Speaking to Lawrence Rotarians on Monday, Sheahon Zenger, Kansas University athletics director, didn’t hold back when asked whether he would consider playing Wichita State University in basketball.

He said that any scheduling decisions would be done in consultation with Coach Bill Self and his staff.

But Zenger said an email that someone had sent him — which said Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall had called KU “chickenhawks” — wasn’t helpful.

“You need to think about what you say, Mr. Marshall,” he said. “Don’t be flippant about your remarks about the flagship institution.”

Larry Rankin, an assistant athletics director at Wichita State, detailed the nature of the coach’s comments, which were made during a pep rally after the basketball team won the postseason National Invitation Tournament.

“During the rally a fan got Coach Marshall’s attention by yelling ‘chickenhawks’ during a lull in the speech, and Coach Marshall acknowledged him by reading the fan’s sign which also said chickenhawks on it,” Rankin wrote in an email.