How in the world did Bill Self allow this to happen? That's what countless Kansas basketball fans are wondering right now, as things have gone from bad to worse for the program this week thanks to a pair of 5-star targets deciding to commit elsewhere.
Those updates came in on Thursday, with 5-star shooting guard Dame Sarr getting things started by committing to Duke. Then a few hours later, 5-star power forward Darrion Williams, a Texas Tech transfer, announced that he was committing to North Carolina State.
According to Travis Branham of 247Sports, Kansas was putting a 'bow' on Sarr during his visit to lock things up, but then Duke came in and stole him from the Jayhawks. Then, Williams was in town for his official visit this week, but then he also visited NC State and picked the Wolfpack. It's a bad look for Self to miss out on both guys AFTER getting them on campus for visits too.
Bill Self missing out on Dame Sarr and Darrioin Williams has Kansas fans furious
Had Self been able to land both of these guys, we'd be talking about them looking like one of the top teams in the Big 12, probably even the country. Heck, adding one of them would have been a huge boost for Self and his coaching staff, which now includes KU legend Jacque Vaughn. However, going 0-for-2 here really has ticked off a lot of people.
Kansas fans being upset with Self is nothing new this year, as a lot of people hated how last season went. The Jayhawks entered the 2024-25 campaign with a ton of promise, but things ended with KU losing to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately for Self, it marked the first time since 2006 the Jayhawks had suffered a first-round loss. The hope was that Self would be able to reload this offseason and land some big-name targets, with both Sarr and Williams high on the list this month alone. He swung and missed there. Self better have a trick up his sleeve moving forward, otherwise another underwhelming season could be on the way for the Big 12 powerhouse.