Lights will guide you home
Sorry for the wait y'all I know you get it
One of the most dissatisfying seasons in recent Kansas Basketball history ended last Saturday in a second-half shooting assault by #5 seed Gonzaga. It was an end many expected—the wheels had come off and they probably weren’t coming back on anytime soon. We all saw it. We’re left with more questions than answers. But then again… what else is new?
I’ve put together a working theory of the case, numbered out in terms of relevance to what exactly happened this season. And then I’ll pitch a few ideas to come back stronger in 2025.
Away we go. I have not been looking forward to this!
1. Self’s health was never 100%
The true status of Self’s health dominated early season chatter thanks to some photos taken in Maui. While I do not like to speculate on someone’s personal health, I do think the recovery took longer than expected and a few details slipped through the cracks. This tacks with Self’s admittedly “mellow” demeanor this season—relatively, of course—and he wasn’t able to teach the way he regularly does. This team fought an uphill battle with the strategy and on-floor identity because of this.
2. Portal misses and absentees sapped depth in a way that was never repairable in-season
While I believe we need to hold Self accountable for this year’s roster construction—especially the decision to bring in Arterio Morris, a horrible choice the whole way—the portal scene is an evolving situation. It’s effectively the Wild Wild West meets free agency, and the Jayhawks moved quickly on their main target last year, Hunter Dickinson.
The calculus might change every year—I got the sense that we sought the best players possible, regardless of fit, and maybe that’s something the Jayhawks will adjust to. I have a hard time believing that you could watch three years of Hunter Dickinson tape and come up with the take that “Ah yes, no need to adjust the defense for this!” Which could be one of the things Self got behind on, the portal window moves quickly, and every subsequent transfer portal window will look different than the last one.
Point being, this lite disaster involved a lot of different factors. I imagine Self will have to change the formula a bit. It’s one thing to bring in players as freshman or first-year D1 players and expect them to develop them within your basketball ideology. That feels less likely when you bring in players who have already had success at the D1 level, and have a playing style they’re comfortable with. It happens. Self will adjust. He is paid a lot of money.
3. Ferrying assistants + staff through the IARP punishment phase was plain ol’ baggage
Many college basketball programs have gone with younger benches, filled with skill development and analytics-focused coaches who don’t really have their fingerprints on gameday tactics. Self is loyal to his guys, and he’s stuck with them his whole career. It was in KU’s best interest to not part ways with Kurtis Townsend until the IARP punishment came down, and they stuck by him. I respect that.
I also think things need to change and that KU can find game-changing coaching talent within their network. They should pay local trainer Peter Danyliv—who made Christian Braun into an NBA player—and has elevated the profile of someone like local kid Zeke Mayo, who is now on our portal radar. Danny and Jacque will be employed a full-time head coaches again… why not offer them consulting sabbaticals while they look for employment? This is what might accelerate development outside of Self’s reliable, yet somewhat rigid, system.
4. Get back to recruiting
KU needs to find talent that is ready to play at this level. By the time Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy got above water, we were halfway through the conference schedule. Whether that means assembling a deeper and more versatile roster via the portal, or emphasizing taller wings in recruiting (who hang in a little easier than smaller guards, I think), there’s some avenues to success here.
5. Don’t panic
This season sucked. We are two years removed from winning a national championship where we took a group that got trounced in the second round, added a few key pieces (miss you Remy) and won a ship.
While the combo of Adams/Dickinson/Harris has some Jayhawks fans groaning given the recent history of that trio’s collective effectiveness, that is a deeply experienced core with a lot of success at this level. Are they limited, borderline specialists? Yup. That puts a lot of pressure on roster fit for inbound players, and the archetype that KU covets—either long wings who can shoot and switch on D, or shot creating combo guards who can play both ways—are the type of players everyone covets.
Here’s what I come back to—Bill Self reads the comments. He has no hobbies, has shown he can change, and makes a lot of money to get this right. I don’t expect him to lie back and let KU football dominate the fall. KU will be back. Let’s try and forget the last two months.
A BUSINESS NOTE
As I wrote about previously, I am moving off of the Substack platform. No action is needed on your behalf, as all subscriber info will port over to the new platform and you’ll receive the newsletter just like you do now. Though if you’d no longer wish to receive emails, reply directly to this one and I’ll take you off the list.
I am not sure where I’m going yet and I’m going to spend some time figuring out what’s next. I’ll be able to export all subscribers’ info, and for those who are annual members and don’t want to leave a few months of $ on the table, don’t worry, I’ve got something special planned for you.
Thank you so much for reading Streak Talk. It is fun to do and I wouldn’t do it without you. Rock Chalk forever!