Best posts made by KansasComet

I am sure Coach Self appreciates the KU Fan Base. I am also sure he makes countless appearances and does random acts of kindness that we will probably never hear about. The way I see him, he is probably there for former student athletes going back to his coaching days at ORU, Tulsa, and Illinois.

Coach Self, in my opinion is doing an excellent job. There is no way he can win a National Championship every year. I want to take this opportunity as a way to say thanks for trying and putting an excellent team on the court year after year. 11 consecutive Big XII Championships is an amazing feat. Thanks! One National Championship and another Championship Game appearance. Let me just say that I have enjoyed every year that you have been the coach at the University of Kansas. Every year may not have turned out as you have hoped, but I am thankful that you are the Coach and grateful for all your efforts. Happy Birthday Coach Self!

R-E-L-A-X! This is why so many teams including Kansas most years play easy games to start the season out. This was a tough game right out the gate. We lost to a team that was shooting lights out from three, nearly 50%. They got on the glass out rebounding us by 11. We have heart. We fought back and we could have just as easily lost this game as won it. All this talk about the season? It hasn’t even started for the majority of teams that played “creampuff” games. We got a nice dose of reality. We need to get on the glass and have some of the “Mr. Big Nuts” attitude when taking 3’s that we had last season. It’s hard to complain about the glass when we left a 7 foot 280 player on the bench for most of the game. We have highly touted freshmen, we need to let them get their feet wet in November, so that they will be ready come March and April. One of the key plays for Indiana was a freshman knocking down a 3 pointer during overtime. We have to start letting it loose and stop playing not to loose. We are extremely talented and on the bright side at least we know what we have to work on. It is definitely fixable.

@drgnslayr Against KSU. Devonte Graham 7 boards, 6 assists, 10 points to include 4 for 4 from the free throw line down the stretch. He is plenty alpha for me. He also is deferring to Frank and Josh knowing that this is their last year. Devonte Graham is an extreme Alpha. I am so impressed with his play. He can take over games when needed and he can get other’s involved. He is a great leader and I hope he comes back and leads us again next year.

@KUSTEVE KU will always be Number 1 to me!

Lucas and Traylor were part of this team win. They made mistakes, but who didn’t?Glad they played and I wouldn’t change a thing. Great team win.

Great team win. Each game is different. There will be games where players like Marcus Garrett and Mitch Lightfoot will shine. They are outstanding basketball players. Devonte Graham has patiently waited, and now it is his time to shine. Malik Newman will win games for us this year. He is an amazing talent and will get opportunities to show what he can do. Vick and Svi are seasoned veterans and it shows. At this point, it does not appear that opponents can “speed up” our team into making countless mistakes. We are able to move the ball and show patience running the offense. It is a joy to watch everything come together. Udoka is still figuring things out, but is off to a great start. Looking forward to Preston, hopefully getting cleared. I am sure he is ready to show what he brings to the program. 7-0, and a long way to go. Enjoying the ride as usual. Go Jayhawks!

I have read many post saying how a certain team is so great because of the amount of McDonald’s All Americans they have. Nonsense. It is Division I Basketball. McDonald’s All Americans are great, but it doesn’t guarantee an undefeated season or a National Championship. McDonald’s All Americans commit fouls, turnovers, and fail to box out just like every other player. They are human. Now a lot have real good skill set and that is fine and dandy, but that does not guarantee anything. It is a team sport, that rewards, hard work, intensity, developing chemistry, unselfishness, determination, and a will to win. Kansas has just as much talent as any team in College Basketball. We must be loaded with talent if we can let 3 D1 players go and not miss a beat. We have 11 players fight for minutes right now, just the way Coach Self wants it. How else can you get maximum effort?

Looking forward to another great season of Kansas Basketball and reminding everyone that we have just as good a chance as anyone else. Win or lose, I love my Jayhawks!!!

@Jayrawks1 Welcome. You are off to a great start. Just express yourself and have fun. It is okay to vent frustrations as well. We all understand. We don’t always agree, but we all have a common goal. Getting on each others nerves! (just kidding). Seriously, with some it’s National Championship or bust, with others it’s enjoy the ride with the ups and downs that each new season brings. Either way, we are all passionate KU FANATICS and love our Jayhawks.

As far as recruiting, the World Games further thrust our program into the National Spotlight. I think you hit on something. The chance to play on National Television for 10 extra games has got to be appealing to any young man trying to showcase his talents.

Anyway, welcome, enjoy, and you are definitely off to a great start! Excellent thread to begin with.

Some of us just want to rejoice in the afterglow of finally having Diallo and not think about what could have been with someone that will never be a Jayhawk.

