The Kansas basketball team landed four highly-touted prospects over the last eight days, and it shows a distinct change of direction in the way head coach Bill Self is constructing his roster beyond this year. It is more of a return to a classic strategy.
Over the last week or so, Self has garnered the verbal commitments from three prospects for next season, and one for 2027. Point guard Taylen Kinney, small forward Trent Perry, and center Davion Adkins all announced for KU. Javon Bardwll, a small forward for 2027, also committed. He may reclassify into the 2026 class, giving KU four recruits for the 2026-27.
Kansas has only four upperclassmen on its roster now. All are senior transfers with one season of eligibility remaining. Ngniyu Ngala, Jayden Dawson, Tre White, and Melvin Council Jr. will finish out their college careers at Kansas this season.
Bill Self has a sound strategy for the future of Kansas basketball recruiting
If Bardwell reclassifies, then Self has filled all available roster spots that seniors will vacate. It is almost a given that Darryn Peterson will be on campus only for this season, leaving at least one more opening to add a recruit.
With no juniors on the team and most likely one more spot to fill for next year, Self looks to be returning to the basics of roster construction. Build from within. He is trying to build his future rosters by bringing in talented players who can be coached up and become stars in future seasons.
It would not be surprising if Self added one more prospect (two if Bardwell doesn’t reclassify) and then use transfers to fill any holes that may appear. For instance, it’s quite possible that with a great season, sophomore big man Flory Bidunga could decide to enter the NBA draft. If that happens, a hole will need to be filled.
In this era of the transfer portal, it would be unusual for some players further down on the roster who are unhappy with their playing time or NIL deal to seek other opportunities. It seems inevitable at this point. In those cases, Self can comb through the portal for likely fits.
KU should also have plenty of players willing to stay and make bigger contributions next year. With at least five players leaving, there will be plenty of opportunities to move up the depth chart and gain more minutes.
In recent years, Self has attempted to address his roster issues through transfers. Players like Hunter Dickinson, AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, David Coit, Shakeel Moore, Parker Braun, Kevin McCullar Jr., and others became Jayhawks, some with much fanfare. Outside of Dickinson and McCullar, most didn’t have much of an impact.
Building with youth, then filling in the gaps with veteran role players, seems like a much better strategy than relying too heavily on transfers. Build from within. Fill holes when needed.
This is how rosters have been constructed at schools like Kansas for a very long time. The NIL era has muddied up recruiting, and things will never be the same. Self struggled with the logistics of the new era for a couple of seasons, but now looks ot have a solid plan in place.
Even with the transfers he added this season, there was more purpose. He looked for veterans who could complement his two young stars in Peterson and Bidunga, players who better fit his system.
Retention will be a key to success for Self. It will be challenging to please every player on the roster, but he must work hard to keep as many of his underclassmen around as possible. These players are the future of the programs.
It was terrific that players like Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell stayed. This will be the third year for each in Self’s system, and while neither is likely to be a star, both could be key role players this season and take on even bigger roles in the future. This is the way to build a roster. It may be more challenging to do it this way than it was a decade ago, but Self has Kansas basketball on the right track now.