Posts Tagged Basketball

Jayhawk Talk Podcast – Alex Kline (Recruit Scoop) Interview, Football Preview Preview

Posted on: August 2nd, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

The guys get back together to talk a little July recruiting period. Joining Kevin and Andrew is Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop on Rivals. Great interview with a lot of good information about current and potentially future Jayhawks. The guys close with a KU football preview to the preview show and talk some nonsense about fantasy football. Come on in, have a beer, and Rock Chalk!

Remember to leave us a comment on iTunes and let us know what you think. Leave your twitter handle for a chance to be in the JHT fantasy football league (if you’re into that kinda thing). Cheers.

Find us on iTunes HERE. (Listen on Apple products, any computer)

Find us on Podbean HERE. (Listen on any other devices)

ROCK CHALK.

Episode 25 – Andrew Wiggins Arrives, NBA Draft, KU Boobs, and Catfish

Posted on: July 3rd, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

In this the 25th installment of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, Kevin and Andrew get together for a special offseason edition. The guys talk NBA Draft, Jerrance Howard, Wiggins’ arrival to Lawrence, NCAA reprimands, KU football recruiting, ESPN3, and KU Boobs. Come on in, have a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast.

If you like what you hear, do us a huge favor by going over to iTunes and leaving a 5-star rating and comment. Also feel free to subscribe! Thanks and ROCK CHALK!

Find the podcast on iTunes HERE. (use this link if you have an iPhone, iPad, or Computer)

Find the podcast on Podbean HERE. (use this link if you have a non-Apple mobile device)

Thoughts from the KU camp scrimmage (a/k/a Wiggins’ premiere)

Posted on: June 24th, 2013 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Wiggins warmup dunk

Here are some thoughts from the second camp scrimmage (a/k/a Wiggins’ KU premiere).

(1) I was really impressed with Black. I am convinced more than ever now that he’ll be starting. He won’t bring a refined offensive game to the floor. But he attacks every rebound like he’s mad at the world. He had a couple big dunks, one on a put-back. He brings some much needed post muscle to the team. Perhaps I had low expectations, but he was really impressive.

(2) Perry looks stronger, especially in core and legs, which is what he needed. He played well, nailed a couple 3-pointers, and generally looked comfortable in his own skin. Going to be a stud this year.

(3) Greene went like 3-4 from 3 and looked solid. Conner didn’t get anything to fall, but he seemed to get his shot when he wanted it. Conner looked small compared to just about everyone except Frank Mason.

(4) Mason didn’t do a lot, but I made an effort to watch him closely. The speed is there as we know, but he’s also got some serious hops. Threw down some pretty impressive dunks in pre game. I am not a Masonite yet, but I concede he’s going to play. Naadir didn’t do much, couple turnovers, made a step back 3.

(5) Wiggins seemed to glide through the game. Even the crazy dunk everyone has now seen looked like he wasn’t even trying. Some people question his jumper, but it looked pretty smooth to me. Morningstar was guarding him most of the time and was trying really hard not to get embarrassed. He did a good job as Wiggins settled for jumpers except for the two dunks in transition. He didn’t try anything crazy dunk-wise in pre-game. Fine with me. Stay healthy, young fella. Also, he’s “athlete strong” but very skinny. Slap anyone that compares him to LeBron or anyone else with a semi-wide frame.

(6) Jerrance Howard was having a ball. He left for the scrimmage but before that, he was pumping up the crowd, having fun with the kids, interacting with all the guys. Everyone is going to love this guy.

(7) As far as the old guys, Collins was like 1-10 from 3, Tyrel Reed made everything, Hawkins still plays some solid on-ball D for an old timer, Miles looked polished, Cole looked exactly the same — solid D, couple blocks (and a smart decision to back off from defending Wiggins’ dunk).

(8) Jason King was in the audience. I have a feeling he might latch on to Wiggins this year for ESPN. Can’t blame him.

(9) I like Jamari, but I’m more and more convinced we know who he is and what he’s going to be. High energy off the bench, good asset to have on both sides of the floor as long as he’s crashing boards. I don’t think he’s going to ever going to be a true offensive threat, but that’s ok. He brings some good things to the floor, and will be awesome to have off the bench.

