OKSt. @KU...

Against most teams our defense is all we need to win in the Big 12.  No doubt.  Against teams who pick and pop like Iowa St and Okie St Withey doesn't react fast enough on the picks.  He is doing us no good when he is 20 feet from basket.  We would benefit from having a smaller lineup when we are guarding the whole court. 

This system is like any other system in college basketball.  Motion.  Hi-lo.  It all consists of finding a matchup the we win.  Finding the open shot.  We can't run the hi-lo game because we don't have a 4 who can get that done right now.  Twins were the last team to run that really well. 

Its not the system.  Russel Rob and Mario Chalmers ran this system well.  Sheron Collins ran this system well.  TT ran this system well once he was more consistent and made better decisions. 

As far as suggesting a zone D, well when your not covering shooters because of the pick and pops, you might want to try something else.  Thats all I am saying.  Yes our Defense is really good, but as the whole nation saw yesterday, it does have some chinks in the armor.

Self and his system allows for anyone to have a big night, not just one player and isolating them (Durant) for one on one.  ITs a team system.  The system is bigger than the player.  Would more like to see us run plays more for Mclemore, yes.    I think we already run towards his direction alot.

EJ lost this game yesterday.  I hate to finger point at one player, but he didn't get the job done.  I don't know if Tharpe is any better.  But this was one loss.  I will say that Oklahoma St is a good team.  They might be the best shooting team we have played against this season.  Self will use this game to get this whole teams attention.  Great game for coaching up the team.  Great game for getting our players focus once again.  In fact losing at home might have been the best thing for this team.  We can't just throw out the uni and expect teams to just walk out with an L when the come into Phog.

EJ was flat terrible again yesterday but he isn't the sole reason we lost, not by a long shot.   The Cowboys screened Releford better than any team I have seen in the last two years.   I think part of that was on Travis though, he made poor reads.   On multiple occasions he followed Brown into double screens in the paint allowing a completely uncontested shot from the top of the key, I don't think he will make that mistake too often going forward after the next couple days of practice.

Dang, KU lost the for 8th time @ Allen Field House in Self's 9 year tenure at KU.  Hmm, but then again, wouldn't EVERY coach in the NCAA wish they could say they have such a home record? 

Like I said, I think this game will go a long way in regaining some focus.  EJ wasn't the only reason, but his poor shooting and his decision making was at least 75% of the issue.  Releford was ran off screens and ran hard, but where is the switching?

Brown beat us, but so did others.......We had system failure yesterday because I am guessing players haven't been heeding warnings that Self has issued now for some time.  We know how good our coach is, so its up to the players to get things righted on this ship.

So I shouldn't point one finger at one player, but we all know like the QB, the pg is the one who gets more blame. 

This team has some flaws, but Defense can't be one of them.

GoKU, the system is bigger than the player, but don't you think that if you have a probable top 5 pick (because of his offense) on your team and no legit big man threat, it should center around that guy quite a bit? If you read my posts, you know i'm not suggesting isolations with no ball movement or completely changing what we do to cater to Ben, but just tinkering a little bit as well as calling more specific plays for him (not counting alley oops).

Ben has plenty of opportunities and freedom to make plays he is just a tad passive.  To be honest I think he is playing very intelligently but simply not getting the support one would expect.  Guaranteed Self isn't secretly telling Ben not to try and score when we here Coach beating the horse about how he wants someone, anyone to get aggressive and start making plays.   It is painfully clear that Self is imploring if not begging someone to step up and take over for this team the wasy TYSHAWN TAYLOR did last year but you can only lead a horse to water.....

Well we have heard a lot of what we would do different. Besides running the players until their legs fall of and making them watch every little mistake over and over and over....What do you guys think coach Self will do, if any to the line up next game. Could it be a bumb in the road that will just get better with practice or is it the T. Taylor point gaurd curse that will demand changes in the starting 5?

I think EJ will see less minutes and White will see more. There is something wrong with EJ this year. He is not even remotely in the right mental frame of mind out there. I cannot remember one game where I thought he lkooked like a veteran PG leader on the floor. To top it off, Releford was virtually non-existent in the offense against Okie State. He wasn't looking to shoot or drive much at all. We already have Young not shooting, we can't have Young AND Releford at the same time. WAY too passive at both ends. KU just played like they expected a win to appear out of the sunshine coming through the windows.

We'll see how they respond. I said the EXACT same things about the 2008 Jayhawks after they sleepwalked through a loss to Okie State.

Yeah, how many times have the Cowboys served as our wake up call!  I still don't know about EJ.  IF its mental or some kind of physical ailment, but he is not right.  I agree with 2coach.  I think the pressure that he is enduring as the pg on a team that is expected to contend this year is too much for him.  White should see some more minutes, but frankly until yesterday he looked clueless on the court as well.

