Facing reality

This outcome, while disappointing, is not particularly surprising. When we take off the Crimson and Blue glasses we are faced with a reality that is not particularly joyful. Here is my candid assessment.

Dotson - Solid freshman and probably future star. Drives well, defends well, shoots okay but is not aggressive and shoots only as a secondary option. Main weakness is orchestrating the offense. Definitely deserves a starting role but is a freshmen. Expect more next season.

Dedric - Smooth and skilled but is almost a liability at times on defense. I hope he comes back. He is a legit AA candidate and overall is our best player.

Agbaji - His early success was looking like a fluke. He is athletic but looked like a mid-level freshmen for most of the season after a hot start. His shot early looked like money but it dried up later in the season. His defense is good and will be better next year. He played like a freshman much of the time, which of course he was. May be a serviceable sub off the bench but right now no way deserves to be a starter on a top tier team.

Grimes - A bust, pure and simple. Can't drive to save his life. Appears to be a subpar athlete. His shot is mediocre at best. Seems to have minimal court awareness at times and doesn't seem to hustle. His periodic ability to hit a few open threes does not justify his presence on the court. His defense is maybe his best ability and it is not great just good. Should be a deep bench guy at best, minutes only in dire situations. Grimes starting is a complete travesty.

McCormack - Played like a freshman but showed signs of rapid improvement. Should be a solid big off the bench or even a possible starter as long as he does not have to be the main option. Possibly will grow to be a star and go-to guy but that is at least a year away. Could easily see him justifying 15-20 minutes per game.

Garrett - I know I am about to say what will rub some Jayhawk fans the wrong way because this young man is a hustler and heady player. But he should be the specialist that plays 10-12 minutes per game. Simply stated, his complete and total lack of shooting ability simply cannot stand on a top tier team. That is too bad for him since he does so much well. But he should never start and only get in the game in certain situations.

Lightfoot - Like Garrett is a great young man and a true blue Jayhawk. But he is a matchup problem for us in many situations. I think he is a 10-15 minute per game guy in some situations and possibly 5 minutes per game in others. I love Mitch but if you are needing him for 20+ minutes per game you have issues that spell lack of top tier talent.

KJ - Wildly inconsistent. He can do some nice things and showed signs of being great in a few games but you simply cannot abide such drastic inconsistency. Having a bad game every now and then is one thing. Having every other game be bad or dreadful is a problem. He may emerge over the summer to be better but unless he can show consistency he is a deep bench guy on a top tier team.

Charlie Moore - I still can't see how he even deserves a scholarship much less actually get into a game. If he is your only option as a backup PG you are in trouble.

Azubuike - Clearly a critical piece of the puzzle for Kansas. If he does not come back and we don't recruit a top tier big guy, write off next season right now.

De Sousa - Who knows. Based on the data from last season, he would be our 1st big off the bench and a 20 minute per game guy. Considering losing him meant more minutes for Lightfoot and Garrett, that is a huge drop-off. De Sousa getting his year back next season is pretty important.

Overall, this team is mediocre athleticism, subpar 3 point shooting, without De Sousa and Azubuike they are mediocre at rebounding, surprisingly bad on defense and lacks a true court general leader. The last 2 seasons we have gone down to sharpshooting teams. We have no answer for that. Self better get on the ball and recruit some shooters. Grimes is a bust and it would not break my heart if he transferred. Agbaji needs to work on his shot and aggressiveness. Mostly we need to find some moxy on defense. The lack of defense tonight and all too often this season is embarrassing. Self's teams used to be always strong defense. We have not been a good defensive team for years.

Very good review; but I thought ncaa gave him TWO yrs suspension? Baring a repeal judgement. Thank you texkan ;p