My Attempt to Understand the Jayhawks, Self

Here are some thoughts I've had lately as I've tried to get my arms around what is going on with KU and Coach Self.

*I don't really know what to think about this team. I saw what we could be against Florida, so I haven't completely given up hope yet. The bottom line is that, currently, this team can beat anyone and lose to anyone.

*I think there is an internal struggle between what Self is telling these players to do vs. what they think they need to do. Right now, they are doing it their way (thinking they are more talented and that will give them the win, backing off on aggressiveness, taking opponents lightly, etc.) Eventually, hopefully they will listen to what Self and the coaches are telling them and start doing what he is asking of them on a consistent basis. Self deserves a lot of the blame because it's his job to get them there, but the players deserve much of the blame too at this point.

*Self took a 3-4 team last year and won 16 in a row. I think this team is confused, lost and searching for an identity and a leader. I think Self should be tougher on them and drill into their heads that their current bad habits will no longer be tolerated.

*Again, I'm far from ready to throw in the towel. It's a long season. We have a lot of talent. We also have a lot of holes. Over time, those holes will start to get filled and the guys will start playing better team basketball. It won't be because Self suddenly became a better coach. It will be because the players started, as a group, to buy into what he's telling them day after day..and they will start executing the way he wants them to on a consistent basis.

*Self has said the players haven't been practicing well. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I'm assuming there has been a lack of focus, energy, execution, etc. Again, Self should make them run until they puke to get the point across, but a lot of the responsibility for bad practicing falls on the shoulders of the players.

*Lack of a killer instinct. One of the players was quoted as saying "we didn't put our foot on their throats", which is one of Self's sayings. The players "eased up" when they were up 14 and thought they had won. Again, it's Self's job to stop that from happening, but the players are the ones who have admitted that they let DePaul back in the game. Honestly, and this may be far fetched, I think Self likes to put players in these situations and see how they handle it. And I honestly think he may be willing to take a loss, or a very close game, so that he has examples to use for the players when they try to win a game THEIR way. For this year's team, he can now point to ORU and DePaul as games where guys didn't come ready to play, didn't execute what the coaches were telling them, didn't buckle down on defense, didn't take their opponent seriously, etc. Of course that theory somewhat goes out the door when you consider that Self still has Bradley in his back pocket as a reminder. I would have figured that game alone would have prevented an ORU or DePaul situation.

But listen to Julian Wright: “We just came out too timid,” Wright said. “We didn’t attack. We just waited.”

*Lack of leadership. There have been flashes (Wright, Robinson) of leadership on this team, but no consistent on-the-court leader has emerged. That is not something Bill Self can control. Again, I think he wants the players to figure it out.

*Of Rush, Self said: “Really good players have to figure out a way a little bit and he’s got to do a better job of that,” Again, I think this is another example of Self putting the onus on the player. I think he helps coach and guide Rush, but he wants that inner pride/drive from Rush to emerge instead of pulling it out of him.

Again, I don't say these things to absolve Self of what has occurred. But I'm trying to understand why he coaches the way he does and what his possible motives could be in his methods.

Mic