Media Day primer: KU basketball storylines from yet another season kickoff event

By Matt Tait     Oct 12, 2016

Nick Krug
Kansas head coach Bill Self laughs with his players as they shoot the team portrait during Kansas basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2014.

With Kansas basketball program getting year-round coverage for the past 20-plus years, the buzz of media day has disappeared a little bit.

By the time media day rolls around each year, KU fans already know a ton about the current Kansas team and roster and have heard endless amounts of information and analysis about what to expect, starting in the summer and continuing throughout the fall leading up to the start of the season.

KU freshman Josh Jackson (unintentionally) stole the show on Wednesday, when he said in a feature in USA Today that the Jayhawks were, “trying to go undefeated.”

No surprise there. That’s the goal every year — to win every game — of programs across the country. But it’s been rare for Kansas to have a player who was willing to say it.

Jackson and his teammates, no doubt, will be asked to elaborate on the comment at media day, but given the experience, focus and expectations of this team, it seems likely that they’ll have no issue discussing it.

With that in mind, here’s a quick look at seven other things to expect from Thursday’s KU basketball media day.

1. Freshmen speak — We’ve heard snippets from Josh Jackson, Udoka Azubuike and Mitch Lightfoot during the past several months, but media day is when we get to really dive into who these guys are and what they’re expecting from their first seasons as Jayhawks.

2. How has practice been? – The last time Self discussed how his team fared at practice so far this season, he left nothing to the imagination and said they flat out “stunk” during the first two days. Surely, things have gotten better since then. But how much better?

3. Let’s talk about the streak – You can bet that there will be at least a few questions about KU gunning to tie UCLA’s incredible streak of 13 consecutive conference titles. Although Kansas won’t truly get its Big 12 title defense underway until late December, just being in the position to tie the Bruins’ record is big news and will be a common theme of everything the Jayhawks do and everywhere they go this season.

4. Goals and expectations – The players will asked about this ad nauseam and they’ll all give their own input in their answers. But thanks to Jackson laying it all on the line in the USA Today article, no one will have to hide from their true feelings. This team is focused on winning a national title and making sure it extends the Big 12 title streak to 13. Outside of that, personal goals and individual stats don’t seem to mean much to this group, which makes sense given the fact that nobody on this team has been to a Final Four.

5. Maturity on full display – By college basketball standards, this is a team of old men. Sure, Jackson and Carlton Bragg and Udoka Azubuike and even Lagerald Vick and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk are still young, but the core of this team is made up of experienced veterans who have one thing in mind — winning. That experience, particularly in the backcourt, should help Kansas play at a high level from the opener on. But it will be interesting to see what role maturity and their focus plays in the way they handle themselves at media day.

6. Injury update – Injuries are a big part of the game and can derail the plans of even the best college programs. A year ago, two key members of KU’s regular rotation — Brannen Greene (hip) and Devonte’ Graham (quad) — entered the season on the heels of rehabbing significant injuries. The injury status seems to be in much better shape for the Jayhawks this season, with only Azubuike (groin) and Ole Miss transfer Dwight Coleby (ACL) dealing with recent injuries. Two weeks into practice, how have those two looked and are the Jayhawks in good shape everywhere else?

7.Rotation talk – It seems crystal clear that Graham, Mason, Jackson, Bragg and Lucas will make up this team’s starting five. But what happens after that? Mykhailiuk has a golden opportunity to be the sixth man, but Azubuike and the emerging Vick could have something to say about that. Add to those three the presence of Coleby and Lightfoot and it’ll be very interesting to see how Self handles his top 10. He talked after Late Night about one guy likely being upset. And also added that he could see playing a lot of four-guard lineups.

PREV POST

Jayhawks to wear new 'limestone' uniforms for homecoming

NEXT POST

49556Media Day primer: KU basketball storylines from yet another season kickoff event

Author Photo

Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.