Posts Tagged #kubball

Self on with Jim Rome

Posted on: January 27th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Here’s a few highlights of the Self interview on the Jim Rome show if you missed it. The questions and responses are paraphrased.

Rome: You lost four starters, yet you’re still atop the Big 12 and ranked in the top 5. How did you overcome those losses and get your guys back up so high?

Self: We went into this season thin. We thought we’d have two other guys, but they were not able to qualify. Our guys have gotten better though. We have a terrific point guard and a terrific big man and that’s a good place to start. Since Christmas, it’s amazing. The light has come on for a lot of our guys. We’re playing with more energy, more freedom, more confidence. I’m pleased with where we’re at. Not necessarily from a record perspective. But from a playing hard perspective.

Rome: (recalled T-Rob’s tragedy last year) then asked “Did you expect him to play at the national player of the year caliber that he is?

Self: T-Rob is playing for an awful lot right now. He’s playing for more than just himself. We knew that if we were going to be good this year, he’d have to play like an All-American. We thought he’d compete for the conference player of the year. He’s done more than that. He is on most everyone’s first team All-American ballot right now.

Rome: After T-Rob’s tragedy, did you make an effort to coach him differently than anyone else?

Self: No. I won’t coach him differently. In fact I may be more hard on him than anyone else in practice, but that’s because he’s our best player. I may talk to him differently when we’re in private. But I won’t coach him differently. He has the ability to go on and play well at the next level. It would be cheating him if I didn’t coach him the same.

Rome: You recently hit the 250 win mark at Kansas. What is the significance of that to you? And what kind of win total would really mean something to you?

Self: None. If you coach somewhere long enough, you should win 250. If I could coach long enough to get up to the 700-800 win point, I think that would matter. 250 is not significant at all.

Rome: Do you ever think about how you’d be as a coach on the next level?

Self: I haven’t really though that. I think that there’s a part of me that would say that could interest me at one point in time, but I’m not thinking that. All I want to do is coach this team as hard as I can.

Rome: How do you manage expectations at KU?

Self: For me, it’s simple. Get our guys to be the best that our guys can be. That’s how I’ll evaluate myself. It’s not a win at all costs kind of thing for me. I want to laugh, I want to enjoy it. I love fixing problems. Expectations have not got to me yet. They may if we have some negative things happen sometime down the road. But not yet.

Rome: I know you’re constantly evaluating yourself. How do you continue to build on the success you have had at KU?

Self: I think our staff is terrific. But I think there’s things we can do better. We want to take success and then build on it. I’m always looking to tweak things to improve. I love to have older coaches come in and evaluate practice and evaluate me on a fairly regular basis. I love doing that and I prefer hearing the criticism over someone saying you’re doing a great job.

Rome: Speaking of old coaches, what do you think Larry Brown is going to do next?

Self:  I think he’d like to coach again. I’ll tell you this. You won’t find a bigger basketball junkie out there. He can’t get enough of it. He’s traveling around now to different campuses and visiting with coaches. He loves the game. Whatever he ends up doing, he won’t stop watching ball.

My thoughts:

Self was a pro. Always is in those kinds of interviews. Smooth talker. Great ambassador. Great exposure on national stage. Wish he’d do more of it.

KU Gameday in AFH (video)

Posted on: January 26th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Fantastic video from the great Micah Brown of KU Athletics Department (also the Micah Brown that was a hero in the Orange Bowl game). You might remember him from his Gridiron series over the last few years.

I think he did a great job capturing the gameday experience in Allen Fieldhouse. Please watch it if you haven’t!

Rock Chalk Tweet Tweet

Posted on: January 25th, 2012 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Many KU fan signs are inspired by Twitter

I’m into Twitter. I know many of you are too. I got on my Twitter game in the middle of 2008. I started @JayhawkTalk a couple years later, mostly so that I could keep my personal life tweets separate from my KU tweets. Not that there was much of a difference in the two timelines.

Since the middle of 2010, I have watched the KU Twitter community burgeon into quite the social phenomenon. I follow quite a few other fan bases on Twitter in addition to KU, and I’d be hard pressed to find a school that does Twitter quite like Jayhawks do Twitter.

It’s actually interesting how organized KU fans are. For instance, there are bona fide hash tags for both sports (#kubball and #kufball). Most schools can’t even figure out what one of their tags should be (read: #kstate, #emaw, #ksu #ksumbb). There are also funny or unique KU hash tags that people get on board with (#FreeSelby, #FOE, #WitheyBeingWithey, #KUCMB, #MarchSwagness, and #PointPlankn). They come and go, and new ones are always popping up and catching on.

Hell, recently we’ve even seen people playing @FakeJoeDooley‘s drinking game via twitter.

