KU ROSTER 2026-27
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I like PF Allen Graves. He's not outrageously athletic, but the kid can play. It would be costly NIL, because he could stay in the draft, but I think he comes back for another year. I know we signed Dawes... but their styles are completely different and in most games, we can play without a footer in the paint.
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@wissox83 it’s a little more surprising for Tiller with him being here for almost two years which is enough for most to hate Fizzou. In terms of Elmarko my inside sources told me he was really feeling like he let the program down after being a top 20 recruit and giving up that final bucket to St Johns he felt like he had to go get a fresh start. Prob more so about the opportunity to get minutes over anything.
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@kjayhawks2.0 I forgot he was a 2 year guy.
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Leroy Blyden Jr to the HAWKS
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Bylden has committed. Good pickup. We need lots more though
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Just saw that too. What are initial thoughts on this one?
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Huge pickup. Guys going to be such a stud. Finishes with both hands in traffic. 5 assists a game. 40% from deep (and 85% from the stripe another good shooter indicator).
I love the two additions. Efficient scorers.
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I only question if he athletic enough to play major college ball. He looks good on film and seems to be a guy that can get a shot whenever he wants, we really need that again. Think even with DP we haven’t had that since Jwill. We need what I call a sit down and shut up player. Thats what you need to win on the road when the home team is making a run and a guy can go get a tough bucket. Mason, Graham, Ochai, Braun and Jwill were the last of those players IMO.
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@kjayhawks2.0 said in KU ROSTER 2026-27:
I only question if he athletic enough to play major college ball. He looks good on film and seems to be a guy that can get a shot whenever he wants, we really need that again. Think even with DP we haven’t had that since Jwill. We need what I call a sit down and shut up player. Thats what you need to win on the road when the home team is making a run and a guy can go get a tough bucket. Mason, Graham, Ochai, Braun and Jwill were the last of those players IMO.
You ask the key question. As I noted in an earlier post, he has played exactly one game against a P5 team - Michigan State - and results were not good in that game. The issue with mid-major players is always whether they can generate the same numbers against much better day in and day out competition. The results haven't been great for KU in that regard.
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The good news is he’s just a freshman. Put him in an elite S&C program like ours and he’ll get even better.
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He looks pretty athletic in his highlights. 2 steals per game is a great sign also, signals good effort and means he could still be solid on defense despite his size
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Regarding his bad game against Michigan State, I agree that him only having one game against P5 competition last year is a bit concerning. However, there are a couple of things that should be noted. Michigan State had the best defensive point guard in the country last year in Jeremy Fears. Struggling against him is not the same as struggling against an average P5 defense. Also, that was early in the season and Toledo fans seem to unanimously agree that Blyden got better and better throughout the season. Who knows how late-season Blyden would have performed against MSU.
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@Jayhawk_69 I'm not suggesting putting too much stock in the MSU game - more that he simply did not have to go against high major competition the entire season.
The question is whether his skills/numbers will translate as well against bigger, more athletic guards? Apart from scoring or distributing, can he defend 6'5" guys who have 20+ lbs on him?
Again, the track record generally and for us specifically suggests no. Have any of our mid-major transfers matched their former school stats? Mayo and Council close, but others have not with most barely getting off the bench.
I do hope that Blyden is the exception...
Btw - Blyden and Dawes get us up to #32 in the 247 transfer rankings - behind 5 other B12 schools (and with virtually nothing coming back).
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I agree it is possible that Blyden does not adjust well to playing with us. However, he does have the tools to: good shooting stroke, quickness, and court vision.
As for our transfer class rating, worrying about that right now is like criticizing a cake for tasting bad when you haven't even put it in the oven yet.
I'm not all sunshine and rainbows about our upcoming season. It might not go well at all but I think we need to hold our horses instead of panicking.
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Feeling more and more like we will have Mbiya and Reeves rotation at the 5. Don’t love it but if it allows you to add Stokes and Miller I’m cool with it.
Still fear this team doesn’t have a true PG, but maybe because I’m just not that high on Kinney.
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Why are we interested in Miller??? Can't be as a starter??? <11ppg scorer for Okie State, a second division team. In 2 B12 tournament games he is was 1-11. In a first round blowout loss in the NIT, he scored 8 pts. 6'5" but doesn't rebound - <3pg. Not a distributor - <2pg. Simply because he's affordable?
Mbiya/Reeves at the 5? Dawes at the 4. Stokes, if we get him at the 3? Kinney and Blyden as the 2 starting guards? Where does Kohl fit in? Miller off the bench? Young and small. Not sure that line-up can defend anyone. Relying on another freshman to score the ball? That's when I would start panicking....
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Let's say for the sake of argument that we land Stokes, Miller, and Reeves and nobody else who is good enough to crack the rotation. That gives us a likely starting 5 of:
Kinney
Blyden
Stokes
Dawes
Reeveswith Rosario, Miller, and Mbiya as key bench players.
I think that leaves us with a team that is above average on both offense and defense but is elite at neither (should be top 25 in both but not top 10). It would be a step-up from last year but still not good enough to truly challenge for a title. My guess is a 2 or 3 seed and 2nd or 3rd place in the conference. Hopefully we do add a little more firepower than that. If we get one really good wing AND one really good big we are in business.
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Reeves isn't close to be a P5 starter-caliber big. Couldn't get off the bench in 3 years at Duke and Clemson. Averaged 5 minutes per game year prior at Clemson. Just 21 minutes per game for the Cougars. Okay against lower tier competition, but that's it. Have a place near Charleston and follow the Cougars. No way should he be starting for the Jayhawks - at best a 10-12 minutes back-up against B12 competition.
Sadly, I don't see that line-up being any improvement over the past 3-4 years - arguably worse. One starter who would have P5 experience...
ESPN assessment on "blue bloods" today:
"Work to do: Kansas has a massive amount of work to build a roster that can compete next season. The Jayhawks' top target is No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes, who they appeared on track to land until a recent trip to Kentucky cast doubt on their status as the front-runners.
Kansas has hosted a long list of players from the portal, although Terrence Hill Jr. (Tennessee) and DeSean Goode (Miami) have committed elsewhere. Charlotte big man Anton Bonke was on campus last week, as was Utah transfer Terrence Brown, though UNC appears to be the favorite for Brown.
With Blyden committed, Self needs a scorer with size on the wing. Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State) is among the players on the Jayhawks' list for that role. In the frontcourt, Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam -- one of the best bigs left in the portal -- is among their targets, though he is visiting Michigan this week."
