The Kansas basketball program is getting closer to the start of the 2024-25 regular season. Bill Self will do all he can to help the team excel. Nevertheless, Self must think about which players will redshirt during the season, and he provided insight into freshman forward Flory Bidunga and guard Rakease Passmore's decisions.
“I don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out, but I think so,” Self said per Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star when asked about players redshirting. “Flory (Bidunga) obviously won’t. I’m not saying Rakease (Passmore) will at all, but at least freshmen get to play in the exhibition games before you make that decision.”
The fact that Bill Self is pondering upon the decisions means the Kansas basketball squad has sufficient depth going into the season. However, his indication of Bidunga not redshirting means the team could use his frontcourt services, while Rakease's status is yet to be determined.
Article Continues BelowRegardless, the Jayhawks will return some stout contributors led by senior center Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson transferred to Kansas in 2023 and averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. His efforts earned him the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year honor. Dickinson looks to take another leap forward in 2024-25, but he is not the only one experiencing growth.
Forward KJ Adams Jr. is returning to the Kansas basketball roster for his third year. Adams has seen significant improvement with the program. After averaging 1.0 points and 0.8 rebounds during his freshman year, he leapt to average 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 2022-23. He comes off a year with career-high averages of 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals.
The Jayhawks are on a mission to improve upon their second-round 2024 NCAA Tournament Gonzaga exit. Self is just a little over two years removed from winning a national championship, so he and the team will surely give their best effort to win big in 2025.