Posts made by Kcmatt7

@BeddieKU23 said in Norm Roberts Retires:

@BShark said in Norm Roberts Retires:

@BeddieKU23 said in Norm Roberts Retires:

So Vaughn, Buford in and then it sounds like more shake up is coming to the staff that we’ll hear about soon.

I like this direction; it certainly signals a major change for Self from the past 20+ years. Both guys have professional coaching experience, will remain to be seen how they do recruiting but we all know right now it’s more about NIL than anything else. This is a potentially positive change in the short and long term for the program.

From what I understand, there was a fair bit of fatigue with the donors and changes were required.

Makes a lot of sense and probably the right time based on the last couple years. It’s sad in a way to see that chapter coming to an end, there are not many programs that had this continuity.

I do think that it was probably time for some fresh blood. It felt like we lost our edge a bit last season from an execution standpoint. I’m hoping that Vaughn can maybe be a guy who even pushes Bill a bit.

I also think adding NBA perspective to the college game is good. The new ways of roster building require a bit of a different strategy than in the past. Its honestly funny to see this materializing because it is something that was floated on the board for the last 10 years.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

Dame Sarr visit happening starting tonight, confirmed by Bossi. Sounds like we are in a very good spot getting that first visit.

Closing time

I think they land the plane. Will be interesting to see how he transitions to college game.

Ooooh. Vaughn would be good.

Who would be a more likley HCBS replacement Buford or Vaughn?

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

To me, the most notable lefty was Langford. He brutalized defenders by driving to his left. I loved watching him play!

I just don’t think of Langford as a Bill Self guy since he was a Roy Williams recruit first. But he was a total stud and I truly think the NBA whiffed on him. He shot .375 from 3 internationally on 1271 attempts. I know he said he could have gone to the NBA at several points but chose to stay in Europe for other reasons. But if the money was ever really there for him then he would have gone.

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

@Kcmatt7 Hunter, Josh Jackson, JCL, Wayne Selden, Keith Langford.

I don’t remember Josh Jackson, JCL or Selden shooting with their lefts

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

@Kcmatt7 oh i missed what he was saying. I thought Jose Hernandez was some sort of eccentric left-handed kid. Have we had a lefty on most of Selfs teams?

Xavier Henry, Julian Wright?, Flory, Shakeel Moore

I don’t remember anyone else

I won’t complain about either, but Williams is the proven commodity.

@P-H-C said in The portal.:

@wissox Found the left-wing kook ️

This died 3 days ago let’s not give it life again please.

@drgnslayr said in KU Roster for 25-26:

It’s been a slow time. Is it slow for most of D1 right now? Are coaches and ADs spending much of their days fundraising? Are they promoting specific players and asking for funds for these players? If this is the case, are coaches picking players or are the decisions made by those contributing? Maybe we stay slow until the NBA draft?

I think the draft is a huge part of the whole thing. Need to wait for that to see more dominos fall.

Kenyan Burnett transferred last minute. Was getting beat out by Hanika in the Sprint if tea leaves are being read.

Really disappointing. I thought him and Hanika could coexist.

Looks like a bench piece and that’s fine. They do need some bodies

I’m a very big fan of the roster. I think they need a guy who can rebound, shoot and defend a post player if necessary. Otherwise the types of guys they added are clear fits. I can already sense this group playing with a chip on their shoulders.

@drgnslayr said in Gas BBQ grill problem. Got a fix?:

Here’s my recent BBQ story. It started in February… I was in a Costco and there was a Traeger rep there, pushing their grills. For quite some time I wanted to try a pellet smoker. I was sick of using my offset smoker because I had to constantly watch it all day and then I couldn’t really control the heat so sometimes my results were dry and chewy.

I didn’t buy a grill that day but went home and started studying pellet grills. After days of reading and videos I decided on a Recteq RT-B380X Bullseye Deluxe grill. The name alone convinced me if I also needed a missile system to shoot at a pesty neighbor, this was the grill/M72 LAW rocket. These grills get up to 1000-degrees, so it is more than a slow smoker. I wanted it to be my “all-in-one” smoker/grill/pizza oven!

By the time I tricked out my grill I would have a grand in it. I signed up for emails on their site and received promo/sales material. Suddenly, they had a great sale and all their grills were heavily reduced EXCEPT the model I wanted! This pissed me off so I looked on FB Marketplace and bought one of those Masterbuilt electric upright smoke boxes (used but clean). I paid $65. I figured if I didn’t like it I could at least use it as a warming box when I have a crowd over to keep my cooked meats warm and the flies away. I then bought a $19 smoking chip cage to add more smoke inside the box.