I know not many agree with this statement from me, but I see something ins Rio Adams that makes me wonder if he shouldn't  get more minutes.  The problem is, and its the only real negative I have towards Self is when these guys make a mistake, they sit on the bench for a very long time.  Disicpline in important, but learning from your mistakes takes playing through them some.  EJ is making freshmen mistakes. 

Moody a few years back did the same things that Young is doing.  Its great to have a guy sacrifice his body and energy to do the little  things, but those little things aren't winning games against big time teams or teams that have good shooters.

I try to think we are a young team, but we have seniors on the court other  than Ben.  We bring in freshmen and one sophomore, but really we are not young.  We shouldn't be making so many bad plays. 

I wonder what will change, but can guarantee that if EJ continues to play the way he has so far, Tharpe will have a big time opportunity to prove himself, or Adams. 

"I know not many agree with this statement from me, but I see something ins Rio Adams that makes me wonder if he shouldn't  get more minutes."

The only thing that Adams has shown that says he deserves more minutes is that it doesn't say "Johnson" on the back of his jersey. Don't be like the KC Chiefs fans calling for Ricki Stanzi to play more simply because Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn suck so bad.

Who have we seen compete at a high level on the biggest stage? Johnson. So Self and staff need to figure out how to get him to where they need him. Self is trying to figure out whether it's a pat on the head or a kick in the a$$ that will get him there. There is not enough time in the season to get Adams to where he needs to be.

"Moody a few years back did the same things that Young is doing.  Its great to have a guy sacrifice his body and energy to do the little  things, but those little things aren't winning games against big time teams or teams that have good shooters"

That's ridiculous. Young has won us a LOT of games, including over big time teams. If everyone else on the team played with as much energy and effort as Youg does, KU would be undefeated right now.

Look, I understand that we as fans have a hard time wrapping our brains around not being mentally locked into a game and giving max effort because we are such diehard fans that we would give ANYTHING to have the opportunity to be in these players shoes. We would dive through a brick wall to help the team win. But the proof is in the pudding. The team has been in a multi-week lull of effort, energy and aggressiveness. Read any interview with Coach Self and it is clear that he is not pleased with the level of focus and energy put out by most of the players.

WHY is this the situation the team finds themselves in? I do not know, but I tend to always look to the leader of a team. When your leader is focused, inspired and aggressive, the team takes on those characteristics. When your leader is mentally lazy and uninspired, the team tends to take on those characteristics. I have a sneaking suspicion that Elijah Johnson is viewed as the Team Leader on this team and thus we have the situation that we have. KU needs a Ray Lewis-type leader, not a Randy Moss-type leader. KU needs a guy to step up and roll some heads, to make themselves and others accountable for their performance and effort on the floor. I don't see ANY players getting after each other demanding that the right things be done. Lots of high fives and chest bumps on big plays, but total silence on the dumb plays. That is a problem.

Ben has plenty of opportunities and freedom to make plays he is just a tad passive.  To be honest I think he is playing very intelligently but simply not getting the support one would expect.  Guaranteed Self isn't secretly telling Ben not to try and score when we here Coach beating the horse about how he wants someone, anyone to get aggressive and start making plays.   It is painfully clear that Self is imploring if not begging someone to step up and take over for this team the wasy TYSHAWN TAYLOR did last year but you can only lead a horse to water.....



How is it that Self is so good at motivating his teams to play tough D, play team ball, hustle, buy into the system, etc...but when it comes to the fact he is supposedly trying to get certain guys to take more shots or take over more often he fails time after time. We've never had one of our talented reluctant scorers respond and change their mindset during their career here. If that's truly what he wanted, I think they would do it.


IMO all he is really saying is take more shots WHEN YOU'RE OPEN, but he's not urging them to really go outside the system when necessary and just take or get your shot.

...and you CAN do more than lead a horse to water. If you don't do all those other things I listed, such as D, hustle, learning and buying into the system you DON'T PLAY as much.

Twocoach, the problem with the EJ/Rio comparison to Stanzi/Cassel is that EJ has proven himself on the big stage and certainly has the ability. Cassel had never proven himself and most certainly does not have the ability...that is why we should have seen Stanzi ATLEAST by mid season or after Quinn also failed. They wouldn't do it by then because then if he looked decent or even a little better than the other 2, then their reputations would look even worse as a staff/FO than they already did.

Just for the record, you will see Stanzi be a very solid QB in this league now that he has a real coach... 

Just for the record, you will see Stanzi be a very solid QB in this league now that he has a real coach...


Stanzi? Are we talking about the same Stanzi, or is there a new good one that the Chiefs aquired?

The two situations couldn't be more different for the Chiefs and the Jayhawks. On one hand you had a team that was just flat terrible, and changing to Stanzi wouldn't have been the end of the world because what did the Chiefs have to lose? Maybe he would have been good, but after seeing him play every rational brain cell screamed noooo!! not him!! On the other hand you have the Jayhawks who have reached a 19-2 record with a core group of guys. I remember in 2008 when Roninson took a backseat to Collins off the bench at times, but the problem is there is no Collins coming off the bench this year. I like Rio and I think he will be a good player in the future, but neither he nor Tharpe are the answer. We are faced with the fact that there is no good answer, and I hope that Self shook Johnson up a little by seeming to call him out. Time will tell of course, but I think Kansas will snap out of their funk.

