Kansas 2023

[digs]

Jun 23, 2023 15:53:45 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

kuathletics.com/brian-tate-named-kansas-volleyball-assistant-coach/

Tate being named Assistant Coach seemed inevitable with the changes in the NCAA rules - I am very glad it is now official - I think he is really good.

I just wish Tate could have helped in landing some of the elite talent to Kansas that he was coaching at Dynasty (just kidding/sort of).

I think landing Tate bodes very well for KU vball and their ability to land more KC talent in the future. He’s considered the premier setting coach on the KC club scene and is great training up DS/L’s as well. KU’s goal should be to become the preferred destination for KC vballers. I understand that replicating Nebraska’s dominance in recruiting its home state would be nearly impossible, but I definitely believe his presence will at least move them in that direction. He’s that good.

[bluepenquin]

kuathletics.com/sports/wvball/schedule/

Kansas schedule is out.

Some things to like about this schedule. Appears to be a good RPI schedule. Toughest matchups are at home - Purdue and Marquette. Colorado and Wichita State the following week in Wichita. Pepperdine and Omaha to start the season in Omaha. That is 6 challenging opponents to start the season. Finish at home with Bellarmine, New Hampshire, and Texas State. Oral Roberts and Bellarmine were the only bad records last year.

Not sure if they will get 5 in the top 75 for the scheduling bonus, but there is a decent chance. Purdue and Marquette are probably locks. Would need 3 from: Pepperdine, Omaha, Colorado, Texas State, Wichita State.

All 10 matches will either be played at home or within 3 hours of campus.

[buttery]

Jul 21, 2023 12:01:12 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

kuathletics.com/sports/wvball/schedule/

Kansas schedule is out.

Some things to like about this schedule. Appears to be a good RPI schedule. Toughest matchups are at home - Purdue and Marquette. Colorado and Wichita State the following week in Wichita. Pepperdine and Omaha to start the season in Omaha. That is 6 challenging opponents to start the season. Finish at home with Bellarmine, New Hampshire, and Texas State. Oral Roberts and Bellarmine were the only bad records last year.

Not sure if they will get 5 in the top 75 for the scheduling bonus, but there is a decent chance. Purdue and Marquette are probably locks. Would need 3 from: Pepperdine, Omaha, Colorado, Texas State, Wichita State.

All 10 matches will either be played at home or within 3 hours of campus.

Would probably hope that Pepperdine could get in there. Too bad South Dakota is an exhibition - would imagine they could manage a pretty good RPI.

[buttery]

Saw this from the 2025 D1 Commits page, but KU got a commitment from Setter Taylor Cook out of Dallas Skyline. Anyone have any insight? This commitment along with the Class of 2024 has me excited about the future.

[skyspy]

Jun 23, 2023 19:02:34 GMT -5 digs said:

Jun 23, 2023 15:53:45 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

kuathletics.com/brian-tate-named-kansas-volleyball-assistant-coach/

Tate being named Assistant Coach seemed inevitable with the changes in the NCAA rules - I am very glad it is now official - I think he is really good.

I just wish Tate could have helped in landing some of the elite talent to Kansas that he was coaching at Dynasty (just kidding/sort of).

I think landing Tate bodes very well for KU vball and their ability to land more KC talent in the future. He’s considered the premier setting coach on the KC club scene and is great training up DS/L’s as well. KU’s goal should be to become the preferred destination for KC vballers. I understand that replicating Nebraska’s dominance in recruiting its home state would be nearly impossible, but I definitely believe his presence will at least move them in that direction. He’s that good.

Who was the last top KC area club player to go to KU?  

[bluepenquin]

Jul 24, 2023 21:16:45 GMT -5 skyspy said:

Jun 23, 2023 19:02:34 GMT -5 digs said:

I think landing Tate bodes very well for KU vball and their ability to land more KC talent in the future. He’s considered the premier setting coach on the KC club scene and is great training up DS/L’s as well. KU’s goal should be to become the preferred destination for KC vballers. I understand that replicating Nebraska’s dominance in recruiting its home state would be nearly impossible, but I definitely believe his presence will at least move them in that direction. He’s that good.

Who was the last top KC area club player to go to KU?  It's shocking how much talent goes elsewhere.  Looks like the 2025 class will be the same case.

Crawford in 2020 and Bien in 2021 were top national talents coming out of KC.

From 2019 to 2021 Kansas was getting a good chunk of the KC talent, but they have seemed to changed their recruiting strategy since and are looking much more across the country.

2019:  Hickman and Tillman were the two best KC players in that class - Kansas got Hickman.  In addition - Van Driel (Wichita) was ~ a top 50 recruit.

2020:  Kansas landed all 3 of the top KC players in Crawford, Schmidt, and Whetstone.

2021:  Bien and Wait were the top players out of KC for this class - and Kansas got Bien.

It has been frustrating that Kansas hasn't gotten any of those elite setters out of KC.  Jenna Gray, Madison, Lilly, Kendra Wait - and now Reese Messer and Logan Parks in the 2025 class.  Throw in Mullen (maybe) in the 23 class.  

[bluepenquin]

Jul 24, 2023 18:42:15 GMT -5 buttery said:

Saw this from the 2025 D1 Commits page, but KU got a commitment from Setter Taylor Cook out of Dallas Skyline. Anyone have any insight? This commitment along with the Class of 2024 has me excited about the future.

I don't know anything about Taylor Cook - haven't seen her play.  5-11 setter from a very good club in Texas.  Would love to hear some insights from people that have watched her play. 

