KU’s Self says Isaiah Moss has become ‘one of my favorites’ heading into Senior Night
KU senior guard Isaiah Moss earned a reputation as a lanky, 6-foot-5 wing who could stretch the defense past the three-point arc during his three seasons as a starter at the University of Iowa.
He brought that tag with him to his transfer destination, Kansas, committing to KU last June after hitting 42.1% of his threes in 2018-19 at the Big Ten school.
“When I first got here, people said I was just a shooter,” Moss said Tuesday. “I’ve been trying to do other things to make the team better.”
In fact, Moss, who has made 47 of 129 threes for 36.4% in 28 games — he’s 27 of 78 for 34.6% in Big 12 action — has delivered offensively in averaging 8.2 points a game heading into his Senior Night game, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday against TCU at Allen Fieldhouse.
Moss’ defense, however, has blossomed to an effective part of his game during his final collegiate season.
“Isaiah to me has become one of our favorites, one of my favorites,” said KU coach Bill Self, who was not about to settle for Moss being a one-dimensional player his senior year.
“I was on his butt early to get him to guard. He tries so hard defensively. He’s not as gifted defensively as say, Marcus (Garrett), but gosh he’s trying. He doesn’t have to make shots now to play well. That’s a good thing.
“We need him to make shots during our last 1/4 of the season, but he has become a good defender, no question. He’s trying. He’s doing more than just making shots.”
Moss has been both a spark off the bench and a starter at different junctures in his one KU season.
He’ll start his sixth straight game on Wednesday against TCU.
“The thing with Isaiah,” Self said, “some games he gets a lot of looks and some he doesn’t get many looks depending on a team’s scouting report and how they are going to guard him.
“He’s had a good season. He’s been a little inconsistent, but remember he wasn’t comfortable too. You forget he didn’t practice the entire preseason because of his hamstring (injury) he was out six weeks. If he hadn’t had that situation I think you would have seen more consistency early.”
Moss, who grew up in Chicago and had an internship in the Windy City last summer, which is why he didn’t attend summer school at KU, has thoroughly enjoyed his one year in Lawrence.
“It went by so fast,” he said. “Just to be a part of this program for the rest of my life will be crazy. I’m so thankful to be here. I feel blessed.”
He will have several relatives in attendance on Wednesday night.
“My whole family is coming up, nieces and nephews, eight to 10,” Moss said.
What will they hear in his speech? “I might just go off the top of my head,” he said. “I haven’t planned it yet.”
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