In July, Kansas basketball received a commitment from Serbian center Mihailo Musikic. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Musikic will ever play for the Jayhawks. Former Michigan State player Jaxson Kohler is now a candidate to fill the last roster spot.
Under the new NCAA five-in-five rule, international players with pro league experience or of a certain age will no longer be eligible to play in college. Musikic is 24 and played several seasons professionally overseas. Despite his commitment to KU, Musikic will probably never play at Kansas.
Another possible candidate for the final roster spot is Melvin Council Jr. He would be a fan favorite, but he is another player who doesn't seem likely to win a special circumstance case against the NCAA. He played two seasons at a junior college before stints at Wagner, St. Bonaventure, and Kansas. While he was a terrific Jayhawk in his one season here, he isn't the best overall fit for this year's roster.
Kohler is being courted by BYU, Kentucky, and Kansas. Michigan State would also like to have him back. The Jayhawks are looking to fill out some depth issues along the front line, especially with Christian Reeves' availability for the whole season in doubt due to injury.
What might Jaxson Kohler offer the Kansas basketball roster this season?
Kohler is one of several dozen players to receive a fifth year of eligibility by the court system. When the NCAA decided on the five-in-five rule, they did not grandfather in the class of 2022. Those players went to court and won an extra year. Kohler is one of those players.
Kohler would bring one thing the Jayhawks are sorely missing with Reeves sidelined—experience, and that experience comes from playing at a top program under a Hall of Fame coach in Tom Izzo.
Kohler has 127 games under his belt with 69 starts. He hasn't been a big scorer, but he did average 12.5 points last season with the Spartans. He's developed into a good rebounder, averaging 8.2 boards a game over the last two seasons, including 8.9 last year.
Presently, with Reeves availability unknown for the start of the season. Kansas has returning Jayhawk Paul Mbiya at center, with freshman Davion Adkins backing him up. Adkins would be serving double duty, as he will also be the primary backup for Keanu Dawes at the four spot too. Freshman project Grant Mordini is the only remaining depth at center.
Mbiya didn't garner that many minutes last season. He saw action in just 21 games, averaging five minutes per outing. While it is expected that he will make a big jump in his contributions, he doesn't bring much experience.
Davion Adkins will be fantastic at KU, but all freshmen tend to have ups and downs their first season. If head coach Bill Self and his staff can wrangle Kohler into the fold, he would bring that insurance at center that Kansas needs.
With or without Kohler, KU will be deep and athletic this season. Currently, they are a little thin along the frontline, but Kohler would completely solve that issue.
Add us as a preferred source on Google