-- First off, I've got no idea when Coach Self will meet with the media, or if he plans to at all in the near future. I don't recall Coach Self meeting with the media in the past following the end of the season, except for the banquet. I could be off on that and my memory might be wrong. Still, if Coach Self meets with the media, or plans to, I'll let you all know.
-- This is going to be a hot topic of discussion until KU's roster is finalized, but I really expect more than a handful of guys to leave this season. Obviously, Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar, Jr., are gone, but I expect more guys to hit the portal as well. I don't have an exact number and there might be a guy or two that is expected to leave or many think will leave that decides to stay. However, I'm thinking that KU's roster will look quite different next season.
-- I'm not going to start throwing out names, but I think, without any doubt at all, that Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams, Jr., Ernest Udeh, Jr., and Zuby Ejifor, and Bobby Pettiford will be back and ready to roll. I also expect Udeh, Jr., and Ejiofor to play much bigger roles next season. In the locker room on Saturday, Udeh, Jr., talked bout getting to work already and getting ready for his sophomore year. He clearly wants to make the type of jump that KJ Adams did and he's going to be the type of player that can make a huge impact on this team. Pettiford, after the loss, also talked about getting back on the court and preparing himself to be the best version of himself next season.
-- With the number of guys likely to hit the portal, Kansas is obviously going to hit the portal hard as well. KU's 2023 class, which consists of Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson, Marcus Adams, Jr., and Jamari McDowell is very talented, but I'm not sure how many of those guys are ready to come in right away and make an instant impact, much like Gradey Dick did. Dick, MJ Rice, and Ernest Udeh, Jr., were all McDonald's All-Americans, yet only Gradey Dick played a significant role this season. My guess is, Self looks for an established big man and somebody similar to a player like Gradey Dick. I haven't closed the book on Dick returning, but if you ask me and me alone, I think he's gone.
-- Joseph Yesufu, Kyle Cuffe, MJ Rice, and Zach Clemence could all return next season, but I'm just not sure that happens, which is why I didn't include them above. Yesufu, Cuffe (injured), and Rice played very limited roles this season. Kansas has three talented guards coming in and a talented perimeter player, so I'm not sure how much, if any at all, things will change for those guys. Clemence was expected to play a major role this season but played very few minutes as a sophomore. The thing is, and this is always the case at Kansas, these are really good kids and they've all been great when talking to the media. Everybody wants to see them be successful, but there are times in life when things just don't work the way you hope they do going into a situation.
-- At any rate, I'll follow this as close as possible, but I do expect guys to leave and I expect the coaching staff to hit the portal this offseason.
-- This is going to be a hot topic of discussion until KU's roster is finalized, but I really expect more than a handful of guys to leave this season. Obviously, Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar, Jr., are gone, but I expect more guys to hit the portal as well. I don't have an exact number and there might be a guy or two that is expected to leave or many think will leave that decides to stay. However, I'm thinking that KU's roster will look quite different next season.
-- I'm not going to start throwing out names, but I think, without any doubt at all, that Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams, Jr., Ernest Udeh, Jr., and Zuby Ejifor, and Bobby Pettiford will be back and ready to roll. I also expect Udeh, Jr., and Ejiofor to play much bigger roles next season. In the locker room on Saturday, Udeh, Jr., talked bout getting to work already and getting ready for his sophomore year. He clearly wants to make the type of jump that KJ Adams did and he's going to be the type of player that can make a huge impact on this team. Pettiford, after the loss, also talked about getting back on the court and preparing himself to be the best version of himself next season.
-- With the number of guys likely to hit the portal, Kansas is obviously going to hit the portal hard as well. KU's 2023 class, which consists of Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson, Marcus Adams, Jr., and Jamari McDowell is very talented, but I'm not sure how many of those guys are ready to come in right away and make an instant impact, much like Gradey Dick did. Dick, MJ Rice, and Ernest Udeh, Jr., were all McDonald's All-Americans, yet only Gradey Dick played a significant role this season. My guess is, Self looks for an established big man and somebody similar to a player like Gradey Dick. I haven't closed the book on Dick returning, but if you ask me and me alone, I think he's gone.
-- Joseph Yesufu, Kyle Cuffe, MJ Rice, and Zach Clemence could all return next season, but I'm just not sure that happens, which is why I didn't include them above. Yesufu, Cuffe (injured), and Rice played very limited roles this season. Kansas has three talented guards coming in and a talented perimeter player, so I'm not sure how much, if any at all, things will change for those guys. Clemence was expected to play a major role this season but played very few minutes as a sophomore. The thing is, and this is always the case at Kansas, these are really good kids and they've all been great when talking to the media. Everybody wants to see them be successful, but there are times in life when things just don't work the way you hope they do going into a situation.
-- At any rate, I'll follow this as close as possible, but I do expect guys to leave and I expect the coaching staff to hit the portal this offseason.
