Bill Self calls Gradey Dick ‘the best freshman shooter’ he’s had with Kansas basketball
STILLWATER, Oklahoma — That 3-pointer at the end of the first half Tuesday, it got Gradey Dick going.
Dick had been having a quiet night offensively for Kansas basketball to that point. The Jayhawks had been keeping pace on the road against Oklahoma State, but not because the freshman guard had been knocking down 3s. But then Dick was able to hit that bucket just before the halftime buzzer sounded, to put Kansas up 39-37, as he started a run of shot-making that helped allow the Jayhawks to win 87-76 against the Cowboys.
And postgame, Kansas coach Bill Self’s praise of the young star fit that moment and the season as a whole. Dick’s play is putting him in a discussion that isn’t often had. Self recognized that.
RELATED:Kansas basketball coach Bill Self previews Jayhawks’ rematch vs. Big 12 foe Baylor
RELATED:Kansas basketball guard Kevin McCullar Jr. anticipates playing Saturday against Baylor
“He’s the best freshman shooter I’ve ever had, so, hands down,” Self said. “So, we’ve just got to get him more shots. But he’s the best freshman shooter I’ve ever had, and we’ve had some pretty good freshmen if you go back to (Joel) Embiid and (Andrew) Wiggins and those cats. So, I'm not going to say that.
"But as far as having a freshman year, I would put his freshman year with just about anybody, any freshman that we’ve ever had here, when you just talk about the year.”
The opposing fans were heckling Dick again Tuesday, highlighting at times what Self would described as a unique last name. But Self said he thinks Dick has heard those chants since Dick was probably in third, fourth or fifth grade. Self doesn’t think it bothers Dick at all, that Dick actually likes when it happens.
Dick, speaking moments earlier, shared a similar take. Dick even went as far as to say he loves it. He explained that the likes going into visiting arenas as the “hated one.”
Against Oklahoma State, Dick finished with 26 points as he shot 10-for-17 from the field, 4-for-9 from behind the arc and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. The career high in points passed up his 24-point effort on the road against Baylor, where he shot 8-for-13 from the field, 2-for-5 from behind the arc and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, for his best scoring effort in Big 12 Conference play.
He’s had an up-and-down time scoring during the conference slate, but after that game was still averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 42.7% on 3s for the season as a whole as his team’s second-leading scorer.
“Just continue to try to be consistent,” said Dick, speaking to the mindset he had coming out of halftime Tuesday. “When I have an open shot, take it. So, I think that’s really it. And, I say it all the time, but just that short-term memory. Missed a couple shots early, but I try to not let that affect me and it didn’t.”
Redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson, who also praised Dick’s defense, added: “He did great. You guys have all seen all year that he has no conscience when it comes to shooting the ball, and that’s what makes a great shooter. He’s confident. Every time he shoots the ball we think it’s going in, just like he thinks it’s going in. So, to have a freshman do that just shows his confidence.”
On Saturday, Dick will have another opportunity to put up points against Baylor — and potentially win this time. The No. 9-ranked Bears (20-6, 9-4 in Big 12) are coming into Allen Fieldhouse with the aim of completing a regular-season sweep of the Jayhawks. No. 7 Kansas (21-5, 9-4 in Big 12) will look to protect home court and pull ahead of Baylor in the race for the Big 12’s regular season championship.
Last year, the Jayhawks and Bears shared the Big 12’s regular season crown. Regardless of how Saturday’s game ends, given the strength of the conference this year that could certainly happen again. But Dick and his teammates aren’t preparing to battle for a tie, and Saturday is the first chance in these last five regular season games to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Bill Self talking Gradey Dick: KU basketball's ‘best freshman shooter’
