Self tickled Jayhawks can begin season early

By Gary Bedore     Aug 12, 2004

? Bill Self’s popularity is not confined to Kansas University’s campus in Lawrence.

Several hundred fans turned out for a question-and-answer/autograph session with the second-year Jayhawk men’s basketball coach early Wednesday evening in brand-new Regnier Hall on KU’s Edwards Campus.

Self signed and talked for two hours before hurrying home to celebrate a 16th wedding anniversary dinner with his wife, Cindy.

“It’s pretty cool that KU obviously has a presence in Kansas City and a beautiful building like this where people can continue their education,” Self said.

Of course, the folks on hand didn’t travel to KU’s satellite campus Wednesday to discuss academics. They wanted to know about the 2004-05 KU hoops team.

“This could be a fun year,” Self said. “I’m excited that we literally get started a week from tomorrow.”

The Jayhawks will hold their first of 10 pre-Canada trip practices Thursday, the first day of the fall semester.

The trip figures to be valuable for a team that adds six new players to an Elite Eight squad.

“We went big (in recruiting), and good thing we did because everyone knows we lost David (Padgett, Louisville transfer),” Self said. “Sasha Kaun is from Siberia. He’s 6-11, 250. Darnell Jackson is 6-8, 250, and C.J. Giles is 6-9, 6-10, 230. We think those three will try to kill each other every day to play next to Wayne (Simien). We’re real excited about that.

“If we played our fifth-best player, I think Christian Moody would start,” he said of the 6-8, 230-pound junior. “Hopefully the other guys will develop because we need to play a little bigger than that (inside).

“Those three have a chance and Alex Galindo is terrific. He’s 6-7 and can shoot it. I don’t know if Kansas has ever had a tall shooter like Alex. Maybe a Luke Axtell-type. Alex is not as tall, but maybe has the same range.”

  • Schedule coming: Self said KU’s 2004-05 schedule would be released today. The schedule includes nonconference road games at Kentucky and Villanova and home contests against Georgia Tech, St. Joseph’s, South Carolina, Nevada, TCU, Pacific, Vermont and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“I believe that everything is done except for one game,” Self said.

  • Healthy Jayhawks: Self said all of his players would practice Thursday, including J.R. Giddens and Keith Langford, who are coming off offseason surgeries.
  • Canadian broadcast team: Brian Hanni of KLWN-AM and KU administrative assistant Brett Ballard will work the radio broadcasts of KU’s four exhibition games during Labor Day weekend in Canada.
  • Recruiting: Kevin Rogers, a 6-8, 220-pound forward from South Oak Cliff High in Dallas, says he will visit Kansas the weekend of Sept. 25. He will visit Georgia Tech on Sept. 4 and Arizona on Sept. 17.

“If I like what I see during my official visit to Kansas, I will give them a commitment,” Rogers told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com.

Rogers’ buddy, 6-5 C.J. Miles of Dallas Skyline, has not yet set a date for his KU visit. He says KU and Arizona lead North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

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