2014-15 Media Love Thread

[Cdizzle]

Isn't that the storyline going into KU's season every single year?

Bingo.

Some teams are continually given the benefit of the doubt, deserved or not.

[Shocker1976]

Just as a rational counter-argument.....We have a lot more top end returning talent than most teams, including several ahead of us, and Marshall has a better track record of reloading the missing pieces over the past 5 years than several of those ahead of us.

We also beat two of the teams ahead of us head-to-head in their last games (and don't get me started on what that could reasonably mean about the rest of the Big12 teams ranked in the Top 10). So, rationally, they would have ground to be making up on us to begin with, not the other way around.

Well said!

[Shocker1976]

KU next year will NOT be the KU of this past season. They have some pretty good pieces coming in. Exactly when and how those pieces fit in the puzzle is yet to be seen but Bill Self is a damn good coach (whether those on here want to admit it or not). I personally happen to think we have the better coach.

Same story for KU year in and year out - two years ago they had Wiggins and Embid, last season they had Oubre and Cliff; next year they have two new hamburger 5 stars and IMO Self is the best coach KU has had since Phog Allen. But the past five years clearly indicates that HC3G is better and more productive than Self.

[KraRam]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/12824700/ben-simmons-top-25-players-2015-16-college-basketball

Ben Simmons tops list of 25 best college players

3. Fred VanVleet, Wichita State Shockers

There's no shortage of great point guards on this list, but VanVleet is at the top of this one because of his abilities on both sides of the ball. Gregg Marshall demands excellence on defense even from his stars, and VanVleet has been a disruptive menace on D now for three full seasons. Meanwhile on offense, the Shockers star Is possibly the nation's most consistent and effective floor general. True, VanVleet's accuracy dipped slightly on both sides of the arc last season, but if he can summon the kind of numbers he posted as a sophomore, it's possible he could rise a spot or even two on this list."

"18. Ron Baker, Wichita State Shockers

Baker might be the best featured scorer in the nation in terms of hanging on to the ball. From Valentine's' Day until the final horn sounded in the Shockers' Sweet 16 loss to Notre Dame, Gregg Marshall's wing gave the ball away just eight times in 10 games and 337 personal minutes. With Baker, VanVleet and Evan Wessel returning, WSU has a shot at a third consecutive Valley regular-season title."

[Dan]

I don't know who #2 is, but they have a high schooler listed at #1, which always makes me roll my eyes. The kid may very well be a one and done, but very rarely do they live up to "best player in college".

[WuDrWu]

With Baker, VanVleet and Evan Wessel returning, WSU has a shot at a third consecutive Valley regular-season title."

*rollingeyesintobackofhead*

"A SHOT"??????

[1972Shocker]

*rollingeyesintobackofhead*

"A SHOT"??????

Obviously the loss of Tekele Cotton is weighing heavily on this author's opinion.

[WuDrWu]

You know, it's really not even that.

This program is so far past being talked about in terms of a conference championship that a statement like that is laughable.

Any discussion of potential WSU success next season starts and stops with National Championship aspirations, imho.

[Dupe]

Unrelated: has anybody else noticed the incredible amount of back pedaling that Calipari has been doing on "the platoon?"

I feel like every news update I've seen today has been Cal saying he won't platoon anymore. Does anybody else think he is getting hit hard in recruiting over that? It's like he's on some kind of apology tour...

[ShockdaWorld]

Unrelated: has anybody else noticed the incredible amount of back pedaling that Calipari has been doing on "the platoon?"

I feel like every news update I've seen today has been Cal saying he won't platoon anymore. Does anybody else think he is getting hit hard in recruiting over that? It's like he's on some kind of apology tour...

I think it's because he had so many leave this time around and won't be able to fill back up like he wants to unless he tells kids they have a chance to get more than 20 minutes a game. I mean, he's gone so far as to poach a JuCo kid. I don't remember ever seeing that happen. (Not a quote, just useless information from my extremely faulty memory vault)

[WuShock16]

Any discussion of potential WSU success next season starts and stops with National Championship aspirations, imho.

Five years ago (and probably even less), seeing WSU and National Championships mentioned in the same sentence might have drawn a "yeah right" sigh from me.

Not now.

[WuDrWu]

Five years ago (and probably even less), seeing WSU and National Championships mentioned in the same sentence might have drawn a "yeah right" sigh from me.

Not now.

And 5 years ago you'd just met me....see how much better your life is now?

[WuShock16]

And 5 years ago you'd just met me....see how much better your life is now?

Better? Hmmmm. There is some serious reflection needed to fully answer that question.

[WuDrWu]

Better? Hmmmm. There is some serious reflection needed to fully answer that question.

By "better" I meant annoying and troublesome.

[jocoshock]

Nothing new, but still nice to read..


@kensing45: Wichita State is not simply a good mid-major: it's a full-fledged power program http://www.todaysu.com/mcbb/wichita-...015-offseason/