To be blunt, last season, the Kansas Jayhawks struggled to score. Overall, Kansas notched 75.1 points per game, No. 161 in the nation. To put it simply, the Jayhawks didn’t have enough players who could create something out of nothing. However, this season’s shooting guard group should be able to bring those numbers back up.
Today we will be analyzing the likes of guards Kohl Rosario, Dennis Parker Jr. and Luke Barnett. Honestly, we have our questions on whether Parker will play as a shooting guard or as a small forward, but Kansas’ roster lists him as a guard, so they had the deciding vote.
When on, this becomes an elite group
Kohl Rosario: It is easy to forget that Rosario is supposed to be a freshman this season. And there were several tells last season that he looked a little out of his depth. The biggest being his confidence.
Towards the beginning of the season, with a clean slate, the former 4-star looked like the sky was the limit; he brought bolts of energy to every play and totaled 71 points through Kansas’ non-conference slate, with double-digit outings against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and Davidson.
However, when the season began to churn through Big 12 play, Rosario’s role diminished and when he was on the court, things suddenly stopped clicking. But perhaps the biggest redeeming quality from him was when the season entered its most important game against St. John’s in the round of 32 NCAA Tournament; Rosario came to life off the bench and reeled in 5 points and 2 rebounds. While his stats against St. John’s don't jump out, he sliced Rick Pitino’s momentum in half and gave the Jayhawks a much-needed boost.
Dennis Parker Jr.: Everyone will be keeping their eyes on Parker next season for one key reason: he can score. In case you need reminding, Parker compiled a mind-boggling 53 points against Coppin State last season in what turned into a 30-point win for the Radford Highlanders. The former 4-star didn’t get to exude his best in his two seasons at NC State, but in his one season with Radford, Parker averaged 18.3 points on a stellar 48.4% field-goal percentage to go along with 5.9 rebounds per game. While no one can quite pin down either his position or minutes, he is bound to produce some high-scoring nights next season.
Luke Barnett: Barnett has been praised without prompt all offseason long. Sure, you can count the times Bill Self has sat in front of a mic with one hand; but rest assured the freshman’s name has been brought up.
“But maybe the nicest surprise we've had so far has been Luke Barnett. He hadn't been good; he's been terrific. So, that's been a pleasant surprise…We knew Luke could really shoot. it's great to be able to really shoot, but you still got to be in the game to make shots. Luke's plenty good enough to be in the game. So that adds to your shooting right there.”
That was Self towards the end of July. If Barnett can keep impressing, then there is every chance he could make an impact this season.
Overall Grade: A-
On a good day, Parker and Rosario can win you a game, and Barnett can contribute off the bench. We just don’t quite know the rotation of the three and how often they will each have bad days mixed with the good ones.
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