KU coach Bill Self addresses Jayhawks’ basketball roster at charity golf tourney Monday
Kansas’ men’s basketball roster continues to be a work in progress as the Aug. 21 start of the 2023 fall/winter semester approaches.
“In a perfect world, yes,” KU coach Bill Self said Monday, when asked if he’d like to add an 11th scholarship player to his 2022-23 Jayhawks squad after Sunday’s departure of incoming freshman Marcus Adams Jr.
Adams made the announcement Sunday that he’d asked out of his KU letter of intent and will reopen his recruitment. Self, who has 10 scholarship players and seven walk-ons on the 2023-24 roster, indicated it’d be nice to sign scholarship player No. 11 prior to KU’s Aug. 1 departure for a three-game stint in Puerto Rico.
“In a perfect world if we add, we’d like whoever we add to go (on trip) but that’s not likely,” Self said.
Self met with reporters after Monday’s Crimson and Blue Golf Classic to benefit Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to families of military members and first responders, as well as Mass Street Collective (NIL).
KU is said to be recruiting Johnny Furphy, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound high school senior-to-be small forward from Canberra, Australia. He’s currently in the recruiting Class of 2024 but reportedly could still switch to ’23. Furphy has heard from KU, Duke, North Carolina and others. Self cannot and did not comment Monday on specific recruits in accordance with NCAA rules.
Self said small forward Adams’ decision to leave KU and return to his hometown of Torrance, California at this time, “will not affect (the rotation) at all. This won’t affect anything at all. Getting a new player to come in and get acclimated obviously would be a big bonus going into the fall (in) that they’ve already bypassed some steps. It’s not something that will make or break us this summer,” he added of the possible addition of a player.
Self said being down to 10 scholarship players could change possible redshirt plans for the team.
“We were thinking Zach (Clemence) will probably redshirt and we were thinking two more (players),” Self said. “Now we’re probably thinking Zach and one more. The way I look at it there will be eight or nine to play in the games right now. If you redshirt one it would be nine; redshirt two it’d be eight. So it’d be nice to get one more (signee).”
Self was asked specifically if he might ask junior forward Clemence to abandon his redshirt plans for this season because of need.
“I don’t know I would do that,” Self said, noting that he didn’t think Clemence could “beat out” forward Hunter Dickinson or KJ Adams on the depth chart.
Self said he was not surprised to lose an incoming freshman near the end of the summer session.
“I don’t think it is (unusual). I think personally the way this system (with transfer rule and portal) is set up now I think guys (teams) will be losing guys (players) left and right all the way (until start of season),” Self said.
Self reiterated Sunday’s comment to The Star: “We wish him (Adams) the best and we will assist him in any way we can.”
“Absolutely,” Self said, adding, “he was only here for four weeks.”
Self said sophomore guard Arterio Morris, who has a jury trial in his misdemeanor assault case scheduled for Aug. 2 in Texas, would be making the trip to Puerto Rico with the Jayhawks team.
“Yes he’ll be able to go. We anticipate … obviously we are minus one (Adams) now. We anticipate everyone going and playing,” Self said.
The Jayhawks’ opponents for the Puerto Rico trip are expected to be officially announced in the near future.
“I believe we are playing one professional team from Puerto Rico and I believe we are playing the Bahamian national team twice,” Self said. “They are in training (in Puerto Rico for World Cup Americas qualifier).”
Self said it’s possible NBA players Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon and Klay Thompson of the Bahamas national team could play in the games against KU.
“We’ve been told they should at least be there,” Self said. “(It’s unknown) how much their federation decides to let them play. They are training to qualify and all that stuff. I don’t know for sure. They told us they are going to play.”
