KU freshman Johnny Furphy will miss next game, Bill Self says. But he’ll be back soon

Kansas freshman guard Johnny Furphy will miss Friday’s nonconference men’s basketball game against Yale because of a “family commitment” back in Australia, KU coach Bill Self revealed on Monday’s weekly Hawk Talk radio show.

Self said Furphy, a 6-foot-9 native of Melbourne, will miss just the one game, meaning he’ll be back for KU’s final nonconference game against Wichita State on Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Center.

“Johnny had a family commitment that he actually stayed for the Indiana game — he was supposed to leave before, and he stayed for the Indiana game,” Self said.

He reiterated to The Star after the hourlong Hawk Talk show that indeed Furphy had a commitment involving “family” in Australia.

“I’m not going to go into what it is,” Self added of the commitment. “He stayed for the Indiana game and then left early Sunday morning. Johnny will miss one game, the Yale game, in large part because of a family commitment he had to be at. We’ve known about this for months (that) it could potentially happen. We will be without Johnny on Friday.”

Self stated: “He is back in Melbourne at the moment. He doesn’t have to go home with anybody else (for the players’ short Christmas vacation Dec. 23-26). He had time to get home.”

Furphy scored one point and grabbed two rebounds while playing seven minutes in Saturday’s 75-71 win over Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

Wild celebration in Bloomington

Speaking of that victory, the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks celebrated in the visitors’ locker room after the final horn Saturday.

A video on the KU men’s basketball account on Twitter showed the scene. First, the players and coaches jumped up and down screaming in joy. Then junior forward KJ Adams played a song on a speaker placed on his shoulder entitled, “Take Over Your Trap.”

“That’s one of the best wins we’ve had since I’ve been here, 21 years,” Self told the team in the locker room after the Jayhawks battled back from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat Indiana in a hostile arena.

On Hawk Talk, Self added: “The Indiana win was a really good win. That was guys grinding. That was about the happiest I’ve seen a locker room other than winning an Elite Eight game or national championship game.”

He continued.

“I asked them what song they were playing: ‘Walk in Your Trap; Take over Your Trap? (by Bankroll Fresh).’ That’s on my playlist,” Self joked. “I was really into it. I knew all the words to that.”

KU freshman guard Elmarko Jackson said Monday the win “was great, some of the stuff you dream of as a kid when you are by yourself outside practicing hoops. Going in a hostile environment where opposing fans don’t like you even more going in because of past experiences with Hunter (Dickinson, former Michigan player who had 17 points, 14 rebounds in 38 minutes). It felt to me like it was the sweetest win we’ve had all year.”

Self reiterated Monday on Hawk Talk it indeed was one of KU’s best regular-season wins in his career.

“We beat Kentucky a couple times (in Lexington). It was a special win, obviously winning at Indiana. They have a good team. When they get their point guard back (Xavier Johnson, who has missed four games because of injury) they’ll be really good.

“They had a player play unbelievable. He wore us out,” Self added of senior Trey Galloway, who had a career-high 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting in 38 minutes.

“We didn’t play smart in some ways. The guys hung in there and were tough. It’s a long game. It’s a prime example (of how) if you stay within striking distance and hope like heck you can put together a good six, seven minutes to be able to separate ... I’m happy for our guys, proud of ‘em. Everybody contributed in a positive way.”