Best posts made by jayhawk 007

KU players, coaches, avid fans and marginal supporters,

Congrats on another year of fun, high level play, great effort and strong results. I had predicted in a previous post at the start of the year another Big 12 Title, another 30+ win season and another Final Four appearance.

Hey, two out of three, and almost three out of three ain’t bad…close but no cigar. Disappointing but the sky is not falling. The program is in excellent shape and our team had an excellent chance of going all the way, but so do other teams, like Oregon. I guess it was not meant to be.

Here are a few subjects we KU fans who follow religiously our team and believe every year we can go all the way, might like to consider:

1. This team and this group of young men performed at a high level and fulfilled their “contract” this season. We were not the overwhelming favorite and a dominant force in college basketball. No one is anymore, as any of a dozen teams can win the title in any give year. Let’s be thankful we are ALWAYS in the hunt. We had a good shot and came up short. No lack of effort, no shame, no one’s fault. Last night, we got beat by a better team.

2. Oregon has as good or a better team than Kansas this year. Many sports fans do not make a distinction between “should have won” and “could have won”. There is NO WAY they wanted it more than us. There is NO WAY we were outhustled, out coached or unprepared. If you look at the rosters, they are bigger, longer, more athletic than we are, and they outplayed us on the floor last night. Period. Hats off to the Ducks!

3. We could have won and were the favorites and were playing at home, we all agree on this, but this game was NOT a meltdown. Oregon got ahead early in a very rugged start for both teams. JJ got the two quick fouls, they made some very tough shots and played tough, smart D. They rebounded well and blocked our drives to the basket (Jordan Bell is a beast), and worked their butts off, and just beat us last night. Man up KU fans, single game elimination tournament at year end is like that for us AND the other programs as well. Please refrain from trashing the coach, any of the players or our wonderful basketball program and tradition. Show some class and help us move forward.

4. Coach Self had an outstanding coaching season and is evolving on the offensive side of the ball. He let them play, we jacked up threes, we tried to run, we tried pressure. Many of us on this rat board (including me) have criticized Coach Self for not having a more free-flowing game on O. The D is always good and came together nicely at year end, but the O was terrific this year and our schemes have improved. Live by the three and die by the three…high risk, high reward.

5. Oregon played very hard, got an early lead, hung on in the second half of the second half (last ten minutes when we made a mini-run), and got some fortunate breaks shooting and rebounding the ball. That’s the way the ball bounces in this and every game we play. We did not make shots (5-25 from 3) and they did (11-25 from 3). They outrebounded us 36-32. They blocked more shots and got more 50-50 balls NOT because “they wanted it more and some of our guys did not have focus” but simply because they are equal or more athletic (bigger, strong, faster, quicker, taller, longer…) player to player than we are, AND because they got lucky at key moments in the game.

6. We fans often underestimate the luck factor in the NCAA tournament, the way the ball bounces into one team’s hands and out of another team’s reach. If there is a big talent discrepancy, no big deal. But if the talent is equal, or the teams are evenly matched, one game is a crap shoot, period, even at home in KC. We have won and will continue to win our fair share, including in the NCAA tournament, just not this year. The odds will prevail if we keep knocking at the door.

7. Bravo to the seniors, we bleed blue and red for you and feel your pain.

Frank - you are an inspiration and a great, great KU player and ambassador whose jersey will hang in the Fieldhouse with the other hall of famers in the mecca of college basketball. National Player of the Year 2016-17!!! Good luck at the next level.

Landon - you have performed (if possible) beyond your abilities as well as any KU player in history, making an outstanding contribution to this year’s team and over the past five years. Thank you, good luck next year and we hope to see you playing for money, somewhere.

Tyler - it is not easy being the coach’s son. You have won the hearts of the Jayhawk nation and we hope you will continue in the profession. Ask you dad for a job…

KU fans - once we get through the grieving process, we will reflect on our wonderful memories of this year’s team and all the exciting victories (and comebacks!), and another Big 12 title to keep the string alive.

Stay the course and do not lose faith. Our time for future Final Fours is coming, and will come in numbers, and is just around the corner.

Rock Chalk!

A few thoughts on the current crop of KU basketball players and how the year is shaping up.

So far, the Jayhawks have performed well and over-achieved in non-conference play. A great start to another great year. I predicted at the start of the season, one more Big 12 title, another 30+ win season, and another one seed in March.

Concerning the Dance…injuries notwithstanding, and the crap shoot nature of a single game elimination tournament…we have a strong shot at another Final Four and a fair shot at a Championship. Let’s see how we hold up in Lexington and how consistent we can play during the conference games in January and February.

In any case, this team is better than the ones which have taken the court over the last two years. We have more depth and overall talent and balance. We are a better team and more upset proof this year, even without our wonderful senior leadership at point guard over the past two years.

The biggest surprise this year is our freshman point guard, Devon Dotson. He is Tyshawn Taylor fast baseline to baseline, and a better player as a freshman than either Frank or Devonte was their first years. He is tough, very competitive and loves the game. He plays good D and all he cares about is winning. He wants the ball in his hands at crunch time, poise and decision-making. He already drives the lane fearlessly. Stud!

Q has been getting better but lacks the Josh Jackson alpha dog attitude, and the Andrew Wiggins talent. But he could end up being a better college player than either of them, especially if he stays another year. He is our wild card and could take off at any time to assert himself as an all-league talent, or he could remain hesitant and unsure of his game. His D and rebounding and passing are good and getting better. His free throw shooting is excellent (smooth stroke). He is attacking the basket more and we hope that his shot will start to fall to give him confidence. If yes, KU becomes even more elite overnight. Skill!

LaGerald at the small forward (3 position) is streaky and explosive. His play early this season is the only reason we have one loss instead of three or four. His attitude and body language are good, but his concentration and basketball IQ are not yet at the level which would allow him to be the senior leader the team needs. We would not be nearly as good without him, glad he came back for his senior year. We need him to be a solid, consistent contributor with the occasional break-out game. Athleticism!

Dedric is an all-American double-double machine. He has paid his dues and is a model of efficient play. He scores and rebounds and passes at a very high level, every game, averaging about 20/10/3. The scoring and rebounding will drop a little, but the assists will grow over the next two months in conference play. His man D is average, and his athleticism is not very impressive, but he is a poor man’s Larry Bird and a great college player. He is our rock and our best player. We love his game (he is always in the right spot on the floor), and his commitment to the team and winning. Big 12 POY!

Dok is a mountain of a player who is still a teenager! He is remarkably quick and fast and athletic for a man of his size, and he is getting better, more skilled with each passing week. Injuries aside (the big guys get hurt more in the growing phase from boys to men), he slides well and runs well and is quick off the floor with his first jump ability. He wants to do well and cares about the team first. Powerful!

Our bench is better and deeper and more complete than any time in recent memory, especially Garrett who can ball even if he cannot shoot. Tough! We can and should use the bench more this year.

As HCBS said very astutely after our last game: “Our best Offense is with Doke. Our best Defense is probably without Dok.” Dok is an asset on D as a rim protector and rebounder and lane clogger. But as we have already seen, against an opponent with five shooters (4 + 1) who knows how to play (forced switches to gain match-up advantages), two Bigs (Dok and Dedric) on the floor can be a weakness (remember Nova last year).

The team is infinitely better offensively with Dok in the game, and even playing with two Bigs when he is out of the game, playing the traditional hi-lo. To win it all and reach our potential, we must shoot and make more threes. Better to keep shooting them even if we are not a very good long ball shooting team, 22-25 per game (8-9 makes), on average. Different team, different skills, different year.

I predicted three months ago that this would be an elite defensive team by the end of the season, playing better on-the ball and team D than in recent past teams. We are not there yet, but we are improving. Very happy to see coach try some new combinations (trapping, full-court pressure, playing D further out to disrupt O and not allow open threes…). Should we take even more risks on D? Go for more steals, be disruptive and aggressive – coach calls it being ‘active’. Yes!

We have a deep bench and capable guys. Be more creative on full-court press on occasion, double teams more often, trap the post like last game, at least a couple of times every game, get into passing lanes, hard fouls (no more ‘and ones’ against us going forward!). Switch to zone from time to time. Mix it up and add more pressure D coach, this team can handle it.

Keys to success: tight M2M and Team D, with classical Hi-Lo offense playing through Bigs, kick out to open threes. We do not need to score 80 to win, 70 will do this year.

Good luck to the team and coaches as we enter conference play. It is remarkable our string of consecutive conference titles, never before and never again. The Dance is the cherry on the cake. Let’s eat the cake first and enjoy every bite.

Rock Chalk! Happy New Year to Jayhawk fans everywhere!

Rock Chalk to KU fans! Football is finally over and basketball is here. We might even gain a player from their squad, a minor contribution to KU Athletics, but hey when you are where the football program is, every little contribution counts. KU BB is so fun to watch this year, even better than last year! The guard play is tremendous. This is the best shooting and passing team we have had in the Bill Self era. And the fastest. And our head coach is turning them loose. He screamed at Lagerald for not jacking up a quick three in transition in the last game. Imagine that! We have come a long way on the offensive end, and our coaching philosophy has adapted to the current personnel and to a more modern style of play. However, the change is more than jus the current roster of players and shooters, the old school coach has evolved for the better on O. Although we have not yet seen a KU player turn down a lay up to pass to a wide open three point shooter (like Golden State does), we are running and gunning and using our athleticism and our superior talent to speed up the game and shoot it early in the clock. Shoot the open three!, always, at any time! It is the most exciting development from a stubborn coach who knows how to win and will play his team in the best way to procure the ‘W’, no exceptions.
I will leave it to some of the other board rats more into analytics than me to provide the percentages of three point shooting vs two point shooting related to “best chance to win” statistics. It is certainly more modern and more high performing than the old conservative style of play on O.
I just love the spread offense (in the corners) and the hybrid hi-lo (unclogging the lane), not just because we are guard heavy but because it is a high octane powerful force in modern college ball. We can still dribble-drive and shoot or pitch, but no longer have to feed the post as our first option every time.
We can win by outscoring the opponent but as we proved against UK, we can win even when we do not shoot well. (UK is slightly down this year but KU is really good and showed tremendous toughness and senior leadership in that game). If we can keep Dok in the game we can play at a very high level and win any game, including the ones in March. When we get Billy back in a month, and get the high schooler (mini T-Rob) on the team at the end of Dec, we will be ready to make a very serious run. Plan B -which might be enough - is to have Mitch for “pitch and pop” and a few blocks, and Plan C is to have the football tight end knock people down and out for 2-4 min, if and when that particular game requires it. But our guard play is just a joy to watch. Frank was the NPoY but we have a better unit this year. Out current five, soon to be six are super studs and their D will get better as the weeks go bye.
We have a few weakenesses on individual D, keeping people in front of us, and our rebounding is still questionable, but our O and intangibles make up for it.
Our team D will get better by March. Our O is already top of class. This is the year, barring injuries, that the KU fans will get the cherry (Final Four) on the cake (another Big 12 title and 30+ win season). Believe it, this team stays healthy, this team is a favorite for the National Title. Rock Chalk!

