Is Langston Love refusing to play? Or is his ankle hurt?

Last I heard he is "day to day" as is Celestine. Which translated usually means probably not playing, but who the heck knows. After watching Josh O limp off the floor near the end of the Cincy game I'm now concerned about his status as well.

IowaBear said:

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I'm sure it's not an issue of refusing to play. That said when the seasons over I hope the staff encourages LL to move on. I'm arguably his biggest fan when healthy. But he's never going to be healthy. We simply cannot rely on him. Even when he does play he's rusty from not playing for long stretches.

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It's a crying shame, but I agree. No matter how talented when healthy a player is, if he simply can't ever be counted on to stay on the floor for any length of time it's a waste for him to be tying up a scholly.

bear2be2 said:

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Johnny Bear said:

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IowaBear said:

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I'm sure it's not an issue of refusing to play. That said when the seasons over I hope the staff encourages LL to move on. I'm arguably his biggest fan when healthy. But he's never going to be healthy. We simply cannot rely on him. Even when he does play he's rusty from not playing for long stretches.

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It's a crying shame, but I agree. No matter how talented when healthy a player is, if he simply can't ever be counted on to stay on the floor for any length of time it's a waste for him to be tying up a scholly.

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You have more scholarships than you actually use in college basketball. There's no reason to push him out of the program if he wants to stay. He's earned the right to leave Baylor on his own terms.

But I think we do need to recruit as though he won't be available to contribute in a major way if he stays. I love the guy, but his injury history is what it is. The best ability is availability, and he too rarely has that.

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I do find it interesting that so many are harping on Langston's scholarship when we have 4 scholarship players on the bench who are not playing at all--2 of whom are in their second season of not playing. This is the weakest bench we have had since Drews early years, when we literally didn't have one.

in the pre-game warmup of the Cincinnati game, I saw several of the players (especially Langston Love) trying to show off by dunking the ball - as if they were in some contest. Langston did some crazy 360 kind of move...missed the dunk...and then held his hand afterwards as he stood under the basket. He then went and showed his hand to one of the coaches. Langston did play in the game, and as I recall missed everything he put up. I do not know whether his hand is now the problem or not. But, that kind of horsing around has little place when players are getting ready to play and should be getting focused for the game. Especially is this true for someone who has a history of injuries. Save the dunks for the game!

TWD 1974 said:

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tres leches said:

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in the pre-game warmup of the Cincinnati game, I saw several of the players (especially Langston Love) trying to show off by dunking the ball - as if they were in some contest. Langston did some crazy 360 kind of move...missed the dunk...and then held his hand afterwards as he stood under the basket. He then went and showed his hand to one of the coaches. Langston did play in the game, and as I recall missed everything he put up. I do not know whether his hand is now the problem or not. But, that kind of horsing around has little place when players are getting ready to play and should be getting focused for the game. Especially is this true for someone who has a history of injuries. Save the dunks for the game!

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Langston didn't play at all in the Cincy game. Is it possible you were thinking of the Utah game? Also, Langston's injury is to his ankle. If he can't dunk, he's likely not playing or practicing.

For those who missed the 70's (you didn't miss a whole lot) the dunk had been outlawed, seemingly in the hopes of stopping Kareem and UCLA. After about 10 years, the NCAA loosened up about it, and the SWC said it was ok to dunk in the game but not in the pregame. When a visiting team dunked in the warmup, refs called a technical foul. Texas coach Abe Lemons ordered the player to shoot the pre-game technical with his back turned to the basket, which showed what he thought of the rule. Not sure it was ever called again.

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Sounds just like an Abe Lemons type thing to do. That guy was a nut.

Scholarships cannot be terminated due to injury.One possibility for someone who can't ever get healthy enough is a career ending medical retirement that frees up the athletics scholarship.I hope Langston gets healthy and can play regularly.

huge "if"

Great point on the bench. Any chance someone on the SicEm staff can get an update on Yanis? One more athlete to set screens, play with energy, and rebound for 6-8 minutes a game would be a huge asset moving forward. Lessens wear and tear and foul trouble issues. It would also give them flexibility to play bigger for stretches. I like the small lineup just not when the 3 guards are Wright, Nunn, and Roach, too easy with our switching defense to find the mismatch down low.

