Friday, April 11, 2008

Keegan

Keegan: Realistic future awaits

By Tom Keegan

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Take a cork off a bottle. Shove all the feelings you have right this minute for your favorite university's basketball coach into that bottle. Put the cork back on it. Store it in a safe place.

When the next version of Marchello Vealy from Oral Roberts University comes into Allen Fieldhouse and shoots your favorite college basketball team down in an upset that leads SportsCenter, find that bottle. Uncork it. Drink from it. Put the cork back on. See if that doesn't keep your knee from jerking all over the place.

It will happen. There will be more Marchello Vealys. There will be more upsets. There will be disappointing losses. Some will come in the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't mean that the coach either has lost his touch or necessarily "had a bad game."

It means that human beings - teenagers and 20-somethings, and, yes, even high-paid coaches - make mistakes. To err is human, never to forgive is inhumane.

Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts formed a once-in-a-generation college backcourt for Memphis. They missed free throws and couldn't hold a nine-point lead in the final 2:12 of regulation. Memphis fans had a right to be disappointed at the outcome, but not angry with the players or coach.

"They don't make every one," Memphis coach John Calipari said afterward. "They're not machines, these kids. They're just not."

Neither are coaches.

In retrospect, Calipari should have called a timeout to reiterate his desired strategy, which was to have one of his players commit a foul once the clock got down inside five seconds, thereby sending a Kansas player to the line so the lead could be trimmed to one point in the worst-case scenario. The foul didn't come, and Mario Chalmers sent the game into overtime with the biggest shot in Kansas history.

Does that mean Calipari is anything less than a magnificent college basketball coach? Of course it doesn't. The team he built and taught every day in practice went 38-2, the only losses coming to a No. 2 seed and a No. 1 seed.

Will Bill Self be any less a winner when his team loses a game to a less talented team than he was when his Jayhawks won the national title to cap a 37-3 season? Same guy. Same brain. Same competitive drive. Same hunger for a second national title that he had for his first.

This isn't to say elite college coaches are above criticism, but to draw definitive conclusions about a coach based on any one game, even any one season, borders on insanity.

Obviously, Self has been treated well enough in Lawrence - aside from the Bucknell fallout - that he chose to remain here when he could have cut a sweet deal at OSU. He has earned an extended second honeymoon period.

Self will make mistakes on the recruiting trail, but it won't be because he didn't try hard enough. He'll make them during games. Even Bob Knight surely made many during his undefeated 1976 season.

It would be tough to argue with either Chancellor Robert Hemenway or athletic director Lew Perkins, both of whom said there isn't a better fit for Kansas basketball than the man who decided to keep the job. The man, not the machine.

Comments

Timmay97 (anonymous) says...

After yesterday's news.......it should be a no brainer for Xavier Henry. Let me be the first to welcome you to Lawrence, KS as a Jayhawk. God knows there will be oodles of playing time for that kid when Chalmers is gone and possibly even Collins after next year.

I'm not concerned at all about our recruits offensive game. I'm much more concerned about their defensive game, especially Releford. I know it's going to be hard to match the defensive intensity our Jayhawks had this past year, but I hope Bill Self can figure out a way. It will all start with Aldrich down low, which I think we can all agree is a GREAT start.

Give the Jayhawks two, maybe three more years and they will be back in the Final Four. You'll see.

April 11, 2008 at 6:47 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jcinelli (Janet Cinelli) says...

Keegan is right. We will have some "bad" seasons (think 19-10 and a less than stellar seed). Remember, Billy Donovan's Florida Gators went to the NIT this year! OMG, the NIT. But, it could happen. No matter, I will still support Coach Self! I am just thrilled he is staying. Of course, I was never worried.

April 11, 2008 at 7:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

funkitect (anonymous) says...

nice article, tom. i hope some of those "other" fans (you know who you are!) read this and take it to heart.

April 11, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

Timmay97........Good point about offense/defense. The GREAT thing is that if you recruit guys that can score, you can always.....ALWAYS......teach them to play great defense. Defense is about will. It's a mind set. It's an attitude. It's hard work. You can teach it. You can't teach a kid to be a natural scorer.

We could have a down year next year--by KU standards. But I sure hope we don't fall off the face of the earth like Florida and Ohio State and not even make the tournament!

April 11, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kackley (anonymous) says...

boy, how i agree with funkitect. AMEN

April 11, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

FSUJHAWK (anonymous) says...