Here we go…

At the start of this year, I predicted another 30 + win season, another Big 12 title and another Final Four appearance. This team is fast, great passers, even better shooters and surely could develop over the course of the season the tough high quality team defense we KU fans are used to since Coach Self took the reigns.

Plus we have a nice mix of senior leadership and youthful talent. Plus we have the best coaches and trainers and fans. Plus we have home court advantage. Plus we have the Rock Chalk magic!

But when we saw early on 6’5" 175 lbs Lagerald at the high post against a tall and long Washington team in KC instead of 6’10" 240 lbs Billy, and the game result - the way we played as well as the final score, I had a small doubt. Then with no more Billy on the roster and our beloved Jayhawks down a game in conference play, I had a bigger doubt. We needed another big badly, and Dwight (he would have been great this year for KU) and Billy (poor Billy, sad to see where he is at now) were out of the picture.

With Billy developing normally, we would have been an elite team, with a high development (lottery pick talent season) we would have been a Final Four favorite, with a low and slow development, still pretty damn good and better than we have done to date. With Dwight we would have been much better. But without either one…and Mitch has played to his potential and Silvio is still a year away…I did not like our chances to win the Big 12 this year.

All wishful thinking…we know the story. We caught a break with the injury to TT’s point guard (like we have caught a few breaks a few times over the past 14 years, remember Griffin’s timely injury) and here we are BIG 12 CHAMPS again! Absolutely remarkable for the program, HCBS and this year’s group of players.

Devonte’s play at WV and at TT was out of this world, and as the song goes, “We are the champions…” He has single-handedly willed us to another title, by attacking the rim, getting to the free-throw line, playing D, running the offense, staying positive…Big 12 player of the year with no elite talent around him, remarkable.

Now we enter post-season play. The touney will be interesting as we have no depth and the games - if we win - will be back to back to back with no rest. How will we play Devonte 40 minutes in 3 straight games? And the others 38-39 minutes a game? Let’s watch closely to see how coach plays it, assuming we get past the first game to play another one.

Other than entertainment value, and possibly a seed line up or down, the post-season conference touney means little. But the conference title means a lot! Please no more comments about how the Big 12 conference title is insignificant if we do not make the Final Four. How we would trade all the conference titles for one more national championship…

Winning the conference and making it to the final weekend of the Dance are not mutually exclusive. Getting a One Seed and not making the Final Four is not under-achieving. Getting a Two Seed and not making the Elite Eight is not under-achieving, especially for this team. This team has already OVER-achieved, by far. Anything else will be icing on the cake.

To the contrary of most fans and probably everyone reading this post, the conference title actually means more in terms of accomplishments for this team and our program than a deep run in the touney. The two-game series, home-away, and the way the Big 12 is set up make it very favorable for our team and our coach to win, not every game (like single elimination) but over the course of an entire season of conference play. BRAVO TO THE TEAM AND TO THE COACHES FOR ANOTHER BIG 12 CONFERENCE TITLE, REMARKABLE!

Devonte: stud. Svi: stud. Doke: young stud. Malik: potential stud. Legerald: trying hard to be stud. Marcus: intangibles stud. Mitch: “white men can’t jump” stud. Silvio: future stud. Coaches and Trainers: consistent studs. A very impressive group and we are very proud of them this year especially with their play and their results so far. KU circa 2017-18.

The odds of winning the national title are low for every team, every year and there is rarely a dominate group who is assured a Final Four, or a championship trophy. This year, there are at least a dozen teams who COULD win it all. None SHOULD win it all. If the game is close, I like our chances. But an off-shooting night and we are toast.

Single elimination tourney is a crap shoot and so we have many random and unpredictable things that can happen in: injuries (Embiid), two quick fouls in the first few minutes of a game (JJ), bad bouces of the ball or a lucky shot by another team…and all the teams after the first round, and especially after the first weekend, are really, really good.

KU this year - as coach has said a hundred times - are very vulerable with no margin for error. Take the eye test looking at most of the 65 teams athletes in the Dance this year, or even the Big 12, next to ours for the current roster of KU players. We are small and weak and a poor rebounding team.

It is hard to shoot it lights and play your best ball and get all the breaks for six straight games. There are a few examples. UConn did it but that is a rare case. KU this year would have to pull a UConn to get to the final weekend of play in the Dance. Can they do it? Yes. Will they do it? Probably not.

But in all cases, we have had another great season of highly entertaining college basketball. Wherever the chips may fall, let’s be supportive and encouraging to this team of players and coaches.

The first test may come against OSU tomorrow. If we play them again, let’s see if we can prevail against a team who has whipped up twice badly and has superior atheletes (not players, but atheletes). Winning the post season games is a lot more fun, but not necessarily the only thing that matters for this year’s team.

Rock Chalk Post Season Jayhawk!!!

Open message to HCBS and staff: Svi needs to see the court today! Major minutes and make sure he gets a chance to play well (run a couple of plays just for him, for example). The family weekend for this young future (all conference next year) star needs to be very positive and reassuring.

Svi: you got off to a great early start and you will be back in the rotation by year end, helping us to another conf title, a deep run in the Dance and an explosive sophomore year at KU. No worries…you are the man. Have fun in front of mom & dad this afternoon, and a wonderful family gathering a long way from home.

Fans lucky enough to be in the Fieldhouse today: a special warm Jayhawk welcome to Lawrence, KS for the Mykailuks!

Good string and good thoughts about how to develop the best team to peak at the right time, end of season. Here are a few thoughts to add to the debate:

• of course the most important part of the season is the tourney in March and of course the ultimate goal is a NC and of course the fans, the coaches and the players all agree on this

• however, the NC is not the only thing that matters - sorry - and this type of thinking is modern media hype where everything is about March Madness (back to the shoe conspiracy theory?)

• KU fans should always be happy and grateful that we win lots of games, especially at home and many conference titles - that string of 11 in a row is rarefied air in any sport at any time so please do not belittle it and make light of the accomplishment which is absolutely remarkable

• we have slightly underachieved in March and one reason might be because we have not developed the freshman fast enough with more playing time even if they are not the best option night in and night out…maybe but maybe not

• the last two years would have been VERY different if Jo-Jo and Cliff had played in March, and we would have made it deeper into the tourney (although WSU had a very good team too)

• now, back to the debate about who plays and how to develop talent: the best TEAM should be playing, not the best players and certainly not the best POTENTIAL players - this is not the NBA training league and the gamble to lose a few close games early on in order to get the freshman minutes which will ultimately pay off in March is a weak argument, at best

• the Keagan article built on the Self post-game, is not a reflection of the influence of these board rats on this site, as if it were responding to us (come on, guys, get a grip!) but it is a legitimate open debate on the best way to build the best team, which many KU fans are asking

• I was at the game on Tuesday (lucky to get court side seats) - the first one of the year for me - and was amazed once again at the knowledgeable KU fans who were all posing the same questions in some form or another - how and when do the freshmen post players get going

• Bottom Line from our Discussions: KU has a great team this year, but not great individual talent (no Wigs, no Jo-Jo…), therefore we need very strong chemistry and team play on both ends of the floor to be at our best, and the team play is far more important than the individual play, especially this year

• the freshman post players (Carlton and Cheick) are very inconsistent and often out of position and overall a net neutral on the court whereas the upperclassmen (Landon, Hunter and Jamari) are not as talented individually but make the TEAM so much better on a consistent basis ; the move to start Hunter has helped, and the composite 5 is a good strategy

• playing time will develop the young guys but that first year is very tough to “get it” and unless you are a lottery pick you are not going to make a major contribution to KU or any elite team as a freshman, and sacrificing the team (and wins) to get you there is a poor, low percentage gambit, in my opinion, the freshmen are a long ways from being difference makers on a consistent basis (maybe here and there in spots, with certain match-ups on some nights…)

• none of our guys are pure NBA talent: they are mostly tweeners who will have a very rough time getting drafted and even making a NBA team (except Perry and maybe Wayne), and yes, undoubtedly the freshman post players have the highest ceiling of anyone on this year’s team but they is still a year or two away

• our guys are all great college players and our guard play is exceptional - Devonte, Frank and Wayne with BG and Svi off the bench are the best five in the country and Coach Self is using them well (more open offense, more dribble-drive to shoot and kick out, more threes early in the clock, more individual play-making, more pressure D, more rebounding from the guards…)

• Perry is by far our best option night in and night out, and when he turned it on in the second half (after a pep talk at half time), we were an entirely different team the second half

• we are playing a freer hi-lo than in the past, more trust in the play-makers, our offensive performance has been really good and consistent, we are running more and playing more aggressively on O which is a wonderful use of this year’s talent, and our D is picking up

• our rebounding is improving on both ends - we need more from Wayne and BG in this area

• this is a good passing team - very good ball movement and our big guys are starting to pass better with each game - Play of the Game: Wayne’s forward pass in the air to Devonte to Hunter for the “and one” had the Field House rocking!

• after Sat and Mon we will have a better idea of how good we really are, but I am predicting another Big 12 title (this is a GOOD thing, guys) and a deep run in the tourney (Final Four is indeed the goal for us to have a GREAT season)

• Rock Chalk!

We have to give it up, once again, for Head Coach Bill Self.

He has evolved in ways I was not sure he could, especially in offensive scheming and nonbolded text play calling. He has moved from a rigid “my way or the highway” hi-lo, feed the post, never jack up a three early in the shot clock, run my stuff to get the best shot philosophy, to a more modern run & gun off the break, dribble-drive, penetrate, take the open shot when it presents itself early in the clock or not, penetrate and pitch, “make a play” style.

This is not just “adjusting to his personnel”. This is a key learning and an evolution of a hugely successful coach. It is so hard to change what has been successful, especially when it is your core belief.

Our Head Coach has changed for the better. The evolution is not just this team of players, but the way to play with superior talent, running “option offense” (like run-pass option in football). It is remarkably effective and more dynamic and creates improvised play-making opportunities for our guards.

Snacks deserves some credit, but mostly the old stubborn “I will always play the percentages to give my team the best chance to win, in every circumstance and with every team” head coach, has modified his basic philosophy, not just to “fit the players he currently has” but to take advantage of the three point shot and superior athletic talent. BRAVO!

Coach: you are the best and yet you have gotten better. Well done.

Board rats: let’s talk offense and break it down a little more. This is an exciting time for KU basketball. Now we have a world class offense to go with our world class defense. I applaud and encourage the new way.

Nova is a better team, athletes and players, best program in the country over the last five years. If we played them ten times, we would lose eight or nine.

They shot lights out early and got confidence, the basket grew and most shots where swishes from downtown. The set the record for made threes (tied it in the first half!). That shot at the start of the second half after we had a glimmer of hope as the shot clock expired, from way downtown…enough said.

Their front court was better than ours and their back court was better than ours, deeper and more versatile. (In the title game their bench guy 6th man scored 31 and was named Final Four MVP…wow! that is depth and many weapons at a whole different level, GREAT O and much better than average D, just a complete deep team with talent and experience, 'hats off to the program and this year’s crew and coach Jay - they are truly the elite college team)

So, in summary, we (and everybody else) was completely outclassed, offensively and defensively and Villanova was peaking at just the right time. There is NO WAY we could have jacked up 40 three pointers, come on man!

