KU coach Bill Self lauds PG Dajuan Harris: ‘That dude has eyes all around his head’

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self continues to marvel at the play of Dajuan Harris, the starting point guard on last year’s national championship team who has directed the No. 8-ranked Jayhawks to a 9-1 record thus far his redshirt-junior campaign.

“You guys (fans) are watching the most underrated guard in the country every day that you watch us play,” Self said Monday night on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show aired before a live audience at Johnny’s Tavern in West Lawrence.

“The little things he does, ... how he can bluff at the ball and get back, how he can get his hands on the ball, how he can act like he’s not trying and all of a sudden quickly run through a pass — he has kind of a feel in every situation. That dude has eyes all around his head. He is a good basketball player,” Self added.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Harris, who has totaled 65 assists to 19 turnovers in 10 games (best assist/turnover ratio in the Big 12), scored six points and dished nine assists against two turnovers with two steals in KU’s 95-67 victory over Missouri on Saturday. The game was played at Mizzou Arena in Harris’ hometown of Columbia, Missouri.

Harris on Dec. 1 had 10 points with seven assists, one turnover and three steals in a 91-65 rout of Seton Hall at Allen Fieldhouse. And in the game prior to that on Nov. 28 he had nine assists against one turnover with three steals in an 87-55 home win over Texas Southern.

Harris has 25 assists to four turnovers in the last three games.

“He takes two shots the other day (at MU, making both) and totally controls the game,” Self said.

“People look at Juan. He weighs 160 pounds (though he’s listed 15 pounds heavier than that), doesn’t play above the rim like some guys do. He’s not muscled up. He doesn’t look to score, yet his team usually has more points than the other team. Regardless if it’s pickup (game), regardless if it’s anything competitive, his team always seems to win. I think that’s one of the great things about him.”

Self noted that, “there was a period of time (last season) Juan’s team never lost regardless of what team he was on (at practice). It didn’t matter if he was on second team, first team, whatever. He just figures out a way how to utilize everybody to give us the best chance. He’s doing a good job of that.”

The Harris-led KU offense had 24 assists on 35 baskets at Missouri. The Tigers (9-1) finished with eight assists. KU suffered just 14 turnovers (to MU’s 21) despite the Tigers pressing the entire game.

“Missouri plays different than anybody we’ve played against so far. We practiced against eight (defenders) all week long, going full court playing against eight the entire possession as long as that possession lasted,” Self said.

“I think it’s a little easier to play against five when you are practicing against eight. We do that whenever we play teams that pressure like that. That may have helped us a little bit, too,” Self added.

KU’s student managers helped out during the 8-against-5 practice scrimmage situations.

“We’ve got some of the craftiest 5-foot-7-inch managers,” Self said with a laugh. “I mean KJ (Adams, 6-8 forward) thinks he’s really doing something when he posts one of them up. We have maybe the shortest managerial staff in America. We go about 5-6, 5-8, 5-8, but they are quick. Not very big, but they are quick. We’ve got a couple managers that can really play, that are legitimate NAIA or Division II players. That is a bonus.”

More on the atmosphere at Mizzou

Self spoke on his team winning Saturday before 15,061 fans at Mizzou Arena.

“I thought the crowd was ready for us. I thought they did a good job,” Self said. “I thought their chants were in unison. I thought they had a great rhythmic thing to it. I told our guys, ‘The louder it gets, the more you should enjoy it and have fun.’

“There’s nothing better to me than winning a game away from home, knowing you’ve got 200 in your (traveling) party or 150 in your party — basically your team going against 15,000 cheering for the other team and maybe have the stands not be totally full when the game hits zero. That certainly happened Saturday.”

KU, which is in finals week, will next meet No. 14 Indiana (8-2) at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.