Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self recently explained why his freshman, Darryn Peterson, doesn’t do media interviews. On Tuesday, March 10, @cbssportscbb on Instagram uploaded coach Self’s interview with college hoops analyst Matt Norlander, in which he was asked about Peterson.
Norlander mentioned that several media and PR members of the college hoops world rarely get to speak to Peterson, as the scorer is usually not available for interviews and press conferences. Norlander asked Self if it had anything to do with Peterson’s injury-riddled campaign. The tenured tactician said that it is because the questions that Peterson is thrown at are too complicated.
“ Well, first of all, it wasn’t handled from the coach’s perspective. That was more, you know, I didn’t force anybody to talk. But, it was certainly more from a team perspective because it was hard for him to answer questions when he didn’t even know the answers. I mean, you stop and think about it, ‘Well, when will you play again? I don’t know.’ ‘Well, is there a minute restriction on you? I don’t know.’ I think there were some things about it,” Self said.
“Bill Self explains why Darryn Peterson didn’t speak to the media much during the season 🗣️,” @cbssportscbb on Instagram captioned with an emoji.
Peterson is currently in his rookie year of collegiate hoops under the tutelage of Self and his Kansas-based program. The Canton, Ohio, native, however, is expected to be a one-and-done talent this year, with projections of at least a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He has been in and out of the rotation throughout the 2025-26 season due to injuries, conditioning issues, and even an illness at some point.
Bill Self Agrees With The Move To Keep Answers To Media Questions In Real-Time Situations
Also in the aforementioned interview, Bill Self said the best thing Darryn Peterson can do when it comes to difficult questions is to answer them personally.
This came after Self opined that narratives can be twisted against Peterson, especially with his injury concerns. With this, Self suggested keeping answers sincere and simple to eliminate any false narratives.
“But to your point, I agree with you. I think the best thing that you can do in certain situations like that is to [say] ‘Hey, this is how it is, this is where I’m at,’ And, as opposed to allowing people to wonder where you are and where it’s at and allow people to create their own narrative where you are and where it’s going, as opposed to, you know, you being the one to address it,” Self shared.
“It seems to me, whenever you address it personally with sincerity and honesty, it eliminates a lot of the naysayers on what exactly is going on,” he continued.
Also Read: Kelvin Sampson Drops Cryptic Review for Bill Self’s Kansas; Darryn Peterson Fires Back
Read More: Darryn Peterson’s Attempt to Sub Himself Out Draws Animated Reaction from Bill Self
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