Also, the number of threes depend on the quality of the shot, not quantity of shots attempted… You either have to step back and take a looooooong one from way downtown, or your O scheme has to allow for open catch and shoot looks, then knock 'em down. No one is going to get his own consistently off the dribble at the college level.

The way they were running their offense and the quality of looks against our average D was not going to be successful unless they missed and got tight, and the opposite happened.

BTW…the Big East is NOT mid-major, come on man! It is a good conference. And Nova peaked at just the right time…like a court full of Newmans confidence wise in their shots in March. That team would beat anybody consistently at the end of the year. They would outscore with great O or grind it out with strong D. The great defensive teams this year (like UV or MSU or TTor WVU) did not have the fire power and the great offensive teams (like KU) did not have the D to compete and win consistently against that team, this year, in March.

The ONLY thing KU could have done which we did not do was close out better on their three point shooters which MIGHT have disrupted their rhythm just a little. We tried but were a step too slow and with the big guy we could not protect the three point line after the switches. They had SEVEN players hit a three in the first half and all starters had at least two threes in the first half! Unreal. Once they got going, it was a fret train.

TT was the best defensive team in out conference this year and they disrupted a little bit more the open threes that Nova creates through mismatches and GREAT ball movement. WVU is good and their press is really good. Nova beat the field by double digits. And they got better each game!

Still, as their POY stud point guard said, “if we we were not hitting shots, we would have just grinded it out and still won”…impressive and true, just as they did against TT.

BRAVO to KU players and coaches who got as much out of this team as humanly possible.

Great year, lots of fun, no embarrassment in the semis…just ran into a buzz saw who shot it lights out. Thanks to all in KU nation for a highly entertaining year. We overperformed, be proud and happy and supportive. Well done!

GREAT Big 12 champs again (14 straight is amazing), Big 12 touney champs w/out Dok was impressive, GREAT GREAT Elite Eight win over Duke - by far the game of this year’s Madness.

Now on the next year, as pre-season number one! RCJH!

KU BB is here and we can rejoice with enthusiastic support. Here is an early summary of our team and coaching:

• O has evolved! As Coach put it, we are trying to score off the dribble and not just he pass. Hallelujah! The old high-low is a great offense for a slow, methodical team of 3-4 year front line average talented players who know the offense and can pass but not run or dribble. It gets us the shot “in tight”, with angles and good ball movement. But it also clogs the lane and exposes our weakness against length, year after year. The only way to compensate is dribble-drive to shot or pass (kick out). We have to be able to beat teams off the bounce to win against elite competition. Period. And in years past, we have not been able to do it.

All of our starting five this year can do it: Frank, Devonte, Wayne, Perry and Jamari are all good at driving the basketball to the rim off the dribble. Our O has evolved a little and we are shooting more threes and trying to score off the bounce. GOOD! (Thanks to Aaron Miles in large part…). We are running more. Good! We are relying a little less on Coach’s “stuff” (set plays) and a little more on the innate athleticism of our elite players. Good! Go make a play, boys, early in the season so that at tourney time we are used to it.

D - we are switching much more than past years, at least early season. We have the personnel to do it. This is also why Hunter and Landon do not play as much as Jamari: D, ability to slide, quickness to switch onto a smaller and quicker opponent. This is also why Svi will get more minutes than Brannen.

Cheick will add huge D presence in the paint and rim protection and rebounding…he will make the biggest difference as a defensive stopper, just what we need! He will also help us keep a high level of speed up and down the court. Run, Cheick, run!!! Coach: Do NOT slow the game down to set up on O and D. Force the action on both ends. More possessions, we have the horses to run and press and attack and be aggressive for 40 minutes.

We have tried a little pressing too, full court and trapping half court. Not enough. We should do more. Push our players to exert maximum energy on D - we have a very deep bench, no worries.

Force the action, Coach! My prediction is that this team will be an elite defensive unit - team defense - by year end. We still need a stopper in the front court. LeGerald is still a year away…

Rebounding: Look for this team to improve considerably as Cheick plays more minutes over the next couple of months. He will pull down some boards which will make the average KU fan jump our of his chair. He will go get the ball unlike anyone else can on this year’s team (think T-Rob).

Our guards are great rebounders in spite of small size: Frank and Devonte have a nose for the ball off the rim and Wayne can do it if he is focused (not yet in his nature). We can board better on the O end and we will.

Passing - better than last year and an area which will improve vastly over the course of this season. Carlton is a great passer. We are not a good passing team yet, but this part of our game will get much better in a month or two. Our guard play will improve as distributors a lot by conference play.

Intangibles: excellent. We are tough, solid, fearless and have an edge. Self teams are like our head coach, they are determined and highly competitive.

Easily another 30 win season (maybe 35?), another big 12 championship for sure, and for the hungry KU fans, if everyone stays healthy, a Final Four guaranteed! Rock Chalk!

ROCK CHALK!

Basketball season is finally here, and the conference season is just around the corner. The team looks great and barring serious injury, we will start another Big 12 title streak and make another Final Four in 2020. This year’s team has a good blend of size, speed and length to be an elite defensive force. Coach has the personnel to run his traditional ‘hi-lo’ offense but someone should tell him that it is out of date and stale, even the hi-bred update version. Go for Dribble-Drive and unclog the lane like we have in the recent past. Regardless, we are not an elite offensive team. We lack shooters and play-makers and offensive coaching. So, we will hang our hat on D – tough D! D travels, D wins and D is more consistent that O. In Self we trust!

Coach: mix it up more between man and zone and pressure/trap, be creative.

After the Villanova game our fans were a little down on Dot. Turnover, no foul, missed free throw, bad game point management, missed D assignment, missed last shot…Yes, but this is not all on Dot. And he made the great play to get the ball back for the last shot opportunity and got a good look at the basket. The last four years we have been blessed with outstanding point guards: Frank, Devonte and now Dot. These guys are STUDS! And we remember Frank and Devonte as seniors whereas Dot is just a sophomore. Dot is faster than almost anyone in college with the basketball, in the open court. He blows by good defenders routinely and brings and unbelievable amount of energy to the game on both ends. His on-the-ball D is exceptional. He is becoming a leader on the court. He must do so much night in and night out to get us a W. No one can always make it happen, every time. It is much tougher against elite competition like Duke and Nova. He is our guy and he is still improving. He will be a first round selection next year in the NBA draft.

Coach: give him a quick second half blow every game and he will be a better closer.

Dot & Dok (we love the Double D) are by far the best and most talented players on our roster. This has the making of one of the great dynamic duos in KU BB history. Matt Tait wrote an excellent piece about them a few weeks back. Dok is getting better and will peak in March. He is only 20 years old and has not played very much basketball in his career. He looks great, slim, powerful and is becoming an elite rebounder and shot blocker. He is moving his feet and sliding better. I love his near the basket game. Concerning free throws, like Shaq, he will make them when the count!

Coach: keep him on the court at the end of the game as a difference-maker.

Marcus is the glue guy we cannot do without. We need him to stay healthy and be smart with the ball on O like he is on D. His off the ball D is world class and his leadership and occasional point guard skills (to spell Dot) will take us to the promised land. He rebounds, guards the other team’s best player, passes well and knows how to play the game better than anyone else on our team.

Coach: leave Marcus on the court all game, every game and tape those ankles.

Ochai is talented, perfect body for ballin’. He can become a second/third team all-conference player this year if he can be more consistent. He can become an elite defender, rebounder and offensive player if he gains consistency on both ends. He is so much fun to watch. Our best above the rim player.

Coach: encourage Och to drive the ball more and not settle for the long three.

David is a stud and the most articulate player on the team in the interview room. He has not yet fully grown into his body (think puppy with over-sized feet) but no one tries harder or is more competitive that Big Dave. His on-the-ball D is improving but it will take another year or two to hit elite all-conference status. He has developed a nice mid-range game which will help us win this year.

Coach: let David play through mistakes, he is a fast learner and hits the boards hard.

Silvio needs to gain confidence and he too will improve a lot by year end. He is our best offensive rebounder and a fan favorite. Soft touch, stud potential. Isaiah will win us a game or two in conference play but the ability to play big minutes is lacking, especially in ball handling and D. He rebounds well on defense. We will need him to stroke the three and have coach runs plays to get him open set shots every game. The two freshman – Christian and Tristan will need to step up and play hard and give us some good bench minutes this year. They will. Both are talented and learning how to play at the next level. The speed of the game and its physical nature take some time to get used to. They will improve a lot by year end.

Coach: use the bench more, especially early on against elite talent. They need the pressure context and we will need them to perform as the year move on, and they can only do this with game time experience.

Team chemistry is great, especially this early in the year. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Merry Christmas to all KU fans.

Wow! What an impressive W in Austin!!! Rock Chalk New Look Hawks!

This year’s version of our beloved Hawks is different from any in the past, but does have some similarities to all the teams of the Self era - we are the champions!

The observations and recommendations of the board rats and die hard KU fans are happening as this team morphs into something we have not seen before: more threes, early in the shot clock ; more outside-in play ; more dribble-drive and less pass around the perimeter ; less high-low systematic feed the post offense ; more switching on ball screens ; more depth and diversity of options ; more trap and pressure D than in the past ; and FINALLY more minutes for the Big Red Dog.

Similarities: tough D, hustle, majority of 50-50 balls, total team concept, rebounding, high percentage offense, great coaching, on-the-road poise, vast improvement over Xmas break, intimidation and mojo against other Big 12 teams who are so used to fighting for second place that they no longer believe they can win.

Frank and Devonte are incredible ball handlers who will only get better. They do not jack up shots or try the spectacular pass or loaf on D or get discouraged or lose their poise. They are LEADERS and STUDS, both of them, and tough as nails. They way they close out games when we have the lead is very impressive, great handles and confidence to make the right play, or hit the free throw, or pressure without fouling.

We have not had this kind of play at the point guard position since Sherron graduated and there are two of them. One cannot emphasize enough the maturity and decision-making ability of these two young floor generals: No Turnovers the entire second half, and three for the game - a sign of unbelievable mastery at the lead guard position. And good D which will only get better.

And Cliff got his 25-30 minutes he deserves per game…at last! Cliff will produce the same results on average every game as the last two games if he gets time on the court. I actually thought Coach should have subbed him in even earlier in both halves. His foot work is still not very good (like a big puppy who has yet to grow into his body) but the “motor” has plenty of power. I like the fact that he comes off the bench instead of starting. Feed the Big Red Dog 25+ minutes / game and he will perform with consistency and give us a chance to do great things this season.

This team can shoot and the crowned prince of the shooters is BG. What a stroke, and what ice in the veins! And we are just learning how to get him open and he is just now learning to slide to the open spot on the court to catch and shoot. But the team as a whole are better shooters than we have had in the past. And we still have Svi who will light it up before the end of the year in a game or two. Watch as the free throw percentage gradually rises in Feb and March.

Kelly and Jamari are the hustle guys who are the most disruptive and just great athletes. Kelly’s rebounding has improved vastly and his D is becoming a problem for whomever he guards. He is a combo RR (on-the ball) and Mario (in-the lane) on D, but bigger and stronger. These guys play with a chip on their shoulder, big time, and are now channeling and focusing on how to use it to higher performances within their skill ranges.

