Bill Self is nearing his 24th season at the helm of the Kansas Jayhawks, and with that comes the natural churn of questions over what his starting lineup will look like when the Jayhawks welcome Fordham to Allen Fieldhouse on November 2nd.
But in today’s era, the questions don’t stop there. Over this offseason, Kansas has been linked with several players fighting for extra college eligibility, and until things from the NCAA finally straighten out, you can’t accurately say this is Kansas’ roster until tip-off against the Rams.
After all, this is a Kansas team that was recently forced to reshape their entire roster via the NCAA Transfer Portal, which saw KU reel in four transfers, including center Christian Reeves (College of Charleston), small forward Dennis Parker Jr. (Radford), guard Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo) and power forward Keanu Dawes (Utah).
Via the high school ranks, KU is bringing in forward Tyran Stokes, guard Taylen Kinney, center Davion Adkins, forward Trent Perry, shooting guard Luke Barnett and depth pieces Atticus Richmond and Grant Mordini.
Trying to compile all these names into a starting five with Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. is a tall task, but Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports did so earlier.
Kansas’ starting five looks as you would expect but has underlying battles to figure out
Trotter lists his KU starting five as
Point Guard: Taylen Kinney
Shooting Guard: Leroy Blyden Jr.
Small Forward: Tyran Stokes
Power Forward: Keanu Dawes
Center: Paul Mbiya
Trotter projected Kansas’ key reserves to include shooting guard Kohl Rosario, Parker, Reeves, Barnett, Perry and Adkins.
“Kohl Rosario is going to push for a starting gig, thanks to his elite athleticism, defense and rebounding, but at some point, he has to make shots in games.”
Last season, Rosario started the season playing stellar basketball for someone who was supposed to be a high school senior. However, as the season wore on, Rosario’s form quickly dropped off a cliff. However as the season reached its final few games he got back on the court where he was able to get back to his best.
Rosario’s game time heavily depends if they will want to use a combo guard setup or not. Early reports seem to suggest that is the way KU is leaning. If that is the case Blyden fits as the other combo guard alongside Kinney as Blyden is a better ball-handler and creator than Rosario. However, Rosario’s defense will be a key asset as soon mentioned by Trotter.
“Kansas' defensive projection gets firmer if Rosario becomes one of KU's best five players, but the Jayhawks can't be the best version of themselves offensively without Leroy Blyden Jr. hitting right away. That Blyden-Rosario battle will continue into the regular season but could be watered down if Kansas adds starters like Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. back in the five-in-five market.”
This is a largely a continuation of what we have been hearing all season. With KU seeminglty still looking for more talent to add to the roster, nothing with this roster looks or feels complete.
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