Welcome to the Big 12 Buzz! Things are going to look a little different during the offseason but that doesn’t mean I can’t share what’s on my mind this week in the Big 12.
Show Cancelled
Some people aren’t cut out for showbiz and sadly I found out I am one of those people this week. I already knew I didn’t fit in because I eat too much and drink too much cheap beer, but I thought I could make it.
The idea of creating a soap opera in was bold, but when you have a guy like Jerome Tang coaching basketball, it was must-see tv. However, when the star of the show gets fired, I didn’t have any other choice but to cancel Days of Our Wildcats.
I should have started the show sooner when he complained about his team and the idiot who put his team together (which was him), but I waited too long. Instead, I waited until he took the names off the jerseys, made them do his job for him, and locked them into a room to watch Air Bud for inspiration.
Between the epic post-game interviews and fans showing up with brown paper bags over their heads, there was no shortage of drama in Manhattan, Kansas. Jerome, thank you for the entertainment you provided this season.
I have never seen anyone deflect blame quite like you, and I have honestly never seen anyone more hated than you. It takes a special set of skills to accomplish that. Good luck in court with the buyout situation and don’t worry, I have already emailed Judge Judy to see if she can take this case between you and the school.
The Darryn Peterson Situation
Even though my show didn’t work out at Kansas State, it appears that I don’t have to look very far to find drama. Now before I rant, I will admit that Darryn Peterson is a great player. There’s a reason why NBA scouts are drooling and fantasizing about him in ways I don’t even want to imagine.
All season long we have heard about Peterson’s load management. From wanting to rest, being sick, or simply not wanting to play, Darryn has yet to play a full 40. In fact, he has played in total of just 15 of Kansas’ 26 games this season and in those 15 games, Darryn has played over 30 minutes in just six of them.
It’s not something that is getting better either. In the last two games, he played less than 25 minutes which is just absurd to me. This kid is 19 years old and is load managing more than LeBron James who is 41.
Again, I understand he will play in the NBA next season and will be a lottery pick. Even if he sat on the bench the rest of the season, he still would be wanted by many. But at some point, we have to call out his bullshit.
College basketball is less than 40 games, and this guy can’t even play a full game or more than 30 minutes in over half of them. Who in the hell wants a guy like that to lead their franchise? And by the way, the last time I checked the NBA has an 82-game regular season and each game is 48 minutes instead of 40 like in college.
I don’t know if it’s his agent in his ear or him just flat out not giving a shit which is a stereotype that is killing the NBA regular season. That league is by far the worst regular season in all of sports.
It’s one thing if this was years ago and a guy like Darryn Peterson wasn’t getting paid. But he’s getting paid millions of dollars and is treating this like it’s some low-income part-time job that he doesn’t give a shit about or if he even shows up or not. This ain’t Burger King kid, this is bit time college basketball.
Here’s what Kansas head coach Bill Self said after the Oklahoma State game: “We’ve had this happen more than a couple of time. I didn’t anticipate that tonight at all. I thought he was good to go. But obviously, we only got 18 minutes out of him. That’s disappointing, because he could’ve had a really big night.”
It’s obvious that Bill Self is getting tired of his crap and I don’t blame him. He even mentioned that it was a concern heading into the tournament which it is. Bill needs to draw a line in the sand in tell Darryn you are either fully in or full out. If he doesn’t want to commit, then he can sit on the bench for the rest of the year and get a head start on load management in the NBA.
The Injury Bug
This week has been brutal for the Big 12 on so many levels. First off, the Big 12 bubble seems to be shrinking by the day because UCF, TCU, and West Virginia can’t seem to get their shit together. And to make matters worse, the injury bug has reared its ugly head on the Big 12.
It started with BYU’s Richie Saunders earlier in the week and then Texas Tech’s star player in TJ Toppin. Both players will be out with season ending injuries and it’s unfortunate because both BYU and Texas Tech were teams capable of making a huge tournament run.
