Is It Possible To Have Too Much Talent?This years Kansas squad has got to have coach Self crying himself to sleep at night. I'd like to pose the question: Is it possible to have so much talent on a college basketball team, that it cripples them to the point of being incapable of finding their own identity? Diaries ::
Before this years season started, I will admit that even I, the biggest Jayhawk critic of all, was like a child on Christmas Morning.
Before the signing period ended I thought we weren't going to have near the recruiting class that we could have. Darrell Arthur's commitment completely changed my outlook! I thought we immediately went from an average class, to one of the best in the land. Could this be the year? It seemed if everything was going to fall into place. On paper the Jayhawks would field in my opinion, the most talented squad to step on the floor in the history of Kansas Basketball. That's a tall order considering all the great teams there have been throughout our storied tradition. This group of players would even have Roy green with envy. As the season has unfolded I am amazed at how this team has underachieved. It arguably has the best backcourt in college basketball, with Chalmers, Robinson, Rush, and Collins. It certainly is the best defensively. Kansas really has eight starters, and along with Carolina, are probably the deepest teams in the country. Right now the most consitent thing about Kansas is that they are consitstently inconsistent! Despite their great defense, they struggle on the offensive end. They struggle in the half court game. They have zero ablility to generate points in the paint. Lack of ability to separate themselves by holding a lead against inferior teams, has put Kansas in a cold-sweats at the end of a lot of games. Games that shouldn't have to come down to the wire. They over-play on defense so much that they can't get simple rebounds, because they're out of position. I can't put my finger on it. Sometimes I wonder if they step on the court thinking they can just flip a switch on and off. Oh, it's just Oral Roberts, we'll dial down to 78% and coast in on this one. At DePaul, how about 80%, were McDonald's All-American's, that ought to be good enough. Today, at Texas Tech, lets fly in there a day early have a couple shoot arounds, catch a movie, have all this extra time so we can come out completely flat! I don't have the answer. What I do know is they better get it fixed quick! I'm seeing the same signs from this team that I saw from a team that was one and done a year ago in the tournament. They try to play up when they need to and they play down to everybody else. I don't understand how this team can play games like they do against teams like Florida, Boston College, South Carolina, and Okalahoma State, and then look like they did against ORU, DePaul, and Tech. They could have easily lost at Iowa State, and let an improving Missouri team hang around as if they belonged. Has anybody ever seen this kind of a two headed monster with so much talent. Coach Self can't play for these guys, but he can make in-game adjustments. I've never seen a coach so set in his ways that he lets it cost him ballgames. How about a half-court trap or full-court press, when the team is failing to generate points! Use that good defense to create some steals and transition baskets. The few times he has gone to the zone, KU rebounds better because they acutally see the shot go up and are in position to block out and get the rebound. Coach Self might be a better recruiter than Roy was at KU, but Roy was a better in-game coach. I know of at least two other Division-I coaches in the state getting more from a lot less! Bill Self's cup hath runneth over, right in his lap. Poll
Is It Possible To Have Too Much Talent? | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
Is It Possible To Have Too Much Talent? | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
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