Late Night, with David Letterman, then Conan O’Brien, then Jimmy Fallon, now Seth Meyers, is a show for entertainment purposes only. So is Late Night in the Phog, yet it’s only natural to draw iron-clad basketball conclusions from it because it’s all anybody has to go on at this point.
The scrimmage portion of Late Night is just that, a scrimmage, a glorified pick-up game from which meaningful conclusions can’t really be drawn.
With that in mind, here are a few traps to try to avoid, even though they are easy to fall into by turning what happens during tonight’s for-recruiting-purposes show into rock-solid basketball information:
1 – Don’t study the expressions of the recruits in the building.
Stressed-out basketball junkies will take note that one recruit spent the whole night texting and looked bored. They’ll conclude that means Kansas isn’t getting him.
Another recruit will laugh at the skits, stomp his feet at great dunks and look to be having the time of his life. Again, those are viewed as signs that the recruit will become a Jayhawk.
In reality, both conclusions could be dead wrong. A player with a more understated personality such as Cliff Alexander never is going to look as excited as the extroverted Kelly Oubre.
Now, that doesn’t mean the recruits won’t be swayed by the crowd’s reaction to them. It just means some might not show their appreciation.
2 – Don’t project Brannen Greene’s season based on what happens tonight.
The sophomore has a beautiful three-point jumper, size and the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, which makes him a prime candidate to lead the scrimmage in scoring.
But his playing time will be determined on how well he defends and not a whole lot of defense is played on Late Night. If Greene gets after it defensively in a scrimmage in which most players don’t bring their best in that area, that’s a good sign. If he doesn’t, it’s not conclusive.
3 – Don’t be disappointed if you leave the building saying, “I was hoping to see more from Devonte Graham.”
A good point guard is supposed to make you leave the building talking about how well his teammates played because he delivered the ball to the right guy at the right time. The last thing KU needs is a point guard who monopolizes the ball the way Stephon Marbury did in making numerous NBA teams worse.
Graham has a sweet jumper and for a freshman already seems to do a nice job of keeping the ball moving.
Late Night’s a good night to enjoy the wild skills and athletic gifts of the players, a good night to enjoy watching sub-6-footer Frank Mason reach back to throw one down with authority, a good night to have a good time and leave stress outside in the long line you just put in your rear-view mirror.
