Thank you, Malik

I agree, HE, that the big difference on the offensive end is the abandonment of the "me first" idea. It still surfaces, but only rarely, over the past couple of games.

There is a definite uptick on the defensive side, as well. I think Self is getting through to him. Great to see!

My bad. I once posted that I thought Malik might be the worst McD player ever. He destroyed that review tonight. It wasn't just his scoring but deflecting passes, defending, and grabbing rebounds. He was the most energetic player on the floor in the last three minutes. And nailed all of his free throws. Quite a game to build on! I'm a Malik fan now and very happy Self does the coaching and not us.

I will admit that I was one of the nonbelievers. But I am also sure that no head coach let alone one who is already in the HOF takes too much of what is posted on a message board to heart. What I am sure of is that the hype machine surrounding this particular player has been in high gear for quite a while now. Some of the fuel feeding that machine came from the very same coach mentioned earlier. While I don’t agree with every decision he makes I do have faith that he has a fairly reliable eye for talent. In the case of Malik Newman I don’t think my observations or the observations of others who were underwhelmed by his performance were outlandish.

It’s not even worth arguing that some of his early season decision making was not good. 1 on 3 and sometimes 1 on everybody drives that led to turnovers were routine. Speaking for myself, I assumed a player of his reported talent with a full year of practice under a great head coach would have made more team oriented choices than that. There is no doubt now though that particular message has been received.

The other statistical thing that I have noticed about Malik is the rollercoaster like trend in his game stats. In a one week period he scores 1, 27 and 7. Now of course this is a “sophomore”. Of course I don’t expect DG or Svi like consistent numbers from him. But labeling him as “more seasoned” is a bit of a stretch for me. I am not certain there is a good Malik and a bad Malik but I do think there is somtimes just an OK Mailk. There are times when he can be a scoring threat and his FT shooting is a true asset. So while I don’t think his permanent game residence should be on the bench, I also am not ready to throw his name in for Big 12 newcomer of the year.

I’m glad Malik is on this team. He was huge today and in the ISU game. Without him we probably lose both of those games. I would just like to see more consistency from him. Until that happens, I wouldn’t have any issue with seeing an even split with him and Garrett. Marcus has some serious work to do at the FT line but he is more reliable with the ball. I think his shot selection is better as well. Those are just my thoughts and observations. They are not gospel and they are certainly not suggestions to one of the best college coaches in the history of the game.

I think you expect too much from the kids. They will always be inconsistent. Svi very early hit a beautiful 3 and had an impressive driving dunk. Then he disappeared, scouring only 7 points for the game. That is not consistent with his other recent performances. I love Garrett's effort but he remains an offensive liability. Teams give him wide berth on the 3-point line and double someone else. And some of his drive's remind one of some of Malik's earlier bad decisions. And he was horrible at the FT line tonight. But the kid is only a freshman! Garrett should spell whoever is having an off night. Tonight he was mainly on the court in place of Svi. If Malik is having a bad game next time, then Garrett comes in for him. But giving some of Malik's time to Garrett automatically does not seem wise to me. I'm encouraged by everyone's progress. Silvio's struggles help remind us just how hard this game is to play at the major collegiate level.