Redrage, you're such a broken record.  So it is Self's lack of ability to motivate as to why Elijah Johnson is more nervous about driving than a dog crapping razor blades?   Sorry but noone can force someone to be more aggressive on the basketball court if they are not willing... not Self, Tony Robbins, Ghandi or the Dalai Lama.<br /><br />To the KU fans who either have an IQ over 75 or do not possess an agenda against Bill Self  I am going to make a prediction.   I have been harder on Elijah than any player in several years but I'm going on record as saying he is going to get better.    Self and Johnson had a 3 hour sit down and the words spoken by EJ about it afterward really make me think that it got through.      <br /><br /><br />Stanzi?  Really?   By solid QB you must mean a successful starting QB.   Do you watch football?   No, I mean the american kind where you can touch it with your hands.  

2coach, don't get me wrong, but how can you judge Rio in any way until he plays more?  Same goes for me saying he should play more, but playing a few more minutes will give him an opportunity to at least show what he can or can not do.  Just letting him sit, does him no good nor does it the team. 

I don't really care who it is, but we do have some really good players on the bench.  Everyone has bad games.  If your having a bad game, there is no reason not to rely a little bit more on our subs. 

Is that really that harmful? 

3 hour meeting means A.  HE will get better  B.  The leash has shortened, and if this way of play continues there is a seat on the bench with his name on it.  Pretty simple.  EJ is a senior.  Its time to Sh!t or get off the pot!

Redrage, you're such a broken record.  So it is Self's lack of ability to motivate as to why Elijah Johnson is more nervous about driving than a dog crapping razor blades?   Sorry but noone can force someone to be more aggressive on the basketball court if they are not willing... not Self, Tony Robbins, Ghandi or the Dalai Lama.<br /> <br /> To the KU fans who either have an IQ over 75 or do not possess an agenda against Bill Self  I am going to make a prediction.   I have been harder on Elijah than any player in several years but I'm going on record as saying he is going to get better.    Self and Johnson had a 3 hour sit down and the words spoken by EJ about it afterward really make me think that it got through.      <br /> <br /> <br /> Stanzi?  Really?   By solid QB you must mean a successful starting QB.   Do you watch football?   No, I mean the american kind where you can touch it with your hands.  


I wasn't even talking about Elijah, I was talking about our perimeter scorers who have the ability but always seem to underwhelm. You're one to talk about a broken record...I both compliment and criticise Self, you basically just give him a pass or blame the players except for every once in a blue moon. By the way, you can't force a player to play D, hustle, or buy into the system if they're not willing either....I don't see your point.


Stanzi...has never ever played an NFL down or even so much as a preseason game with the 1st or 2nd string....yet you think he sucks because an incompetent coaching staff that all got fired couldn't see he had more potential than those other two jokers? I'm not saying he'll be a top 15 starter or even a starter, but he will be a solid NFL QB. Steve Breaston sucks too by that coaching staffs standards and he's definitley a proven #2 WR in the NFL. They were the only ones that could slow down Jamaal Charles and they went 2-14 with like 7 pro bowlers and that's not even counting Bowe and Albert and you're basically taking the coaches side that they are right about Stanzi not being capable of playing better than Quinn or Cassel? lol You just flat out take the coaches side no matter what, they are always right, huh? 

Take the coaches side?  I dont want anyone speaking for me but you would certainly be the last person I would choose to do it so you can stop right there.  Romeo is an incompetent head coach, Scott Pioli is an incompetent judge of talent and oh yeah... who drafted Stanzi?     So he may not start but he will be a solid QB?     I suppose if he never gets on the field you can go with that attitude forever.  But I watched him in college and even when he was somewhat successful in the preseason, as long as he is carrying a playbook or someone's Gatorade he is fine.

"2coach, don't get me wrong, but how can you judge Rio in any way until he plays more?  Same goes for me saying he should play more, but playing a few more minutes will give him an opportunity to at least show what he can or can not do.  Just letting him sit, does him no good nor does it the team.  "

I don't need to judge him. The coaching staff that DOES see him play EVERY DAY judges him. If they do not think he is ready to play more, I am willing to believe their expert opinion. All us sitting on our a$$es watching TV do not know more about basketball than this coaching staff.

"Time will tell of course, but I think Kansas will snap out of their funk."

Like I said, the 2008 squad lost 3 out of 7 games in conference play this exact time of year and everyone was freaking out just like this. They weren't playing the right people at the right time for the right time in the right places, etc...

OF COURSE they will snap out of it. Dio I think they are a lock for the Final Four? Of course not, but it is foolish to think that ANY year.