The Kansas basketball team still has two roster spots available, and head coach Bill Self might be looking at former Arkansas center Malique Ewin. This may be nothing because Ewin needs to be granted another year of eligibility to play this season.
Ewin started his career at Ole Miss, then attended a junior college for a year. He then played for Florida State before moving on to Arkansas last season. The fickle NCAA has granted a fifth year for players who played one year at a junior college, so he should be given another year.
Even though there are some doubters as to how good the KU transfer recruiting class is, it is more than solid. The Jayhawks have added Christian Reeves, Keanu Dawes, Leroy Blyden Jr., and Dennis Parker Jr. When added to the seven incoming freshmen, including Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, the overall class is more than sold. Throw Ewin in, and it gets even better.
Center is probably the biggest question mark for the Jayhawks this season. Reeves transferred from Charleston, where he averaged 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds. Before that, he had very little personal success at Duke and Clemson. He is also dealing with a labrum injury, which casts doubts upon how healthy and effective he might be.
KU also has Paul Mbiya, one of two players from last year's roster to return. Mbiya is a terrific rim protector but is raw offensively. He also tends to foul a lot when he plays. He certainly can improve those weaknesses, but he needs time to develop.
How could Malique Ewin help the Kansas basketball roster?
Ewin averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds two years ago at Florida State. These numbers dropped to 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds last season for Arkansas, where he played five fewer minutes a game and only started four games.
He will add some more athleticism experience to the interior and provide insurance in case Reeves' recovery doesn't go as smoothly as hoped. It would also give Mbiya the opportunity to hone his skills for the future. It would give Self even more lineup options.
Adding Ewin will probably let freshman Davion Adkins concentrate more on developing into a strong stretch four rather than having to play too many minutes as the five.
If Ewin gets his fifth year and does indeed come to Kansas as some believe, it will only make a well-rounded roster deeper.
Michael Main, a writer for Best of Arkansas Sports, thinks Kansas will be his destination if granted the fifth year.
It seems that former Razorback Malique Ewin is trending toward a blue blood if he's granted a fifth season of eligibility.https://t.co/4GR2sD5jDY
— Best Of Arkansas Sports (@BestOfARSports) June 8, 2026
Of course, Main loses some credibility by calling Kansas a “former powerhouse program.” This comes from someone who covers a school whose only national title came 31 years ago. Kansas, who won a title as recently as 2022 and has 96 wins over the last four “down” seasons, still has eight more wins than the Razorbacks in that time frame. Sounds like a lot of jealousy and sour grapes.
Regardless, Ewin's experience could be invaluable, and he'd be a great addition this late in the recruiting season. He has some rim-protecting skills, blocking 1.1 blocks last season. He is also good around the rim, shooting 59.3 percent from the field during his career.
Even if Reeves is fully recovered, there is a possibility that Ewin could be a contender to start. It would certainly make an interesting competition between Reeves, Ewin, and Mbiya for minutes, and maybe the starting gig. It would certainly give Self options on the interior.
Ewin is as good of a player as a school could hope to add this late. Hopefully, he will be given the fifth year and decide to join the Jayhawks soon.
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