What KU basketball players are saying as Bill Self’s Boot Camp practices start Monday
Kansas basketball players worked as on-court instructors for approximately 150 youngsters Saturday afternoon at the CareSource Kansas Impact Camp at the spacious New Century Fieldhouse in Gardner.
It ran from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., concluding 38 hours before the Jayhawks’ next team activity — Monday’s 6:50 a.m. Bill Self Boot Camp conditioning session in the Jayhawks’ practice facility adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse.
“Not as fun,” KU fifth-year senior guard Michael Jankovich said with a smile, referring to the first edition of the 2023 boot camp. He was speaking to media during a break at Saturday’s high-energy clinic, offered free of charge to Kansas City-area boys and girls grades 3 to 8.
“Absolutely it’s hard. This will be my fifth one. At least I know what to expect,” Jankovich, a 6-4, 190-pound Dallas native added of KU basketball boot camp, a Bill Self-conditioning creation scheduled during the preseason in each of his 21 years at KU.
Boot camp, Self-style, consists of early-morning sprints, rope jumping, defensive slides, backboard touches and other conditioning drills for 60 to 70 minutes Monday through Friday. Then after a weekend break, the camp resumes Monday through Thursday of the following week.
Self said in August, after the team’s weeklong trip to Puerto Rico, this year’s boot camp might only last a week, considering the Jayhawks had an especially taxing summer practicing then playing three exhibition games in San Juan.
“It just depends on how coach is feeling. We’ll see,” Dajuan Harris, KU’s 6-2, 170-pound junior point guard from Columbia, Missouri, said at Saturday’s clinic.
“I’m not trying to think about boot camp right now. But it starts Monday. We’ve got to get hydrated, get some fluids in our body before Monday comes. That whole week is going to be bad, waking up super early. We’ve got to come with a lot of energy, that’s all,” Harris added.
Aside from waking much earlier than usual — “it’s scheduled for 6:50. I set my timer for 6:40, 6:30 to get a little sleep in,” Harris said — what’s the toughest aspect of the hour of nonstop conditioning?
“They all are the hardest drill,” Jankovich said. “I guess if I had to pick one, the ‘figure-8 closeout’ is probably one of my least favorite ones.
“It’s basically running and closing out and sliding. It’s not too fun. I know a lot of people saw the video that went viral a couple years ago (that showed) everyone hitting their head on the backboard (during backboard touches). That’s one of those I think is the hardest because I can’t do that,” Jankovich added.
Junior forward KJ Adams, who is about to embark on his third camp, conceded, “It’s hard. There’s no hiding from it. You’ve got to be ready. It really helps us for the season and Late Night (in the Phog) right after it.
“I think we are in pretty good shape right now,” added Adams, 6-7, 235 from Austin, Texas. “I think going home for the break didn’t help (conditioning) too much. I think we’re getting back into it. Boot camp will help us out. I don’t think it (conditioning) will be a problem any more (after boot camp).”
Guard Kevin McCullar is not dreading his second and final boot camp.
“It’s part of it. I love it,” McCullar, KU’s super-senior transfer from Texas Tech listed at 6-7, 212 pounds, said. “It builds our team closer. That’s what we’re going to need to have to make a run this year.”
The Jayhawk players tend to support each other during all the running.
“It’s going to be good,” McCullar said. “It’s always good to see these guys go through that and us go through that. It brings us together.”
Actually the toughest part of the camp, McCullar said, “is the last two days, all the running we do.”
The Jayhawks have to achieve certain times while running a high number of sprints the final two days.
“It’s a gut check. You’ve got to come ready to work for sure,” McCullar stated.
No basketballs are used during the sessions.
“Unfortunately no,” Jankovich said. “Just a lot of running.”
So much running that in past years a player or two has lost his breakfast, so to speak.
“You’ll never have a problem finding somewhere to throw up,” Jankovich said, acknowledging there are trash cans strategically placed in the gym.
“It’s important,” he added of the annual conditioning exercise. “First thing is it helps everyone get in condition. Then on top of that: Going through it as a team, I think it brings everyone closer together.”
KU coach Self has described the purpose of boot camp this way: “Same as always. Get them in shape, ready to practice, also develop some mental toughness and bond together. I think some leaders can be born and found during boot camp.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2023 at 7:48 PM with the headline "What KU basketball players are saying as Bill Self’s Boot Camp practices start Monday."
