‘We’re going to require everyone’: Inside Kansas’ offseason overhaul

• Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff WriterNov 8, 2024, 08:00 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting insider.
• Signed up with ESPN in 2014.
• Graduate of University of Delaware.LAWRENCE, Kan.– In

retrospect, even Costs Self admits the timing wasn’t ideal.Less than an hour after Kansas’2023-24 season ended in an 89-68 second-round NCAA tournament defeat to Gonzaga, Self was asked how long the loss would stick to him. “I think for the last month, I’ve been thinking of next season, to be sincere,” the Kansas coach said.The wheels had long since fallen off for Kansas, which opened last season at No.

1 and still sat at No. 4 in early February. After opening the season with 13 wins in their first 14 games, the Jayhawks went 10-10, consisting of 5-7 in their final 12 games. Their 23-11 total record and 10-8 record in the Huge 12 were the program’s worst since Self took control of in 2003. Self expecting more enthusiastic days wasn’t a surprise.

But stating it right after a 21-point tournament loss raised some eyebrows.Editor’s Picks 2 Related “If you sit in our meetings, 50 percent of the time what we’re discussing isn’t this year’s group,”Self informed ESPN in late October.”It’s who we’re going to recruit. Portal, money, what can we afford? Income cap, roster management. That’s what we talk about all the time. Now, the timing of saying it right after the game …”… But what I stated was really one hundred percent precise.”Self’s postgame comments set the tone for Kansas’ offseason.

And after a hyperaggressive portal push in which the Jayhawks signed 5 boundary players, Kansas discovers itself in a familiar position as the 2024-25 college basketball season begins: No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 survey. play 1:36 Highlight: No. 16 Arkansas shines in exhibit vs. No. 1 Kansas To tip off Year Among the Calipari age, Razorbacks Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner integrate for 46 indicate help get the exhibition win against the top-ranked Jayhawks, 85-69. After 2 exhibit games that included a loss at Arkansas and a win over Washburn, the regular

season began with an 87-57 win over Howard. Now, the tough part: measuring up to the expectations, preventing a repeat of last season’s collapse. And it begins with Friday’s blue-blood showdown versus No. 9 North Carolina(7 p.m. EST, ESPN)– the first heavyweight group on a schedule that also includes Michigan State, Duke and Creighton before Big 12 play begins.”There’s certainly a various state of mind and a different kind of inspiration, “center Hunter Dickinson said.”We’re going to require everyone we’ve got.” Kansas ‘star trio– from left, Dajuan Harris Jr., Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr.– must have a lot more assistance this season. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Lost in the analysis of Kansas ‘second-half battles last season was that the Jayhawks were one of the very best groups in the nation through the very first 2 months. At full strength, they beat UConn

, Tennessee and Kentucky. The losses in February and March accompanied the health of All-American forward Kevin McCullar Jr., who sat out eight games since of a bone swelling and was obstructed for the last two months of the season.Without him, Self needed to count on a reduced rotation that included his starters consistently playing 35-plus minutes per game.” I really thought in 2015 we played to that ranking early in the season,” he said. “But when it counted the most

, we didn’t sniff playing to that ranking. There were reasons that, however you can’t make reasons.”If a pro goes down, if the incorrect guy goes down, it’s going to harm your group regardless. But we didn’t have a method to combat that with depth. “So by the round-of-32 loss to Gonzaga, Self currently had a refilling strategy in mind. In Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Dickinson, he had three seasoned anchors around whom to develop. Five-star freshman Flory Bidunga, ranked No. 18 in the ESPN 100, was being available in to offer depth behind

Dickinson.What was left to include? Guards and wings. Shooters and athletes with length. Kansas ranked 11th in the Huge 12 last season in 3-point shooting and the Jayhawks regularly had difficulty creating their own shots and safeguarding groups who might attack aggressively off the dribble.” I informed my personnel, we got to get guys that suffice–

8 starters that can play significant starter minutes at Kansas if something happens, “Self stated.” And I believe that we did that for the many part.”Top stories of the week from

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More ESPN+content”South Dakota

State transfer Zeke Mayo was the first one, choosing the Jayhawks on April 2.
Florida transfer Riley Kugel dedicated one day
later on, followed by AJ Storr(Wisconsin)and Rylan Griffen(Alabama )later on in April. Mississippi State transfer Shakeel Moore

arrived in June and Northern Illinois transfer David Coit in August.All of these players bring plenty to Lawrence, but most importantly: They can shoot. Mayo and Griffen each shot better than 39%from 3 last season; Storr and Coit are both above 35 %for their careers. Moore was above 36% last season, too.Another newbie is ESPN 100 freshman Rakease Passmore, who signed last fall and kept his dedication in spite of the increase of talent.” I believe being available in they probably believed he would redshirt or were anticipating him to, however I think he’s one of our better perimeter defenders and he makes an effect when he is out there,”Dickinson stated of Passmore.

