The only way to travel…
drgnslayr
@drgnslayr
Best posts made by drgnslayr
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Self and Players Step Up! National Champions!
First… congratulations to Coach Self, our team, our school, and our fans! This was so needed for many reasons, not the least being the shaft we received 2 years ago for canceling our deserved run in March.
How did this happen?
Were we just lucky? Obviously no! Last night’s comeback shows just how good this team can be and had to be to bring home the trophy. But we can’t deny the luck we had along the way and I scratch my head wondering if the basketball Gods in AFH, or Bill Self Sr., pulled some strings from up above. Not only did we avoid injury throughout our March run, but we also benefited from other players going down and big upsets along our path. We even benefited in our final seconds as Bacot went down, turning the ball over and being done when his team needed him most. So many things happened in our path to this championship it is hard not to think someone upstairs didn’t pull a switch or two. I wonder if we might expect a new NCAA investigation into this one, draped in conspiracy theory and stretch out for another 20 years or so.
Self vindication? Hell yes! Gone are those critics saying Self can’t bring home another trophy. Gone are those critics saying Self can’t coach the big game. Personally, I’m giving the MVP award on this championship to Bill Self. He was a different man in this tournament than from the previous March tours. He was a lot more positive and had pure gratefulness for just being in the tourney. His poise was off-the-charts and it had to be the main ingredient for how our team stayed poised, including capping off the evening with the biggest halftime comeback in NCAA tournament history. I’ve never seen Bill smile more in March than he did this year. Listen to what he said to his troops at halftime last night, after being down by 15, another NCAA record lopsided score. He stayed poised. Listen to Big Dave’s comments after the game… he stayed poised. Bill is a different man after losing his father. I lost my father last year, too, and I know how different I am. Bill is, too. And it played out last night.
Comparing championships? I’m not sure I like comparing our championships at the threat that we minimalize any of them. But heck… we are sports fans and everything gets analyzed and compared. I wasn’t around for our 1952 championship so maybe others can comment. I did experience 1988, 2008, and now 2022. All three of these games are colossal storylines deserving special recognition. Even Self brought history into his locker room last night by asking his players… would they rather be down by 15 at half, or 9 with two minutes left in the game! I have to give credit for 2008 being the game where we had the biggest burst move to take the championship! I have to give the 1988 game kudos for creating “the legend” Danny Manning and how he carried his team on his shoulders to a championship over a heavily-favored OU team. But this team… this team’s storyline is only beginning to be told. Each player stepped up in their individual way to be a part of this! Never was the load so well distributed. Break down the game last night and you can point to so many plays by differing players that were “life or death.” Bill mentioned togetherness was their strength.
We may not own the record for most National Championships but no other school can claim as much March Magic as we possess! What stands out now… our book is yet to be written because we have so many chapters left to experience!
Love to everyone, and after more celebration lets start our next chapter of magic!
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Huge Thanks To KUBuckets And Crew!
I know many of you will be blasting out of here at any moment.
I just want to acknowledge KUBuckets ( @approxinfinity ) and all the awesome Jayhawk posters that made this a great season for talking up basketball!
I’ve had a great time and learned more about the game this year than any other year of my life!
You guys killed it this year!
Thanks to everyone!
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This Is It!
This is it!
This is the “stir up” I’ve been waiting for, and I even feel like we got a bonus!
So… what am I talking about? Udunka stuffing at ease? Earning a starting spot to help lift his game? 4-guard x-axis basketball starting the game?
All good… but what I am talking about is the roles of Frank and Devonte. I have been pushing for Devonte as our PG for more than a year now. Technically speaking… hard to say if he was a PG last night or our SG. Turns out not to matter. Frank is probably our best ball handler to be responsible for getting the ball to half court. But once he crosses half court and is positioned in the middle atop the key, that is where traditional concepts are thrown out the window and the chemistry of Frank and Devonte take over.
Look at the stat book. Frank, our PG by name, scores 21 pts and had 5 assists. Devonte, our SG by name, scores 6 pts and had 11 assists. Who ran the show? Who was our real PG? I guess we will say BOTH just to avoid a senseless argument. Months ago, it was difficult for me to convince fans just how incredible Frank is at scoring… a true volume scorer. He has the aggression of a driving volume scorer and has a dead-on shot from trey when it is wide open.
I don’t think fans have thought much about how hard it is to score 21 points in a game while being the floor general. Frank can’t take full credit for this because he does have the help of Devonte. Devonte is growing as the team “play maker”… a role he needs to take and conquer. Devonte exploited the over-match last night by continuing to pound the ball to Udunka for slam after slam. That is what play makers do… something works, they keep going to it.
