Finally, the Kansas basketball team is about to start. After a long and active offseason, the Jayhawks are set to play their first of three exhibition games Friday against Pittsburg State.
The official KU Athletics basketball roster page has finally been updated to include the additions of Tre White and Melvn Council Jr., who've both been practicing with the Jayhawks over the past week. It will be interesting to see how much they play against the Gorillas.
In an unusual twist, the exhibition against Pittsburg State will also serve as Late Night in the Phog. Over the years, this fan-favorite festivity has slowly been eroded by Bill Self. It used to be a can't-miss event, but recently it's devolved into an extremely limited scrimmage with uncreative skits and questionably musical guest choices. It seems the program has mostly destroyed the once fun fan love fest with the team.
Of course, with the transient nature of college basketball rosters these days, it's hard for fans to gravitate toward players when they know there is a good chance that those players will be gone after one year. Both White and Council should receive warm welcomes, as both did connect with fans in a big way last year, especially Council. Look for Kohl Rosario and Paul Mbiya to also receive loud cheers for returning to KU.
Fans will also gravitate toward Tylan Stokes and Taylen Kinney as highly sought-after prospects. This might be a team, as a whole, that will be easy to support, however. It should be fun to watch throughout the season.
Kansas vs. Pittsburg State: When and where
Kansas will host Pittsburg State in Allen Fieldhouse Friday night at 7 pm CDT. On a strange sidenote, this exhibition will also serve as this season's Late Night at the Phog. We'll see how that works. It can't be worse than the last few seasons.
Kansas vs. Pittsburg State: How to watch
This exhibition will air on ESPN+. You can stream it on FuboTV and Disney+ with the ESPN package, both of which require a paid subscription.
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It is nearly impossible to guess who Self might start in this game. You don't know if he will reward the players who've worked the hardest in practice or if he will begin to zone in on players who have a chance to start regularly.
MUST READ: TRE WHITE AND MELVIN COUNCIL JR. ADD EXPERIENCE AND DEPTH
It was also nice to hear that White and Council joined the team with a great attitude. Rosario told KUSports.com reporter Henry Greenstein (subscription required) that Council volunteered for the scout team. Neither White nor Council expected to be handed anything, considering how late they'd joined the team. That shows leadership and an understanding of how teams work.
Still, KU should win this exhibition easily, and everyone will get their first look at all the new players. Of the 16 total players on the roster, counting grandfathered walk-on Will Thengvall, 11 are new to the program. While it seems as if Grant Mordini and Atticus Richmond are roster fillers, scout team players, and will serve, along with Thengvall, in the old walk-on roles. Self needs to decide how the other 13 players are going to contribute. Luckily, he has three exhibition games to figure it out.
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