If having a team full of so many inexperienced players is the bane of Bill Self’s existence, then having so many talented ones is the beauty of it.
More than at any time this season, Kansas University’s considerable depth was on display Thursday night in a 73-56 drubbing of a bad University of New Orleans team.
Thanks to that depth, Self has the luxury of employing a pretty simple formula: Practice well, and you get a chance to play in the game. Play well in the game or sit and watch.
Jeff Hawkins was turning over the ball too frequently. Enter Mario Chalmers. In the 20 minutes Chalmers played, KU outscored the Privateers, 46-29. In the 20 minutes Chalmers watched, it was a tie game, 27-27.
Christian Moody injured his finger, and Sasha Kaun and C.J. Giles “played really soft tonight” in Self’s words. No sweat. Enter Julian Wright and Darnell Jackson, who were the post players when KU went on a 17-0 run at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.
Jackson, who relishes the contact that Giles sometimes looks as if he’s trying to avoid, responded with eight points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. Having at least a share of team-high scoring honors for the fourth time in six games, Wright blocked four shots to go with two steals and 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Chalmers was flanked by starters Brandon Rush and Russell Robinson during the 17-0 run, check that, sprint.
Self was intent on punishing Micah Downs for uninspired practice play, so he wasn’t an option on a night that Rush’s concentration appeared to drift in and out and his shot drifted mostly out. Not a problem. Jeremy Case played the role of three-point marksman off the bench by using his quick release to drill four of six from beyond the arc.
With this much depth, the heat is on every player to bring his best now, because the hour is getting late.
Yale, visiting Allen Fieldhouse for a Wednesday game, is the remaining sparring partner on the schedule. Then it’s Kentucky, followed by the Big 12 Conference. At this point, Self isn’t concerned with finding playing time for rookies.
“In my opinion, and you may disagree, our freshmen have had an opportunity to play minutes so far,” Self said. “We’ve got to win games. We’ll do what we think is best. The rotation can change over time, but right now Jeremy has shown he deserves to be out there some, and Stephen (Vinson) has shown our team is better when he is out there.”
Chalmers was the 11th player to enter, with four minutes left in the first half, and was as valuable as anybody on a night the bench outscored the starters, 48-25.
“On the perimeter, I can see us getting it down to five, with a sixth guy getting in from a situational standpoint,” Self said of his rotation. “We need Micah to come through, because we’re small without him. Hopefully, Micah and Rodrick (Stewart) will practice better.”
Inside, Kaun, shot-selection-challenged Giles, Wright, Moody and Jackson vie for time.
“If we can find three that are playing well, it’s a three-man rotation that night,” Self said.
Ideally, a coach would like to have nine consistent players. Self doesn’t have that. What he does have is options.
