Posts made by REHawk

The Alexander and Preston crap dented my appreciation for KU Hoops. Then when the DeSousa stuff surfaced I pretty much retired from daily reading and commenting on this site. With another promising season about to get underway my spirits are lifted somewhat. But I will never again buy into any semblance of belief regarding the innocence of Bill Self and the program. KU might not be as crooked as the programs of Good Ol’ Roy Boy, his mentor Dean, and Mr. Slicks at Louisville and Kentucky, but it’s a sad fact that corruption rears its ugly head at our place and evidently so many others. Years ago a relative chid me for my inclinations to believe in the amateur spirit and state of college sport. No longer do I suspend my disbelief.

For a decade our friend jaybate has consistently, insistently, incessantly brayed, “BEWARE BIG SHOE!” And now, here we are.

My longtime willing suspension of disbelief about KU’s involvement in illegal hoops recruitment is being rattled like barn tin in a windstorm. The program appeared to have done an honorable job, at least after the fact, regarding probable payoffs to the Preston family. But then the same guy who supposedly slid money to that clan is now said to have funneled dollars to DeSousa’s guardian? And KU did not smell the eventual trap? It’s either GEE WHIZ or YIKES! Has my confident fandom followed a course of ignorance? Or just stupidity?

Along tangential lines, here is a fairly simple proposal from the fairly simple mind of an avid fan. If a scholarship player transfers or departs for professional play prior to competing two years at a collegiate institution, he is legally bound to reimburse that institution the cost of his tuition, room, board and monthly personal stipends. That said, my dukes are down; lace em up and have at me.

As I have posted before I am not an X’s and O’s fan. I pat myself on the back for knowing people quite well. I have been on edge about the Lawsons from the getgo. I hope to be surprised that all works smoothly for their adjustment as solid team players, highly coachable. Loads of potential for the brothers, but…

Regarding current or incoming players, right now I feel like a white dress shirt flapping in the mid day wind, hoping no pigeons come along to perch at rest between the clothespins.

@HighEliteMajor Maybe you had best wear your old worn out golf shoes until all this Big Shoe mess is unveiled. If you plan to buy some Nikes, talk to the store manager to see if an agreement can be made to return fairly new but worn Nikes, just in case that noble outfit goes down, too. Heck, KU might even be a Nike school in the not too distant future. Or perhaps the University will go with Red Wing!

@jaybate-1.0 I would imagine that the Kansas Hoops coaching staff is bearing down on the search for a pair of such gunners. A recent LJW article appears to have tapped into that pursuit. The Nova game was indeed a shocker to the entire collegiate hoops world. At 15 minutes into that contest I just shook my head in abject wonder, figuring that the game had become something very different from most anything I had viewed in recent seasons. I know full well that Bill Self is anything but a quitter; but I think that after 30 minutes his brilliant basketball mind was already focused on designing a new type of squad for the near future. What he was seeing represented a major jolt to the strategists and tacticians who normally win so many Division 1 contests. Here’s hoping he can affect change with a core of players who can and will quickly adapt to the challenges presented by Jay Wright and Co.

@approxinfinity Aw, okay, I suppose I had best apologize for my responses on this thread. My threadiquette obviously is poorer than my eyesight. You have done a marvelous job in establishing, tweaking and managing KU Buckets. I’ve slim desire to rattle your cage. Actually, this was my first post on the Politics Category. I had not read previous spins from the general topic. Occasionally, in the past I slipped up and pitched some treacherous liberalism into the basketball entries; so I was patting myself on the back for driving in the more proper lane here. But I DO SEE that my Trump burps aren’t appropriate fits in the spirit of this specific thread. Sincerely sorry for the gaffe.

@approxinfinity Whoa! This thread falls under POLITICS and WORLD AFFAIRS. Whence comes your request?

@Kcmatt7 Talking point #1: He lies to the American people almost daily. #2: He voices disrespect for women and minorities. Right there is enough to muster and embolden my public negativity.

