Hi. You write the questions, I pen the answers. That said, here's a Q and A about Kansas basketball as I soak my frozen feet in a cauldron of boiling saltwater.

Q -- Do you think KU will win any games against Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Iowa St. or even the game at Missouri with the very poor play and low scoring against the lower Big 12 schools so far this year?

A -- Well, I think so. Remember as poorly as you perceive KU is playing, the Jayhawks are 6-1 in the league -- tied for first place right now -- and 15-4 overall.

That is not bad, not bad at all.

I think KU can step up and win some big games, though I would agree OSU, Texas and perhaps even Missouri will be favored to beat KU in Stillwater, Austin and Columbia respectively.

The key is all-out effort. If the Jayhawks play as hard as they did against Missouri, they can win the big games.

Q -- Gary, can you ever remember any KU team being a good free throw shooting team??? I can't!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! If they make half of their free throws against Syracuse, they are national champs. If they make their free throws, they beat Richmond. If I am playing this KU team, I am zoning them and fouling them, and I stand a good chance of beating them. Other than Langford, we have no one who can create their own shot and shoot off the dribble. I think this season is going to be a struggle because teams are going to play them like Richmond and if the opposition has any athletes that can shoot like Richmond, they are toast. I don't think KU has any realistic chances for any national title hopes for awhile, because I don't believe the recruits we signed for next year can shoot the three-pointer either. When it gets right down to it, you can't trade 3's for 2's. I'm sure a lot of KU fans are frustrated right now, simply because they cannot hit free throws!!!!!!!!

A -- You touch on a lot of topics. First of all, KU is actually making 72.5 percent of its free throws which is the school's best mark since 1982-83 when KU hit 72.9 from the line.

KU is only hitting 64.6 percent in conference games, however. The fact KU sizzled in nonconference games lends me to believe this team can be a good free throw shooting team.

You are right about the Syracuse game last year. That was the killer stat in that game. If KU hits free throws it is the 2003 national champion. I feel your pain there.

As far as threes, KU has made 44 in seven Big 12 games which is over six a game. That is not a horrific stat.

Three-point shooting is not a strength of the team. I beg to differ about the incoming recruits. Russell Robinson can stroke the three.

Also, in Big 12 games, J.R. Giddens has hit 17 of 40 and Keith 12 of 26, much better than in nonconference play. I'm not arguing with you, I'm just saying when a team loses you can always point to some stat like free throws or threes.

I will agree three-point shooting is an overall weakness of this team, though.

Q -- Has the Big 12 turned into the Big 10? Big 12 games seem dull and slow ths year. I know KU lost Kirk and Nick but UNC already has four 100 point games. Is it talent or philosophy? Would Coach Self rather win a game 90-75 or 60-50? I think Roy would pick the 90-75, which, to me at least, is more interesting. Also since KU isn't running as much are other teams not racing back, leaving more people to go after rebounds?

A -- As far as the running issue, KU is not running as much as a the past two years, but that could be because Nick, Kirk and Drew are gone. They ran with the best. I think Bill does want to run and will in the future.

As far as dull games, scoring is down all over the country this year. USA Today had a good article on that in Thursday's paper. Illinois led the Big 10 in scoring every year under Self so I think he does want to run. He does not necessarily stress running the nanosecond the ball goes through the hoop. That's because he is stressing preventing the other team from putting the ball in the hoop.

I know the running issue is the big one on fans' minds this year. All I can tell you is Bill correctly states KU has lost Nick and Kirk who combined for a zillion assists and points last year. And he says that's why KU isn't running quite as fast this year. I think KU has had a lot of alley-oop dunks in Big 12 play this year. So I wouldn't agree KU basketball is dull.

Q -- Very nice article about Aaron, but no references to T.J. Ford? I think Aaron is every bit as good as T.J. and he was a national player of the year.

A -- If Aaron keeps piling up assists at this rate of over nine a game in Big 12 games, he just might be first-team all-league and could be an All-American his senior year.



