Bill Self’s 2020-21 Jayhawk basketball team gathers in Lawrence: ‘I missed them’
Kansas’ men’s basketball players have arrived in Lawrence for three weeks of summer workouts leading up to the Aug. 24 start of the 2020-21 school year.
“All made it back. It’s great to have them back and get the newcomers here. I missed them,” Self told The Star Sunday night.
On July 19, he pushed back the Jayhawk players’ arrival date until Aug. 2 because of the rise of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Lawrence and Douglas County.
No change of plans took place over the weekend as 12 of the squad’s players arrived Saturday and Sunday.
They joined Angola senior Silvio De Sousa, who remained in Lawrence following the end of the 2019-20 season and end of in-person classes on campus March 12; plus Dallas senior Marcus Garrett, who has been in town about a month and Netherlands native Tristan Enaruna, who arrived Wednesday.
The 2020-21 team consists of four newcomers — Tyon Grant-Foster, Latrell Jossell, Gethro Muscadin and Bryce Thompson. — as well as senior returnees Garrett, De Sousa, Mitch Lightfoot and Chris Teahan; juniors Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack; sophomores Enaruna, Christian Braun, Michael Jankovich and Jalen Wilson and red-shirt freshman Dajuan Harris.
Self said Sunday “the plan” is to have the players undergo COVID-19 coronavirus testing, then, if negative, start taking part in weightlifting and on-court workouts with coaches and trainers that may span up to eight hours a week in accordance with NCAA rules..
“They won’t start until they get the (coronavirus) test results back. Hopefully by Wednesday we’ll be working out. We’ve got to test them. It’s the same protocol. You can’t come in the building unless you are tested (and negative),” Self told The Star in a recent interview. He has already spoken with the players via a Zoom call last week about some COVID-19 protocols that will include proper social distancing in the weight room, film sessions and dining halls.
The Jayhawks will continue to work out eight hours a week with coaches and trainers up until the Aug. 24 start of the school year. At that time, the NCAA continues to allow workouts spanning up to eight hours a week until the official start of practice in late September.
“I think a lot of guys got better this summer based on what I’ve been told because of the amount of playing and individual workouts they’ve been getting playing on their own … even if it’s respective guys going to the gym and working each other out. I think it’s been good,” Self said.
Hickman not close to committing?
Nolan Hickman, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard from Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, who is ranked No. 75 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, is being pursued heavily by coaches from Kansas, Washington, Arizona, Oklahoma and UCLA, prospectiveinsight.com reports.
Hickman averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game last season at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Washington.
“I haven’t even done a list. I’m not even thinking about cutting down a list. I would say in a couple months at least I would start to think about my decision and think about where I will commit to,” Hickman told prospectiveinsight.com last week. “But as of right now, I would say my list isn’t numbered right now. It’s not ranked right now. I probably wouldn’t even cut down anything — I’ll probably just go into my commitment.”
He also has heard from coaches from Oregon State, Washington State, Portland, Montana and others.
“There’s not really a timeline, right now. Me and my family, we haven’t really made a timeline or planned when we’re going to visit any of these schools. Hopefully when everything opens back up and gets moving appropriately, I feel like that’s when we’ll start to take visits, start to reach out to schools and see where the best fit is for me,” Hickman said.
Hickman hit 59% of his shots last season including 38% of his threes.
Holmes considering KU
KU is a serious contender for DaRon Holmes, a 6-8 senior power forward from Montverde (Florida) Academy who is ranked No. 30 in the Class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
Holmes, who also is considering Arizona, USC, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Marquette and others, averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as a junior at Millennium High School in Goodyear, Arizona.
“The Jayhawks just missed on Kendall Brown (6-7 forward, who has committed to Baylor), which only makes Holmes that much more of a priority,” wrote Corey Evans of Rivals.com. “While Brown is more of a perimeter-based prospect and Holmes forward-oriented, they both complete similar tasks on the playing floor.
“Might the top-30 prospect leaving his home state for his senior year give others an advantage over the in-state programs? Possibly. Holmes is not a dire need for Kansas but, with potential early NBA departures a consistent theme every spring in Lawrence, someone of his abilities would be gladly welcomed by Bill Self and his staff.”
CBS lauds UK team that beat KU in 2012 finals
The (38-2) 2012 Kentucky basketball team, which beat KU, 67-59, in the NCAA title game after also beating the jayhawks, 75-65, during the regular season, has been voted the second best team in Wildcat history according to CBSsports.com.
“Led by freshman phenom Anthony Davis, the Wildcats allowed fewer points per game than any other Kentucky team since the introduction of the three-point line until the 2014-15 team later broke that record,” wrote David Cobb of CBSsports.com.
“Much like the 1995-96 team, the 2011-12 team’s only losses came against teams it also beat. The Wildcats lost to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament title game after beating the Commodores twice during the regular season. Their only regular-season loss was a one-point road defeat against Indiana. Kentucky avenged that loss in the Sweet 16 on its way to the program’s eighth title.”
The Wildcats’ 1995-96 team (34-2) was named best in UK history.
“Led by a deep cast of future NBA players including Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson and Walter McCarty, Kentucky started the season ranked No. 1 and never fell below No. 5 in the AP Top 25 as it snapped an 18-year national title drought. The Wildcats finished 34-2 (16-0 SEC) and cruised through the NCAA Tournament with a 21.5-point average margin of victory,” wrote Cobb.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Bill Self’s 2020-21 Jayhawk basketball team gathers in Lawrence: ‘I missed them’."
