KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says...

I think the hand writing is on the wall for Simien. He's bene so injury prone I can fully understand why a team would not want to take a risk.

Perhaps now is the time for him to turn to his first love.....the ministry.

September 26, 2008 at 6:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jayhawkinatl (anonymous) says...

Yep, talk about being vexed. Nothing has gone Simien's way as far as a career in the NBA goes. Can't help but feel terrible for such a quality guy.

September 26, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

DSommersby (anonymous) says...

Wayne has had some rough luck for sure, but he is still young enough he can focus his efforts on making the NBA or Europe. It takes some guys taking a longer road. If he is patient he can make some more decent/really solid money and eventually catch on with someone.

I think he can build up his assets toward building his ministry and post basketball career by sticking with basketball a while longer. I think the guy has a lot of basketball left in him. Go Wayne!

September 26, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Very best to Wayne Simien. I sure hope he makes it.

Gary, what's the news on Xavier Henry? There seems to be new information coming out since yesterday, that Xavier Henry's going to Memphis is a "done deal" (check the posts in yesterday's articles for a link). Is there anything you can confirm. The talk program seemed to suggest that John Wall was also considering Memphis as well.

No matter how the recruitments of X and JW come out, Memphis is proving itself a force to be reckoned with in recruiting. Why the meteoric rise in the last couple of years? Derrick Rose also had Kansas among his finalists but ultimately went to Memphis. What are the reasons for this, Gary? Do the players consider their pro chances better? Does it have anything to do with freedom that Calipari allows to his players? Is it the nightlife there in Memphis? The plush living accomodations given to basketball players there? How is Memphis seemingly cornering the market on these high-level players?

I know the LJW is not omniscient. No publication is. However, there is news OUT THERE as a couple of readers found and posted. I wonder if you guys have any insight that you can publish ahead of the Xavier's official announcement, rather than just a reactionary story.

September 26, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

kulove (anonymous) says...

I like JROSS!

September 26, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

theory on why Memphis Gets Top basketball Recruits:
the city of memphis has a high population of black people & since most top recruits also happen to be african americans, they most likely find the city comforting to be in....example:.if you were an Asian male who also miraculously happened to be a top 10 nationally ranked basketball recruit would you pick Howard University? - the rest,(good coaching, exposure, high-end facilities, recent nba alumni) - is all semantics...lifestyle is the biggest key & good for them I say & god speed to your maximum enjoyment of the college experience.(as much as u can have realistically while attempting to play a high-level sport)..now, KU is a great place for a black athlete (or any other race or creed of athlete) to come to because we have the best looking white women in all of college..period.. (possible exception maybe USC who I hear has a pretty decent athletics department, hmm) & many beautiful bombshells at KU would have the nastiest sex in the world with a walk-on who can't even tie his shoes right, for some free tickets & to say to they made it with a Kansas baller...

September 26, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

in the end, for an 18 year old male athlete, it's almost always about being around other kids\a community you can relate with on day to day basis & having good,honest, filthy sex with as many hot females as possible...this is how most ADULTS pick their city\community, so why wouldn't teenagers apply those same standards when they're young and sexy...?

September 26, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Nutflush21 (anonymous) says...

Why Memphis gets recruits-

1. John Calipari is a snake oil salesman. Ever listen to him talk? The guy can sell ice to eskimos.

2. The players live in an 11 bedroom on campus mansion outfitted with multiple flat screens, theaters and video game systems. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_b...

3. Obviously this is just speculation, but Id be willing to bet that Cal gives his players freedom to do damn near whatever they want.

September 26, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Nutflush21 (anonymous) says...

Oh BTW, www.theshiver.com is reporting that the X Henry committment to Memphis should be coming shortly.

September 26, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

I hope not Nutflush, but what i gathered from that article is that it is highly more speculative than the way you worded it. They quoted "other sources".

Well I'm an "other source", too! So are you! So is Calipari's mom. Some are more reliable than others, and when they won't quote who the source is, I tend to think that it's because it is not a reliable one.

