Welcome Dajuan Harris!!!!!!

[pdub]

He has a ton of knowledge...from seasons of old.
I don't think he currently has a pulse on the game.
He's what Peter King will be like in a few years.

Vitale is a guy, if I didn't find his voice and inflections to be annoying, you'd love to listen to tell stories about his experiences in college ball...but for me, not a guy i'd like telling me about who is the best in basketball today.

[ousdahl]

sooo

what's the longest a starting guard has ever gone without making a 3-pointer?

cuz without knowing otherwise, I'd be willing to bet that this "since February 17 at Oklahoma" streak has got to be up there.

6 straight games! (in which we, coincidentally, are 2-4 in that stretch.) Over one calendar month and counting! And as far as basketball seasons go, the worst end of the calendar to go cold.

And this isn't some seldom-used reserve, or some raw freshman who needs to develop. This is a 5th year super senior program guy who's started for 3 years straight - and will probably start again next year yet!

And that's just fussing about 3-pointers, and not to even begin on the "go up for a layup or a floater but look hesitant to even take the shot" or the "jump aimlessly in the air and huck a pass straight to the defenders behind him" sorta shit.

Put another way, maybe this team sucks cuz this team's leader sucks, and it's finally time to admit we need to recruit over him.

among other grievances...

many of which have nothing to do with this thread specifically, don't get me wrong!

[ousdahl]

actually, just looked it up...

Dajuan also started the 21-22 season going eight straight games without making a 3.

guess I feel better now.

[DeletedUser]

It's pretty disappointing that after all this time at KU Dajuan is still not as good as Steph Curry.

[DeletedUser]

Haven't we been trying to recruit "over" him?

What was Remy? Bryce Thompson? Elmarko? Yesufu?

Forgetting anyone? They come, and he beats them out. Because he's better at basketball than them, even if he's not better offensively than them.

I don't think Ousdahl ever played basketball. He's stuck on DH (like he was CB).

Of our list of issues, DH not scoring a bunch of points isn't even top 5.

[DeletedUser]

DH attempts about as many attempts per game from 3 as RussRob did. And DH shoots a higher % than RussRob the legend did.

The players good enough to beat DH out aren't coming to Kansas.

And Self already he's coming back, so focusing on DH is pointless. We won a national title with DH at point. If our other players were better, then DH not being a scorer isn't a problem.

[pdub]

Of our list of issues, DH not scoring a bunch of points isn't even top 5.

DH not being a perimeter threat might be in my top 5.
( again, we know he is shooting at a decent % but watch the tape, he's clearly given tons of space / less attention )

1. Kevin is hurt ( or protecting his draft status ) and not playing well
2. Hunter Diamond Dickinson is hurt and also a douchebag
3. We have one of the worst benches in the B12
4. We don't seem to have any poise/tenacity ( intangibles ) possibly linked to Self's shift in coaching technique
5. DH isn't a shooting threat

Honorables: Our McDonalds All American recruit isn't good at basketball yet ( kinda tied to # 3 ), KJ isn't a shooting threat

[ousdahl]

yeah, I clarified in the game thread.

(4) is the hardest pill to swallow.

Cuz poise/tenacity/intangibles is precisely what you should expect from your most experienced program guys.

And if your most experienced program guys lack poise/tenacity/intangibles, then why exactly are they experienced program guys...their shooting?

[DeletedUser]

Of our list of issues, DH not scoring a bunch of points isn't even top 5.

DH not being a perimeter threat might be in my top 5.
( again, we know he is shooting at a decent % but watch the tape, he's clearly given tons of space / less attention )

1. Kevin is hurt ( or protecting his draft status ) and not playing well
2. Hunter Diamond Dickinson is hurt and also a douchebag
3. We have one of the worst benches in the B12
4. We don't seem to have any poise/tenacity ( intangibles ) possibly linked to Self's shift in coaching technique
5. DH isn't a shooting threat

Honorables: Our McDonalds All American recruit isn't good at basketball yet ( kinda tied to # 3 ), KJ isn't a shooting threat

To me, Elmarko Timberlake McDowell and Kj not being outside shooting threats is a much bigger issue than DH not being a scorer.

