BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 19, 2022

Bill Self

Kansas Jayhawks

Media Day Press Conference

COACH SELF: It's good to be here again. It's obviously just right around the corner. And we're very excited about this year's group. It's young, inexperienced. But I think pretty talented and certainly one that hopefully we have a chance to play at a high enough level that we can compete for a title in a league that's been as good or better than any league in the country.

It's a stiff challenge but one we're looking forward to and can't wait to get started.

Q. Speaking of the league, the Big 12's had a lot of success in so many areas, computer rankings and draft picks and regular season success. But what do the rings for this league over the last couple years and three straight years in the title game, how does that elevate the status of the Big 12?

COACH SELF: I think it's hard to say that you're the best if you don't actually produce it when it counts the most. And so we've been, like, the RPI or the net, I think we've been the top league in the country six of the last seven, something like that. And five of those years we didn't have anything to show for it at the end of the day. I do think that it means a lot.

I know with us personally we've had a large number of very good teams that basically was in the game and had a possibility of winning a national championship and didn't get it done. So for us, I think we owed it not only to our school but also to our league to actually deliver on those opportunities. And we were able to do so this year and of course Baylor was able to do so last year. I think, and Tech came a jump shot away from doing it in the prior tournament.

I think those type of finishes are what elevates a league to being thought of to be really, really good regular season, but that can be thought of to be the best overall.

Q. Can you walk us through what it was like recruiting Kevin McCullar through the transfer portal? And how big a decision was it considering his success in the Big 12 already?

COACH SELF: Kevin fit us perfectly, we thought. He's versatile. He can play point. He can play 4. We think he was a great gift for us. And he's been so well-coached by Chris and by Mark, obviously.

It's good. It's a weird time now. I don't know how many players transferred within the league this past year. And it's one that you could say maybe could upset a school when they leave to go compete against them at the next school. But we got to face it. It's the way of the world it is.

We had a youngster go to Oklahoma State two years ago. And we don't wish any ill will on him. We hope he does well, just not at our expense. I would think Tech would feel the same about Kevin because he's a marvelous young man.

But he became a very, very high priority for us when he became available because I just love his versatility. And I think he fits us perfectly.

Q. It was reported sometime last week that the NBA might be changing the draft age back to 18. What are just your thoughts on that, and how will it affect recruiting?

COACH SELF: Well, it will certainly affect recruiting. I'm not sure it will affect the majority of us recruiting. We haven't recruited very many one-and-dones of late. I guess Josh was the last one.

But we have done a really nice job recruiting, but over time, in the 20 years we've been here, we've recruited I think nine one-and-dones, which is still a high number, but it's not like we're recruiting to live off those guys to be our leading scorer and leading rebounders their freshman year.

I don't think it will affect us a ton. I think obviously the best programs will still get the best guys. The hardest workers will get the best guys. But being able to evaluate and project will be more important now than ever because it's not just hard to evaluate and project the No. 1 pick is going to be a really good player for your program.

But you get past those top 10 or 12, whatever guys there is, it's going to be a lot more about development at least with those type of guys than maybe what it has been here recently.

Q. Any young guys you are going to be depending on besides the big three you have here today?

COACH SELF: Yeah, I brought my vets today. Jalen is a sophomore and Kevin is a junior and Juan is a sophomore, I guess, by COVID and new eligibility rules.

But we signed four freshmen. Zuby was probably the most unheralded one, but he's going to be a terrific player. He's got balance, he's 6'8" and has a body. He's just time away.

And then Ernest is 6'10". He's a rim runner and a really good lob catcher and defender. I think he's got a chance to be a special guy.

MJ Rice is kind of a young Wayne Selden type, and Wayne was a terrific player for us. Hopefully MJ can become a reactor instead of thinker, because he's thinking too much now. But he's going to be a great player.

And then Gradey Dick has been everything we thought he would be thus far. He's got a high release. At 6'8", he can get a shot off and certainly can really shoot the basketball.

So we'll depend on all those guys and all of them will play. But right now I'd say Gradey probably has the biggest chance to have a huge impact early. But all of them will see action.

Q. You've got a roster full of players now that gained invaluable experience with the national championship run. And you add in a player in Kevin McCullar who has also been on that stage as well. What does that experience do in terms of setting the bar for success for the younger players that you have on your roster and what that can do moving your program forward?

COACH SELF: I think in a perfect world, you want your foundation to be your older guys, but maybe your most talented kids to be your younger guys -- in kind of a perfect world. And we've got a situation where we're returning two that have been on the biggest stage and have a ton of experience, and a transfer that's also been on the big stage even though at Tech. But other than that, we're really, really young.

We've got guys that were contributors last year that now have to become major contributors this year. And it's going to be a different role for everybody.

But I like it. I think that we had unbelievable leadership last year. And I think that those three, and primarily Juan and Jalen, I think they can become some of the more elite leaders that we've ever had there.

So I'm excited about it. I think our youngsters need to be good. But our vets need to be really good to make sure our youngsters are good. And I think they have the right makeup and the unselfishness in order to do that.