LAWRENCE | The personification of the present-day Jayhawk would be sweaty and out of breath, with a black eye and tattered clothes, asking for directions away from the goons who did all this.The next few months indeed, the next calendar year will go far in shaping the future of this place. Charlie Weis is the man youve been hearing about lately, but hes not the most important guy right now.Weis has four shiny Super Bowl rings and previously unseen humility, generating genuine hope that he can push a university he barely knew 10 days ago away from a historically bad football season and ongoing reminders about where it stands in conference realignment.But even Weis knows where he stands on this campus. He knows that this is usually a much more certain time here, because this is basketball time when a powerhouse program is a security blanket and national championship dream-maker for an entire fan base.Even with the 10th game of the season Monday at the Sprint Center, nobody can be sure if thats true this year. No. 12 Kansas has been just about everything so far: Overmatched against Kentucky, encouraging against Duke, frustrating against Long Beach State and exhilarating against Ohio State.The real answer will come soon enough, and coach Bill Self fully understands the stakes are higher this year. Thats good, because he has no other choice.We care about our school and its perception and all those things, he says. So we want to be a positive device during a time that hasnt gone great and weve gotten negative publicity for different reasons. We want the one constant to be, Well, weve got basketball, and people look forward to that.From my standpoint, I do feel that.Self is talking about more than perception, too. Weis will be paid $2.5 million per year only 17 coaches made more last year but basketball still drives Kansas in a way nearly unheard of around the country.KU basketball generated $11.5 million in revenue last year, turning more than $2 million in profit while football generated $9.5 million, losing nearly $3.5 million in the fiscal year ending June 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Educations Equity in Athletics Data.Thats nearly more than twice the basketball revenue of Missouri, for instance, but less than half of MUs football revenue.Different conferences and schools have different revenue streams and different ways of accounting, but Kansas appears to be one of three power conference schools that take in more from basketball than football.Mike Krzyzewskis hoops program at Duke and Jim Boeheims at Syracuse are the others. North Carolina, UConn, even Kentucky each of those schools rely more on football for revenue.Mens basketball has to be good here, Self says. Has to be. We dont talk about it, but I think (the players) understand that.It speaks to the standards of KU basketball that nobody can be sure yet whether this team is good enough. Thomas Robinson is a potential All-American and lottery pick. Self is one of the nations best coaches. Already, they have proved to be resilient, with the ability to rise to a challenge.Baylor has more talent, and Missouri is still undefeated, but nearly everyone understands that even in a rebuilding year, another Big 12 title would be more status quo than shock.If Self says basketball has to be good, thats especially true now. The rival to the west won 10 football games. The rival to the east has the nations No. 10 basketball team and a spot in the SEC.There arent many seasons in which a championship and strong run in March would be more welcome.Kansas has done this dance before, of course. This is Selfs ninth season, but he looks at this as his fifth team.There was the team he inherited (Wayne Simien, Keith Langford and Aaron Miles), replaced by the one that eventually won the national title (Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush), which lost all five starters and rebuilt around Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, and after they went pro, rallied around the Morris twins last year.Each team began with specific and real questions, and each won at least a share of the Big 12 championship. So theres a track record.But Self also knows this is the least proven group hes had at KU, an issue only amplified by a weak freshman class.The question of whether Self lost his recruiting fastball is a hot one among Kansas fans, and toward that end he admits some strategical errors but also a run of rotten luck.The mistakes have mostly been in overvaluing where KU stood with recruits, then backing off others and losing out on everyone. These are the games all coaches must play and constantly refine, but the problems come at an inconvenient time here.Already at times, Self has been as critical of his team as any in recent memory. They are talented but frustrating, full of potential but prone to bursts of absentmindedness that have given the team an unofficial diagnosis of ADHD.Self knows this team has to play differently. There isnt enough talent to load the floor with future pros, where the go-to player is the one whos open.This year, the go-to player is Robinson first, Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor after that, and anyone else only if theyre really open.Better, more predictable days are ahead. Weis is settling in, lining up assistant coaches and recruits. Optimism for the future is beginning to push away the embarrassment of this football season. Hopefully, the Big 12 can settle into a routine.Help is on the way for basketball, too, with top recruits Perry Ellis and Andrew White (as well as current freshmen partial qualifiers Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor) set to join next year.Unfortunately, none of that does a thing right now. It took Self longer than usual to learn whether this team can be really good. He believes in this group but cant say that without also mentioning how careless it is.This team is its own worst enemy at times, he says. Fix that, and there isnt anything it cant do.You know, the same thing could be said about the entire athletic department.

KansasCity.com

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COMMENTARY

KU basketball must do more heavy lifting this season

By SAM MELLINGER

The Kansas City Star

More News

LAWRENCE | The personification of the present-day Jayhawk would be sweaty and out of breath, with a black eye and tattered clothes, asking for directions away from the goons who did all this.

