Odds and Ends
I've Checked Out
I'm pretty sure that I've already mentally checked out as my vacation is looming tomorrow morning. I can assure you that High Life will be a big player tonight, so I can't promise that I'll get notes done like normal. In any event, I can say that I've got some things scheduled to be published the remainder of this week, including Upgrade/Downgrade and Community Projections. And since the Upgrade/Downgrade went over so well, I've decided to do an Upgrade/Downgrade and a Community Projections today and Friday.
New Poll, Finally
Also, I've got a new poll up on the main page (in the left sidebar). Just curious how many of you guys are students and how many of you are business folks wasting time at work. Just curious more than anything else.
Texas Tech Football
Weight Room Fun
Fox34 features defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and Bennie Wylie work out the players during the summer and that games can be won or lost during the summer. Good behind the scenes stuff.
Texas Tech Basketball
Summer Teleconference
Yesterday was the men's basketball summer teleconference and Pat Knight's name popped up in a number of places. The official Big 12 site has not been updated with the audio, but it should be updated soon if you want to give it a listen. DMN's Kate Hairopoulos writes again that Pat Knight mentioned that he worked too much of the offense last year and not enough defense:
Texas Tech coach Pat Knight said he feels more comfortable entering his second full season in charge. Tech needs to focus on defense, Knight said, after he overcompensated on offense last season. "I got worried – my name is associated with the motion offense," Knight said. "I'd wake up at night having dreams where we scored 35 points." Per the Kansas City Star, Pat Knight acknowledges that Texas and Kansas are the top two teams of the league: "Kansas and Texas are going to be very good. The rich get richer." I don't think he's complaining, I think he's just telling the truth, although I think that Oklahoma could work their way into that top two depending on the returning talent. Speaking of OU, NewsOK's John Rohde writes that PK has high praise for the Sooners:
"Any time you lose a player of that caliber, there's going to be a transition, but Jeff's got some good players there," Knight said. "Instead of being inside-oriented, they're going to be guard-oriented. Jeff's a very good coach. He's not going to have any problem adjusting.
"It's just going to be different from a fan's perspective. It's going to be a different style of play. Other guys will step up."
FWST's Drew Davison writes about how the Big 12 is becoming better each year nationally (again, because of UT and KU's success) and Pat Knight accepts the challenge of competing with those two powerhouse programs:
"I think this league is always going to be tough and we’ve got to get better exposure for this league," Texas Tech coach Pat Knight said. "[Keeping up] with Kansas and Texas is like being thrown in the deep end with a weighted vest. You’re just trying to tread water. I knew what I was getting into when I took this job, and it’s just a heck of a challenge with how good this league is."
As far as what Pat Knight thinks about your Red Raiders, I guess you'll have to wait a day or so.