Bill Self and the kids he recruit are tough. Sure, neither is perfect so we will falter here and there but we will always be KU. Luckily KU fans are mature enough to realize this.

April 11, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkdan42 (anonymous) says...

I hope I'm wrong but Memphis's dribble drive offense is a perfict fit for X Henry so it's going to be a battle to get him away from Memphis.

April 11, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkdan42 (anonymous) says...

Memphis has the perfect offensive system for X Henry so we might have to beat out Memphis again to land him

April 11, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Studogg (anonymous) says...

Guys, X Henry is as good as ours. All indications point to him becoming a Jayhawk. Anybody have any news on Willie Warren? Maybe I'm totally out of the loop, but where are we with that guy?

Keegan, Thanks for a great article. My feelings exactly when something like an Oral Roberts or Bucknell happens. I love Bill Self and he IS the perfect coach for KU. Even if we do lose a few more next year, it'll be hard to see because the glare from the National Championship trophy will be so bright!

rock chalk jayhawk!!

April 11, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

FlaHawk (anonymous) says...

I don't see any way Xavier Henry will not go to Memphis. Thier system is made for him and with CDR and Rose gone he could score 20 a game next year.

It might take him 2 or more years to score this much at Kansas.

case closed!

Go Hawks!

April 11, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Kids go to Memphis because that dribble motion offense is a great showcase for individual and team skills. The guards can show that they can drive and kick, move without the ball for easy shots, run the floor, show athleticism, defend multiple positions, all things that the NBA scouts want to see.

That said, KU has a lot of the same draws with our system. We may not have guys put up 20 per game, but you will get an opportunity to showcase your skills under Self, and play on some great teams. Our kids also show that they are coachable, and willing to fill roles, which is what the majority of NBA players are - role players.

April 11, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmkjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Willie Warren committed to Oklahoma just before the early signing period.

April 11, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

wats211 (anonymous) says...

ku will again be good...mario chalmers will probably avg 20 plus next year because we will need him too....but with collins and hopefully arthur...we could repeat...aldrich....we may not be as deep but very good....wow..im already excited...now if we could talk brandon into staying?....

April 11, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

Wow, Keegan nailed me...sorry Tom...I'll never b!tch about Self again.

April 11, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

And I'll cork my 200ml bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue tonight, drink 1/2 and seal the rest for a more figuratively rainy day.

April 11, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

AzHawk97 (anonymous) says...

I'll save my bottle for any unneccesary box-and-one defenses that just happen to wake up one of the best players in the country almost like he took offense to not being the"and-one"....okay, I'm just joking...kind of...Rock Chalk Championship!

April 11, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

AzHawk97 (anonymous) says...

Keegs mentions Cal should have called a timeout before to reiterate fouling, but what about after Rio's shot. Shouldn't he have definitely called one then to set up a Laetneresque play or maybe get fouled on an inbounds? I'm glad he didn't, but it just goes to show you can second guess everything, and we could just as easily be on the other side of that coin. Rock Chalk Champhawks!

April 11, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

wats211 (anonymous) says...

63 teams lost ....we won...bottom line is...it takes some luck...so lets focus on big 12 titles...big 12 tournament titles first..every few years we might be able to make a real run at the ncaa....but it shouldnt be the main goal......big 12 first and foremost..then the ncaatournament..thats much more realistic and more of a reflection on the season as a whole!!!

April 11, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

flipborder02 (anonymous) says...

If Evans who is a big time SG goes to Memphis this year which I think he is. We will have a very very good chance of getting X man.

April 11, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

okjhok (anonymous) says...

I don't know why people think KU will be "down" next year. If Arthur and Rush leave, KU is still preseason top-10. If even half of the incoming players turn out to be legit, KU could easily make a run at another final four. Chalmers and Collins will make up the top backcourt in the nation next year. KU is NOT in a rebuilding situation. It is simply reloading. I love these types of seasons.

April 11, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Jacobpaul81 (anonymous) says...

My only question is..... will Keegan and his cronies play along? Something tells me, no. You no good fire fanners.

April 11, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

I can understand why a guy like Xavier Henry would want to go to an offense like Memphis'. The results speak for themselves as CDR and Rose are both going to make a ton of money in a hurry. I guess what frustrates me is that he doesn't realize that CDR and Rose could do the exact same thing in our system, and Bill Self would encourage them to do so.

Self would have loved nothing more than to see Brandon develop a mid-range game where he could take people off the dribble, then decide to either take it to the rack, pull up for a shot, draw defenders and kick it out to an open shooter, or throw it inside for a dunk.