The next few months — indeed, the next calendar year — will go far in shaping the future of this place. Charlie Weis is the man you’ve been hearing about lately, but he’s not the most important guy right now.

Weis has four shiny Super Bowl rings and previously unseen humility, generating genuine hope that he can push a university he barely knew 10 days ago away from a historically bad football season and ongoing reminders about where it stands in conference realignment.

But even Weis knows where he stands on this campus. He knows that this is usually a much more certain time here, because this is basketball time — when a powerhouse program is a security blanket and national championship dream-maker for an entire fan base.

Even with the 10th game of the season Monday at the Sprint Center, nobody can be sure if that’s true this year. No. 12 Kansas has been just about everything so far: Overmatched against Kentucky, encouraging against Duke, frustrating against Long Beach State and exhilarating against Ohio State.

The real answer will come soon enough, and coach Bill Self fully understands the stakes are higher this year. That’s good, because he has no other choice.

“We care about our school and its perception and all those things,” he says. “So we want to be a positive device during a time that hasn’t gone great and we’ve gotten negative publicity for different reasons. We want the one constant to be, ‘Well, we’ve got basketball,’ and people look forward to that.

“From my standpoint, I do feel that.”

Self is talking about more than perception, too. Weis will be paid $2.5 million per year — only 17 coaches made more last year — but basketball still drives Kansas in a way nearly unheard of around the country.

KU basketball generated $11.5 million in revenue last year, turning more than $2 million in profit while football generated $9.5 million, losing nearly $3.5 million in the fiscal year ending June 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data.

That’s nearly more than twice the basketball revenue of Missouri, for instance, but less than half of MU’s football revenue.

Different conferences and schools have different revenue streams and different ways of accounting, but Kansas appears to be one of three power conference schools that take in more from basketball than football.

Mike Krzyzewski’s hoops program at Duke and Jim Boeheim’s at Syracuse are the others. North Carolina, UConn, even Kentucky — each of those schools rely more on football for revenue.

“Men’s basketball has to be good here,” Self says. “Has to be. We don’t talk about it, but I think (the players) understand that.”

It speaks to the standards of KU basketball that nobody can be sure yet whether this team is good enough. Thomas Robinson is a potential All-American and lottery pick. Self is one of the nation’s best coaches. Already, they have proved to be resilient, with the ability to rise to a challenge.

Baylor has more talent, and Missouri is still undefeated, but nearly everyone understands that even in a rebuilding year, another Big 12 title would be more status quo than shock.

If Self says basketball has to be good, that’s especially true now. The rival to the west won 10 football games. The rival to the east has the nation’s No. 10 basketball team and a spot in the SEC.

There aren’t many seasons in which a championship and strong run in March would be more welcome.

Kansas has done this dance before, of course. This is Self’s ninth season, but he looks at this as his fifth team.

There was the team he inherited (Wayne Simien, Keith Langford and Aaron Miles), replaced by the one that eventually won the national title (Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush), which lost all five starters and rebuilt around Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, and after they went pro, rallied around the Morris twins last year.

Each team began with specific and real questions, and each won at least a share of the Big 12 championship. So there’s a track record.

But Self also knows this is the least proven group he’s had at KU, an issue only amplified by a weak freshman class.

The question of whether Self lost his recruiting fastball is a hot one among Kansas fans, and toward that end he admits “some strategical errors” but also a run of rotten luck.

The mistakes have mostly been in overvaluing where KU stood with recruits, then backing off others and losing out on everyone. These are the games all coaches must play and constantly refine, but the problems come at an inconvenient time here.

Already at times, Self has been as critical of his team as any in recent memory. They are talented but frustrating, full of potential but prone to bursts of absentmindedness that have given the team an unofficial diagnosis of ADHD.

Self knows this team has to play differently. There isn’t enough talent to load the floor with future pros, where the go-to player is the one who’s open.

This year, the go-to player is Robinson first, Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor after that, and anyone else only if they’re really open.

Better, more predictable days are ahead. Weis is settling in, lining up assistant coaches and recruits. Optimism for the future is beginning to push away the embarrassment of this football season. Hopefully, the Big 12 can settle into a routine.

Help is on the way for basketball, too, with top recruits Perry Ellis and Andrew White (as well as current freshmen partial qualifiers Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor) set to join next year.

Unfortunately, none of that does a thing right now. It took Self longer than usual to learn whether this team can be really good. He believes in this group but can’t say that without also mentioning how careless it is.

This team is its own worst enemy at times, he says. Fix that, and there isn’t anything it can’t do.

You know, the same thing could be said about the entire athletic department.

To reach Sam Mellinger, call 816-234-4365, send email to smellinger@kcstar.com or follow twitter.com/mellinger. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.