(10) Embiid and Selden did not disappoint. Embiid looks incredibly polished for how little he has played. I do think he’ll come off the bench this year, but he’s got lottery pick written all over him. He even put the ball on the ground a couple times and sorta brought the ball up the court. Gotta love big guys that like to play PG. Selden has such good vision. He had a couple great passes setting up others. He has great lift on his jump shot. And man is he a strong dude.

Just a few thoughts. Much more to come, so stay tuned to JHT.

 

JHT PODCAST – Episode 24 – Gonzalez Twins, Tarik Black, Andrew Wiggins, and Titletown

Posted on: May 23rd, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

In this the 24th installment of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, Kevin and Andrew get together to talk a variety of topics related to KU sports — the addition of Tarik Black, more Andrew Wiggins news, the NBA Draft, KU Football news and recruiting, and a super not creepy discussion on the Gonzalez Twins of KU women’s basketball. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast. Rock Chalk!

Find us on iTunes HERE (will be up later this evening if not yet posted) — use for Apple devices and desktop computers

Find us on Podbean HERE (available right now!) — use for non-Apple mobile devices

As always, please do us a favor and leave us a 5-star rating and a comment on iTunes. It really helps us out! Rock Chalk!

Wiggins to KU big for Self

Posted on: May 15th, 2013 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Quick, name the best NBA player that played for the University of Kansas under Bill Self.

Did you land on Mario Chalmers? I think I did too.

Self doesn’t lack many accomplishments over the last ten years. Top 10 recruiting classes, Final 4s, National Championship, average of 30 win seasons, tons of guys drafted into the league. But for all these accomplishments, he lacks one big one.

No real stars in the NBA.

Perhaps you’ll say this doesn’t matter that much. He is a college coach, after all. His job isn’t to develop NBA All-Stars. His job is to win college basketball games.

He may be the best in the business at the latter, but has unfortunately gained the reputation as a failure in the former.

It was this reputation that some insiders cited as the reason Self had been missing on many top blue chip recruits the last couple years. It wasn’t that the recruits themselves were worried about not getting drafted. Most kids think they’re good enough to get drafted either way.

It was other coaches, insiders, runners, and inner circles that were using it against Self in recruiting.

And their message had some legitimacy based in recent history.

Consider for a moment that you are a top 10 recruit. Your dream since you were a kid was to be an NBA star. All the big named coaches are courting you to spend your one and only year of college at their school. Calipari points out the many all-stars he has sent to the league. Coach K does the same. Roy Williams and Rick Barnes and Billy Donovan and Jim Boeheim show you more examples. They start comparing you to those guys and give you anecdotes about when they were in school.

“You remind me of Rajon Rondo.” “Your game looks just like “Kyrie Irving.”

Then you come to Kansas for a visit. And while you recognize and love the coach, the fans, the history, the Fieldhouse, the exposure, the town, and the team, you keep hearing voices of those other coaches in your head: “Look at Josh Selby. Look at Xavier Henry. Look at all the NBA players that came from KU. Self may get you to the league, but you will not be a star.”

“I’ll make you a star.”

As a fan, you might be thinking something like “who cares, we don’t want that kind of kid anyway.”

I beg to differ.

It’s easy to say you don’t want those kids when you don’t get them. Then you see the impact, albeit briefly, they have on a program for one year. Does Syracuse beat KU without one-and-done Carmelo Anthony? Does Memphis nearly beat KU without one-and-done Derrick Rose? What about Anthony Davis?

Let’s face it. Recruiting top guys takes your team from good to great. And the 2013-14 Jayhawks are a prime example. The addition of Andrew Wiggins changed everything for Bill Self. It changed the expectations from Sweet 16 to National Championship. It changed the starting lineup from Andrew White to Andrew Wiggins. In one afternoon, Kansas and Bill Self were the talk of college basketball.

But it’s even more than that for Self.

Unless every NBA scout, analyst, and front office person is wrong about Wiggins’ future, his commitment to Kansas will officially wipe away the narrative that Self can’t turn top 10 recruits into NBA All-Stars.

Because Andrew will be an All-Star. And he will have gone to Kansas.

