Kansas’ Bill Self looking for more leadership, more emotion from his veterans

Bill Self received a text message the other day. Its contents made him seethe.

This was after Kansas’ 86-67 loss at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, and after the Jayhawks had dropped to 4-2 in the Big 12 after two defeats in three games. This was after Kansas had looked fatigued and drained for most of Tuesday night.

“Somebody texted me, ‘Hey, your guys act like they don’t care,’ ” Self said. “That’s the biggest crock of bull ever. They care a lot.”

The text message was not the impetus for a series of team meetings on Wednesday, but the ideas about energy, emotion and the power of perception were batted around a little as Self stood in front of his team. As Self sorted through the issues that have served as anchors during a January lull, his players listened.

“I think sometimes stress and things like that probably keep you from probably being the way that you want to be all the time,” Self said Thursday, speaking with reporters during his weekly press conference.

As No. 3 Kansas prepared to face Texas, 12-6, at 1 p.m. Saturday inside Allen Fieldhouse — a chance for the Jayhawks to get right on their home floor — Self tried to offer an optimistic front.

To do this, he used a couple of familiar analogies. He pointed to the Chiefs’ 1-5 start before making the playoffs. He pointed to the Royals’ sluggish beginnings during the 2014 season. He pointed to the variance and unpredictability of sports. He tried to brush aside any negative themes. He settled on a story that seemed designed to quiet any doubters.

“I remember one of the media people (in 2014) saying, ‘The Royals were the biggest disappointments ever and it's ruined his life — his adult life — because they have not done anything,’” Self said. “And I looked at the standings and they were 21-22. And I'm thinking, this is a real journalist?

“And they go into the World Series. Everybody goes through funks like this.”

The comparison is not exactly apples to apples, of course, which is why Self conceded that his team needed to improve in a few areas — specifically leadership and communication. The Jayhawks, at times, can feel like a team of introverts, ready to go quiet at any sign of adversity. Senior forward Perry Ellis is quiet by nature. So is junior guard Frank Mason. Wayne Selden can offer a physical presence on the floor, but his leadership can fluctuate, depending on the night. And then there is the Jayhawks’ body language, which Self believes contributes to the idea that his players don’t care as much as they should.

“Watch Frank in introductions,” Self said. “Sometimes I think you've got to nudge him to wake him up, to get him out there. Perry is not exactly Mr. Personality when you talk about showing emotion like that. And Wayne's got some of that in him, but the reality of it is, that's not who we are.

“But when we are that way, which we have been that way, it's amazing how it picks everybody else up. It's contagious.”

Specifically, Self would like to see Ellis and Mason step up into more vocal roles.

“For us to have a chance to have a great season, I do think that's an area that we have to improve,” Self said. “And that's something we certainly identified — to get out of your comfort zone, to give yourself up, go show emotion. If Perry were to do that, it would be so contagious, but it's just in his DNA right now to do that.”

After Self held court with his team on Wednesday, the players conducted a meeting amongst themselves. The meeting, according to freshman big man Carlton Bragg, seemed to clear the air, to lessen the pent-up frustration from a series of off nights. Just 11 days ago, the Jayhawks were 14-1, ranked No. 1 in the country, and ready to make a run at another Big 12 title. The Jayhawks, Bragg said, know what it feels like when things are going well. For the moment, there are just trying to get that feeling back.

“We got to bring it,” Bragg said. “We got to bring it now. We’re in conference play, and we got to tighten it up.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Kansas’ Bill Self looking for more leadership, more emotion from his veterans."