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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Case joins Self’s KU basketball staff

By Gary Bedore

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Jeremy Case is beginning what he hopes will be a long college basketball coaching career at his alma mater, Kansas University.

Case has been tapped as replacement for Michael Lee as student assistant/team manager on Bill Self's Jayhawk staff.

Lee recently accepted a job as full-time assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University.

"I think this is definitely perfect for me from a learning standpoint, and it's KU. It doesn't get any better than starting your career at KU," Case said Tuesday.

Case, whose dad, Win, is head coach at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla., has known for some time he'd like to follow in dad's footsteps.

"I want to be a head coach. I feel this is the best way to start, to learn. It will help me move up quicker. Being at coach Self's meetings and watching coach Self closely will be vital to me," Case said.

"I feel I can give insight on a lot of things. I have been with coach five years and know what to expect from him and might be able to help our young players with that."

Self is thrilled to welcome Case aboard his staff.

"I really enjoyed coaching Jeremy since we've been here the last five years," Self said. "He has the potential to become an excellent coach. I strongly encouraged him to get his feet wet here initially. It'll be an experience he can use around a very young and inexperienced ballclub.

"This hopefully will help jump-start his career as a coach," Self added. "It's a similar position to what I had 23 years ago (on Larry Brown's staff at KU). Hopefully he'll jump in head-first and decide if this is the right profession for him."

Case said he'd help out in any way, even don the practice gear.

"If coach needs me to, I will. They might need me to practice. I won't mind," the McAlester, Okla., native said, adding, "I'm not in the best shape right now."

Of the upcoming season in which KU returns no starters and just four scholarship players off a national title team, Case said: "I think it may start a little slow just because how young we are. I think it'll be fun. I look forward to it. I'm thrilled to be on coach's staff. I'm happy he allowed me to do this. I'm excited for the chance."

Comments

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Dear new Coach Case,

Never say: I think it may start a little slow. Coach Self, even though he knows it may start a little slow, never says this. Instead, he talks about how excited he is about the incoming frosh and jucos and about how the tough schedule is going to get them battle tested early. Always wait until some one asks why things aren't going so well before spooning out the truth and even then spoon it out in very small helpings sandwiched on both sides between what the guys are accomplishing and how hard they are working. Also, never take responsibility for wins and losses; that belongs to the players. After losses where there was poor performance, blame the players. Say the bigs were out-manned by the other bigs, or the perimeter guys were selfish. Never say the coaching staff did a lousy job. Always say the coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting the players to buy into what we are trying to do. This way the coaches seem to have to just do more of what they were already doing right, while the actual focus of failure to perform remains on the players.

Coaching in Division I is first, and foremost, a matter of self-preservation of you and your coaching staff. It may not seem fair or gallant to look at it this way, but it is the reality of Division I coaching. Players do not get fired by Chancellors and ADs. Coaches do.

So: Coaches have to protect their players by saving their own skins at the expense of their players. You cannot coach and help the young men on your team that you have recruited, if you cannot first save your own skin through self-promotion. Some times this involves making the players the scape goats. Again it is not fair, or pretty, but what is more damaging to a player: telling him you have been fired and he must play for a new coach who has no investment in or relationship with him, or telling him that occasionally you are going to scapegoat him and his teammates to save your own skin, so that you can continue to coach and teach and develop and protect him? The answer is the latter. Where would you be, Coach Case, if Coach Self had not played the game and been fired? You would be coaching at a high school in western Oklahoma, or on your dad's staff at Redlands.

Again, players don't get fired by Chancellors and ADs when they are assigned blamed for poor play. Coaches do get fired for being responsible for poor play. Coaches do become whipping boys of media and alums for poor play of players and becoming whipping boys does shorten coaches' careers. The calculus goes something like this:

August 6, 2008 at 3:23 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

a) Chancellors and ADs can't do anything but hire and fire coaches in order to please disatisfied alums and fans and influence revenues from basketball;

b) once Chancellors and ADs have hired a coach, the only thing they can do to please alums and fans and influence revenues from basketball is fire the coach; therefore

c) it is incumbent upon the coach to take any and all steps in order to prevent alums and fans from getting angry at the coach by doing things like shifting blame onto the players more often than not, and, of course,ingratiating themselves with the media.

There are some coaches, like Roy Williams, who seem to take ALL the blame EVERY time the players play poorly. But in fact those types are using rather subtle psychology on the alums and fans in order to accomplish the same thing that others like Coach Self accomplish by shifting blame onto the players.

