Self’s Boot Camp tests KU players Monday: “It’s hard to talk when you are tired”
Kansas sophomore guard Marcus Garrett rolled out of bed at 5:30 a.m. Monday at McCarthy Hall, the Jayhawks’ basketball apartment complex located just a stone’s throw from Allen Fieldhouse.
In a real rush, the 6-foot-5 Dallas native quickly washed his face, put on some practice gear and jogged over to KU’s tradition-rich building where he reported ready for duty at 5:55 — a full five minutes before the start of the two-week long Bill Self basketball Boot Camp held in the squad’s practice facility.
Garrett had changed his Sunday night routine to make sure he was prepared for 6 to 7 a.m. defensive slides, backboard touches and various sorts of sprints.
“I usually go to sleep around 3 in the morning. Now I have to try to go to sleep earlier. I went to sleep by 11 (Sunday night),” Garrett revealed Monday afternoon — seven hours after the team’s first of nine early-morning Boot Camp conditioning workouts.
“I can wake up by 9 (a.m. usually) and I have energy. Waking up at 5:30, the energy is just different,” Garrett added.
He said the star of Monday’s first day of Boot Camp “was probably Lagerald (Vick, KU senior). “Just him being through Boot Camp, knowing every drill we are about to do, talking to the young guys, telling them to keep pushing.”
Garrett said Memphis native Vick “has been talking, helping the young guys a lot. It’s great to have somebody on your side, who has been through everything, seen almost everything. Anytime you go through it, you can ask him advice.”
KU’s freshman newcomers (Ochai Agbaji, Devon Dotson, Quentin Grimes, Elijah Elliott, Garrett Luinstra and David McCormack) apparently had a good showing in their inaugural Boot Camp session.
“They responded well. They were working hard,” Garrett said. “It’s hard to talk when you are tired. That’s the only problem.”
Garrett said some of the KU freshmen tried to prepare for Boot Camp by running on their own the past few days.
“They were running a couple sprints. I was like, ‘This still isn’t going to get you ready.’ They were expecting to run sprints and not be tired for Boot Camp. I said, ‘No matter what you are still going to be tired. It’s still going to hurt,’’’ Garrett said.
Sometimes the guards fare better than the bigs at Boot Camp.
“It’s harder for them I feel like,” Garrett said. “They are not able to move their bodies as quick. Doke (Udoka Azubuike) has been working real hard and David too.”
The Jayhawks will work out through Friday, then take the weekend off before returning to the practice gym at 6 a.m. next Monday. Self’s portion of Boot Camp will end Tuesday, Sept. 25th. A group of Marines will bring their conditioning “Program” to town a week from Wednesday and Thursday with Late Night in the Phog kicking off the season on Friday, Sept. 28.
“It’s difficult no matter what (year in school you are),” Garrett said of Boot Camp. “You’ve just got to get through it. I feel it’s mental. Once you put your mind to it and say you can get through it, you’ll get through it.
“I’m not nervous. I already know what’s coming. I feel I know what we are going to do, it’s just tough,” Garrett added.
Self, who was recruiting Monday afternoon, told The Star in a text message: “Day One was pretty good. Easy day. But good introduction. Tomorrow will be quicker and faster.”
Garrett said one way to please 16th-year KU coach Self is, “help each other out. It’s hard when you are tired to try to bring your teammates up.”
Football talk
Garrett was asked by reporters about KU’s football team, which has defeated Central Michigan and Rutgers in successive weeks after opening with a loss to Nicholls State.
“I think we are playing great right now. I feel if we had Pooka (Williams who missed the opener) the first game we’d be undefeated,” Garrett said. “One of my close friends is Mike Lee (defensive back). I definitely watch football a lot. Football is my favorite sport.”
In fact, Garrett, a former receiver and safety said: “I’m a huge Alabama fan. I was born a Texas Longhorn fan. I played in middle school. When I got to high school, my coach didn’t let me play football too.”
Asked which squad he’d root for if KU played Alabama, Garrett said, smiling: “I think I wouldn’t care who won the game. I’d be happy either way it would go.”
Pressed about his love of Bama football, he noted: “I think it’s because of my uncle. My uncle is a running back coach. I guess Alabama always produced good running backs. I was always an Alabama fan.”
Gary Bedore
Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