I think Langston should retire and get on with his life. Poor kid, just cant stay healthy.

So is Love's "ankle" still hurt? Or is he redshirting and transferring to another school next year?

longtimebear said:

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I think Langston should retire and get on with his life. Poor kid, just cant stay healthy.

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He's going to keep playing up how bad it is get that red shirt transfer and look good elsewhere for two years.

Have the feeling he's going to transfer. Wouldn't be shocked if Cryers recruiting him to fill his spot.

Quinton said:

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Have the feeling he's going to transfer. Wouldn't be shocked if Cryers recruiting him to fill his spot.

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I doubt a quality program like UH would be recruiting him. He can't be relied upon to stay healthy and looked washed even before the most recent injury.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Quinton said:

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Have the feeling he's going to transfer. Wouldn't be shocked if Cryers recruiting him to fill his spot.

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I doubt a quality program like UH would be recruiting him. He can't be relied upon to stay healthy and looked washed even before the most recent injury.

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I think I agree but wouldn't be shocked. Strange situation and it's a high risk high reward if other programs are skeptical of our surgical and rehab teams and think they can do better.

Hope I'm wrong and dude is fully healthy with the team in Feb and then next year.

I hope he comes back next year. Remember...last year, before he was hurt, he was probably our best player.

Quinton said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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Quinton said:

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Have the feeling he's going to transfer. Wouldn't be shocked if Cryers recruiting him to fill his spot.

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I doubt a quality program like UH would be recruiting him. He can't be relied upon to stay healthy and looked washed even before the most recent injury.

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I think I agree but wouldn't be shocked. Strange situation and it's a high risk high reward if other programs are skeptical of our surgical and rehab teams and think they can do better.

Hope I'm wrong and dude is fully healthy with the team in Feb and then next year.

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It's fair to question a surgical result when we are disappointed with the outcome. Houston talking crap about our rehab is bs. For anyone with eyes knows how severe Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua's injury was, we know that, for him to be able to play in any capacity after that is a tribute to his dedication, and the surgical and rehabilitation team helping him get there. That doesn't happen with a less than top level rehab team behind the player.

This stuff they are throwing came from Cryer leaving. LJ had a tough foot injury which by nature is difficult to fix surgically. Despite his recovery timeframe, LJ played 30 of the 36 games his last season with us, scored 30 vs. Creighton in the NCAA. Cryer hit the portal for NIL, not magic rehab hands. If other's leave, question the money disparity. I've been a Bear a good while now, and know there is a long tradition of Baylor folks, when confronted with a problem will splash a coat of green paint on it and call it solved. Drew thought hard about leaving most likely because of the question of whether a private university (that is also football first) can compete in the NIL landscape. He got assurances we could. Was that real or just paint?

The logical explanation to our non-existent bench is the money commitment. I don't think Scott Drew has forgotten how to recruit, so if we are short on bench talent, it is likely they got paid more elsewhere. I saw a projection for next year that the top 50 mbb programs will be averaging upwards of $3mm in reimbursement to players. We have seen a number of teams well above that figure. Our ability to rebuild the team will depend on whether we can compete financially with the top programs, and once we do that, selecting the best fit and making sure we have enough to fill the roster.

The money commitment excuse is BS. We have as much, if not more, than anyone else in the conference for basketball outside of Kansas. We simply didn't use the money wisely this year in the transfer portal, pouring it out for 2 players, one which has basically been very marginal relative to the expectations everyone had (including industry "experts" like Fran) and the other has been good but isn't dominating.

Iowa St, Tech, Houston and others figured out how not to blow their wad on two guys and how to stock an entire roster. Kansas simply had a treasure chest so that's how they kept existing players like Dickinson and brought in players. Although, as we see with them, it's an inexact science because guys Self bought from the outside to be killers for the most part have not produced at the levels they produced at prior schools.

Scott is learning his way in the new system, just like most coaches. He figured out the loophole in the old system with this redshirt strategy that led to the Natty team but that strategy was eliminated when NIL and the portal came about. However, I am confident he'll figure out the proper mix in this new age. He's a sharp dude.
But, as far as this one year, he did not do a great job of roster construction and it is showing tremendously. He's always loved a short rotation but for almost 4 seasons post Natty now consistent injuries have proven it's a faulty strategy in the new era. He's gonna have to value the #9 through #11 positions and save the charity work for positions #12 and #13.

