Kansas basketball: 5 biggest recruiting busts during the Bill Self era

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts on the sideline in the second half of the game against the Villanova Wildcats during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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Cliff Alexander #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

3. Cliff Alexander (2014-2015, No. 5 ranked recruit in Class of 2014)

Alexander graduated from Curie High School as the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2014. His production as a Jayhawk got him nowhere after his one-and-done freshman season. By no means was he bad as a big man off the bench, but he was not up to par for a top-5 recruit.

In 28 games, he averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. For someone that had aspirations of potentially becoming the next Jayhawk great, his numbers were not even close to cutting it for Bill Self’s standards. What makes Alexander even more of a bust was the stipulations that Kansas had to go through to get him — his family received illegal benefits for him to attend.

After his freshman season, he declared for the NBA Draft and went undrafted. He was signed to a two-way deal with the Portland Trail Blazers but never received a genuine opportunity to compete for them, appearing in just eight games during his NBA tenure.

It was surprising to see him go undrafted, as one team was expected to take a flier on the once-hyped-up recruit. Alexander now plays for the Sagesse Club in the Lebanese Basketball League, and some Jayhawk fans have forgotten he even played at Kansas for a year.

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