Ironically, when Brandon first signed there was a ton of talk about him possibly being a selfish player and screwing up team chemistry. Instead, he ended up being so unselfish that another kid that wants to play that way is scared that our system won't allow it.

Xavier Henry, I know you'll never read this, but on the slim chance that you do I want you to know. Taking over games is exactly what we want you to do. The only reason the Memphis guys seem to do it more is that they don't have the talented big men that we do, and Rose and CDR have to play all forty minutes (boosting their averages). It makes for a couple of players that get a ton of national attention, but it also just cost them a national championship.

Players on both teams are going to make a lot of money someday. It's just a choice of whether you want a ring to go with it.

April 11, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

Coaches always talk about putting their teams in a position to win. I think KU, by retaining Self, has put themselves in a position to win for years to come.

April 11, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Jayhawkhud (anonymous) says...

Myth number 2: Memphis would have won the game had they fouled Collins. Dang! I didn't know basketball was such an easy game. I should have gone into coaching.

Fouling Collins at halfcourt would have left about 6 seconds. Assuming he didn't have the presence of mind to throw up a 45 footer as the contact came, Kansas goes to the line for two. Jackson and Arthur line up against Dozier and . . . !? Memphis's best rebounder is unavailable having fouled out 3 minutes earlier. I won't walk through all the potential outcomes, but the game is obviously not yet over, and the Tiger's worst-case is not being up by one.

I realize Vitale was foaming and red-faced Digger was about to pop a vessle after the game, but I see nothing wrong with defending the 3-point line. Memphis is a great defensive team who held Kansas to 2-11 for the night at that point. Everyone in the arena knows what's coming. Even though Memphis was disorganized on the actual play, they still did a fantastic job contesting the shot.

As amazing athletes as they are, give the Jayhawks 9 more tries, and they may well not convert any. That's what I wish Calapari had said. CDR and Rose stepped up like men and admitted they should have hit their free throws. Calapari shouldn't have blamed the officiating and instead insisted it wasn't a mistake betting on his players' defense.

Fact is, Chalmer's basket was just one of those incredibly improbable plays that defies comprehension. An excuse is an unworthy attempt to diminish what we witnessed. It was a moment and game for the ages to be relished by all.

April 11, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkinlv (anonymous) says...

This article is so true and much needed in view of the many negative comments I see here whenever we lose a game.

For a sobering reminder of how far and how fast winning programs can fall, see:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatou...

Not sayin' that'll happen here. I'm sayin' we all need to remind ourselves how fragile exceptional success is, and to appreciate what we've got when we lose a few games or a first round loss jumps up and bites us.

April 11, 2008 at 2:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

RonBurgandy (anonymous) says...

I agree Jayhawkhud. There will always be "what-ifs" though.

Also, I don't see us falling out of the tournament next year. We will still have lots of talent. I can see Chalmers testing the waters, but I think both him and Collins will be back, and I don't think you could ask for a better starting backcourt.

Arthur and Rush are gone, I don't see them staying. But I think with the juco transfers we are bringing in, we can get some good, experienced players to fill some of the gap. We may not be another 1 seed, but remember, we have won it as a 6!

Rock. Chalk.

April 11, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Mr_Sandman (anonymous) says...

Kansas will still be a great team next year. Aldrich, Chalmers, Collins, Morris twins, Releford, two juco studs, and Q Thomas. I don't see a falling off the map scenario here. A drop off from a NC for sure, but we should still be very very good.

April 11, 2008 at 3:15 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

On the subject of recruiting, what are the chances of us getting J'Mison Morgan now that Mr. Personality has moved from coaching Stanford to LSU?

April 11, 2008 at 4:06 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

KU - I have been wondering the same thing about Bobo. I think he first has to ask out of his letter of intent and granted release before we can contact him. Who knows, maybe now that he sees our program is for real, and Coach Self is going to be around for a long while, he might send us a letter of interest!

April 11, 2008 at 4:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

NH_JHawk (anonymous) says...

leikness - sorry to break the news to you, but it's nearly impossible to resist Johnnie Walker Blue once it's been opened.

To quote Frank The Tank: "It tastes so good once it hits your lips."

April 11, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kansas22 (anonymous) says...

Great article. Coach and his players deserve all of our support through wins and losses. Hopefully, this amazing season can shut some of those unsupportive comments up after we will likely struggle through parts of next season.

