History Awaits?

Boy, do KU fans not like to be reminded of that unfortunate marketing campaign. But, truly, the 2012-13 Men's Basketball team has all the makings of a very special team. Although the 2013 recruiting class has been given the overall #2 ranking, with a shot at #1, and has eased a lot of the criticism placed upon Coach Bill Self going into the 2011-12 campaign, this may be the class that ultimately turns out to be the benchmark. I listen, as many fans do, to Self's weekly "Hawk Talk" program on KLZR, broadcast from The Salty Iguana in Lawrence. It is a dumb show, as they always, inevitably are, orchestrated so that half-smart bloggers in their pajamas can call up The Coach, and teach him something. It's silly, really. Yet, I believe that it was on a show last season when Bob Davis asked Coach about his ideal rotation of players, and Self gave a very insightful response. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that ideally he has an eight player rotation: 3 "Littles", 3 "Bigs", a hybrid little/big - a la Brandon Rush, and a hybrid PF/C. For the first time, well, maybe since he left Illinois, he really has the pieces in place for his ideal lineup. Think about the impact of that sentiment: the guy who has won eight straight conference titles in the best conference in college basketball, has, just now, finally gotten a roster that matches the style of play that he prescribes. Let that settle in. So, when I say, "History Awaits", I really believe that. However, the history is contingent upon a couple of serious parameters. Firstly, who plays? In the exhibition with Emporia State, 11 players clocked in 10 minutes or more of playing time. Kevin Young and Zach Peters did not even dress. This means, for Coach Self to get to his ideal eight-man rotation, he's going to have to pare three players out of the rotation (or five if we're counting KY and Peters, which we are). Who are those five? Elijah and Releford seem to have earned job security, even though EJ did not start in the ESU game. Tharpe did get the start, but has his play earned him a spot? That would leave Rio Adams, possibly the best ball handler, and Andrew White III, possibly the best pure shooter, out in the cold. I have no question that Ben McLemore fills the role of the hybrid SG/SF that Self's High-Low Motion Offense is begging for. If you guarantee the Center spot to Withey, that leaves three additional rotation spots for Justin Wesley, Jamari Traylor, Perry Ellis, Landen Lucas, as well as Kevin Young and Zach Peters. I'd hate to be the guy having to figure who's in and who's out. But do we really have to? It seems very unlikely that Self will condense his rotation down to his ideal eight. But can he find the chemistry and manage the egos enough to make an 11-13 player rotation work? That will be stretching it, even for the best coach in college basketball. But does he have to? Transfers into and out of the KU hoops program has become a way of life with the Self regime. I believe that the results justify the method. So, that is my anticipation for this season. Magic. It won't come quick, there will be, like every other Self-coached Jayhawk squad, a team-building period in the non-con "season". And, likely, the result will be, in the short-term some unexpected red-shirting, and in the long-term, some unfortunate transfers. But, the end result, I believe, will be one of the most electrifying seasons of college basketball to behold. How's that for expectations...