Posts made by drgnslayr

@nuleafjhawk What I like on youtube tv is the virtual hard drive. Save us much junk as you want without regard to disk space. How does HULU work?

@nuleafjhawk Cool! Let us know how that works out. I’m youtube tv. I also do Netflix… would be nice to save a few bucks. I also use Plex. It’s my favorite for movies and most tv programs.

I almost started this thread before the last game. I know one thing… sign up per month because if you do it annually that money is gone! I’m probably going to drop it after this run of games on ESPN+. I say that but I see ESPN and YouTube TV aren’t compatible right now!

Thanks for the post. Perhaps we should use this post for everyone to share their bball media sources. I’m always looking for a fresh perspective!

It’s a time when we need two things simultaneously…. To win games and not break the bank. Neither of these two goals will be accomplished by firing Lance. And no one is going to say he isn’t hustling his butt off. And, if anything, his assistant coaches might need to be looked at more critically since football is largely coached by assistants anyways.

@SlimShaddy54

I look at it this way… the longer it goes on, the better our chances. I say that for all the obvious reasons… he’s thought to stay in Kentucky… he’s Nike and we are Adidas… Everything seems too obvious he isn’t going to KU. In those cases, time is on our side. If the decision is so obvious, what is the delay? The delay implies to me that the decision is not so obvious!

White is invisible. He’s our invisible assassin. No one pays attention, and he’ll probably average 16 ppg this year. He finds ways to score.

We have several guys that can put up decent numbers on a semi regular basis. And then there is DP… there with the lights shining bright, attracting defenders like bugs around a light bulb. He’ll find his way to get his but more important he’ll create scoring space for others and his basketball IQ will take advantage of it. I’m less interested in how many points he averages a game versus how many assists he averages.

Our bigs show promise, but on offense, they require plays, often two-man plays and lobs. None of these guys are Kareem with a sky hook in the post. Which of our 3 bigs will become most proficient at pick and rolls? I’d like to see all 3 bigs learn to “crash the boards!” We could really use a big man coach about now! Obviously, Vaughn isn’t a big man coach but he knows how to teach guards to utilize bigs in several ways, including high ball screens.

This is okay and we need to be able to play without him because there is always a good chance he’s out some games in the year. I don’t like the idea that the rest of the team just counts on him every night to secure wins. And just look at that game. We looked pretty average for most of it.

We need a guard to step up and be able to run this team without losing a lot without DP on the floor. We have a ways to go before that happens.

@BShark said in KU vs Louis Takeaways:

Elite wingspan Hawks. This team can and will muddy games up. BAD BALL @approxinfinity

I’m even thinking a lot more positive… creating defensive stops followed by a lot more runouts! If we keep that speed and push open court I can almost guarantee you it’s the impact Vaughn has on this team.

What I am taking from all of this… as long as we have Vaughn, a lot of our old bad habits that always hindered us will be gone! In past years we would have turned the ball over a lot more in this game. Without doubt!

@BeddieKU23 said in KU vs Louis Takeaways:

A few more thoughts. Jackson looked athletic as heck and a lot more physically mature. He didn’t handle the pressure all that great in the 2nd half but made all his free throws. I think he needs to play to that strength of getting downhill and getting to the line. Council reminded me so much of Tyshawn. He’s a dog and a heck of an athlete. Did I mention this is a very athletic team? It’s great to be able to say that again. White was a bit of a mixed bag but ended up with 14. Those two 3’s was good to see a 4 finally stretching the defense. Need to see more of him. He was consistently mentioned as one of the best players this offseason by Self

I heard Jackson is in better shape than where he was as a freshman. A lot more muscle. @Texas-Hawk-10 said it… he was forced into his role two years ago and right into a lot of pressure. He will not be at the center of attention and can play off the ball now. I’m excited for him! Just hope he (and everyone else) stays healthy!

Council = TT… hopefully more like TT in his senior year!

