The Summer days are beginning to wrap up, which means it is slowly becoming jacket and long-sleeve weather, as Fall is rapidly approaching. College football has gotten off to a neat start with the Jayhawks taking down Fresno State in week zero of the college football season, and now fans are beginning to slowly turn their attention to the lights of Allen Fieldhouse, where, sooner rather than later, Kansas Basketball will return.
The Associated Press has yet to release its preseason basketball top-25, so the alarm bells are not fully ringing yet, but before you know it, Green Bay will be traveling to Allen Fieldhouse, and an enticing early-season stretch is on its way for Bill Self and his newly put-together squad.
CBS Sports recently took the time to rank some of the nation’s best players by position, and there were a couple of Kansas players mentioned. Okay, obviously, we know Darryn Peterson will be mentioned and is at length, but there was another, maybe more surprising name, according to Issac Trotter.
But first Peterson, who was filed under the Scorer/creator tab.
“The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 is something a little different. The 6-5 guard could get buckets in an NBA game tomorrow. He's an excellent shooter who moves unlike many other lead guards. He slips in and out of tight spaces in an uncanny way to create space. Peterson should sop up a huge usage rate for Kansas and be one of the Big 12's leading bucket-getters thanks to his ability to score at all three levels and get to the foul line at will.”
Peterson was found to be the top scorer/creator in the nation, according to CBS Sports Isaac Trotter
The second play listed was Flory Bidunga. Here is what Trotter said of the sophomore.
“A serious sophomore surge for Bidunga is certain. The lean, mean, shot-blocking machine has the physical tools to be a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year contender, and he should gobble up double-doubles and smash dunks galore as KU's primary play-finisher.”
Bidunga was touted as a “True 5,” which, according to Trotter, means “These centers tend to have excellent positional size and almost always defend opposing centers. Think Ryan Kalkbrenner.”
Both of these players are going to have to put up serious numbers, as Kansas is looking to flip the narrative and bring itself back into national contention after a couple of seasons off the perch since Houston joined the league.