I wasn’t expecting to well up in tears for someone I hadn’t personally met, but I did. I’ve been to four funerals of friends and family this year and was able to stay composed, but this hit me harder than expected. @RockChalkinTexas apparently holds a special place in my heart. I enjoy my bucketteers; don’t any of you dare leave!

Everyone stay safe and healthy as possible this holiday season!!!

@wissox said in My crisis of faith in Bill:

Bill Self had a phase where he recruited some questionable character guys. It really impacted this program, saddling us with the black eye of the half decade long investigation. The dude with the car accident (I’ve repressed the memory of his name and couldn’t care less to learn his name), the dude with the shoebox money (ditto my other parenthesis), Josh Jackson the most talented of all the lowlifes we brought in. The dude who raped the woman. Vick, had some issues, forgetting exactly, Jalen Wilson DUI, and the aforementioned Cliff Alexander, a victim of his own ma if I recall correctly. I might be wrong but Selfs first decade with us was his strongest and we avoided these headlines.

The original post, excellent btw @approxinfinity, and @MoonwalkMafia, was what’s happened to recruiting. Bill Self is still struggling to recover from the black eyes of the last decade.

But part of this is waiting for NCAA to work out the negativity of the NIL and portal eras. We brought in some highly ranked 5 star for next year. Normally I’d be stoked but now I’m just thinking he’s another Grady or Furphy (who had like 1 good game while he was here using us to get to the league). So while maybe the character issue has been resolved, finding loyal guys to the program who see all of the ‘trappings’ that come with being a KU player has been difficult. I laugh at guys like Grady Dick who took the money and play for a gosh awful Toronto team. Must be really fun playing in a boring league in front bored fans. He was getting paid here and would be a huge part of KU lore had he stuck around. Instead he’s an NBA afterthought. Would’ve gotten paid after this year or even his senior year a bunch.

88, 08, and 22 have forever etched themselves into my mind and make enduring these down periods a little less difficult. But I fear the aura of KU ball wearing off a little bit and always look at IU basketball, or Nebraska football as examples of programs that ruled their sport that haven’t been able to get it together since. Anyone see IU fans abandon the Assembly Hall the other day against Illinois before the first half was even done? My worst nightmare for KU right there.

Having met Jalen Wilson and seeing as he has had no other issues I take offense to his inclusion on the bad actors list. He made a childish mistake, atoned for it, and didn’t have another single issue - if I’m not mistaken. His attitude and demeanor improved drastically after that and he became a model student athlete on and off the court.

Worst case scenario- KU in line for the number one overall seed, plays no games due to a pandemic. Leaving nothing but what if’s for all.

@BeddieKU23 Yes, Kelly should’ve stayed another year, but I’m still upset that Paul Pierce left early.

I love that Bill Self is being blamed for tuning out a roster devoid of post talent and yet his team is playing the best basketball in the nation, undefeated, and ranked #2.

The warts will show, but Bill is doing a masterful job once again.

Wow. Hope he figures life out quickly. He’s blowing a couple once in a lifetime opportunities.

Just realized Buckets turned 10 years old last October!!! Thanks to all who have helped make this site entertaining!

As a Chiefs fan, Mahomes is payback for watching other teams do that to our D for years.

Win at all costs and the fans cry about not looking to the future. Sit Cliff and lose tonight with an eye on the future and fans cry. It’a a good thing KU basketball coach isn’t an elected position. The man has done nothing but win games at a historic rate. KU is 14-3 with a freshman and sophomore dominated line-up in what has been the hardest schedule in the nation. I’m estatic with the win loss record, but think there is much room for improvement in play. That’s what has me excited, KU will be better in March and even better next year.

If Bill manages to win the conference title this year it will be quite the feat with 8 teams in a 10 team conference having been ranked in the top 25. That means 8 teams have been rated in the top 7% of all college basketball. KU will have to earn this championship!

https://247sports.com/player/kohl-rosario-46148978/

Rosario was one of the biggest national stock-risers in the spring of 2025 before subsequently reclassifying to commit to Kansas. With a strong, college ready, frame, and a good skill-set he will provide immediate value with his shooting and floor-spacing. While the three-point shooting is probably his best asset, he’s also going to be able to attack close-outs, straight line-drive, play through contact, and elevate off two-feet. He isn’t quite as quick laterally though and so there are some concerns about how he’ll adapt on the defensive end of the floor. At this point, without much creativity or change of direction in his handle, he’s probably best described as a wing, where he lacks ideal positional size at 6-foot-4.

• doesn’t want to embed.

Linky- Mibya highlights

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=01B8Ni1773U&t=89s&pp=2AFZkAIB0gcJCf0Ao7VqN5tD

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

Must be a plumber. Shiii

@HoraceZontal said in The portal.:

A lot of teachers in Hashinger Hall. Well, in 1981-82 anyway

A lot of drugs in Hashinger Hall during the late 90s early 2000s. Artsy/hippy dorm then.

@approxinfinity Maybe. I believe that is the goal. That is the model at other schools without the rich basketball history that KU has. I just hate breaking what is working in favor of doing what everyone else is doing. It would be best to hit up different donors (build your own support) for football as opposed to over taxing those that support the basketball team.

@BShark Seems to be partially at the expense of the basketball team. Would be nice to have funds to allocate to the program I watch as opposed to football. Being great at one thing is way better than being mediocre at two.

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

Are we getting closer to imposing harder transfer rules now that universities can pay athletes directly and there is a clearer contractual legal path? I dont think NIL destroyed college sports, it just pulled the curtain back. Now we have to align what the schools and fans want with what the athletes want. Time to make the fans happy and lock kids into multiyear contracts.

I don’t think NIL has destroyed college sports either. This will take an adjustment period and trial-and-error rule changes to make things smoother.

Until there are multiple year commitments it will be unstable and not super enjoyable for this fans particular taste. Time will tell.

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

It will take us years to uncondition all of us to start treating athletes like people in other work places.

It’ll never happen - it doesn’t with professional sports. It’s a weird profession being in the entertainment business. No privacy is part of the cost.

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

@SlimShaddy54 I worry about visas for Int’l players. Our current federal government is a mess.

Wrong thread. The politics section is wide open for comments.

International players handlers are so shady I’d prefer to avoid them entirely, but KU basketball isn’t very shiny right now. NIL has reduced players loyalty to just the dollar and it’s hindering their long term development. Maybe the only money they’ll ever make is in college they way many act. I suppose they don’t value the education and are just in it for ball - in which case go pro, but they aren’t good enough… So KU is a minor league basketball program now and a revolving door. Minor league basketball sucks and this is worse, no player development and zero loyalty -contracts don’t mean a thing. I’ve never once felt compelled to watch a G-league game and that’s what the ncaa is turning into (only a worse version). Hope someone gets a handle on it before the product is completely ruined.