Following Kansas’ 78-73 loss to Texas Tech, Kansas guard Zeke Mayo shared some hateful messages he’s received this season due to inconsistent play.
The situation got big enough for head coach Bill Self to release a statement that outlined the fact that his team is focused on what’s ahead and not social media trolls.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, it was more of the same from Mayo against Houston, who posted seven points and six turnovers in the 65-59 loss, which prompted an interesting question from a Kansas media member in the post-game press conferences.
Self was asked if the off-the-court threats impacted his team’s preparation for the matchup vs. Houston, to which Self replied, “I don’t think so. Obviously, when you comment on it, it makes for the story to linger, but I think that we’ll learn how to deal with some things better moving forward, but I didn’t think our guys were distracted because of that.”
In an interview with ESPN’s Seth Davis, Self said he wished he hadn’t commented on the situation as he felt it made the criticism even more significant.
“I shouldn’t have done it because all it did was bring more attention to what was said,” Self said. “I feel like there’s been some unfair personal attacks and criticism, but not by people that matter. A lot of that comes from people who are not KU fans. They’re gambling and lost a bet or whatever. But so much of young people’s identity is what people are saying about them on social media. I wanted to get that point out that these kids care. They’re trying.”
Kansas finishes off their season on Saturday, March 8th, at home against No. 24 Arizona.
Related: Sports Fans Should Be Shamed for Zeke Mayo Treatment