This entire mess is 100% on Bill Self. The 10million dollar man.

When you've got DH and Kj, you can't recruit 2 known non shooters in Elmarko and McDowell. Timberlake was supposed to be a shooter and wasn't able to adjust to life in a major conference. I can live with that.

I can't live with chasing off 75% of last years players for a 1 year rental of Timberlake, 1 or 2 year rental of HD, and non shooting Elmarko and McDowell.

Self fucked this up. No depth. No shooters. No backup bigs.


At least we won't be blaming Norm Roberts this time.

[pdub]

"To me, Elmarko Timberlake McDowell and Kj..."

Maybe KJ and that's why he's on my honorables.
Guards tend to hit more 3's than forwards and centers.
DH has been our starting guard for 4 years. That's why he jumps KJ.

Elmarko, Timberlake, McDowell are 1st year players so they certainly don't get a pass ( and I tie this issue to # 3 ) but if we are talking list of issues, DH not improving enough as a shooter jumps them each individually.

[DeletedUser]

Self knows exactly what he has with DH. He surrounded him with shitty players (Elmarko, McDowell, and Brickerlake). DH is a better scorer now than he was when we won it all.

[pdub]

Regardless of whether Self knows, it's still an issue.

[DeletedUser]

We should have spent our money on Rob Dillingham and let someone else have Hunter.

[Back2Lawrence]

He’s from Columbia, Missouri.

We shoulda seen this from a mile away.

Double agent for sure.

Just kidding, I like Harris. But yeah, he’s not what we are used to. Nor does he have what we are used to around him. But hey, nice headband.

[Back2Lawrence]

Also is it use to or used to? I feel like I’ve always screwed that up. I’m not googling.

[InfiniteJ]

I love Dajuan, but it's time to move on. It kind of feels like the whole program needs a bit of a reboot.

[ousdahl]

Yea, me too.

Or, if Dajuan DOES come back, it’s knowing he’s gonna be in a certain reduced role, and we have someone else with no history of sexual assault poised to play lead

So then the question becomes, if you gotta consider a reduced role for a 6th year super duper senior multi-year starter, then yea maybe it’s time to just move on.

[DeletedUser]

Yea, me too.

Or, if Dajuan DOES come back, it’s knowing he’s gonna be in a certain reduced role, and we have someone else with no history of sexual assault poised to play lead

So then the question becomes, if you gotta consider a reduced role for a 6th year super duper senior multi-year starter, then yea maybe it’s time to just move on.

He's not coming back to a reduced role.

Look at the guys available. We already missed on recruiting "over" him again. More non shooting multi year project players coming in.

Did he even give a senior speech?

[pdub]

No.
He did not because he is coming back.

[jfish26]

I think we're conflating some issues, so I'm not responding to anyone in particular here.

I think Bill learned the wrong lesson from '22 - I think the lesson is that to whatever degree Harris is useful, he NEEDS an attacking guard (a Diet Sherron/Tyshawn/Frank/Devon-type, like what Remy finally emerged to be). A sniper like Devonte or Mario would work, too.

But what we needed to be pointed toward was a Russ/Mario/Sherron scenario, where depending on what was happening maybe Harris would be on the bench in winning time.

To me, it is clear that Harris gets dragged into winning more than he drags others ahead. He is a high-end backup. He looked feeble and helpless among scrubs last night, and that just should not happen. Our offense looked like there were pebbles in our gas tank all year, and that just should not happen.

Nobody here is in a position to know, but EITHER Bill has tried and failed to replace him (like Bill did with his spiritual predecessor Naadir), or his apparent entitlement to minutes/role has kept guys from even coming.