Q -- I live in Houston. My son is a junior at A&M. At Reed Arena on Saturday I was sitting with my Jayhawk buddies and he was on the other end with his Aggie friends. At the end of the first half we had the ball and I realized we didn't have any "scorers" on the floor. Moulaye and Christian were upfront. I think Keith and J.R. were both on the bench, but that doesn't make sense. My reaction was "How in the heck are we going to get a bucket?" Aaron had the ball, he killed the clock, then just smoked past everyone for a layup as the shot clock hit 2 seconds.

My son told me later that he remembered the moment because he saw the same situation, but his reaction was "Uh-oh, Aaron's got it and he is going to score."

He plays with so much confidence and humility. A rare combination. We can say a lot of good things about Roy Williams. One of the most important to me is that he recruited student athletes with the character we can take pride in. Aaron Miles is the epitome of that.

A -- I would agree with you. Intangibles help make Aaron Miles the player he is. I agree with Keith's recent comment that Internet geeks -- as he put it -- tend to worry too much about Aaron's shooting statistics which are not great at all.

Miles is the guy that makes this team go. It would be nice if he could shoot better, in fact, KU probably does need him to score more to be the kind of team it wants to be, but you can't deny he is an excellent, excellent distributor, defender and point guard.

Q -- Do you think Jeff Boschee will ever join the coaching staff at KU? Also, why didn't he join Roy and the boys at UNC?

A -- Well, never say never, but I don't see Jeff joining Bill's KU staff. He told me he'll play for the Kansas Cagerz this spring, then try to hook on with an NBA summer league team. If he doesn't make an NBA squad, he'll try to land a grad assistant job at a major college. He'll do well. He remains a rock-solid guy. He didn't join Roy at UNC because A) Roy had no openings on his staff and B) Jeff wants to try to play ball for a living.

Q -- Gary, have we ever lost a game after starting the Rock Chalk Chant? Football or Basketball? A friend of mine from OU was asking me and I had no answer. Thanks

A -- That is a tremendous question. I would say no. I have not heard about that happening in modern KU history.

I think I would know if that happened, because it would have been a monumental thing if fans did the Rock Chalk chant and then the team imploded and wound up losing.

Q -- Has Joe Krabbencraft been signed? Last article dated 11/30 stated he could sign by Christmas.

A -- Well, Joe Krabbenhoft, not Krabbencraft, has committed to Wisconsin. He can't sign until November of his senior season. He's a prep junior from South Dakota. A lot of people are wondering why he called KU his dream school then shortly after committed to Wisconsin. All I can tell you is recruiting is an inexact science and probably always will be an inexact science.

The recruiting gurus do a great job of covering recruiting, but remember these kids giving the quotes are high school juniors. To you older people, remember when you were a high school junior. Would you at that time have been totally comfortable giving quotes to a newspaper reporter? I remember one time I got quoted and I ended up sounding like a complete idiot at that time.

Q -- After watiching KU play, do you feel that the future looks bright for KU basketball under Bill Self? The reason I ask, is that I'm becoming concerned about the way the team is playing. Granted KU has only four loses; however, three of those loses were against unrated teams with much lesser talent. Furthermore, they haven't appeared to be that impressive in their wins against the lower echelon of the Big Twelve. For instance, in their wins against Kansas State at Lawrence and Texas A&M there was a feeling that if they had been playing a better team they would have lost and lost badly. This, of course, leads me to have doubts about their ability to beat the better teams such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech.

With Roy Williams at the helm I was confident that Kansas could beat anyone, but, with Bill Self, I'm losing that confidence. It seems that Bill Self is turning the the once fast-paced KU transitional game into a slow half court game. Is this because Bill Self is a disiple of Hank Iba? I hope not.