I think that by halftime Bill Self saw the writing on the scoreboard. If not then, by the 30 minute mark. He then opened his mind to the future, to 1918-19. Doke’s weaknesses got exposed. Doke MUST return. DeSousa need not yet absorb such a scorching. I can’t envision Mitch doing much in that contest. I hope to see Mitch get a red shirt if Doke returns. DeSousa will come back hungry and super focused. McCormack (sp?) will earn lots of minutes.

For instance, if we are bent upon a course of normalcy and decency regarding polite and respectful dialogue, how in all hell could we ever plow furrows of discourse regarding President Donald J. Trump?

In spirit, I pretty much agree with these declared rules for political discussion. But in my heart sometimes I just know THAT I AM RIGHT!

I am trying to envision the impact of this scenario. Doke’s birth mother, who has never watched him play a game of basketball, travels 24 hours from Nigeria to be plopped down among 70,000 very excited fans in San Antonio to watch her seven foot baby start and jump center for this historic sports program called Jayhawk Basketball. Can she and Doke harness and channel emotions for 3 mad hours? Parents of Svi and DeSousa also travel from afar to this Texas extravaganza. WOW!

Is now mind blowing, the returning talent which might be available for 2018-19 Jayhawks. Considering hungry eligible transfers, formidable recruits and possible returning stars, can our coaching staff keep a lid on discontent over playing time? If Newman does return, this next KU squad could be LOADED! Gotta presume that Doke also returns. Vick, too, will probably do everything possible to prepare body and mind for senior season focus and intensity. Just imagine what another 9 months of practice and training time will do for Silvio! And Mitch will keep growing and improving. As will Garrett. Jeesh!

As for the league tourney, we had best pray for OK to whip its in-state rival tonight. If we should have to play Okie State again, and without Doke, Merlin will have misplaced his Jayhawk Magic. We might just barely escape with a win vs. OU…if Young is cold from long range and if DeSousa can stay on the court for 20 minutes w/o fouling out. Of course, even WITH Doke, we likely would have gone down to the Cowboys. OSU is a nightmare matchup for the league champs. Whatever, it does appear that KU will get more rest than expected this weekend. If OSU shoulders its way into the NCAA Tournament, first weekend opponents could be in big trouble.

Well, it is past time for apologies to Bill Self and staff for my merciless criticisms after that collapse in Norman. Now I hear that starters pled with Self to leave Udoka on the court, regardless of his free throw shooting woes. It turns out that Doke got to work pronto to improve such weaknesses. Team unity soon improved to the point that it now is hailed as a well regarded strength of this team. Since that loss to the Sooners, Self evidently has done some really fine work with Vick and Newman. Once again, HOF coaching genius discreetly but effectively at work.

I have not changed my opinion that the kid is a spectacular talent. I’m more than somewhat saddened that the pressure, as well as competence of opposing league coaches, has gradually ground his dobber into the hardwood. He is too young to have been endowed with such a heavy burden as keys to the operations. And now, in front of a mic, he is playing into the media grinders. The lad would not have been a good fit for Bill Self Basketball. We might have escaped a bullet, his decision to stay home in Oklahoma. I predict that eventually he will rise to prominence as a professional point guard. En route I hope he learns quickly to measure both his playing passion and his words in front of a mic.

@DoubleDD Doke is a multi-millionaire in the making. But I am with you in declaring that he needs one more complete season, so that he can climb into lottery status. The financial and security dif between lottery selections and remainder of the pack is ominous, actually stupendous! Guaranteed millions for at least 3 pro seasons. The kid has the potential to grab that, but is yet far from ready.

I know that many posters are EJ supporters; so my negative memories will fall to much criticism. Wife and I were happy to see Tyshawn, EJ, and Tharpe move on from the program. In our minds that threesome represented a flipside to the characters of Frank and Devonte. Taylor’s final season was very much a turnabout from the tedious wait to watch him mature and apply his magnificent though long dormant and twisted hoops talents. Maybe EJ was bruised by the association and friendship, not strong enough to stay reputable on his own. Tharpe? Jeesh! That said, Frank and Devonte? WOW!

@RockChalkinTexas Holly’s our DOLLY!