Perry is a stud who just needs to play less as a classical back-to-the-basket big and more away from the basket, like Niang, and FINALLY coach is moving him into positions on the court where he can be more effective. His D and rebounding are improving too, and he is a winner who wants to make his team better. Perry should shoot more outside shots, and well as drive and shoot. Making 15-18 footers, and the occasional three is not fool’s gold but a high percentage play for Perry.

Wayne is the most underrated and under appreciated player on this team. He is a tough, tough player on both ends of the floor who seems to come up with the right play at the right time in every game (his first three got us going and gave us confidence early in the UT game - like a lot of games this year). Wayne is the ultimate team player and a wonderful complement to his teammates, doing just enough on D and O to make sure we stay on track. He is the key glue guy on this group of Jayhawks.

Landen and Hunter are good players who would start on most teams and will make more contributions this year and next as they wait for their turn. Very solid backups and great team players as well.

New Look Hawks…turn 'em loose Coach, we are on a roll and this team is getting better!

The “good ball” / “bad ball” framework is only a reference within the context that we choose to give to it. Sometimes, our excellent blog posters get caught up in their own terminology and then all their analysis is made through this lens, to promote the framework, almost like a brand.

I do not think the head coach or the players or the fans outside this site are thinking in these terms. I am certainly not and am confused why we would want to discuss the offensive scheme we are using by fitting it into these terms, “bad ball/good ball.”

My opinion is that we are opening up the offense a little bit, flexing the hi-lo to include more individual play off the bounce, not the catch.

Driving the ball early and often is the key, and not just passing it around the perimeter, inside - out, looking as a first option to always feed the post.

We must be able to score off the dribble-drive by shooting and passing. And we have to do it against length (like Vandy and MSU). We need to practice it during the season to run it effectively in Feb/March.

I think we want to be in constant attack mode on both sides of the ball, with our impressive depth and elite athletes and upperclassman experience. We will make open threes (drive & kick out) and get tons of points in transition (primary and secondary break) and put backs off misses.

This is SMART ball, taking advantage of the up-tempo rhythm and truly elite talent we have, by not playing a half court, deliberate game.

Push the action, unclog the lane, ATTACK ball. Get the bigs out of the lane from time to time! Space the floor. Exploit match-ups. Show 'em how to do it Mr Miles!

Drive the lane and get a shot up or get fouled or kick out. Make free throws, and open threes, play typical Self D, rebound and get the 50-50 balls.

Sub often and deeply, more than 7-8 players, 9-10 players. Constant pressure on both sides of the ball. Play fast and play fun and free.

We do not need to run “stuff” on O to win, and it might even slow us down and make it harder against elite competition.

This will be a special season, and it is off to a great start. MSU and Vandy are both elite teams, and we are too. Expect higher scores and more fast break points. By year end, we will be making points off D transition too.

Rock Chalk!

I was lucky to get court side seats for my first game at the Field House this year, and here are a few impressions of the OSU game last Sat.

It was a great game, highly competitive and very physical. The best match up was Evans and Mason, a prize fight, both great players with unbelievable quickness and determination on both ends of the court. Both guys are at an all-American level of play on O and D, and great team players, passing and rebounding and making their team better. What a battle for 40 full minutes of tough play and mutual respect.

The game was ugly b/c OSU hit shots and KU missed shots. KU has a better team but OSU was playing better for the first 30 min. Hard play by both teams. It was exciting and full high energy. The crowd was great, especially at the 4:00 min mark when they play that “greatest home court advantage” video. Impressive media orchestration followed up with basketball execution. The test will be in Stillwater where we always seem to lay an egg.

KU has a good team but I am concerned with a lack of back up for Landen Lucas. Lucas is a great college player. He sets so many screens to get open looks for the shooters. He is a great defensive rebounder and good on-the-ball defender but not a rim protector. He plays at or above his skill level night after night, very impressive to see him go after the ball.

Bragg is just the opposite, confused on the court playing out of position at the five, and never gets the 50-50 balls. He is getting better in the toughness department but still does not have that strong will to board and would rather play away from the basket. He is still a year away from physical and mental maturity and is way too soft for a KU big man (prefers the fade away jumper, dislikes contact in the paint…). He needs stronger hands and quicker feet (very slow to slide on D). He will be back next year.

Doke being out has helped Lucas short term, but might hurt the team later this year unless we can develop another rebounder. Coleby is bigger and stronger than I thought (eye-ball test) and should be able to bang inside, we need a banger. Coach: make him play, ride him hard, we need him! He looks the part.

Lightfoot will be fine in 2-3 years and make some good contributions to the KU team in the future. I love his “want to” attitude, but not this season. Too weak and green to mix it up with the big boys.

LL will have to play 30 + min a night and stay out of foul trouble. He can do it but in the Dance one foul prone night and there is no plan B. He is the indispensable man on this year’s team.

On Sat, we were just not knocking them down. The number of times the ball went in and out of the basket, and the crowd pushing a collective sign. I like the fact that Coach will not let us live and die by the three. We have a team of shooters but only Devonte had a respectable shooting night. He is so clutch.

As Coach would say, it is good to play a game like this to make our team tougher and more capable of winning even when we do not make shots…still, we missed a lot of free throws and bunnies, not good. It is hard to make them when everything is so sped up and OSU was playing with an edge. I like their McPherson-raised coach and he had a very good game plan. I really like how he mixed his D (M2M and different Zone looks). We should mix it up just a little more on D.

I like the moxy of our back court a lot. Frank, Devonte and JJ have an attitude, an edge and I really think it is the right mix of a little punk, but not too much. Just like our Coach: feisty and very competitive but a good sport on the court (unlike OSU who still has that Marcus Smart punk attitude – the flagrant foul turned the game…).

The three of them are ferocious competitors. Franck is the leader and this is his team, no doubt about it when you see them interact on the court. He is not vocal but he has the last word, every time. Svi and Lagerald are good players too, but neither of them are consistent enough to be more than role players on this team. Both of them are capable enough to win us a few games, have done and will do this season. Both are underachieving on D, but getting better.

OSU has some impressive athletes, maybe more muscle that KU, but not as skilled. Sitting courtside, you could really see the physicality of the game (Big Ten style of play) and KU held up. This is the type of game and opponent where Doke’s absence weakens our team.

The crowd was great, the weather was cooperative and Fieldhouse looked wonderful. I love afternoon games.

Another Big 12 Title, another Final Four. Another First place ranking. Another fine group of young men representing our university. Rock Chalk!

KU fans can get ready for a very different style of play for the 2018-19 season.

The hybrid hi-lo which unclogged the lane and jacked up a record number of threes will revert back to the classical formula, played through the 4 spot, which will look very different from the last two years (get used to Dedric showing his lottery pick talent in the high post around the free throwline, nothing flashy but deadly in his efficiency, scoring and passing and rebounding).

We might be less explosive and score fewer points and be a little less fast from end to end, but our play will be much more balanced and our offensive efficiency will be improved. Look for points per possession to be at an all time high by the end of conference play. Look for a very balanced allocation of minutes played and point scored and rebounds across the board.

But the greatest and most exciting development this year will be on the defensive end of the court. We will not have to outscore opponents to win the game. We will guard and rebound and get the 50-50 balls at a much higher rate than the last few years. We can foul and play hard and get tired with no consequences to our level of play. Next man up!

Slackers who do not block out or stay in front of their man or do not go 100% on every possession will sit early and often. No one will take any possessions off this year. So we should get after it in a very aggressive manner.

Our individual D will be a tough man-to-man (no more zone) and our team D will jell after Christmas. Team D is the most underrated aspect of winning basketball. By the end of the season, we will be an elite defensive team who can play big, small and anywhere in between.

Coach Self has always been a defensive guy first and foremost. He will get to adjust his schemes on D in the same way he has (remarkably) adjusted his offensive schemes over the past two years., to fit his talent and depth. We will see the lock down D we have not seen in many years, maybe since 2008.

Coach: How about experimenting with a full court pressure defense from tip off to final buzzer? I know you have always said “we do not press, we pressure, not full court but (maybe) three-quarters, solid fall back man in the half court is our bread and butter.”

For the first time in ages you have the athletes in number and quantity to wreck total havoc on the opposing team, and show another side of KU BB which has been missing for a while. I would love to see an ultra aggressive - in your face - D deployed in game after game and just wear the opponent down to the nub by half time.

Furthermore, this would require our guys to be tuned up on every single possession. Let your man get by you, take a seat on the bench. Get up under their guards 30 feet from the basket. Fight through the screens, less switching. Tough, tough, tough until the opponent surrenders and we develop that killer mentality from game one.

The decision to go full court on D, with some trapping and risk taking in an extremely aggressive style would be as innovative on the D side as you have been on the O side, adjusting to your personnel. Come on Coach, let’s see if we can keep the other team from running any offense at all, press them all the way past the three point line, give 'em 40 minutes of hell with no fall back positioning in the half court.

Concerning predictions for this year’s group, once again 30 + wins, another Big 12 title, no home court losses, another Final Four. We will be less spectacular (flashy) but a better team. Please, none of this “anything but a national championship is a failed season.”

No one on this rat board wants it more than the coaches and the players. Enjoy the process and watch the team get better every game. We will be very solid and hopefully able to elevate our game at the key moments, late in the season, to give ourselves a change to cut down some nets.

Rock Chalk!!!

The boys grew up last night and proved what we have been thinking since the start of the year: they are tough and solid and winners, top to bottom, left to right, with no real superstar yet a TEAM in the making.

At last we saw some dibble drive, aggressive offense instead of trying to pass it around the perimeter to get an open look. Seldon, Mason and Oubre all have the potential to get into the lane and make it happen.

At last we saw some aggressive rebounding and ball hawking and full court pressure. The trapping in the first half was too slow and UF is a fast and talented team (great point guard play by the Gators). Great passing by UF and a lesson in how to beat pressure. Impressive!

Wonderful team work by KU on defense the second half and Seldon had his coming out party and finally played like an All-American lottery pick. He is such a stud and looked smooth with his pull up jump shot and powerful in his drives to the rim. We need him to lead and make plays when the offense breaks down to become an elite team.

Mason is a bulldog and even with an off night keeps fighting and competing at the highest level. What a fearless player and great athlete!

Graham is a leader and has ice in the veins. He and Frank have the point guard position locked up for the next few years and they will get better and better at finishing the game (already good beyond their years).

These three guards carried the team and played most of the minutes together the second half of the second half. Go small and stay in front of the penetrating guards on defense - first half problem solved. Go coaching and good adjustments. And they want the ball at the end of the game and like to shoot the pressure free throws. STUDS! (and still young)

Alexander the Great had a couple of rebounds which made me jump out of my chair and (almost) spill my beer. And that athletic move in the paint to score with the finger roll to start the come back demonstrates his ceiling is very, very high. 100% guaranteed lottery pick OAD, And a smooth soft shot from 15 feet + free throw accuracy, excellent form.