Give Bell 2 fouls one at the 17:40 mark and another at the 17:23 mark and don’t give any to Jackson and we win the game. They were allowed to hack, and we weren’t. We got frustrated and the shots didn’t fall. It was just like playing Michigan State in year’s past. Bell could have just as easily been in foul trouble for shoves in the back and straight up hacking. We could have beat any team in the tournament, but we didn’t. All it takes is one bad game or one bad break and you go home. Look at the Northwestern/Gonzaga game. Zags win by a player sticking his hand through the underside of the basket to goal tend and all I heard last night was how great they were. They should have went home early, but that’s just the way it goes. It takes skill, heart, and luck to win this thing.

If not for a BS foul called on Graham against Villanova and 2 pick fouls on Jackson against Oregon, we could just as easily be back to back National Champions. Losing sucks and it always will. However, we win more than we lose. These setbacks will make winning our next one all the more sweeter.

Kansas wins! Duke, UNC, Kentucky, and OU lost. What a Super Saturday for the Kansas Jayhawks!

@icthawkfan316 Excellent post on Andrew Wiggins. An excellent player for the Kansas Jayhawks that will payoff for years to come in recruiting. It appears he is on his way to a solid NBA Career. I am glad he spent a year at KU along the way.

If he makes the shot he is a hero. Perry Ellis will have plenty more chances. Hope he makes the next one. He has been much more aggressive lately. He also had a nice 3 pointer during that game. That game is over, time to move on to the next.

My feelings on Jamari Traylor and Coach Self. There have been a few games that we do not win without him. So, yes we need him. There is not anyone that ever played the game of basketball, that hasn’t had a bad game. It doesn’t mean that he sucks, or has a lack of intelligence. It just means, it didn’t go his way. That’s what opponents are for, to ensure things don’t your way. As far as what player plays and what player doesn’t, that’s on Coach Self. He is getting paid the big bucks to figure that out. I only watch the game. I don’t have to travel and meet with recruits, some of which have zero intention of ever attending KU, but it’s cool/trendy to put us on their list. I don’t have to worry about these kids getting into any trouble, fights, or domestic situations. I don’t have to massage their egos when they feel like they aren’t getting enough minutes and want to transfer or be the bad guy that has to suggest to a kid that maybe he should. I don’t have to spend sleepless night wondering about game plans or opponents nor fans unrealistic expectations. I just turn the TV on or go to the games. In other words I don’t worry about Sugar Honey Iced Tea that I can’t change. I do have fun talking hoops with the majority of you, but it ain’t my life.

If current 5 Star talent is not showcased, future 5 Star talent will not come.

@HighEliteMajor Every year you come up with new ways to blame Coach Self for old losses. It amazes me that you do this every single year my friend. It is not going to change anything. We lost those games, it’s over. With the exception of a few trolls, everyone on this board is just as upset about the losses as you are. None of us can be remotely as upset as Coach Bill Self. It is his job, and I am sure he is doing the best he can. I don’t always agree with everything he does and I am sure if he followed me around all day he would not agree with half the things I do in my day to day life. We are at a good place right now in Kansas Basketball and we have been for the past 30 years. My friendly advice is for you to try and enjoy KU Basketball and not obsess over it. Coach Self is getting paid handsomely to do his job and he has done it quite well. I know you believe in “National Championship or bust”, you have said it too many times before. We are not going to win every year and some of the losses are going to flat out suck. That’s part of competition, there’s a winner and loser. Think about how many times KU has won their regular season title during Self’s era. Don’t you think the other teams in the Big XII would love to experience some of that? We are Kansas. We can be ranked outside of the top 10 and still get the court stormed when we lose. That’s a pretty big deal. I know you have a right to post whatever you want, but it is time for me to get off the bus on this one.

Where was Devonte Graham? Helping win the game from what I could see. For example, at 3:23 left in the game Graham blocks a shot on a Texas Tech player’s drive to the basket. It’s not in the box score, I don’t know why, but it was a clean block. 2:05 left in the game Graham throws a perfect lob to Josh Jackson for a two hand slam dunk. 58 seconds remaining he throws a pass into the paint to Lucas, who is fouled reaching for the passes. Unfortunately, Lucas misses the front end of the 1 and 1. Devonte Graham pulls down a rebound with 15 seconds left that leads to Josh Jackson’s game winning free throw. As the Texas Tech player attempts to throw up a prayer at the buzzer to win the game, the KU player that got in the way and stopped him from getting off a decent shot was Devonte Graham. What an excellent effort by a young man that does the things that don’t always show up in the box score, like guarding 3 different Texas Tech players, including their big man on one possession. It is great to see a young man do the things necessary to get a team victory instead of being a me first player only worried about himself. I love watching this young man play the game of basketball.