Now I will discuss the “bonus” I mentioned above. Coach Self is truly the “Riverboat Gambler.” In my past vision, I thought we should move Devonte into the traditional role of PG. But the guy with the cards has decided to not show his hand anytime soon. Perhaps Bill will keep it a shared role. How will teams prepare for that? Who do they put their best guard defender on? Coach’s “ace in the hole” turns out to be Devonte’s ability to step up for big offensive games. We can flip the roles and succeed, too… especially on those rare nights that we face a team with a gifted guard defender.
We are just at the beginning with this team. They are just now coming around to executing a few plays and twists, and perhaps more importantly, they are filling in their roles and starting to be held accountable. The removal of Landen and Carlton from the starting lineup was more about a message to the team. Everyone will be held accountable, even 5th-year seniors.
Udunka is now plugged in! He still has a long ways to go… but it was amazing to see him take advantage of his size, and largely do it without fouling. You can see the game is starting to slow down for him and he is just beginning to execute. Bravo! He certainly has picked up the pick and roll! Amazing how just one weapon can be utilized over and over! Imagine when he has several big weapons?!
There is always some drama on teams. And our current drama is about Landen and Carlton. Teams actually need a bit of drama. This drama should be a good thing as both players adjust to step up their games, and Christmas break is right around the corner. I expect both of these guys to really put their hard hats on during that developmental period.
Last. We have to realize who we played. It isn’t going to go this easy moving forward but at least we got a little taste of what these guys are capable of. And they got it, too! This should help them focus on a goal to play at such a dominant level on all our opponents and also away from home. We got a long ways to go, but one step at a time, and last night was a great step in our desire to climb to the top.
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Mother Drgnslayr's Last Advice Before Sending Boys To Last Dance!
I just can’t stop being a mother… er… father!
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JWil - You are the “X-factor” guy in this game that will not get the MVP trophy, but this championship goes through you! You have to glue on Manek on the trey line and shut him down while also fulfilling your role as dynamic rebounder! If you do these two things well, we will not be denied the title! On offense… drive to the paint with your calculated medium speed… knowing not to charge and needing only a crack to slip through and put your body on a defender and score at the rim! We need your double-double!
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Chai - You’ve got this! Replicate your game on Saturday! Look for your shots and don’t hesitate! Defend hard, too. You called it right… you were built for this stage!
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DMac - Just like Chai… bring your Saturday game! No reason to do anything else. Bring the contact to Bacot and force him to back down without dropping your shoulder! Get excited because you finally get to match up with a big who may be in more pain than you!
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Juan - CONTROL THIS GAME! Play with poise, always be aware of tempo. You already know to push tempo. Our best tempo is sometimes a subtle shift. In the least, always push the ball up the court and make them run hard because they have no bench! When UNC runs and exerts energy on defense, they have less energy on their next offensive possession. So monitor UNC’s energy level and take advantage of it, and tweak our pace based on how well we score. It’s all inside you because you have the best court instincts we’ve had running point in a long, long time!
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CB - Realize how much your second half burst counted in our win versus Nova! Your first half was less than stellar but you left that behind and always focused on the next play! Do the same in this game and you will have your shining moments that will really help us bring home the trophy!
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Remy - No words necessary… You know how to support this team. Sometimes it means fitting into the flow, sometimes it means taking over. Trust your instincts and play to win!
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Mitch - I doubt anyone will have more emotion than you because this is your last game in a Jayhawk uniform and you’ve been in Lawrence since the invention of the wheel! Don’t be hyped up! We need your steady play, be levelheaded, and you will put in many key plays that help us win because you know the game so well. Play the role of a veteran!
Team - Do what you did all year… maintain your poise! The brightest lights are on and YOU GOT THIS! All you have to do is play your hardest and leave all your game on the court, and stay poised! That is the winning formula!
I know I speak for all Jayhawk fans everywhere… WE ARE PROUD OF THIS TEAM, WIN OR LOSE!
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Jo Jo White Stepped Out Of Bounds
Jo Jo made the historic step “out of bounds” that put black basketball players “in bounds” in college basketball.
In 1966, Kansas was in the Elite Eight game against Texas Western. In a key moment in the game, Jo Jo was called for stepping out of bounds. A crucial call leading to Kansas going down in defeat, 81-80.
