Kansas Freshman Josh Selby Conducts Media Teleconference
Dec. 13, 2010
Kansas freshman guard Josh Selby took a break from his busy semester-ending schedule and conducted a media teleconference Monday. Selby will play in his first game of the season Saturday, Dec. 18, against USC in Allen Fieldhouse. Below is the transcript of the teleconference.
On how the last month has been:
“My teammates, for the past couple of months, have made it very easy by keeping me focused on basketball and school. Thanks to them, the coaching staff and the fans here. For the past few months I have been making sure I have kept my grades up and getting into the chemistry of the team, practicing and working hard so I will be ready for the game that will take place December 18th against USC.”
On what Saturday’s game means to him:
“It means a lot to me because I never thought this situation would be over. It’s finally over; I get to go out there and play along with my teammates, which we have all been waiting for. We are all looking forward to this game. It means a lot to us (the team), the Kansas fans and the coaching staff.”
On what he believes will be the toughest adjustment for him in the first game or two:
“The toughest thing that I am going to have to adjust to is the game speed because the collegiate level is much faster than the high school level. I’ve missed nine games. That, and the fans, because the fans here are crazy. Those will be the two toughest things for me. We were voted the loudest fans here and just the cheering and acknowledgement will put butterflies in my stomach.”
On having to play off the ball:
“I was known for playing with the ball, but I think it will easy to adjust to because the coaches have done a great job teaching me how to play off the ball and giving me some good pointers along with the other players. I think it will be easy for me because me and Tyshawn (Taylor) have great chemistry together in practice.”
On sitting out nine games when Enes Kanter will miss the entire season at Kentucky:
“I do feel that I am lucky because when I saw what happened with the Kanter situation, I wondered if they (the NCAA) would do the same thing with me. But God does things for a reason and I am just thankful that God gave me the opportunity to play a game in college.”
On who he leaned on other than teammates during his suspension:
“Besides my teammates and the coaching staff, my mom basically kept me going through this and (continues) keeping me focused.”
On people expecting too much from him after all the hype:
“I’m not really worried about that because I’m just going to go out there, play ball and try to win with my team. That’s my biggest concern right now. I’m not focusing on myself. I’m focusing on my teammates, just making the fans and the coaching staff feel happy and walk away with a `W’. That is my biggest concern.”
On if there was ever a time he thought about leaving Kansas, playing in Europe or somewhere else:
“I never thought about leaving Kansas because they put so much work into this situation and they never gave up on me so I was never thinking about giving up on them.”
On what he would have done differently in this situation if he could go back and what advice he would give to high school student-athletes:
“To be honest, I would have never done anything different because I don’t feel I really technically did anything wrong. There are some rules you have to apply (to) but for people who are in my situation, what I would tell them is to just think twice before you do things. That’s the biggest thing I would say.”
On his expectations for himself on Saturday versus USC:
“The only thing I would like to do is don’t mess up the chemistry of my teammates. They already have a great chemistry out there, as you can see, when you watch the games.”
On taking a backseat compared to pushing the envelope in the games:
“The only thing I see in our offense is the offense runs through the twins (junior forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris). As you can see, they are great guys. They are great scorers, great players. Our offense runs through them. I’m taking a backseat regardless. Whatever my team and the coaching staff needs me to do, I will do it for them, to win. If it’s scoring or playing the point guard, that’s what I will do.”
On what dimension he brings to the Jayhawks that the team might be lacking in (strength):
“From what my teammates have been saying in my ear, (I am) somebody who can create his own shot and (I also provide) a toughness.”
On how his mother and grandmother felt once the eligibility situation had been determined:
“My grandma and mom were very happy because my mom was thinking I wasn’t going to get to play. It was so frustrating. Saturday, with my grandmom and mom, you will see a lot of tears. I don’t know if you will see them shed tears, but they never thought I would play college basketball.”
On what it has been like for him when KU has been playing on the road and he stayed in Lawrence:
“It’s hard because you feel left out. I was working on my game always, staying on top of my game, so when the 18th game came around, I would be prepared. My teammates would send me text messages letting me know there was a missing piece and they were missing me being with them. I was okay. They kept me going.”
On how much difference he believes he can make for the KU team:
“I don’t know how much better they can be. I guess we have to find out the 18th, I really don’t know.”
On how much he has noticed the fans chanting, etc. for him:
“I notice that a lot. It means a lot to me and my family because to hear thousands of people chant your name and stuff, makes you feel wanted. There’s nothing better than feeling wanted by that many people. I’m just happy that they want me here and that they want to see me on the court.”
