Streak Talk's annual "Late Night" vibes report
The most legendary “Late Night at the Phog” had almost nothing to do with basketball. That’s a good thought to start on for this year’s annual Late Night scout, which featured some truly bad basketball and some Self commentary that reminded us all the Self is working at a premium level right now. I would have paid $15 just for the audio feed here. The great tragedy that Late Night illuminates is that we don’t get more Self narration like this throughout the regular season. It’s hilarious, he knows it, and Sunday morning’s practice had to be absolute hell. He’s leaning in. If you remember anything about Late Night 2023, it should be this.
Anyway, before I get into the extremely formal, extremely serious scouting report, let’s talk about this Late Night sketch. The guys are having fun! It is maybe the most insular product I’ve seen on Jayhawk social media, and banks on casual fans knowing the mannerisms of like, Brady Morningstar. There were script problems from day one.
On the other hand, the bit about Self’s text size on text messages is outstanding though. I’m not sure Michael Jankovich holds the rope throughout the whole sketch, and I have to admit I got lost pretty easily, but like I said—they’re having fun, and making each other laugh, premise be damned! Jamari McDowell smashes his lines. McDowell is a star.
Alright, I regret to inform you we have to move onto the basketball. (If you have an ESPN account, you can watch it here. Viewer discretion is advised!). Nick Timberlake was splashing, that’s good! KU football, #24 in the Coaches’ Poll, #23 in AP!
“We’re not playing very hard right now”—Bill Self, about three seconds into the scrimmage. “This is embarrassing,” he peppers in two minutes later.
Zach Clemence is a brand new guy. Loving the swap-out to the Dirk number, underlines the whole movement. The pressure is off, he’s not overthinking, and he’s having a good time. I feel good about it! His timeline as a Gaucho exists in a separate universe I wish also I had access to.
Teen sensation Furphy has nice feel. I have no idea whether he helps us this year, but a good guy to have in our building. One of the most surprising stories of a wild offseason. I’m ready to go full “Furphy Mode” at the first opportunity.
Hunter Dickinson’s movement is a little choppy, yet he still gets into great positions. He reminds me a little bit of Dedric Lawson, an undersung Jayhawk who cooked in Self’s system. Dickinson will cook, because he has to.
Harris and KJ going at about 15% effort. They’ve earned it!
No more free throws in scrimmages! I’ve stated my position on Mean Jayhawk (no more!) and I stand by it.
I’m liking where Kevin McCullar is at right now. He’s poised to make the right plays, and pick his spots smartly. We have scoring elsewhere. I’m not sure he’s going to put up bigger numbers as a super-senior—the kind he might be hoping for, anyway—though I think he’ll show scouts at the next level he’s a winner and can do all the small things. Efficiency! He does a lot of the stuff that every team needs! I hope his shooting is passable!
The broadcast didn’t have the Flo Rida performance, so you’ll have to catch it elsewhere. Flo Rida was recently the star of a memorable NYer article about the party-for-pay industry… Streak Talk is available for private parties
I’m a McDowell fan. Self said he could contribute more than Self expected, and I’m hoping he gets some burn here and there. If he sticks with the program, he’s going to be a great Jayhawk guard.
Elmarko Jackson gets wherever he wants. He only made a couple shots, and one was a banked three, and I’m not worried about that yet. It’s always a bumpy ride moving up a level into this level of physicality, but he’ll be all good by conference season.
“This will give us something to talk about, that’s for sure”—Bill Self
I love a meaningless box score, and this one is a beaut. Those shooting numbers are pure Chilly Bin. 24-19 Team Read, and Red and Blue combined shot 5/26 from three. LOL
Parker Braun +5 just saying
That’s it, view the scrimmage at your own peril. Bill Self is six wins from the all-time wins record at Kansas. It’s going to be a fun season.