Kansas Jayhawks point guard Dajuan Harris answers questions from the media during the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tipoff.
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00:00 >> And what do you like about this team?
00:01 Is there anything that, obviously it's different from last year, but
00:05 I mean, you've got Hunter next to you, you've got Kevin, KJ back,
00:09 you got a guy like Nick and Johnny and other guys.
00:14 Anything that you really like?
00:15 >> What I really like that how well we get along with each other off the court.
00:21 Like in the locker room, everybody's fun, everybody's talking,
00:24 even like the walk-ins.
00:25 Like everybody's super tight.
00:27 I think the trip in Puerto Rico made it that way.
00:30 I'm glad that we got to be able to share that experience with each other.
00:34 I think we got better and we learned from that too, so that helped a lot.
00:38 >> And is there one player that surprised you at all?
00:39 >> I mean, I expect my teammates to get better, so
00:45 I mean, there ain't nobody that surprised me probably because I've been around them.
00:50 So I mean, everybody's getting better though.
00:52 I'll say everybody, everybody's getting better.
00:55 >> And I know Johnny's the one guy that we really haven't got a chance to see.
00:57 What do you, I know he's long.
00:59 What do you like about him?
01:00 What stands out?
01:00 >> He likes to run.
01:02 He gets on the offense, the rebounds.
01:05 He likes to rebound a lot.
01:06 He shoots three.
01:06 You know I like playing shooters anyway, so he can shoot a ball too.
01:10 But he just got to get more comfortable.
01:11 You know, he's only been over for like a month or so.
01:14 So he's still learning a lot.
01:16 So we're being with him, being on his side, kind of like his team.
01:20 So I believe him.
01:22 >> What's the most serious thing you do?
01:27 >> I mean, all of them cuz we keep blowing them out.
01:30 >> [LAUGH] >> So I mean, it's fun playing in front
01:33 of my friends and family and going down there and playing in front of everybody.
01:37 But you know, usually the Mizzou, KU rival, it's like,
01:42 the games that I watch, every game was close.
01:44 It's an overtime game or something like that.
01:46 But I mean, it's always fun playing against and playing those games.
01:50 So that's one of the biggest rivalries we have in basketball.
01:52 So it's fun.
01:53 >> You're going to use a familiar one this year.
01:55 What are you looking forward to?
01:56 >> The block park.
01:57 >> Yeah, I can't wait for the changes here.
01:58 >> Yeah, I'm excited.
01:59 >> Those are what we're gonna do.
02:00 >> I mean, I just enjoy kind of leading up to-
02:03 >> Well, I like to take charges.
02:04 I'll take a lot of charges.
02:06 I just gotta be my man.
02:08 That's all I gotta do.
02:09 Cuz we had a referee come to our practice yesterday.
02:14 We had a referee come in and give us a little presentation about the charges and
02:17 stuff.
02:17 So I just gotta be there and beat them to the spot.
02:20 >> That's what makes it fun.
02:20 >> And then I think I'll be good.
02:21 >> That's why I got to- >> I'll be all right.
02:23 >> Perfectly lean into it a little bit more than-
02:24 >> It ain't nothing to worry about
02:25 because I got other great defensive players around me.
02:26 >> When I was at Michigan- >> I think we're gonna be a really good
02:29 team defense anyway.
02:30 So I'll probably don't have to take that many charges this year.
02:32 So we'll see.
02:33 >> What's it like to defend somebody like that?
02:38 >> No, we had that last year.
02:40 Even though KJ did a great job at the fall, but with that,
02:43 it makes it a lot easier cuz he's a big body.
02:47 Nobody wants to go into a big body.
02:49 They're gonna try and block it, but he's gonna defend it well.
02:52 He's gonna probably be one of the main reason why we get out in transition.
02:56 Chris is gonna be right there to get the rebound and throw it out.
02:59 He's a great passer.
03:00 So that's a great.
03:02 I'm glad that coach was on our class.
03:05 I'm gonna let him talk to you about it.
03:08 >> [INAUDIBLE]
03:14 >> Yeah, because when he's saying,
03:16 we have practice, if he started yelling, he had to lower his voice and
03:19 grab his rib or whatever.
03:21 And he'd be like, I don't wanna yell at y'all.
03:24 But I think he ain't really been complaining about it though.
03:28 He's been through a lot too.
03:32 So I just feel like he just rubbed that off his shoulders and move on.
03:37 But sometimes I can see him.
03:39 It'd probably be bothering him, but not really.
03:41 He's too tough.
03:42 >> [INAUDIBLE]
03:46 >> Last year, it was you and Jaylen kind of leading the team,
03:49 kind of teaching everybody how to play the way that Bill Soth expects and
03:53 then the way that Kansas plays.
03:55 Now with Kevin McCullough coming back for another year,
03:58 it's basically it's you and him kind of in that same similar role.
04:01 What's the dynamic?
04:02 How different is the dynamic this year with Jaylen no longer here and
04:08 Kevin kind of stepping into that role to kind of help out there?
04:10 >> Well, with Jay, well, he was everything to us.
