At Big 12 meetings, KU’s Bill Self talks Darryn Peterson hype & state of college game
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self wasn’t in Lawrence at noon Wednesday to greet incoming combo guard sensation Darryn Peterson upon his early arrival for summer school classes and team workouts, which begin on Monday.
Self at that time was speaking to media members about ESPN’s No. 2-ranked player in the high school class of 2025 during a break in the action at the Big 12 meetings at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Orlando.
“I’m probably as excited about coaching him as I have anybody that I’ve ever recruited,” said Self, who with the start of summer school Monday begins his 23rd season at KU.
“I think he’s probably the most prepared, equipped 18-year-old I’ve had the chance to recruit,” Self added of the 6-foot-5, 195-pound McDonald’s All-American and Naismith high school player of the year from Canton, Ohio.
Peterson attended Prolific Prep in California this past school year.
Self and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson were the two Big 12 men’s coaches assigned to discuss first-day action with media members Wednesday at the 2025 Big 12 meetings.
Self stressed that coaches in the league are anxiously awaiting a judge signing off on a court case decision in New York that will address some issues regarding NIL and how much money each each school will be able to provide players in a new revenue sharing era.
Institutions, once the judge signs a landmark agreement, will be able to pay their athletes up to $20.5 million per school year.
“I think we’re dealing in hypotheticals until we positively have a settlement done. When that’s done I think there’ll be more clarity to it that we can all move forward and feel better about it,” Self said.
Self spoke in an optimistic manner about the state of college basketball.
“I think we got a few things done (during the morning session of league meetings with all the head coaches in the conference). There’s still a lot of more talking that can be done to solve all the world’s college athletic issues. Right now, we probably need another hour for that, but we didn’t quite get to that,” he added, smiling.
Self said players receiving NIL money has not changed the essence of the game.
“Kids still want to get better. They still yearn for discipline deep in their core. They come to their respective schools with still the thought of it being the best springboard to the rest of their life and putting them on a platform to have the most success and achieve their goals,” Self said. “So we would be doing kids a disservice if we didn’t coach them in the manner that we should in order to allow them to come as close as possible as achieving their dreams.
“That hasn’t changed,” Self continued. “The circumstances around that have changed. ... Still, at the end of the day you’ve got to coach your guys. You’ve got to coach your team. These changes in college athletics now are so drastic and apparent, but how many businesses out there haven’t gone through drastic changes as well? And people have to adjust. We have to adjust, and we have to welcome change, and even though we’re uncomfortable in the present, it’s going to balance out. It may take a little while, but it’s going to balance out. And our sport is still great.”
Self also pushed back on the idea that college basketball “isn’t what it used to be.”
“I don’t believe that (type of thinking) at all,” Self said. “I think the quality of play this past year with NIL, with the transfer portal, actually, on the court was as good as I’ve seen it in a long time.
“So that’s not the issue. Our game will remain the same. We’ve just kind of got to navigate and get through this stuff.”
It was confirmed at the meeting the league teams will play 18 conference games during the 2024-25 season. Last year teams played 20. This will allow teams to have a bye week during the long college hoops season.
