Defense drills and penalty laps: Kansas Jayhawks return to practice after Florida trip
Kansas’ men’s basketball players have noticed a different vibe at practice since completing the ESPN Invitational Sunday in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Jayhawks (5-1), who had an off day Monday and practiced Tuesday and Wednesday back in Lawrence, fell from No. 4 to No. 8 in the AP poll to start the week after losing one of three games against mid-major teams at the Thanksgiving-week tournament.
“No one likes it,” freshman forward Zach Clemence said of losing. “Everyone is kind of on the edge. Losing does something to you. Nobody likes to lose. Once you do, it changes.”
Freshman guard Bobby Pettiford offered his opinion when asked about the “mood” of the team following the Jayhawks’ 2-1 performance in Florida.
“It was bad. We weren’t happy we lost to a team we shouldn’t lose to,” Pettiford said of a semifinal loss to Dayton of the Atlantic 10 Conference. “We don’t think we should lose at all. We were all down about it.”
The Jayhawks were a serious group at practice on Tuesday.
“Coach (Bill Self) gets in one of those moods. Practice yesterday, it was like if the team touches the paint we were going to run. The defense has to keep the offense from touching the paint,” Pettiford said. “Or if they get an offensive rebound, if we don’t close out (the) hot hand, especially us smaller guards, we were going to run for it. It was a bad day for sure.”
Self stressed defense at Tuesday’s practice.
“It was fun. It was interesting. There were consequences, stuff like that,” Clemence, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound native of San Antonio said with a smile.
What kind of consequences?
“Casual running. Nothing too big,” Clemence said.
Self explained the purpose of Tuesday’s practice.
“I think we tried to get them maybe where we were trying to hold them a little more accountable in some areas,” Self said. “All in all guys had good attitudes and seem to be trying to do everything we need to do to get better.
“We didn’t keep score on anything, (just assessed) whether or not it was a good defensive possession or a bad defensive possession. It didn’t matter if the ball went in or not. That was how we did it. They were rewarded or penalized based on that toward the end of practice.”
He was asked how players were rewarded for playing good defense.
“Take off, maybe reduce the number of penalties is how we reward ‘em,” Self said.
He was amused when told of Clemence’s line about “casual running” being a form of punishment Tuesday.
“Some guys ran more than others. Bobby may have done a couple more than maybe Zach did. Maybe that’s why Zach said that,” Self said with a smile.
Self was asked about possibly changing the starting lineup after the 2-1 effort in Florida.
“I don’t know. I would think not,” Self said. “You guys (media) make a bigger deal who starts, which I don’t think about nearly as much as you guys do. I’d still like to see David (McCormack) get going. I think that would be best for our team if he plays very well rather than somebody else playing well. We’re not giving up on anybody by any stretch.”
Sophomore forward Jalen Wilson, who started last year, scored just 13 points in the three games in Florida. He came off the bench after missing KU’s first three games of the season because of suspension.
“I thought he was really good the first game (against North Texas). I thought he was poor the next two games (vs. Dayton and Iona). He did too. I’m not saying anything negative, being factual,” Self said. “He’s working hard to get his rhythm back. It didn’t happen in storybook fashion (that) he comes back after (being) suspended and (is) automatically killing it right off the bat. He’ll be fine. I anticipate him playing better and better moving forward,” Self added of Wilson. The Denton, Texas native hit 3 of 10 free throws in Florida and was 0-for-4 from three. Overall he hit 5 of 14 shots from the field for 37.5%.
KU will next meet St. John’s (5-1) at 6 p.m. Central time Friday in Elmont, New York.
“We’ve got to guard and run, be ourselves,” Pettiford, a 6-1 native of Durham, North Carolina, said, adding, “we are bouncing back. We are coming with an edge.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 4:55 PM.
