Bill Self was smart when leaving a few open roster spots when building his team this season because it allowed him to welcome back two veteran players and add another one from the transfer portal, all allowed back thanks to the five-for-five rule and temporary injunction.
Self saw the return of Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, two integral parts of the Jayhawks last season, but his latest addition, Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn, could have been his best move this offseason. Kaufman-Renn was added to the roster just a few weeks ago before Big 12 Media Days, and while he didn't see a ton of minutes against Fordham, Self doesn't see that being the norm.
"He's gonna start. He's a starter. I mean, let's make no bones about it," Self said postgame. "As long as he's healthy, he's starting."
Self said TKR starting the second half was simple: "He's gonna start. He's a starter. I mean, let's make no bones about it. As long as he's healthy, he's starting."
— Matt Tait (@mctait) November 3, 2026
He added: "When he gets comfortable, and we know how to play with him, I think you'll see a guy that we can…
Kaufman-Renn started for the Jayhawks in the second half, and by the sound of it, it shouldn't be long until he is a starter at the beginning of the game. That would mean Christian Reeves most likely heads to the bench and is the one coming in for TKR when he needs a breather.
Trye Kaufman-Renn is still working to gel with the Kansas Jayhawks
Even coming off the bench, Kaufman-Renn played a solid 23 minutes, which is great for a guy who has only been with the team for a few weeks. Clearly, TKR was able to get this system down well, and the more he plays with this team, the more he will hopefully be able to be an asset, as Self believes he can be.
In 23 minutes of play, Kaufman-Renn was knocking off the rust, scoring nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, but was great on the boards for a Kansas team that needed some height after Flory Bidunga transferred. Kaufman-Renn secured five rebounds, had two assists, and even a block, which was a great start to his official Kansas career.
After spending four seasons with Purdue, where TKR was a starter after his redshirt season, there was a lot of hype about the experience and aid he could bring to the Jayhawks. Kaufman-Renn is coming off a season averaging 14.2 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
It makes sense that Self would want Kaufman-Renn to be a starter once he gets fully healthy and into the system the Jayhawks run. With his experience at the college basketball level, he could be the missing piece- the big piece, honestly - that Kansas needs to really make a run at a title this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google