Why KU coach Bill Self was unimpressed by his Jayhawks’ play at Late Night scrimmage
Rapper/singer/songwriter Flo Rida was a smash hit during a 90-minute mini-concert to conclude Friday’s 39th annual Late Night in the Phog basketball event at Allen Fieldhouse.
The 44-year-old artist, who allowed fans to pack James Naismith Court and dance in front of a massive sound stage on the south end of the tradition-rich building, may have figured he needed to perform overtime to help erase memories of the Jayhawks’ 15-minute intrasquad scrimmage.
KU coach Bill Self, who enjoyed the musical proceedings, was unhappy with the actual basketball portion of the event.
Kevin McCullar scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting (1-of-5 from 3-point range) to lead the Crimson team to an uneventful 24-19 victory over the Blue squad. Nick Timberlake made three 3s and scored 11 points to lead the Blues.
“Long night, let’s get the heck out of here,” Self said in beginning his post-Late Night media session.
“That was awful. That was as bad a play as we’ve ever had for a Late Night. It was kind of a screwed-up deal though, starting and stopping and doing that kind of stuff. The sequence of events didn’t flow very well or wasn’t conducive for good play. We looked bad. I promise you we’ll play a lot better than that.”
It was a strange scrimmage.
The guest host at one point interviewed freshman guard Johnny Furphy while the action continued behind them. Furphy, a freshman wing from Australia, finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting. He was 0-for-2 from 3-point range with four rebounds in his first appearance in front of the KU fans.
“That’s just not basketball guys, gosh almighty,” Self continued. “I’ve already had ex-players FaceTime me and say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ (Former KU star-turned-NBA champion) Christian Braun said, ‘I wish I could be at practice on Sunday because you are going to kill them, aren’t you?’ The answer is ‘Yes.’ Just from a competitive standpoint, there wasn’t anything out there.”
The two teams combined for 5-of-26 three-point shooting.
“We’ve had this issue at Late Night many other times too,” Seld said, “but it’s more obvious and evident when you only have 10 guys on scholarship. If two do not show up to play it looks really bad. In the past you could not play three guys. We don’t have that luxury this year.”
Timberlake, a newcomer from Towson, hit 4 of 6 shots and was 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
“He made a hard 2, too,” Self said of the 6-foot-4 senior guard. “It was nice to see the ball go in the basket for Nick He’s a good shooter.”
Newcomer Hunter Dickinson, who like Furphy received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd during pre-game player introductions, scored two points on 1-of-6 shooting. He had three rebounds and two assists. He was 0-for-3 from 3-point range.
“I think we could have taken it a little more serious, especially for me,” Dickinson said. “I might have been joking around a little bit too much out there. I mean, in my defense I was saving myself for the dance a little bit. I was nervous about that. It’s good it didn’t count, but I’m sure Coach Self will have some words for us ...”
And that dance number: The Jayhawks actually performed a dance routine after the scrimmage, leading into Flo Rida’s concert. Usually, the scrimmage concludes the Late Night proceedings.
“For me I’d give myself 8.5 out of 10,” Dickinson said of his dancing ability. “I might have missed one spin around. Other than that, everything else was good.”
The transfer big man from Michigan said he’ll remember the reception he received from the fans for a long time.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a building so packed for a Late Night. It was incredible to see so many people so interested in the introduction of the team, basically,” Dickinson said. “When I got introduced, it was a surreal feeling, the fans giving welcome to me and me giving welcome to fans, as well. It was a great feeling.”
Scrimmage box score
Blue Team (19)
Nick Timberlake 4-6 0-0 11 points, Zach Clemence 1-3 0-0 2, Hunter Dickinson 1-6 0-0 2, Dajuan Harris 1-3 0-0 2, Jamari McDowell 1-4 0-0 2, Patrick Cassidy 0-1 0-0 0, Justin Cross 0-2 0-0 0, Dillon Wilhite 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 8-25 0-0 19. Leaders: Assists: Harris 2, Dickinson 2. Rebounds: Clemence 4. Turnovers: Clemence 2. Steals: Harris, McDowell 1.
Crimson Red Team (24)
Kevin McCullar 5-9 1-2 12, Elmarko Jackson 2-6 1-2 6, KJ Adams 1-2 2-2 4, Johnny Furphy 1-3 0-0 2, Parker Braun 0-3 0-0 0, Michael Jankovich 0-1 0-0 0, Wilder Evers 0-1 0-0 0, Chris Carter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 9-26 4-6 24. 3-point shooting: 2-14 (Jackson 1-3, McCullar 1-5, Furphy 0-2, Jankovich 0-1, Evers 0-1, Carter 0-1, Braun 0-1). Leaders: Assists: Adams 2, Braun 1, Jackson 1. Turnovers: Adams, Furphy 1. Steal: Adams 2.
x-Scrimmage was 15 minutes running clock.
