‘So far so good,’ KU’s Self, Gonzaga’s Few say in regards to playing Turkey Day game
This week’s marquee Thanksgiving Day college basketball matchup between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 6 Kansas remains on the country’s sports menu as of Monday afternoon.
“(Mark) Few and I text each other last night. Mark said, ‘So far so good with the Zags.’ I said, ‘Same here with the Jayhawks,’’’ KU coach Bill Self said Monday in a video call with reporters in advance of the 12:30 p.m. showdown between Few’s Bulldogs and Self’s Jayhawks in Fort Myers, Florida.
“I think this is one of those years we all want to play. Our guys really want to play, but the whole deal is we don’t want to get too high or too low when we do or when we can’t. There will be plenty of those through the course of the season.”
Self provided an encouraging health update regarding his program on the same day Baylor coach Scott Drew and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes reported they’d tested positive for COVID-19.
“Yes. That is, ‘Knock on wood,’’’ Self said, asked if he expected having everybody on the KU team available Thursday. “You guys can see how things are so fluid and changing right up (to) the week before everyone’s first game. Yes we are relatively healthy, nothing to keep anybody out. Everything else has gone well. We anticipate getting on a plane tomorrow (Tuesday) and getting ready to play on Thursday.”
Self explained the testing his players, assistant coaches, managers and support staff members making the trip will undergo this week.
“I’m not a trainer or doctor obviously. We’ve been testing just like everybody else in America has since the players returned back the first of August. We’ve ramped that up to three times a week,” Self said.
“It can’t be on consecutive days or something like that. We’ll test today. We’ll test Wednesday. I believe then we’ll test after the games Friday or Saturday. I’m not sure which day it is and I’m sure we’ll have to test again before we play Kentucky in Indiana (on Dec. 1). It’ll be an every other day thing if not an every day thing hopefully eventually. As of now that’s how it’s laid out.”
After Gonzaga, the Jayhawks will play Saint Joseph’s at 1 p.m. Friday, also at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers.
“I would say (we’re) not very prepared because of the unknown,” Self said of the opener. “If we had been able to do a couple of dress rehearsals I’d say we had a better chance to be prepared. I’m sure Mark is saying the same thing with his group: ‘I think we’re ready; I think we are.’ You don’t know exactly how you’ll handle certain things.
“We’ve opened against Kentucky or Duke or Michigan State to start a season multiple times now in the first game. I’m not saying we’re always successful. Our guys usually rise to the occasion. I certainly anticipate them doing that as well this year.”
Four starters appear set
Self enters the week of the first game uncertain of his starting lineup.
“We don’t have a starting five. I do know barring anything unforeseen moving forward … I feel pretty good about Marcus (Garrett), Ochai (Agbaji), Christian (Braun) and David (McCormack). We don’t know what direction we’re going to go in addition to that. I do think those four have the best shot to start the game against Gonzaga. I don’t see anything in the next three practices to change that,” Self said.
It’s possible junior college transfer Tyon Grant-Foster or freshman Bryce Thompson could start in KU’s four-guard lineup.
Self has been pleased with Grant-Foster’s scoring at practice.
“I think his selling card without question is he can make baskets and sometimes very difficult baskets,” Self said of the 6-7 junior from Indian Hills Community College and Schlagle High School. “Every team needs that, especially late clock. When the other team can really guard you, he’s a guy that can jump up and make a shot.”
Challenging times
Self, who wears a mask during practice, says running a program in this era of COVID-19 has been a challenge.
“It’s been unique but kind of rewarding, in many ways fun, educational,” Self said of the past eight months. “I do know this. When we get through this, which we will, I hope we don’t go back. I’m ready to get back to a little bit of normalcy as we knew it prior to 2020.”
Garrett, KU’s senior point guard, was asked if he’s noticed any changes in Self’s coaching amid the pandemic.
“Not at all. He’s actually talking better with the mask on,” Garrett said with a smile. “I feel like he as fired up as we are to get this thing going. I feel he’ll have us ready to go out and compete.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 4:11 PM with the headline "‘So far so good,’ KU’s Self, Gonzaga’s Few say in regards to playing Turkey Day game."
