KU’s Bill Self doesn’t put much stock in scrimmage: ‘Just good enough to get beat’

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self may have paid more attention to a pair of pre-taped skits, one intrasquad dodgeball match and the 40-minute mini-concert by musical artist Lil Jon than he did his Jayhawks’ 15-minute intrasquad scrimmage on Friday night.

The setting: KU’s 40th annual Late Night in the Phog hoops kickoff event inside newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse.

“I didn’t watch it that close,” Self said of the Flory Bidunga-led Blue team’s 30-26 victory over the Crimson squad. “I was doing radio (interview). Without being critical … I’m not going to leave out here mad. I thought it was OK. First time under the lights, guys were nervous, I thought it was OK.”

Bidunga, KU’s 6-foot-9, 220-pound freshman forward from Democratic Republic of Congo, hit 6 of 7 shots and was 1-of-1 from the free-throw line for 13 points. KJ Adams, a 6-7, 235-pound senior forward from Austin, Texas, totaled 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Take out Bidunga and Adams — who hit a combined 11 of 14 shots for 78.6% — and the rest of the Jayhawks hit 14 of 29 shots for 48.3%.

KU combined to hit 5 of 14 three-point attempts for 35.7%. Former Rice guard Noah Shelby, who is ticketed for a redshirt season at Kansas, was 2-for-2 from 3-point range, meaning Jayhawks who are currently eligible to compete in games went 3-of-12 (25%).

“Some guys probably looked better than others,” Self said. “For the most part,” the coach continued, KU was “just good enough to get beat, but it was not bad.”

Self was asked if Bidunga, who deposited several of his teammates’ lobs for forceful dunks, would be a “fan favorite” this season.

“I hope a lot of them are. I think he will be,” Self said.

“Zeke is local. He’ll be a fan favorite,” KU’s 22nd-year coach noted of South Dakota State transfer and Lawrence High grad Zeke Mayo, who hit 1 of 2 shots for two points Friday. He was 0-for-1 from 3-point range.

“We’ve got a 5-8 guy out there that will be a fan favorite,” Self said.

The coach was referring to Northern Illinois transfer David “Diggy” Coit, who was 2-of-5 from 3-point range for six points. He also had a rebound and an assist.

“That doesn’t count AJ (Storr), Rylan (Griffen) or Shak (Shakeel Moore). It’s a good solid class. I’m not going to say we have a bunch of super, super, super superstars. I think we’ve got several good players. We do. I think our depth has been upgraded quite a bit from last year.”

Wisconsin transfer Storr missed five shots and did not score Friday night, but he did dish two assists. Alabama transfer Griffen was 2-of-4 from the field (1-of-3 from 3-point range), which was good for five points.

Moore, a defensive whiz from Mississippi State, did not play as he recovers from foot surgery.

“The best players don’t make the best teams,” Self said. “The best players that play together the best make the best teams.

“I don’t think NBA scouts will roll through here and will say, ‘They’ve got all these pros,’ but I do think they have a chance to say, ‘They’ve got lot of really good players, good pieces.’ On any one night, any of those guys are capable of having big games. Last year if four or five starters … if they weren’t ones having big nights, nobody else would. I think we have some guys we can put in there that can do so.”

Self said he’s noticed that after three weeks of practice, the team seems to “like each other. They are unselfish and willing passers. If we can guard, rebound, know how to guard a ball screen, things we are not going to be any good at (during the preseason), for the most part I think they are trying real hard.”

Self spent a lot of time Friday discussing the refurbished fieldhouse. Self told fans he wasn’t sure the $55 million renovation would be completed in time for the 40th annual Late Night extravaganza.

“Well, my supervisor told me it’d happen, 100%. He is usually about 70% right, so I thought three days ago it’d be pretty hard to pull it off. They did (pull it off),” Self said of construction crews. “A lot of people worked a lot of hours. They told me 10-hour shifts, seven days a week, (they) came from all over the Midwest here to get it done.

“We’re very thankful for their efforts. The building is great and we haven’t seen it (completely) finished yet. You haven’t seen the graphics (to be displayed on two new upper deck video boards) yet, some amenities on the third floor, things that will make it great. The sound, lights are really good.”

In a video interview with 98-year-old Warren Corman, the last living architect of the six-person team that originally designed the fieldhouse, Self said: “Seventy years later, the building hasn’t lost any of its integrity. It hasn’t been compromised, as far as history, but the modern amenities make it cool.

“It’s something that will last us another 10, 15 years before we have to think about another major renovation.”

Of the possibility of KU someday replacing Allen Fieldhouse with a new building, Self told Corman: “We don’t have to worry about that on our watch.”