Years ago, John Wooden once told me that Hank Iba's style of play is not the style best-suited for the modern athlete. He went on to tell me that Iba's Olympic team wasn't beaten by the Soviet team because of the controversal decision regarding the time clock. Team USA lost because of Hank Iba's coaching. The players on that team were quick and athletic and at the end of the game, according to Wooden, that team should have been 10 to 20 points ahead of the Soviets, making the time clock a non-issue. Unfortunately, Iba forced his talented group of players to play his outdated slow paced game which allowed the slower Soviet team to stay in the game and be in a position to have a controversial call turn to their advantage and make them the eventuall winners.

I hope this is not what's happening to today's KU team -- that Bill Self is taking a talented group of players out of their game and turning them into a Hank Iba slow-paced, low scoring team. Please tell that I'm wrong. And, please tell me that the future looks bright for KU, that we're only a year away from becoming a dominate team again.

You're far more knowledgeable about basketball than I am and that's why I'd like your opinion. Should I still be excited about Bill Self? And, if so, should I still look forward to this year's team going far?

A -- Sure you should be excited about the future of KU basketball under Bill Self. He was so loved at Illinois the new coach there had to hold a mock funeral for Bill for the players to get over the loss of Bill.

Bill is a great coach, a good recruiter, a very good guy and a perfect fit for KU. Bill had no problem in coming in last April and signing a good-to-great class of Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun and Russell Robinson. Also, it appears he and his assistants are in on a zillion players in recruiting for next year.

I think he's doing a great job with the transition here.

He's 15-4 and the team is hanging in there, in first place in the league. It has the potential to be a factor in the postseason; it also has the potential to drop out early in the tournament.

I'll tell you this. Bill was THE only choice to replace Roy and KU is lucky to have him and Bill also feels lucky to be here. This is one of the great jobs in the country and it's a great fit for Bill and his family.

I don't know how to keep addressing the issue of slow play. I don't think the Jayhawks are boring, but if you do, that's your opinion and we agree to disagree.

Q -- I read recently that KU is going to re-examine the standards for hanging a player's jersey in Allen Fieldhouse. I hope they do, because Kirk Hinrich definitely deserves to have his jersey on display. Gooden and Collison were great, but I always thought Hinrich was KU's best player the last few years. He is quickly learning the ropes to be a great NBA point guard.

What do you think? And what do you think the standards should be for a player's jersey to be hung up in Allen Fieldhouse?

A -- I think the current standards are fine, being a consensus first-team All-American, two-time first-team All-American, national player of the year or player of the year in the NCAA Tournament. I think academic player of the year probably should be changed. That player probably should be recognized somehow, but I don't know if hanging the jersey is appropriate in that case.

I do think some common sense must be used also. Perhaps KU should have a committee because Darnell Valentine should be in there as well as some other guys like Bill Bridges.

Q -- Do you know what is going on with Drew Gooden at Orlando? His minutes and production are way down. Last night he only scored one point and didn't even sniff the game in the fourth quarter. Has he fallen out of favor with the coaching staff?

A -- I don't know if he's fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. I just think he remains a raw talent that hasn't quite figured out how to put a complete game together in the NBA. I think the new coach has felt Gooden is better coming off the bench. Drew has had way too many coaches already in his NBA career and needs some stability.

Q -- Not exactly related to KU basketball, but why is Stanford's team nicknamed the Cardinal rather than the Cardinals?

A -- All I could find on this issue is "Cardinal" has been the color of Stanford athletic teams since 1892 and was adopted in 1972 as the official name for Stanford sports. I think it's just to be unique. Can any Stanford grads out there help me out further on this one?

Q -- What is your opinion of the strength of the Bix XII this year compared to the ACC, Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10?

A -- I think the Big 12 is not as good as the ACC, better than the Big 10, better than the Big East and equal with the Pac Ten. How's that for a definitive answer!

Q -- Why is KU not running more? Why is the transition game not emphasized more? The loss to Richmond was a true embarrassment. Coach Self even talked about players not being in the right spot after the discussion in the huddle prior to the play in the last minute. Poor effort by key players and again the same mistakes.

