In a calm tone, one of the callers to Bill Self’s weekly radio show Wednesday night wondered aloud whether Kansas University basketball players hated to lose as much as, say, the coaches.

“That is one of the best questions we’ve had in my years here,” Self, KU’s third-year coach, said, offering a thorough answer to the inquiry that came a day after the Jayhawks’ fourth loss in seven games — Tuesday’s 70-67 setback to Saint Joseph’s in New York.

“What is the definition of hating to lose? Is it, ‘Oh yeah, it bothers me?’ What is it? We’ve asked this to our players more than once — gone around the room and gotten different responses.

“Is the definition, ‘You hate it so much you are willing to do anything physically or mentally to not make it happen?’ In the kids’ minds,” Self said, “I think the answer to, ‘Do you hate to lose?’ is, ‘Yes,’ but to give it a definition like that … ‘Hold on a second. I don’t know if I’m doing as much if I really hate it as much as I said I did.'”

Self said he believed his young squad did have a distaste for losing, but, “Everything is an educational process you have to go through. We are getting better in that. The big thing with our team and our attitude right now is confidence.”

The Jayhawks haven’t gained much confidence in losing to Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada and St. Joe’s while beating Idaho State, Chaminade and Western Illinois.

“Where do you get confidence?” Self said. “People say, ‘Coach, give ’em confidence.’ Do you buy it? What store do you purchase it at? There’s no magic wand, no sprinkles. You can have a sports psychologist come in and do a good job and certain things.

“The bottom line with confidence … you have to do it with repetition and see it happening and have success doing things. The thing we can improve most to generate that confidence is our practice sessions.”

The Jayhawks, who returned to campus from New York via charter about 3 a.m. Wednesday, did not practice. They will resume workouts today in preparation for Saturday’s 11 a.m. clash against 6-1 California-Berkeley at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.

“We’ve got finals coming up next week. The guys need to be focused on that, especially missing a day-and-a-half of school Monday and Tuesday,” Self said. “They need to be putting all their efforts there.”

Tickets are available for Saturday’s game by calling 1-800-34-Hawks.

¢ Kansas University freshman Julian Wright, who had 13 points in 20 minutes Tuesday, at one juncture blocked a shot on one end and raced down for a vicious slam on the other.

“It’s about as good an athletic play as we’ve had made for us this year,” KU coach Bill Self said.

He revealed a reason Wright played just three minutes in KU’s home loss to Nevada, bouncing back with big games against Western Illinois and St. Joe’s.

“He was sick right after Hawaii and didn’t play as many minutes when he was ill, not feeling well at all. He certainly played well last night,” Self said of the power forward who could play more small forward starting Dec. 22 when Darnell Jackson returns from suspension.

“Darnell will help. No doubt we need his body to lay on people right now,” Self said of the 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore.

As for Rodrick Stewart, who will be eligible for the Pepperdine game Dec. 19, Self said the 6-4 guard would be in the mix, but faced a battle for minutes.

“We’re probably only going to play five perimeter players the majority of the minutes,” Self said. “In order for Rodrick to be in there, he is going to have to beat out one of the five guys who is playing now.”

Those perimeter players are Jeff Hawkins, Russell Robinson, Micah Downs, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers.

“It could happen with Rodrick working his way in,” said Self, noting Wright also might be in that group of perimeter players, too, “but he’s going to have to be one of the five.”

¢ Banners to return: There’s a reason KU’s Final Four and

conference-championship banners are not hanging from the Allen Fieldhouse rafters.

New banners have been ordered. The old banners, Self said, would have bothered anybody who sits in the top 15 rows of the fieldhouse because they blocked the new center videoboard.

“The banners that hung in the past, we never had a scoreboard create a situation with viewing problems,” Self said. “They have all been ordered. It’s not whole until we get all the banners up, for sure.”