I think Melvin is also a piece of that joy. He seems to always be having such a good time. His joy is infectious. He may be that rare transfer who makes it on to my favorite Jayhawks list.

There’s at least one bright side to DPs issues, the emergence of ElMarko Jackson. He’s gone from looking almost unplayable at the start of the season to be a fantastic sixth man. He’d be starting for most teams, i think. Consider the numbers from OK state game. DP scores 23, Jackson subs for him and adds 14 more, 37 points out of the scoring guard position. Also with Jackson you get a guy who’s likely a better defender than DP, and maybe a better assist guy. Good to know that if DP can only go 20 minutes, we got a guy off the bench who can give us another solid 20. And Mario can have a great game here and there, but he seems to streaky to be as reliable as Jackson.

There seems to be a general down feeling about next years’ team, but looking through my rose colored glasses I think there’s lots of reason for optimism. So here’s my totally biased and likely over optimistic take on where we’ll see improvements this year.

Rebounding. This year’s taller, bigger team will be an elite at rebounding. Flory was usually a very good rebounder, but he got outmuscled by some of the bigger centers. I don’t see Big Paul getting pushed around under the basket. And several of the new guys come in with he reputation of being outstanding rebounders for their positions. Dawes in particular should be a force on the boards, and an improvement over Tiller. I think Tiller has a high ceiling, but he rarely got close to it last year. I think Dawes probably has a lower ceiling but will play close to it much more consistently.

Scoring. This team is going to put up points. Multiple new guys with a record of having big games. Scoring should be especially improved from the bench. Will likely need more scoring as defense is likely to be down a bit but my optimistic take is that the increased scoring will be enough to overcome the diminished defense. I've seen Bill Self quoted saying that several of the new guys are great passers, suggesting that the assist numbers will rise. Melvin and Tre both had some good scoring games, but the consistency was not there, especially at the end of the season.

Bench. In addition to putting up more points, the bench should be deeper this year with at least 3 or maybe 4 guys who can come in and give reliably good production. Hopefully this will lead to fresher legs at the end of games and at the end of the season. I know coach often seems to prefer a short bench, but is that a true preference or a recognition that there was no one there to put in at the end of big games? I seem to remember he consistently used 8-9 guys in 2008.

Big improvements by Rosario and Mbiya. Having taught college for 30+ years I’ve seen so many young freshmen become totally different students after a year or two. Kohl’s athleticism was clear last year, this year he will know what to do with it. I think Big Paul just needed more time to learn he college game, time that he will have this year. This year, I think Paul will be a solid post player, and that by the end of the year we’ll all be hoping Kohl doesn’t declare for the NBA draft.

But what about that defense. It will be hard for this year’s team to match last year’s on the defensive side. Flory could defend all over the floor (which Mbiya can’t) Melvin was a dawg and the other guys were all solid. I’m hoping the deeper bench will allow the starters more rest and fresher legs to make up, at least in part, less skill on the defensive side

In perhaps a more realistic take, I see this year’s team having a lower floor that last years, mostly due to the lack of college ball experience. But I also think they have a higher ceiling. Too have a really good year we need at least 2 of the freshmen to come close to matching their hype, and 3 or 4 of the transfers to produce more than their ratings suggest. I don’t think that’s too much to hope for. There may be some sorry games, especially early in the year, but I think they’ll be able to compete with anyone by the end of the year.

Jamari’s comfort level seems to be growing rapidly. Fewer bad passes, more good passes, and shooting with confidence when open. Quality 6th man.

ElMarko was a bulldog on defense, especially at the end of the game. Deflections, big steal, generally creating havoc. With other guys scoring like they were he put his efforts where they were most needed. I thought it was by far the best he’s looked all year.

Although clearly not ready yet, I’m looking forward to seeing Samis Calderon down the road. The athleticism is surely there once he learns how to use it.

Seeing all around game from DP. Scoring, rebounds, assists, defensive effort. Hope it continues.

He’s just keeping options open on the off chance that court case gets him an extra year of eligibility and KU has already filled its roster.

Good to see Tre and Melvin staying aggressive with DP on the floor.