I’ve had it for about 2 months now and I smoke everything! It’s awesome! The temp is very reliable and I’m able to do anything from a light smoking to heavy smoking. Still can’t do pizza, but I’ll live! It gets to about 450-degrees so I can cook in it but not really sear. I have other quick ways to do that.

Has anyone found a good “all in one” solution? My smoker is the same way.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

Coward is down to Bama and Duke. Nike bidding war

This is actually one I was surprised we didn’t get involved in.

His film is so good. He is productive and efficient and fills a need in a bad, bad way.

If we end up with the TTU guy it’s fine. Good backup plan. But Coward is a total stud.

@mayjay said in Gas BBQ grill problem. Got a fix?:

@rockchalkjayhawk I got so frustrated with years of propane problems of all types that I installed the natural gas conversion kit in a new grill when we last moved and connected it to our house supply… Haven’t had any problems since and never having to go empty is a dream.

Perhaps an option for you?

This is what I’m doing! We’re building a house now and I’m having Natural Gas line ran to the backyard. My old neighbor had that done and its brilliant!

This is getting totally out of control.

@wissox home games should be at home.

@drgnslayr said in The portal.:

For the first time I now watched tape on Council. Thought I was watching TT. It doesn’t appear that he can finish with his left hand. His jump shot is like TTs first 3 years… shuffling his feet and not establishing his lower body form. TT went to shooters camp before his senior year and started to correct his form. To me, he looks like a 6th man candidate. Maybe his defense can earn him more PT.

Very much agree. Feels like a guy who comes off the bench but stays on the floor.

Turf is better for places they can’t maintain the fields. Which is honestly most places that aren’t a professional ball club.

When I was playing high school ball, our lip from the grass to the dirt was so gnarly that a hard hit ground ball could literally hop over the 3rd baseman’s head. It was a total liability.

I want to say one of the Lawrence High Schools keeps dirt around the bases still so sliding isn’t as dangerous.

@BShark Do we know why he even left?

Like did he actually expect to get big minutes based on who was in front of him? I just don’t get what happened here.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

@BShark said in The portal.:

@FarmerJayhawk said in The portal.:

@DCHawker that’s why I added the disclaimer. We’re not done adding.

They have the #1 player in the 2026 class (who could potentially reclassify) visiting

Trying to gauge just how good Stokes is. Film just shows dunks in transition and some high level athletic ability. He reminds me of a more athletic Jalen Wilson, straight line speed and aggressiveness. I like the fit here but just wondering how much he could really impact a team if he joined.

I am in agreement. I think the kid looks like a freak of nature. But, to sound very old man yelling at clouds, his immaturity on the court shows up in his highlight film like crazy. I love the identity this team seems to have right now. I’m not sure Stokes naturally fits into it.

I would much prefer dropping the bag to go get Coward than add Stokes if given he choice.

Yea the core of the rotation has been built. I think the staff is taking home run swings on another wing before they just add.

Does anyone know, isn’t the window only open like 5 more days?

@DCHawker I personally think the Council fit is better than Lee would have been. Lee certainly has upside but he was a bit too ball dominant next to DP, and was a poor catch and shoot guy.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

Cowerd, if he takes a visit anywhere could be telling to his destination according to Joe Tipton. He may already have a team in mind. We shall see. Also going through the draft process. His injury that he suffered early in the season sounded significant and reportedly was a 6 month recovery from November when he got injured. I’d like to say I’m not concerned about a dude coming off a major injury but then again we already got a few of them on the roster and you really can’t be fooling around with getting another guy that might not be healthy when he gets here

He’s worth the risk imo.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

Paul Mbiya is another name to watch. 20 yr old is looking at visits to KU and a couple others. 6’10 is a backup big target perhaps. Also declared for the draft

Perfect backup. 5 fouls. Touch guy to matchup with.

@BShark said in The portal.:

KU will be making a run at Cedric Coward as well it sounds like.

Absolutely. Whatever it takes

@BShark said in The portal.:

Also just a gut feeling but I still think Council is a fair bit more likely than Lee.

Honestly Lee is a great add if you can get him as a bench role, in that microwave role. Like when he’s in the game give him the ball and let him cook.

Otherwise I think it’s a bad fit.

I may be the only one rooting for us to only have like 3 bigs on the roster and just be forced to play 4 out from necessity.