That said, I wouldn't be shocked either way. But I would be a bit surprised if Xavier commits to Memphis without even taking a look at the school his father attended.

September 26, 2008 at 10:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Judging from all the allegations of heavy pot smoking in basketball, maybe the coaches ought to be raising money by as Coaches vs. Mouth Cancer.

September 26, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ESUjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Carl Henry said to him

"It's done! It's over boys! He's a Memphis Tiger."

Quote from theshiver.com article

September 26, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

- Isn't Univ. of Kansas referred to by many prognosticators as "The Midwest Berkley"?

Rock Chalk Bong Hawk, Go KU. (say it loud,,,,but mellow, please)

September 26, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

With all these rumors of Xman and Wall going to Graceland, its time to take off the rumor mill gloves.

Rumor 1: 10 persons claiming to be first or second cousins of Henry, Wall, and Cheek report that the three have agreed to come to KU as a package, because Memphis is under investigation and facing the death penalty.

Rumor 2: Calipari's hair ignited last night after he held his blow dryer too close. The Brylcreem fire lasted most of the night, when even a chemical retardent failed to put it out. Coach Cal is listed in critical condition in a Memphis hospital today.

Rumor 3: HIV and Clamidia have reached pandemic proportions among Memphis coeds.

Rumor 4: Memphis police have cracked down on pot and there will be none available in Memphis for the next year or so.

Rumor 5: Coach Cal has already signed a contract to coach the Memphis Grizzlies starting after the All Star break. His entire staff will leave with him.

Rumor 6: Coach Cal has recently undergone a sex change and plans to switch to coaching the Lady Tigers very shortly.

Rumor 7: Memphis plans to replace Coach Cal with the Imperial Wizard of the New Ku Klux Klan, or George W. Bush.

Rumor 8: The FBI is about to announce that the Memphis basketball team was used last year as mules for a Colombian drug cartel run by Coach John Calipari.

Rumor 9: Inquiring Star Magazine is about to report that Coach John Calipari will marry Dick Vitale in a civil ceremony in Belize. Bob Knight will give the bride away by cursing his way through "I do," though a decision has not yet been made about which man will be the bride.

Rumor 10: All of the above rumors are false.

Rumor 11: All of the above rumors are true.

Rumor 12: In the Venn diagram of sports news, all rumors of Hah-veee-air Henry going to Memphis remain in the null set.

Deal with it.

September 26, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Nutflush21 (anonymous) says...

Jaybate- Rumor 13. Xavier is pronounced Zav-eee-yay

September 26, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Jaybate...your point is taken. Rumors are just rumors until they are not. But what is REAL is that Memphis is a major recruiting force now, and there are reasons for this emergence. Whether Henry and Wall actually end up in Memphis is one thing; the fact that Memphis is suddenly VERY competitive for number 1 recruits is another.

What do you make of this? (by the way...I laughed my @$$ off at number rumor number 3...maybe its the college boy in me)

September 26, 2008 at 11:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

hometownhawk (anonymous) says...

ESU, that was NOT a quote from Carl Henry. That quote was from some guy who claimed to work with a guy who claimed to be close to the family. Big difference. That being said, I do think X is going to Memphis, not nearly as convinced about Wall. If we get Cheek and Robinson/Orton, Wall may be inclined to come to KU.

September 26, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

I thought it was "ZAY-vee-uhr"

September 26, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Getting serious for a moment, do you suppose the following statistics could tip the balance of school choice in the mind of an African American player who liked and respected both Bill Self and John Calipari about equally?

Who am I to say? I lack much pigment. Perhaps some of our African American posters can comment on whether the following stats would influence young African Americans, who probably view both programs as recently being quite similar in quality.

The following statistics are sourced from the IPEDS data at the National Center for Education Statistics web site indicating enrollment by race for KU and Memphis undergraduate student bodies.