The bench players at the end were up and shouting and joy was on their faces, especially Greene, Svi and Kelly - nice to see - a team is born and even if they were (are) frustrated with playing time, they are into winning more at least for now.

The KU boys became men last night and the home crowd helped to bring us back from the depths of despair and we found another gear we did not yet know we had. The players were smiling on the court and having fun, even during the long come back! No panic, no worries, Rock Chalk!

Now we now we can win against small penetrating guards and a very tough defense and against hot shot making from 3 (first half UK played very, very well). Bend but do not break, keep the faith and keep working and good things will happen eventually. These are the muscle memory anchors for our players.

Can we do it against length and height and superior athletic skills (UK, TX, AZ…?). TX will be a huge challenge this year and even with their leader out with a short term wrist injury, they played the mighty Wildcats well and tough in their building.

Another great year of highly entertaining basketball for KU fans is underway. Watch out for TX. Rock Chalk!

Key factors to the composite five position this season:

• Motivation: this group are positive winners on and off the court, no worries about egos

• Health: playing all five along side Perry (who will stay at the four this season) keeps fresh legs

• Knowledge: BB IQ is required in some situations (against a zone, for example)

• Play-Making: we will need one or two of them to step up with a 12-8 game from time to time, but the composite five is a solid double-double every night

• against some teams, certain abilities will be required (height, speed, switching…)

• O: outside shooting will be required in some games, no back-to-basket options available

• Athleticism: running the floor, getting the loose balls, raw playground ability

• Chemistry: need to blend in well on both sides of the ball, no weak links

• Perry Factor: who helps our best player to be at his personal best in each game

• Other: ???

Ku Fans and college basketball aficionados,

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Time to get our mind back on our favorite team in our favorite sport for the 2020-21 season. Nothing like college basketball for a KU alumni and avid supporter. Could this be the year?

First, a quick note of reverence for the 1999-20 team who was built for March. I had my money on KU to win it all: Big Man All-American dominate in the paint, Point Guard All American fast and tough in the tradition of Frank, Devonte and all those all KU lead guard superstars over the years; Best Defense All American(POY) in the nation; good enough role players and shooters to make this group upset proof; and finally, Best Coach at crunch time to increase our chances “when the popcorn starts popping”… I liked our chances a lot last year and we had the perfect college fit and chemistry to go all the way. We were on a role, getting better. Dok and Dot and Marcus were not going to let us lose. Only this new season helps turn the page…

Water under the bridge…onward to the new team which will kick off the year against number one Gonzaga this week to the great enjoyment of all.

First the veterans: Marcus – super stud, vocal and physical leader, best defensive player in the country, very high BB IQ, a coach on the floor on both ends who will have to do it on both ends of the court this year; he will, and he will hit his free throws when it matters most Big Dave – high energy, high talent, hustle and clutch, one of the best big men in the conference, smooth stoke from 15 feet and a good free throw shooter; no fear; loves a challenge and loves his team; will be the man in paint with big minutes this year Ochai – future pro who knows how to compete and win; under-rated on D; clutch and cool under pressure; will rebound and pass better this year; more consistent scorer; team player who will continue to improve Mitch – “if you cut his chest open, a Jayhawk would fly out” Snacks; solid, tough, five year senior who is hungry for a championship to crown his KU experience Christian – mandatory Kansas boy who surprises everyone with is very solid and consistent play; clutch shooter (no hesitation, no shaky arm, super smooth stroke); hustle all over both ends of the court; he is good and getting better Tristan – future pro in Europe; four-year player at Kansa who will get a lot better every game he plays (double digit playing time); he will personally win us a game or two this year; still raw but lots of talent

Then the first-year players:

Jalen – maybe the best athlete on the team; loves to mix it up down low with bigger, heavier opponents; a little rust to shake off before conference play starts; good, solid performances off the bench; we need his toughness on the boards and guarding his man Dajuan – back up point guard to spell Marcus from bringing it up the court every time; small but tough, sticky D with quick hands; chomping at the bit to get some action this year; will become a KU fan favorite over the next four years Tyon – hot and cold but capable of a 25-point performance on any given night against any competition; might be slow to adjust o Bill Self’s system which does not favor free-lance play; might be slow to adjust to physical Big 12 play; a factor at the end of the year for sure if he can stay healthy, wild card Brice – our best pro prospect who will be lights out after a month or two; team-player looking to contribute to team success; he will fit into the KU system on O and D perfectly after he learns where to go and what to do and can play to the scouting report; uber-talented who is a little light to mix it up, one more year of muscle as a sophomore to become a team leader and a first round NBA draft pick Latrell – very small Jethro – very big Non-Schollies – good group, maybe Chris Teahan can win us a game this year by knocking down a couple of threes in a game on the road against a zone? Coaching – good job of fending off the NCAA and keeping the student-athletes focused on studies and basketball and staying safe and isolated from COVID; Bill wants a title, Bill needs a title, Bill deserves another title; last year was the perfect team to go and get another one; this year, not so sure, need fast development of the bench players to get excellence by committee (different guy every night, great team D as always; can we score in bunches? Stroke the three with consistency? Can we rebound with the best big, strong, talented teams? … not sure yet)

Anyway, we will have a highly entertaining group of players and the team will gel quickly, great chemistry right out of the gate. Gonzaga has seniors and shooters and guys who really know how to play the game, especially at the start of the season. Good eyeball test for our new team. I think we will lose a close one, after falling behind early, and clawing our way back. Should be fun to watch.

By year end, our team will be better and baring injuries or stoppage, we will make a run at Baylor for the Big 12 and maybe even a run to the Final Four. Rock Chalk!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the title of Tom Keegan’s article: *Thinking longterm, Self benches Alexander in second half * published right after the game.

Nice effort to cover for HCBS, and stay positive, but I say, nonsense.

Coach : Play the Big Red Dog NOW (even if is not playing good D). His motor is plenty good and if your rotation is designed “give us the best chance to win”, then Alexander the Great is by far the best option. Unless he is hurt, limiting his minutes in this way is a very poor decision at this point in the season.

Coach : stop being so damn stubborn and pig-headed about young players not doing exactly what you want them to do, in the way you want them to do it.

Cliff is by far our best rebounder and post player. He has a nice touch on his jumper inside 15 feet and his improvement will come through playing more minutes. He needs more game time, not less. What is going on?

Congratulations to the boys on a fine season with a disappointing ending.

Big 12 title is a huge accomplishment and the guys hung together in the face of all the adversity. Big 12 as a whole has underperformed in the tourney this but we are still an elite league and we can be very proud of our season (once the sting subsides).

The program is in good shape and our coach and players are hurting even more than us fans, so please refrain from piling on.

RCJH in the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat!

Here is a fine article about KU BB Offense this season (link below). The evolution in scheme and style of play is not only “adjusting to personnel”, but an evolution in our O coaching - bravo to coach Self and his staff!

In years past, the formula on O has been stale and predictable: run half-court sets, set up in hi-lo positions with two bigs -one on the base-line and and at the foul line “touching the paint”, playing systematically inside-out, always trying to get a better shot (overpassing especially around the perimeter), shooting the three late in the clock, letting the “team” make the winning play, etc.

The result on O has often been a clogged lane, especially in conference play and very especially in tourney play. Everybody runs to the ball and to the lane instead of spacing the floor and drive to score or pitch to the open man at the three point line.

We have unclogged the lane on O, allowed for more dribble-drive and improvisation, we are shooting threes at any time it is open, including early in the shot clock, we at letting play-makers make plays and not always running coach’s “stuff”, etc.

This evolution in our KU BB O is not just “adjusting to personnel.” This is a more modern, higher performing offensive scheme and philosophy. We have the personnel to do it. But it is a qualitative leap in our O coaching approach and it is here to stay.

Rock Chalk!

http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2016/dec/19/jayhawks-running-college-basketballs-ver/

A great conference this year (#1 in RPI), very fun and highly competitive top to bottom. Great year and a lot of excitement! Here are my nominations for individual awards.

All conference first team:

Hield (PoY) Niang (best player with least talent) Staten (makes his team a competitor) Gathers (my person al choice for PoY) Ellis (personally responsible for another KU title)

Mason (2nd team) and Oubre (3rd team) ; Turner (Freshman of Year)

Coach of Year: Huggins and Self (both teams overachieved)

Here are some quick thoughts on the teams:

KU - team of the year, overachievers, only undefeated at home, best fans, most pride and tradition - what a run!!!

ISU - best offensive team and scheme, best offensive balance (6 players averaged double figures!), play fast and jack the three

OU - best all round talent and balance across all categories, gotta love coach Kruger, sweet 16 team, I love their style

BU - best raw talent in terms of length and athleticism, Drew is a great recruiter and getting better at coaching

WVU - best defense, best pressure, most scrappy, gotta love Hugs and his style, would not want to play them in March

OSU - worst team for KU to play, bad mojo for us, they always overachieve and we underachieve against OSU

UT - most disappointing (again) and a program which deserves to do better in all sports, great talent, poor results

KSU - most ‘punk’ team, coach and basketball program (opposite in football), would be delighted to beat them again next week!

TCU - most improved and wonderfully competitive, tough and good rebounders, most improved over the year

TT - best doormat, but best upset ‘Ws’ (beat OU this year) with wins over much better teams each year (re: Topeka YMCA game)

What say the board rats? Nominations for best ‘cry baby’, ‘best shooter’, stupidest quote …’ etc.

Have some fun with it! RCJH

@ParisHawk : we do not “disappoint in March” unless you say (like some write on this site) anything other than a National Title is always a disappointment. This is not the case in a tourney like The Dance. Lots of random factors come into play (match ups, injuries, luck…). The real issue is do we play to our level and give ourselves a chance to overachieve? We do this more so under Coach Self than under Coach Williams, and certainly as well as any other program in the nation, year in and year out.

We have actually preformed at level in the tourney, in my opinion, over the years of the Self era (good but not great) : some years over performing (2012) and some years under performing (2005 and 06), just like all other teams and all other coaches.

KU has done better than most teams, but we all want our teams to do better every year! Sorry to disappoint, but this year’s team is certainly not one of the elite teams in the country (top 2-8), but rather a second tier elite team (5-15).

People outside of competitive sports often make no distinction between ‘could have won’ and ‘should have won’, and become emotional about what the team “should have done”. Let’s remember how hard and exceptional it is to win six straight games against elite competition. ‘Should have’ this year is only UK. For all the other top four or five teams ‘should have’ is realistically to make the Final Four.

If KU does not make it through the first weekend (two tourney wins), we will be disappointed (underachievement) every single year. Remember 2013 when UK did not even make the NCAA tourney? (It was not that long ago…).

If our team makes it through the second weekend (regional winner and into the Final Four) we should be delighted (overachievement), regardless of the ensuing results. For this team, round of 16 is at level and round of 8 (regional finals) is a little above level, depending on all the other factors mentioned previously (match ups, injuries, luck, etc.).

Truth be told, shooting more threes, playing bad ball, and all the other fun comments made by board rats and fans have less relevance in the NCAA tourney than being blessed with favorable match ups, staying healthy and having some good luck at crunch time. Making free throws is very important, and we are money at the line. But sometimes the ball bounces in strange ways and luck plays a role in a single game elimination. The very best players can create their opportunities, and a single great player can make a difference. But most of the time, either team can win and there is more ‘could have’ than ‘should have’ in the Dance.

