Bill Self: Jayhawks ‘excited’ for official start of the 2020-21 college hoops season
The 2020-21 college basketball season officially begins Wednesday, six weeks before the start of what could be an unpredictable campaign to be played amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“I think the guys are definitely excited,” said 18th-year KU coach Bill Self. His Jayhawks will actually hold their first official practice Thursday as the team begins its 20-hours-per-week practice schedule in accordance with NCAA rules.
“The guys … we’ve been practicing up to eight hours a week which has been great for us,” Self said. “We’ve been allowed to do that (per NCAA offseason rules) the past few years which has made the start of practice a little bit different.
“We’ve probably gotten more stuff in than we have in other years, for a variety of reasons. I’m looking forward to getting started although I don’t feel like there’s the urge to hit it quite as hard or as long early on because we’ve been gradually been able to do stuff the last two to three weeks. We’ll go for the first time Thursday with 42 days to hold 30 practices.”
The only player expected to miss the first day of practice is freshman point guard Latrell Jossell, who has an ankle injury.
“If he’s not ready to go this week I’m sure he’ll be ready by the first of next week,” Self said.
The public will get its first look at the Jayhawks sometime in the near future. Self said there will be a Late Night in the Phog 2020 which will be shown on TV or via stream.
“We will have Late Night. It will be virtual. I don’t know the exact date,” Self said. “Mike Lickert (assistant AD/broadcast services) and his crew have been in the process of putting everything together, making sure it’ll come off without a hitch. I think it’ll be good. Even though it won’t be as good as if we had fans there I think our fans will enjoy seeing it.”
At the end of November, KU will open the season in Orlando. The Jayhawks will play Boise State in the first-round of the four-team Wooden Legend tourney on Nov. 25 at Disney Wide World of Sports Complex . The Jayhawks would then meet either UCLA or Seton Hall in either the title game or consolation game on Nov. 26. November 25 is the first day teams are allowed to play games this season.
KU will play four games to open the season in Orlando, including a Dec. 1 Champions Classic game against Kentucky. KU would pick up a fourth game in Florida against a team that has yet to be revealed. That game could conceivably be held before the Kentucky game.
There will be no exhibition games or “secret scrimmages” against other NCAA squads allowed this season as ruled by the NCAA.
“That’s the hardest thing. There are no dress rehearsals,” Self said. “We’ll have more (intrasquad) scrimmages like everybody else I’m sure with officials. We’ll try to create as many game day environments as we possible can. It’ll be different and a little bit new. Even though the exhibition games and scrimmages may not be perfect (in past years) they certainly give you a chance to address some situations before you enter a game,” Self added.
Typically, KU plays two exhibitions a season against two of four area teams (Washburn, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State). This year, before the pandemic, Self had decided to play just one exhibition and hold one secret scrimmage against a power Five team to better prepare for the Champions Classic. In recent seasons, the Champions Classic, which matched KU against either Duke, Kentucky or Michigan State, served as the season opener.
“We think our schedule is very close to being done. We think ESPN and the Big 12 are very close to releasing everything,” Self said. “We are confident we’ll have our schedule in place in the near future.
“We have a pretty good idea of who we are playing. The SEC Challenge and a couple other things may not be locked in.”
Extra year of eligibility rule coming?
The NCAA is expected to pass a rule this week granting players in winter sports an extra year of eligibility. They passed such a rule for fall sport athletes earlier this school year
“I think it would be good from a fairness standpoint,” Self said, “because they obviously did it with the fall sports. The fall sports … they are having a season and are going to have a championship. I can’t imagine they would take the postseason away from the players last year, give everybody else an extra year this year and not do that for the winter sports.”
He was asked if he thought any of the Jayhawks’ seniors would return in 2021-22 if given the option.
“I have no idea. We have only three seniors, Silvio (De Sousa), Mitch (Lightfoot) and Marcus (Garrett). I guess it’s a possibility. We’re not talking about or thinking like that right now.”