U of Kansas: 81% White non-Hispanic, 4% Black non-Hispanic
U of Memphis: 55% White non-Hispanic, 38% Black non-Hispanic

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?...
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?...

Another statistic available on the same web page might also tip the balance a bit, of ANY MALE basketball player, assuming he likes and respects both coaches about the same:

U of Kansas: 49.9% Female; 50.1% Male
Memphis: 61.2% Female; 38.2% Male

This last statistic even makes me want to audit some classes at Memphis. :-)

Assuming both coaches were equally terrific (of course we know Bill Self is much better, but, well, we are a little biased, aren't we?), it would seem an African American player might well find more persons more like himself on campus at Memphis and find many more young female students to meet, than at Kansas.

To preempt the reactionaries, these statistics are not the ONLY reasons why African American players might favor Memphis over Kansas, if in fact they do (I still doubt they do). But I thought it worth throwing them into the hopper of this discussion.

September 26, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

soapboxstew (anonymous) says...

If it's all fair & legal:

Why don't we fix up one of those beautiful Victorian homes that is on (or near) campus and have the basketball team live there?
Hook it up with a court, a cook, and even a 'house mom' to keep these boys in line.
Have the TV's and game rooms and nice bedrooms, but also have a study hall in the house with required study hours.

It sounds like a fraternity, I know. But you could have a great mixture of what kids want and what kids need.

If Memphis takes recruits from us, especially X, then we need to change some things in order to be more competitive.
The house is the perfect thing to look into.

September 26, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Are any of you old enough to remember when Carl Henry played at Kansas? Some of his contemporaries were Ron Kellogg, Cedric Hunter, Mark Turgeon and Greg Dreiling. He barely missed playing with Danny Manning, who arrived on campus the fall after Henry went to the NBA.

Henry was a solid position player. I dont recall him ever being a standout, but across 25 years my memory could be failing me. I do remember having a sense of confidence in Carl Henry and respecting him for his offensive prowess. If I remember correctly Carl sported an afro while he was here (nothing the likes of Ben Wallace's however).

To me, if Xavier chooses Memphis that would be a sad day. All of those wonderful memories I have of Carl playing here, just to see his son go off somewhere else. Playing at Kansas would be a Homecoming! How great it would be to see shots of Carl Henry in the stands again as his son played in Allen a quarter of a century later. What love Xavier would receive! He'd have fans from MULTIPLE generations, and he would never get that at Memphis.

Heres the reality. Memphis fans would love Xavier ONLY for what he could give them in terms of production on the floor. Kansas would give him that kind of love PLUS the genuine feel of family. No question, he'd be embraced and adored here much more than he would at Memphis, due to his mother's and father's roots here. He'd be welcomed as a blueblood no matter what. He's not old enough to have that kind of perspective yet; nevertheless, it remains true.

Xavier. If you want love, COME TO KANSAS. Anything else Memphis gives you we can match. Play where the inventor of basketball coached. Play in the house that birthed the basketball minds of Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith. Play in the house of the first Great coach, Phog Allen. Play were Wilt Chamberlain played. Play in the house of the oldest and richest tradition in college basketball. Play for the National Champions. Play where your Mother and Father played. Play where you will be loved as a person.

Play where your HOME is...play at KANSAS!

September 26, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Jaybate...great question!

Im an African American so allow me to weigh in. An African-American community with which to identify is very important for these players, I can assure you. However, that community need not be vast. What you need is a "presence", and no more...

An African-American church. A few hip-hop dance clubs. The presence of fellow African-Americans on the basketball squad to hang with and befriend. That's it. No more.

Consider the letter Darnell Jackson wrote to the LJW, and what LOVE he expressed. No where in it did he mention race as a factor. Xavier's own father played a productive career here where he was loved and adored. If the disparity of race were an issue to Xavier, Kansas wouldnt be in his top two. Danny came back to Lawrence. Think of all the years where we have seen African-Americans choose to attend this great University and finish their careers happy and thankful they came to play here.