Here is the Kansas Season By Season NCAA Tourney Results under Coach Self:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/history/_/team1/6292

@HawksWin I politely disagree, UK is by far the clear favorite.

One should never beat a single team against the field in the NCAA but I do not recall ever seeing one team at even money against the entire field.

UK is getter better on offense (already by far the best D in college bb) with each game. They probably have the top two teams in the nation! or at least two of the top five. So they are injury proof and do not depend on any one or two players to play well…and the Squid can coach. I really do not like them or their coach but what an assembly of superior talent.

I think one would have to go back to the Wooden years for an equivalent. Maybe UF for the two years in a row they won it all?

I think the shoe stack conspiracy requires more drill down after the season, requiring another round of Jaybate.

RCJH!

@HighEliteMajor - you sir are bitter and delusional.

I enjoy your posts but the tirades against Coach Self seriously take away from your otherwise interesting analysis. Railing against a coach or manager usually involves deep rooted parental issues…

And there is NO WAY the KU team last year was a Final Four talent. Get real.

WSU had a better team than KU the last two years. Period.

Lighten up and enjoy the team and the game. No excuses? Hip surgery is a pretty major operation. Our coach and our guys are fine, competitive and have plenty of ‘want to win’.

RCJH!

Here is a response to a previous post by the great and verbose Jaybate 1.0:

The whole of idea of expending more energy on D and less on O is good, however the high-low scheme of passing it around the perimeter to get to the third side for the open shot has flaws beyond the energy savings of the players. It means that the TEAM has to score and not the play makers: great thinking for D, great for learning the meaning of teamwork and locker room vibe and reducing the diva mindset, but not great for optimum O at crunch time.

The ability to play as a team on O and pass well takes time and training and learning and intelligence and skill. In the OAD and TAD era, this is not always available year in and year out.

With inferior or equal talent, yes it can compensate and beat better teams. But with equal or superior talent it is less effective than dribble-drive, penetrate and pitch, practicing making a play during the entire year so that at tourney time, the play makers are not over-passing. This is the weakness in the KU offensive scheme which depends entirely too much on system offense and the ability of the team to score rather than teaching the play-makers to play one-on-one, or a two man game (pick and roll and pick and pop).

The result is that in crunch time our guys will run a play to score rather than go get a basket with pure talent and ability. Or they will panic at crunch time and force the action because they have not been playing that way all year long. We have seen this scenario play out multiple times at the end of the year, and over the years of the Self era.

This is also in my opinion why we over perform during the regular season and under perform in the Big Dance.

The offense needs to open up more and worry less about shot creation by running great stuff, and focus on getting MORE shots, more O rebounds, more athletic play outside of a set scheme. We now have better athletes and better players than the Tulsa teams of years past!

My feeling is that Coach Self is learning this lesson at a slow and steady pace but we are not yet at our optimum level on O and the high-low “run my stuff to get a shot” is part of the problem. The best example was Wigs last year who was incapable of carrying the team at crunch time because he was a cog in a wheel and not the alpha dog who was trained to take over the game. Look what happened in his rookie season in the League.

We need to play faster on O, take more threes, attack incessantly, be better dribblers and run LESS stuff, not more and better stuff. We all love KU BB. our coaches and tradition, but the idea of passing more on O is not the path to greater success on that side of the ball.

Bad ball on D, but creative freer and more individual play on O. Game on for a GREAT season!

RCJH!

Agree that this site tends to have deeper and better analysis than KU Sports, but I l did like the Keegan article and it addressed the issue we all have in mind about playing time for the young guys.

Agree that on-the court learning (playing time) is the best and maybe the only way to improve quickly,

However, our young post players are a long way from being major contributors, even with more minutes, this year. They will make some impact, but in a Cole-type way vs UNC (one game).

Jo-Jo spoiled us into thinking that everyone could come into the program and make an immediate contribution. He was simply bigger, stronger, smarter and had better footwork than any big man in recent KU history. He was so very exceptional that we think all the guys are OAD and ready for major minutes and will improve that fast.

Lastly, winning championships in a tourney like March Madness is a crap shoot. You have to have all your players healthy and available to play, you have to peak at just the right time, you have to have the right match-ups along the way and you have to get lucky. That does not happen very often. We can and should do better, but it really has to be the perfect storm.

Look at UK last year who had by far the most dominant team in NCAA recent history - four lottery picks, undefeated, unimaginable talent - and yet…no NC.

But we all agree that KU needs to make deeper runs in the tourney and has been somewhat unlucky with their two bigs out the last two years. We will do better this year. Keep the faith.

Final Four or bust! Rock Chalk!

KU BB fans are eager to get into the heart of the 2017-18 season and the start of Big 12 action signals the Jan-Feb grind for a 14th straight Big 12 title, surpassing the UCLA run back when they had players like Jabbar and Walton, and for multiple years. (imagine if KU had had Embiid for the touney in 13-14…and then for another two years after that!).

The Jayhawks circa 2017-18 are the team who have a chance to make history, and establish the record, a truly remarkable feat. Of course we want to make a deep run in March, but this is an unbelievable (never before and never again) achievement. For more information, read this:

https://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/kansas-basketball-big-12-streak-greatest-feat-ucla-bill-self-ncaa-tournament-022317

March Madness is around the corner, recruting for next year is a good subject but let’s focus on conference play. Rock Chalk!

Big 12 is unique in that there is a home-away with every single opponenet and there are some goood teams this year (check the rankings at season launch). Lots of excellent competition. We have a secret coaching weapon…we know our opponents and can adjust to find ways to win.

We have a couple of new pieces in Sam and Silvio but we really need Billy to win it again and make a serious run to the Final Four.

The guard play this year is outstanding, but we are a jump shooting team who cannot be hot every night. So Coach wants us to be able to grind to victory when the shots are not falling.

We are not a grind it our team (he calls it ‘soft’), but it has more to do with size and physical play than being weak and a lack of effort. We can get tougher mentally. Devonte, Lagerald and Svi are game tough but the other players are not yet.

Dok is doing great but he is only 18 and is still a work in progress. Consistency and staying on the floor are key success factors for his personal and this year’s team success.

Mitch is a great teammate and hustle guy but he cannot compete at the elite level necessary to win against the best teams. Silvio will help and he has a motor but his contribution this year will be limited. (Great to get him here this year but he cannot carry the team and will have a hard time learning the speed of the game and how to play this season).

With Billy, we have an elite team. Without him, we have a good team. Seeing Lagerald at the high post (especially against the zone) or Marcus in the middle makes me realize just how thin we are this year, even running the hybrid hi-lo which the coaching staff has implemented very well. Billy changes the team dynamic big time on offense. Will he play this year? Can he avoid being a defensive liability? Can he bang and rebound? If yes, we will be really, really good and among the best teams in the nation.

If not, we will still be a top 15 team and could win the conference (or tie) and maybe make a run but who knows?

Now that we have a little more depth in the back court, I would like to see us pressure more, pick them up full court, take more chances, create more havic on defense. Rotate the guys in and out for short rests. The only indispensable player is Devonte (maybe Dok) so let’s use them all Coach and force the action!

Truth be told, I am concerned with our on-the-ball defense and ability to keep elite opposing guards in front of us. With weak rim protection, we are playing it safe, on our heels, hence the WU and ASU open three pointers, but against the other teams as well (they just missed more shots).

Out team defense could be elite but we have no stopper on the perimeter. Of our five starters, only Devonte and LaGerald are above average at guarding the ball. Dok and Svi and Malek are all getting better but are sub-standard for KU players. We really need elite team D to match our elite team O.

Rock Chalk! Let’s kick some Texas butt and get out of the starting blocks with a W! Here we go…

Guys (and gals),

Where are the Big Red Dog’s minutes??? I hate to beat a dead horse, but WHY is Cliff on the bench and Jamari getting all the minutes? Why is Landon getting almost as many minutes as Cliff? Get our best post player in the game, Coach!

I wrote about this extensively a couple of weeks ago. We have now seen more of the same and it just does not make sense. Cliff needs 20-25 min EACH and EVERY game for us to win the game in question and improve in the process for end of season chemistry.

What’s up? In my humble opinion, this is yet another game where more minutes would translate into a better chance to play well, win and not let the other team get so many second shots late…PLAY CLIFF MORE MINUTES!!!

Good comments - the Big Red Dog needs more minutes, period.

We cannot win at a higher level against better competition with Cliff playing 15-20 min per game. He needs to be on the court 20-25 min per game, maybe more, and it is too late in the season to be explained away with the “teaching him a lesson about effort and hustle” argument. Besides, Cliff has a good attitude and does hustle. He plays hard and is a good teammate.

Truth be told, Coach Self is stubborn and a little pig-headed. Once he is convinced of something, he will run full speed into a wall rather than re-think it (examples: his continued belief that the hi-lo offense is the best option, two point shots are better than threes, feed the post systematically, etc.). We love our head coach but his court time/pine time use of Cliff is baffling as are the rotation minutes in several games this year. What’s up? (Svi should see some court time, for example…)

Another example: surely we can break a press and attack with numbers 2-1 or 3-2 instead of pulling it back out and setting up our offense and running our standard plays. This was the good solution with inferior 3-5 year players back at ORU and Tulsa (his baseline for coaching philosophy).

This is not the solution with OAD and TAD who do not have time to learn the system and therefore do not see the court b/c they have not yet mastered Coach’s system, even if they are our best options. They do not yet understand the intricacies of the system but they are better players (even sometimes out of position on both ends of the court).

This is also why Jamari is playing more than Cliff: he knows the system better. He is not more consistent nor a better player nor a difference-maker like Cliff. But he does know Coach’s system better.

Coach: this is not about you and your system! We love you and respect you, but you are right: we coached them poorly on Saturday. Re-think your rotations, sir!

Coach has had some movement this year - by the force of the obvious (remember UK game?) - but still not enough flexibility in his core philosophy “you do it my way and only my way and always my way or you will not play”. We are shooting a few more threes, early in the shot clock, and penetrating more rather than pass around the perimeter inside=out.

But Coach needs to adjust more and play his best playersbolded text. Teaching time is over - time to play and get ready for post season!

Stubborn, yes. It is not good to change a super winning formula on a lark, or too quickly.

Delusional, no. Our coach is sane and smart and can and will adjust in the best way to give us a chance to win. Change is hard for everyone.

We have a GREAT Coach, but he is being challenged in ways that go to the core of his philosophy and this core coaching philosophy has made him so very, very successful over the years. And we are about to win our 11th straight conf title!.

I actually see movement and flexibility more than delusion and rigidity. But as players need time to evolve, coaches do too. New ground, new team, new ways of winning…

As “expert advisers and astute observers” of our beloved Jayhawks, we need to keep challenging on playing time, rotations and offensive game-planning.

The question is: does more long range shooting make us softer on both ends?

Guard play is very good this year and is betting better on both ends of the court. Great game by Frank and Devonte and Brannen.