If KU should, indeed, advance to the Final 4, I’d be willing to declare that yes, Svi and Malik are friendship buddies whose former body language some folks just misread. That said, if we lose this game tonight, those two had best enter into sports counseling and quickly iron out any grievances!

@Crimsonorblue22 Might depend on whether Young’s deep shot returns in time for the Big 12 Tournament?

@BeddieKU23 If Young’s teammates could hit 42% of his attempted assists, Oklahoma would be in much better shape in the win column. RIght now the Sooners are led by a freshman whose deep shot has gone up in smoke. I would imagine that the Sooners will trudge into the field house with their dobbers down, then their two starting freshmen will combine for a dozen or so exciting 3s, and OK will push us to the buzzer…

Throughout his adult life my father in law was engaged in big city politics, both as an office holder and unofficial member of backroom kitchen cabinet domains. Regarding criminal acts which involved relatively big money transactions, esp. of a clandestine nature, his opinion and advice: Follow the money; all the money. At this juncture, indeed a scary business for the KU athletic program, as a whole. Adidas has kicked huge sums into KU athletics. Over recent decades KU Hoops and, perhaps, the now less prominent Kansas Relays have been kingpins of Kansas Athletics. Probably the driving forces behind Adidas shelling out so many huge dollars to the program.

Well, whether or not team strife or wayward ways do exist, I see the major problems revolving around a shallow bench plus the lone big player who can’t always be counted upon to save a close game. Preston’s fizzling plus those 3 ineligible transfers waiting for next November plus transfer Cunliffe’s non-showing; those items tally substantial negatives. Then, by now, it was to be hoped, if not expected, that late-arriver DeSousa might adjust and develop quickly into a difference maker. The squad has drawn blanks on many fronts. Recruiting mistakes are much to blame; but, to be fair to coaches, who would have envisioned that Preston would have driven into troubled waters…or that Sam and Silvio would not be more productive? I think it is yet too early for all concerned to hang heads. There is plenty of precedence to offer positive thoughts going forward. Jayhawk Hoops is blessed with one of the best coaches in all of worldwide basketball. He yet quite possibly will steer this current halcyon situation toward active dynamite by way of reloading the win column. If the 7 kids he is playing do rally 'round to strive for victory, I’m a fan who thinks the Jayhawks can still compete for that league title.

Team chemistry is obviously a problem right now for the coaching staff. I have wondered for some time what the Cundiff problem might be, just figuring that he was reluctant to buy in to Bill Self Basketball. As HEM points out, when a program brings in players who have not adjusted well to other coaches and programs, there could be explosive issues at hand. Not only the 3 scholarship players who are sitting out, but also Newman and Cundiff came to KU as transfers who were dissatisfied with their former collegiate choices and situations. Toss into that group Vick, who has a history of misjudgments, and that amounts to a total of 6 scholarship units who might, in part, represent core distraction. Obviously, something is affecting the positive unity of this current team. Can the Jayhawks win 3 of the last 6 league contests? Even if that should transpire, no way the league title will be won with a total of 7 losses. And, right now, 3 more wins would appear to be very optimistic. It is amazing how the bottom tier of teams has gradually knocked off the early top tier. As some commentator recently declared, every team in the Big 12 could probably survive the first game of play in the NCAA Tournament. This far into the season, if Bill Self is capable of overcoming and turning around the attitudes and team efforts of his players he will go down as a hoops mastermind. This squad is on the verge of collapse. And all the while, Devonte Graham has to be on the court 40 minutes per game. Of course, this current mess did not occur overnight. Bill and staff made the decision long ago to enter this season without a full slate of available players; and they might not have done due diligence in the recruitment of Billy Preston and family. Devonte and Svi each could have moved on from Lawrence last spring, tho without optimal draft expectations. They committed to return…and are stuck in a quagmire of sorts.

@Crimsonorblue22 I have lived long enough to be suspicious of coincidences. Bill Self explodes publicly this week, somewhat uncharacteristically; then, SHAZAM!, almost concurrently we read of outlaw Brannen Greene driving across the state of Kansas, breaking a cumulative host of laws, reportedly packing a load of marijuana. Brannen is one former Jayhawk whom I hope stays clear of Lawrence, at least until he matures into a responsible citizen. I doubt that he and his former college coach parted ways on the best of friendly terms.