As most of you know, Texas Western went on to win the National Championship. A historic game in more ways than one. Texas Western brought the first all-black starting five to the championship game and faced off against an all-white Kentucky team. In 1966, racial issues were tense in America. This game took on a different flavor than past championship games.
The Texas Western victory in the 1966 NCAA Championship game represented the final hurdle for college coaches all through America to come to an understanding that black players could be a huge benefit to their teams and worth the “risks” associated at that time for recruiting black players.
College basketball has never been the same since 1966, and Jo Jo White made the most-famous out-of-bounds play that changed the tint of college basketball all through America.
I remember that championship game. Not so much the game, but the firestorm that came afterwards. Racism was on full display during this period and there were many outlandish racial events occurring on a constant basis. Lynchings and police brutality were still common.
While our nation focused on these events and the uprising of black leaders, like Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., sports became the conduit for bringing black and white people together.
We shouldn’t forget our past. Jo Jo White was a true soldier for humanity. He represented himself with tremendous dignity and was rewarded with earned respect wherever he went, including his playing days in Boston, which was infamous for race intolerance at that time. Jo Jo has always been a part of my connection to the University of Kansas.
Rest In Peace, Jo Jo White. You will be missed by many and you will never be forgotten!
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RE: It will be pretty hard for me to be excited for next year's team
Calm down, people. If any non-KU people are reading this page their laughing… and rightly so. What this page really shows is we are spoiled rotten fans. We are crapping in our shorts because we are a 3-seed. Sure, we aren’t used to that. We also aren’t used to being in this position of being a team that has been beaten up by the NCAA for almost a decade with their b*llshit fake case where they somehow know more than the DOJ.
Self has vented frustration and it’s mostly where he shows relief because he’ll be able to recruit better again.
The idea of firing Self says everything. It’s starting to feel like Alabama football in here. I remember reading all those crying fans wanting Saban’s head on a stick because he only won 6 NCs. This is the type of crap that starts making a HOFr want to quit.
We have a team literally glued together based on only one idea; sign the best individual players we could get. Few top tier players want to play at a school in the cross-hairs of the NCAA.
Concerning this team… moving forward… anything is possible. We know we aren’t winning the league this year. What are our chances in March? Not so different than other years. The luck of drawing a good path in March will be crucial (as usual), and it’s all about us being healthy and playing good at the end. We could easily get knocked out in the first weekend, or go on a nice run. It’s the same for the rest of the D1 teams. Anyone can win and anyone can lose… just ask Purdue last year.
We never recovered from losing whats-his-name, the Texas guard who had off-court problems. Imagine if that didn’t happen and he had the year many of us felt he was capable of.
Everyone ragging on Juan. Seriously, people. You aren’t happy because he doesn’t just shift into a different player to meet our current needs. Had we kept the Texas guard Juan would be having a stellar year… doing what he’s good at… assists.
Let’s remember this entire season… not only the dud games like UCF. Has any other team won as many big team games as us? I guarantee you, no one wants to draw Kansas in March Madness.
The real problem we have is lack of consistency. This team can beat the best and lose to the worst. Yes, Hunter’s perimeter defense is awful. Yes, KJ has limited offense. Yes, Furph’s magic trey isn’t dropping right now. Yes, we get limited points out of Juan. Yes, Kevin’s trey isn’t falling. Yes, our bench is the weakest we’ve ever had under Self. I think it’s our weak bench that has hurt us the most, especially creating consistency issues.
This team is tired. Anyone can see that. So the same people who think Self needs to go probably also blame our guys for not being in shape. All I can say is we have more uneducated posters in here. How many of you guys played basketball that ran at this pace? It’s not something you can imagine until you’ve done it. I’ll prove my point by pointing to the world’s best basketball platform, the NBA. Our starters are playing more minutes than most top NBA players, and they play a 48-minute game spread out over more time. More timeouts, too. And we do not have all the benefits the NBA has with 365-day training, diets, etc. Plus, there is a reason why people say the NBA doesn’t play defense. These guys are pacing their seasons. That’s why I don’t watch NBA until June.
You have to start talking less and listening more. Watching games closer. BYU had the perfect game plan. They ran a grueling offense. Probably averaged 8 picks per possession. They beat us down. They knew we didn’t have a bench.
The smart move forward, as a fan base, is to support these guys and accept whatever happens this year. We are limited more than usual with this team. Push players to do better but be respectful. Don’t have typical insane expectations with this team. They may just surprise you in the tourney. Maybe.
