After the long wait on whether or not Bill Self would return to Kansas or not, fans were greeted with the answer they were hoping for. The legendary head coach announced his return to the team for another season after giving some serious thought about retirement.
Kansas fans could not be more excited about the return of Self as he has brought a lot of success to the Jayhawks basketball programs to decades.
If there is one thing Self has always been great at, it is bringing in top-tier talent, and he certainly is going to have to call on that skill a lot heading into next season. Since Self made the decision to return, Kansas has lost Flory Bidunga to the NBA/Transfer Portal as well as Bryson Tiller, Paul Mbiya, and Elmark Jackson to the Transfer Portal.
Not only that, but Darryn Peterson is undoubtedly heading to the NBA, and key starters like Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White are out of eligibility. That leaves Self with no returner starters and some key bench players gone as well.
Bill Self returns and practically will have to build Kansas from the ground up
Self probably wasn't thinking he would have this much work on his hands when he made the decision to return to Kansas, but now he will have to practically build from the ground up in Lawrence. The only returning two players so far who averaged double-digit minutes this past season are Jamari McDowell (17.2 mpg) and Kohl Rosario (11.6 mpg).
The portal is set to open on Tuesday, April 7, which means more announcements could be coming from Kansas players, but Self has a lot of work to do. The longtime head coach could work through the portal to bring in talent, but he also has some high school recruits coming in as well.
Self has four commits coming in the Class of 2026, and there is hope a fifth is coming from Tyran Stokes. If Stokes doesn't choose Kansas, Taylen Kinney, another five-star recruit, could be the focal point for the Jayhawks next season.