I dont say what Im about to in any sort of hostility whatsoever, but how most white people THINK black people think is not how they think. Most of us will quickly embrace a white community, even a LARGE white community percentagewise, if they show love and adoration. In fact, we'd prefer our race not even be an issue.

September 26, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

stupidmichael (anonymous) says...

My comments get deleted for poking fun at Bert's sexuality... And yet, this has been the most racist thread I have read in some time...

September 26, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mvjayhawk (anonymous) says...

most of the above speculation is just nonsense. Consider:

1. Rivals has now Henry's choices as KU and Memphis....and it's between those two schools. I would say we'll always have the advantage since his Dad played here...coached by Larry Brown for a year (who we know is close to Coach Self) and we just won a national title and sent multiple kids to the NBA.

2. John Wall....which Rivals had Baylor high on his list for months after his AAU coach got hired by them....now has Baylor, KU and the rest listed as the same interest. After seeing the ring ceremony and hanging out with the fellas, Wall said "it felt like home" to him. that's powerful stuff.

3. We just beat Memphis for the national title. Do you understand this? the school that we're competing with for all these recruits....is the school we just beat for the crown. they choked it away, and our guy made arguably made the best all time clutch score in sports championship game history.

4. Bill Self. 'nuff said. he can flat out recruit...and get his guys to play the way he wants 'em to play. He beat out Duke for Sasha...Illinois and the rest of the Big 10 for Sherron and Julian....IU for Rush...and Arizona for Mario. He's won a few battles folks...let the man work his magic. it has won a lot of game....(and there's that national title again)

Bottom line: i think we'll have a great recruiting class this year.....with Henry and Wall, or just one of them...or neither. If they both come: look out! we will be the best team in the country next year. if neither comes, we'll be one of the best. Either way, not bad....and it will only get better.

September 26, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

Excellent perspective, jross1972. justanotherfan had an equally enlightening post he shared with us a couple of days ago on the same topic.

I think we are still in the mix with Henry and others. For Wall to say KU felt like home while visiting, one can't pay a much higher compliment than that.

September 26, 2008 at 2:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

JNHawks (anonymous) says...

well said mvjayhawk, it isn't over until it is over.
stupidmichael, this site, from a liberal arts university, has deleted comment after comment, it frustrates me to no end. I don't know or care what you wrote, but I am deeply offended it was censored.
LJW, grow up, if something bothers you then don't read it. Please, freedom of speech, always, always, always, under any situation, let us the readers and commentors guide these inputs on our own, or simply shut down the site. You can not have it both ways, it really is that simple.

September 26, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ohioburg (anonymous) says...

This site is ABOUT KU but it is not KU's site. It is the LJW's site.

September 26, 2008 at 3:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ESUjayhawk (anonymous) says...

hometownhawk,

My bad... I sometimes speed read when I get nervous... I never said it was quote from Carl Henry...But it is however a quote from somebody who is paraphrasing Carl Henry... Anyways, I agree with you about John Wall... I think we have a great shot at landing him

September 26, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

In a perfect, Utopian world, race should never be an issue, whether one is discussing the college choice for an athlete, getting a job, or when discussing the particular dynamics of a specific community. I think KU is surprisingly, an incredibly liberal institution for a consistent "Red State", and perhaps it could be argued that the overall consensus of the student body/faculty at Kansas University is possibly over-sensitive, or at least has an overt awareness of our inability to obtain more students from other races & cultures..(why more programs are not inserted concerning a broader spectrum of students at KU, is beyong me)....That said, speaking as a white male and KU graduate, my personal opinion is that not only are African Americans socially accepted by the majority of the predominant Liberal white student body, they are looked upon as exceptional in certain respects because of their lack of representation at KU,,,, and thereby, individually more unique, if only on the basis of raw numbers......"White Guilt" syndrome, if you will. (But I am a Jew, so I constantly feel guilty about everybody and everything.) - That being said I love black people and think in many ways, they still get a raw deal in America....