Coach Williams is basically saying, love me, because I am going to take ALL the blame for these young players AND then I am going to take them to the wood shed during practice next week for being so ill prepared and for playing so poorly. Essentially, Coach Williams is having it both ways with the alums and fans. He's ingratiating himself with them, because he's acting like big daddy takin' responsuhbiluty fer thuh youngin's and shieldin' them frum blame, while at the same time he's acting like big daddy and takin' them boyz to thuh wood shed. Put another way, he's taking responsibility for his actions on the one hand (alums and fans and writers are suckers for that sort of thing) and on the other he's disciplining the players by sicking the coaches on them for a week of very tough practices (there he's appealing to the sadist in every alum, fan and writer).

August 6, 2008 at 3:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

But whether one follows Coach Self's, or Coach Williams' path, the players bear the brunt of the punishment and the coach's image is enhanced in the midst of their failure...to the greatest extent feasible.

Image maintenance and enhancement is crucial to the Division I coach's survival.

Of course, young Coach Case, image maintenance and enhancement is a fine line to walk. If you become perceived as shifting TOO much blame onto your players, then you have the problem of "the disingenuous boss."

The disingenuous boss is the boss who tells every subordinate that everything the boss does is aimed at helping his subordinates, when in fact everything he does is aimed at helping himself at the expense of his subordinates.

The disingenuous boss is successful if most of his superiors do not view him as disingenuous, regardless of whether his subordinates do. Once he becomes widely viewed as disingenuous by superiors, the superiors view him as someone they can make hay with by demoting or firing.

In Division I hoops, the disingenuous coach image is just about fatal. Why? Because everyone loves to hate a disingenuous boss/coach. And any time alums and fans hate a coach, the Chancellor and AD feel empowered to do the only thing they have the authority to do to exercise any power over the coach: they "let him go", while saying the school "needs to move in another direction."

August 6, 2008 at 3:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Such are the realities of management in Division I and in business and bureacracy generally.

It is not enough to be positive and enthusiastic. You have to be competant at what you are hired to do. But it is also not enough to be competent at what you are hired to do. Competence at what you do (at least competance as perceived by a Chancellor and an AD who know almost nothing about how to coach) is the ante to playing the strategic game of image management that perpetuates you so you get to keep doing what you are perceived competant at.

However, you also have to be able to walk the tight rope between diverting as much blame and responsibility from yourself as you can without becoming perceived as the disingenuous coach, while coaching competently in the eyes of those who, as I mentioned above, cannot possibly recognize coaching competency in terms more sophisticated than wins and losses and round organizational elbows. Chancellors and ADs are bureaucrats afterall. They ARE expert at gauging angularity of elbows.

Many persons, especially managers and coaches themselves, will tell you that this is not how it is in management, or coaching.

Many persons do not like to admit what they have to do in order to keep getting to do their jobs.

Do not be fooled by them, Coach Case. Coaching survival is not only about wins and losses. It is not only about "helping the kids." It is about image management that allows you to survive long enough to build a winning record and help the kids and build up an investment portfolio.

Work hard, coach well, and manage the alums and fans so the Chancellor and AD are not tempted to do the only thing they can once they have hired you, and I hope to see you as the head coach of KU in 20 years.

August 6, 2008 at 3:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Strikewso (anonymous) says...

Dude, get a frickin' life.

JC, good luck and keep up the great work.

August 6, 2008 at 4:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

njjayhawk (anonymous) says...

jaybate, Is this the beginning of a book on college coaching?

August 6, 2008 at 4:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...

c'mon jaybate, i enjoy your posts but jeez...

Anyone else see that HCBS is in a new commercial for some basketball instructional video. I just caught it for a split second here in florida last night.

August 6, 2008 at 5:31 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

Great Stuff jaybate.

August 6, 2008 at 7:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Timmay97 (anonymous) says...

Jaybate......all I can say is wow! At least get an XBox360 or PS3......my God bro!

August 6, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Chiliskate (anonymous) says...

jaybate... you need a hobby.. oh wait.... looks like you have one....

to qualify as a bestseller you may need to keep going with a few more pages though

August 6, 2008 at 7:17 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUMatt2001 (anonymous) says...

'Blame the losses on the players or the AD might fire you.'

Wow, great message Jaybate.

August 6, 2008 at 7:24 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

ku98 (anonymous) says...

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

August 6, 2008 at 7:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

BaricL7 (anonymous) says...

Thank you Jeremy (Coach) Case.

This is the best thing that could happen to this team. As inexperienced as this team is, having another guy (D.Manning) to help with practice will be irreplaceable. I look forward to seeing you out there for the foreseeable future.

Rock Chalk

August 6, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUSHELLY (anonymous) says...

jaybate - Get a life!

