The Kansas basketball team needed some revamping after the Jayhawks finished the 2023-24 season with one of the worst years in the Bill Self era. Despite entering the campaign as the preseason No. 1 squad, injuries, internal problems, and a lack of outside shooting all contributed to KU's eventual downfall.
Coach Self has wasted no time addressing these issues in the transfer portal, landing guards Riley Kugel, Zeke Mayo, and most recently AJ Storr. Assuming Hunter Dickinson returns to school and does not test the NBA Draft waters, the Jayhawks will undoubtedly go in the upcoming season as title favorites.
Although Kansas still plans on adding another portal entry, they have already had a terrific offseason regardless. In a recent article by ClutchPoints' Liam Hanley, he named five teams that have made a splash in the transfer portal. As expected, Kansas landed atop that list.
Kansas basketball named the No. 1 winner of transfer portal thus far
"The issues for Self's team were apparent: a lack of three-point shooting (just 30.8% from deep in Big 12 play) and poor depth doomed a team with one of the most talented starting fives in the country. But Coach Self took this disappointment as a chance to reassess and entered the offseason on a mission. The program has added three high-level players for the 2024-25 season — solving the issue of backcourt depth and bringing much-added floor spacing."Liam Hanley, ClutchPoints
Solving issues in the backcourt was paramount for Self, and he responded by adding a proven 3-point shooter in Mayo. Kansas has its starting PG set in Dajuan Harris but also has depth with Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell potentially returning and top-30 PG recruit Labaron Philon joining the mix. Hanley continued about the importance of KU's portal additions:
"Zeke Mayo — the 2023-24 Summit League Player of the Year — enters the fray. He averaged 18.8 PPG while shooting nearly 40% from deep and will hope to follow the paths of former Summit League POTYs Baylor Scheierman and Max Abmas. Riley Kugel of Florida adds strong three-and-D play with the size and shooting ability teams covet at the wing position. The centerpiece of this committed class thus far is former Wisconsin wing AJ Storr. As a sophomore, Storr was Second-Team All-Big Ten, leading the Badgers with 16.8 PPG. He will need to improve his offensive efficiency, but Storr is an NBA-level prospect who can score from anywhere on the floor."Liam Hanley, ClutchPoints
He finished the article by writing: "With these offseason additions, Kansas should be a title favorite next year."