So long, Cole.
He was the best true center I've ever seen at Kansas -- maybe the best since Wilt. Critics said he was too slow, but he covered so much ground with that massive wingspan it hardly mattered. Favorite memories: his incredible 1st half against Hansbrough, his triple double against Dayton in the '09 tourney, and his complete ownage vs. the Tigers (both Memphis and Mizzou) this year.
It's too bad he couldn't stay another year -- he could have finally come out of Sherron's shadow and been "the man," and KU would have been a title favorite once again. But given his family's financial situation, he made the right decision. And I think he'll be one of the best centers in the league within a few years.
X too, they're saying.
ReplyDeleteBut let's agree that he doesn't really deserve his own post here. I'll just say that he's a bit disappointing as KU's first ever one-and-done...
Speaking of posts, I really liked this one, dgl, just couldn't really think of anything to add to your thorough and thoughtful comments.
Will certainly miss this team, though; they were a lot of fun to watch.
X is the second leading freshman scorer in KU Bball history - 14 points behind the great Danny Manning.
ReplyDeleteHe had a positive attitude and a steady disposition. The only reason he didn't stay around as long as Rush is his man's body.
It doesn't feel like we got screwed with our first one and done. It was kind of cool to have one that wasn't the focus of our team - just some seasoning to Cole, Sherron, and Marcus. We lost early, but didn't count on X to carry us like a John Wall, Kevin Durant, or Carmelo. And only one of them ever got a ring.
And he cried like a toddler at the press conference. We're square, X. We're square.
I don't know if I can be quite as sanguine about it as Chris, only because it just sucks to finally be bitten by the OAD phenomenon. But we've avoided it longer than any major program I can think of; it was inevitable.
ReplyDeleteCompare to Calipari losing basically his entire team. You begin to wonder if he's ever going to have enough veterans on a team to win a title.
The 'Hawks have some infrastructure going into next year. And X leaving clears the way for Mario and Travis to shine -- if they're not ready by now, they never will be.
Fox Sports lists us at #15 for next year, with maybe the possibility of moving up if we can get this Selby kid to replace Sherron. (What really stings, though, is that Duke is #1. NOOOOOO!)