Remember Rosario? KU freshman’s shooting could be game-changer during NCAA tourney
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rosario hit back-to-back 3s late vs. Houston, sparking confidence boost
- Freshman moved from starter to bench, averaging 3.3 points this season
- Rosario vows patience and readiness as KU prepares for NCAA opener
It was easy to miss. The game was out of hand.
But something unseen for months occurred during the Kansas Jayhawks’ blowout loss to Houston in the semifinals of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
KU freshman Kohl Rosario subbed into the game with 5:53 left, the Jayhawks down 56-35 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. In less than a minute of court time, Rosario hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
After the second, his demeanor was calmer, more relaxed. He’d just made multiple shots from beyond the arc in the same game for the first time since Dec. 22.
“I think it’s definitely built some momentum for me,” Rosario told The Star after. “But like I’ve said, my confidence has always been the same.”
Call it a glimmer of hope, or at least something to build upon. Rosario will try to replicate it when KU plays California Baptist in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night in San Diego.
Rosario’s season hasn’t gone as planned. The 19-year-old freshman was a late addition to coach Bill Self’s roster, joining KU last June after reclassifying to the class of 2025.
He earned ample praise last summer and fall from Self and teammates alike. When the head coach named Rosario a starter, it wasn’t exactly astounding.
Rosario was brought in as a shooter, expected to help space the floor for freshman sensation Darryn Peterson and veteran Melvin Council. His hyper-athletic ability and offensive rebounding were a bonus.
Before the season began, Peterson noted how he enjoyed playing with Rosario. At one point in the offseason, Self had even declared: “Kohl is a C.B. (Christian Braun) that shoots it better, but he’s not as big and not as powerful yet.”
Hopes were certainly high.
But the sweet shooting stroke Rosario showed in practices and preseason never materialized once the games counted. Along the way, he went from being a starter to a spot deep on KU’s bench. He has scored just 3.3 points per game this season, shooting 27.4% from deep while averaging 11.7 minutes a night.
“The way that I see it right now, we’re playing better playing less guys,” Self said in early January of Rosario’s apparent fall from grace. “Not being negative, but if our rotation is seven, if Elmarko (Jackson) and Jamari (McDowell) are playing well ... I want everybody to play, but the bottom line is we’ve got to win games.”
At the time, Self also said this: “Kohl’s got the best attitude and everything. By no means are we giving up on him, or is he not part of our future. None of that stuff.”
From lofty comparisons to current NBA player/former KU standout Braun, to getting benched for fellow Overtime Elite freshman Bryson Tiller, Rosario has had a tumultuous first season of college basketball. But his confidence remains intact, which is good because KU’s bench is struggling to score.
There’s a very real chance he’ll be called upon during March Madness.
“I feel like it’s good to see a couple go in,” he said in San Diego Thursday, “and hopefully it’s the same way tomorrow.”
Kohl Rosario’s routine
Sometimes, hours after a game, Rosario and a KU student-manager will be the last ones to leave Allen Fieldhouse.
Rosario will run around the 3-point line while the manager feeds him passes from different spots. More often than not, Rosario makes those shots.
No matter a game’s outcome, win or loss, there’s a good chance Rosario will be found putting up additional shots afterward.
“My confidence comes from the work I put in,” he said. “If I have a bad shooting night like it’s been this season — I have not been shooting the ball well — the only thing that will clear my mind, the only thing that will make me happy, is if I go and get those shots up. That’s what I like. I like working in the gym.”
Rosario’s work ethic dates to his high school days. His coach at Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Jeremy Ellis, told The Star that he’d have to kick Rosario out of the gym to prevent burnout.
According to Ellis, Rosario would work out for long hours at a gym without air conditioning, without any complaints.
That same mentality applies to his pain tolerance.
“A kid that jumps that high and works that hard,” Ellis said, “I don’t think he missed a game or a practice. I mean, he was hurt a lot, but he just doesn’t get injured. That’s rare these days. Kids can crack a fingernail and get a splinter and they’re out for two weeks.”
Work ethic aside, Rosario is beloved by Ellis. He calls Rosario one of the best human beings he’s ever coached or been around — “the kind of kid you want to marry your daughter.”
That sentiment seems to be shared by at least some of his KU teammates … perhaps not quite to that extreme.
“Kohl is an ‘S’-tier teammate in my opinion,” KU guard Elmarko Jackson said — a superior teammate.
Not a starter anymore
Speaking with Rosario, it’s easy to forget he’s just 19. Not only does he sport a bushy mustache, he views life with a perspective that’s perhaps a little uncommon for a college student.
That may help explain his reaction to being removed from the Jayhawks’ starting lineup. Rosario started KU’s first six games before being benched against Syracuse.
Self’s message to him at the time? Be yourself and do what you must to help the team win.
Rosario took his diminished role in stride.
“I’m going to trust Coach Self with his decision,” he said, “and it ultimately led us to win the game. Wherever I am on the team, it doesn’t matter. I am going to try to impact it when I come off the bench or (if I am) starting. I’m fine with either one. Whatever is best for the team, I am fine with it.”
To Rosario’s point, Ellis didn’t really have to check on him after he was taken out of the starting lineup. The coach said he’s seen other players (and their parents) come unraveled in the same situation. That wasn’t the case for Rosario.
In fact, Ellis said Rosario loves KU and is quite happy there. He noted that whenever he talks with him, or his son does — Rosario and Ellis’ son Isaac are close — Rosario is “always good.”
After Rosario was removed from the starting lineup, sophomore teammate Jackson gave him some advice — and perspective. Jackson, a guard who missed last season with an injury, understood the situation. Like Rosario, the former McDonald’s All-American had a rocky freshman season at Kansas.
“I just told him, ’Keep your head up, just stay ready, it’s going to be a time when your number is getting a call and you’ve got to (be ready),’” Jackson said. “He took it like a champion (with) his attitude and effort day-in and day-out.”
That harkens to Rosario’s mindset. Unlike many of his peers, he doesn’t crave instant gratification.
“Nothing in this life that is valued comes with instant gratification; it’s always delayed gratification,” he said. “It’s a good lesson right now. I’m not seeing the results right now, but I’m still working. I’m not going to give up, no matter what I do.
“... I don’t know when my time is, but I know it’s going to come.”
Day-by-day mindset
In the age of the transfer portal in college athletics, it’s never clear how long a player will stay with a given team.
Rosario is still liking KU, telling The Star his favorite memory in Lawrence to date is fans harmonizing the “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” chant after victories.
Ellis doesn’t think Kansas fans should be concerned that Rosario may have wandering eyes once this season concludes.
“I would think so,” Ellis said when asked if Rosario hopes to remain at KU. “When he got here, he blew up. He could have left at any time and gone to a bigger, nicer prep school in Florida, near home, and he just stayed the course.”
As for Rosario? He’s not thinking about all of that right now. On Friday, he was focused on helping KU beat Cal Baptist and make a deep March run.
“For me, I’m taking everything one day at a time,” he said. “The most important thing for me right now is our team winning the next six games. That’s the most important thing for me when I’m playing, when I’m on the bench. It’s going to be helping my teammates win, and we’re always thinking about the next game and that is it. It’s always one game at a time.
“All we have to do is string together a couple of games and we can do something really special. My mentality is always where I am right now and how I can help my team win.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 10:54 AM.