Kentucky 1/1

Duke 17/2

Wisconsin 9/1

Arizona and Virginia 12/1.

Gonzaga 14/1

Villanova 16/1

Kansas Jayhawks 20/1

Utah 28/1

Iowa State, North Carolina, and Notre Dame all at 33/1

Where would you put your $ ?

@Shanghai_RCJH you, sir, are a player!

@KUinLA

Agree. There was no intent and deliberate “let’s hurt Perry so we can win” strategy. Come on, man up JB! We got beat by a better team. Get over it and move on…BTW, Perry had a decent game and the time off the court was minimal (re coach’s assessment).

@HighEliteMajor

Thanks for the comments. Could we have reached the final four, sure. We did it in 2012. But should we have reached the final four, certainly not. We were not one of the best teams in the nation this year, and certainly not with Cliff (assuming Cliff would have peaked at just the right time which is a generous assumption).

The Final Four is indeed a crap shoot, depending upon match ups, luck, getting hot at the right time, injuries, eligibility issues, one guy making a miracle play at just the right time, etc.

My point is your postings often seem to criticize the coach b/c he does not make it to every final four, and it is somehow his fault b/c he certainly has the talent, and therefore he is doing a poor job, and (full circle) it is his fault we are under performing in March.

I enjoy your analysis but I think this is not a good conclusion and unfair to players, fans and coach.

Winning is very hard. Winning consistently is even harder. Peaking at the right time, with the right team, getting the right match ups, getting lucky and having guys healthy and elgible, etc. are a lot of variables and most of them are not due to coaching.

KU players, teams and our coach have actually done very well in the Self era, most years meeting or exceeding expectations. The tourney has been disappointing the last two years, and the “Killer Bs” have created a complex within the KU nation. The 2012 team was unbelievable and they way overachieved…and got lucky to make it to the finals. . .

The lack of our big man at the 5 during the last two tourneys has been far more significant and the source of our loses than the coaching. This year, we missed Cliff and last year we really missed Embiid. That’s the way it goes in March and with a single elimination tourney.

My conclusion: Watching the elite teams this year, and watching KU this year (and last year), there is simply no way we were among the elite teams, and not final four talent. Maybe last year with Embiid, maybe…but certainly not this year, even with Cliff.

Respectfully, you write your post, concluding:

*Seeing Self’s comments from last night really just make me angry. This team began the season as a Final Four team. This team was 21-4.

But that all changed, didn’t it? We ended 6-5 and played embarrassingly bad against WSU. As Landen Lucas said, WSU just wanted it more.

I’m not sure there is any supposed injury that affects “want to.” Though maybe a media member could ask Self. I’m sure he’d speculate on that. *

Respectively, this is in my opinion a cheap shot at the coach, the program and the players,

Having talent and having an eite team are not at all the same thing. How do they mature over the year as individuals and as a team? Duke’s freshman actually came together as a unit and outperformed at just the right time. UK’s talent was ridiculous (maybe they had the two best teams in the nation), The Badgers were senior laden with a great group and talented big men and they had been there last year…these were only the elite teams in the nation this year.

KU was just nowhere near that level. We could have got lucky, won another game or two, but probably got what we deserved at our level of performance and year end team talent (ability to perfom in a game, not rankings or potential).

I am of the opinion that WSU has had better teams than KU the last two years, and that our lose in the second round this year had more to do with them, than us. Great - game on! We accept the challenge and it is good for us and our program.

But throwing the coach under the bus for not reaching the final four this year…?

I enjoy the board and your posts and the others as well - next year, with one new elite talent big (and we will certainly get one), we will be better and ready to make a run.

Cheers!

RCJH

Huge congrats to KU players and coaches: GOLD!

Realistic expectations for KU 2015-16:

1. another Big 12 championship (plan B is a tie)
2. a 30 win season (plan B is 29 wins, including the tourneys)
3. an Final Four (plan B is Elite Eight)

As we discussed at the end of last season, it all depends on injuries/eligibilities, match ups and the maturation/development of a few players. But I really like the depth and the moxy, the mix of newbies and the vets, the evolution of our style and our HCBS.

I like this quote: italicised textitalicised text* I believe it was Nic and his 'tude that made our guys quit looking to the bench after misses and mistakes, like whipped currs. They played like confident players, mistakes and all.

We will be an elite defensive team, with toughness and depth right out of the gate. We will defend, get the 50-50 balls and rebound with more energy and determination than the last two years.

Will the offense loosen up? We will be afraid to shoot the three early in the shot clock? Will we look to the bench for approval / approbation / permission…will we play a little less system offense, a little less high-lo pass and pass and pass some more? Will we run and gun and dribble-drive to shoot or pass? Let 'em play a little freer on O this year coach!

We have got enough shooters and play makers and my prediction is that Coach will encourage a more aggressive offensive “make a play” individual style, and three point shooting than over the past two years.

This will certainly make a few board rats happy!

RCJH!!!

Under the radar, this new “recruit” will accelerate our guard play which we desperately need, especially on the O side of the ball. Wiki summary of his college career:

After being named the Oregon 4A High School basketball player of the year in the state of Oregon as well as McDonalds Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year, Miles attended the University of Kansas, where he starred at the point guard position for the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team. He helped lead the Jayhawks to two consecutive Final Four appearances in 2002 and 2003 and an appearance in the 2003 national championship game. He is the all-time assists leader (with 954 career assists) of both Kansas and the Big 12 Conference. He was named to the All-Big 12 Team in both 2004 and 2005.

He was also named to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team 3 times and he finished his college career in 8th place in NCAA history in assists and also in 2nd place all time in Kansas history in steals.

The sky is falling, we lost a game, “Fool’s Gold”, Bad Ball, Stubborn Coach, Conspiracy Theories and Armchair Quarterbacking…

Take a deep breath and relax. This is a good team, and we will lose again, but not often (my prediction was five loses this year).

Player development and scheming cannot compensate for getting out hustled. ‘Sx*%t’ Happens. Chill, guys. That is a rough and tumble environment and the refs were letting them play. Very physical game, we got beat. Get over it. Move on. Next game, next play.

Trust in the team and the coaches - and know this - the competition is very good and also very determined. Our league is great!

We will be fine. Big 12 Champs (maybe co-champs), number one seed (or two at the worst) , Final Four (or Elite Eight at the worst).

Our boys are rocking and rolling and our young studs are wide-eyed. The pressure in the game itself and psychologically being #1 I huge.

Stay the course, support the Jayhawks, trust in the process. And if that does not work, take a pill of the color of your choice…:)

Plenty of ball to be played. We are in good shape and we are a winning team. The other elite teams are good, and even the bottom feeders are better than usual. We cannot shoot our way to victory after victory. It will be a grind and we will win most of them.

Rock Chalk!

Rock Chalk! Time for some round ball…

The key for me to maximize the talent we have this season is the ability to insert more energy, aggressiveness and speed into the KU team for 40 full minutes. We have the experience and the depth to do it.

On D, pick up the opposing team full-court to apply some pressure to even get the ball up the court instead of falling back into half-court D. Do this for the entire game. A more container and controlled version of 40 min of hell.

Trap more and create havoc in the passing lanes. Take more risks on D by anticipating and improvising. Press a little from time to time but pressure a lot all the time. Get out on three point shooters and force the other time to beat us off the dribble. This team is very athletic and deep.

On O, unclog the lane and spread the hi-lo vertically and across the lane, using a smaller line up at times but also with Bragg and Lucas.

Let JJ create on his own sometimes to get used to it for later in the season. He is a slasher and will get to the rim at will. Our guards can all get to the rim at will and for this team we will win all the one-on-one match ups on the perimeter.

Yes, Bragg needs to play close to the basket but not as close as in the past. He is deadly from 10-12 and a good passer if the lane is not clogged. He needs to rebound and make bunnies and be more physical but not to bruise and overpower. Our other bigs can do that better.

Run and run and run, substitute more often and for shorter periods of time, as per the flow of the game. Coach Self always says he wants the team to play faster. This team is maybe the fastest and quickest since 2008.

Another conf title and a final four is in the making. I hope coach will turn them loose and let them play with reckless abandon more than years past. We do not need to ‘run our stuff’ to get the best shot on every possession.

Our D will be elite from day one which makes us very tough to beat, even on a bad night.

Roy has done a remarkable job at getting great players and keeping them 2-3 years. He has a great blend of talent and always lots of long, athletic talent. He has done better than Cal (the king of OAD), better than coach K (who remains the gold standard), better than Izzo (great in the tourney and D), better than Coach Self (my favorite)…and all the others over the past few years.

Roy’s teams the last two years were one long three point shot away from double back-to-back titles, like UF did a few years ago, very impressive. This year’s team had almost all the same players on the court as last year. Wow!

And they did it without making threes. They did not need to shot well to win it all because they rebound, run, have length, play decent D (not outstanding but solid), have great bb players with bb bodies. And they play within his style and like each other.

The man can really recruit and keep his guys and develop them too. He has a ‘player type’ which is fast, lean, long and did we say ‘fast’. He is not the best game time coach but he puts his guys in a position to make a play. and win. One and only one philosophy: go fast and if that does not work, go faster!

He lets his guys play (three time-outs left in his pocket at the end of this year’s title game…while Coach Few called two crucial ones in the last minute and messed up his team’s rhythm and got nothing from ‘running his stuff’). BTW, our coach is the best for using time outs for his advantage I have ever seen: when to use them and out of bounds plays are great year after year.

The bad feeling from some KU fans b/c coach Roy was at KU for 14 years and never won a title, and in 14 years at UNC he has now won three, is not fair to him and reflects a poor understanding of the game, and the man. Roy still loves KU and always will.

I do not like coach Roy as well as I like coach Self, as a man of character, as a game time coach or as a representative of the, university. But the man can really recruit, pull those emotional strings and keep guys for 2-4 years… He is a great coach.

I LOVE his model of TAD (two and three year players), less OAD and less transfers in and out of the program, very impressive. Of course, UNC wears a better brand of shoe and maybe is not very rigorous about getting his guys to go to class…but he is not a sleaze ball or a poor coach at all. He loves his players like all the great ones do. He sticks to his style and to his guns. He is a winner. We are honored to have had Coach Roy for 14 wonderful years, and to hand the program to Coach Self in good shape (except for a few minor violations … boys will be boys).

Coach Self will win at least three more championships over the next 14 years if he stays that long. He is a great HOF coach and is much younger than Roy. I am waiting to see if the more open style on O, longer quick twitch athletes, bigger guards, NBA talent surrounded by 4-5 year guys, playing Self D.

Rock Chalk!

Quick BB Question: why in the world does KU not have Marcus inbound the ball at the end of the game when the pther team is pressing? He is our best passer and worst FT shooter (besides Dok). Sould he be the one to inbound th ball to either Isiah, Dot, or if not possible, one of the other guards?

Also -

When Perry dunked, we saw that hidden raw talent and explosiveness.

When Seldon passed last night we saw leadership and selflessness.

When Landon hit the reserve lay up, we saw Jo-Jo footwork and great potential for this year and next and next.

When Svi had that 3 minute stretch, we saw how he will contribute HUGE this year and next.

