NCAA case ‘hanging over our heads’ has affected Kansas Jayhawks recruiting, Self says
Uncertainty surrounding the NCAA’s investigation into Kansas men’s basketball, which has been ongoing since the fall of 2018, has hurt the Jayhawks program in recruiting, KU coach Bill Self acknowledged Monday.
“We’ve got an additional thing going on (besides COVID-19 restrictions) that has definitely impacted us to date and probably will until there’s a conclusion as far as it being difficult,” Self, KU’s 18th-year coach, said, asked about recruiting on Monday in a video conference with reporters.
“Our playing field has been more difficult recruiting against the people we normally recruit against just because we have the NCAA situation hanging over our heads. That’s what’s made recruiting difficult for us,” Self added.
Asked if the NCAA situation has cost KU individual recruits, Self responded: “Oh yeah, no question, yeah, absolutely.”
Self didn’t name prospects the Jayhawks may have lost because of the NCAA investigation and possible concerns of recruits and their families that KU could be hit with penalties, such as a postseason ban and probation.
The NCAA’s new Independent Accountability Resolution Process and five of its panel of 15 members are hearing the case that alleges five Level I violations were committed by both Self and the men’s basketball program.
It’s been widely reported, however, KU was after elite players in the Class of 2019 such as R.J. Hampton, Matthew Hurt, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Tre Mann and Cassius Stanley, among others. In the Class of 2020, KU failed to land elite players Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, Daishen Nix and Caleb Love among others.
So far this year in the Class of 2021, KU has signed No. 35 rated Zach Clemence and No. 73 rated K.J. Adams plus junior college player Sydney Curry. KU has picked up a commitment from Kyle Cuffe, who is ranked No. 56 in the recruiting Class of 2022.
“The NCAA investigation has caught up to us right after we signed Devon’s class,” Self said Monday morning, on the “Field of 68 podcast” with Jeff Goodman and Robbie Hummel, addressing the NCAA investigation’s impact on recruiting.
That recruiting Class of 2018 was one in which KU landed Devon Dotson, Quentin Grimes and David McCormack. “We’ve had 2 1/2 recruiting classes since then that’s been … it’s been hard,” Self added. “Everybody goes through crap and nobody’s going to feel sorry for us because we’re going through crap, but it’s been more difficult. There’s been a lot of players that I think we’ve been right there to get that that was the deciding factor, at least based on what we’ve been told,” he added.
“That doesn’t mean positively we’d have gotten them (recruits). It means positively we didn’t get them because of it. If you look around America, those are guys that are difference makers on national contenders so yeah it’s hurt us, but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”
Self was asked by a Kansas City Star reporter Monday if he knew when there would be a resolution to the NCAA case, which would let everybody know where the Jayhawk program stands, including recruits.
“I am hoping there’s a conclusion sooner rather than later,” Self said. “I still think it’ll be probably late summer, early fall.”
KU, which has won three straight games and returned to the AP Top 25 at No. 23 on Monday, will meet Kansas State at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 3:36 PM.
