Self expresses enthusiasm for ‘fun,’ ‘fast’ squad at Late Night

Kansas head coach Bill Self addresses the group throughout Late Night within the Phog on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Friday night time’s males’s basketball portion of Late Night within the Phog featured an prolonged riff on the fact present “Love Island” that culminated in Kansas coach Bill Self deciding on not simply considered one of his gamers however all 16 — your entire workforce.

“I love this team,” he stated within the skit.

In a speech to assembled followers, setting the tone for the season forward, he emphasised that the sentiment he expressed wasn’t simply made for TV — it was the reality.

“I do love this team,” he reiterated. “This team is fun. This team is fast. This team has a blend of youthful exuberance and some vets and you know something, last year’s team did OK. But OK at the University of Kansas is not good enough.”

He continued: “This year’s team has a real chance if we like each other, if we enjoy each other, if we play well together, if we’re unselfish, but you know something else that we got to have? We got to have you.”

Self was exhorting the followers as they received their first take a look at the brand new gamers; in return, 9 gamers obtained the chance on Friday night time to absorb the Allen Fieldhouse environment as Jayhawks for the primary time. That encompassed nearly all of KU’s roster: freshmen Corbin Allen, Samis Calderon, Paul Mbiya, Darryn Peterson and Kohl Rosario and transfers Melvin Council Jr., Jayden Dawson, Nginyu Ngala and Tre White.

All did lots to endear themselves to KU followers, some as quickly as they had been launched — Council did a cartwheel, and Rosario threw his hat into the group — and obtained loads of applause from the group in return, particularly Peterson, though the followers reserved the most important cheer for the final participant launched on the night time, sophomore middle Flory Bidunga.

A skit with surprisingly excessive manufacturing values had KU coach Bill Self touring by means of a championship-ring-operated “time portal” in period-appropriate costume to recruit Jayhawks of varied eras. It featured, amongst others, Flory Bidunga as Wilt Chamberlain, Tony Bland as Paul Pierce, Darryn Peterson as Danny Manning, Kurtis Townsend as James Naismith and Joe Dooley as Clyde Lovellette and Brennan Bechard, Jeremy Case, and Jacque Vaughn as themselves with particular cameo appearances from Rosario and KJ Adams.

After the “Love Island” sketch, Self performed his regular giveaway to a pair of KU college students — who had been each, because it occurred, from Parker, Colorado. Neither was capable of convert a halfcourt shot on their very own — senior John Riddle taking pictures on his personal behalf, and sophomore Savannah Perea represented by newly signed Cleveland Cavalier Zeke Mayo — however each had been profitable from just a little nearer to the basket and earned $7,500 every.

Then got here the scrimmage, which break up gamers into crimson and blue groups. A back-and-forth 15-minute interval noticed a crimson workforce led by Darryn Peterson and Flory Bidunga emerge victorious, 27-23. Peterson led all gamers with 12 factors on 12 photographs, and nobody else scored greater than 5 or tried greater than 5 photographs.

One notably thrilling sequence noticed Peterson and Rosario commerce alley-oop dunks, Peterson’s off a feed from Calderon and Rosario’s from Council.

Self stated afterward that he wasn’t notably happy or displeased by any aspect of the scrimmage, whereas acknowledging that “usually I leave out of here not very happy.”

“I don’t think we’ll play that way in real games, but it was fine,” he added. “You know, one thing is different though, that when you get bodies out there and adrenaline’s flowing, you notice how tired everybody got quick. That was good for them, though.”

Senior guard Jayden Dawson didn’t take part within the scrimmage. Self had beforehand stated on Wednesday that Dawson was coping with a sore knee, however that they didn’t anticipate it to be something main.

With Late Night within the rearview mirror, the start of the lads’s basketball season attracts ever nearer. KU has a highway exhibition at Louisville subsequent Friday, one other preseason contest towards Fort Hays State on Oct. 28 after which its season opener on Nov. 3 towards Green Bay.

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Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports activities editor on the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves because the KU beat author whereas managing day-to-day sports activities protection. He beforehand labored as a sports activities reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a local of Los Angeles, he has regularly been advised he doesn’t give off “California vibes,” no matter which means.

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