Our length is sure a nice luxury. It’s a tricky length because it isn’t all about height. We have guys with long arms. And being long with skills of dribbling, passing, moving… By the end of the year, we should become a very dominant defensive team! And that means plenty of steals and runouts!

The depth is another luxury all together. We can throw different looks at teams, and everyone we play will have to learn to play against multiple players at each position. Speaking of positions… our guards are basically positionless! Who really is our PG? I’m going to say DP because I see him leading this team, but we’ll want him to play off the ball, too.

I think Elmarko will be a better player than the Elmarko we knew his freshman year. He seemed nervous his freshman year and the game was sometimes too fast for him, even though he is very athletic. Maybe he was thinking too much instead of just playing. I’m not sure he is completely over that but I think he’s come a long ways!

Hey… how about our Hawks!

It’s great to feel some real optimism again about our beloved Jayhawks basketball!

Here are my takeaways… whether or not they are accurate, it’s just my opinion.

DP IS THE REAL DEAL! - Watching him go live in college was everything I could have hoped for! Not only can he shoot the trey ball, he can do everything else! He created baskets for others, stole balls, and his defense isn’t too bad (still needs help). THIS IS HIS TEAM! You can already see how most of our guys have adapted his demeanor; cool headed, always with purpose, efficiency!

JACQUE VAUGHN IS PRESENT! - Even though we had 16 TOs in this game, if we didn’t have Jacque, it would have been at least 25 or more TOs. Our guys are being coached (finally) on how to pass through traps. I’ve never experienced a KU team trained up in this before. They step out and leap if they have to and create passing space from the trap. I bet this saved us 10 TOs! Louisville wanted this game bad, and their secret weapon was their press and traps, which usually works on us. Another huge factor in this game… Louisville did NOT control the tempo! This is an area we are famous for letting it be dictated to us. They wanted to speed us up and when we could we made it a sprint game in the open court. When it wasn’t there we slowed it down until the end of the shot clock. I hope they maintain this strategy moving forward… running whenever possible… because this is a great team in open court basketball! We’ve never been this capable on the open court pass and I’m going on a limb and giving credit to Vaughn!

TILLER IS A BEAST! - Many of us have discussed his potential for a year or more now. It’s verified! It takes a lot for me to admit we may have more potential running two bigs… so I will at least say we need to keep running two often throughout games just to keep our bigs from rusting… and that includes Mbiya! He should get more than 2 minutes a game.

SEVERAL OFF NIGHTS! - We had several players not playing to their potential. Give them time. First on my list was White. His stats look okay but he wasn’t on. I think he may be our guy that needs to shift the most from his past game to fitting in with our team. He had several defensive flubs, turnovers, etc… and his net impact on the team was a -6 and I saw why. Spacing… timing… basketball IQ. He’s a great player and we need him to figure it out. Kohl didn’t do much and I have to admit he looks a lot smaller in size. KU has him at 6’6". I wonder if he is even 6’3". I’m not throwing him under the bus and he will become a solid player. Council had a horrible shooting night but he still put up 11, mostly FTs. It’s great to see players shooting FTs. It means they are mixing it up! He had steals and created problems for the Cards. Looking forward to a healthy Dawson and what he can contribute!

EXHAUSTING GAME! - Been a long time since I watched a Kansas team move this fast up and down the court! I hope we keep it up and we finally do what I always begged Self do on some teams… use our athleticism and bench and run run run! DP is showing me he can handle the speed and maintain composure running this team!

I haven’t been this entertained watching a Jayhawk game since our last championship game! RCJH!

We are now victims of the description of Einstein’s definition of insanity. I’m so glad Daniels is done this year. I heard the kitties are already petitioning the NCAA asking to give him another year of eligibility.

He looks like a work in progress… needing to improve lateral pursuit. This is where we get into possible trouble if our calling card becomes athleticism extending on both sides of the ball. On defense, if he’s the weak link we can waste the efforts of 4 athletic defenders because of one slow guy. I say that, but I’m also reading he has a good sense of the game and has good skills finishing at the rim (not just dunking). We need to see more of him to understand his potential. I don’t want to be the one prejudging his potential.

