KU Jayhawks eager to pick up pace against Stony Brook: ‘We would like to play faster’
Kansas’ men’s basketball team hasn’t exactly played at a snail’s pace, averaging a robust 87.5 points per game in season-opening victories over Michigan State and Tarleton State.
The Jayhawks have run on occasion, but apparently nothing like what’s coming when sophomore forward Jalen Wilson returns from a three-game suspension at next week’s ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida, just outside of Orlando.
“Jalen helps with that,” KU coach Bill Self said in advance of Thursday’s game against Stony Brook. “You guys (media) will be pleasantly surprised in how much faster we play when Jalen is in the game because his ability to push it is by far the best we have in transition. From a speed standpoint, he kind of puts pressure on everybody else to play a little faster.”
Tipoff between the Jayhawks (2-0) and the Seawolves (0-1) of the America East Conference is 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse with a live stream on ESPN+.
“We would like to play faster,” Self said.
Self said the Jayhawks have been working on running — as well as playing halfcourt defense — with Wilson practicing full-time with the team as he serves out his suspension.
“He has worked at it (getting the ball off the board and running) really hard. He told me in the offseason he worked at it hard,” Self said of Wilson. “He is really good at bringing it. He’s right up there with some of the best we’ve ever had. I think it (his return) will definitely make us run and play fast.”
Self on Thursday figures to again go with the same lineup he used in KU’s first two games: That is, power forward David McCormack with guards Dajuan Harris, Christian Braun, Remy Martin and Ochai Agbaji.
Self had a lot of positive things to say not only about Wilson, but also sophomore point guard Harris on Wednesday.
“(His team) always wins, even in practice situations. I think in our first 10 quarters of scrimmaging, his team was 10-0,” Self said of Harris. “I think he has great feel. I think guys like playing with him. I think he makes the game easier for others. I think he probably understands more how to play than a lot of other guys do.”
Harris, a 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore from Columbia, Missouri, has scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in two games. He has 10 assists, three turnovers, five rebounds and three steals.
“I don’t think he has shown yet what a good player he is,” Self said. “I think there is a consistency factor he has to improve and take better care of the basketball. I saw some carelessness here of late.
“He is just a good basketball player. He is not going to jump off the page at anybody. (You are) going to look up at the end of the day and say, ‘Gosh they are just better with him on the court.’”
Self was asked if he envisions Harris remaining a starter when Wilson returns.
“I don’t know,” the coach said. “I think if we are hung up on who starts like you guys (media) can be and fans can be it might be an issue, but I see minutes being pretty much consistent regardless. If Jalen comes back and starts, which he could, but the bottom line is is that to me, thats not a guarantee. He kind of put himself in this position (by landing a suspension after an arrest on suspicion of DUI).
“If the team is rolling, who knows if it would be, maybe Jalen is better coming off the bench. I anticipate Jalen being a 30-minutes-a-game guy regardless what the role is. With Dajuan one thing I have noticed is sometimes less is more. He is not a 35-minutes-a-game guy. His body will wear down. He needs to be a 25- to 28-minutes a game guy probably. He’ll be more productive in those minutes. Just because over the court of six months his body could wear down.”
Even without Wilson one more game, the Jayhawks plan on running against Stony Brook in the first meeting between the schools.
“We’ve been playing way too slow because the lineups we have we can definitely get up and down the floor. We will make an emphasis on that,” said KU sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu.
Freshman forward K.J. Adams said the Jayhawks have been working on their fast break.
“We have quick guards like Remy (Martin) and Juan. Just to push the ball I think will help us,” Adams said. “Our whole team, I think their (coaches) whole objective this year was to get a faster team than last year. We have to do a better job with it as the games progress. I feel we have all the pieces. We can play fast, get up and go.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 4:24 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks eager to pick up pace against Stony Brook: ‘We would like to play faster’."