This team lacks focus, and I think Self is not doing the best he could. A box-and-one on their hot three-point shooter may have worked better. At least something should have been tried. Missed free throws allows for KU to lose another game. Remember, with all other variables the same, KU lost the national championship game because Langford and Collison did not hit crucial free throws. Why have KU players not learned from past mistakes. R. Williams' team would not have lost at Nevada or especially at home to Richmond, a 9-8 team. Why is there not better play from the veteran players? Thank you?

A -- Wow, another multi-faceted question. The Jayhawks are not running more because they are not rebounding that well. You need to grab the boards if you want to get it and go. Opponents have been grabbing a lot of offensive caroms. Also the loss of Nick and Kirk hurt the running game a bit, plus reasons I gave in my prior answer.

I wouldn't call the Richmond game an embarrassment. I don't think college players should be embarrassed when they lose. This is college athletics, not the NBA. Not the pros.

As far as losing to Nevada, stuff happens. That was that game before Christmas where the players' minds aren't always right and Nevada beat KU on a night KU had an off night.

My personal theory is at this point in time 15-4 isn't too bad. KU probably should be 16-3 or 17-2, but 15-4 is pretty decent I think. Let's see what happens in this upcoming killer stretch of games.

Q -- Gary, do you think KU will win the Big 12?

A -- I'd have to say, yes, but don't discount Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. I think the Jayhawks are pretty good at taking care of business at home and I think will continue to win all but two on the road, which would assure a third-straight league title.

This team isn't all that deep, so obviously any more injuries could change the outlook. I have a gut feeling Texas might win it, but I'll stick with my preseason pick of Kansas

Q -- Gary, does J.R. Giddens remind you of Paul Pierce? I see some similarities.

A -- J.R. like Paul has those long arms, and an NBA body, but has a different shooting stroke than Pierce's. Paul's is more of a conventional stroke.

J.R. doesn't take it to the hole much, yet, whereas Paul did and does. I do think J.R. will get to the point where he'll be able to drive and dunk once he matures and adjusts to the college game.

J.R. doesn't really remind me of anybody yet. Can anybody help me out with this one?

Q -- Is David Padgett the next Chenowith or the next Collison? Tim from Lenexa.

A -- I'd say David has the potential to be a Mark Randall-type scorer, that is, a guy who will learn to get great position inside and will score seemingly at will as his career progresses. He also has a sweet jumper from the outside, perhaps potentially even a better outside shot than Collison's.

It's going to be tough for anybody in KU history to put up Collison-type numbers. After all, Nick's jersey is hanging in the rafters. But I think Padgett, if he stays healthy, can have a great career and perhaps someday vie for all-league and maybe All-America honors.

I know Padgett wants to be the best player he can be. You can tell that from the look on his face on the court. He wants to be a player, has a great attitude and I think will be a great player. Nothing is guaranteed, though. We'll just have to wait and see.

By the way, I noticed that slam on Eric. I still like the Big E even though he refuses all interview requests from me.

Q -- Gary what do you think of the NCAA not letting KU fans do the traditional Wheaties cheer when an opposing player fouls out? This really bothers me.

A -- I think it's ridiculous. I mean KU fans have been waving the wheat to the Wheaties jingle ever since the Ted Owens era, maybe even the Dick Harp era for all I know.

It's supposedly unsportsmanlike for KU's band to play the Wheaties jingle as the fans wave the wheat "at" a player who fouled out, but frankly I've never heard another team's coach or players EVER complain about that particular tradition. I mean even Roy Williams, who liked to monitor KU's crowd to keep it on its best behavior, approved of the Wheaties song and wheat waving.

The rule is the band cannot play except before the game, at halftime, and during timeouts. When a player fouls out, there's usually not a time out, so the band can't play. I think it's stupid and wish the band could keep playing.