It all changed in one afternoon.

 

ANDREW WIGGINS!! – Episode 23 of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast

Posted on: May 15th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

In this the 23rd installment of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, the guys meet up for a special offseason podcast devoted 100% to Andrew Wiggins aka Maple Jordan aka Basketball Jesus aka Naismith’s Canadian Nephew. Ok, I made some of those up. Come on in and listen to the guys break down the recruitment, decision, aftermath, strengths/weaknesses, impact, and other stuff related to Andrew Freakin Wiggins. Rock Chalk!

Find the podcast on iTunes HERE (iTunes, Apple devices, computers).

Find the podcast on Podbean HERE (non-Apple mobile devices)

As always, please remember to rate and comment on iTunes. It helps us spread the KU gospel to the masses. Rock Chalk!

Bill Self should name Wiggins’ dad assistant coach

Posted on: April 25th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Credit: Brian Spurlock-McDonalds

One NBA scout says he is the best player to come out of high school in 10 years. Another says no one in high school or college basketball is on his same level. Still another says he would start for most NBA teams today if he were allowed in the league.

And there’s a chance this player could be wearing KU blue next year.

There’s also a chance he could be wearing Kentucky blue, North Carolina blue, or Florida State bl…garnet. Regardless, KU has a chance. Perhaps not a one-in-four chance, but a chance nonetheless. If Andrew Wiggins is anywhere near as good as everyone says he is, then there is no reason why coaches shouldn’t be pulling out all the stops to lure him to campus.

I’m not talking duffel bags of money or a new tractor for the family or a new house and job (nod to all the Blue Chips fans out there). I’m talking about the gray area in the recruiting game — the area every single high major program operates in.

Kansas is very good at operating in the gray and has been for some time. It’s time to continue this tradition of not breaking an NCAA rule but also not not breaking it too.

Let’s give his dad a front row seat to the games. Give him access to practice, to the locker room, to the team jet. Give him cool blue threads with three stripes and tell him not to worry about the lack of swoosh. Give him a competitive salary commensurate with others in his profession. And we can do all of this without breaking any NCAA rules.

Self needs to name pops KU assistant coach.**

** For this to work, a few assumptions need to be made: First, Andrew Wiggins would come to KU if Self named Mitchell Wiggins as assistant coach. Second, Andrew would probably not commit to KU if Self didn’t give Mitchell the job. Third, Self is cool with all the shit he would take from his peers and the media for making this move. Got that out of the way? Awesome. Let’s continue.

Some history is necessary. You might recall a certain other #1 recruit lured to Kansas after his father was named assistant basketball coach. The father’s name was Ed, and prior to arriving in Lawrence, he had been a truck driver for three years. Ed did play some professional basketball at one point, including two seasons on the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. But he had been out of basketball for some time. It didn’t stop him from taking the job when he got the phone call.

Ed received a good salary from Kansas. Somewhere between $27,000 and $30,000. He also received the use of an automobile — a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice.

And Ed also brought us Danny. And Danny brought us a championship.

Here’s another history lesson you might recall. A man named Ronnie was a head high school basketball coach, amassing a very impressive 109-28 record and two state championships. He had 20 years of basketball coaching experience, though on a much smaller scale than high major Division 1 hoops. Nevertheless, he was asked to join KU’s coaching staff and was given a shiny title as “Director of Basketball Operations.” Coincidentally, perhaps, Danny Manning was also on the staff at the time. He, too, had a shiny title: “Director of Student-Athlete Development.”

Ronnie brought us Mario. And Mario brought us a championship.

Catching a trend here?

It’s time to hire Mitchell Wiggins.

He too has some player and coaching experience. He played in the NBA (stints with Bulls and Rockets). He coached something called the Hickory Nutz and the Spearfish Black Hills Heat too. In short, he’s perfect for the job!

Because he can bring us Andrew. And perhaps Andrew can bring us a championship.

You might be wondering if this practice is even allowed under NCAA rules. In the years following the Ronnie Chalmers addition, other schools began hiring family members and AAU coaches in director-type roles in order to secure players. The NCAA finally caught up to this practice and instituted the IAWP (Individuals Associated With a Prospect) rule. It pretty much banned the hiring of individuals “associated with a prospective student athlete in any athletics department noncoaching staff position” (NCAA Bylaw 11.4.2).

