A black-and-white picture gracing the cover of this year’s Kansas University men’s basketball media guide isn’t the best of him, senior Bryant Nash says.

“Man, that’s a horrible picture,” Nash said, smiling.

The photo is of Nash and fellow senior Jeff Graves walking out of the KU locker room with Nash appearing to be staring blankly into space.

There won’t be a re-take. This is Nash’s last season.

“I’m really excited,” he said of his last go-round wearing the crimson and blue. “Hopefully, this will be my breakout year.”

While Nash does appear to have a definitive blank stare in the cover photo, he has a clean slate heading into his senior season.

“I think it’s a blank slate for everybody,” said Nash, who at times found the glare of former KU coach Roy Williams squarely on him. “Once practice gets started, coach is going to figure out who does what.”

First-year KU skipper Bill Self already seems to know what he wants Nash to do.

“I want Bryant Nash to just go play,” Self said. “If he’s a big guy I want him to go to the glass with reckless abandon. If he’s a perimeter player I want him to be a guy that tries to slash and get to the hole.”

Nash played in all 38 games a year ago and averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 in about 12 minutes.

Nash appreciates that Self thinks he can be successful.

“I like that, man. He has a lot of confidence in me,” Nash said. “He told me the same thing. He wants me grabbing all the boards, hustling down the floor, getting all the loose balls — everything.”

Ever since Nash first came to KU, his 6-foot-7, 210-pound athletic frame has left fans with the impression he could do all those things.

And while there are plenty of flashes of brilliance like his acrobatic dunks, high-flying rebounds or hustle plays, Nash’s career has been characterized by potential, rather than consistent play.

In part, Nash blames his inconsistency on overthinking and not reacting.

“I thought a lot on the court,” he said. “I’d make a mistake, and I wouldn’t blow it off. I’ve gotten better at it. If I make a mistake, I move on and forget about it. I see my teammates and they mess up on the court, too, but instead of dwelling on it, they forget about it. So I should, too.”

Nash is still learning that everybody makes mistakes.

“It’s all about being able to take that criticism,” Nash said. “Whatever somebody says to you, you have to be able to soak it up and keep moving along.”