Cheick and playing time...

It seems that both Bragg and Diallo create quite a conundrum for Self.

www2.kusports.com/news/2016/jan/16/willi...game-knowledge-expa/

From the article:

Self said he went into the TCU game figuring Diallo and fellow frosh Carlton Bragg, Jr. (10 points, four boards, 16 minutes) would get more playing time that usual.

“Obviously TCU plays a lot of bigs,” Self said of the Horned Frogs, who fell to 9-8 overall and 1-4 in league games; KU is 15-2, 4-1. “Those (two) guys did some good things. They have certainly earned some more minutes. They are getting better, no question about it. Cheick’s attitude has been so good. You can’t help but get better when you care as much as he does."

“He’s a fabulous kid. Everybody wants to play and he wants to play. You can see how raw he is, but you can also see how he can do some things to change a game that nobody else in our program can. We’ve got to get him more minutes. He’s earned them, but it also would definitely help our team down the stretch if he is a little more seasoned player. There’s no way he can get there unless we give him a chance to work through some things. I’m really pleased with his attitude.”

Comments:

Why do I say that they create a conundrum for Self? Because he openly admits that these guys are better than some of those playing ahead of them; He openly admits that they will not progress without playing time; He openly admits that getting them experience will help in the long run. Yet he consistently sits them on the end of the bench.

We all know that Self is a guy that values defense and hustle. We all know that Self can install more of his offense with players who have been within the system longer. We all know that Self values wins over teaching experience and the latter may be the one thing that hurts us in the long run and holds both Bragg and Diallo back.

Let's see if he can get those two more minutes so that they can develop into the players HE KNOWS they are.

That's definitely what they do with his weekly press conference.

www.rockchalk.com/index.php/forum/basket...ops-this-season#1699

This is the $64 million question for KU hoops this season:

Who will step up to be The Man at the 5 spot?

For all intents and purposes, it is the most glaring weakness and uncertainty on this team...and as such, the most burning question whose answer will greatly determine how successful we are in both the regular season and postseason.

I'm very close to going so far as to conclude that, should Coach Self and the staff fail to fully develop Diallo and/or Bragg by Tourney Time, we will not be in a position to compete for the national championship. That's how serious this flaw is, in my book. And I'm pretty concerned that neither garnered sufficient minutes during the non-con part of the schedule, which is easily the best time to teach, to play with minutes, and to allow players with the most upside to play through mistakes in order to grow, gain crucial experience, and begin to gel with the likes of Perry at the 4 spot.

All year long, Coach has been basically rolling the dice (or going to his Ouija board) each game in search of guidance for who he should play the most and/or step up next to Perry to complement his game. He has all but admitted as much, when asked who he sees as our key big next to Perry, by saying he really doesn't know. That speaks to the up-and-down inconsistency in the games of all those bigs, the holes that each one has in key aspects of his game, and the fact that none have stepped up as a result to make Self's decision an easy one.

This is going to be the most interesting aspect to watch as the weeks ahead unfold, in my view. That and the question of whether our most experienced players are going to discover the necessary yet sometimes-elusive killer instinct in their game. We have talent and winners, but you have to have an assassin mentality--one that says "only one team is coming off this floor alive (i.e., as the winner), and it's mine." I just don't see that yet (still) in the likes of Ellis, Selden, and others. Ellis and Selden are the most disappointing in that aspect for me. Frank is the closest thing to having an assassin mentality that we have, but even he needs to feel it more consistently. (That Morgantown game in front of all of his family, who drove from VA in the snow to watch him play, was a real downer)

I realize I'm being very tough (and, yes, blunt) in my critique, but keep in mind that I'm talking about what I think is needed to win it all, not just be a very good team that can compete for another Big 12 title. Calling it like I see it, for good or bad, at this juncture of the season. Hope we see some really marked growth in coming games and weeks.

Stay tuned...