Very Early Observations

1. We are VERY athletic at every position. We won’t be out athleted (is that a word?) this year

2. Grady Dick will be B12 POY and lottery pick. He is so smooth and already very mature. Pure shot with tons of confidence

3. Pettiford = Remi. Self will start Harris but Pettiford will play crunch time and will produce points

4. Udeh is HUGE and will be very good by end of season

5. Clemence needs to get tough and nasty. He’s behind where I thought he would be, but could be very good

6. I still don’t know what KJ Adams’ skill set is , other than being strong and active.

7. Not sure where Wilson goes. Very good at what he’s good at, but not sure what his ceiling is

8. McCullar is the rock around which this team grows and matures.

this will be a fun team to watch grow and get better. I’m excited for this season !!

Rock Chalk !!

My observations

Dajuan Harris — I have done extensive research and evaluation into determining the range of improvement of players over the course of their careers. By my calculations the average player improves about 8% per year. Of course the range is broad and not linear every year for every player. But what I saw of Dajuan Harris was not the same player we saw last season. Well, he is still the same player, he is just better at almost every phase of the game. Not leaps and bounds better, but noticeably better. Consistently and methodically better. I was excited by several players last night but nine more than Dajuan. He is not flashy. He is not dynamic in the classical sense. He is not Remy Martin, Devonte’ Graham or Tyshawn Taylor. And he ius not even Frank Mason, but he is closest to Frank Mason. Dajuan had a marvelous game. Not perfect. He did not shoot particularly well, going 5-13 and 1-3 but his managing of the team and his defense was masterful. He had 8 assists to 1 TO. And the TO was only about 50% his fault. He will likely never get the accolades nationally because of his style of play and lack of consistent scoring. But he is the consummate college point guard.



Gradey Dick — What can you say? Was this just first game adrenaline? The dude is a player and to my eyes he played more like a junior than a freshman. He was not lost in the slightest like almost all freshmen seem to be at times, even the most talented. Did he have some defensive slip ups? Yes. Did he make some assignment mistakes? Yes. But minimally in number and degree. He looks athletic. He looks quicker than you would guess. He looks to be basketball savvy to a high degree and the dude can flat out shoot the ball. Only one of his shots was iffy in terms of shot selection and more importantly, he did not look reluctant to shoot at all like Christian Braun did even much of last season. The bad news is, he may only be around one season. But if last night is any indication it is going to be a great season. He was 9-13, 4-6 and 2 steals. Yes, he had only 2 rebounds which is a little bit concerning but not really. Wilson and Adams were busy grabbing all the rebounds not to mention. Udeh when he was in. I would like to see him crash the boards a little more, but every other phase of his game looked anything but freshman like.

Jalen Wilson — Jalen has always been a voracious rebounder and with 11 boards last night he continues unabated to be a great rebounder. But last night he also had 7 assists. He was so incredibly active. I have never seen. Jalen as active on the offensive end as last night. Granted, it was Omaha. But still, he is playing a new position sort of this year as one of the 2 primary scorers and he got his points on hustle, moving without the ball and being smart with the ball. For my money he was player of the game. I know that Greg Gurley picked Gradey Dick, but those 7 assists and 11 rebounds gave Jalen the edge in my mind. Like Dajuan, Jalen looks to be just a little bit better at almost all facets of the game. I was really encouraged by his 3-7 from 3. He took smart shots, his shot looked good and he made 43%. If he can stay close to 40% from three, KU is going to be a better team.

Kevin McCullar — The 2 words that come to mind watching McCullar are smart and smooth. He seems to be a decent athlete. But his ace in the hole is his experience and his savvy. He played like a senior in skill set. I think he is still meshing with the team and the system but his skills were apparent. His defense is consistent and very good. He delivered on the promise defensively. He is very Travis Releford-esque. Having said all that, overall his game did not blow me away. You could see the flashes of potential, but his offense was not great and he did have 3 TO’s. But I cut him some slack because he has in a way a tougher adaption than the freshmen. I was not discouraged with him but I hope to see more in the games to come.

KJ Adam’s — I may end up having KJ as my favorite player. There is something about him that is just so likable. But last night was sort of a tale of two worlds to me. He was dynamic and incredible when he was playing the 5 with 3 wings and a PG. But when he switched to the 4 with another big in the game, he was far less effective in my opinion. My gosh, he opened the game in the first half grabbing 8 rebounds. He was bouncy and strong strong strong. I love his game. But his offense was labored and he did not look comfortable other than the offensive rebound put backs. But 4 assists from your 4/5 is a bonus. He will be a 4-year player and better than Lightfoot which is a pretty exciting prospect. As for this year. I’m not sure he will start when we play bigger teams, but he will be a wonderful 6th man and is a unique player on this team. Plus, the thing that epitomizes KJ is he seems to be on a steady trajectory of learning.

Bobby Pettiford — I admit it freely. I may have really misjudged young Mr. Pettiford. I was super impressed with him last night. He is a much flashier player than Dajuan and a little stronger and more aggressive. But also way more offensively minded. He played more like a 2 guard last night. He did not rebound and he did not have any assists. But his defense was fun to watch. He is an aggressive and intense defender. And he shot 6-7 which is superb. Please stay healthy Mr. Pettiford. I’m not sure whose minutes MJ Rice will take when he returns. But if Pettiford continues to play like this, he will get his minutes.

Ernest Udeh — BEAST!! He is bigger than I anticipated. And also more athletic., He reminds me of the senior version of Darnell Jackson only taller. And he is only a freshman. If you get a chance, go back and watch his footwork in the block on offense. He has clearly paid attention to the coaching in the last month, He was way ahead of Azubuike, McCormack and the other big bigs at this stage. Way ahead. Yes, guys like Perry Ellis had great instincts early but Perry was a small big. Udeh excited me most for his fundamental footwork. And ponder this. Who rebounded better, Udeh or Adams. The answer, at least based on rebounds per possession or rebounds per minute or percent rebounds it was Udeh. He played les than half the minutes of Adams and grabbed 5 rebounds to Adam’s 9. Okay, his defense was a little sketchy but then again, he had that monster block. He showed signs of AA potential in my opinion if he stays for 3 or 4 years. McCormack and Azubuike became great players but Udeh is better at this stage. That does not mean he will improve at the same rate but based on last night, I am super encouraged.

Yesufu — Was he tight? Was he nervous? He just did not seem to be on the same page as the rest of the team. I am worried about Yesufu. The good news is, we don;’t really need him if Miles comes back and lives up to potential. Miles will likely take Yesufu’s minutes unless Yesufu improves radically.

Clemence — What is the deal? Is he not practicing well? He is not a factor at this point. But hope springs eternal.

Cuffe — Maybe our most aggressive player but then again, it was junk time.

Ejiofor — Work in progress. But physical and athletic.