The Kansas basketball program had survived the first few days of the transfer portal without an entry, but that came to an end Friday afternoon. Zach Clemence, who spent four years in Lawrence, has played his last game for the Jayhawks after putting his name in the portal.
Clemence averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds across eight contests in 2024-25, serving in a limited role off the bench. The former top-50 recruit entered college with high expectations from KU fans, but he will leave the school with just 89 points in a crimson and blue uniform.
First portal entry for the Jayhawks. Can’t imagine it is the last. #KUbball https://t.co/v78STYOZJp
— Through The Phog (@ThroughThePhog) March 28, 2025
Zach Clemence expected to leave Jayhawks after entering transfer portal
Notice how we said "expected" since Clemence has already pulled this stunt before. He also entered the portal at the end of the 2022-23 season and committed to UC Santa Barbara before deciding he would rather return to KU. In turn, he preserved a year of eligibility last year by redshirting with hopes to become an impact player in the future.
Unfortunately, it never worked out between the two parties. Clemence was stuffed behind big men Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Flory Bidunga on the depth chart. He saw some minutes in nonconference play, but a groin injury held him out from December until the end of the season.
A 6-foot-10 stretch big with shooting potential, Clemence was viewed as a potential long-term piece by many Jayhawk fans. He was expected to compete for the starting center job in 2022-23 before Bill Self opted to run the small ball with Adams at the five spot.
Clemence brought very few memorable moments to the Jayhawk faithful. In fact, his most unforgettable play came against Wisconsin in the Battle 4 Atlantis when he missed a 3-pointer so badly that Bobby Pettiford was able to clean up his miss for a game-winning putback. However, we wish him the best of luck in his final year of NCAA eligibility and hope he can pan out somewhere else.