I vote take a chill pill! We lost. I am most happy that we have Coach Self. I love the players that he recruits. We continue to be a solid program, with an excellent chance to win a tournament. That’s all the NCAA Tournament is. It’s a tournament. The winner of the tournament is named National Champion. It’s the rules of the game, designed to generate billions of dollars, and it is working quite well.

If it were a 30 team tournament with only the regular season champions participating in it, then how many championships would KU have? Probably more than what they currently have. Who really knows, and who really cares. All the whining because we lose a game and this indirect fire against the University of Kansas Mens Basketball team by HEM when we lose is ridiculous. I appreciate every game we win. I don’t like the losses, but oh well. 25 times I celebrated victory this year and 10 times I endured losses. We have won 10 straight Big XII Titles, that means something. That’s a lot better than a 10-25 record. We have been there before, even though a lot of fans have never witnessed what it was like when we were pretty rotten.

I am not saying that everything that Coach Bill Self does is perfect. No one is. I don’t expect him to be. What I do love and respect about Coach Self is that he is always giving us a winner, and the chance to compete for a National Championship every year he has been here. Yes there are teams with 3 and 4 Championships. That does not make them great, in my opinion. In the last 20 years, how many NIT Bids have the Kansas Jayhawks received? Zero! They are probably the only team that has not been to the NIT in the past 20 years. That, along with multiple Elite 8, Final Four, Title Game appearances, opponents storming the court each time we lose, and being the home of college basketball makes us an elite program in my book.

I am not the coach of the Jayhawks, no one on this board is. I would not trade Coach Self for any other coach in college basketball. Thanks again Coach Self for keeping us out the NIT. Some on this board have a hard time with only winning year after year. Hard to imagine what a trip to the real world and a spot in the NIT would do for them?

Great to see Wayne Selden Jr. have great games during the Big XII Tournament. Equally great (to me anyway) was watching his family cheer him on. I believe he is a young man that wanted to not only come to college to get better, but also get an education. If he stays one more year, he will be in a great position to earn a degree from The University of Kansas. Now how great is that? I posted over and over during the course of the season that “Wayne Selden Jr. is a starter”. I knew it then, and I know it now. I think he will continue to get better, much better.

We have to go on a run soon. We are due for one.

Kansas defeated every team that plays in the Champions Classic this year. Victories over Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan State in the same season. Not too bad. I enjoy victories over those 3 teams!

@mayjay Bill Self is the man, according to LaGerald Vick and that’s good enough for me!

How bad does Bill Self feel today? He has to feel worse than anyone in this forum. In his life, he doesn’t have time to sit around and worry himself to death. He has to find out which players are staying, which are leaving and which players does he need to come here that gives him the best chance to compete for a National Championship. He will also make time to have a Team Banquet and personally thank each member for their role in another great season. It may not be the ultimate season, but reaching the Elite 8 is a great accomplishment.

Bill Self is a Rock Star! His Band’s music never goes out of style!

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands! Clap, Clap! Rock Chalk!

Devonte Graham, what an outstanding young man! Thank you for all of your hard work, sacrifice and dedication. I truly hope that when the next Kansas Jayhawks basketball team wins a National Championship, they present you with a ring as well, you deserve it!

@approxinfinity Thanks for all you do! Next year should be another good one!

@jayballer54 Daryl Dawkins straight from High School to the NBA. Passed away 2015 at the age of 58. I am still a fan. What an amazing athlete! As far as underrated, I loved watching Andrew Toney from the Sixers. He would have been great if not for foot injuries. He was known as “The Boston Strangler” for getting the best of the Celtics in the early 80’s. Truly underrated.

I like things the way that they are, totally unpredictable. Coach Self has created an atmosphere that will result in highly competitive practices, and maximum effort in games. I love it. Bring it everyday, or sit. Sometimes players will sit because it just wasn’t in the cards for that particular game. Accomplishments in High School mean absolutely nothing. The chemistry will come. What is great about it is opponents can’t really game plan against KU. There is no defensive strategy against a squad this deep. I don’t see Greene transferring, he has gotten National Exposure on a top 5 team, why leave? He is a Freshman, his time will come. I am sure Greene and Frankamp have never sat in their lives, but this is an elite team, and I am sure they are thrilled to be a part of it. When they are given the opportunity to excel, they must do just that. So far this year we have seen KU put up 50 in a half without Andrew Wiggins scoring, top 50 players get limited minutes, and a team so talented, that Coach Self, yes Coach Bill Self, could not bring himself (no pun intended), to redshirt anyone. I look forward to watching this team mature, learn, and grow while continuing to play unselfishly for and with each other.