August 6, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

meremy (anonymous) says...

IMHO, blaming, ingratiating, diverting, taking responsibility, assigning responsibility, and all these other "insights" into the coaching profession are meaningless.

The limelight is only wide enough for winners, period. You win games, you keep your job, period. You lose games, you lose your job, period. The media loves winners, the fans love winners, the ADs love winners. All others are coaching on borrowed time.

Jeremy Case, find a way to win and good things will happen. That's what you learn from Bill Self.

August 6, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

approx (anonymous) says...

Why are you guys hating on Jaybate? That was the most insightful thing I've read on kusports in the off-season. Excellent post. Stop trolling guys, please.

August 6, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker85 (anonymous) says...

I'm not going to hate on Jaybate, but get a blog started... It's a lot better place to get your stuff out than on a message board... More people will read it...

August 6, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Huskerhawk (anonymous) says...

I personally quit reading after the first paragraph as I usually do with jaybates rants.

August 6, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

rockchalkAZ (anonymous) says...

jaybate, get a life.. or a girlfriend.. or some video games.. or something that will keep you off the ku message boards at 3 in the morning. wowwwww

August 6, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kansaspike (anonymous) says...

That was ridiculous.....had to throw it in Word and run the word count. Results-----

Jaybate 1336 Words
Article 396 Words

When you reach the 3:1 ratio vs. the article, it's officially time to get your own website or something. The 3 people who read your posts would be happy to follow your work.

August 6, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

cklarock (anonymous) says...

Jaybate, are you really giving a lecture on being a big-time Div I basketball coach to a kid who is training under Bill Self at the University of Kansas?

Really?

What makes you think you're more qualified than his existing tutors?

August 6, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kmatlage (anonymous) says...

I find no reason to chastise jaybate for his comments. It was actually rather insightful, in a couple ways, though I must respectfully disagree with a couple points.

I don't believe Coach Self places any extra blame on the players than they deserve. I think he makes a point to do so, however, more for the sake of motivating and getting his players to work harder than for his own image. Respectfully pointing out players that seemed to lack aggression or play a little soft is one of the best ways to get them to fix that in the future.

Don't get me wrong, I don't deny that there is a lot of image management required in this type of business, but I feel that most of the time, Coach Self is simply trying to get his players to work harder at certain things, so that they will win more games. Winning more games, then, is what will help his image the most. Blaming others for loses won't get you nearly as far as simply not losing.

August 6, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Yahweh (anonymous) says...

I'm not going to say "I hate you," or anything "Jaybate" (hilarious name btw imo), but either admit that you are Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, etc. or come down off of your awfully high horse. More and more, I find the people that post on here are starting to teeter towards lunacy. These are the rewards of a championship, I guess.

August 6, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jasonhoh (anonymous) says...

What insight does Jaybate have? It is very uninsightful. It is a rant from someone way outside of the inner workings of college basketball. Get a life.

August 6, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

ESUjayhawk (anonymous) says...

jaybate,

do you live on the east coast or have a graveyard shift job??? just wondering the reason for the early posts

August 6, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Yahweh (anonymous) says...

Jaybate is Quin Snyder!!!!

August 6, 2008 at 12:36 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkerjoel (anonymous) says...

jaybate - you make good points, but was this really the right article or even forum? Why spend so much time formulating your thoughts just to be read by us goobers? Submit it to the op-ed division next time.

August 6, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

palewhale (anonymous) says...

I can remember plenty of times when Roy would publicly chastise a player for not performing. Something I think Self has had problems doing because he wants to be liked by this players. IMHO Of course, now that he has a title under his belt I think he's earned enough credibility to get after them a little more.

btw, Roy would generally get after someone for lack of hustle, not physical limitations. If the player was being asked to do something beyond their abilities then it is the coach's fault for not accurately determining what they would be capable of doing at the next level.

Ostertag comes to mind of course:sad thing is he ended up having asthma.

The times I remember Roy taking all the blame is after loses when asked directly by the media "did (x player's) performance cost you the game"

I think it was the AZ game in 1997 when Roy was asked if Haas's injured wrist cost KU the game because of his pour play. (I'm paraphrasing) "I recruited him, I taught him how to play, and I decided to play him in the game".

That's a philosophy I use in my own business to this day.

August 6, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

approx (anonymous) says...

To all: *WHO* are *YOU* to tell Jaybate his comments aren't appropriate or to tell him to get a life? Who made you some honorary deputy of propriety on a public comment board, and where are the list of rules you're following? From what I've seen Jaybate has much more of a life than those you are telling him to get one. He thinks about the things he is passionate about and he's actively trying to give something back, to contribute to this Jayhawk community, and you want to bash him for it??? Shame on you. What have you given back? Nothing but spite. SHAME on you.

