Despite frenzy, coach Bill Self believes Jayhawks will stay focused

On the heels of a Sports Illustrated cover appearance, the attention on Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins only intensified last week, when a report on the website Bleacher Report cited anonymous sources saying that Adidas was prepared to offer Wiggins a $180 million contract to sign with the company after he leaves KU following his freshman season.

The only problem: The $180 million-dollar figure came from a fraudulent Adidas memo that had apparently been circulating for months. It was, in essence, a hoax.

Despite the frenzy surrounding Wiggins, coach Bill Self believes he’ll have no trouble keeping his young team focused and clear of any potential amateurism issues.

“I don’t think that’s hard at all,” Self said. “The Adidas report was bogus. It is different, because there’s so much attention. Every practice you’ve got six or 10 NBA teams there watching your guys.

“But I think that’s good, too. Guys wanna go to places where they can be seen, and that’s happening right now at our place.”

Kansas going small?

Self said he and his staff have discussed the idea of playing four guards at times this season, with Wiggins or fellow freshman Wayne Selden playing at the four. Both Wiggins and Selden have the ability to guard multiple positions, and Self would like to find opportunities to get the 6-foot-8 Wiggins in the post.

“We could do some different things,” Self said. “But the thing about it is, you wanna play your best players if it works out. And our (big men), right now, have probably been as consistent a performers as we’ve had.”

This story was originally published October 22, 2013 at 11:47 PM.