There is reality and then there is perceived reality.
Look at the Colorado program and there will be those who will share why the football or basketball programs will always follow big brother Texas and Oklahoma (football) or Kansas (basketball) around but never be the top dog, leading the pack.
Then there are others who refuse to believe it.
Such a man is Kansas State basketball coach Bob Huggins.
Wait!
Not giving him credit beyond setting the bar high and being successful. There is a lot to question him over but being a whimp and settling for less are not two of them.
In a Manhattan Mercury article, Huggins says recruiting talent to the Kansas State campus is no big deal. His comments make light of the stupidity of limited thinking.
"I said, 'Why?' They said, 'It's too far from anywhere,'" Huggins said. "I went to West Virginia, which is not the end of the world, but you can see it from there."
Huggins, of course, has an ally that he considers or infers is his ace in the hole.
"If I can just get them here," he mused. "I go out and bring them here, and Dr. Wefald sells them. He's the ultimate salesman."
Welfald is Jon Wefald, the university president, who reportedly host recruits for dinner.
What Buff fans even have to admire about Huggins, no matter all his blemishes is his tenacity when it comes to winning.
"A lot of guys give in," he said. "I don't give in."
Also, "God gave me a lot of gifts. He just didn't give me patience."
Another formula I like to remember comes from Louisville coach Rick Pitino: Poor, Hungry, Driven.
Rarely has the program played like that and rarely has it had a coach in basketball who was as hungry, determined and aggressive as Huggins.
Now, CU is has to find that kind of leader, sans the baggage.
Stacked KU lacking says Self
Kansas is an enigma as a team, beating then-top rated Florida while falling to Oral Roberts at home and on the road to DePaul.
What's up? Why the Sybil act?
“A lot is leadership. There’s a void of leadership,” Jayhawks' coach Bill Self said in a Lawrence Journal-World story. “Until we step up and have one guy take charge, it’ll be hit and miss. I can’t do it. Our staff can’t do it.”
You never think a top program like KU would lack anything, would you? And yet, the Jayhawks, according to their coach, at least, are leadership poor.
If it can happen in Lawrence, maybe the Buffs can be experiencing that as well, not only on the sideline but on the court. Of course, the coach has to empower his players to take the reigns, doesn't he?
Longhorns want Shannon to replace Chizik
Texas has been looking to replace Gene Chizik ever since the Longhorns' defensive coordinator took the head coaching job at Iowa State in November.
UT's target is highly-regarded Randy Shannon of Miami, the Hurricane's defensive boss, according to a story in the Houston Chronicle.
Shannon's star has been rising in recent years and is considered a strong head coaching candidate, possibly even in Coral Cables after Larry Coker was fired.
"Under Shannon, the Hurricanes have been in the top five in total defense three of the last four seasons and led the nation in pass defense twice. Miami was fifth in total defense this season and third in rush defense."
Chizik was one of the best defensive minds in the college game. Shannon is in that same elite group and his recruiting ties to Florida could be significant to Texas should he accept the job.
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