04:15 He was basically a heart and soul.
04:16 He did a lot for us.
04:18 But Kevin basically do the same thing as Jay will.
04:23 But Jay is a pretty better shooter.
04:26 But I think Kevin worked on the shot this whole offseason.
04:28 He's been my partner with the shooting stuff every day.
04:31 So I know that he's been getting better with his shots too.
04:34 But he just leads and I just follow behind him.
04:37 I follow him, I follow him.
04:40 >> And with Hunter being here and
04:42 KJ kind of being able to do a lot of different things, not having to play post
04:45 so much, what have you noticed from him in terms of what he's been able to do that
04:49 he wasn't able to do last year?
04:51 >> Really, Coach wanted KJ to do the same thing he's been doing.
04:53 Be that pit bull, now that he's not playing the five, he gets to play the four.
04:59 So he gets to do whatever he wants now instead of just hitting screens,
05:02 guarding the five.
05:02 But now he's guarding one through four.
05:04 So that makes it easier for him.
05:06 And I think that's what he wants to do anyway.
05:07 >> You leading this team again and having a guy like Hunter,
05:11 I know it's something probably different that you haven't had before.
05:13 How fun is it gonna be to kind of have somebody facilitate like that?
05:16 Obviously, Kevin, KJ,
05:18 how fun is it just gonna be to have Hunter there, down in the middle?
05:21 >> It's gonna be easy.
05:22 Like, Coach is gonna put us in a lot of ball schools.
05:26 He's gonna be able to make plays on his own too in the post.
05:30 So he can do a lot of things.
05:31 It makes it easy for me, for Coach Silver too,
05:34 because Coach would love to throw it in anyway, get an angle.
05:37 So that just makes it easy, and I'm glad that we got him.
05:41 >> Is there a different feel about this team specifically?
05:43 I know that the preseason number one hasn't really been much right now, but
05:46 is there a different feel with this team in your perspective?
05:49 >> I feel like, I don't know.
05:54 I don't know.
05:55 I don't know because we got Kevin and KJ back, and we just had to play it for
06:00 the big show, and we still got the best coaches.
06:04 But we got a new team too though.
06:05 So, but I mean, we're gonna learn a lot.
06:07 We still have a lot to learn as a team, and we're not gonna be perfect right away.
06:12 So we still gotta go through some stuff, big tour play.
06:15 Potentially, we're really gonna find out who we are anyway, so start with that.
06:18 So we just gotta wait until then, run around like Jays,
06:21 and we're not gonna let games go away.
06:23 >> So how much energy does this crew have?
06:25 >> A lot of energy.
06:29 We're gonna show the defense at the end.
06:30 Coach is gonna be on us anyway, so we gotta bring the energy.
06:33 And if we don't bring the energy, we're gonna lose.
06:35 So you know how it is.
06:37 Throughout the year, we don't have energy.
06:40 It don't look good out there.
06:42 I'm gonna make sure, Kev's gonna make sure, KJ,
06:45 we're gonna make sure that we have energy, a lot of energy.
06:48 >> Apologies if someone already asked you about this, but
06:50 I wanna ask you about the charge rule.
06:53 How do you think that will affect you?
06:57 >> It might a little bit, but I just gotta continue to be my defender for
07:01 that spot and take charges.
07:02 Like I've been doing, hey, I don't think it'll change much.
07:06 But you never know though, cuz they call it blocking.
07:08 We're blocking now, like you said, cuz we had a referee come in yesterday,
07:10 gave us a presentation, so it is tricky.
07:14 >> What were your takeaways from your presentation?
07:18 >> I feel like some stuff was really, the presentation that he showed us,
07:21 some stuff was really not, it was really charged.
07:23 But can't say nothing else, cuz they changed the game.
07:26 Cuz now that they lead 8-foot and you're not there right away,
07:30 it's a block on an athlete.
07:32 So it's just a tricky situation, you gotta be smart in this situation.
07:36 >> I just wanted to ask about the game in Puerto Rico where you were going off on
07:41 an offense, what was that experience like for you as someone who doesn't usually
07:45 play that role?
07:45 >> I mean, I just made my shots, that's all it was.
07:50 The first two games I was like one for five, one for six.
07:54 But I was having non-downs, but I can score if I wanted to score the ball.
07:58 I just like setting up my teammates, but
08:00 I'm gonna show everybody this year that I can score the ball.
08:05 >> So I was talking with some other people and
08:08 discussion came up about the lobs that you and Hunter will probably have this year.
08:12 Someone set the line at 31 for the season.
08:15 Do you think that that's a lot?
08:16 Or do you think you guys are gonna be like lob dunks, yeah,
08:19 from you to Hunter this year?
08:21 >> Well, KJ to Hunter might be, that might be more so
08:25 just based off the plays that we run or KJ making the play too.
08:29 So it just depends cuz we got a lot of playmakers on our team.
08:32 Kev can pass the ball, our big guy can pass the ball.
08:35 So it's gonna be fun playing with everybody, gonna be sharing the ball.
08:39 >> Thanks.