Comments by 100 | KUsports.com

Press might have saved Jayhawks

Everyone of us saw this. A few of us are coaches that post on this site.

As an ex head Coach I can tell you -- sometimes you get so caught up in your own strategy you forget how simple it is to adjust for a few minutes & dramatically change the outcome of the game...

In short there is no reason to push a rock up the mountain if it is falling down everytime.

Use a crane.

Furthermore we all know (and that's why we love him, his ability to learn, adjust & even run fast at times), Self learned this lesson against Bucknell.

And he adjusted. And became much better. And in fact, became the best.

Yesterday was just a brief reminder to us all why using a multipronged strategy with Self's teams is so important. Yes I trust Self that with 12 to go in the first half he wanted to but didn't want to foul.

Well, let me ask you this -- who cares if they shoot one & one?

And further, it didn't have to be an all out press with 12 minutes left in the first half -- just some full pressure, making them go faster, making them see the court differently, making them tired faster, making them make quicker decisions, making a 280 pounder sprint up and down a court like a world class sprinter.

Or not.

It was really disheartening to see them take 10 seconds per possession dribbling the ball up the court for 75% of the game.

Even if it's just minor havoc, havoc must be created in a game like this.

Their 7 footer would have been so winded he would have played maybe 7 decent minutes per half.

It's all about wearing the other team down (and waking our team up) in a plodding type game like this.

Ku coaching staff please look at the tape -- it will be hard, but it will benefit us all in future games against teams like these.

It's all about number of possessions. Make them go fast.

KU's new goals against mid-majors: Double the possessions, make them use their bench players twice as much, & win big.

March 21, 2010 at 12:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Center stage: Big men Eglseder, Aldrich ready for battle

Look back at some of the highlights of the last few games.

Watch us pass the ball & play D.

We are, by the game, beginning to look a whole lot like that 2008 team.

It is beginning to turn into beautiful basketball.

As for starters, I'd take Sherron over Mario any day of the week.

And I'd take Cole over Arthur.

And I'd take Marcus over D. Jackson, although these two are two of the toughest kids I've ever seen. But Marcus's inside moves are devestating to a defender who doesn't want his ankles broken.

Honestly at this point in the season, as much as I liked Rush, Now that the gel is occuring with this KU team, I'd take X over Brandon. X is just tough & really has a shot an an intensity that is really coming alive the last few games. And his hands are so quick on steals & his arms are twice as long & thick as any normal human's.

And TT -- I love this kid. He like the rest of the team is really gelling at the right time. I would put him in the lineup over RUssel Robinson simply because of what he's brought to the table the last few games: great D, great patience, great athleticism, a great spark, and runs the Offense properly. He has a gear that Robinson didn't have.

As for backups, I love Reed & Morningstar, absolute teammates that can be counted on. And Kief, the prototypical Darnel Jackson type player, although a lot sneakier.

November I didn't believe this yet, but now I do -- the team is gling beautifully.

And we have seasoned Cole & Sherron as starters, absolute winners.

Honestly in 2008 we didn't have an automatic shotblocker either -- Kaun was a good presence, but he wasn't Cole "Wilt Chamberlain" Aldrich.

Let's go take care of business today Jayhawks!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 20, 2010 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Center stage: Big men Eglseder, Aldrich ready for battle

Just win.

March 20, 2010 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Out of the blocks

Dynamite,

Don't forget we buried those 1957 demons in 2008, not only beating Memphis for the big one, but also beating UNC 40-12 in the first few minutes of the game. Not to mention passing them on the all time win list. The '57 UNC game can be talked about reasonably now, without the extra hubbub....

As KU fans, let's not forget Wilt had a first year head coach who didn't vary from his gameplan & who drew up the worst play in the history of basketball to get the winning bucket in the triple overtime (an entry pass to a non-cutting/ no-picks-set-for-him Wilt at the lane elbow with two Heels hawking him, the pass, a lazy floaty pass at practically Wilt's elbow that gets swatted away, really, Coach Harp, that's the best we could do?)

