KU Jayhawks hoops team signs former Utah forward Keanu Dawes from transfer portal
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas signed Utah forward Keanu Dawes to a financial aid agreement for KU this season.
- Dawes averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds and recorded 11 double-doubles last season.
- Several Jayhawks entered the transfer portal. KU has added incoming freshmen & transfers.
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self on Tuesday announced the signing of Utah forward Keanu Dawes to a financial aid agreement.
Dawes, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound Houston native, will be a senior at KU after playing his last two seasons at Utah.
“I’ve had the chance to coach against Keanu the last two years and he is a very versatile perimeter forward,” Self said in a news release. “At 6-9, he is extremely athletic and his skill set is improving. He’s a 4-man that can stretch the defense. We are very excited about his versatility. We think he can guard 1 through 5 and see him as being an immediate impact player for us.
“Keanu has been very well coached, well drilled, and has a unique feel for a player his size.”
Dawes, who played his freshman year at Rice, averaged 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game at Utah in 2024-25. Last season, Dawes averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. A starter, he also had 11 double-doubles, including seven against Big 12 opponents.
Both his 8.8 rebounds and 11 double-doubles ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference. He had 22 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to KU on Feb. 7 at Allen Fieldhouse. During the 2024-25 season he scored two points and grabbed 10 rebounds in KU’s loss to the Utes in Salt Lake City.
At Rice, Dawes averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 2023-24. He started 23 of 32 games played for the Owls and was named to the 2024 American Athletic Conference all-freshman team. A 4-star recruit who played at Stratford High School in Houston, Dawes was a 2023 all-state selection who averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game his senior season.
KU has added incoming freshmen Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett, Taylen Kinney and Trent Perry.
Several Jayhawks on the 2025-26 roster have entered the portal and chosen new schools: Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Elmarko Jackson (Georgetown), Bryson Tiller (Missouri), Jamari McDowell (Wake Forest) and Samis Calderon (Butler). KU also added former Toledo guard Leroy Blyden Jr. from the transfer portal. Sophomore Kohl Rosario has said he will return. Paul Mbiya as of Tuesday morning has not yet announced his plans for the 2026-27 season.
