The transfer portal has not treated the Kansas Jayhawks well with every non-graduate that saw the court last season for KU electing to enter the transfer portal. While some portal decisions were expected, 5-star recruit Flory Bidunga entering the portal was a big surprise to the Jayhawk faithful. Luckily, the tide has turned a bit in the last few days, as KU has added pieces.
KU Hoops secured its first transfer portal addition in 6-foot-4 guard Jayden Dawson, after he spent three years with Loyola Chicago in the A-10 conference. Kansas followed up this portal move by adding 6-foot-7 wing Tre White, who spent last year with Illinois in the Big 10. Both players bring a lot to the table, despite not being huge names or being perceived as big splashes.
These moves look like a pivot from Bill Self’s previous transfer portal cycle in which he added more well-known college basketball names like AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen. Obviously, neither one of those additions played great for the Crimson and Blue and Self appears to be focusing more on fit rather than potential star power this time around.
It has also been interesting to see that Self targeted these specific players first, as the two incoming transfers have a lot in common with each other.
White and Dawson can bring back the toughness that KU has lacked recently
After initially seeing this duo that KU is bringing into the squad, there were several things that jumped out. More specifically, it was apparent that both White and Dawson are defensive-oriented, energetic, gritty, and tough. To put it more plainly for anyone that needs the “too long, didn’t read” explanation, both players are absolute DAWGS.
Dawson can be commended for his 13.9 PPG while shooting a solid 36.3% from beyond the arc, but it is his intensity and motor on both ends of the floor that likely caught Self’s eye when looking at portal options. White brings that same intensity and effort after he averaged 10.5 PPG and a stellar 5.5 RPG (as a wing) in just 23.4 MPG, making him highly impactful in his minutes.
With 5-star phenom Darryn Peterson joining the roster soon, these two dawgs will be able to lock in defensively and be great tertiary options for Kansas and Peterson on the offensive end. Peterson should in theory make their lives a lot easier on that end and as long as they are playing as hard as they have with their other programs, they will both be great additions.
Ultimately, fans will want to see how the Jayhawks round out the rest of the roster, but this has been a great start. Currently the roster is still thin but If White and Dawson become fifth or sixth options as KU adds more players in the portal, Kansas’ situation will be even more promising. The most important thing is that KU's culture of toughness and grit may officially be back.