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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY

October 23, 2019

Bill Self

Kansas City, Missouri

BILL SELF: I'm probably more excited about getting to basketball this year than I have been in most years. I really like our team. I think that we have some things that when you try to construct a team that you would definitely look to try to do.

There's still a lot of unknowns about it, as well. But I like our guys. I think we got big bodies. I think we got a little bit of depth. We got some speed on the perimeter. A big question will be, can we defend the perimeter and can we shoot it consistently beyond the arc.

If we're able to do those things, I think this could be a pretty fun season for us.

Q. Regard the investigation. You said in your statement you put out in September that you characterized the NCAA's allegations as a false narrative and full of mischaracterizations. If that is the case, how would you characterize your relationship with former adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola and the text messages and calls you had with him?
BILL SELF: The message, if you read the statement, which you obviously did, was one in which I made the statement, then I also said that we cannot comment to any details of anything going on with the allegations due to the NCAA process. I'm going to follow that. I'm going to stick to that.

Certainly the things that you just asked will be things that will be answered at the appropriate time, whenever it can be answered. Certainly this is not the time for that.

Q. What do you foresee for Isaiah Moss?
BILL SELF: I think he should be our best shooter. He's the most proven shooter we have in our program, without question, because he's done it obviously for three years in Iowa City.

I think he's going to be a contributor. Whether or not he's a starter, I don't know, because I haven't settled in on anything. He's been hampered by a tweaked hamstring.

I really believe that Isaiah Moss gives our big guys a chance to be the best they can possibly be because he can stretch the defense. He obviously has experience and has played in big games, will certainly help our young guys in that area.

Q. Dotson's right foot, the latest on that?
BILL SELF: He hurt it yesterday. I think whenever anything happens to a foot, you automatically put a boot on it these days.

He probably will not play tomorrow. I wouldn't think he would in our exhibition game. It's a day-to-day thing. I can't anticipate him missing more than three or four days.

Q. With all the success you've had, a lot of people don't like Kansas. With the issues involving the NCAA, what happened, do you think around the Big 12 in road games there's going to be a lot more incentive for people to get after y'all, and can you use it as motivation?
BILL SELF: I think we've probably given some rabid fan bases some ammunition to help in some areas to fire them up (smiling).

To be honest with you, we deal with hostile environments everywhere we go for the most part. I can't imagine that playing a factor into our success away from home.

I will tell you this. Our guys have always enjoyed playing in the toughest atmospheres. Usually that bonds us together, unites us. Hopefully we will put a better performance out because of that.

I don't think that will have any input whatsoever whether or not we're successful.

Q. With Udoka coming back, being injury-free, how that would be a feather in your team's cap?
BILL SELF: If he comes back, he has a chance to be as good as any five man in the country. We expect him to play to an All-American-type level as long as he's healthy.

I do believe he changes our team in a way that few can just because of his presence, athletic ability, certainly size. He's been dealt a rough hand his college career so far. He's played I believe nine games one season, 11 one season, then the year he was healthy we go to the Final Four. Last year we were actually pretty good, I think 9-0, ranked No. 1 or 2 when he got injured.

He and Devon are as key for us as probably any two players are for any team in America.

Q. You don't comment on specific allegations. What concerns do you have about the impact of this investigation on your job status at Kansas?
BILL SELF: I'm really not concerned about that, the job status you mentioned. I know that our chancellor and our athletic director, the basketball program, are totally aligned in this.

There's been a lot of people say certain things, which everybody is entitled to opinion. Certainly you can't be angry or bitter because people are writing and commenting on this because it actually has been big news in the college basketball world.

I just know the things that have taken place thus far, obviously nobody likes to deal with it, certainly I haven't liked it, but it's also in a strange way motivating me probably in a way that maybe I never have been to combat this by taking care of our business on the basketball court, working with our players in a way that maybe exceeds any way I've ever done it.

I do believe there could be a positive that comes out of that. That's certainly one of them. But as far as my legacy or whatever, that doesn't even register with me. I probably know me better than anybody else knows me. I know the people that I worked with over the years know me and everything.

I know that we have to get through this, and we'll get through this, be very happy when it is behind us. My legacy is the least of my concerns right now. I just want to do the best job I can coaching at a place that I absolutely love.

Q. How comfortable do you feel possibly playing four guards at times?
BILL SELF: I think we'll have to. I believe the big advantage that this team could have on paper is that we can play big. We've got good big guys, three pretty good big guys. We have a fourth good one if we don't redshirt him. We haven't made a decision yet on Mitch. So that's an advantage.

In order to take advantage of that, then you have to be able to have one of those guys defend a guard because most teams will play four around one. We haven't shown consistently we're very good at that.

If that's not the case, you're looking at us playing four guards, unless we play zone, and we don't play a lot of zone.

I thought initially 10 to 15, but I think there can actually be 20 minutes we can play four guards.

Q. It's only been a couple of days since the renewal of the game with Missouri. What kind of feedback have you gotten?
BILL SELF: I haven't got a lot directly. Believe it or not, I haven't been a big reader of newspapers of late.

I think it's been more positive than not positive. I don't think you can make decisions where you can please 100% of the people all the time. I know I have my reasons wanting to do it. I think they're very, very valid. Certainly I know that it helps Kansas.

I'm actually excited about it. I miss the game. I miss the energy. I miss the fans' hatred for one another, which doesn't pass down to coaches or players, but certainly that interest level, which is very evident by selling this place out in 41 minutes in 2017, I believe, is something that kids go to college to play in games like that.

I'm excited to get that back. From a tactical standpoint, strategic standpoint, it helps the scheduling. It's more difficult to schedule than it used to be. Everybody used to play 16 league games, you have 15 games that you can actually schedule. Some leagues are going to 20. We're at 18. They go to 20. Then you have an SEC challenge or Big East challenge, champions game, exhibitions. There's no more games to schedule from an intraconference standpoint.

This is two or three years we know our respective fan bases can see us play. I think it will be very positive moving forward.

Q. With the NCAA allegations hanging around, what sort of stuff have you been hearing on the recruiting trail? What effect can things like this have?
BILL SELF: Recruiting is hard regardless. When you're recruiting at an elite level, you have obstacles each and every year that may be a little bit different to try to recruit.

It's something that we certainly explain out and are very transparent with everything going on. There's not anybody that we recruit that we don't tell them how it is, at least the way we know it to be.

I would say it's definitely had an impact. I will also say this: I think we're in position to have one of our better early signing periods we've had in a long time. Even though it's hard, it's never easy, I think we're going to come out of it okay.

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