And as far as Love, I hate to say it but anyone thinking he's coming back in 2025 is a little naive. What's the upside for him? Come back and play a few more games and lose an entire year of eligibility in an era where this is a job with income, not a hobby? At this point if he doesn't play again he's basically eligible for a medical redshirt (his freshman year was standard redshirt, even with the injury) and can have two more years at the college level to get paid. Someone out there with the cash will pay good money for the potential of him being an effective role playing streaky scorer off the bench, even with the injury history. So why would he cost himself a year of income by playing a handful of games at season's end?

The Rah Rah years of college sports are over. This is all business now.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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The money commitment excuse is BS. We have as much, if not more, than anyone else in the conference for basketball outside of Kansas. We simply didn't use the money wisely this year in the transfer portal, pouring it out for 2 players, one which has basically been very marginal relative to the expectations everyone had (including industry "experts" like Fran) and the other has been good but isn't dominating.

Iowa St, Tech, Houston and others figured out how not to blow their wad on two guys and how to stock an entire roster. Kansas simply had a treasure chest so that's how they kept existing players like Dickinson and brought in players. Although, as we see with them, it's an inexact science because guys Self bought from the outside to be killers for the most part have not produced at the levels they produced at prior schools.

Scott is learning his way in the new system, just like most coaches. He figured out the loophole in the old system with this redshirt strategy that led to the Natty team but that strategy was eliminated when NIL and the portal came about. However, I am confident he'll figure out the proper mix in this new age. He's a sharp dude.
But, as far as this one year, he did not do a great job of roster construction and it is showing tremendously. He's always loved a short rotation but for almost 4 seasons post Natty now consistent injuries have proven it's a faulty strategy in the new era. He's gonna have to value the #9 through #11 positions and save the charity work for positions #12 and #13.

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I would refer you to the following: NCAA Revenue Sharing Basketball Teams NCAA Revenue Sharing & NIL Estimates 2025

What's coming is the proposed revenue sharing settlement, which will allow top mbb programs to pay players directly. According to the chart--Louisville will have $6.2mm annual for players. Understand why Drew nearly left? Big 12 teams--ISU $4.2mm , Tech 3.2, KSU $2.856. Colorado and Utah will have more that $2mm rev.;
We are in an arms race and we will have to keep radically increasing the investment levels to compete.

If big 12 schools agree to that, we deserve the permanent relegation that we will get.

No way Drew allows Love to come back next season.

davesburgerbarn said:

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No way Drew allows Love to come back next season.

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What's the actual situation here? Is this similar to Cryer?

I've heard that it's all mental. That he thinks that he is a pro and doesn't to play to "jeopardize" his draft status. People inside tell me all the time that he practices, shoots around, runs, jumps, etc without any setbacks.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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davesburgerbarn said:

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I've heard that it's all mental. That he thinks that he is a pro and doesn't to play to "jeopardize" his draft status. People inside tell me all the time that he practices, shoots around, runs, jumps, etc without any setbacks.

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If true that he is 100% healthy and practicing but won't play in games he is a cancer who needs to be removed from the program ASAP.

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Not buying. No way Drew would put up with it. Reeks of troll.

I don't know that I buy it either. But I also do t think it's too far fetched at this point.. one thing I do believe is that CSD fully expected LL back playing by now.

davesburgerbarn said:

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I've heard that it's all mental. That he thinks that he is a pro and doesn't to play to "jeopardize" his draft status. People inside tell me all the time that he practices, shoots around, runs, jumps, etc without any setbacks.

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Stop it.

Okay, It's a weird situation. I will say Love and Roach had really good body language on the bench in yesterday's game which is a positive. Everyone was in it yesterday.

Still maintain this team could do some damage if Roach plugs into Nunns role as secondary scorer and you have Nunn, Love, and Celestine off the bench. That's a dangerous roster if VJ and Wright continue their trajectory and Omier recovers from what feels like exhaustion.