When Greene went for 17, we see the scoring potential of a 15 /game guy.

When Kelly matched up against UK, we saw the skill and talent in a mirror,

Alexander the Great is better than T-Rob and will be the key player in Feb and March, Can he learn to stay on the floor 25 + min / game?

Traylor is a STUD. Put him in anytime against anyone as the disruptor.

Graham is the LEADER…he will win us a few games this year a lot of games in Y2-4.

Hunter will come into two games this year in conference play and win them for us,and at least 2-3 next year as well. He might play in Europe.

Coach Self and assistants have a plan: the 2-3 year dones and a mixed model of UK and KU - only concern is need to upgrade the Offense.

roxck Chalk!

These are very good observations by all.

If Cliff is playing 30 min a game and producing at his potential (13 pts and 9 boards and 2 blocks /game), then he will be our best player by March and we will have a chance to win another conf title and (with luck) make it to the Final Four. If not, then we will finish behind TX (maybe OU as well), and be a second tier top 20 team (round of 16 or 8 would be the limit, similar to last year sans JoJo). Conf play will be brutal and physical.

Cliff will have to stay out of foul trouble and stay focused (he fades out sometimes like when he missed the long 2 on O and then came sprinting out to double team at the top of the key on D and his man got a very easy basket resulting in a four point swing against Temple in 10 seconds - a key turning point in the game in the second half).

Chalk it up to youth, but more minutes requires more concentration for longer periods of time. We need Cliff to do it now, in (almost) every game, and get better each passing week, just like JoJo did last year until he got hurt.

Alexander the Great has the most (NBA OAD) potential on this team and must carry the load inside this year for KU. Tall order for a freshman to do all the heavy lifting inside against quality bigs game in, game out. Good news is that he can and will do it if he stays healthy and can stay on the court and stay focused 25-30 min/game. Cliff has more talent than T-Rob on O and can become the beast on D if he plays with reckless abandon. He will improve especially on the O glass and get more easy put backs in Feb and March.

Concerning 3 point shooting, agreed that if we do not average 18-20 threes a game, then we will have no chance against elite competition. As HEM pointed out in an earlier post, we have averaged 14-17 max under Coach Self over the years. Can this change in Jan-March 2015? Probably not, but it probably should. Self is loosening the reins (a little).

We must penetrate more and pitch back out (dribble drive) rather than pass the ball around the perimeter, then inside and back out, to get the open three look (hi-lo offense). Can we do this? Probably not, but we should try it more. It is not our standard offense and not standard Self ball. Watch the way The Mayor or Kruger or Cal coach the offense…

Oubre is a true slasher and his increased min will help if he can learn when to drive & shoot, and when to drive & pitch. Mason is getting better at this. We need Graham back soon. Seldon can do this better too. But again, it is not our standard offense - we need to learn to penetrate better, even if it is just a couple of dribbles forward, towards the basket

But the really disheartening news from the Temple game was our D. We already knew that we were exposed against Length & Athletic high caliber physical type teams, and just do not have the horses in the front court to compete straight up (man-to-man) on the O or the D side against big, long teams (re KY and TX).

Now we saw again that we cannot stay in front of ultra quick penetrating guards (re Temple game, and first half of FL game, and second half of Utah game). With Frank and Devonte in the game together, we do much better on D against these types of teams, but they are small guards and Graham is out for at least a few more weeks, maybe more.

Kent State will not be a problem or tell us anything, but UNLV and the first trip to Baylor will give us an early indication if our hopes for another great season is in the making…Happy New Year! Rock Chalk!

HEM: good remarks, as usual.

Why did Alexander only play 14 min? Coach Self in his post game interview: “he did not have a motor tonight” - com’on man! He surely had a better motor than the other bigs…

Cliff: 6 rebounds and 6 points in 14 min Landon: 0 rebounds and 0 points in 19 min Jamari: 2 rebounds and 2 points in 15 min

Play Alexander more minutes!!!

Transition D was as poor as I have seen at KU in this game - embarrassing. We were surprised and poorly prepared, and did little to adjust after the first couple of run outs.

Coach burned all his time outs with 7-8 min left in the game. Was that really necessary?

Again, no O flow and in spite of good guard play, no creativity or game time adjustments in our stale offensive sets. Watch ISU and OU in their O and learn!

KU shot more threes than ISU! And we out-rebounded them 44-33!

We lost this one in transition D (+ 20 points for ISU in transition, mostly lay ups) and at the free throw line 10-26 FTA.

Discouraging but no time to panic. ISU was favored by 3.5 and won by 5…game on!

To all the KU sportswriters and fans:

Cliff’s performance in the game and his contribution to the team is directly linked to his time on the court. It is a nice spin to lavish praise on Coach Self as the master motivator and he deserves credit where credit is due. However…

In the case of Alexander the Great, if his “lack of motor” was not related to effort or attitude, then his riding the pine in the second half of the ISU game had little to do with Cliff’s motor and a lot to do with Coach Self stubbornness.

There is a direct correlation between Cliff’s minutes played and his production and the team’s chances of winning. There is not a direct correlation between his being benched and suddenly “learning his lesson” and “firing up his motor” to be more high performing in the next game against OU.

If Cliff had played 8-10 min more in the ISU game, he would have had a double-double and given us a better chance to win that important road game. His performance in the OU game is linked to more court time, not motivational psychology, or learning his lesson on D or applying the coaching lessons of the Great Motivator.

One of our head coach’s best (but also worst) qualities is his stubbornness. Make them play D as well as O and make them hustle at all times and play with passion. Great! Most of the dominant big men like Cliff have never had to exert such effort b/c they have always been so vastly superior at the high school level. This is a good thing to learn for the young players (remember the Morris twins as Freshmen?), and our Coach does it exceedingly well.

However, in the case of the Big Red Dog, there is no problem of desire or effort or attitude or any of the classical problems prima donna athletes coming from high school to college might have as they adjust to the game at the next level.

Cliff may have (like all of us!) trouble focusing at all times, on both ends of the court, in practice as well as in the games. One has to train muscle memory and concentration to go hard all the time and to understand where to be on the court and how to play each situation and individual opponent. Not every player, especially the bigs have the capacity to get it immediately like Jo-Jo did.

But in the case of Cliff, he will **learn by playing **or with a quick sit down reminder - not an entire half in a key game! This decision is an illustration of Coach Self’s weaknesses, not his strengthes. And the new paradigm of OAD and TAD players, as opposed to the gradual lessons learned over 3-4 years in the program. Everything is now accelerated and the rookies are still the best players (even with a not yet maximized “motor”).

Cliff’s learning curve will go up exponentially with more court time, in all aspects of his game, including his on-the-ball D.

Production per minutes played is the key stat for Cliff, not psychology of punishment on the pine for :“lack of motor”. Look at this indicator: minutes played / O and D production. / KU chances to win the game, and you will see that Cliff is our best and only chance to over-achieve this year in the Big 12 and the Dance.

Unless there is injury or foul trouble, we must see the Big Red Dog 25-30 min per game going forward. That is the key lesson of the ISU and OU games, and their outcomes.

RCJH!

Frank - best, most consistent player and best athlete, best dribbler Jamari - second best athlete and X factor energy guy, best post passer Perry - best all round player and best scorer and best g0-to-guy Wayne - best perimeter defender and best glue guy, best passer Kelly - best potential this year, best slasher, best confidence on D, disrupter Cliff - MVP on this team, best 6th man in nation, best rebounder Devonte - best leader and best point guard, best decision-maker Brannen - best shooter. best confidence on O Svi - best potential next year, best basketball reflexes Landon - best big man bruiser Hunter - best big man shooter

Coach Self and Staff:

Read my lips: PLAY CLIFF 25+ MINUTES PER GAME GOING FORWARD!!!

I cannot understand why he is on the bench? His “average motor” is better than almost all post players in the nation and in our conference and certainly on our team.

Landon had a good game but my lord, what is going on??? Cliff will produce a double-double EVERY GAME** **if ****he sees the court. This is not “filling up the stat sheet”, this is a player who is superior to most of the competition and once again he is riding the pine because … (fill in the blank) … 15 minutes of court time???

How can you allow our team to get out rebounded like that without our best rebounder - by far! - in the game? Come on man!

COACH: THIS GAME WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS CLOSE AS IT WAS IF YOU HAD LET THE BIG RED DOG PLAY MORE MINUTES, SIMPLE AS THAT. OUR CHANCES OF WINNING THE ISU GAME WOULD HAVE INCREASED CONSIDERABLY IF CLIFF HAD PLAYED THE SECOND HALF!

This is the second time in the last four games (ISU and now TCU) where more minutes from the Big Red Dog would have produced a very different and better result for our team.

Get real - it is so obvious…this not genius, master of motivation, above and beyond the comprehension of mere mortal fans who do not understand all the subtitles of how to manage and motivate Cliff.

This is a poor coaching decision and the KU fans and our press corps needs to challenge our head coach on this point - big time!

Open to hear other views but to me it is crystal clear that more playing time for Cliff will equate to more rebounding and scoring in the post, more blocked shots and a better chance to compete, especially this year when our bigs are so weak compared to years past.

We do not have the luxury of bringing him along gradually. Now is the time and his play will improve as his court time expands. He needs time on the court, not on the pine!

Starting Cliff does not matter, just making sure he gets more minutes per game. The more minutes he gets, the more points and rebounds and blocks KU will get in each game.

Cliff is averaging only a little more than 18 min/game. He and the team will improve a lot if he averages 25 min/game going forward, and he will probably get a boatload of double-doubles. He might be physically challenged (sore, hurt, bruised, joint pain???) but he seems to be a good kid and I really do not think there are off the court issues.

Jamari is a good player, this is not about him or Landon. They are great four year players and teammates. But their upside is limited. especially against elite competition.

This is not about Coach sandbagging or trying to keep Cliff for another year by not giving him court time. There is no conspiracy.

This is simply our Head Coach not getting the Big Red Dog to fit his schemes or play the way he wants him to. I like the pressure from the fans and press to challenge Coach to give Cliff more minutes b/c it does make our team better.

RCJH beat TT!

When Coach says, “Fool’s Gold” I think he means that we cannot win consistently ONLY by making threes. However, since the three point line was introduced, it is a higher percentage to shoot a three than a long two.

Yes, we should shoot more threes.

Yes, this is a very good shooting team w/ Green as the crowned prince of the three.

Yes, Coach is right that the three will not get it done all by itself but…

No, we are not the typical KU team (inside-out, dominate in the post, power ball…).

No, making threes is not a bad thing and shooting them is not a bad strategy.

No, Coach, threes point shooting is ALSO good playing. Making shots is part of the game!

If the shots are open and we are gunning away, no worries, even if they do not go in.

If the shots are not falling on a given night, Coach want great D and hustle and rebounding and driving to get the foul to shoot FTs, and then we have a chance to win even on an off night.

Coach seems to think that when we shoot lots of threes, we “settle” and refuse to be tough and mix it up in the paint and play tough D, etc.

Three point shooting can be a percentage play of you have great shooters and take open shots. How many times has Coach said, “we made shots but did not play well?”

The point here is that is ALSO but not ONLY what “playing well” means…