I do not have a post season loss that stings the most. I try to get over tournament losses in less than two weeks. I usually travel in the summer, reflect and enjoy life, it’s too short. I have taken much more positives out of Kansas Basketball than negatives over the past 30 years. I enjoy the ride, each and every year. I could never be a “if you don’t win it all, then I am I disappointed” type person. Kansas Basketball is not just about me or my opinions. It is much bigger than that. I am sure these kids are trying as hard as they can. I root for them as I would my own children. When the Jayhawks lose, I say to myself, “It’s okay, I am glad you are a part of my favorite school, and I wouldn’t trade any of you for anything”. I get ready for the next season, because I don’t ever see myself not being a supporter of Kansas Jayhawk Basketball. I certainly understand everyone’s right to be upset when we lose, but I have to draw the line somewhere. There is not a person on this website that is qualified to coach the Kansas Jayhawks, nor handle the day to day pressures that come with the job. Bill Self is an outstanding coach and should be praised for putting an excellent competitive team on the court each and every season. Everyone can be an armchair quarterback. Not everyone can coach and maintain an elite team at the University of Kansas. Sometimes we as fans get it twisted.

The KU Experience!!! That’s what matters. There is nothing anyone can say to tarnish that. It’s the University of Kansas. Not winning the National Championship every year? So what? Who does? Last 30 years. The most won is 4. We have two, and list in the title game in 3 others. 5 championship games in the past 30 years. I believe 8 Final Fours in that timeframe? 8 times the Regional Champion. Damn…So on average The University of Kansas participates in the Final one every 3 point something years. Heroics from other teams kept us out of a few more or we would have at least 10. Basketball is a very easy game to watch. It is not an easy game to play/coach in front of thousands of people with your heart racing. I applaud every Kansas team for their efforts and win or lose, I will continue to support them in person or in the comfort of my own home. I hope my attempt at math is okay, it’s late. Go Jayhawks.

@HighEliteMajor First and foremost “You do realize?” Not cool! Okay? If you want to talk hoops we can do that. You have an opinion, and I have one as well. We are on the same page on some issues and on others we will probably never be on the same page. That’s cool.

Now you ask, does anything upset me? Yes, disrespect does upset me. As far as the Jayhawks go of course. I will lay it all out for your, since you asked. No holes barred: I loved Coach Roy Williams, but I thought the majority of his teams were not physical enough. Thought we were much better than Syracuse in 2003. We should have stomped Maryland in 2002 and not allowed them to comeback. The 1991 team was one of my favorites. The 1992 team that lost to UTEP one of my biggest disappointments. I was much younger, and I was probably upset for nearly a month. 1994, I thought we had no chance, but we still put up a good fight. 1996, 1997, 1998, I thought we would win the whole thing. It hurt each year. I really appreciate Final Four runs. They are hard to come by. Every year, a top 2 team goes home early. It’s a fact. What I love about our program is that we seem to always punch a ticket to the dance. If you have a ticket to the dance, then you have a chance. The Michigan game in 2013 was horrible, because I thought it was over at one point, and then we self destructed, not just one player. Yes, I get upset at losses, but I have a cornerbacks mentality and I look forward to the next play (season).

The top seed in the MVC will probably never get a 9 seed again. I stand by the fact that when we win games we were supposed to lose, and the Arkansas game is a perfect example, then everything is okay. But when we lose to a team we are supposed to beat then its the end of the world to some. I believe in Karma in sports.

Am I critical ? Yes. I don’t believe Young, Stewart, Brady, Reed, or Teahan were KU major minute worthy. I don’t think any would be recruited today by Coach Self. I like them all as role players, but not for major minutes. I believe it set back KU Basketball a few years. As did the recruitment of players such as Downs, and Giles that had zero chance to work out. We are just now coming out of that fog, (no pun intended) and things are starting to shape up for our program.

Has Coach Self’s coaching lead to losses in the tournament? I can’t say one way or the other. Starting to lean toward yes, when I read that he said he should have played Frank more last season. My opinion is that Tharpe was getting absolutely killed by Mason and Frankamp in practice, and it affected his play in games.

Being critical and badgering the team the entire year are two different things. Fairweather fans is what it means.

Hope I answered your questions? We are what our record says we are and nothing more.

Games are not won on paper. They are won on the court. There are probably 10 teams that are capable of winning the whole thing. Each year, it is a combination of skill and luck. Who knows what team will win it all? I don’t have a clue, but each and every year I hope it’s the Jayhawks. When we lose it sucks, but the Program goes on. Question: In the past 10 years, with the exception of the Championship Game (because that’s the end of the tournament) how many teams have beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament and gone on to win the National Championship?