It is a monumental weight for a 19 year old, holding up gloriously under so much attention, adulation and microscopic public pressure. Last night Fran pointed out that the KID was not smiling much. Losses can eradicate impulses to smile, in a heartbeat. The KID looked under the weather last night vs. WVU; and, yeah, his interactions with officials looked unbecoming. I hope he gets back on the upswing (tho not against us) because when the game comes easy for him he is about as exciting to watch as any college hoops player I have ever seen. Predictably, opposing coaches have furrowed into his head…and found ways to thwart his successes. The hungry media can certainly overeat and spew forth unpleasant gas.

Greene hailed from the South. Wonder where he was headed, back in Kansas…

Maybe Bill’s recent announcement will prompt Doke back to the free throw practice line before and after practices? Obviously, Doke’s rebounding numbers are miserable. But if he was working overtime in practice to remedy another glowing weakness, perhaps Coach would have not leaped so notably into his case. Right now, Doke looks to be a guy whose hasty travels to the NBA have been dampened so completely that he finds himself sleepwalking through many minutes of play. The guy has made many improvements to his offense, but is yet a defensive negative, overall, considering his size.

Right now this squad teeters at the precipice of losing the streak. Back in December many of us envisioned a tie, perhaps even a 3-way tie for this season’s league title. That scenario looms real. Scary today to think that such a talented Jayhawk squad could be dribbling a path toward collapse.

Well, now Coach announces that Vick will be replaced by Lightfoot in the starting lineup. A very loud message to Vick: Either get yourself motivated this season or consider the fact that you might be done as a starter at Kansas. Coach also not pleased with Doke’s poor rebounding and overall effort. At this stage of the season these are some major issues that we have not seen heretofore with Bill Self’s starters. Earlier, it appeared that Coach had to go to the mattresses in a battle with Malik Newman about effort and team play. An unusual season, for certain.

@dylans I’ve a friend, now in his eighties, who banged a shin on a car door a year ago. He is quite heavy. That injury turned into a major contusion from which he almost lost his lower leg. Took right at a year to heal properly. Devonte, of course, is in much better shape with maximum blood flow to extremities, so he will heal much faster than the average human. But those types of injuries can linger annoyingly, no doubt affecting highly competitive play.

Over the years the only Div. 1 coaching giant whom Bill hasn’t conquered is The Ratzo. And now that guy appears to be at verge of being brought down by his own negligence in terms of handling Title 9 infractions among his past players. Bill has done quite well vs. Roy, Cal and K in recent years.

@Crimsonorblue22 So long as the university keeps hiring topnotch coaching talent, we can bray with confidence that not many have won, or will win, at AFH. If any opposing coach or team laughs annoyingly after pulling down a win vs. the Jayhawks at the field house, I can easily envision Bill Self grinding the toe of a shoe into their throats next time around. Bill might be a mild mannered guy on the golf course, or in conversations with Holly Rowe; but he seems to remember defeats and slights with a steadfast vengeance. That comical coaching joker with his mouth agape at the Octagon is a case in point. Dreadful Drew, another.

Aw NUTS! We just need more wins, fewer losses!

@REHawk Humph, REHawk. A day later now, and no response to your post. I presume that fella posters must think that LaGerald is already tough enough, probably just on a month long unlucky streak. Coaching staff must feel that Vick can persevere and work his way through such malaise. A la Malik. Cundiff will have to wait for some guard’s injury to get meaningful replacement minutes of action. Fans must absorb the truth, either that Vick does exciting positive stuff in practice, or that Cundiff is just not yet ready…or competent.

Seems as though we rarely see all 5 starters fully engaged at any one juncture. Vick the SpiderMan, now a junior, has not yet developed steady handles to dribble into traffic. Sneaky quick, he is polar opposite to Frank Mason and Josh Jackson in steel determination and toughness. Maybe an hour per week in a boxing ring might help toughen him to develop purposeful intent?