@BShark said in The portal.:

Kansas is also recruiting Jamir Watkins, per source @TYOHawk @BeddieKU23

Brick laying defensive juggernaut team incoming?

They count tuition as a cost on this even though it’s not a real cost. So that’s part of it.

And then the required donations to Williams fun which is not controlled by AD is also something that doesn’t show up in this entirely.

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

Someone rightly pointed out that the list we are discussing is valuation and not program revenue. However, the revenue numbers from this nasdaq article in 2023 were more alarming: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/schools-that-make-the-most-money-off-college-basketball

KU’s public filing has them right behind Nova on the list, and $22.6M just for men’s BB.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/ukansas.sidearmsports.com/documents/2025/1/15/FY_2023-24_NCAA_Financial_Report_final_version.pdf

@BShark said in The portal.:

I love the Tyshawn comp for this kid. Slightly worse shooter, but turns it over less.

Also a good comp from an athleticism standpoint.

@Jhawk69 said in The portal.:

The fans who didn’t understand DaJuan definitely won’t understand Council either (insert laughing emoji)

I think it will depend on the minutes played lol. People loved Marcus Garrett, until they didn’t.

@MR11 said in The portal.:

@drgnslayr A stretch big at the 5 is a little overrated IMO. Can be nice to have but I’d rather play a center that can set a good screen and get downhill off a P&R to pressure the rim.

I love a good rim protector. Get me a guy who can force bad shots & create turnovers/runouts the other way. Then all he has to do on O is set screens and catch lobs.

Basically I just want Doke.

@BShark said in The portal.:

Council is the downhill guy. Get it done Bill.

Really I just like him for the defense and versatility. Glue guy.

@Jhawk69 said in The portal.:

If he can defend like Garrett that alone is good enough for me.

More steals per advanced stats than MG. He would be a menace. And I think* he is someone opponents at least have to defend. His FT% at the very least points to a guy who should be able to shoot better than .300 from 3.

@BeddieKU23 said in The portal.:

@Kcmatt7 said in The portal.:

@BShark said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity Just hard to say it was a big issue imo. The offense was bad (not surprising) and the defense when they had to get a stop was actually quite terrible. The defense I do think was a mirage all year. Part of that is Bill being a good coach.

I’m ready to play fast again. Defend. Two way players. I like the portal approach so far.

I really like the Melvin Council guy Bossi put up on the other board. Can run, can defend, and finishes at the rim super well.

Yeah seems like a decent defender as well. His shot is not great, film wise it looked like he could at least hit an open one at 30% clip or so… Alarming was his ability to get into the lane with his athleticism and having such a low FT% rate. You’d expect someone who gets downhill to get to the line more. He also was like 31% on drives then end up in midrange shots. I’d like him as another rotation piece but not a starter. I really think we need another sure-fire dude that can complement Peterson. I did like his size, athleticism and quickness. Transitioned to PG spot and showed pretty decent ball skills and passing ability out of pick and roll. I guess he’s a wildcard, he’s got some traits that really fit here, some weaknesses that I don’t think get any easier stepping up in competition level that are concerning enough to wonder about what role you ultimately would want him in.

I don’t disagree. He has his warts. I think that ends up being the type of guy who gets 25 minutes a game because he can play the 1-4 and defend the opponents best player. Ultimately, I think the best thing about him was how well he scores in transition, and how well he takes care of the ball. Low TO%, high Assist %, plays fantastic D, and brings energy. He also seems like he would have an additional 2 years of eligibility I think?

You’re still looking for a proven guy to add to the perimeter no doubt.

@BShark said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity Just hard to say it was a big issue imo. The offense was bad (not surprising) and the defense when they had to get a stop was actually quite terrible. The defense I do think was a mirage all year. Part of that is Bill being a good coach.

I’m ready to play fast again. Defend. Two way players. I like the portal approach so far.

I really like the Melvin Council guy Bossi put up on the other board. Can run, can defend, and finishes at the rim super well.

@FarmerJayhawk said in All of a Sudden:

It’s been a trip knowing A) my folks are very proud of me going to graduate school for economics and teaching it at a good school and B )saying everything I know about macroeconomics and trade is wrong

Well you probably learned all of that at some liberal university so you’re wrong. Dumb DEI degrees you got there. Your professors were probably Hamas supporters who can’t use the right bathroom.