There’s no question KU tweeters aren’t afraid to be passionate too. I see all of the national sports writers retweeting and responding to KU fans every day. Sure, we’re noisy and we like to defend our team. Some of it, though, is that we are just all about Twitter.

Every so often, I plan to highlight some people on my blog that I enjoy following. The list is not meant to be exhaustive or even close to it. I just thought it would be worthwhile to point out a few people every so often that have their Jayhawk Twitter game on lock down as well.

I’ll separate them by category. Also, now is a good place to note that I have extensive Twitter lists maintained from @JayhawkTalk that I encourage you to take a look at if you’re not into following everyone. Check them out here.

Here are 30 folks off the top of my head that I enjoy following for one reason or another.

Always have great KU info: @BHanni @JayhawkSlant @RockChalkTalk  @mlavieri @mctait

Good recruiting info: @ebosshoops @KUTheShiver @EvanDanielscout @AdamZagoria

Folks I always stop to read: @joshklingler @jaybilas @getnickwright @kenpomeroy @mellinger

Fun follows: @DanBeebe @FakeJoeDooley @FakeJeffWithey @KansasHulk @FakeCharlesWeis

Solid KU fan follows: @CassieRupp @kevbo9 @katiehollar @jayhawk_kevin @kutattkat @travis_ku @crimsonandblu

Best KU player follows: @_tee_y (and not close), @dp2nice

Best Former KU player follows: @nickcollison4, @next718star

That’s all for now. Again, I did this off the top of my head, so please don’t reply and ask why you weren’t included. Over time, I’ll do more of these kinds of posts with updated people I enjoy following.

In the interim, Rock Chalk Jayhawk! #kubball #kucmb

Family Over Everything (Thomas Robinson ESPN feature video)

Posted on: January 24th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

If you missed this video produced by ESPN this week, please watch it. Just heart-wrenching, but makes you appreciate Thomas and his play this year that much more.

Kansas, Texas A&M highlight video

Posted on: January 24th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

January 23, 2012 – Texas A&M at Kansas, Allen Fieldhouse

 

 

Kansas, A&M preview

Posted on: January 23rd, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Preview:

Texas A&M (11-7, 2-4) enters Allen Fieldhouse tonight with the desire to get its season back on track. Huge preseason expectations have not been realized, but a victory against the Jayhawks (16-3, 6-0) would go a long way to jump start a team in need of something good to happen.

Head Coach Billy Kennedy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease earlier this year and he has had to miss a lot of time with the team. Kennedy is in his first year in College Station after former Kansas guard, Mark Turgeon, left the Aggies for Maryland. Even with a new coach, most pundits looked at the returning talent for A&M and thought they would compete for a Big XII title this year.

Instead, the Aggies will need to put together a run in Big XII play just to make the NCAA tournament (for the 7th straight year).

It will be a match-up of defensive-minded teams tonight. Texas A&M gives up an average of 59.2 points, while Kansas is a close-second in the Big XII at 60.4 per game. The Aggies, however, have a difficult time scoring the basketball and will have to make shots to hang with Kansas.

One of the Aggies’ best players, Khris Middleton, may not dress for the game. His presence would be missed, but the Aggies were able to pull off an overtime win against Oklahoma on Saturday without him much of the game. Kennedy will rely heavily on guard Elston Turner, who is averaging close to 14 points this season. He’ll also call on his defensive stopper, guard Dash Harris, to try to keep Tyshawn Taylor out of the lane.

This will be the Aggies’ last game in Allen Fieldhouse before moving to the SEC. Kansas will be hoping to send A&M home with its 18th loss in the last 19 meetings against the Jayhawks.

Matchup of the game:

Dash Harris vs. Tyshawn Taylor

Keys to the game for Kansas:

  1. Take care of the basketball. Kansas has more talent and the home crowd. The Aggies struggle to score, so the last thing Kansas can do is give them free baskets in transition off of turnovers.
  2. Pound the ball inside. Recently, the Jayhawks have been playing better basketball.  Over the last nine games, there has been a much stronger devotion to getting in the paint — either through an entry pass or penetration — and less of a reliance on three-point shooting. This needs to continue tonight against the Aggies.
  3. Don’t let the Aggies think there is a chance. Get up early and stay up. Kansas doesn’t need to give up any more 15-point leads.

Keys to the game for Texas A&M:

  1. Control the clock. The Aggies won’t hang 80 on Kansas. They may not hang 65. In order to win, Kennedy will have his team slow the pace, take good shots late in the shot clock, and defend the heck out of the half court.
  2. Make shots. Let’s be honest. Teams that have won in Allen Fieldhouse usually make a high percentage of three-point shots. Nothing quiets the crowd faster than a barrage of threes.
  3. Most of these guys are Juniors and Seniors. They won’t be taken aback by the home crowd. However, mistakes tend to compound if made early. A&M will need to get through the first ten minutes of the game and stay within 5 or 6 to have a chance.

