During a 30-minute interview session Saturday, Tyshawn Taylor was told by a reporter that KU coach Bill Self had just complimented him a couple rooms away, saying Taylor had grown up as a person.

“I appreciate that, Coach,” Taylor said softly, as if Self were sitting there next to him.

For Taylor, the praise means a lot.

“I’m one of those guys — I think coach Self kind of knows this — when’s he’s happy with me, I’m a happier person. When he’s not happy with my play or what I’m doing off the court, it kind of gets me down,” Taylor said. “I’m happy any time he says good things about me, especially something like that, because it’s not just on-the-court stuff he’s probably talking about.”

For three years, more than anything, Taylor has wanted to please his coach.

“Anything I do on the court, I’m thinking about what he’s going to think or what he’s going to say about it,” Taylor said. “When I make a turnover on the court, my first instinct is to look: What’s his reaction right now? What is he thinking? Is he jumping up and down? Is he like, ‘It’s OK’? What’s his mood?”