I am one of the most biased, gigantic homers when it comes to the teams I support. This is doubled for any and everything Kansas Jayhawks. No matter how bad it got during the football season, I somehow talked myself into believing that they'd win. In March, I had legitimate thoughts of "Well, if we can get past Pitino and the Johnnies, then we're winning the whole thing!" I seldom have genuine, negative feelings about Kansas athletics. However, as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm underwhelmed by the offseason so far for Kansas Basketball.
I want to tackle this first: Bill Self landing a commitment from Tyran Stokes is remarkable. Stokes played on the Nike circuit and is from Kentucky. Ten years ago — heck, even five — he likely would have been a lock to play for Kentucky in Lexington. But this is 2026, and NIL spending is as important in recruiting as roster fit. It’s remarkable that Kansas has had the nation’s top high school recruit on its roster in back-to-back seasons. That keeps attention on Lawrence and quiets doubters of Self and the Jayhawks’ place in modern college basketball. As significant as Stokes is for the program, though, I think Kansas passed up several strong opportunities in the transfer portal to land him.
I’ll start with the player I’m most excited about. Leroy Blyden Jr. is going to be a standout in Lawrence. He takes care of the ball, shoots exceptionally well from 3-point range and does a solid job creating space to get to the basket. Sure, he’s a little undersized at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, but I’d imagine the training staff will put him on an offseason strength program to help him become more physical. In my opinion, he has a high ceiling and is the type of player I naturally gravitate toward during the offseason. From there, though, my excitement level drops.
Christian Reeves and Keanu Dawes had solid seasons at Charleston and Utah, respectively. Reeves battled a torn labrum throughout last season but put together an impressive second half. At 7-foot-0 he shoots efficiently from the floor, though there isn’t one aspect of his game that particularly stands out. Averaging nearly eight rebounds per game is certainly productive, but for a player his size, it’s also somewhat expected. Dawes was slightly more productive at Utah, averaging close to a double-double. Like Reeves, though, there isn’t a flashy element to his game or a standout trait that immediately generates excitement for me. They’re both solid additions, dependable players who fit well within Bill Self’s system, but in my opinion, they mostly just pass the eye test.
Thanks to Nick Timberlake’s spectacular 2023 season, I’ll probably always be skeptical of high-scoring players coming from mid-major programs. Still, Dennis Parker Jr. is someone I’ll be watching closely this fall. He posted solid numbers at Radford last season, but it remains to be seen whether that production will translate to the highest level of high-major basketball in the Big 12. I want to be excited about him, but he played on the third-best team in the Big South. No offense, but that doesn’t necessarily fire me up!
Is there a chance I’m being too hard on the roster makeup? Yeah, maybe. It’s only May, and there’s still plenty of time for the roster to come together before the season begins in November. Could it also be that I’m still bitter about the soul-crushing loss to St. John’s in March? Definitely. I still can’t think about Kansas without replaying Dylan Darling’s season-ending layup. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but I’m just not blown away by Kansas’ offseason additions. I look forward to being proven wrong come November, but I will begrudgingly keep the receipts if the team underperforms.
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