KU hoops has won an NCAA title, signed top players during ongoing 3-year investigation

The University of Kansas men’s basketball program received its initial notice of allegations from the NCAA way back in September 2019.

It’s now October 2022, and while there’s still no resolution to the NCAA’s infractions case against KU hoops, it can be said with authority that the ongoing investigation hasn’t had much of a negative effect on coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks program.

KU was charged three years ago with five Level One violations and has since won two Big 12 basketball championships, and of course a national title.

“We won it in ’22 and in ’20,” Self, who’s beginning his 20th season in Lawrence, said Wednesday at the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tipoff media day at T-Mobile Center. “And even though there were no guarantees of anything, we’d have been the No. 1 overall seed in ’20 (had the NCAA Tournament not been canceled because of COVID).

“And that was at the height of recruiting under that cloud.”

Noting that his team has continued to sign high-level players during the investigation, or at least while awaiting resolution of the matter, Self said simply: “We’ve been pretty fortunate.”

Self noted that “there’s been some things that haven’t happened because of that,” referring to failing to sign some individual one-and-done-type prospects who might’ve been afraid their one year in college could be adversely affected by potential NCAA sanctions. “But it’s probably been a blessing for us (in recruiting), in the long haul.”

Self went on to explain: “At the end of the day we’ve still gotten good-enough guys (to sign with KU). It’s certainly hurt us, but some of those ‘non-gets’ back then have turned into unbelievable ‘gets’ moving forward.

“Look at Ochai (Agbaji) and Dajuan Harris and Christian Braun (who were not ranked in top 20 nationally in high school). We may have taken those guys. I’m not positive we would have, just depending on who else we get. Recruiting is so different. Would we have gotten Joel Embiid if we’d have gotten Caleb Tarczewski? The answer is no.”

Self and his assistants already have three commitments from highly regarded guards in the Class of 2023. On Wednesday, the KU head coach praised his staff members, and also his Jayhawks players.

“We’ve got a good staff. It also says everybody’s on their own timetable,” Self said. “We’ve been really fortunate that the timetables our players have been on … they haven’t been impatient.

“Ochai could have left (for NBA after three years) and he came back (and led KU to a national title). Jalen (Wilson) this year. He got guaranteed a two-way (contract by an NBA team, Self said), and he came back. So I think it kind of speaks volumes of this place, to be honest with you. Kids want to be there (KU).”

Self offered no prediction Wednesday about when the NCAA case might be complete. It’s still in the hands of the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process (IARP), as it has been since the summer of 2020.

As for recruiting high school players with the case ongoing, Self said he is “totally candid with everybody.”

“I tell them what I know and I tell them what I’m allowed to tell them,” he said. “The bottom line is we wanted this to be over earlier rather than later. I think I everybody that’s involved in that wanted that. It hasn’t played out that way. We know what we’re dealing with. Our team of attorneys and everything are fighting hard and everything. We feel very positive about where we’re at.

“It (years of waiting) obviously hasn’t been good and we don’t want to deal with it, (but) the families we talk to, they know exactly where we are on all of this. We want them to pick a destination, a school because it’s the best place for your son to be this period of time in college — to be put in position to have the best life after that. It hasn’t always worked out great. It’s not an excuse.”

Of receiving commitments from guards Chris Johnson, Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell in the Class of 2023, Self called that “a good start.”

“We’ve got three commitments. I like where we are at, but recruiting is so different now,” he said. “There’s three commitments. We have no idea how many we are gonna lose. You are recruiting based on what could potentially happen in the future. Before, you knew (players like) Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun, those guys were coming back.”

The difference now, with transfers much more commonplace, is that coaches are frequently less certain about who will remain in their program and who might depart.

“We’re off to a good start,” Self reiterated. “I feel good about it.”