Josh Selby Set to Make Long-Awaited Debut With Kansas

Josh Selby is about to arrive. The prized Kansas recruit will make his much anticipated debut for the Jayhawks this week.

But it's more than likely Selby will not start for the third-ranked Jayhawks when he debuts Saturday against USC at Allen Fieldhouse and there is a good chance he will be playing more shooting guard than point guard in his first college game. Kansas coach Bill Self said Monday he will likely keep stick with junior Tyshawn Taylor on the ball Saturday.

"If he and Ty are in the game at the same time, I will play Ty on the ball the majority of the time," Self said during the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. "I saw it first hand with Mario (Chalmers), we tried to make Mario the point guard from Day 1 but when we moved him off the ball, and let Russell do it, the game was so much easier for him.

"Josh is going to be a point guard for us. He will end up being a true point guard, he and Ty. But it's a lot to throw at a guy, 'OK, you're not only responsible for yourself, but you are responsible for every single possession and if we don't have a good one then it's going to be basically your fault.' I'd rather put that on Tyshawn right now than him."

Selby has been practicing with the Jayhawks since October, but the Top 10 recruit from Baltimore was ordered to sit out the Jayhawks' first nine games after the NCAA determined he received impermissible benefits from adviser Bay Frazier, who guided Selby through the recruiting process.

Self said he has been impressed with Selby's development and believes he will add scoring punch immediately. But he isn't sure Selby is ready to take the court as a starter Saturday.

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"I don't think I am going to start him even though I haven't made a decision positively," said Self, whose team is 9-0 so far this season. "I don't think I will because he's got to beat somebody out. He needs to perform well in the games and not just practice.

"But he is going to give us some scoring punch and he's certainly a threat when he catches the ball. He just has to figure out how to play to our other guys' strengths and they have to figure out where to get him the ball in certain situations to play to his strengths. It's a going to take a little bit of time but I don't think it's going to be a huge deal. We may not play great all of the time, but I don't know of a freshman, with the exception of (Kevin) Durant and (Michael) Beasley a few years ago, that does look great all of the time."

Selby's debut has been much anticipated this season with the point guard void left by departed Sherron Collins. The 6-foot-2 Selby is explosive and a natural point guard. But Self tried Monday to temper the expectations that Selby will immediately step in and do the things Collins did over four years.

"We are certainly excited about it and I know he is excited," Self said. "I think expectations should be tempered somewhat. Not from a talent standpoint but for the role we will have him play. He will be one of five. He won't be the guy, just like we won't have the guy and we really haven't had the guy on our best teams here."