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Overcoming 7'6"
I am probably like a lot of others in here concerning last night’s game. The first half gave me a stomach ache… thinking back to the last few years. Our guys not prepared for a dogfight, more like a cat grooming.
But I did feel better for part of the second half, mostly in the first minutes. Perry and Wayne took over. It was great to see both of these guys awaken from their first half naps. They really need to stop napping during games. Though they did wake up in the second half for a few minutes… enough for us to create the winning gap in the score.
I am amazed at Perry’s offensive tool set. I am amazed at the positive impact Wayne can have on our guys. One or two steals, assists or baskets from Wayne seems to liven up our entire team! This is his team!
I recall many times over the past couple of years where we came out flat and we stayed flat. I’m not saying that won’t happen again, but it is encouraging to see our veteran players step up and right a wrong, all within the 40 minutes of game time.
In as much as the first half gave us a “bad sign” for things to come, the inspired bursts in the second half gave us a “good sign” for possible great things to come in the season ahead!
Perry still hasn’t figured out enough to take it to bigger defenders… but he did show basketball IQ last night by taking what the defense gave him. He is as much a threat from the outside as any of our guys because he can hit that shot consistently and is often given the gift from defenses not wise enough to guard him out there.
Regardless what happens at the C5 this year… this is NOT the same team we had last year! For many, many reasons.
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Andrea Who?
We’ve been short on depth all year.
Devonte plays almost 40 minutes per game.
Yet… we look a lot fresher than most of the teams we play.
How come?
A huge part of that surely must come from the efforts of Andrea Hudy. She is the training mom of all our guys and even travels with our team on the road.
Coach Self has mentioned a new strategy of carefully controlling our players’ legs both on the court (practice) and off the court.
I’m willing to place a bet that Andrea has teamed up with Bill to coordinate this strategy of saving our guys’ legs.
Can we really state that our Big 12 Conference Title #14 shouldn’t be credited largely to the efforts of Andrea?
I don’t think so!
So… here is a shout out to Andrea for everything she brings to our program! She deserves a ton of recognition (had to describe it in weight).
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Who is responsible?
Who is responsible?
Who is responsible for bringing the team ready to play basketball?
Can’t we summarize everything into that single question? There were no areas of this game we played well in and there was no energy. How can that be?
I’ve always attacked this issue. I don’t mind losing games. I do mind when the team doesn’t show up. That was humiliating… and I believe it is games like this one that kill our recruiting. I know I wouldn’t send my son off to a school who decides sometimes not to show up. This is a character flaw. Plain and simple.
I wonder… how much fundraising does Bill Self do? It sort of feels like politics in Washington… where our elected officials spend most of their time fundraising instead of working.
When I see a team that appeared to be so disconnected to their coach, I wonder about this. When I see a team that can’t muster up energy for a screaming coach, there is a disconnect. Coaches that eat, breath and sleep with their players can’t help but be connected. Everyone is in one boat. I don’t see that.
This is what bothers me most about Kansas basketball. Games where we don’t show up. That doesn’t register with me. It’s not a part of my DNA. I’ve played in over 1000 organized games of basketball (at a far lower talent level) and I can honestly say that I have never played on a team that didn’t show up for a game. I would have been arrested last night if I was on that Jayhawk team because I would have physically assaulted some of those around me. I wouldn’t accept that kind of humiliation. Ever.
Latest posts made by drgnslayr
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RE: Portal/transfer , now THIS would P - - - me off if true.
@nuleafjhawk said in Portal/transfer , now THIS would P - - - me off if true.:
@drgnslayr there’s a lot of crappy movies out there. And the ticket prices are the same for good or bad ones. At least the concessions are cheap.
Of course. That’s why you are a Jayhawk and not a purple kitty! You enjoy good movies! lol
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RE: Portal/transfer , now THIS would P - - - me off if true.
I feel your heart in this. Glad to see a fan who still has heart in the game (and school)!
The game is so different from a couple of decades ago. Top and mid-tier players have already made monster sacrifices in their lives to get to the level of play worthy for PT at a major university. Those sacrifices extend to their families, too. Many of them will transfer to several high schools (finishing schools). They’ll play on AAU teams and play tournaments, often requiring major travel and time… and of course, energy. Many of these parents don’t have the resources to do it all.
What I’m getting at… most of the talent we are shopping for (like buying a new/used bicycle) are guys who already sacrificed everything imaginable to be in this position. Even though NIL is weird, and the transfer portal causes heart attacks (ha… mine!), I am so glad players started receiving benefits and have more control on their futures. Granted… many may make huge mistakes, but it’s on them then.
