<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1ZEYJD_0w9wjvq900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ZEYJD_0w9wjvq900" width="1182" height="619" >When Kansas basketball takes the floor on Friday night for the 40th annual Late Night in the Phog, KU fans will get their first glimpse of a new-look KU team.There are a grand total of seven new scholarship players on the roster this year coupled with six returning players. It was a busy offseason for Bill Self and the KU staff as the Jayhawks looked to re-tool a roster that failed to win the Big 12 last season and failed to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.KU was able to hold some practices over the summer but the full roster wasn't completely set yet. When KU returned for the start of the fall semester, the roster was complete and work began. Since then, Self has gotten a good idea of where his team sits with Late Night just days away."I would say the thing that stands out to me more than anything is probably just options, more bodies, more athletes," Self said. "I think we shoot it better, even though there'll be some days we don't. But I do think we're a much better shooting team. And I think we've helped ourselves athletically, for sure. So there's a lot of things I think potentially, we could do well. A lot of things we don't do very well at all right now, but it is a different-looking team physically than what we've had this past year."Self says KU is in a decent spot, health wiseWhen KU started to officially practice in late September, the team was already down a pair of scholarship players. Elmarko Jackson remained out following a torn patellar tendon in early June. Former Mississippi State transfer Shakeel Moore was also out following a surgery he had on a stress fracture he suffered in the days in between the players returning from their summer break and the start of classes.Outside of those two players, though, KU enters Late Night with a good bill of health."It's actually not bad," Self said. "It's Shak and Elmarko. But Elmarko, just so you guys know, he's not going to be able to do anything until May or June as far as on court, full speed type activity. Shak, we're hopeful by next week he's out there moving, cutting, doing all that stuff not full speed. And then the following week we hope he's in full practice within a couple of weeks."Self likes some aspects of the transfer portal rule changes, but not them allLast week, the NCAA announced changes to the basketball transfer portal windows. Under the new rules, the portal window will open on the Monday after the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, which means the Final Four will still have an active season as transfer portal recruiting picks up. The window will then remain open for 30 days while players have the chance to decide whether to transfer or not.Self said he likes one part of the change, but not another."My opinions don't mean anything and trust me, the NCAA is not to listen to me anyway. But the windows cutting in from 45 to 30 is good. I don't like when it starts. I wish it started at the same point for everybody, because teams that are participating [in the Final Four], it's not going to be nearly as important to them to get involved with the portal until their season is actually over. Even though assistant coaches will dabble and do all that stuff, but the head coach probably will be as actively involved. So that kind of reduces your recruiting days a little bit. So kids that are getting into the portal to make their decision immediately, I don't think that plays to those teams that are still participating equally. But it's still better than it was."</div></body>

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Notebook: Bill Self on his first impressions of the KU team, injuries and more

When Kansas basketball takes the floor on Friday night for the 40th annual Late Night in the Phog, KU fans will get their first glimpse of a new-look KU team. There are a grand total of seven new scholarship players on the roster this year coupled with six returning players. It was a busy offseason for Bill Self and the KU staff as the Jayhawks looked to re-tool a roster that failed to win the Big 12 last season and failed to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Notebook: Bill Self on his first impressions of the KU team, injuries and more

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