By the way, a nice reader called me and told me a neat story. Back in the 70s, when KU made the Final Four in Houston, General Mills sent KU thousands of boxes of Wheaties for KU students to bring to the Astrodome. They did so, but nobody fouled out and the Wheaties boxes weren't waved.

Q -- Any early favorite for a national champ?

A -- No. It's pretty much up for grabs. I do like UConn if the Huskies can stay healthy. That team is explosive. Could this be the year a team like Cincinnati or Vanderbilt wins it all? Nah, but it could be a sleeper team.

Q -- Any opinion of the mess at Missouri? Rex, St. Paul.

A -- I think all the distractions have certainly hurt the Tigers on the court. I think the Missouri players were floored by the Clemons mess, as you put it, and when the going has gotten tough, the Tigers many times have folded in big games. Remember, this team was a preseason top five team.

As far as the probation, if MU has indeed committed major violations, I hope the NCAA hits the Tigers hard. If the Tigers didn't commit any serious violations, I hope MU gets off with a slap. I have nothing against Quin Snyder, who has shown a lot of class in the KU-MU meetings throughout the years.

Q -- Is Jeff Hawkins potentially a good player or not?

A -- I think he has the potential to be a player. He can dribble and pass and has quick feet. He's had major woes from three-point land. He needs to work on his shooting this summer. I think he's pretty solid on defense and usually makes crisp passes.

Q -- Why don't Omar Wilkes and Jeremy Case play more?

A -- Bill Self has said they are like the majority of college freshmen, not quite ready for prime time, yet. He said the majority of freshmen in the country enter college and do what Wilkes and Case are doing. They arrive green, learn the system, find out what it takes to play at this level, work on their deficiencies in the summer, then play more in the future.

Both also need to bulk up a bit. Bill says they are "time away," meaning that in time they'll be players.

Q -- Will Moulaye start someday?

A -- I'd say no, just because KU tends to recruit All-America type phenoms at all positions and Moulaye probably won't be able to beat out players like Kaun, Padgett, Simien, etc. Rosters change yearly and stuff happens, so we'll have to wait and see, but I see Moulaye as more a third or fourth big man.

Q -- Gary, list your favorite destinations.

A -- Honolulu, Maui, Las Vegas, New Orleans, London, San Diego, Chicago, Reno. Did I say Maui?

Q -- Hey, I'm not a fan of Self's hi-low offense, which I call the hi-slow. Why doesn't he scrap this offense? It is boring.

A -- I think the hi-low is as good as any other offense. The problems occur when the Jayhawks aren't hitting outside shots, meaning opposing players double and triple team KU's inside players. Every coach has an offense and defense he prefers and Bill's hi-low is technically sound.

Q -- The true fans in Western Kansas who can afford to see weekend games at the fieldhouse seem to be shut out this year as there are very few Saturday games. Has money become so critical that the fans have become lost in the shuffle?

A -- Money has ruled college athletics a long time now. Teams will play any time, any place. I'm like you. I don't like it. I especially don't like Sunday games. I really really hate Sunday games. I don't think teams should play on Sundays.

Q -- Gary, your last Q&A discussed the consistently poor free throw shooting of KU teams under Roy Williams, and the fact that it cost us a national championship last year. I would just note two other Stupid Roy Tricks that played a role.

• The Roy Defense, which had guards double down on post players and leave three-point shooters open. He always denied that KU played that way, but any observer could see that we did. It wasn't just that game, with McNamara hitting six or seven in the first half. Remember the Nebraska game when they hit 18 threes?

Our lottery picks were double-teaming Nebraska's no-name big men (quick, name one!), while their three-point shooters were drilling one after another.

• Remember that Collison committed his fifth foul in the final minute at New Orleans to stop the clock and put Syracuse on the line!!! What kind of coach leaves his All-American on the floor to commit his 5th foul in that situation? The clock was stopped, Roy should have substituted someone off the bench to commit the foul when play resumed, and then re-inserted Collison when the clock stopped again after the foul. Even if one of those last-second three-pointers had gone in and tied the game, what chance would we have had in overtime without Nick? Any competent high school coach knows better than that. Roy's coaching cost us that game. Give Larry Brown Roy's players, and KU would have won three or four national championships in the last 15 years.

