feel positive every starter on our team would make at least a cool million every year through private endorsements. Perhaps two or three times that amount. I feel certain it would help relieve some of the financial pressure on the AD.

@approxinfinity I don’t think we have anyone doing this. I could go out everyday speaking to businesses that have an advertising budget and would be happy to have a ball player in ads.

I could be wrong… but hasn’t Self scored late American players that had something go wrong with their committed team before? Didn’t that happen with Frank Mason?

I could go out and sell KU players to KC businesses all day long for NIL… $3 million? No problem.

Seriously… we need someone who can sell NIL deals to businesses in KC and Kansas. We will never keep up with east coast money.

@SlimShaddy54 It has been frustrating. I think most of our recruiting issues are financial. The AD is below water because it’s just stretched too thin. The football stadium is probably our biggest challenge right now.

I feel certain that we will need structural changes in our basketball program. The extent of it may not be possible while Bill is coach. I’m not positive he is sold on hiring a GM (for example). It sure seems like one of the missing pieces in our program now.

I also feel like we need new blood and likely younger blood in the program. I think we now are seen as an “old school” operation. Duke is a school I despise but I think we would do very well to model many of the needed changes to what Duke is doing.

Can’t make a post like this without complaining about our ability to develop players. The closest example I have to compare us with is Houston.

@nuleafjhawk What is your work? Coaching college basketball is something I don’t understand on the hiring practices. I know some of it is political… a bit of a popularity contest. Otherwise, I think it requires visionaries to see the future when hiring. I don’t trust myself to pick the next KU coach… but I like the idea of JV coming in as an assistant, and I can sense the potential of him being the next Kansas coach.

I’m on board thinking JV is trying out to be Self’s replacement. And I support this maneuver!

@wissox I’ll bring a case of beer!

And who do we have building NIL private deals? Another part of the job of a GM?

I’m thinking we need to go after endowment contributors to invest in NIL. Does this make sense? NIL is still relatively new… but I’m thinking KU alumni are happy to divide their endowment contributions to split into education and sports.

So Williams left town without signing…. Aargh!

@ImmunoHawk Or thirsty!

YES!