KU ROSTER 2026-27
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@BeddieKU23 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
New guard target Leroy Blyden Jr. Could be visiting this weekend.
Good Tape. Had good season for a freshman. 40% from 3 on high volume, good rebounding and assists numbers. Hello I've already forgotten Hill...Best guard that we have been linked with. If I squint I see an NBA future.
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@DCHawker said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
So, Dawes seems to be solid, but is a someone ranked #61 in the transfer portal by ESPN and starter on a bottom tier B12 team really your starting 4? Seems very Tre like? Nice player, but you need to have a lot more talent if you want to compete for a conference title, let alone for a national championship. Perhaps an upgrade of Tiller of last year, but not much more than that?
I still don't get the overarching strategy. As of now, we can't field a competitive team. Dawes, Kinney, Kohl and Mbyia???? The only other name in the portal I see linked to KU is Hill? Compare to Michigan - has an incoming top 5 freshman, got a commit from Estrella, Cadeu and McKenney coming back (without entering the portal), and Johnson is projected to come back (probably not Mara). In the mix for Juke Harris. That is a roster that can repeat. Louisville has three top transfers committed. Texas has gotten 2 top 15 transfer commits. Indiana has gotten Sherrill and Burton. The significant majority of the top 50 consensus ranked transfers have already committed. Wright returning to BYU. Condon returning to Florida (without testing the portal or NBA). Most of the top teams from the past year have multiple starters or key rotation guys running it back; we have none (which is the primary reason KU isn't in many preseason top 25s).
Why do more teams have players that want to return and don't bother with entering the portal? Why are most other teams that lose a lot due to eligibility, NBA or portal able to pounce quickly to fill core needs in the portal while we remain on the sidelines? Does everyone else larger NIL banks?
I find that EvanMiya.com has been far more indicative of future performance than on3, espn and 247 rankings. Really like the analytics approach.
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Will like him more if he commits
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@BeddieKU23 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
New guard target Leroy Blyden Jr. Could be visiting this weekend.
Good Tape. Had good season for a freshman. 40% from 3 on high volume, good rebounding and assists numbers. Hello I've already forgotten Hill...Does that mean the Hill ship has sailed? Wouldn't think we would sign two smaller guards with Kinney coming in. Expect either would be demanding to start?
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Blyden would be a starter for sure. EvanMiya ranks him as the 12th most impactful player in the portal. He was 40% on NBA range threes this season. Has some real juice going downhill too. Get it done Bill.
Thiam should be visiting soon as well, per Eric Bossi.
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When youre a top 25 portal budget school its not unlike drafting a fantasy basketball team tbh.
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@wissox83 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
Oh I just read he's going to Misery? This is almost a fire able offense for our coach. When a kid would leave major playing time at KU and go there I'm just speechless.
Fireable offense? Guys are just gonna go to the highest bidder and I’d bet after he went to visit Arizona. They probably offered him similar to what we were. I bet Mizzou is doing Mizzou things and over paying for an average player.
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@kjayhawks2.0 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
@wissox83 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
Oh I just read he's going to Misery? This is almost a fire able offense for our coach. When a kid would leave major playing time at KU and go there I'm just speechless.
Fireable offense? Guys are just gonna go to the highest bidder and I’d bet after he went to visit Arizona. They probably offered him similar to what we were. I bet Mizzou is doing Mizzou things and over paying for an average player.
Arizona cancelled Tiller's visit there so it never happened.
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@BShark I see, still bet Mizzou over paid
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Corbin Allen entered the portal. Sure I guess
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Who would want Tiller? He obviously has no desire to go to a Final Four.
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Poor Bryson. Go get paid son. We hardly knew ye.
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Sounds like Blyden is on commitment watch heading into his visit which starts Saturday. He has the same agency as Dawes.
Hill remains a target but all chatter seems to point to him picking Tennessee.
Thiam remains a potential visitor early next week.