Line:

Kansas -18.5; 126 O/U

Prediction:

KU 78, A&M 62

 

Update: @FakeJoeDooley’s Drinking Game (cheat sheets)

Posted on: January 23rd, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Thanks to @joshdutcher, there are now “cheat sheets” available for playing the @FakeJoeDooley drinking game. You can find the original rules here, but these sheets will help. Especially late in the 2nd half after you’ve played the game for a while…

CLICK LINK BELOW AND SAVE:

DooleyDrinkingGame_CheatSheets

Rock Chalk!

Kansas, Texas highlight video

Posted on: January 22nd, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

January 21, 2011 – Kansas at Texas, Frank Erwin Center

Banner photo courtesy of Eric Gay, AP

@FakeJoeDooley’s Official KU Basketball Drinking Game

Posted on: January 21st, 2012 by jayhawktalk 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: The following comes courtesy of @FakeJoeDooley on Twitter. Give him a follow if you don’t already. We at Jayhawk-Talk endorse these rules wholeheartedly and look forward to partaking in such festivities over some Boulevard Pale Ale and O’Dell’s Myrcenary (Double IPA) just added to the fridge. Cheers!

 

Kicking some referee ass.

I. THE “PLAYER DRAFT”

Before the game begins, you must conduct a player “draft.” You’re responsible for draft order. Drafters choose from one of the five starters on the team: Withey, Robinson, Taylor, Releford, or Johnson. If you have more than five playing the game, you choose a starter that has already been chosen (two people may have the same starter). Don’t worry about the reserve players. They’ll come into play later on.

II. YOUR INDIVIDUAL DRAFTED PLAYER RULES: (Refer to the draft)

All of Section II is specific to your drafted starting player.

Scoring Rule:

  • Drink one (1) for every point your drafted player scores (E.g., You drafted Tyshawn and he makes a layup – drink two; or, you drafted Elijah and he makes a 3-pointer – drink three). Always remember that these drinks are not meant to be a burden. It’s a celebration. We just fucking scored.

Superpower Rule:

Each starter has a freaking SUPERPOWER. This superpower is specific to only that player. When your drafted player uses his superpower in the course of the game, you give drinks out instead of take them. The individual superpowers are as follows:

  • Tyshawn Taylor: Every time Tyshawn makes a crazy pass (good or bad), you give out two (2) drinks to anyone in the room. Also feel free to throw something at them and drop a “point plank’n.”
  • Thomas Robinson: Every time Thomas pretends he’s a point guard (e.g., shoots a 3-pointer, dribbles ball up the court, etc.), give out two (2) drinks to anyone in the room. Also, if he happens to make the 3-pointer, give out five (5).
  • Travis Releford: Every time Travis makes a “hustle play” (e.g., takes a charge, attempts a charge, flops, drops, dives, or scrambles), give out three (3) drinks to anyone in the room. Feel free to slap the floor with two hands before delivering.
  • Jeff Withey: Every time Jeff has a blocked shot, give out three (3) drinks. Feel free to rub it in by giving the recipient the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag.
  • Elijah Johnson: Every time Elijah attempts a 3-pointer, give out two (2) drinks. If he makes the 3-pointer, give out five (5) drinks.

Special Individual Player Rules: (Rare individual player rules)

These are rare instances that your drafted player may play a part in during the course of a game. Watch for these both for your player and other players in the room.

  • Technical Foul: Drink 10 if your drafted player gets a technical foul. Also punch your neighbor and give him or her 10 as well (don’t need to inflict real pain, but it’s your world). You may spread these 10 around the room if you’d prefer.
  • Posterized: If your drafted player posterizes another team’s player, give out 5 drinks to the room. If you get up and re-enact the play, give out 15.
  • Career High: If your drafted player achieves a career high in points, you can give out drinks to the room up to that total (e.g., if Withey bests his career high by scoring 20 points, you can give out 20 drinks).

III. UNIVERSAL TEAM RULES: (Everyone in the room takes part in these)

Everyone in the room will take part in the following rules. These are meant to be community rules and are separate from the individual drafted player rules.

3-Point Rule:

  • Every time a Kansas three-point basket is made, everyone has to throw up the Tyshawn Taylor 3-point sign over your eye (hold up three fingers in the “a-ok” formation and putting the circle over your eye). The LAST player to do it has to drink 5.

