KU basketball coach Bill Self on Puerto Rico trip: ‘I definitely think we got better’
The alley-oop lobs that resulted in numerous slams — and 62 points in the paint — for Kansas in Saturday’s 92-87 exhibition basketball victory over the Bahamas National Team were nonexistent on Monday at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum.
“They scouted us. They didn’t want to get dunked on,” KU senior guard Nick Timberlake said after the Jayhawks scored 40 points in the paint in an 87-81 loss to Team Bahamas in the rematch between the two squads.
“It wasn’t so much the lob, but the short roll they took away to get to the lob,” added Timberlake, who broke free to hit three 3s en route to 13 points.
“They scouted us. That’s exactly right. They scouted us,” KU coach Bill Self said of Team Bahamas being well prepared for the second meeting with KU in three days.
KU junior KJ Adams, who scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and dished six assists on Saturday — he connected with forward Hunter Dickinson on various lob plays — was ineffective Monday. He hit 1 of 2 shots and scored three points with six rebounds and no assists of any kind in 33 minutes.
Dickinson, who had 28 points Saturday on 11-of-13 shooting with four assists, scored 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds Monday. He had four assists in 29 minutes. None of his assists were lobs served up to teammates.
Adams was playing at less than 100% Monday.
“His knee has been bothering him, not the point … I don’t think it’s bad,” Self said. “He was visibly limping. He was not effective today at all. They guarded him smart. They got underneath him on the short roll.”
KU trailed 69-65 after three quarters Monday. That’s when NBA players Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon left the game for good.
The Jayhawks were outscored 18-16 the final 10 minutes with the professional guards on the bench.
“I think it was pretty good,” Self said of his team’s play late in the game. “There in the last three minutes we got every shot we wanted. We just didn’t make them. Kevin (McCullar, 19 points, 7-of-16 shooting; 1 of 6 on 3s) had a wide open out-of-bounds 3 down six (in the final minute). We needed him to shoot a 3. Some other things we did well.”
Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers finished with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting (5 of 11 on 3s) on Monday. Eric Gordon of the Phoenix Suns scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Several Jayhawks relished the chance to learn from the NBA players.
“It definitely was huge playing against Buddy and Eric. They both are really good NBA players. It was real cool to go up against them and see how talented they are,” Timberlake said.
Hield hit two 3s late in the third quarter. He and McCullar went at each other one-on-one — as they did a game earlier — with Hield sinking the 3 to end the scoring in the stanza.
“I wouldn’t say necessarily ‘dagger,’’’ Timberlake said of the two 3s. “They were eye-opening shots showing how talented NBA players are. Kevin was all over him. Hit nothing but bottom.”
What’s next?
The Jayhawks will spend the entire day Tuesday traveling. They’ll leave Puerto Rico at about noon and be back in Lawrence in the late evening hours. Then the players are free to head to their hometowns until the start of first-semester classes for the 2023-24 school year on Aug. 21.
“The trip was great,” Self said. His Jayhawks went 1-1 versus Team Bahamas and defeated Puerto Rico Select 106-71.
“I’m ready to get back. I’m sure the guys are too. A week is long enough to be gone. The trip was great,” Self repeated. “I definitely think we got better.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 5:47 PM.