Relax, it’s not like we just got eliminated in the first round of the NIT by Robert Morris. This we will overcome. I watched the whole game last night, did not turn the channel or turn off the television. I can’t turn my back on the team, not wired that way. Probably why I enjoy every victory and every accomplishment. We are Kansas, and I am very proud. Everyone including the fans, the players, and the coaches need to buckle up and get ready for the ride. Go Jayhawks!

Jamari came to play today, wow! What a sensational block! He did not look the least bit distracted. Totally focused on basketball and a joy to watch!

I wish we had more height. I wish we had more experience on the block. Oh well, we have to work it with what we have. What I miss is having big men (Morris Twins) that could step right into a 3 point shot with plenty of size down low for a rebound. Those days are gone. What we have now is a team with no fear. I look at this team during crunch time, and I don’t see anyone on the team, that I am praying doesn’t touch the ball. I see a lot of confident shooters. This thing can come together, maybe not the way we are accustomed to. I see a team that is good enough to keep tough games close, knock down a few timely jumpsuit and come through at the free throw line when needed. I still believe.

When this team loses to Robert Morris in the 1st Round of the NIT, then and only then will I be overly concerned. Problem is, when this team is good, it’s very good, and when it’s bad it’s very bad!

The day of the developmental 3 Star Recruit is over. That’s what I think.

Wayne Selden Jr. is a starter. He is not going to the Bench. We have ten starters. Everyone is not going to look good every game. Svi can play really good and he is not getting very many chances. His time will come. Greene’s time will come as well. It probably won’t be at the expense of Selden Jr. What I saw dlast night was a team that is starting to get some chemistry as they start to get more familiar with each other. When the post moves, the mid range and the outside come together then watch out. This team has fight and Wayne and Brannen are very good fighters. It appears Coach Self has put together a team of hard nosed fighters. Inside Out or Outside In I don’t really care, I just want to win!

@icthawkfan316 Nice positive post. The season is far from over. Once again Coach Self keeps our program in the conversation. Some appreciate this feat others obviously don’t. Hopefully, everyone, including Cliff will continue to get better and we can make a run in the tournament.

Teams can’t scout us come tournament time. We are capable of adjusting our game to any situation. And yes. We can even go big with our ELM street lineup in the paint, that’s Ellis, Lucas, and Mickelson. We have options. We can block shots, we can survive getting our shot blocked. We can rebound, we can run, we can guard, we can get in the passing lanes, and we can shoot. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, 11 Time Big XII Champs!

I don’t know about two losses, but they would have one for sure. It would be a forfeit against KU, because they refuse to come to Lawrence.

@HighEliteMajor Bill Self is not a god, but he is something you are not nor will ever be and that is the Head Coach of the Kansas Jayhawks.

In order to be the Coach of the Kansas Jayhawks you must be appealing to the student athletes that you recruit. You must get kids to buy in to your Program. You must play to your players strengths while not exposing too many of your teams weakeness. You must be gracious in victory and defeat.

I can appreciate wanting the team to improve. I think we all want that. Self wanted Okafor and Jones last year. He did not get them. He lost to WSU last year, and I am sure no one is more upset about that than he is. Now he is back on the recruiting trail working his butt off trying to improve our Jayhawks. More 3 point shots would not have won us a Championship. It was never a simple as that.

Outstanding! That in itself will pay recruiting dividends for years to come.

I just hated to see the young man go down for the actions of others. We could have used him in the tournament. I think he would have stayed one more year, if he could have. He will earn a living playing ball somewhere. It could be in the NBA. It could be overseas. Either way, he is going to get paid. As far as Alexander and Oubre’s stock falling after only one season at KU? If you are not a top 5 rated freshman, chances are, you will find some time on the pine. Bill Self loves two things and that is Experience and Talent, probably in that order.

Looking forward to another year of Kansas Basketball. Coach Self finally has another veteran squad, with a few young guns sprinkled in. Impact Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen. Someone will probably red-shirt. I am hoping Diallo gets cleared and I don’t believe it will be at anybody’s expense. Anyone that can win the MVP of both the McDonald’s Game and the Jordan Classic is good enough for me. Self continues to be an excellent recruiter and coach. As far as last year, had Cliff been eligible and Perry not injured, who knows? Oh well, time to move on to another season.

@jaybate-1.0 The places you let your mind go to…wow! Good post! Thanks.

@wrwlumpy Wonderful as always. Thanks.

I love the confidence of the Jackson 5!