Former Kansas basketball player Tre White has received an injunction from the courts to return to college to play basketball. This does not mean he ever will. In this confusing time in college sports, spurred by the NCAA's incompetence, teams and players are left in limbo as to whether the players will be eligible to play. The NCAA is doubling down on their mistake by trying to block athletes who should have been included in their five-in-five rule.
Now, KU and White are in limbo. White can return to Kansas and train and practice with the team, but it is still up in the air whether he will ever be able to play again for the Jayhawks. Confused yet? Everyone is.
White has not been officially added to the KU roster, and neither has Melvin Council Jr., whose case and injunction are separate from White's. When and if either will be added eventually is still unknown, as the courts still need to work this out.
White probably has a more solid place on the roster than Council, as Through the Phog discussed earlier in the week. It's nothing against Council, a deserving fan favorite, but more about the makeup of the current roster.
The starting lineup if Tre White is cleared to play in games for Kansas
If White is cleared to play in games soon, it is difficult to not see him starting. He is versatile enough that he could see time at the off guard, the small forward, and at the four spot. If he makes it on the court and starts, it seems likely that Leroy Blyden Jr. might be the odd man out. In that case, the starting lineup would look like this:
- Guard: Taylen Kinney
- Guard: Tre White
- Forward: Tyran Stokes
- Forward: Keanu Dawes
- Center Paul Mbiya/Christian Reeves
This lineup would have plenty of size, as only Kinney would be under six-foot-seven. White might have some trouble keeping up with smaller, quicker guards, but his size and physicality would cause plenty of problems for those smaller opponents too. He was a positive last season on defense, and head coach Bill Self will know how to most effectively deploy him on that end of the court.
While White can score, averaging 13.5 points last season, he is best as a secondary option, and with Stokes on the team, that shouldn't be an option. This team should have plenty of secondary scorers, including some players off the bench like Dennis Parker Jr., Blyden, Kohl Rosario, Davion Adkins, and Luke Barnett.
White would give the lineup a lot of flexibility in that he can play the small guard, spell Stokes at small forward, and give rest to Dawes at the big forward spot.
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What Kansas does not want is for the final ruling on his eligibility to stretch out for very long. The uncertainty of if he can play or not isn't healthy for a team. Last season is a prime example of how it can topple a team, as KU seldom knew if or how long Darryn Peterson could play because of injuries.
If it is not settled soon, Self and KU would be better off without the constant distraction. You want to develop the players who are always going to be available. That said, White would bring a lot of positive experience to this team. If the NCAA had included his class in their five-in-five rule as it should have, he would have stayed at Kansas for that fifth year.
Hopefully, this situation gets resolved soon so we can all get on with the business of playing games.
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