Why Bill Self is excited about the ‘unknown’ of this KU basketball squad
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bill Self cites roster turnover and the 'unknown' as central 2025-26 questions.
- Freshmen Peterson and Rosario and returnee Bidunga anchor an unproven lineup.
- Staff and players stress shooting and athleticism as strengths to exploit.
One month into the preseason, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has no idea if his 2025-26 Jayhawks will improve on last year’s 21-13 record, which included an 11-9 mark in Big 12 Conference play.
He cannot say for certain his squad will finish better than sixth in the league, its slot in the league coaches poll.
There are no certainties in discussing a team that will have one returning rotation player in Flory Bidunga.
“The difference this year would be the unknown,” 23rd-year KU coach Self said Wednesday, speaking to a large group of reporters huddled around a table at Big 12 men’s basketball media day in T-Mobile Center.
“When you are returning four starters off a team that won 30 games, you have a better idea what to expect, and we don’t have that. Everything’s new to everybody. We return one guy that played the game last year or scored a basket last year. So I think the unknown is different but also think the excitement of the unknown is also refreshing too,” Self added.
KU sophomore big man Bidunga is the sole Jayhawk scholarship player to score a year ago. Sophomores Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell redshirted the 2024-25 season.
“We don’t know what we have yet until the lights come on,” said Self. The Jayhawks will open at Louisville in an exhibition game Friday night (6:30 p.m. Central).”
However, he needs no game-day film to be positive about one thing.
“This year’s team is more pleasing for me to watch. It is a fun group,” Self said.
He provided a glimpse of what he’s seen on the court at practice thus far.
Of course, he is a fan of freshman point guard Darryn Peterson, who is expected to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“His IQ basketball wise (and) his feel I think stack up with the best that we’ve ever had here,” Self said. “He’s a terrific prospect and also a terrific player and those are some things that can be a little bit different because maybe the player hasn’t caught up to the (pro) prospect yet. He’s, in my opinion, ready to have a big year.”
Self said Peterson and Bidunga, who started six games a year ago, would start Friday against Louisville along with Illinois transfer Tre White, St. Bonaventure transfer Melvin Council Jr., and freshman Kohl Rosario.
Of Rosario, a 6-foot-6 guard out of the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, Self said: “He’s a Big 12 athlete from a physical standpoint and from a vertical standpoint. What he needs to do to be Big 12 ready is he needs to be there from a scoring standpoint. There are some things that he can do that you can’t coach, but that’s one thing that for us to be good, we’ve got to (have him) score.”
Speaking about some of the team personnel, Self said: “Tre White is a good player. Bryson Tiller (freshman forward) is a good player. Kohl Rosario is a good player. Those two (Tiller, Rosario) are just young. To me, Darryn will do what he does. We kind of know about Flory. With Melvin … we’ve got a bunch of guys that really need to have big years for us to complement, you know, basically Flory and Darryn. But those ones I just mentioned, I think, have the potential to have really big years.”
The Jayhawk players who attended media day — Peterson, White and Bidunga — all gave a thumbs up to what is perceived as a major question mark: outside shooting.
“I feel that’s what makes us dangerous this year. We’re one of the most athletic teams in the conference, but I feel like we’re one of the best shooting teams in the conference too,” said White. “Everybody can shoot — me, Darryn, Jayden (Dawson), Kohl, Melvin. We’ve got Elmarko. We have a bunch of shooters who can knock it down at a consistent rate, and plus the athleticism that we have, I’m excited.”
Bidunga said Tiller, 6-11, 240 pounds, out of the Overtime Elite program, can drift outside and hit 3s.
“I have a couple guys on my mind,” Bidunga said. “Obviously Darryn is a pretty good shooter. We’ve got Melvin, Jamari, Jayden, Kohl, BT (Tiller). We can shoot the basketball.”
“Just tap into the game and find out. I think we’ll shoot it well,” Peterson said with a smile.
The Jayhawks received a lot of media attention Wednesday in being swarmed for interviews despite being picked sixth in the league, which is where the team placed a year ago. Senior White said the team has talked about exceeding expectations.
“I definitely feel like we’re one of the best teams in college basketball, no question,” White said. “But being around college, I feel like the best teams tend to peak later in the season. I feel you don’t want to be at your best at (the) beginning of the season. So sure, definitely, we still have stuff to tighten up and learn, but our pieces are there, and we’re going to be scary for sure.”
Bidunga added: “At the end of the day, even if we were picked one or two, we’d still have to prove it. We still have to deserve it. So it is what it is. So far, we just have been focusing on the season coming up, and then just can’t wait to play and show people.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM.
