Kansas basketball HC Bill Self shares tough news about Jayhawks transfer portal commit

Bill Self and Kansas basketball have dominated the transfer portal this offseason, landing multiple highly touted players to place the Jayhawks among the favorites to win a national title next season. Kansas appears to be back at full strength after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign that saw them fall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.

While transfers AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, and Rylan Griffen have all signed their financial aid agreements to play at KU and go on scholarship this upcoming season, one player in the Jayhawks' transfer class has not. Former Florida guard Riley Kugel is still mulling his decision despite committing in March. Self shared a not-so-great update on the incoming junior when he joined a podcast with CBB analyst Andy Katz.

Bill Self unsure if Riley Kugel will officially sign to Kansas basketball

"We also got a commitment from a young man from Florida — Riley Kugel — and that's up in the air whether or not Riley will come, but certainly those other three [transfer portal additions] we feel good about."

- Bill Self

Kugel announced that he would transfer from UF to Kansas and has openly supported the addition of other transfers on his social media accounts. However, he has yet to put pen to paper and is technically still in the portal for the time being. The recent comments from Self don't suggest that will change in the near future.

There is a possibility the ex-Gator has concerns about playing time entering KU. He was the first player to commit during the 2024 portal cycle and likely went into the situation thinking he'd see significant minutes right off the bat. Less than one month later, three transfers had followed suit, and his role on the team looked gloomy all of a sudden.

Once an NBA prospect, Kugel had somewhat of an off-year in Gainesville this past season. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals on 39.4%/31/2%/69.6% shooting splits. The Orlando native was supposed to take a massive leap as a sophomore, but instead, his shooting percentages plummeted and he entered the portal.

His athleticism and defensive potential could be an asset to the Kansas basketball team, and he still has another year of eligibility after the upcoming campaign. Regardless, the coaching staff must prepare for a scenario in which Kugel commits elsewhere and they have to replace his spot on the 13-man roster.