Bonke is likely to continue taking his scheduled visits
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@BeddieKU23 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
Sounds like Blyden is on commitment watch heading into his visit which starts Saturday. He has the same agency as Dawes.
Hill remains a target but all chatter seems to point to him picking Tennessee.
Thiam remains a potential visitor early next week.
Bonke is likely to continue taking his scheduled visits
The Bonke news makes me think Thiam is looking likely.
Blyden is likely.
Add Stokes and you’ve basically got a starting 5
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Look at all these eggs! And eggs hatch into chickens so we should count them as chickens right now
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@Kcmatt7 If Thiam, if Blyden and if Stokes, then with Dawes and Kinney, and Rosario swinging, I guess that is a starting 5 - but really??? Two small guards, neither of whom has played against bigger, P5 talent.
I don't quite get the love for Blyden (notwithstanding EvanMiya projections). Solid stats but against decidedly second-tier competition. Toledo played exactly one P5 opponent, MSU, and lost by 23. Blyden had 10 pts (4-10/2-8), 2 assists, no rebounds, and 4 fouls. The very best non-P5 players seem to be able to step up pretty well, but the track record for mid-teens scorers on mediocre non-P5 teams is pretty spotty (look at ours over the past 3 years).
Is Thiam better than Flory? No - maybe close to a push, but we aren't gaining anything at the 5. Is Stokes better than Peterson? Defnitely not coming in - a much weaker HS class. Is Dawes better than Tillerson with another year? Maybe, not by much. Perhaps closer to White.
Can that lineup defend - other than some decent rim protection? B12 guards would shoot over or back down Kinney and Blyden. Can Dawes or Stokes really defend on the perimeter and handle switches?
If that's our starting 5, I don't see how the results could be expected to be any better than the past few years - and I'm generally a glass half-full guy? But other than Momcilovic or Juke Harris, neither of whom we are in the mix for, are there any other P5 guys out there who have proven they can get you 20 points on any given night against the best competition?
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Tiller is almost as old as Dawes. Both players are what they are. Biggest issue with Tiller is his attitude. If you can somehow fix that, he could be great but I am not trusting Dennis Gates to get it out of him.
Thiam has dominated against Flory so there is that. I think in general bigs will get more of a chance to shine for Bill Self so he could very well do better in a structured offense compared to his time at UCF and Cincy.
Personally I LOVE Blyden, I watched 12 "condensed games" of Toledo yesterday and today. I wish they were full games but it still shows a lot of the action. I think he would be our best PG since Dotson. I'm not counting Darryn black hole Peterson as a PG.
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I think the distinction with Bonke and Thiam is the latter would be a surefire starter and the former they would like as a rotation piece. Bonke is looking for a starting role it sounds. If Thiam does visit that is promising and hopefully we could close there. Apparently getting him isn't exclusive to giving his handler a job anymore so that's also important. Thiam would be a very exciting player to match with Dawes and would be pretty thrilled if it ends up that way
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https://youtu.be/0nUSwE7GbOw?si=dLyZLguvdZno5wNu
For viewing pleasure. Tons to like. Runs the floor so well. Dominated KU this yr in Allen with 28
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Here's the rationale for my Bryson comment. For a kid to leave KU for Missouri means these rent a basketball player for a semester programs that's apparently NCAA sports now is failing. ANYONE who has bought into KU basketball as a player knows you don't go to Missouri when you've played at KU. Apparently the history of this program is not being sold to our kids. I just don't get this at all. Tiller should have been taught by now to hate Missouri. Like, I'd rather go play anywhere than there. Like the Jim Mora voice (old Saints coach) "Missouri? Missouri? You're talking Missouri? You kidding me? Missouri?" El Marko to Georgetown? Play in front of 6000 fans in a 20,000 seat arena? Play for a team that has missed the tournament more times in this century than KU has since the 50's?
@kjayhawks2.0 so yes, I exaggerated on 'fireable offense' but Bill Selfs seat must be feeling at least a little warm at this point.
