Topics created by JhawkAlum

Great job, @JhawkAlum, regarding the myth of the '08 team. Every player on that team had some serious flaws at that point in their careers, but other players made up for it. Rush, Arthur, RussRob and Collins drove me nuts all that season. I kind of knew what we had with Sasha, Dammit Mario, and Jackson. But when those guys all put it together, they could move the ball around the court better than any team since. Look for some games on YouTube.

@JhawkAlum As I understand the rule, yes, he can help tutor them…but ONLY off the court, even the practice court.

@drgnslayr Romello White is also considering Alabama. My guess is this is Snacks attempt at stealing one from them. I just hope someone explains to him that striking out on top 30s and picking up triple digits doesn’t really get back at AJ and Bama.

@JhawkAlum In the stacking era, when KU is apparently denied all the 5 star bigs but foreign ones, and 80-90 % of the 4stars, Self has to go after any and every big not locked up by Nike, whenever and wherever they arise. A big in the hand is worth two in the bush. I don’t know anything specific about this plAyer though.

@drgnslayr If I understand correctly, the NCAA can punish KU if they can prove that it was aware of the situation and let Alexander play anyway. From what I read, KU was as surprised as the rest of us and as soon as it was notified it sat Alexander. At this time and based on what I have read, I believe KU is in the clear…but then, I have no access to any inside information, only what is openly available.

@BeddieKU23 You have not ruffled my feathers. I feel the same. I have been a Jamari supporter for years. Love the guy but he really has not turned into the player I thought he could be. He is really a solid guy off the bench for 10-15 minutes but that is about it. I am afraid his ceiling just isn’t that high. Lucas looked really really bad at the beginning of the year. He slowly but surely improved and he certainly plays hard and has a high basketball IQ. But I am not sure that he will ever be able to change the game on either end of the floor. Mickelson is pretty good when he is in. Obviously there must be some reason we just don’t see him on the floor as much as you would think. That said, his ceiling does not seem that high either. Good utility guy but not the starting center on a top 10 program.

@DoubleDD I think a year will make a difference. Will it make enough so that we become a title contender? I think we need a big man to go through (Cliff returns…not likely IMO, or one of the big man recruits). Like it or not, that is what Self needs to be successful.

@Crimsonorblue22 Who knows…I haven’t seen anything like it even on late night class action ambulance chasers ads.

@tundrahok no!

Cheick Diallo has been my favorite prospect in this class since his sophomore year, when he first burst on the scene. He may be only 6’9", but he’s the best athlete in the class, even with Thon reclassifying, and his energy, effort, and toughness are off the charts too. He’s like what you’d get if you crossed TRob with JuJu: raw, but hard, quick, bouncy, and capable of dominating a game by sheer force of will. I actually like our chances with him a lot, especially if Alexander doesn’t or can’t come back (although I’m counting on seeing him another year), because he’s been recruited by Norm, and Norm’s landed a lot of the biggest fish we’ve gotten lately (Selden, Oubre, Embiid, Greene). But if he doesn’t suit up for Kansas, I’m hoping he does for ISU because, with the Mayor at the helm, they can become the in-conference rival that KU fans deserve, and Self needs to get us to that next banner.

Weber is probably a nice guy and all, but his brother was the HS coach of Duke star John Scheyer. (I’ve told this story so forgive me if you’ve read it already) This was in the north suburbs of Chicago, Glenbrook North or South, I forget which. Anyways, seems like a slam dunk recruit for Bruce at the U of I, but obviously his own brother couldn’t deliver his star to suffer under Bruce Weber.

@drgnslayr We both must have consulted the Rock Chalk oracle!

@JayHawkFanToo "I watched Jaleel White, aka Steve Urkel, in a celebrity basketball match and he was nothing like his TV persona, he was actually a pretty decent player. " Ha… all proving my point about the effectiveness of x-axis basketball. I squinted my eyes and it looked like the Duke/Miami game… except this was only a one-point victory! Anyone else see that? See what a couple of little fast guards did to Duke at home?! I’d like to take that game footage into the video room at KU and spend a couple of hours with Frank and Devonte. This is how it is done!

@BeddieKU23 said: It was a great 24 hrs to be a Jayhawk fan. Tuff win at Baylor, 5 star recruit signs the next day. Maybe more to come in the next few months. Self said his #1 priority was signing a Big and he got it. I have said since the summer Bragg and Diallo would be the perfect 2 bigs for KU. Both unfinished athletic freaks who bring vastly different skill sets. We’ve got 1 and I’m still hoping that we get the other. I think its important that we get 2 because next year we have Ellis, Traylor, & Hunter all Seniors. We will need to sign at least 2 this year to have enough already in the program to get more in the next class. The 16 class has some good bigs available as well. The other thing that is important in getting Diallo is to keep him away from Iowa State. I definitely don’t want KU to have to play AGAINST him 2-3 times next year. Iowa State will have a tough team next year with or without Diallo. I’d rather us have him instead of play him.

@JhawkAlum DirecTV.

Nice to get the W. I have my gut reactions to how we squeaked this out but need to see stats. My gut reaction is both teams were a bit off and we hung tough down the wire.

Just saw some info on twitter from Seth Greenberg … UNC was running a 1-3-1 tonight and Greenberg commented that it “fit” UNC’s personnel (yes, Roy was running a 1-3-1). He also said the following: “Just like you need to fit your offense to your players it is important to fit your defensive system to your personnel.” Quite a contrast to coach Self’s philosophy. Just different ways to skin a cat. But with that, Self’s way should not be presumed correct each and every season simply because he’s won games. Nor should his approach be given any deference from year to year. Other coaches win games being flexible and adapting.

I was disappointed in how Greene and Svi played together. I underestimated how much a lack of ball handling would effect us. The hawks seem to always need to have a two out of the three ball handlers in the game (Mason, Graham, or Selden). Another slap-in-the-face realization is how bad our second post players are behind Ellis (Self doesn’t need a distinction between the 4 and 5). Lucas is smart and knows how to push his man forward but doesn’t have the athleticism or explosion to score on bigger defenders and Traylor doesn’t posses the height or skill. Alexander had the body and explosion but hasn’t figured out how to put himself in the same position has Lucas. Hopefully he figures it out or we will be seeing Oubre play that mismatch 4 more often, On the bright side, this team shows toughness to start something with absolutely no momentum. The floater by Ellis and pull up 3 by Mason are perfect examples. That toughness is something I haven’t seen since 2012 and when that toughness mixed with the talent is enough pull out NCAA tourney wins and another conference championship. This will be a good season but hopefully we will not be bald by pulling out our hair in the process!