Jayhawks ready to roll

Langford 'very healthy' as start of season looms

For the first time in a long time, Keith Langford is pain-free on the basketball court.

“I am very healthy for the first time in seven, eight months,” Langford, Kansas University’s senior shooting guard, proclaimed on Thursday at KU men’s basketball media day. “I am really, really looking forward to playing with a free mind, not injured, obviously.”

Langford underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage in his right knee in April. He still was feeling the effects of that procedure during KU’s Labor Day-weekend trip to Canada.

“I’m glad to finally have the injuries out of the way,” Langford said. “It’s good to know I shouldn’t have any more issues.”

Langford said intensive treatment and rehabilitation since Canada had completed his long comeback.

“I don’t think a lot of people really understand exactly what I was dealing with my knee,” said the 6-foot-4 Langford, KU’s second-leading scorer at 15.5 points a game despite being hobbled the second half of his junior year. “People say it was a minor ‘scope and that was it. That wasn’t totally the case.”

The sweet-shooting lefty was asked to set the record straight about his surgery, which he insists was more than a mere arthroscopic procedure.

“It wasn’t like a normal ‘scope,” he said. “I’ll put it like that. I will not say (anything else). It was not a two-week deal. I didn’t play ball for four months. That should tell you something right there.”

Langford, who says he won’t miss any time during season-opening practice sessions, is not yet in tip-top shape.

Kansas Men's Basketball Coach Bill Self positions the Jayhawks for their team photo during media day. KU's players and coaches met the press Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU coach Bill Self estimated Langford was 100-percent healthy from a “structural standpoint,” but only half-way to where he needed to be in terms of conditioning.

“I’m just concerned about him feeling good,” Self said. “He’s felt better than he has in a long time.”

Langford said conditioning would come in time.

As far as practice … Self said this year’s sessions may not stretch past three hours, sometimes close to the four-hour mark, as they did last season.

“We were able to get 10 days of practice in (before Canada trip). Stuff that took so long to teach last year, this year won’t take quite as long,” said Self, who had to put in a new system last fall. “The veterans can teach the newcomers. That makes for shorter practices. It’s not guaranteed if we are not doing well. But when we enter practice, we’ll have a game plan. It’ll be to not be out there quite as long.”

Self hopes shorter practices could make his players healthier and stronger for the stretch run.

Jayhawks, from left, Aaron Miles, Moulaye Niang and Michael Lee and KU coach Bill Self crack up during the team picture.

He envisions fewer repetitions for senior standouts Langford and Wayne Simien and sophomore J.R. Giddens, who is coming off foot and knee surgeries.

Also, workhorse point guard Aaron Miles might take some reps off as the season progresses to keep him strong for tourney time.

“They will practice just as hard as everybody else,” Self said. “Last year was such a long season because everything was new, so a two-hour practice became a three-hour practice. You do that over five months, that wears on your body. We’ve got to find a way to keep their bodies fresher.”

Sounds good to the Jayhawks, who will debut at tonight’s Late Night in the Phog. Doors open at 8 p.m., with a scrimmage to start right at midnight.

“That’s obviously helpful,” Langford said of shorter workouts. “We did the same thing my sophomore year when we had 11 guys. He (then-coach Roy Williams) cut down practice time. Toward the end of the season, you could tell the difference.”

“I mean, it’s OK because I love ball, but, hey, if we can get it done in three, there are no problems here,” Giddens joked. “No complaints at all.”

The Jayhawks do have lots of bodies to use at practice and in games. Five new freshmen all are ready to contribute major minutes, along with the four returning starters and guys like Michael Lee and Christian Moody.

“We’ll play faster,” Self said, “because we’ll have more bodies. Aaron won’t have to play 35 minutes. We can pick up backcourt and pressure. I said pressure, not press. We can do a lot of different things, play guys in shorter spurts. Guys don’t have to pace themselves. Last year, depth was an issue. It will allow us a lot more possessions a game than last year.”