Why boot camp is different this year
I love the pageantry of KU’s boot camp week. I love how it’s covered, and the power of its symbolism. But this year’s boot camp—like everything else in 2020—will be different.
Though the season won’t officially begin until Nov. 25, the NCAA has eased its pre-season practice restrictions. Instead of minimal contact time amid the uncertainty of the COVID era, the NCAA is allowing 12 hours of player-coach interactions each week, as long as skill instruction does not exceed eight hours of that block. (So, eight on the court, four in the weight room, basically). In previous years, boot camp was conducted in the pre-season where such person-to-person instruction was not allowed. The schedule also allots the players two full days off per week, which means one thing: wall-to-wall CoD up in the player suites while they’re recovering.
Due to these tweaks, KU will have an intriguing new wrinkle to the 2020 boot camp—an actual basketball!
Within the current landscape, no one really knows how long the season will be, or how many games that will include. That NCAA doc linked above mandates that teams play at least 13 games for NCAA D1 Championship consideration. While there was talk of a format change—the ACC was riding for their idea, hard—there are currently no plans* to expand the field. Seems like all of this is just going to make everything that much more difficult to evaluate, but who am I to say? (If the NCAA happens to read this, I am in the market for a ceremonial committee seat with base compensation starting at $400k)
*I love the idea of a wide-open field… but why limit it to D-1? The whole season should just be a huge Hoosiers-style bracket, where the best D-1 team plays the worst NAIA or D-III team, and so forth. If you keep winning, you’re gonna get 20 games. Let Ken Pomeroy set the rankings so no one has to debate seedings. Every game, single elimination. Wouldn’t that be far-out?!
The non-ironic employment of the phrase “positivity pole” can only happen bc sports
All of this uncertainty will lead to a somewhat subdued edition of Jayhawk boot camp—”I just don’t feel the need to try to crush them,” said Self, which feels like a massive concession on his part. And while I don’t doubt that the conditioning drills will still suck—they have always sucked—the Jayhawks’ annual hell week has, all of the sudden, become an unexpected boon for the players.
Why? Because they get absolutely shredded, and this year will be no different. Just wait a few days for the IGs to come rolling in.
Pain is temporary. Thirst traps are forever. Now, bring on that basketball!