@Jhawk69 That has caused a lot of chatter in the Jayhawkosphere about Khol and that he has come around much quicker and will have a huge impact.

@SlimShaddy54 said in We're preseason Number ... 19:

Wel I see where Jerome is off and running- -making some pretty strong remarks I reckon , saying K/State has THE BEST PG – -THE BEST SHOOTER – -AND THE BEST ATHLETE in the Big Twelve this Season.- -Strong words Jerome-- -REAL strong words.- - question did you hit your head dude ?— Did you fall and go BOOM ?== time will tell

It’s Jerome making noise because of how invisible KSU is to the basketball world, especially the B12 world. We are all looking forward to a very competitive, quality B12 this year and there seems to be no oxygen left in the room for the purple kitties.

@BeddieKU23

Yes! Then maybe it means reformatting it.

Maybe it keeps an entertainment part of it, but add in some things.

1. Dunk contest.
2. Invite pro scouts (I think Calipari has done this)
3. Add in other challenges like a combine for players to show off their abilities.

Make it entertaining but also helpful for players to be seen by scouts.

I’m sure others would have some ideas.

Is it possible KU didn’t want the scrimmage footage aired as an attempt to keep us lowly ranked early in this season? Maybe they are finally seeing the value of the drgnslayr CHIP! lol

@dylans It’s pathetic that we have to hunt out how to watch Late Night… almost like they don’t want it promoted. Looking forward to seeing the fellas run, if nothing else, just to get a taste for the speed and athleticism on this team. I’ve been under the impression we will be a lot more athletic than last year’s team… but I’ve heard that before! Seriously though, I’ll be surprised if we aren’t noticeably more athletic!

Not trying to slam Harris… but often he look anemic and I know for certain DP will bring energy to our guard group.

Good for Zub… He put his time in and improved his craft. Hard to say what would have happened if he had stayed. I think many of us have come to believe Hunter was good on paper, but his overall impact was a deficit. He also liked to say controversial things and I just don’t think that has a positive impact on the team. Makes me think back at the Morris twins. Anyways… looking forward… and I’m a Flory fan and believe this year will be quite the ride! Anyone predicting National Championship?! I’ve been spending extra time watching DP’s high school days. This kid is a basketball savant! I know he is jumping up a level, but how can his game not translate to college… and quickly the NBA?! I have to admit I see some Kobe in him!

@dylans said in 2026 Recruiting ( Crazy but ):

I respect all upfront. My disrespect is earned. Flory has earned it.

Man… thanks for going this way because I thought I was the last holdout on “old school” principles.

Read my last thread… I hate most of college basketball but am excited about Self and how, once again, he will meet the challenge of the changing landscape. Was it excitement about Self, or was it the reality that I finally bit the bullet and accepted the landscape myself?

You are still holding on to the old college basketball. That ship has sailed. I can relate to your comments… but Flory isn’t the problem. You might say he is the symptom. I even think that is a little harsh. He’s a foreign player feeling very blessed to better his life financially and comes from a background where making this kind of cake is nothing more than a lottery dream.

4 recruits now

@drgnslayr said in The Future of Jayhawk Basketball...:

I feel confident we are about to receive our 3rd big commit any day now and the timing fits my scenario… I’ll be shocked if we don’t sign at least 2 more blue chip prospects this fall. The goal is to prevent our starvation from guys in the portal so we can be more selective as we attempt to lift our talent level while maintaining some level of cohesiveness.

I’m sticking to my prediction and I’m “Mr. Jinx!” lol We are up to 3 now.

@wissox I know what you are saying… but how many D1 schools are keeping quality veteran teams around now?

This is exactly my point. I’m certain Self would like to keep a mostly-veteran team of talented players. I just see that possibility now fizzling out as the portal, NIL, and loose transfer rules make it hard to keep talent around for more than a year.