General thoughts:

1) Kansas is/was going to recruit a setter in 2025 and 2026.  Only one of them needs to be great.
2) Bechard is very good at developing setters.  The exception being a player that wanted to be a hitter instead of a setter (and this may have influenced their decision away from another player?).
3) The last time Kansas brought in a setter from Dallas - her jersey is now hanging in the rafters.

Kansas still has work to accomplish in this class - this is a very important class for their future to go along with the 2024 class.  My preference target would be one of those very good Opposites that hasn't committed yet.  I assume that Mullen isn't going to happen - but there are other RS that can make an impact.

[bluepenquin]

Jul 25, 2023 8:11:18 GMT -5 thedudeabides21 said:

Jul 25, 2023 7:44:51 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

I don't know anything about Taylor Cook - haven't seen her play.  5-11 setter from a very good club in Texas.  Would love to hear some insights from people that have watched her play. 

General thoughts:

1) Kansas is/was going to recruit a setter in 2025 and 2026.  Only one of them needs to be great.
2) Bechard is very good at developing setters.  The exception being a player that wanted to be a hitter instead of a setter (and this may have influenced their decision away from another player?).
3) The last time Kansas brought in a setter from Dallas - her jersey is now hanging in the rafters.

Kansas still has work to accomplish in this class - this is a very important class for their future to go along with the 2024 class.  My preference target would be one of those very good Opposites that hasn't committed yet.  I assume that Mullen isn't going to happen - but there are other RS that can make an impact.

Cook has run a 5-1 the past two years at Dallas Skyline. She's also a setter for Prestonwood, a team stacked with TAV 18s talent who just won the TAPPS state championship. I know these "rankings" don't matter much but PrepDig has her listed as the #2 setter in the state. I've seen her play a couple of times. She seems effective on the front row, can put up a decent block, and has good court IQ. It will be nice to see what a setters coach can do with her growth.

From what little I have seen or think I know - she seems to have similar positive character traits as Havili and Turner.  

[bluepenquin]

Jul 25, 2023 12:38:56 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Cook is athletic with powerful hands. She has run a 5-1 at Skyline but assume with Ping coaching 17s she will not this year. Skyline did not qualify for Open last year so not sure what happened there but from what I watched she is a great setter.

Is Ping still with Drive Nation - or has he switched again?

I assume that Havili went through Ping (since she was with TAV back then) - and she turned out fine.  So no concerns there.

I saw Skyline didn't qualify for the Open this year - were a Pool D team at the NIT.  But then Logan Parks team didn't qualify either - so not a big deal.  

[buttery]

Not going to panic just yet, but per Twitter the starting line-up for today’s exhibition was Burns, Cooper, Onabanjo, Myers, Elnady, Turner, and Davis. Maybe it’s a joke and we’re trying to trick teams into thinking Bien’s not actually playing, but can’t imagine she’s not starting.

Also, if you look at who is running out of the tunnel on IG story, Dalton appears to be injured so that pretty much defaults KU to a 5-1 until (if) she is back.

I don’t know, maybe Bien’s setting in a 6-2 who knows.

[bluepenquin]

Aug 19, 2023 15:03:39 GMT -5 buttery said:

Not going to panic just yet, but per Twitter the starting line-up for today’s exhibition was Burns, Cooper, Onabanjo, Myers, Elnady, Turner, and Davis. Maybe it’s a joke and we’re trying to trick teams into thinking Bien’s not actually playing, but can’t imagine she’s not starting.

Also, if you look at who is running out of the tunnel on IG story, Dalton appears to be injured so that pretty much defaults KU to a 5-1 until (if) she is back.

I don’t know, maybe Bien’s setting in a 6-2 who knows.

Really difficult to figure out what is going on w/o stats from the match.  I would love to hear from anyone that was at the match.

What we know or think we know in order of importance:

1) Dalton injured: this is pretty major with only 2 setters on the team.  Forces a 5-1 and an injury to Turner would be crippling.  Turner with 6 blocks - so she is trying to dispel the need for a 6-2.  But seriously - this will limit in game options with so many viable pins.

2) Reagan Burns was the libero:  If this is based on merit and not because of injury - that sounds like a very good sign.  We know that Kirsch played (she was in on the last point).  Would be interested in Kennedy Farris?  I hope she isn't hurt - if she isn't and Burns 'won' the job, then wow.

3) Bien didn't start:  We know she played, had ~ 8 kills on the match and was serving on match point.  Doesn't sound like injury - it could just be trying to figure out which of the 5 viable pins to play.  And Bien being a given/known - look at the rest of the players.  We know that Cooper, Davis, Swanson, and Elnady all played.  That Davis started at RS and led all scorers.  Did anyone else play RS?  If not - then this looks to be her job and the other 4 pins are in the mix for starting at OH.

4) Myers and Onabanjo are going to be the starting middles (no surprise) - and they are likely to be outstanding additions to the team.

[anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo)]

Bien not starting is definitely a headscratcher…

[uofaGRAD]

I gotta think it’s to figure out who’s playing opposite Bien

[anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo)]

Curious to know about the Cooper/ Aya battle at OH

And Burns beating all the ds’s out for the libero position.

[bluepenquin]

Aug 20, 2023 16:22:24 GMT -5 anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo) said:

Curious to know about the Cooper/ Aya battle at OH

And Burns beating all the ds’s out for the libero position.

I have yet to see evidence that Farris played - so her being injured is a possibility.  I have seen evidence that all other DS's played - so Burns being the libero on Saturday says something good about where she fits on this team and the future.

Swanson is also in the OH battle.