KU’s Beaty unshaken by 1-2 start in 2017: ‘I would say that the future looks bright’

David Beaty isn’t panicking after consecutive losses, and he doesn’t believe Kansas supporters should either.

“We’ve got unbelievable fans. They’ve been patient. We certainly appreciate it, there’s no doubt about that,” Beaty said. “But the plan is a great plan. We believe in it. We know it will work. There’s no doubt in our mind.”

Beaty, 3-24 overall in his third season at KU, was asked specifically about fan patience during Tuesday’s news conference. That was following KU’s 42-30 road loss to Ohio on Saturday, which was the Jayhawks’ second straight defeat against a Mid-American Conference school.

“The good thing is, we’re 1-2,” Beaty said, slowing down on his team’s record and raising his voice to emphasize those numbers were small. “That’s where we’re at. There’s a bunch of teams out there that are 1-2.

“I would just say, ‘Hey, listen, don’t make it more than it is.’ We got a great opportunity this Saturday against West Virginia.”

The Jayhawks are 22-point underdogs for Saturday’s Big 12 opener against the unranked Mountaineers. Using that as a barometer, it’s likely that every future KU opponent also will be a double-digit favorite.

Beaty, when specifically asked about his team’s inexperience, cited some statistics off the top of his head. Fifty-three percent of the players who traveled to Saturday’s game were either freshmen or sophomores, he said.

“There’s a lot of youth there,” Beaty said. “I would say that the future looks bright.”

Through early-season adversity, Beaty complimented his guys for remaining focused on their week-to-week development.

“Even when people want us to quit, you’re not going to get quit here,” Beaty said. “It’s not going to happen in this building with these guys, coaches, players. We’re going to keep coming.

“It will turn, there’s no doubt about it.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 4:21 PM with the headline "KU’s Beaty unshaken by 1-2 start in 2017: ‘I would say that the future looks bright’."