Look at our 2022 championship team… Braun, Agbaji, Wilson… McCormack (had a NBA shot, now in Europe). I’m not confident we can keep a team like that together long enough today. I think Self feels the same. And he also feels more comfortable with top shelf HS talent over portal guys that all bring in their experience, but it isn’t KU/Self experience.

I feel confident we are about to receive our 3rd big commit any day now and the timing fits my scenario… I’ll be shocked if we don’t sign at least 2 more blue chip prospects this fall. The goal is to prevent our starvation from guys in the portal so we can be more selective as we attempt to lift our talent level while maintaining some level of cohesiveness.

What stimulated this direction for me was his moves in assistant coaches. I don’t see us directing towards typical, old school, Self ball… which was directed towards emphasis on defense and a process that takes a player years to implement. Those days are over. He’s been forced into a different strategy. We are being built to accept a strategy of heavy player turnover. I don’t believe had bought into this strategy until very recently. It doesn’t mean he won’t try to hold on to some pieces every year… but he knows it’s a new world for college basketball and so he is adapting to the new game.

I smiled when Kinney committed to Kansas. Meanwhile others are telling me to get ready for several highly-touted commits very soon.

Anyone else feel like Coach Self has committed himself… to a new direction for Kansas basketball? It feels like we are in the process of retooling our coaching staff and philosophy more towards high school top-tier talent. You know… the infamous OAD!

In the past, I was always critical of adding too many OAD players (or potential OADs). I was one of the guys who overused the term “revolving door” teams.

Today is a different day. With the transfer portal, NIL, and a key shift away from long-term commitments I believe I’m like Self and starting to embrace going after more OAD-type talent.

Why? Why not?

Look at last year. We had several OADs and none were NBA-draft lottery picks. And to be honest, it seems to have become easier now to recruit in players, either from high school or from the portal, to fill spots we need, especially as our financial situation sweetens now substantially because of large donors.

I may not be as involved in KU basketball as I used to, but I’m pretty sure I know one area of thinking Self has towards players. He has to go out and recruit new players every year and he also has to put heavy energy into recruiting players already on the team in the prior year.

Self is a “players’ coach.” And he is starting to learn that doesn’t mean he can coddle players that aren’t necessarily going to ever contribute in games. I think he’s realizing the value in player turnover. Yes… you heard me say that!

“Self ball” is getting a rebrand! No longer will it be “old school” ball that takes years to embrace. If you don’t believe me, you only have to look at his recent changes in assistant coaches. He’s building a staff built around player turnover. Whether or not you agree with this approach, it is the reality we live in today. Without all the changes to the game, it is unlikely we would have made this move.

Next year will be the big roll out for the new brand of Kansas basketball and Bill Self’s recreating himself (once again)! I haven’t always agreed with all of Self’s moves in basketball but I have always giving him credit for landing on his feet when change is needed. Change was needed after the last two years showed to us, clearly, we couldn’t just build portal teams and expect “KU results.”

Will Self stick around? Unless he suffers unexpected health consequences, I feel like he has committed at least 3 to 5 years to complete his newest brand of basketball!

And though I do not like the current direction of college sports… I am very excited about the direction he will take us in! RCJH, Coach Self!

Says he measured 6’3"… and that’s before he gets the “KU inches!” lol

Guess he is already recruiting Stokes and others to join him.

He acknowledged Vaughn in his decision!

AI has been around for a while (as we think of it). Photoshop is an example. A couple clicks and you’ve completely manipulated a pile of pixels. And now, even Photoshop, can go further with tools like prompts. I’ve spent the last 3 days trying to train a video AI tool on what I want. In the end, it trained me on how to ask it. lol It’s been a humbling experience. I first thought I was the boss…

@dylans That was exactly my opinion from the beginning… when AI was in it’s infancy. But now it has grown into a toddler and becoming more useful. Beware… the terrible teens are coming! lol

There must be an AI tool out there somewhere that could compare players… crunch all their numbers and then weight factors of importance. I know… I know… I’m an AI sellout. I’ve just had a very successful business month where I dumped a huge load on the backs of my slave laborers… 3 AI platforms that saved me from doom!

@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.