KU coach Bill Self looking for defense and consistency as he decides last lineup spot
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self is looking closely at one thing to help determine who he’ll pick as KU’s final starter: defense.
KU freshman guards Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy, along with sixth-year sharpshooter Nick Timberlake, are all competing for the last spot. Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson are the other four set starters.
Self remained noncommittal about the last lineup spot after KU’s 73-55 win over Fort Hays State on Wednesday.
“I don’t think we score enough out of that position not to be good defensively — right now,” Self said. “That doesn’t help make the decision easier right now because nobody guards yet.”
Still, a player did catch his eye — Furphy. The Australian guard had two points, three rebounds, one steal and an assist against the Tigers in 14 minutes.
Furphy has dealt with shin splints over the last few weeks, which has caused him to miss practice time.
“I would say Johnny ... looked OK today, considering he practiced one time in three weeks,” Self said. “He’ll get better and everything. He’s a very smart (from an) IQ standpoint. So, even though he’s missed (practices), he’ll pick stuff up quickly when he comes back in a short amount of time.”
As for what Self, who expressed some frustration with his team’s performance across the board on Wednesday, is looking for?
“We are going to need somebody to come through and be consistent,” he said. “Right now, I think that’s totally up in the air.”
Jackson started against Illinois while Timberlake started against Fort Hays State. Furphy started the second half for the Jayhawks on Wednesday. None of the players played particularly well.
Timberlake had three points (1-for-6 shooting), three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes. Jackson had no points on 0-for-2 shooting, adding one rebound and three assists in 16 minutes.
Self added that KU guard Kevin McCullar will play point guard when Dajuan Harris isn’t on the court.
“I do believe it would be nice if Elmarko was ready for that, but Elmarko is thinking so much — he can’t play,” Self said. “He’s paralyzed. So he’s thinking so much and you throw him to be the point guard and everything would make (him) in his mind think more. So I’d rather try to remove as much of that as (I) can.”
KU’s starting point guard, Harris, said he doesn’t have a preference for the fifth starter at this point.
“It really don’t matter to me,” Harris said. “Whatever Coach trusts, I’m going to trust Coach too. So if he said that he wanted one of the newcomers or one of the new freshmen out — I’m going to rock behind them and I know Coach (is) going to rock behind them 100%, too.”
Adams shared a similar sentiment regarding the last lineup spot.
“Kind of just piggybacking on defense,” Adams said. “Whatever coach wants and whatever coach thinks is best for the team, but usually focus on defensive players that usually start. So whoever is the best defensive player out of all them is probably going to play the most.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 11:31 PM with the headline "KU coach Bill Self looking for defense and consistency as he decides last lineup spot."
