For KU Jayhawks basketball, there are no dull moments during so-called offseason
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas men's basketball saw major offseason turnover with eight players exiting.
- KU added four transfers and top recruits including Peterson and Rosario for 2025.
- Coaching staff shuffled as Norm Roberts retired and Jacque Vaughn joined KU.
The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball program continued to make news following the last day of the 2024-25 season — March 20 — when KU fell to Arkansas, 79-72, in a first-round NCAA Tournament West Regional contest in Providence, Rhode Island.
Here’s a rundown of spring and summer movement in the KU basketball office in recognition of Monday’s official start of the 2025-26 school year:
March 20: Bob Davis, the voice of KU football and men’s basketball for more than 30 years, died at the age of 80. Davis, who broadcast games for the Jayhawk radio network from 1984 until 2016, called some of the most iconic moments in Kansas Athletics history including the 1988 and 2008 NCAA basketball title game victories plus the 2008 Orange Bowl win.
March 28: Zach Clemence, a 6-foot-10 redshirt junior forward from San Antonio who spent four seasons with the Jayhawks, entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Clemence was part of KU’s 2021 recruiting class and 2022 NCAA title team. He averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in eight games in 2024-25. He missed the second semester because of injury thus left KU with two years of college eligibility remaining.
March 29: In a surprise move, Flory Bidunga, a 6-9 forward from the Democratic Republic of Congo, announced plans to enter his name in the transfer portal with a no-contact clause after his freshman season at KU.
The McDonald’s All-American ranked No. 17 by ESPN.com in the recruiting class of 2024 averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game his first year out of Kokomo High in Indiana. He primarily played backup center for the Jayhawks but showed flashes of brilliance in the six games he started in KJ Adams’ absence.
March 30: Rakease Passmore, a 6-5 freshman guard from Palatka, Florida, who was ranked No. 42 in the recruiting Class of 2024 by Rivals.com, entered the transfer portal. Passmore averaged 5.0 minutes per game in 23 games. He scored 17 points as a Jayhawk.
March 31: Rylan Griffen entered the transfer portal after averaging 6.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. Griffen, a 6-6 junior guard from Dallas who arrived at KU after playing two seasons at Alabama, shot 37.3% from the field and 33.6% from 3. He played in 33 games for KU, starting 20.
Griffen is the same player who averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds a game in a starting role for 2024 Final Four participant ‘Bama. He departed KU with one year of collegiate eligibility remaining.
March 31: Backup point guard David “Diggy” Coit, entered his name in the portal after one season at KU.
The 5-11 senior from Columbus, New Jersey, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 rebounds while logging 15.5 minutes per game in 34 games in his one season in Lawrence. The former Northern Illinois standout hit 38.7% of his 3s as a Jayhawk.
April 1: Darryn Peterson earned co-MVP honors in the McDonald’s All-America game.
Peterson, a 6-5 guard from Canton, Ohio, ranked No. 1 in the recruiting class of 2025 by 247sports.com, No. 2 by both Rivals.com and ESPN.com, scored 18 points with seven rebounds and three steals. The incoming KU freshman shared the MVP award with Duke signee Cameron Boozer.
Peterson joined the likes of NBA greats LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Webber, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal as McDonald’s game MVPs. Kenny Gregory, Jacque Vaughn, Josh Jackson and Cheick Diallo all won McDonald’s MVP honors while representing KU.
April 3: Former Wisconsin standout AJ Storr, a 6-7 junior guard who struggled in his one season at KU, entered his name in the transfer portal.
Storr played his freshman year at St. John’s and one season at Wisconsin before arriving at KU. He averaged 6.1 points on 38.4% shooting (29.1% from 3) as a Jayhawk.
Storr averaged 16.8 points per game for the Badgers in the 2023-24 season. He exited KU with one year of eligibility remaining.
April 4: The Jayhawks calmed a nervous fanbase in picking up the program’s first portal addition. Jayden Dawson, a 6-4 senior guard from Loyola-Chicago, chose KU over Nebraska, Creighton and Texas Tech.
Dawson scored 19 or more points eight times in 2024-25. He scored 26 points against St. Louis and 24 versus Davidson and Richmond. Dawson converted six 3s against Richmond and St. Louis and made five 3s in four contests. For the year, he hit 150 of 366 shots for 41.0% and earned second-team all-Atlantic 10 honors. He hit 86 of 237 3s for 36.3%. Overall he averaged 13.9 points and 3.1 rebounds a game for Loyola.
April 5: Gaining momentum in the portal, KU landed Tre White, a 6-7 senior small forward, who averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2024-25 for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
White started 31 of 32 games, shooting 32.9% on 3-pointers. He averaged 23.4 minutes per game.
White had committed to KU as a sophomore in high school in 2019. However, he decommitted later that year and ultimately played for USC as a freshman prior to heading to U of I.
KU is the fourth school in four seasons for White, who spent his most recent season at U of I and his sophomore season at Louisville.