I am a huge fan of Jayhawk basketball and try to follow the details of the program as much as possible. However, I don't follow the details of the NCAA too much. I know there is a limit to the scholarships given each year or over a two year period, etc. But what is "over signing?" I would love to see Malik Hairston sign with the Jayhawks but how can that happen if there is truly a limit to the number of scholarships?

A -- I like Larry Brown, too, but I don't think he'd have won three or four more titles. The bottom line on Roy is he had great teams on the court, great teams off the court, he was a good member of the community donating a lot of money to KU and other endeavors and was a classy person who did things the right way.

Yes he "lied" or whatever you want to call it, but I prefer to move on and end the Roy era with this statement: He is a good man. He did very well here. Now he's at North Carolina. KU has a great replacement in Bill Self and it's time to wish both men well.

As far as your other question -- oversigning is signing 14 players when you can only have 13 on the team. Teams that do that have to make sure a player leaves the program or a player gives up a scholarship because you are only allowed 13. I don't think Bill will oversign unless he's sure somebody is leaving.

Q -- I really like Coach Bill Self and think we got a winner with him, but whats with all the loose balls this year on rebounding?????

A -- It sure does seem like a lot of balls are popping through players hands. I don't know why. I have noticed that, also. In other words, you got me with this question. KU may need to put stick-em on the hands like football receivers.

In my last Ask Gary I asked for advice on how to deal with winter. Here are some excellent replies that might help you make it through the snow.

From one fan:

Gary: I, too, dread winters with the exception of college basketball. Here are the things that get me through it:

1. Cuddling up in front of the fire with a hot drink like cocoa or an Irish coffee.

2. The first 10-15 minutes of a snowball fight (after that, it's just cold and wet).

3. The first week that Christmas carols and holiday songs are commonly heard in stores.

4. And shortly after, the first week after the holiday season that you don't hear those *?#@ Christmas Carols and holiday songs in the stores.

5. Thanksgiving dinner, followed by a lazy evening of watching football games with friends and family.

6. Watching all the kids around town playing in snow, making snowmen, and sliding pell-mell down hills (especially fun if it's a group of incoming freshman KU students who have never before even seen snow).

7. Not having to mow the yard.

8. The fact that every basketball game played makes it one game closer to March Madness.

From another:

Without Jayhawk basketball, winter would be intolerable, but without winter, spring would not be so sweet.

And another:

Gary, First, I'd like to say thanks for answering my past questions (I think I've written twice before) and, in general, for doing great work. I especially appreciate your objectivity and willingness not to get overly excited if the team is doing well (or overly dramatic if the team is struggling) -- I know I can hear reasonable, rational comments from you.

Second, as for winter activities, when I was growing up (in Overland Park), I was a huge fan of snow football (you could dive everywhere!), sledding, and most anything that allowed for just playing in the snow!

And another:

I agree, the best part of winter is definitely KU Basketball, but there are a few other things that make winter great. The sound of children playing in that first snowfall that you mentioned. When helping your friends move, it is much harder to break a sweat. I also enjoy getting to break out the polar fleece and the KU sweatshirts, not to mention the down comforter. Hot chocolate with peppermint schnaaps isn't such a bad invention (but it really isn't very good during the summer when it is 112 degrees in the shade).

You also have to remember, football goes on for quite a while in the winter and Mangino and the Jayhawks have given us all a reason to watch this year (and dare I say it, might give us one of those games around the holiday season). All in all, winter isn't so bad, I mean, we could be in Manhattan, KS and not even have basketball to look forward to!

Thank you for all the questions and comments. You are all tremendous people. Good bye, good luck and dunk you very much.