KU’s Self discusses defense vs. offense: ‘Really good teams are equally good at both’
During his three years at the University of Illinois, Bill Self was known as a defensive-minded basketball coach who demanded his players clamp down on defense to win games in the ultra-physical Big Ten Conference.
Since arriving at Kansas 17 years ago, Self has preferred a fast-paced, fast-break offense while by no means forgetting the importance of stopping the other team from scoring. This year’s KU team (9-2), as an example, averages a robust 81.9 points a game while allowing a stingy 62.9 points per contest heading into Sunday’s 2 p.m. nonconference clash at Stanford (11-1).
Self on his Hawk Talk radio show recently was asked an intriguing question involving offense vs. defense.
That is: Would Self rather have his Jayhawks in possession of the ball down one point with 10 seconds to play, or would he rather have the opponent take possession with KU up one point and the game on the line? This topic, coincidentally was discussed on Hawk Talk before Saturday’s 56-55 loss to Villanova, in which KU failed to convert on the final possession of the contest.
“First of all, you don’t get to choose,” Self said, “but if I were to pick right now I think we’re better defensively than we are offensively. I’d rather be one up with them having the ball.
“I do think our best teams always would rather play defense than offense at game-point in that situation,” he added. “The really good teams … it doesn’t matter. Really good teams like our championship team (2008) are equally good at both. That championship team took more pride in getting a big stop over getting a big score. I think if you have watched us over time, we’ve gotten a stop to win more than made a basket to win.”
Self was able to quickly recall one occasion in which the offense came through late to provide his team a tense victory.
“Svi against K-State took about four ‘Euro steps’ to finish one game,” Self said of a controversial 90-88 victory over KSU on Jan. 3, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse. That’s the game in which Svi Mykhailiuk went coast to coast and converted just before the final buzzer.
“We’ve not had a lot of last-second wins that come to mind, but we’ve had a lot of last-second stops. We’ve been decent at that over time. It remains to be seen what this team is but I think we can be that,” Self said.
As far as individual defenders? “My opinion is we have the best defender in the country in Marcus,” Self said of junior guard Marcus Garrett, who sprained his ankle and missed the last five minutes of the first half and the entire second half of Saturday’s loss at Villanova.
On Sunday, Self said Garrett’s ankle “feels a little better.” He said he did not yet know Garrett’s status for practice, which will resume Thursday night in preparation for Sunday’s game at Stanford.
“As far as individuals … David (McCormack) is a good defender. Silvio (De Sousa) is a good defender, but not if they are guarding guards as much. David has gained on it recently by getting more reps. Isaiah (Moss) has proven he can be good defensively, as has Tristan (Enaruna), who is so long. Christian (Braun) can be sound. We need more toughness out of those spots,” Self said of the bench.
Self continued to say: “Doke (Udoka Azubuike) when he is rebounding and blocking shots and protecting the rim … I think potentially he’s as good a big-man defender as there is. Obviously Dot (Devon Dotson) can really guard his man. He’s not great off the ball, really good on the ball. Ochai (Agbaji) is a terrific defender. He can do both.
“I feel like we are not quite there yet when we go to our bench. This is not a knock on the guys, just youth. When we go to the bench, we do not have the same energy as guys we take out of the game. We have to improve in that area.”
Danny Manning was tough to guard
Speaking of defense … Self recently joked before the KU-Colorado game that Buffs coach/former KU guard Tad Boyle was the easiest player he had to guard when he played in college (1981 to ’85).
Which begs the question … which player was the toughest for Self, a former Oklahoma State standout, to go against?
“I actually remember trying to guard Danny a couple times in a mismatch switch,” Self said of former KU great Danny Manning. “That didn’t end up great (for Self). The guy who gave me the most fits was Cedric (Hunter, former KU guard).
“I loved Cedric. Coach (Larry) Brown did as well. He could guard anybody, had unbelievable length, was explosive. He was not a great shooter, but maybe as good a point guard this place has seen, as good a point guard who doesn’t score the ball. Talk about a pure defender and setup guy, he was as good as anybody. You did not want him guarding you. You’d rather have anybody guard you than Cedric. He could lock you up.”
Which team was best?
Self was asked to pinpoint his best defensive team in 17 seasons at KU.
“In 2008 … I’d say we were hard to score on,” Self said of his national title team that averaged 80.5 points a game and allowed 61.5.
“That team had a little bit of everything. We’ve had some good defensive teams. Our team in 2012 was good defensively,” he added of the NCAA runner-up team that averaged 73.5 ppg and allowed 61.7 ppg.
“Usually our best teams are ones that struggle offensively. If you score easy there’s less pressure on you on the other end. You can be a little relaxed knowing you score easy. If you don’t know where your next basket is coming from, you better grind. At game point, when you just had to get that one stop, I’d take the ’08 team.”
