Self lays out his philosophy for handling Freshmen
Pulled from the Wichita Eagle. Read the whole thing, but this particular bit his helpful for identifying Self’s core philosophy - you have to earn it. I think it also reveals one reason why last year was tough - he couldn’t make players he didn’t recruit appreciate his system as much.
* Have the Phog Blog come to you! * Subscribe to CommentsYou can argue forever whether Chalmers’ defense would have come around just as fast — or faster — if Self had started him from the get-go.
“I’m sure if you asked Mario, he’d say yes,” Self said. “But from our perspective, when you bring freshmen in, you’re not in it to win games in November and December. You’re in it to do what’s best over time and over their careers.
“If guys don’t fight through certain things and understand certain things, they’re not going to appreciate certain things. It’s better if you have to earn everything you get, especially early in your career when that foundation is laid.”
That is the lesson he has applied to all his young players, which the same as saying pretty much the entire team.
3 Responses to “Self lays out his philosophy for handling Freshmen”
Leave a Reply
Comment Policy:Be polite.You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 10th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
now we know why micah “best pure shooter on the team” couldn’t crack the rotation to begin the season. too bad he didn’t stick it out. he’d be a better all-around player if he had.
February 10th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I think so too. According to Ken Pomeroy, Kansas is ranked 2nd in the nation in defensive efficiency.
Gonzaga is ranked 132nd.
And that’s why Gonzaga will flame out of the tournament again this year.
I’d love to see our name across from Gonzaga’s in the bracket, as it is in Lunardi’s latest bracketology.
February 11th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I love the way Self makes players stick it out so they actually value defense instead of just playing it because they are forced to. Great coaching move. It’s things like that that prove to me its not just the recruiting that makes Self a great coach.
The one problem I have with Self though is how he can get on the players cases so much. Seeing (on TV) him say lines like “What were you thinking!” When guys come to the bench can really wear on a kid’s confidence. Anyone who has had a condescending coach can second that. Not that I’m too worried about his departure (Davon Jeffer$$on!), but that may have helped get Micah down and out.