KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bill Self has changed up practices this year. And perhaps not surprisingly, Jamari Traylor has become king of the energy points.

"I pretty much win all the time," Traylor said at Wednesday’s Big 12 media day at Sprint Center. "I’m serious."

Let’s explain: Every practice, team managers are asked to tally up "energy points" for each player that can be accumulated from rebounds, 50-50 balls, steals, deflections, floor burns and a few other categories.

So far, the springy forward Traylor estimates he’s been the top point-getter for about two-thirds of KU’s workouts.

"I want to be an effective leader, and I want to show everybody how it’s done," Traylor said. "I want to set an example and set the standard for everyone else. I just go out there and work my butt off."

The underlying message from Self seems pretty clear:

This year’s team needs to get back to having a tougher mindset — a staple of the coach’s teams throughout his 12-year KU tenure.

"I think we tried to be too pretty a team last year," Self said, "instead of a nitty-gritty-type team."

RELATED: Mobile users, view video of Self's Big 12 media day comments

So now, hustle is being rewarded. Players get handouts tracking their energy stats a few times a week, while Self also attempts to motivate by sometimes singling out the top and bottom guys after practice.

"I like it. It shows who’s really working," KU sophomore guard Wayne Selden said. "It shows who’s going after all the loose balls, getting blocked shots, getting rebounds. That’s really going to count for us."

Even a player like junior Perry Ellis — never known as KU’s most physical player — has found himself getting competitive with teammates while trying to move up the leaderboard.

"I’ve been doing real well, actually. That’s what I’m trying to get better at, just energy plays," Ellis said. "I’ve definitely seen improvement from what I would have did last year to this year."

Traylor says he’s been pushed most by freshman Kelly Oubre, whose 7-foot-2 wingspan has created numerous steals and deflections.

Both Ellis and Selden were quick to admit that Traylor was telling the truth in saying that he was the best energy guy most practices.

"He gets all the energy points it seems like," Ellis said.

Added Selden: "I’m up there. I’m not quite to where (Traylor and Oubre) are with it, because they’re all over the place."

The Jayhawks, who finished 25-10 a year ago, have talked often this offseason about trying to enter the season with a different attitude following last year's season-ending loss to Stanford in the round of 32.

Earning — and fighting for — energy points appears to be the first step toward achieving that goal.

"Those things, they might seem little," Ellis said, "but really they’re a big part of basketball and winning."