Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: NCAA transfer portal haul, KU basketball bench and more
Welcome to the first Kansas Jayhawks Q&A mailbag!
Each Friday, I will have a Q&A that answers any questions or thoughts you might have about KU Athletics.
The timing for this mailbag couldn’t come at a more interesting juncture. The NCAA Transfer Portal closed for entry on Wednesday. The next time it will re-open is in the spring.
The Jayhawks came away with ten transfer commitments — six defensive players, two offensive players and two kickers.
The biggest names from the transfer class are former five-star OT recruit Logan Brown (Wisconsin) and former four-star safety recruit Damarius McGhee of LSU.
On the flip side, KU lost seven players to the transfer portal: Jarrett Paul (Appalachian State), Ky Thomas (Kent State), Edwin White (North Alabama), Eriq Gilyard (UConn), Steven McBride (Hawaii), Shaad Dabney (Northern Illinois) and Gavin Potter (Arkansas State).
Kansas begins spring football on February 28.
On the basketball front, the Jayhawks had their 10-game winning streak snapped by in-state rival Kansas State in an 83-82 overtime classic on Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
Anyway, there’s plenty to discuss. So let’s dive into your questions. The first question is from the KU Sports Twitter Spaces, which I host every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Thank you for all the questions!
KU’s bench depth was exposed a bit on Tuesday; how important is it for Kansas coach Bill Self to develop the high-ceiling youngsters (MJ Rice, Zuby Ejiofor, and Ernest Udeh) over the season? — Brad H
Currently, KU’s bench ranks 343rd in the country in bench minutes percentage (22.7), per KenPom.
So naturally, when KU had three players foul out and the bench faltered on Tuesday, it’s become a talking point.
I asked Self on Thursday about his ideal rotation length for March, and he said it would be eight players in a perfect world: seven players with big minutes and another player to use in case of emergency.
Self’s rotations aren’t very deep most years; last season’s championship team primarily used seven players, with Jalen Coleman-Lands and KJ Adams there if needed.
Here’s where I am with the bench issues. Yes, it would be great to have Rice ready to go and provide scoring after McCullar and Dajuan Harris were virtually nonexistent on that end against K-State —combining for three points. Still, I don’t think Rice playing is the difference between winning a tournament game or not.
My concern comes back to the team’s big men. Adams has been a revelation on both ends this season, but the forward is 6-foot-7, playing against bigger, more physical guys. That expends a ton of energy, and it means he’ll spend time on the bench each game. And when Adams fouled out against K-State, the drop in the level of play on both ends by his replacements was drastic.
When center Zach Clemence isn’t hitting his threes, he doesn’t have the same impact of Adams. He can over-help on defense at times and isn’t as quick moving laterally.
Lately, the Jayhawks have turned to athletic freshman Zuby Ejiofor, and they could benefit from him earning the 10-to-12 bench minutes per game because of his ability to rebound and potential as a screener, roll man and paint protector.
The conundrum becomes how many minutes any young bench player can play this late in the season. The balance between giving younger players development minutes and not losing games is always challenging, so Self has some tough decisions to make in the next couple of months.
Bench depth seems to have become exposed over the last few games.
Given that the schedule isn’t going to lighten up, what is the solution to finding the quality minutes that will create the trust that’s lacking from HCBS?— Mike Vogel ️ (@mikvogel) January 19, 2023
The simplest solution for the bench players who haven’t earned many minutes is to play better in practice. Self is a big believer in practice effort and overall focus on defense.
So if those players can show what they can add to KU rotation, that’s huge in building trust. If they play well on defense? That’s even better.
The only other way they might see consistent minutes will be injuries, dire situations … and blowouts.
The portal. Like Portal 101. When is the portal open/closed? Is it different sport by sport? What are the rules for athletes entering it? What are the rules for coaches? I feel like seeing it in a graphic format would help make it clearer.
— Kathy Habiger (@KHHabs) January 19, 2023
The transfer portal is a little confusing, so I completely get it. The transfer portal is the same for every fall sport. There are two transfer portal openings: a 45-day window beginning the day after championship selections are made or May 1-15.
For football, specifically, it lasts 45 days (Dec. 5- Jan. 18) and the usual 15 days (May 1-15).
Athletes can only enter their names in the portal during the two openings. Though athletes can announce their intention to transfer at any time, they can’t enter the portal until it opens.
During the two portal windows, coaches can talk to the players.
During the first football transfer portal window, KU was successful in filling some areas of need on the OL and on defense. One position where they had offers out, but no commitments was WR. Do you expect them to look for an impact transfer WR when the portal reopens in May?
— Austin Jayhawk (@bddeck925) January 19, 2023
Great question. Back in December, KU football offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki talked about how wide receivers were in a position of need.
Though the Jayhawks didn’t grab any WRs in the portal, they went after it heavily in their 2023 high school class. As a result, KU has three incoming wide receivers: Surahz Buncom, Jarred Sample and Keaton Kubecka.
I don’t anticipate KU getting more wide receivers with incoming new high school players, but things can change depending on how KU looks in spring ball.
Serious Q: What’s been your favorite part about your first month covering KU?
Not serious Q: Who is your least favorite media member? (It’s okay to say @JordanGuskey)— Michael Swain (@MSwain247) January 19, 2023
Appreciate the question, Michael! For the first question, let me split by into two separate answers.
For football, I love how excited KU fans are about the program.
Seeing a program develop and grow is one of the coolest things about college sports. I was lucky enough to see it as a student at Georgia. For fans, rooting for players from the start and watching them get better over time is incredible.
As a journalist, I love the chance to tell the stories of a program on the rise.
The first college football game I ever covered was the 55-53 triple-OT Liberty Bowl thriller KU lost to Arkansas in Memphis. Though I got heart palpitations while writing, it was an incredible experience.
I love seeing the history and lore of Kansas basketball. Anytime you walk around campus, you feel the program’s mark. And the chance to cover any game at Allen Fieldhouse is an electric feeling.
I love how much K-State and Missouri fans hate Kansas — enough to chant F-KU in games Kansas doesn’t even play in (even if Jerome Tang disagrees). That’s what being a fan is all about.
As for the last question, I’ve had a great experience with everybody on the beat.
Jordan isn’t super happy with me right now because I forgot to pick up his signature popcorn for him in Manhattan. But in my defense, I was locked in when writing and forgot.
