KU’s Garrett to speak to fans after Baylor game: ‘I don’t think I’m going to cry’
A soft-spoken individual, Marcus Garrett nonetheless says he is looking forward to the opportunity to address 2,500 fans — a group that will include several of his family members making the trip from his home state of Texas — following Saturday’s Kansas-Baylor showdown at Allen Fieldhouse.
“It is going to mean a lot,” 6-foot-5 Dallas native Garrett said Friday in a Zoom call with reporters held in advance of No. 17-ranked Kansas’ Senior Night game against the No. 2-ranked, undefeated Bears. “Hopefully I won’t cry. I don’t think I’m going to cry. I’ve been trying to tell everybody I’m not going to cry,”
Tipoff is 7 p.m., with a live telecast on ESPN.
“Just being able to show my appreciation, what they have been able to do for me my four years here,” Garrett added, referring to the specific nature of his postgame chat to his teammates, coaches and close relatives.
KU coach Bill Self, who refers to Saturday’s opponent as “definitely one of the best teams we have faced in my time at Kansas regardless of where you play them,” would love for his squad to pull off a monumental victory leading into the postgame festivities.
“I would say if Wayne Simien spoke 28 minutes on Senior Night, we can bet the under with Marcus without question,” Self said with a smile on a Friday Zoom call with media members. “Knowing Marcus and the enjoyment he receives from being vocal and conversating with people, I bet this one won’t go every long,” Self added.
It’s the only speech on tap Saturday night because KU seniors Mitch Lightfoot and Chris Teahan have announced plans to return to KU for another season. The NCAA is allowing all players an extra year of eligibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus Teahan and Lightfoot’s Senior Night speeches will be delivered at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Garrett said he would speak to Self after the season and decide whether to turn pro or return to KU for a fifth year. Self said obviously the plan is for Garrett to begin a pro career. Self said he told Garrett, ‘’’If this season plays out the way I hope it does for you, you need to try to go. If it doesn’t, you know you can always come back. I’d love to have you back.’ I do hope he plays well from here on out to put himself in position where he can make that decision.”
In other words, if it’s deemed he is good enough to either get drafted by an NBA team, land a two-way free agent contract with an NBA team and G League team or secure an overseas contract, the obvious choice would be to turn pro after his four year career at KU.
Self joked about power forward Lightfoot’s return for a sixth season.
“I think getting him back puts him in same category from an age standpoint to rival Brady Morningstar as the oldest player in history of the Big 12. It’s great for Mitch. We love Mitch,” Self said, noting Lightfoot likely will complete a Master’s program by the time he leaves KU. “He adds energy, joy to others’ lives regardless of what his role is ,how many points he scores. I know I’ve got a guy out there who is 100% loyal on my team no matter what we’re going through.”
Of walk-on guard Teahan, Self said: “I love having him around and his ability to put his hand print on our situation. Being a walk-on and not playing a lot, he’s been about as good as anybody as we’ve had in a walk-on position.”
There was a lot of roster-related news Friday amid anticipation of a big game.
Jared Butler scored 30 points, while MaCio Teague had 13 and Davion Mitchell 10 in Baylor’s 77-69 victory over the Jayhawks on Jan. 18 in Waco, Texas. Baylor hit 9 of 19 threes; KU 10 of 19.
“Containing those guards … we let them get loose, get comfortable in that (first) game,” Garrett said, asked what KU must do to win this rematch and extend KU’s Senior Night winning streak to 38 games. Yes, the Jayhawks have won 37 Senior Night contests in a row — a streak which began in 1983-84.
“It was hard to contain them down the stretch. It’s a high-level game. It’s the type of game we came here to play in,” Garrett added.
According to TeamRankings.com’s college basketball database, KU is a home underdog (five points) for the first time since at least the 1997-98 season. That’s how far back the database goes. KU will enter with a 17-8 record, 11-6 in the league; Baylor is 18-0, 10-0.
“We’ve got to be able to run offense without turning the ball over,” Self said. “We have to defend the arc and rebound. They are arguably the best rebounding team in the league, arguably the best three-point shooting team maybe in America and turn people over more than anybody.”