And obviously you don’t even understand what they’re trying to do. Trump is playing 75D Chess because he is brilliant. He’s simultaneously ending China’s backdoor trading through Vietnam, lowering the interest rate to refinance the debt, cutting taxes, eliminating capital gains taxes, balancing trade, bringing manufacturing home, getting more fair tariffs from everyone else, and he can do all of that while he wins his Senior Club Championship.

Dear leader is much more smarterer than you.

@BShark said in Transfer Rumblings:

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in Transfer Rumblings:

@BShark said in Transfer Rumblings:

@kuballin10 said in Transfer Rumblings:

DP, Flory, Tre and Dawson plus hopefully a still athletic Elmarko……so far looking good!

Dawson is a pitbull. Total dog. Shows up on tape too. Shit talker.

I think a back-up big, another 3/4 type wing (has to be starter good) and one more decent guard. Then filler probably.

We now sit with:

Guards: Dawson, Jackson, McDowell, Peterson, Shelby

Wings: Calderon, White

Bigs: Bidunga, Tiller

As of right now, I would assume the rotation players are next season are: Bidunga, Dawson, Jackson, Peterson, Tiller (dependingon his recovery), and White. That would leave 2-3 rotation spots open and I generally agree there needs to be starting caliber 4, a back up 3/4 player, and back up PG should be the priorities and 3 filler players.

Fwiw Swain just posted in line with what I’ve heard and fairly similar to what you posted here.

“I think the spots will be a starting wing, a guard, a backup big and a very inexpensive player.”

Guard spot needs to be that “microwave” bench guy. Stud Wing. Backup big needs to be decent. Ideally a guy who could possibly start next season…

@BShark said in Transfer Rumblings:

@kuballin10 said in Transfer Rumblings:

@BShark said in Transfer Rumblings:

@bskeet Better locker room/culture will be key

Both from players but also from the staff. Staff needs to look in the mirror as my favorite movie says - “attitude reflects leadership….captain”

The other name you haven’t mentioned…do you like him more or less than Flory?

I would like for Jeremy Case to leave. He was a big part of the problem.

Always hated the hire

Shaping up to be pretty long and athletic team. Very happy with the start to the portal.

@BShark said in Transfer Rumblings:

@bskeet Better locker room/culture will be key

Yea it was just a bad mashup of personalities. The guys never got on the same page and you saw it in late game execution. They were a team that never really found the right pecking order either. Like who takes the last shot?

Talent was never the issue and advanced stats also showed that it felt like.

@TYOHawk said in The portal.:

Go get me some dawgs

We had too many pretty boys like Jamari Traylor said last year. I can deal with losing but not cause we were getting out toughed. Those Houston losses still piss me off

Honestly shocked by most guys Bill has brought in have been obvious personality clashes.

More Diggy/Shak Moore type personalties. Not undersized guards, but guys who play their asses off. Or change your coaching style to have a longer leash. Can’t do what we’ve been doing for sure.

We are only 2.5 months in. There is so much more stupidity left to come.

Good opportunity for the staff to find some hidden gems and not just big names.

Bill replaced all 5 starters 2 or 3 times and won the league the next season… Just throwing that out there.

@BShark said in Swirling Bill Rumors:

I was going to take a break, but this is important. This would probably make its way here eventually so I might as well bring it up. I don’t post any of this lightly.

Caveat that it’s a bad time to ask right now etc… There is a lot of talk about Bill potentially being done now. It’s no secret that he’s been telling people next year would be his last and that had been the expectation but he is currently rather burnt out it would seem. Would hate to give this a percentage at all but it is something to monitor.

Coaching short list is rumored to be Golden/Oats/Beard in that order.

Turbulent times, my Jayhawk friends.

Feels very unlike him to go out like this. But he owes nobody anything if he does decide he’s done.

It has turned into an entirely different job than it was 20 years ago so I understand those demands would be exhausting. He ran a great program. Now, it’s more about who can build the best roster every offseason and get guys to play together rather than play into the coach’s system.

Be careful what you wish for though. It’s a different era. We don’t have the Nike or deep pockets of Duke. Look at UNC as a comp for what could be next for us… I truly fear the next hire.

Oh my. Okereke would fit so well in a Bill Self offense too

@BShark said in The portal.:

@approxinfinity said in The portal.:

@BShark sure, Perry immediately came to mind but i would need to see how versatile and creative he is. Perry was very crafty despite being landlocked.

Was thinking Jalen Wilson

Except he can dunk.

@BShark said in The portal.:

Rataj is another one to take seriously.

I like his game quite a bit.