With Kansas basketball around the corner, combined with the recent news of the Jayhawks' landing five-star Taylen Kinney for the class of 2026, the expectations around Bill Self’s team takes a big step forward.
When Kansas takes on Green Bay on opening night on November 3rd the collegiate basketball world will have its eyes firmly on freshman phenom Darryn Peterson. It is going to be hard for any 247Sports No.1 recruit to not have the world’s eyes on them, especially when they are playing for a program that has assembled four NCAA National Championships.
For those who need reminding on just how much talent Peterson possesses, here is a short excerpt from his 247Sports profile, which was done by Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein.
“Peterson is extremely versatile. He's a true combo guard who is equally effective playing on or off the ball. He has natural poise as a handler with now only rare moments when he can be rattled by pressure from smaller guards. He's also a true multi-level scorer who can simultaneously see the floor, make reads, and pass well. He has a very smooth pull-up game, can overpower most opposing guards off the dribble, take smaller defenders into the post, and also thrive in ball-screens. His understanding of how to get to his spots is second to none and that's why he's such an efficient scorer, even in high volume, especially inside the arc (24 points per game in 3SSB play on 50% shooting from the floor and 57% on two-point field goals). He also has good natural instincts and has already developed an NBA caliber intellect when it comes to drawing fouls and getting easy points at the free-throw line.”
Issac Trotter from CBS Sports posed a question that uncomfortably needs answering.
“Burning college question: Can Kansas find a second scorer to ease the burden?”
Looking at this roster, Trotter’s point grows bigger.
The most reasonable place to look would either be with Jayden Dawson or Tre White. Dawson hails from Loyola Chicago, where last season he averaged 13.9 points per game on 41 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range. Dawson’s three-point rate tallied him as the 89th-best three-point shooter in the nation.
White comes from Illinois, where he tallied 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.7% from the field. White sits at just 30.1% from beyond the arc, so he does not sit as dangerous of a threat as Dawson does, but likely does offer more consistent shot-making over the court.