Back Bump Rule:

  • If they televise a back bump, you have the option of doing a 10-second waterfall or getting up and doing a back bump with your neighbor.  If you choose the latter, have no regard for the coffee table, drink, or your neighbors that live below you.

Doom$day Rule:

  • If Doom$day is pictured on your television screen at any time take two (2) drinks and cover your girlfriend’s eyes because she’s probably thinking bad thoughts.

Pizza Commercial Rule:

  • If your television shows a pizza commercial, take one (1) drink and order another pizza. No pizza days off.

IV. RESERVE RULES: (THE JUNEBUG, MERV, CHRISTIAN, NIKO RULES)

  • If Junebug, Merv, Christian, or Niko enter the game in the first half of play, everyone drink ten (10) for each. If they enter the game in the second half, everyone drink five (5).
  • If any of these four players score at any point in the game, everyone drink the amount equal to the points scored (E.g., Niko hits a 3-pointer, everyone drink 3).
  • If any of these players miss a dunk, finish your drink.

V. TWITTER SHIT

  • Send @FakeJoeDooley pictures of your group playing this drinking game and use the hashtag #DooleyDrinkingGame. If it’s an especially good example of how the game is to be played, it will be retweeted. If your picture is retweeted, give out twenty (20) drinks courtesy of me.

 

Editor’s Update:

Thanks to @joshdutcher, there are now “cheat sheets” available for playing the @FakeJoeDooley drinking game. You can find the original rules here, but these sheets will help. Especially late in the 2nd half after you’ve played the game for a while…

CLICK LINK BELOW AND SAVE:

DooleyDrinkingGame_CheatSheets

Rock Chalk!

Withey is a big distraction – in a good way

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Courtesy of Nick Krug - KUSports.com

Editor’s Note: Following is the first post by new Jayhawk-Talk contributing writer, Nico Roesler. Nico is a former UDK Sports Editor and current sports reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican. We’re very excited he’s joining the team. Follow him on twitter at @NicoRoesler.

Jeff Withey is more than the bloodied face staring back at you from your computer desktop or Twitter avatar.

Withey is a seven-foot distraction – in the best sense of the term. Without Withey, Thomas Robinson isn’t the double-double machine we all know him as. Without Withey, Kansas doesn’t defeat the tall, athletic Baylor Bears in Allen Fieldhouse. It’s hard, undoubtedly, to ignore a seven footer when game planning against the Jayhawks. It must be even harder, to think of him as an after-thought with the likes of Robinson standing next to him.

Withey is averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game.  Defensively, Withey’s length cannot be overstated or underappreciated (56 blocks). On offense, however, his real strength is not in his numbers, it’s in his presence as it pertains to Robinson.

Robinson has proven he can take any defender in the country in a one-on-one situation. His jump shot has become reliable and his first step off the dribble is ludicrous. It’s no wonder we see Robinson in the repeated position to take advantage of both abilities.

Robinson receives the ball night after night at the top of the key and surveys the floor. Although he has proven that he can hit the long jumper, Bill Self puts him in that position to become the architect of one of the hardest plays to defend in basketball – the high-low pass. When Robinson has the ball at the top of the key, he reads what his defender is going to do. The defender has two options: a) get in Robinson’s face to take away the jumper or b) slow play it and protect the paint and the other threat simultaneously posting up – Jeff Withey.

Defenders in this scenario will almost always let Robinson have his shot, likely, because Robinson will miss the virtual three-pointer more often than Withey will miss a shot three feet from the basket. Withey is making 54 percent of his shots from the field. Give him a chance to play with his back to the basket, and there are few people in the country that can challenge his shot.

Without Withey’s presence in the post, Kansas’ offense could look a whole lot different. There is a reason Bill Self has called him the most improved player on the team. He has improved his game from his physicality to his touch, but the biggest thing Withey has done is improve the Kansas offense as a whole.

After the Baylor game, Elijah Johnson vocalized the importance of Withey. “When we get Jeff going, it really gets a lot of us going, and a lot of people don’t know that,” Johnson said. “Jeff is a key player to our team, especially with getting us started. When he is on track, it can be a long night for some teams.”

Baylor now knows that. Withey’s double-double distracted the Bears’ defense enough to allow Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor to have career-high nights.

With Withey on the floor, defenses cannot double-team Robinson on every possession. With Withey, defenses cannot solely focus on Kansas’ deep threats while they buckle down on Robinson. And when they do, Withey is open. Open for a lob dunk or a simple entry pass to the post.

So you may love the lanky big man who proudly bleeds from his nose and whose feet need barely to lift off the ground for a jam. But remember that these moments not only distract the fan from the game with funny posters and fake Twitter accounts.

They distract defenses from the weapons that truly make Kansas the dangerous team it is.