August 6, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawksnumber1 (anonymous) says...

Not to belabor the issue Jaybate, but you missed the most important point for J.Case as an assistant...."Be seen and not heard." (wink)

And for Approx...chill
Jaybate is capable of defending himself (herself) and when you post something that requires 4 post boxes you should expect some razzin

Rock Chalk Jayhawk...we're National Champs!! (I like the sound of that!) GO KU

August 6, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

rockchalkAZ (anonymous) says...

approx, you sound like my mother. "shame on you!" actually, maybe you're jaybate's mother, sticking up for him like that

August 6, 2008 at 3:12 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

approx (anonymous) says...

Ladies (and I use that term loosely). Yes, I'm Jay's mother. And she's such a good girl. Though sometimes she fails to put to practice the lessons that I teach her. I'll just have to try harder to get her to buy into my system.

August 6, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Guys... jaybate writes these things simply because he likes to. Some of you sit there all day playing xbox, some of you spank your monkey so much you can't type a long post because the keys are so sticky. Jaybate, by my estimation, spent only about 30 minutes typing that out. Some of you probably can't finish that quickly at 3am because you've already done it a dozen times that day or you're too drunk.

Did I read it? No. It was too long for ME to spend my time reading it.... and the topic didn't really interest me. But that is just me. I'm sure Jay is not offended. At least I don't bitch about it.

August 6, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkliz (anonymous) says...

Congrats Coach Case, glad you stayed on board!

August 6, 2008 at 5:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Strikewso (anonymous) says...

"Did I read it? No." Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Jaybate, thanks for unifying most of us. Approx, keep up the public criticism and maybe she'll start to buy into your system.

August 6, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

BannerforKirk (anonymous) says...

FWIW - Coach Self does in fact comment that next year could start slow and says that it will probably be like it was in '05-'06. Taking some pressure off of the players to win early and to instead learn and be good at the end of the season is a pretty good idea.

Welcome Jeremy - it didn't surprise me that Coach Self gave you this opportunity, but it pleased me all the less. I love having guys who have worn the uniform getting a break at KU and love seeing the Coach Self coaching tree grow - it can only benefit KU in the long run.

August 6, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

rockchalkAZ (anonymous) says...

way to be the bigger man lebowski. good on ya

August 6, 2008 at 7:57 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KGphoto (anonymous) says...

What a waste of time jaybate. You should have tried to sleep it off instead of posting after getting kicked out of the bar.

First the double negative thing. And now this! I'm just waiting for your Miss Teen USA answer. In fact, it would've been funny if you started the endless babble with...

"I personally believe".

And ended with...

"such as".

Coach Self and Danny Manning probably don't have any great insights for Jeremy huh? They need help from a drunk LJW poster. I'm sure they'll frame your epiphany and put it in Case's office.

August 6, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KGphoto (anonymous) says...

And whoever thinks that jaybate wrote Act II of his novel in 2 minutes, is a an almighty typing deity. Cuz that's about 840 words a minute.

August 6, 2008 at 8:38 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawk7782 (anonymous) says...

"Dude, get a frickin' life.

JC, good luck and keep up the great work."

No doubt. Well said...

August 6, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KGphoto (anonymous) says...

Wah fuk?

Did you just wish Jesus Christ good luck?

August 6, 2008 at 11:01 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ramsrevenge (anonymous) says...

Jaybate's an idiot. He/She prolly spent hours typing that response in word. Once he/she thought he/she had it perfected he/she cut and pasted it into this article. Don't give him/her too much credit.

He/she probably already has a blog. Detailing every moment of his/her life. Shot by shot accounts of his/her golf game, or play by play of his/hers favorite computer game. One word...Nerd.

Welp...time for another drink.

August 6, 2008 at 11:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

afilmer (anonymous) says...

jaybate has earned a rant or two. sure, maybe he wrote WEH (while enjoying herb), but it's all good.

dude - HCBS locked in for 10 years. that means he can recruit 3rd graders. rock and roll.

August 7, 2008 at 12:22 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DSommersby (anonymous) says...

Congrats to Coach Jeremy Case!

August 7, 2008 at 12:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

KGphoto - the "JC" the posters are likely referring to above is Jeremy Case. Jesus Christ doesn't need luck.

August 7, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

areyouserious (anonymous) says...

jaybate, open your window (if you have one), and throw your computer out of it.........ur an IDIOT!!

August 8, 2008 at 8:22 a.m. ( | suggest removal )