April 11, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

oldboy (anonymous) says...

KU, I think that Rush and Arthur must go since their scholarships have been given to replacements. Jamison would find a cupboard bare of scholarships.

What would happen if Rush and Arthur wanted to come back and try for a repeat? Their scholarships have already been given to somebody and Self would have to decide what to do. I think I would allow some freshman to go somewhere else in a situation like that. I am sure glad that I don't have to worry about it like Self is surely thinkin about now.

April 11, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUGreenMachine (anonymous) says...

who said anything about ku losing a game next year?????? 08-09, the year ku goes undefeated, most wins ever by a team, cuts down the nets for back to back n.c.'s......write this down! Losing a game? pfff.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!!

April 11, 2008 at 8:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Has anyone mentioned that this WAS the greatest year in KU sports history!!

Orange Bowl winners in football.
National champs in basketball.

I don't recall another year that comes close.

April 11, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

wpjayhawk (anonymous) says...

I'm another who agrees with jayhawkhud. Would the Jayhawks have "choked" if Mario's shot doesn't fall? I can just hear Coach Knight now dissing Sherron for driving one on three for the tying basket and criticizing KU for not blocking out for some key rebounds. Truth is, both teams were giving it their all and played a GREAT championship game.
My take on the whole thing is that destiny was with us. Just too many similarities to 1988, and with Danny on the bench and Hightower reffing, how could we lose? A few more similarities to 1988: KU wins a game in the last seconds when, with 59 points, the opponents last shot that would put them up one fails to go in (Murray State in 1988, Davidson in 2008). KU's Sweet Sixteen opponent's name starts with a V (It could have been Vanderbilt this year, but Villanova filled in nicely). KU beat Wildcats in the Regional Final both times. KU beat Coach Kruger both times. I'm not really a fatalist, but all these coincidences seem mighty interesting to me. Perhaps we should work on getting another Final Four to Kansas City (Roof over Arrowhead, anyone?)

April 11, 2008 at 11:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

melrank (anonymous) says...

How about another deja vu?

Archie Marshall - knee injury. Rod - knee injury.

April 12, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

What a stupid article.

April 12, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

jhwkfan, what's stupid about the article? Given all the people who criticize the slightest miscue, there's nothing wrong with talking about the fact that things won't always be perfect and that when something goes wrong it doesn't mean Self has changed as a coach.

"I'll save my bottle for any unneccesary box-and-one defenses that just happen to wake up one of the best players in the country almost like he took offense to not being the"and-one"....okay, I'm just joking...kind of...Rock Chalk Championship!"

At the time I thought the box-and-one was a big mistake (unlike the one that was used against Davidson), but Self deserves a lot of credit for abandoning it after only about a minute. On top of that, a short time later he came out with the zone with Brandon at a point, which I thought was a tremendous move and helped KU shut down the Memphis offense.

"Orange Bowl winners in football.
National champs in basketball.
I don't recall another year that comes close."

Not that this is on the same level, but 1993 was an awfully good year, with winning a bowl game, making the Final Four and going to the College World Series. It's still KU's only CWS appearance and, I believe, one of only two times KU has even made the playoffs in baseball.

wpjayhawk, nice job with showing all the similarities to '88. You're a little off on the Murray State comparison, though. It's only slight differences, but Murray State had 58 rather than 59 and their shot was to tie rather than win.

I especially liked your mention of beating the Wildcats in the Regional Final, which I don't think I've seen anyone talk about before. (Of course how hard is it to face a team called the Wildcats, given that about 75% of the teams are called either the Wildcats or Tigers.)

But how about this for another similarity that I don't think anyone has mentioned: in both '88 and '08, the Final Four MOP had his father on the coaching staff (and, many would argue, was on ku because his father was on the coaching staff).

April 12, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

wpjayhawk (anonymous) says...

A quick clarification on my Murray State and Davidson comparison, which I admit isn't clear above. In both games, it was KU with 59 points. In 1988, Murray State had 58 and had a 2 point shot bounce off with about 3 seconds to go. Manning got the rebound, was fouled, and made two free throws for a 61-58 final. (There's a recap of the game in the Twenty Years Later link above) Had Murray State's shot gone in, they would have probably won the game 60-59, which is the same score Davidson would have won by if their last second three point shot had been good this year.
By the way, another similarity that has probably been noted elsewhere is that we beat the ACC tournament champ in both national semifinal games.

April 12, 2008 at 6:02 p.m. ( | suggest removal )