He had five 20-point games for Illinois, which earned a No. 6 seed and lost in the Round of 32 in the 2025 NCAAs. White chose KU over Cincinnati, St. John’s, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and USC.
April 6: KU fans rejoiced as Bidunga, after meeting with coach Bill Self, elected to return for his sophomore season at KU, rather than transfer to Auburn.
Bidunga said he wanted to “finish what I started.” He also said he was enthused about getting to play on the same team as elite point guard Peterson, who is expected to be the No. 1 or 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
April 8: Former KU reserve guard Coit chose Buzz Williams’ Maryland Terrapin program after a short stay in the portal.
“They see me being an on-ball guy, playmaker, leader, scorer and shooter,” Coit said. “They want me spreading the floor and using my ability to score and play-make for the guys.”
April 13: Clemence decided to continue his basketball career in his home state. The San Antonio native chose Texas A&M as his portal destination in his search for much-coveted playing time. Clemence scored 11 points total and grabbed 11 rebounds while playing in eight games during an injury-shortened 2024-25 season.
April 15: The well-traveled Storr chose Mississippi of the SEC as his transfer destination. He will have completed his college career playing in the Big East (St. John’s), Big Ten (Wisconsin), Big 12 (KU) and SEC.
April 16: Kansas added its third player from the portal in Melvin Council Jr., a 6-4 senior combo guard who averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in an ironman-like 37 minutes per game his junior season at St. Bonaventure.
Council chose KU over Mississippi State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
April 16: It was announced that KU would entertain Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the high school recruiting class of 2026, on a weekend recruiting visit amid rumors Stokes would reclassify to 2025.
Stokes, a 6-7, 245-pound forward from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, did not reclassify and will remain in high school for the 25-26 school year. The Louisville native has KU, Louisville, Kentucky, Alabama, Houston, Michigan, Auburn, North Carolina, Texas Tech and UCLA on his list of schools.
April 21: KU guard Zeke Mayo entered his name in the transfer portal with a no-contact tag despite having no college eligibility remaining. He was protecting himself in case the courts ruled in favor of an additional year of eligibility for 2024-25 seniors. The courts made no such ruling, freeing Mayo to begin a pro career. He will play pro ball overseas in 2025-26.
May 2: Griffen chose Texas A&M as his transfer destination over Alabama, Miami and Kentucky.
May 2: The NBA did not invite any Jayhawks to attend its Combine for NBA prospects. In all, the list of 75 players did not include Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris or Mayo.
May 5: KU assistant coach Norm Roberts announced his retirement following 14 seasons at Kansas and 37 years in the basketball coaching ranks.
In his time at Kansas, the Jayhawks won seven Big 12 regular-season titles and three Big 12 Tournament championships. KU advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 five times and the Elite Eight four times and captured the 2022 NCAA National Championship.
May 20: Corbin Allen, the starting combo guard on Oak Park High’s Missouri state title team, signed a financial aid agreement with KU. Coached by former KU guard Sherron Collins at Oak Park for two seasons, the 6-6 Allen is a two-time winner of the DiRenna Award, which goes to the top high school player in the Kansas City area.
Allen is a three-time all-state first team selection. Allen in 2024-25 averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for the 31-1 Northmen. As a junior at Oak Park, Allen averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
May 21: Former KU guard Jacque Vaughn was hired as Roberts’ replacement on the Jayhawks’ coaching staff.
Vaughn played at Kansas from 1993-97, winning Big Eight Player of the Year honors in 1996 and earning second-team All-America recognition in both 1996 and 1997. His jersey was retired in 2002 and he ranks third all-time in program history in assists. He has been a head coach of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic.
May 23: Rakease Passmore chose Maryland as his transfer destination. At Maryland he will join a backcourt that includes four transfers and two incoming freshman: guards Darius Adams and Guillermo Del Pino.
May 29: After 12 seasons with the KU hoops program, Fred Quartlebaum announced plans to leave his post as director of basketball operations. Self said his replacement would be Lexi Price. She has been the office manager for KU basketball since December 2021.
June 2: KJ Adams was added as a member of the Jayhawk coaching staff for the 2025-26 season.
As KU’s video assistant he will have access to rehab equipment and medical care as he recovers from a torn Achilles he suffered in his final college game on March 20. Adams was a key starter during his junior and senior seasons. In 2024-25 he averaged 9.4 points and a career-high 5.0 rebounds. He was part of KU’s 2022 NCAA title squad.
June 3: KU announced it will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to meet the Louisville Cardinals in an exhibition game on Oct. 24 at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville will return the trip to play KU during the 2026-27 exhibition season.
June 12: Former KU great Nolen Ellison died at the age of 83. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Ellison graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1959 and played for the Jayhawks from 1961-63 under the direction of head coach Dick Harp.
