Bill Self’s favorite play from Tuesday’s win, and what it means for KU moving forward
Bill Self has coached a lot of games and seen a lot of basketball, so it takes something special for him to get excited about an individual play.
David McCormack provided that type of moment, though, with a second-half block in Kansas’ 89-53 victory over South Dakota.
“That was the most impressive play of the game,” Self said.
Most of KU’s players had to understand the circumstances going into this one. The Jayhawks were taking on their easiest opponent of the year, meaning there might be extended playing opportunity for guys who’d rarely gotten off the bench.
McCormack — he’d averaged 4 minutes per game coming in — took full advantage. He scored 12 points with six rebounds in 17 minutes, while also wowing his coach during a sequence midway through the second half.
South Dakota’s Nathan Robinson appeared to have an open path for a jumper. After getting by KU guard Charlie Moore, Robinson took two dribbles to get both feet in the lane, going up for a left-handed floater.
McCormack, sliding over from his man in the lane, went way up, elevating his arm higher than 10 feet to swat the ball outside the three-point line.
“He spiked it like a volleyball,” Moore said.
“That makes my heart happy,” teammate Mitch Lightfoot said.
“It couldn’t be goaltending, because David seemed like he was four feet from the rim — there’s no way it could have been goaltending,” Self said. “But it was a terrific athletic play.”
Because of so many close games early, Self has tightened his rotation before this, sticking with players he trusts most.
It’s why Tuesday was such a big step for McCormack. A good performance should bring about more coaching confidence, and the freshman showed off much of his potential in the game’s second half.
The big man went above the rim to pull down rebounds with two hands. He was a big target for lobs, and also provided solid rim protection on the back end.
Self was most happy, though, that McCormack produced in a game after remaining patient.
“The old adage: Your performance is usually a direct reflection of your attitude,” Self said. “For a kid that hadn’t played — a McDonald’s All-American — his attitude’s a 10 every day.”
There were flashes Tuesday night of what fans probably envisioned in the preseason when KU was widely considered the nation’s best team.
The Jayhawks locked down defensively at times with a versatile lineup. They received scoring contributions from a deep bench, then wore down South Dakota in the second half with a frantic pace and constant rotation of bodies.
Self has to feel better about his team today than he did before. McCormack — along with Moore — showed an ability to perform when needed, giving KU even more options moving forward.
That’s the luxury of playing a bad team every once in awhile. Without game pressure, Self was able to substitute freely, allowing a player like McCormack to show some ways he can help this team.
Tuesday’s win, in the end, won’t do much to help KU’s résumé. But it still might end up being the best thing that could have happened on this night for the Jayhawks — a team becoming more complete with two new players showing they can be trusted.
