Self pleased with KU’s play so far. Where does coach rate his squad on 1-10 scale?
A brass band, a group of preschool and grade school cheerleaders decked in University of Kansas colors and at least 200 fans from Topeka’s Jayhawk Club flocked to the downtown Ramada Hotel and Convention Center on Wednesday to hear progress reports from KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self and women’s hoops coach Brandon Schneider.
Self, in continuing a positive tone exhibited in Tuesday’s weekly Hawk Talk radio show, was quite complimentary of his No. 2-ranked Jayhawks, who will take a 6-1 record into Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game against Colorado.
“I wouldn’t say I’m thrilled. I would say I’m pleased with how we’ve competed,” Self said. The Jayhawks are in the midst of a 10-day break in the schedule after beating Chaminade, BYU and Dayton at the Maui Invitational.
“I do think we’re getting better. We’ve got a long ways to go. We need to build off some momentum. We’re going to play a team Saturday that has every bit as much momentum as we do.”
Colorado will take a 6-0 record into Wednesday night’s home game versus Loyola Marymount.
Asked to rate KU’s team on a scale of 1 to 10 as he entered the hotel ballroom for Wednesday’s luncheon, Self said: “I would say we’re (trending) up. Since the Duke game (68-66 loss in season opener on Nov. 5 in New York) we’ve been about a 7 or 8. (In) the Duke game we were a 3. I do think we’ve gotten better since then.”
Self told the fans in a Q and A session that his team has “been a little hot and been a little cold. We’ve done pretty well for a team that started the season off missing 10 free throws (16 of 26 vs. Duke) and turning the ball over 28 times (to Duke’s 16). Take that away and we’ve played pretty well.”
Self said more than once Wednesday that he does “like our guys.”
“If you’ve followed us you’d probably agree there’s a lot to like about us. Physically, from an athletic standpoint, I think we look like a team. It doesn’t mean we always play well. We are long, thick for the most part. We’ve got size. I think definitely we could become very, very good.”
Self has been using a 4-guard, 1-big lineup much of the time.
“I don’t know how we’re going to play yet,” he said. “Going into the season I envisioned something different than what I’ve seen so far. I’ve not given up on what I envisioned (two bigs, three guards). I think over time it’s how you win.
“Right now it’s a little different. We’ve been nicked up a little bit. The chemistry is good. We’ve only got nine suited up. We’re trying to play all nine. We’ve not quite figured it out yet. I do think we grew up a little bit in Maui. I thought there was good progression in getting better.”
He liked the team’s toughness shown in a 90-84 overtime win over Dayton in the Maui title game.
“That team (Dayton) is good enough to beat any team in America,” Self said. “The tournament there for us was kind of an old-fashioned tournament. It was like old KU ball, throw that sucker inside and then you know if they foul Doke (Azubuike) it’s automatic from the free throw line,” he added to laughter.
Azubuike, a 40% free throw shooter so far this season, hit 5 of 8 free throws vs. Dayton. He was 3 of 3 from the line in OT.
“We did a good job playing downhill and getting the ball in tight,” Self said. “It goes to show you we can with both ways. I think inside the arc we are going to be hard to deal with. If we tighten some things up defensively and make people play inside the arc, it seems to me the advantage would go to us. We are not a great shooting team. We are not a bad shooting team. We’ll have nights we make 10 or 12 (threes) and some nights 2 or 3 which has already happened.
“I will say this … I really like our guys. I think this team has a chance to be one of our better teams. I think there are some intangibles about our team that will give us a chance to be pretty good over time.”
Jalen Wilson likely on redshirt path
Self gave an update on freshman Jalen Wilson, who had surgery to repair a broken left ankle on Nov. 11.
“They (doctors) tell me he is doing fantastic, unbelievable, best range of movement you could hope for this early. I asked them, ‘Does that mean he’ll come back faster?’ (They said), ‘No.’ It will take six weeks for the bone to heal, period, then after six weeks he can run in the water up to his waist. It’s an 8 to 10-week period to come back. I think redshirt is the smart play unless something else happens (to team) from an injury standpoint. There’s no reason to come back (this season) if he’s not going to be in the rotation. That’s the way I see it and the family sees it,” Self noted.
KU women undefeated
KU’s women’s team will take a 7-0 record into Sunday’s 2 p.m. home game against 5-2 Florida. KU has defeated Indiana State, UIC, Omaha, UMass Lowell, Texas State, Wright State and Florida Atlantic. Freshman Holly Kersgieter, a 5-10 guard out of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, is averaging 12.4 points a game.
“I take credit for Holly … I recruited Holly. She is off to a heck of a start,” Self said with a smile.
What’s this all about?
“Her father was my high school teammate,” Self said of Charles Kersgieter. “They (Jayhawks) are off to an unbelievable start,” Self added of the Jayhawks.
