Kansas coach Bill Self said junior guard Tyshawn Taylor will likely continue to serve his suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules when the Jayhawks travel to play at Oklahoma on Saturday.
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, Self gave no indication for when Taylor might return, but said that sophomore guard Elijah Johnson will remain in the starting lineup for the Jayhawks’ game against the Sooners.
“Absolutely,” Self said. “He’s going to be starting in the backcourt with Tyrel (Reed) and Brady (Morningstar).”
Johnson scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting against Oklahoma State after being forced into the starting lineup following the announcement of Taylor’s suspension on Monday.
When asked how Taylor was handling the situation, Self said he had not communicated much with Taylor during the last few days.
“I don’t want him to handle it too great,” Self said. “He knows he screwed up. And certainly, he knows that’s part of it.”
However, Self did say that if Taylor was to return, he hoped he returned with the proper mind-set to blend back into the rotation.
“Will he be a guy that needs to show everybody what they’ve been missing seeing?” Self wondered. “If he’s that, then we won’t get better.”
Self also said that sophomore forward Thomas Robinson continues to make solid progress as he returns from knee surgery to repair a slight tear in his right meniscus.
Robinson, who had the surgery on February 11, had six points and six rebounds in 10 minutes against Oklahoma State on Monday in his first game back.
Self said Robinson will see more minutes against Oklahoma, but is still being cautious with his recovery.
“Mentally, he’s close to 100 percent (in) believing that he’s healthy and that kind of stuff,” Self said. “But I’d say kneewise that he’s probably 90 percent.”
Self estimated that it could take another week before Robinson regained the explosiveness he displayed before the injury.
– Rustin Dodd