The Kansas Jayhawks are always expected to be a legitimate title contender not just in the Big 12 but on the national stage, thanks in large part to the excellent coaching of Bill Self. The Kansas basketball head coach can also be credited for the program's success on the recruitment and transfer fronts.
That is turning out to be the case again in 2024 for the Jayhawks, with Kansas securing the enrollments of two top-tier freshmen in addition to an intriguing cast of players coming over to Lawrence via the transfer portal.
Bill Self shares thoughts on Kansas basketball roster
Recently, Self opened up about his thoughts on the current look of Kansas' roster (via Henry Greenstein of KUsports.com).
“We obviously have a little bit more depth on paper,” shared Self, who has been the Jayhawks' head coach since 2003. “But you know, last year at this time, we had more depth too. So unexpected things can obviously happen, but yeah, I like our roster a lot.”
The Jayhawks have turned heads in the offseason with some quality additions to their roster. They got five-star center Flory Bidunga and four-star shooting guard Rakease Passmore. Perhaps even more impressive is the group of transferees who will be looking to help Kansas basketball contend for a national title in the 2024-25 college hoops campaign. The Jayhawks have boosted their backcourt by landing point guard Noah Shelby from the Rice Owls, shooting guard AJ Storr from the Wisconsin Badgers, and Zeke Mayo from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. They also added Alabama Crimson Tide transfer and small forward Ryland Griffen.
It is one thing for Kansas basketball to add quality players in the offseason and it's another to make them fit alongside each other. That's on Self to work on in the coming months, as he and the Jayhawks look to become a well-oiled machine once the season gets going again in November.
“We need some guys, guys from a role standpoint, that can make the other guys look better, not necessarily be a guy that you would think (would) come in and score all the points or anything like that,” Self said. “That’d be nice, obviously, but how do we have somebody that can come in and be a nice asset to us and benefit the other ones’ skill levels?”
Kansas basketball got a tremendous boost for the 2024-25 season when star big man Hunter Dickinson revealed that he would be staying in college to play for one more season with the Jayhawks. Also returning to run it back with Kansas is guard Dajuan Harris Jr. There is enough experience in Kansas. Dickinson and Harris have been starters for the Jayhawks and will likely reprise the same roles next season. KJ Adams Jr. and Elmarko Jackson are also among those with starting experience returning to play for Kansas, while Storr, Griffen, and Mayo used to be part of their previous programs' starting units.
Last season, the Jayhawks made it to the 2024 NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed. They made it out of the first round by barely edging upset-seeking Samford Bulldogs. That was all the success Kansas had in that edition of the Big Dance, as the Jayhawks got destroyed in the second round by the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the tune of an 89-68 score. Overall, Kansas basketball went 23-11 that season with a 10-8 record against conference opponents.
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