September 26, 2008 at 7:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

Moral Narcissism is rampid at KU....The three greatest love affairs in the history of the world history has been Romeo & Juliet, Abalard & Eloise & Darnell Jackson & KU fans....The peculiar intimacy KU fans have with our basketball team is a strange combination of posessive love and mono-moniacle obessession....For a typical high school athletic phenom, who has basically been a heavily insulated piano prodigy that can jump high and hit twenty-foot jumpers since the age of 13, this is an attractive enviornment....

September 26, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

lhohman3,

You raise an interesting point about the KU fans strong feelings for their players.

Each year I am amazed at how, despite the fierce and relentless critiquing of play that goes on, every body genuinely wants the players to do well--not only on the wood as a team, but as individuals on the wood reaching their potential, and off it, and in the L, and later in life, as well. In a sense the fans view the players as our sons, or maybe more accurately as our neighbor's sons. In the ESPN wall to wall televised ball era, by the end of three or four years at KU,its seems that we know our players moms and dads as well as we know some of our own neighbors. Some of our players have trouble getting home for Christmas, like RR last winter. I half expected RR to be swamped with invitations for Christmas dinner by fans. Maybe you invited him for a couple of nights of Channukah. I know its vicarious, but I actually was grateful that some local fans might take him into their homes, even though RR was probably grateful to be out of the spotlight for a few days. People were disappointed and hard on Eric Chenowith just like they would have been with any kid from the neighborhood who was lackadaisical in performance and attitude. Hey, Eric, we're a neighborhood. Our major product is our children. Make us proud, or at least lay low and don't embarrass us! Is that asking too much? Most of us are never going to get even as far as you have. Don't wimp, kid, be strong!

What did Roy Williams think was going to happen when he tried to blame Hemenway for Bohl as he took a powder for UNC? We don't care about Hemenway. We don't even really care about Bohl. Chancellors and ADs are necessary evils. They are not basketball people. They are not really part of "the legacy." "The legacy" is living myth involving coaches, players, players families and the fans. Its about a hundred years old. In this myth there is a social contract between the coach, the players and the fans. Coaches don't abandon players. Players don't give up. Fans are adoring of both and vigilant on behalf of each toward the other. When Roy took a powder, he not only stuck a finger in our adoring eyes, even though he did so in order to do what was best for his family and his mentor, he abandoned the kids from our neighborhood. What kind of neighbors would we have been if we had just said, "No problema, Roy, they're just kids. They don't matter. The legacy doesn't matter. Only you and your family matter." NOT GONNA HAPPEN AT KANSAS!

September 26, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Self and future coaches need to remember the response Roy got. LB got it too, when he bolted. And when LB comes back and gushes, even slick ol' LB knows we know his game. Its part of the reason he comes back here and not UCLA. Its part of the reason Wilt came back. They know we aren't angels. They know we can be down right pains in the asses and provincial at times. But they know we see through their bull bisquits. They know this. And they know we don't demand respect for ourselves, even for the university, even for Kansas. We only demand respect for "the legacy." The ever self aggrandizing LB can come back to Lawrence and go on about how "gratified" he was to have all "his" coaches in the Final Four last year, but he knows we're going to be impressed, but not awed by it. He knows we know he's just one part of the legacy, albeit an increasingly impressive part of it. He knows that we know that what he accomplishes means less without its connection to "the legacy." LB is also a man of the book, as you are Lhohman. He understands the role of tradition and the role of the father in any family and in any endeavor. He understands all that and so the New York street kid, the quintessential "wandering Jew" of all basketball, the North Carolina grad, the greatest game coach of all time, comes back. For Larry Brown, "the legacy" is the basketball equivalent of the ark of the covenant found.

But "the legacy" aka "the living myth" can have as many faces as the hero.

