Hearings: The Latest on MJ Rice

EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

I've had several requests and DMs from people asking about the status of freshmen MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh. This post is about MJ, which I have a better grasp of right now.1 I've got three things for ya before I get into The Hearings.

1. Thank you for the requests and ideas! Keep them coming. I read everything y'all send in. You can reply to this email or send ideas to: [email protected]

2. This stuff takes a lot of work on my end. If you’re enjoying it, please share the newsletter with your KU friends and family! Tell them to subscribe. Referrals are the best way to help me out.

3. Talking about players — especially this young — is a bit of a dangerous game. Things can change rapidly at their age and at the rate they develop. Also, I won't possibly have the whole story. Other perspectives aren't accessible. I have to make sure every word is fair. One (contextual) slip up and Bill Self is dropping F-Bombs at you.

The Hearings, however, aren't scared of Self and the F-Bombs if it means informing #ScoopsMafia and potentially kinda maybe saving the season.

This post isn't meant to be groundbreaking.2 Instead, it'll hopefully provide context and leave you saying, "Ah, that makes sense."

So let's share.

And literally share

MJ Rice:

MJ isn't playing right now for three reasons: bad luck, defense, and trust.3

His bad luck is really about injuries and their timing. His most recent one was tweaking his back in warmups before West Virginia. The Jayhawks haven't had a game with any breathing room since, so there hasn't been an opportunity to work him back in. There is plenty of evidence to suggest Bill Self isn't one to sacrifice conference wins with players he doesn't yet trust.

There were early injuries and misfortune, too. Rice was legitimately sick and missed the early game against Duke. He would’ve provided size against the taller team and gotten a chance to earn trust before any rotation solidified.

He was also hurt before the season and missed meaningful practice time. But the early season injury shouldn’t matter much now.

The defensive issues are probably the more significant reason why we've only seen Rice a total of 4 minutes in Big 12 play.

Self sees these guys every single day. Literally every day. He's a Hall of Fame coach. And he knows a helluva lot more than us. I've HEARD that Rice's defense isn't strong enough to earn Self's trust yet. Also, until Tuesday at Kansas State, Self hadn't had a reason to break up a winning rotation.

Sources I speak with think Rice has legitimate offensive potential. Think Jalen Wilson with a bit more athleticism.4 But if you don't guard, you don't play at KU. Defense is how you earn trust. That's where Rice is at now.

There may have been some attitude questions early in the year, but I don't think it was unique for a 5-star without immediate playing time. I've heard he got the message, bought in, and put those questions to rest. It’s an impressive growth story considering his playing time.

Still, I'm curious to see where Rice ends up next year. It's my opinion that he's no guarantee to return IF nothing changes. That's a huge IF people! Remember the IF when the dude is balling out next year in Crimson and Blue.

Before arriving on campus, Rice seemed to consider playing in the G-League instead of college. That makes me think he'll be open-minded to opportunities away from Lawrence after the season.

Especially if he doesn't play, so let's all hope he (Bill Self voice) guards somebody.