Kansas picked up a comfortable win against Oakland, 78-57. Bill Self spoke to the media postgame about what he saw from AJ Storr and Flory Bidunga, and how he thought the Jayhawks defended the Golden Grizzlies.
Good to see Storr shoot it, needs to improve defensively
Storr was Kansas’ leading scorer with 16 points. He made seven of his nine shots including two of three triples. Self said it was good to see him shoot it well, but there were things on the defensive end that were more eye-catching.
“Some guys they wait and play their man after he catches the ball, and he got his eyes dotted a couple of times,” Self said. “You’ve got to take away airspace when you’re guarding three-point shooters.”
Self complimented his ability in transition and thought the performance was what Storr needed offensively. There are still ways he can improve, but Self is happy with his attitude.
“I think with AJ, him doing the things that we’d like for him to do – to be to not have to make shots to play well – he’s still got a ways to go in that area,” Self said. “I think he can guard better, though. I think he can rebound better, but I think he can fit in anywhere. His attitude is fantastic.”
Storr also had two assists but Self thought that was a byproduct of Oakland’s zone.
“I think playing against man, sometimes the ball tends to stick more than it does against the zone,” Self said. “But I think he’s getting better at it.”
Bidunga leaves room for improvement
Bidunga dropped nine points off the bench for Kansas, and Self thought he was aggressive offensively. However, there were ways he fell short defensively.
“He let his man catch it when he wanted to, and then he tried to play him after he caught it, and he’s going to have to get better at that and he can be much more aggressive in some other areas,” Self said.
Bidunga also had three turnovers, which caught the ire of Self. He said Bidunga has to be stronger with the ball in his hands.
“I was disappointed tonight,” Self said. “He had three turnovers and all three, I think, when he had the ball in his hands and people just knocked it out of his hands. He’s got to play stronger.”
Shakeel Moore makes debut, Kansas starting to figure out its rotation
Moore was limited to just five minutes in his season debut, but he was still able to make an impact. The Mississippi State transfer tallied two points, two rebounds, and an assist while running the point.
“I wanted to get him out there, but hopefully by next week he could be close to that [whole],” Self said.
Self also said he played too many guys, with the walk-ons getting the last three minutes. However, he’s beginning to figure out who he can rely on.
“I do think there’s a core nine we put out there [that’s] pretty interchangeable,” Self said. “I thought we did some good things.”
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