What do you do when your pre season AA PG candidate goes Pillsbury for 5 poptarts, your OAD 4 sits for car issues (?), your great perimeter shooters join The Icecapades, and UK sushi goes +8 in blocks?
Simple: guard, protect, and have everyone get on the glass, so that your footer that likes to grab not more 8-9 rpg doesn’t have to vary his routine. Oh, and play 5 guys 35-49 minutes each, cut Marcus Garrett to a bit part and give LIGHTFOOT a nano role. Bench? We don’t need no stinking bench!
It was vintage Self. Cal went back to the motel not quite sure how Self had beaten him. Oh he knew the basics: his UK players were so young they were up past their bedtimes. They think jump’n’block is team defense. They couldn’t hit spit. And so on.
But that only explains how Cal’s team of athletic foetuses lost. Not how KU won.
Short Answer: KU Self resorted to Self’s now ledendary little-of-this-pinch-of-that offense chipping away at a pyramid, which to the unfamiliar looks like magic, but to the familiar looks like Self patiently playing take-what-they-give-us-with-what-the cat dragged-in-and-didn’t-have-too-many-off -court-issues-to-play.
Defense. Defense. Defense. Even with no fouls to give.
The guy flat thrives on coaching through adversity. No Preston? No Problem! Five guys and Marcus-not-ready-for-prime-time Garrett. It was a chance for Azuibuke to learn to drag his wide load up and down the wood for 30 plus minutes. Really! This was probably the most dazzling accomplishment of any. Did Azuibuke ever play that many minutes in a serious game in his life? Doubtful. It was like watching a Sumo wrestler finish a marathon!
Self said he was proud of his guys.
Yup, sure should be.
And they of him.