If we had any sort of a killer instinct (via Phog) & Phog's gametime adjustments Wilt would've won 3 NCAA titles for the Jayhawks.

That's the facts.

Harp was great & changed college basketball with the full court press & John Wooden can credit 10 NCAA championships to Harp & in fact did credit him for his full court press at times in his career...

But Harp was following Phog.... and didn't have time to really "build" a program, greatness was expected from him in his first year....

Harp I will always have a deep fondness for -- a great man & a great Jayhawk who himself played on a team that almost won it all for the Jayhawks.

But it was he, as a coach, who couldn't win the big one. He was hired at the wrong time. He wasn't a bad coach, in fact he was a pretty good one...

However....

he wasn't Phog.

As fans we need to start seeing that 1957 championship game as it was -- a coaching experiment that shouldn't have happened so early...

Harp was a great Jayhawk, but Phog was a phenomenal coach, just as Wilt was a phenomenal player.

In today's game, with today's players, there is no Center I'd rather have than Cole Aldrich. And no point guard I'd rather have than Sherron Collins. And there is no coach I would rather have than Coach Self!

So, all I'm saying is this...

If 1957 was flushed away thanks to 2008...

Why not flush 1958 (what should have been another NCAA championship), with 2010?

As of 2008, it's time to gain the NCAA Championships in honor of our great coaches & players of the past that just missed!!!!!

So...

Flushing 1958 begins with taking care of Lehigh tonight...

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

March 18, 2010 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU must revisit Temple

Sorry for the double post KU brothers & sisters...

In honor of Mayer, I've been trying to lactate today so I can really stick it to him & I think my fingers got a bit jittery.

So far no milk, not a drop.

I'll keep you guys up to date & I'll try real hard to single post in between times at the breast pump (this thing hurts!!!!!!)

March 17, 2010 at 4:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU must revisit Temple

(continued)

1. Limestone (a chalky rock, yet one rock strong rock!)
2. Fossils (one which happened to be a medium dinosaur/ bird fossil in the rock, which as we all know makes it even spookier, these types of creatures it was later discovered were not even present in Kansas during this time as Kansas was a shallow ocean which did have swimming dinosaurs, but raptor species would have been on land in places further West now a raptor attemting to fly or take an old fashion raft, imagine a floating tree is a possiblity that could have happened as well, but nonetheless this Poseidon-type Raptor-esque strangely Jayhawk looking Dinosaur fossil in the midst of the limestone showing up here in the middle of an ocean 100 million years ago discovered that day a hundred plus years ago was always the best part of the story)
3. Ultimately, though they didn't know it, the students were studying music theory.

The rumblings & cadence of that chant came directly from the train tracks. Never has a more haunting or mysterious chant rumbled around a Colliseum or Gymnasium.

Like much of KU's amazing heritage the best part is when this chant actually came about, in the early years of Naismith's time here on campus, these would have been students that Naismith would have seen at least in passing (recall Naismith was the Daily devotional speaker, aka Minister & the only MD on campus in his first few years at KU) on a daily basis...

This chant is literally tied to the inventor & his great game...

It's all thanks to these science students, the fossil they found & the train they rode on...

Not sure who Musberger has gotten his information from, but somebody has simplified history to a point it never really happened!

In short Musberger's explanation of the Rock Chalk chant makes me want to wipe my fecal matter with his tie...

And let's not forget, a fossil when found is nearly always twice as dense as the rock it's found in, thus dental instruments make for a great scrape.

Thus "Rock Chalk"

the rock is the dense matter, the fossil itself that was found in the matrix.

The matrix itself is the limestone the original Jayhawk fossil was found in, the chalk, which as well is made up of little tiny fossils essentially crushed up fossillized shells, thus the calcium & chalk factor.

So during NCAA time how great is it to always be the Rock (that never got crushed) and everyone always follows the "Chalk" picks?

Well on the positive I guess Musberger can be credited for not freaking out on a fellow employees lactation devices & actually talked mostly about basketball.

March 17, 2010 at 4:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )