“I thought, ‘How will that work out? We’ve got basically the best power forward in the country (Perry Ellis) and Jamari (Traylor) right behind him. Why would I?'” Selden said at Wednesday’s Big 12 Media Day in Sprint Center.

“Then it clicked,” the Roxbury, Massachusetts, native quickly added. “It all made sense. If we can get up and run and rebound with a small team, we could be really good.”

Stressing that Selden and Frank Mason have thus far “separated themselves a bit” from KU’s other five perimeter players, Self said he might experiment with Selden and 6-7 Kelly Oubre Jr. at power forward during the 2014-15 campaign.

“I love how Wayne can post and do some things,” Self said. “We won’t be as conventional as years past.”

Richard Gwin

In fact, there’s a chance Selden, who averaged 9.7 points a game off 43.7 percent shooting (42 of 128 threes, 32.8 percent) a year ago, could play the 1, 2, 3 and 4 in a given game.

“Possibly. You never know what’s going to happen,” Selden said of playing point guard, shooting guard, small forward and power forward. “None of us know how the matchups are going to be and how they’ll play out, but, yes, I think it’s possible.

“I’m feeling pretty comfortable as a 1 through 4, playing different positions. I feel I can fill the void at any of the positions whenever we’re scattered around. I feel I’m getting used to it (4), picking and popping, pickin and rollin, posting, stuff like that,” Selden added.

He conceded power forward is different than what he has been accustomed to.

“I’m used to playing with the ball in my hand. Playing without the ball, having someone else create for me is different,” Selden said. “I feel I can do it. I feel I can still play my game from the 4 spot.”

Richard Gwin

Self said it’s a joy to coach Selden all the various positions because “he tries so hard.”

“I think that he thinks this is his team now, more so than anybody else on our team, whereas last year he never would have thought that,” Self said, noting a year ago, Selden “was just trying to survive.”

It helps that offseason surgery took care of a knee problem.

“He’s got bounce,” Self said. “I always thought Wayne was pretty athletic. When he was here last year, he didn’t look as athletic to me. I kept thinking, ‘What is it? Is it his weight?’ It wasn’t. His knee was just bothering him. He’s got fresh legs again. He looks a lot more athletic, primarily because he’s healthy.”

Selden acknowledges he does enter this season feeling some ownership.

“I’m not a freshman anymore. I’m the guy a lot of guys are looking to, so I feel I have to play that role,” Selden said. “I’ve been here. I know. There’s a lot of guys who don’t know. People are looking to me for that scoring, for that passing, for that leadership.”

The biggest thing he learned as a freshman?

“Every game counts. All the little stuff does count, all the stuff,” he exclaimed. “The scouting report. All the practices do count.”

Junior Perry Ellis said he has noticed a huge difference in Selden.

“I can definitely tell (that Selden believes it’s his team),” Ellis said. “He’s been vocal and just in practice he’s setting the tone for all of us. He’s been helping and getting our team together.”