Ellison was a two-time all-Big Eight first team selection in 1962 and 1963. He amassed 1,045 career points in three seasons, as he played in an era when freshmen were not eligible for outside competition.
June 24: Kohl Rosario, a 6-5, 185-pound shooting guard ranked No. 27 in the recruiting class of 2025 by Rivals.com, signed a financial aid agreement with KU.
Rosario spent the 2024-25 school year playing for Overtime Elite (OTE) in Atlanta. The Miami, Florida native, who was initially ranked No. 27 in the class of 2026 by Rivals.com, reclassified for the upcoming season.
At OTE, Rosario played for YNG Dreamerz, which won the 2025 championship. During the regular season Rosario averaged 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In the playoffs he averaged 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in YNG Dreamerz’ seven games. Additionally, he was 12-for-29 (41.4%) from 3-point range in his team’s title run.
Prior to OTE, Rosario played two seasons at Moravian Prep in Hudson, North Carolina. In 2023-24, he averaged 25.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and made 60 threes shooting 35.3 percent from beyond the arc in 24 games.
June 25: Paul Mbiya, a 6-11, 260-pound center from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, who withdrew an oral commitment to North Carolina State, signed a financial aid agreement to KU.
Mbiya played the 2024-25 season with ASVEL in France’s ProA Under 21 League. He averaged 15.3 points on 70.6% shooting from inside the paint, with 11.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 23 games.
Before playing for ASVEL he was part of the NBA Academy Africa. He was a Basketball Without Borders All-Star Selection in 2022.
Mbiya committed to the Wolfpack on May 4. However, he decommitted on June 18, asking out of his financial aid agreement. The elite shot blocker was recruited by N.C. State, Oregon, KU, Texas A&M, Kansas State and others.
June 26 and 27: Dickinson signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans; Mayo signed with the Washington Wizards for the NBA Summer League; and Harris signed to play NBA summer league basketball with the Charlotte Hornets.
Only Dickinson will attend preseason veterans camp. Harris and Mayo are headed overseas.
July 7: Noah Shelby, a 6-3 guard from Dallas, who redshirted the 2024-25 season for the Jayhawks, announced plans to enter the transfer portal. Shelby last played at Rice during the 2023-24 season where he averaged 3.9 points, and 1.0 rebound in 30 games.
July 10: Udoka Azubuike scored 29 points and Devonté Graham 16 to lead the Red team to a 92-78 win over the Blue squad in the 17th-annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic at Lawrence’s Free State High School.
Graham, who played in the NBA G-League last season, hit five 3s. Michael Lee scored 11 points and Svi Mykhailiuk of the Utah Jazz scored 10 points for the winners. Graham is headed overseas in 2025-26 to play for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
July 23: KU’s alumni basketball team was defeated by 2023 TBT champion Heartfire, 71-68, in a Round of 16 TBT game at Municipal Auditorium.
The loss cost KU a chance to play Wichita State in the Elite Eight of the event in Wichita. Wichita State’s Aftershocks team won the tourney title and $1 million first-place prize money.
The Jayhawks, coached by Collins and Tyshawn Taylor and led by David McCormack, Mayo and Billy Preston, defeated New York team OffDaHook, 91-78, in the Round of 64 and Kansas State’s Purple Reign, 59-57, in the Round of 32. KU also won an exhibition game against K-State, 78-72, at UMKC.
July 24: Kansas coach Self was hospitalized after experiencing “some concerning symptoms,” KU Athletics said in an early-evening news release. Self was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the release stated, where he had two stents inserted in a heart procedure.
He was released from the hospital two days after having the stents inserted. Two days later he was back at work, attending breakfast with a prospect who was in town on a recruiting trip. At an Aug. 15 back-to-school. news conference Self stated he was “100%” and would not miss any time coaching the team.
July 25: Nginyu “Gee” Ngala, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior point guard from Montreal, Canada, signed a financial aid agreement with KU.
Ngala averaged 14.9 points a game on 40.4% shooting (111-of-275) last season at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He hit 60 of his 153 three-point attempts (39.2%). Also, he made 45 of his 59 free throw attempts (76.3%) while grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game with 69 assists to 53 turnovers.
July 25: Former KU and Lawrence High guard Mayo signed a contract to play professional basketball in Israel for Ironi Kiryat Ata.
August 3: Former KU point guard Harris signed a one-year deal with the Kortrijk Spurs, a team that plays in the BNXT League, the top basketball competition for Belgium and the Netherlands. The team is located in Kortrijk in the Belgian province of West Flanders.
August 3: Shelby committed to play at Texas A&M. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
August 4: Former KU coach Ted Owens received the lifetime achievement award as presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. The award was formerly called the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award; Owens became the honor’s 11th recipient since the hall originated in 1989.
Aug. 16: Self announced that former KU guard Chase Buford, a member of KU’s 2008 NCAA title team, would leave his assistant coaching position at KU for a similar assistant coaching post with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and coach David Adelman.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
