Do two consecutive down years indicate that a Hall of Fame college basketball coach has forgotten how to coach? Do two disappointing seasons in a row mean that a two-time national championship-winning coach no longer knows how to run a successful program?
Evidently, that is the case with Bill Self and the Kansas basketball team.
Analysts and writers from Sports Illustrated (ranks KU sixth), Rothstein 48 (32nd nationally), Busting Brackets (5th), and 247Sports (4th) do not see the Jayhawks as being that much of a threat to win the Big 12 this season.
This is after KU was the preseason No. 1 in each of the last two seasons, but struggled both years. Those teams featured big-hearted, but somewhat limited stars like Hunter Dickinson, Dejuan Harris, and KJ Adams. All three had moments of greatness over the year, with the latter two contributing to a national championship. As a core group, however, the three struggled, and the players chosen to support them did not live up to expectations.
Bill Self is still a Hall of Fame coach for Kansas basketball
Kansas will feature freshman phenom Darryn Peterson and sophomore star-in-waiting Flory Bidunga. John Rothstein doesn’t have faith these two will be good enough for KU to be a contender. Nicolaus Girimonte of SI.com isn’t sure if the supporting cast will be good enough to help the Jayhawks. Andrew Miller from Busting Brackets is worried about frontcourt depth.
ESPN ranks Self’s recruiting class at 18th in late May, but this did not include the additions of freshmen Kohl Rosario and Paul Mbiya, or senior transfer Nginyu Ngala. Surely these three players would be enough to move the Jayhawks up several spots. Sure, Peterson’s presence in the class gives it plenty of gravitas, but there is also enough talent here for Bill Self to make something of.
Self brought in four senior transfers. While none carry the name recognition that AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen, each one - Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, Jayden Dawson, and Ngala - offers plenty of experience and a degree of intensity, and all provide different individual skill sets.
With returning guards Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell, plus a freshman class that includes Peterson, Mbiya, Rosario, Samis Calderon, Corbin Allen, and Bryson Tiller (enrolled in January, but redshirted), Self has plenty of ingredients to find a winning combination.
This roster is Self’s most athletic in years. Expect improved defense and intensity, plus a more well-rounded, attacking offense than in the last few seasons.
Bill Self didn’t forget how to coach since winning his second national championship in 2022. He has struggled with recruiting in the transfer portal and hasn’t paid as much attention to recruiting younger players, but this roster is built much differently than those of the past two seasons. He hasn't been getting near enough credit as he deserves as a coach, and it won't be a shock if KU isn't better this season than everyone is predicting.
Look for Bill Self to prove once again that he is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and that this Kansas basketball team will exceed preseason expectations.