As I've said before, the Kansas fan base is also the basketball equivalent of the knight left behind to guard the grail. We have been looked down upon. We have been forgotten. We have been remembered and praised. We have had smoke blown up our cabooses. We have been condescended to. We have watched the game and fans pass us by in some regards. But our devotion and vigilance to "the legacy" are beyond questioning. We may grow old and feeble, out of touch, out of style, though these days of prosperity seem to be swelling our ranks with young knights and ladies, at least temporarily. We know what it is to fall from grace and to rise again. We know after epiphanies like "the shot" that life still goes on. We know because after reaching the heights of the 1952 season, we have been taken for granted and exploited and after the '88 season recognized and appreciated. But none of it matters for keepers of the grail. Only keeping the grail matters. We entertain ourselves with the joys and sorrows each season brings. We talk picks and screens and trinities and double downs and lock down defense, but in the end the grail has to be watched.

Here is where the father of the game parked the grail.

Yet again, this season, here we remain.

And the players know it.

September 26, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

Jaybate. - You should/could start your own blog site. You points and opinions are more profound, engaging, more entertaining than many of the sport writers from ESPN or Sport Illustarted,,,...hmm? (The rumor list was genius...)

Anyway, people like you, ie. insightful, highly intelligent, and unflitchingly sincere, is likely the most interesting reason our ballers want to stay that extra year at KU & not bolt to NBA/Europe/Quit School entirely...That, & Coach Self,,,who seems like he'd be about the coolest dude ever to hang out with,,,hands down, the George Clooney of College basketball.

Funny story about Roy & Self & comparing their maturity levels,, during the Final Four pre-game interviews leading up to Saturday's KU/UNC game, I noticed that Coach Self/Clooney would always state something highly profound, intensely logical, yet candidly mature when asked about what Roy's vs. KU fans reactions should be regarding this particular game, aka. Roy's, (cough), um past "rein" and our fans' feelings of ultimate betrayal. - Self was perfect. He was the unique combination of honesty and sensitivity. Qualities that one might only see when watching a Kissenger interview about the Nuclear ambitions of Iran.....Coach Roy couldn't have stated the arguments with which Coach Self initially made any better...so Coach Williams simply didn't try. When ask the same set of questions by reporters, Coach Williams simply copied all of Self's comments almost word for word. It was almost as if Coach Williams was reading from a script, or getting notes from his publicist who had also watched the Coach Self interviews..(FYI. I don't know if Coach Williams actually has a publicist, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did, and if that same publicist also happened to rep. Dick Vitale)....Or maybe Mrs. Roy Williams caught the broadcast of Coach Self talking about how fans should be reacting psychologically/emotionally to the upcoming UNC/KU match-up, and she tivo'ed it for her hubby to review & use as Cliff Notes for a later interview with another National Sports Station....Weird and eye opening.

Of course I am certain we're so fortunate to have Coach Self, but an argument could be made that these incoming kids/players might be even luckier that the majority of KU fans understand this tradition of excellence with Monk-like wisdom....That's hard to do when trying to communicate one's opinion about ANY subject, let alone when it's about a seemingly benign college sports team, etc.....Packer Fans vs. KU Fans....Toss up...

So I say if our fans and Coach Clooney isn't enough for Henry, Wall or any of the other, mostly awesome, kids we recruit, then at least we still have the hottest chicks in all of college basketball to fall back on...(& when I say, "Hot chicks" what I actually mean is, "sexy women".)

September 27, 2008 at 3:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

lhohman,

You nailed several facets of Coach Self that I have not been able to get into words. Excellent.

Cool in a Clooney'esque way; that is, needing to use humor and self-deprecation to tone down his over flowing cup of cool; that is it exactly.

Thanks.

And thanks for your kind words.

September 27, 2008 at 8:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Ive always respected your opinions jaybate. you are a great mind; however, i cant jump on any bandwagon where a person (lhohman) is extolled as virtuous who breathes the following words:

"now, KU is a great place for a black athlete...to come to because we have the best looking white women in all of college..period...& many beautiful bombshells at KU would have the nastiest sex in the world with a walk-on who can't even tie his shoes right, for some free tickets & to say to they made it with a Kansas baller..."