But the above rule applies only to noncoaching positions (i.e., “Director of Basketball Operations” and “Director of Student-Athlete Development”), not coaching positions. And it just so happens KU has an open assistant coaching position waiting to be filled.

The timing could not be more perfect. Kansas is done with the 2013 recruiting class for the most part. Self and Co. may find a transfer or two, but Wiggins is really the only ’13 target left on the board that would require an assistant coach’s recruiting prowess. For the most part, Self won’t have to worry too much about 2014 either. Norm Roberts and Kurtis Townsend are very capable recruiters and Self can play closer role with guys like Okafor, Jones, Winslow, Whitehead, Vaughn, and Pope. If there is ever a year to be fine without a third established assistant coach or recruiter, it is this one. Plus, let’s be honest, this would be a 1-year contract.

So get on the horn, Coach Self. Bring Mitchell to Kansas. Bring Andrew to Kansas. And bring that next father-son championship to Kansas.

It has worked before.

 

Ode to the 2012-2013 Jayhawks

Posted on: April 2nd, 2013 by jayhawktalk 6 Comments

A disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic season.

It’s a tough life being a college basketball fan of a high major program. Every year, only one team goes home satisfied. 68 enter and 1 leaves with the ‘ship. It’s almost mean if you think about it.

Football has all those bowl games. A great season can end in an Orange Bowl victory. Hell, a great season can end in an Insight Bowl victory. Neither one of those is a national championship, but it’s still pretty cool.

But not basketball. Not at Kansas.

Success is unfortunately judged in terms of banners — and not just any banners. Sweet 16 banners aren’t interesting to us. Neither are Elite 8 banners, while we’re at it. Final Four or bust seems to be gauge of a successful season, which, if you think about it, just isn’t very fair.

31-6. Regular Season Conference Title. Conference Tournament Title. Those are absolutely incredible feats, especially when you couple them with the story line of nine straight (the most impressive streak in college basketball).

Yet, here we are. Moping about and telling ourselves it should be Kansas in the Final Four. Playing the sequences over and over again in our heads. Arriving at the same result every time… “How did it happen?” 

I don’t want to talk too much about the game because I’m sure you’ve talked about and read about and heard about it enough. There is plenty of blame to go around for the loss, and Bill Self is certainly not immune to it.

That’s not the point of this piece.

The point is that Kansas had another incredible season. A season that will be remembered for Ben McLemore’s dunks. A season that will be remembered for Kevin Young’s fro. A season that will be remembered for Travis’ defense and Perry’s growth and the Harlem Shake. A season that will be remembered for the “McLemore” dance and Elijah’s heroics in Ames. A season that will be remembered for Tharpe’s emergence as a point guard and Rio’s tweets and Self’s 500th. A season that will be remembered for the Withey Block Party and all the coaches’ sons. A season that will be remembered because we lost to TCU. A season that will be remembered because we beat K-State…thrice. A season that will be remembered for a team that started four seniors in the modern age of college basketball.

And, unfortunately, it will be remembered for the “nut tap” game — the head-scratching collapse in the Sweet 16 against an overmatched Michigan team that woke up and grossly outplayed Kansas the last few minutes. It will be remembered for Elijah’s turnovers and lack of killer instinct at the end of the game. It will also be remembered as another far-too-early-exit from the tournament.

But hopefully we remember those other things too. Because this group of guys deserves that much.

Rock Chalk and a fond farewell, 2012-2013 Jayhawks. You’ll forever be remembered by this Jayhawk fan.

 

 

There is more to a championship team than “guard play”

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

“Guard play wins NCAA championships.”

If you’ve been around college basketball long enough, you’ve heard this old adage. It’s a very easy (read: lazy) way to attempt to understand what a team will need in order to weave its way through the madness of March and emerge victorious in April. Pundits gravitate toward it even more once the smoke of the first weekend subsides — when all that’s left is a pool of legitimate contenders.

