Incoming KU Jayhawks 5-star Darryn Peterson? This player’s available, says he can help
Monmouth transfer guard Abdi Bashir Jr. likes what he’s seen from incoming five-star Kansas Jayhawks freshman Darryn Peterson.
A guard seeking a new home for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season, Bashir said he completed a Zoom meeting with KU head coach Bill Self and assistant coach Jeremy Case on Monday evening.
Naturally, Peterson was a big topic of discussion.
“The young fella is really talented,” Bashir told The Star Monday night, “and he is for sure going to be a top-two pick (in the NBA Draft).
“I feel like I could help him out with whatever he needs. It’s easy to play out there when you’ve got somebody that nobody is going to help off. He’s a good point guard, so allow him to make the right reads, whether that’s passing or scoring, whatever he needs to make his life easier.”
Bashir entered the transfer portal on Saturday. It’s been a busy couple of days for him since. The sophomore guard averaged 20.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game at Monmouth this past season. He shot 37% from the field and 35.3% on 3-pointers.
Plenty of schools have contacted him, he said, most notably Kentucky, Arkansas and Michigan. He told The Star that he will announce a list of finalists in coming days, with the Jayhawks likely to be on it.
Bashir also told The Star that the call with Self and Case went “great.” The trio discussed a litany of topics, including the prestige of Kansas basketball, how important it is to win and how Bashir could fit with KU overall.
According to Bashir, Self told him he’s looking for a player who can shoot well, space the floor, play in ball screens and make the right reads. Perhaps most importantly, Bashir said Self wants a player who will complement Peterson well.
KU’s current roster is in flux. Despite Kansas having only six scholarship players (five have entered the transfer portal), Bashir didn’t sound too worried about KU’s current roster — its lack of players.
“It’s Kansas,” he said. “They’re going after people, so they’re going to get some guys. That doesn’t worry me at all. Coach Self is a great coach. He’s going to be able to coach with the guys he has. Yeah, I’m not worried about that.”
Bashir has clear expectations. He wants to play somewhere “free-flowing and just be (an) overall priority.”
“At the end of the day, I like to make plays,” he said. “Some of the plays may be dumb, but you’ve got to live with some dumb plays.”
He also wants to have a good relationship with a coaching staff that will ideally push him hard each day.
“A staff that doesn’t tell me things want to hear, but things I need to hear,” he said.
Bashir said he hopes to visit Lawrence but is still discussing possible dates with the Jayhawks coaching staff.
He closed with a message for Kansas fans:
“I’m a really good player, but I try to be an even better person,” he said. “I try to give back to the community as much as I can. … I just want to give back, and the fans that love Kansas (are) one of the best fanbases in all of college sports, not just basketball. …
“I pride myself on being a great person and giving back. That’s my main thing in life.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 9:55 PM.