“So I feel like it’s going to be tough for him not to be on the flooring in some cases. ” Zeke Mayo was a 39 %3-point shooter last season at South Dakota State and must get heavy minutes on a deep roster at Kansas. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images When the dust settled, the Jayhawks brought in six new border players with whom to surround Harris, Adams and Dickinson.”

I seem like the athleticism is definitely different than in 2015,” Dickinson said.” We got a lot more professional athletes on the group. Like in 2015, our best warmup dunker was a walk-on. The warmup lines will look way various this year.”As Kansas kept adding more players, from the outdoors it looked congested. But then Kugel and high school recruit Labaron Philon decommitted, and Elmarko Jackson, who began 16 games last season, sustained a season-ending injury. The bodies– and competition for minutes– now seemed needed.”At some point in our careers, everybody’s going to face difficulty for whatever reason, “Storr stated. “If that’s playing time, fighting to get on a lineup– this is just preparation for that. I understand it’s going to be somebody different every night. “And there are signs Kansas’offseason lineup technique is working.

Against Howard, the Jayhawks shot 50%from 3-point range and made 11 3s; they made more than 11 threes just once last season and hit the 50%mark only two times. They also played 10 players at least 14 minutes; just 7 players balanced more than eight minutes last season.” Everything is interchangeable

,”Self stated.”How do we resolve length? How do we address boundary shooting? Nobody’s going to beat KJ out, but if we’re going to play KJ, we require to put shooters around him. … Our house looks crowded, however after you watch us practice, it’s not near as crowded as what individuals think.” Kansas brought in shooters from the transfer portal such as Northern Illinois ‘David Coit, left– but also kept some of its freshman talent, consisting of Rakease Passmore, right. Denny Medley-Imagn Images In spite of most of the newbies arriving in Lawrence with lots of college experience, dipping into Kansas– and together with so many proven manufacturers– requires a change in method. Not only do many have to prepare for a reduced function on offense, however some need to change their group vs. private viewpoint.”It’s not been a change with my game, always. I would state frame of mind,”Storr said.Dickinson went through a similar procedure when he arrived from Michigan

, where he earned All-American honors, in the spring of 2023. After the Wolverines earned a Big 10 title and 1-seed in 2021, they went a combined 37-31 in Dickinson’s last 2 seasons at Michigan. As the losses piled up in his final season under coach Juwan Howard, Dickinson made headlines for the incorrect reasons: calling Wisconsin”sleazebags “on a podcast and wearing a ski mask while walking into

a game versus the Badgers. play 0:47 Hunter Dickinson eggs on the Wisconsin crowd Hunter Dickinson puts in the hook shot and lets the crowd hear it. Then Kobe Bufkin strikes a three to end the half, and Dickinson eggs on the crowd more.Upon arriving at Kansas, he moved his motivation from his individual game to winning at the greatest level– which cravings for titles brought a tweak in his personality.

“I probably have dialed it back a bit in what I say and things. Just concerning Kansas, I was trying to mature a bit,” Dickinson stated. “I know just how much winning ways and specifically winning at a location like this, what it can do for your basketball career, for your life in basic. … Other people offered me more NIL cash, however I knew if I didn’t win, there was no point in going to those schools due to the fact that it wasn’t

going to assist me get to where I truly wished to go. “As a freshman at St. John’s, Storr’s group went 18-15 and missed the NCAA tournament. Last season at Wisconsin, the Badgers went 22-14 and lost to 12-seed James Madison in the preliminary of the NCAA tournament.”UConn got four guys prepared and, statistically, a few of those guys ‘numbers weren’t as excellent as other players out there. But they’re the ones that got drafted due to the fact that they won a championship game,” Storr stated.” Winning is the main thing I’m focused

on today. I’m going to establish, regardless. When you’re winning, you’re developing.”On a couple of unseasonably warm October days that turn Allen Fieldhouse into a sauna, Self invests long stretches in practice attempting to

instill aggressiveness into his newcomers. Though Mayo and Storr were go-to guys at their previous schools, and Griffen may be the group’s best pure scorer, all three have gone through bouts of unpredictability in the preseason.In the days following Kansas ‘exhibition loss to Arkansas, Self told press reporters Mayo played too very carefully, and that he has”AJ screwed up at the minute since he doesn’t

understand what aggressive appear like,”but acknowledges “that’s not on him as much as it is on us.”He repeated that Storr and Griffen require to play to their ceiling if Kansas is going to complete for a national championship.At practice before the exhibition versus Washburn, Self urges Storr to get open and cut more difficult off the ball. He urges Griffen to take a shot when he instead passes to a teammate.When Storr lastly drives to the rim off a screen and finishes with a dunk, Self is motivated.”That’s far better!”