These comments are racially offensive to both blacks AND whites, they are short-sighted and narrow-minded, and quite frankly the kind of thing I would expect from an uneducated backwardly-directed mind.

September 27, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

jross1972,

Whew, I didn't see THAT one! Point taken.

September 27, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lhohman3 (anonymous) says...

Sorry to offend you jross. I was kidding mostly, or making light of some of the morally ambiguous aspects of the recruiting disciplines of a big time, athletically driven University. Where getting a star athlete laid during his recruiting visit (FYI. this star althete usually happens to be an African American, yes.) might be the difference between millions of dollars in ticket & t-shirt sales.... - But the facts are that the majority of college basketball players at these large institutions are black and the majority of the student body at these same large institutions are white,,, and I'm sorry, but most kids, unless they happen to be extremely religious, enjoy having nasty sex, whether anyone wants to admit it or not....(Highest grossing video celebrity last year was a Jenna Jameson films, fyi - $188 million)..Not unreasonable to believe that a typical black athlete would find a pretty white woman attractive, and also no unreasonable to believe that many of these big-time Universities use these attractive white women as recruiting bait for these black athletes... Have you seen the movie, "He Got Game"? - Spike Lee, (a black director) sited this example as well/honest as anyone...Do I think it is right? Not for me to judge. Do I think it happens a great deal in many recruiting instances to obtain a talented black athlete? Absolutely...Do I think KU does this? I have no idea....Do I think Schools like KSU & USC got Beasley and O.J Mayo laid by a blonde with big ta-tas the weekend of their recruiting visits?....Most likely, because A) It's not technically an infraction. B) As long as no money has exchanges hands, it isn't illegal...Do I think it happens on many college recruiting visits and do I think certain coaching staffs at certain big-time athletic institutions are aware that getting a big time recruit, may involve pimping out an attractive white female at this predominantly white student educational institution?...Absolutely...Maybe some of these recruiting techniques are narrow-minded, backwards thinking and ignorant, yes. Maybe I am all of these things because I attempt to bring them up in a quasi satirical way....If I offended you I really am sorry, I only want to make light of these thing by making a joke, because if I didn't make light of these ridiculous scenerios, I might cry..

September 27, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lee3022 (anonymous) says...

Good discussion here.

KU loves athletes who work hard and never stop. Darnell fit that mold. David Padgett (here) did not. We loved the hard worker and not the more talented player who seemed to wilt. Neither had anything to do with race.

Memphis offers a different experience for a recruit than does KU. One part of that difference is the star system there vs the team system here. However to date not one of the Memphis "stars" under Coach Cal has excelled in the NBA. By contrast Deron Williams is a Coach Self player who just helped the USA team win an Olympic Gold medal and and is the starter for Utah Jazz. Julian Wright became a key bench player in New Orleans at the end of his rookie year. He will be better this year. Mario Chalmers is the favorite (according to Dwyane Wade) to start at PG as a rookie for Miami. Brandon Rush is poised to be a key player in the youth movement in Indiana. Darrell Arthur will be an integral part of the youth movement in Memphis. And of course there are many other KU players such as Paul Pierce (NBA Champion and Finals MVP 2008) that show the depth of history and preparation for the NBA.

By contrast the single player I can recall who has shown he can get a lottery pick from Memphis is Derrick Rose. Rose was handled fairly easily in summer league this year in the NBA and it remains to be seen if he is worthy of the #1 pick. He certainly lacks experience in an NBA-type offense and does not defend the pick and roll. But here is Memphis' advantage - he could be the #1 pick after 1 year because of the star system. So players who want to be one and done get exposure and think they will be ready for the NBA. I say look at the history to determine if you want to be prepared for a professional career or be a bust (Dajuan Wagner).

September 28, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

kupark (anonymous) says...

If you are going to go as far back as Paul Pierce (not resticting just to Self players) while talking about Kansas/Memphis, then you have to mention Penny, who was a good player in the NBA until the injury bug hit him.

September 28, 2008 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )