Cliff’s Notes: Bill Self press conference, 11/8/10

By Staff     Nov 8, 2010

Here is the Cliff’s Notes version of Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self’s comments at his press conference today.

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Full audio has been posted.
• **Self would like to see his team’s post defense improve.** He wants to see KU be more aggressive on all fronts. The coach said his team needs to be more in attack mode. KU didn’t play great in the first game, but Self wasn’t discouraged by that.

• **Self says his guys have to get the mindset that it’s a good thing or a failure on defense regardless of whether a shot goes in.** Good defense is determined by how you guard, not whether the other team’s shot goes in.

• **This year’s team will pressure a lot more defensively than it did last year with center Cole Aldrich in the middle.** When Jeff Withey gets back, that will be a bonus for KU, as he can cover for defensive mistakes.

• **Withey went up and down for four or five possessions in practice Sunday.** He won’t play against Emporia State unless it’s a couple minutes. He’s probably still a week or two away.

• **Withey has been riding the bike during practice when he can’t practice.**

• **Elijah Johnson had a good day in practice Sunday.** The thing that concerns Self with Johnson is that he’s careless with the ball. He’s a combo guard, and probably not a true point guard. Self would like to have another consistent ball-handler right now.

• **Johnson has to get better at moving laterally on defense, but he’s improving.**

• **There’s a difference between pressuring and pressing.** Self is a big pressuring guy. He wants other teams to be uncomfortable with the ball. KU couldn’t pressure as much last year because Aldrich was a pressure release, and Sherron Collins had to play 35 minutes per game. Pressuring didn’t fit last year’s team. KU should play more passing lanes this year.

• **Sasha Kaun has been at practice with KU this week because of a knee injury that has made him take some time off.** KU was spoiled with him. KU never had to double the post with Kaun in the lane.

• **Self says last year’s team was not an unbelievable team.** It had a great record, but that was partly because it could finish close games well. Whether this year’s team can be good at closing games is yet to be seen.

• **There’s nobody on the team that coaches tell not to shoot.** Tyrel Reed is KU’s designated three-point shooter. He’s the one guy in the program, regardless of time and score, he should shoot an open three. KU has more guys that can shoot the ball this year than last year, but it doesn’t have as many players that will take a high volume of shots.

• **When players get tired, they foul.** The Morris twins have to be in great shape to play 30 minutes per game.

• **Self would be surprised if he heard anything on Josh Selby’s status by Friday.** Selby has been great through this, but he’s very frustrated. Selby told Self that right now, his head is messed up. It’s the unknown. Selby’s attitude still has been good.

• **Self thought KU’s football win Saturday was one of the best victories he could remember.** He had a prior engagement, so he couldn’t stay until the end. It’s better to win when nobody thinks you can.

• **Self said he didn’t have any advice for KU football coach Turner Gill going back to his old school to coach.** He just hoped that Gill had more success in his trip back to his alma mater.

• **No decision has been made on Conner Teahan, but the team is leaning towards sitting him this year.**

• **KU doesn’t have enough depth inside right now.** Self says thank goodness Justin Wesley is here, because he gives KU a big body inside.

• **Self doesn’t know what he’s going to do with Tuesday’s starting lineup yet.**

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