This loss today now really highlights that giveaway game at Norman. Doke’s free throw debacle has been driven home to bite us in the butt. If the guys continue to play softly like they did in the first half today, hopes for a league title will be a real stretcheroo.

@BShark I stand right with you on that Vick comment. No way would Self bench senior Vick for a freshman. At least not until that freshman proved his superiority. Of course, if the newcomer should pan out to be a Josh Jackson, then “LaGerald, take a seat until the second time-out!” Actually, I am still patiently depending upon Vick to distinguish his skills as a highly competitive league stat producer. And I think he will return next season to establish that perception.

I am deriving a fine set of chuckles from reading these Trae Young posts. I am quite old now, and, to be honest, have grown bored with most college basketball, other than, of course, gametime for the Jayhawks. But this Oklahoma kid is something else. A very rare treat for tired eyes. I watch him every time my tv offers the opportunity. Back in my teen years I got a huge kick out of the Harlem Globetrotters. This kid provides much of the same amazing play…and he is FOR REAL! I hope that I don’t disgruntle too many fellow posters with my worshipful zeal for a non-Jayhawk. I promise faithfully to cheer for his demise when once again we lace 'em up to encounter him. And by gum, I hope that Self and Doke are alert and ready! Lightfoot, too.

@jaybate-1.0 I think BRAMLAGE might be derived from one of those portmanteau combos: BRAIN DAMAGE.

@Jayballer54 That was indeed a sorry crowd. Unbelievably void of the type of support which our coaches and players are accustomed to.

@jaybate-1.0 HA! “Career bads” by Bill Self! I have seen Bill allow a few games to slip away merely for the purpose of motivating his minions to listen and learn. But not at that game in Norman. KU really needed that win. Maybe Bill got so caught up in watching that kid that he forgot what Lon was quietly doing to Doke and the scoreboard? Now, as to our future contest with OU at AFH, I think Bill and Co. will be highly motivated to turn the table. Unless that kid gets deadly from 30 ft., or if James plays the kind of game he was supposed to (as heir apparent to Buddy Hield’s winning ways), we likely will shut the Sooners down somewhat in the manner we quieted the crowd at the Octagon of Doom recently. That league title is yet ours to lose. Gotta hope that all involved stay awake and alert.

@Jayballer54 Please don’t overlook the fact that he compiled 9 assists last night. I was able to watch only the second half, but it became obvious that his teammates could not handle several of his hot passes. If Latin could play like that Konate lad of WVU, Trae would have probably logged a half dozen more assists. And I think maybe OU was playing without James last night. The whiz kid has to carry a weary load in order for his squad to stay ultra competitive. In our league I have seen nothing like him since Kevin Durant’s year at Texas. And I have never watched a freshman point guard anywhere with the polish of this kid. He is an absolute gem for the Big 12. If the OU fandom was as rabid as KU’s, they would fill a second field house with folks desperate to watch and bless him in clusters before a giant screen.

Skeptical Master jaybate 1.0, this post is for you. The Sooner Phenom racked up some special stats last nigh vs. Mr. Drew’s hapless Baylor Bears. He hit a total of 6 threes from beyond 30 ft. I just heard on Sports Center that no NBA player in the past 20 years has hit more than 4 of those in one game. WOW!

Now several days removed from The Debacle, I have digested the OU loss with less discomfort. Four huge factors for Bill Self in those closing minutes: the clock, the scoreboard, Doke’s free throw shooting, and the refs’ decisions. Self came up empty on all 4 possibly positive outcomes. That is just the game of basketball. The team, coaching staff and fans all gotta bite the bitter bullet and move forward. And in the meantime, Mitch had best spend extra hours in the gym, preparing to await the call to save a game or two.

@HighEliteMajor Good point, your mentioning that Self instructed Doke to stand in the corner near the Jayhawk bench. Was Bill figuring that if Doke did get fouled, it would definitely be an intentional…which would have twarted Kruger’s fairly simple tactics? If so, the refs did not buy into Self’s own tactics. Bill is not a simple thinker and spur of the moment planner. There had to be complex though maybe warring thoughts racing thru his mind at the end of that debacle.