‘Home run hire’ of Les Miles pleases KU basketball coach Bill Self
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self interrupted a film session with his players Sunday to discuss the news of the day — KU’s hiring of Les Miles as the 40th head football coach in school history.
“I asked our guys while watching tape … I told them all the background on Les,” Self said Monday at his weekly news conference at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Marcus Garrett (sophomore guard) follows sports more than anybody else on our team. He’s got a better feel for it than anybody. I said, ‘What do you think, Garrett?’ He said, ‘Love it. We all should love it.’ That right there is about as good an endorsement as a guy can get when Marcus says that,” Self said.
Self briefly met with Miles and Miles’ family members before the former LSU and Oklahoma State head coach’s Sunday news conference at KU’s Hadl Auditorium.
“I’m excited,” Self said. “I think everybody that supports us should be excited. It’s kind of a very happy thing, but it’s also bitter for a guy (outgoing coach David Beaty) and his staff that you come to know over the last four years. Hard decisions have to be made in this profession. Certainly I think it’s not only a good choice but it’s a home run hire,” Self added.
KU fans obviously are enthused by the hire of a coach who has won a national championship (LSU, 2007).
“I think the one thing we have … maybe with Charlie (Weis, who coached at KU from 2012-14) there was a little bit of a credibility hire from a name standpoint,” Self said. Weis had been head coach at Notre Dame and offensive coordinator with the NFL’s Chiefs, Patriots and Jets.
“It’s hard. I’ve been a first-time head coach (at Oral Roberts). Or coming from Oral Roberts to Tulsa like (former KU football coach) Turner (Gill) came from Buffalo to here … for David it was his first opportunity. Even though Charlie had been in the business a long time, he had not been a head coach long, even though it was at a high level (Notre Dame).
“Les’ credentials are off the chart. This guy is competing with Alabama each and every year for the right to play for the SEC Championship and a right to be part of the College Football Playoff. I think that is terrific. He has brought home the gold before. I think it’s a great hire and will certainly energize our university and fan base.”
Vick player of week
KU senior Lagerald Vick, who scored 32 points against Vermont and 33 against Louisiana, on Monday was named Big 12 player of the week in a vote by a media panel that covers the conference.
For the week, the 6-5 Memphis native was 23 of 32 (71.8 percent) from the field and 15 of 20 from three-point range. He also averaged six rebounds. Vick’s 15 threes in the two contests set a KU record for most threes made in consecutive games.
“He is playing with more energy, definitely,” Self said. “He has more juice. He is talking more. He is showing more emotion. He’s having fun. Granted, it’s always more fun when things are going really well. That’s contagious too. I’m hoping he can raise the other guys’ level.
“I don’t know he could have gotten off to any better start for us. The last two games, even though we played mid-major teams, they were high level mid-major teams that without him would have taken us right to the limits. He just has to keep worrying about intangibles. If you worry about the right things, your play will obviously go up.”
Wiseman to announce Tuesday
James Wiseman, a 7-foot senior center from Memphis East High School who is ranked No. 2 in the recruiting Class of 2019 by Rivals.com, will announce his college choice at 11 a.m., Tuesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. He has a final five of KU, Kentucky, Memphis, Vanderbilt and Florida State. Most recruiting analysts see it as a Memphis-Kentucky battle.
Lawson has shot from floor before
KU junior forward Dedric Lawson, who hit a shot while seated on the Allen Fieldhouse floor Friday against Louisiana, was reminded recently that he’d attempted such a shot at his previous school, Memphis.
“One of my teammates from Memphis told me, ‘You took the same shot against Cincinnati,” Lawson said Monday. “I was like, ‘For real?’ I didn’t remember it. I guess I’ve only taken it twice. I missed that time, though. It’s crazy, when I go home my coach and I do form shooting, sitting on the ground, working on arc and things so it’ll be second nature.”
Next up ...
KU (3-0), which remained No. 2 in the AP poll Monday, will meet unranked Marquette (3-1) at approximately 6:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday in a NIT Tip Off semifinal at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tennessee (3-0), which remained No. 5 on Monday, will meet unranked Louisville (3-0) in the opening semifinal game at 4 p.m. Central time.
Friday’s consolation game will start at 6 p.m. Central, with the final set for 8:30 p.m.
Marquette, ranked No. 24 last week, fell out of the rankings Monday. Louisville is unranked but receiving votes.
Gary Bedore
Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
