Earlier this week, 6-foot-5 freshman guard Travis Releford and his coach, Bill Self, had a 5-minute phone conversation as Releford walked across the University of Kansas campus.According to Releford, “The first thing he said was, ‘Did you call to talk about your playing time?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ I wanted to know more of what I had to do to get back on the court. Coach told me things I need to work on if I want to play.”
Coach Self outlined a plan for helping Releford get more minutes:
“Get out there on defense, steal my teammates extra possessions on the offensive end by getting offensive rebounds, and create for others. Defensively getting on my man before he can make a play and before the ball can get to him,” Releford said. “I knew it was nothing personal. I always knew that. There are things I need to work on.”
Said Coach Self:
“It’s partly a situation we’re trying to win or the other team is doing something where I’m not comfortable with Travis (in the game). Basically, Travis has to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder and a high-energy guy that can create offense for others, not just himself. Those are things where he’ll get to the point he can do them in the game. When you don’t have a very experienced team, you want to get at least a little (experience) out there.”
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