I’ve had contact with parents/family of great recent players. I can guarantee you they are stroking out more than fans! Every time we sign a player, and then recruit over him… imagine what that player, his family, and close friends go through! At this point in time, I’m not even sure it is a good thing for us to recruit players that are real KU fans. Regardless of what coaches and admins say, that means exactly NOTHING to us picking that player and that player getting PT. This is a business… THIS IS A BUSINESS!
I love KU basketball! But I try to be realistic! I view it as top-notch entertainment and put it on a level like a great movie! Watching movies… you have to “buy in” to the plot or it fails to be a great movie!
Just “buy in” and enjoy the ride for what it is worth! And it is worth whatever YOU make it to be!
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RE: Portal/transfer , now THIS would P - - - me off if true.
To some degree, as much as all of us are sickened today by the influences of NIL… this will settle down with fans in a few years. I know we all had this idea that players (before NIL) came to Kansas because they love the school, coach, and the history, but lets face it, most top tier players came here because they thought it would be good for their futures beyond KU. NIL has brought business to the top and we don’t like facing the reality that was always there before, but we lived in a dream.
Now that is out of the way… what happens to players that DO have a strong love for a school? My guess… they may sacrifice a little NIL to go where they want, but I’m pretty sure most will limit talking about that love ahead of signing because of the fear that will limit their NIL as NIL programs see it takes little enticement to sign them.
ANNUAL UGLINESS! More and more we will face athletes going into the portal each year just to renegotiate NIL, even if their hopes are to stay with the same school. Also, more will enter the draft while keeping their amateur status alive just to test the waters. As ugly as this is, guaranteeing we will all suffer blood pressure problems, this will become standard and we will just get used to it.
GOOD NEWS! The best news is how the NCAA is losing all credibility and power. How we were treated with this last threat to our program will end up being the exclamation point on a disastrous tenure by a corrupt institution. Their delays were a tactic to punish us before the punishment they levied, and it worked! Go back and look at our recruiting the past 5 years. I guarantee you we lost out on many top recruits during this time because of the dark cloud.
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RE: AJ joins Jayhawk nation
@BeddieKU23 said in AJ joins Jayhawk nation:
Bill Self is a certified gangster
It’s “gangsta!” He’s earned street cred.
AJ is coming here for love. I can’t blame him for that. Plus… he wasn’t ready for the NBA.
This team is shaping up nicely, though I think we have more positive news coming soon.
Bombs away!
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RE: Furphy
Well… none of us are OADs! lol
The safest quality recruits to take hoping they put in years at KU… short point guards that can offer consistent play for years… and big post players who can dominate D1 but don’t translate to the NBA. I think Hunter will be back, and Juan is coming back.
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RE: Arterio Morris
I don’t see the connection of Ben and KU’s reputation. This allegation happened after his Kansas days. Morris is a different story. We brought him in after his first allegation. Then, you would think he would have totally dedicated himself to being clean and playing basketball, but he got in trouble here, too. Compare him to JWil. JWil is the example of a player making a mistake then truly dedicating himself to fixing his life. Back to Ben… more needs to come out but I believe in his character as described by Traylor. His comments seem to be inline with someone responsible to facing the music. This could be anything…
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RE: Arterio Morris
I’m glad we ditched him immediately. It’s easy to put on rose-colored glasses and see him as a big help to our team where we needed it most. But realistically, he would likely have caused other problems… team unity… other run-ins with the law… a further tarnish of our school’s reputation.
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RE: 2024 Coaching Carousel
I’m still thinking Beard or Pearl, though thinking it less since they aren’t appearing already in Lexington. These two guys would sell their souls for a buck and lack the brains to realize the suicide committed by going to UK. Perhaps their names come up after a few more NO beatdowns! (lol)
Visit a Kentucky fan site now. I don’t see how anyone could stand that job.
Meanwhile back in Fayetteville… Cal is trying to figure out what to do with the 2-tons of toxic chicken that arrived in his new mansion! You think the players are fed that sh*t?
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RE: 2024 Coaching Carousel
I’m even wrong being wrong to be wrong. If my math is right (lol) I’m infinitely wrong! My wrong goes in so many directions… could explain the big bang theory.
Confessing “wrongness” takes off all the pressure. We can always later say… “see, I told you so!” lol
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RE: 2024 Coaching Carousel
Deal! I’ll go back through all my years posting in here and clean up my old posts where I admit to being wrong. Probably 1000 or so posts.