Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has been known to make some big moves late in the spring recruiting cycle. Over the years, he’s landed highly coveted prospects such as Darrell Arthur, Andrew Wiggins, and Svi Mykhailiuk, to name a few.
Self is hoping to add Italian basketball sensation Dame Sarr to that list. Following a visit to Lawrence recently, Sarr is no question quite high on potentially playing for the Jayhawks. Well, some great news has come in for people hoping he'll pledge to KU. Reporter Travis Branham of 247Sports' has put in his official crystal ball pick for Self to land the touted playmaker.
Sarr would be a big addition for the 2025-26 team, as he is projected as a potential lottery pick in the '26 NBA Draft. Pairing him alongside incoming freshman Darryn Peterson – one of the favorites to be the first pick in the 2026 draft – and incoming transfer guards Melvin Council Jr. and Jayden Dawson could make for one of the most talented backcourts in the country.
Sarr would arrive at KU from Oderzo, Italy, with real professional European basketball experience. He most recently played for FC Barcelona in Spain, competing in the Liga ACB and EuroLeague.
Dame Sarr on his official visit to Kansas. #KUbball pic.twitter.com/hKT65U2fgD
— Michael Swain (@MSwain247) May 8, 2025
Kansas is now the favorite to land touted FC Barcelona star Dame Sarr
During the 2024–25 season, Sarr averaged 5.8 points per game, shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range for FC Barcelona. Playing for the Italian national team at the Under-18 EuroBasket Championships in 2024, Sarr averaged 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Sarr recently left his FC Barcelona team in order to travel to the United States and compete in this year’s Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon. His performance at the Nike summit seems to be what really garnered the attention of several college coaching staffs – including KU, Illinois, Kentucky, and Oregon – after scoring 17 points and grabbing four rebounds in his international team’s 124-114 loss to Team USA.
Sarr was long thought to be an Illinois lean, but Self and the Kansas coaching staff made him a priority and those efforts could be paying off in the near future. His recruitment will be one to follow closely, as it looks like a decision is coming soon.