Tracking the B12 Top teams to the End of Regular Season
-
Weren’t we picked like 6th or something wild like that?
-
@BeddieKU23 yep I agree with your assessment, but still think swapping the UNC and UConn games for Omaha and UTEP may have gotten Mbiya more minutes to see what he can do/learn.
-
I agree the schedule doesn't allow for development of certain players. Catch 22 of balance.
I'd argue back that we should have gotten a big with more experience and not a project. It was fully known he was a project signee and still is one. Now getting such big in the portal with experience was expensive and funds ran low after paying Flory to return with a bump, the DP situation and others. However, I think we chose the fate and lived with it by not jumping on some others they were linked to earlier in the process. We got what we got because we waited months. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
-
I was worried this would occur and it's certainly looking like it's coming back to haunt us now.
-
@BeddieKU23 for sure I’ve been saying since last summer we needed another big. I think I brought up a Tarik Black type guy to help these young fellas learn. Flory has a very ceiling but watching the last two games, he has a ton to learn. But is just a sophomore and will get there at some point. Not sure if if he is in a Kansas jersey when he does.
Edit: 3 years and I’m very tired of it not working lol
-
We both were saying that last summer and all we got was Mbiya. The size and stuff was intriguing but that's just looking like a bad take for what you needed for that spot.
Agree on year 3. I've went through various stages of PTSD from the last 2 yrs, finally felt like believing in this team the last few months and now it's not looking good
-
@BeddieKU23 in retrospect what is the reasonable ideal haul we could have had?
-
Really made me think back to last summer. The one overall theme I didn't understand was Self was hot and heavy after a high scoring wing even after it was known he'd only have Flory and Tiller. The kid that signed with Duke then ended up in the Draft (Coward I think his name was) was one of the early big targets. They did everything they could to land Darrion Williams from Tech who landed at NC State, but money was the issue late (Self was out hunting boosters for money for him) and he was in that White mold, a big wing/small ball 4. There was also the push for Keyshawn Hall for a while (UCF transfer landed at Auburn) but I think most of us agreed he wasn't a good fit here + he was super expensive. They swung and missed on a bunch of top targets.
As for Bigs there wasn't a lot of traction with many especially for a backup role. That's the issue I had, there didn't seem to be urgency to get one at all. We heard that a scoring wing was the priority to pair with Petersons scoring. Shawn Phillips who was at Arizona St (landed at Methzu) was a familiar name for a while, but the big man market quickly became too expensive, or they just didn't feel like that was the best use of funds? Malique Ewin was another name, he was also looking for a good payday after a good year at FSU. I had heard they sniffed around Luke Bamgboye who landed at Tech who's doing a good job filling in for Toppin but that they were concerned with his body type. He was certainly the kind of big KU likes (athletic, runs the floor, rim protector).
KU shifted to Euro prospects like Mbiya who initially went to NC State before some enrollment issue happened, the Dessert kid who wasn't eligible, there was another one I forget his name that also an eligibility concern (plus the VISA issue). It kind of felt like they were "dumpster diving" in a way at the big position. But we have to remember after they paid Peterson, Flory, White, Council & Dawson there wasn't a ton of money floating around so that's perhaps all they could afford. But then they went and spent a good amount on Rosario who reclassed up after a strong AAU summer & that was an expensive play. I bet Rosario's money could have gone to a big, but the staff felt otherwise.
Personally, I felt like they needed an experienced Big with physical size to pair with the young Flory/Tiller combo. Someone that can board/dunk and foul when needed. Morez Johnson was a good fit who landed at Michigan after a good freshman year at Illinois (big dude but was also young). I also liked Amani Hansberry as a 4 (West Virginia transfer went to Va Tech), & Bamgboye as mentioned above. Michael Rataj (landed at Baylor) was another they were interested in at the 4 for a bit.
Flory plays the most minutes out of any center in the Big-12 now that Toppin is done for the year and near the top nationally for the position. Given his versatility defending out to the perimeter he's been asked to do a lot without a lot of help.
-
@BeddieKU23 wow, nice write up! So the key here is the Rosario money, sounds like. We get to see how this plays out since we could have one more season of him at least. I know that doesnt help with this season but could ease the sting watching a kid grow year over year. Are we thinking he is gone next year for sure? Or do we want to move on from him?
What positional need would you be targeting right now if you had to guess already to add to next years class or in portal? I am assuming if we can retain our bigs + adkins we are ok there and we keep hunting a scoring guard?
https://247sports.com/college/kansas/Season/2026-Basketball/Commits/
-
I think the Rosario money is a key after they lost on Williams, who was the last big fish they held out for after he didn't stay in the draft. Then they lose on Dame Sarr to Duke, which was a big one. KU definitely has an "in" with the OTE kids (Tiller, Calderon, Rosario) soon to be Kinney coming in so I think they used their connections there to get Rosario. He was a late riser with upside, but we've clearly seen he isn't ready for primetime right now.
It begs the question of does KU need a GM and support staff setup to assist in the scouting/communicating/NIL discussions and let Bill decide at the end who he likes. There were definitely some mishaps with the process last year besides hitting on White/Council that I think needs to be ironed out in how they are approaching it all.
I've heard Rosario's camp isn't happy with how the year has gone. After the buzz he created during the summer they were counting on his offense and that's been a total dud. I think he moves on, especially since KU recruited a shooter in Barnett & a wing in Perry who bring skill sets that cover what Rosario was supposed to give us.
You know, the Stokes situation has kind of made brainstorming next year's team a worthless exercise until there is finality there.
We need to replace Council or Peterson's spot. Dawson is also gone. Kinney is a shoe-in to start as a freshman in the backcourt. Based on recent play from Jackson/Mari you can't possibly feel comfortable with them even if they develop. Barnett comes in as a shooter. You need 2 backcourt guys from the portal.
White is another replacement needed but if you land Stokes that's kind of the role he's going to play here (big wing or small 4). They have Perry coming in. Rosario perhaps but I think he moves so you potentially need 1 wing.
As we've discussed previously retaining the Flory/Tiller duo seems like every priority before anything else. If one bolts, you're really scrambling. If both stay & Adkins coming in, I still think you go grab a big to develop. It has baffled me how little post depth we've had the last several years, especially for a team playing inside/out.