Pundits are pundits for a reason. They are usually very capable at breaking down and analyzing a team’s makeup and then will use this analysis to help handicap and predict the team’s chances versus another team. When comparing a team against the field, however, assumptions must be made. This is when we get into the lazy adages.

This particular adage is drawn from a number of assumptions. It is first based on the premise that the tournament normally ends up coming down to guys that can create — not only for themselves but for their teammates. It assumes that the guy with the ball has the power to both make or break you. It assumes that you can game plan and strategize against a post threat, but it’s much harder to take a guard out of the game. It assumes that if you’re faced with a must-make situation, everything starts with the guard. To an extent it also assumes defense doesn’t matter.

That’s all well and good, but I ask that you allow me to introduce you to a couple of gentlemen you might have heard of. Their names are Danny and Anthony.

Danny was not a guard. He was 6’10. His height and skill set propelled him to one of the most impressive performances of all time in an NCAA tournament game — 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocked shots against OU in the 1988 Championship Game. This was no fluke. His teammates might have earned the moniker, “the Miracles,” but he was just Danny. And he was good. Darn good.

And Danny wasn’t a guard.

Anthony flew slightly lower under the radar in his MVP Championship Game performance (at least as low as he could for a 6’11 guy with a mustache above his eyes). He didn’t score 31 points. In fact, he went 1-10 from the field with six points. How does a guy with 6 points win MVP of college basketball’s most important game? Size. Effort. Rebounding. Defense. He had 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Not to mention the plays that didn’t show up in a box score.

I chose two examples that I thought would hit closest to home for KU fans. These are not the only instances of big guys leading their teams to NCAA championships.

Let’s fast forward to the present. KU will be facing off against a Michigan team on Friday that probably has the best guard tandem in the country. Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Trey Burke are probably better than some recent tourney tandems that come to mind too — Juan Dixon and Steve Blake of Maryland, Jay Williams and Chris Duhon of Duke, Charlie Bell and Mateen Cleaves of Michigan State.

If guard play is, in fact, the best measure of success, then Kansas is in trouble.

But there’s one little thing the pundits don’t seem to want to talk about. Something that isn’t near as flashy or sexy as scoring guards.

There are 5 guys on the other bench wearing crimson and blue that take more pride in guarding than they do in scoring.

And this is dangerous.

Michigan destroyed the media’s darling in VCU — a team that some pundits said had the “best defense in the country.” This is a farce. They were the best trapping team in the country. Trapping and defense are not the same thing.

Michigan guards were salivating at the idea of facing a trapping VCU team. Much like Kansas guards were salivating at the idea of facing Mike Anderson’s UAB team in the 2004 regional semifinals. “40 minutes of hell” can be a double edged sword if you face guards that can break it. Michigan broke VCU’s 1-2-1-1 zone press with ease.

But they will not break Kansas.

The difference is that Kansas plays smothering man-to-man defense — a defense designed to take advantage of individual athleticism but has just as much of a team element as any zone defense. It is also a defense that, when run correctly, will rarely give up an uncontested basket. Last, it is a defense that is based 100% on effort, energy, and most importantly, pride.

With four senior starters and a freshman fifth unlikely to return, KU’s effort, energy and pride ought to be at an all-time high. I imagine it will result in a defense Michigan has never seen before.

Unlike VCU, Kansas doesn’t have to turn teams over to be successful. It only needs to pressure them into bad shots and then crash the hell out of the boards. This is KU’s bread and butter. And while it isn’t nearly as exciting to talk about, I believe it will prove far more important on Friday than any old adage about guard play.

When faced against top 10 defenses this year, Michigan was 2-4. And not one of those six teams included a shot blocker of any merit.

Withey may not be the next in line to be mentioned in the same sentence as Anthony and Danny. But I do believe his play is just as likely as any guard to be the reason that Kansas advances on Friday.

Stick with an adage that works.

Keep calm and Rock Chalk.

 

 

Jayhawk Talk Podcast – Michigan Preview with Brady McCollough

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Brady McCollough joins Kevin and Andrew for some Michigan preview talk. The guys also talk Dunk City, Cinderellas, tournament surprises, and chalk brackets. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy some Jayhawk Talk Podcast.

Find the show on Podbean (non-iTunes/iPad/apple/desktop) HERE.

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