@BShark I got an “invalid user name” respond when i tried to log in (Immunohawk). System would not let me make a small change so i went to a new user name.

There seems to be a general down feeling about next years’ team, but looking through my rose colored glasses I think there’s lots of reason for optimism. So here’s my totally biased and likely over optimistic take on where we’ll see improvements this year.

Rebounding. This year’s taller, bigger team will be an elite at rebounding. Flory was usually a very good rebounder, but he got outmuscled by some of the bigger centers. I don’t see Big Paul getting pushed around under the basket. And several of the new guys come in with he reputation of being outstanding rebounders for their positions. Dawes in particular should be a force on the boards, and an improvement over Tiller. I think Tiller has a high ceiling, but he rarely got close to it last year. I think Dawes probably has a lower ceiling but will play close to it much more consistently.

Scoring. This team is going to put up points. Multiple new guys with a record of having big games. Scoring should be especially improved from the bench. Will likely need more scoring as defense is likely to be down a bit but my optimistic take is that the increased scoring will be enough to overcome the diminished defense. I've seen Bill Self quoted saying that several of the new guys are great passers, suggesting that the assist numbers will rise. Melvin and Tre both had some good scoring games, but the consistency was not there, especially at the end of the season.

Bench. In addition to putting up more points, the bench should be deeper this year with at least 3 or maybe 4 guys who can come in and give reliably good production. Hopefully this will lead to fresher legs at the end of games and at the end of the season. I know coach often seems to prefer a short bench, but is that a true preference or a recognition that there was no one there to put in at the end of big games? I seem to remember he consistently used 8-9 guys in 2008.

Big improvements by Rosario and Mbiya. Having taught college for 30+ years I’ve seen so many young freshmen become totally different students after a year or two. Kohl’s athleticism was clear last year, this year he will know what to do with it. I think Big Paul just needed more time to learn he college game, time that he will have this year. This year, I think Paul will be a solid post player, and that by the end of the year we’ll all be hoping Kohl doesn’t declare for the NBA draft.

But what about that defense. It will be hard for this year’s team to match last year’s on the defensive side. Flory could defend all over the floor (which Mbiya can’t) Melvin was a dawg and the other guys were all solid. I’m hoping the deeper bench will allow the starters more rest and fresher legs to make up, at least in part, less skill on the defensive side

In perhaps a more realistic take, I see this year’s team having a lower floor that last years, mostly due to the lack of college ball experience. But I also think they have a higher ceiling. Too have a really good year we need at least 2 of the freshmen to come close to matching their hype, and 3 or 4 of the transfers to produce more than their ratings suggest. I don’t think that’s too much to hope for. There may be some sorry games, especially early in the year, but I think they’ll be able to compete with anyone by the end of the year.

Tiller is the puzzle to me. Looked so good for stretches, and then disappeared for longer stretches. Seemed like he just wanted to drift around the 3 point line rather than mixing it up in the middle.

He’s just keeping options open on the off chance that court case gets him an extra year of eligibility and KU has already filled its roster.

Does well putting the ball on the floor for a big man. Does he have an outside shot to with the slams and layups?

Don’t forget, along with Wilt Kansas includes most of us Bucketeers!

Seeing all around game from DP. Scoring, rebounds, assists, defensive effort. Hope it continues.

Good to see Tre and Melvin staying aggressive with DP on the floor.

Kohl looking like a player today.

There’s at least one bright side to DPs issues, the emergence of ElMarko Jackson. He’s gone from looking almost unplayable at the start of the season to be a fantastic sixth man. He’d be starting for most teams, i think. Consider the numbers from OK state game. DP scores 23, Jackson subs for him and adds 14 more, 37 points out of the scoring guard position. Also with Jackson you get a guy who’s likely a better defender than DP, and maybe a better assist guy. Good to know that if DP can only go 20 minutes, we got a guy off the bench who can give us another solid 20. And Mario can have a great game here and there, but he seems to streaky to be as reliable as Jackson.

ElMarko was a bulldog on defense, especially at the end of the game. Deflections, big steal, generally creating havoc. With other guys scoring like they were he put his efforts where they were most needed. I thought it was by far the best he’s looked all year.