LAWRENCE, Kan. — Bill Self turned reflective in the last year as he watched another preseason No. 1 team underperform. In his 22nd year in charge, Kansas’ head coach had tried to embrace the changes across college basketball that were making it harder to build winners the way he knew best, but as one of the least decorated teams of his tenure stumbled toward an early-March exit, it was time to adjust tactics.

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For two straight offseasons, Kansas has earned a preseason No. 1 ranking only to come up well short of its ceiling. In 2023 the Jayhawks landed center Hunter Dickinson, at that point the most accomplished player to ever hit college basketball’s transfer portal, over a group of heavy hitters that included Kentucky, but injuries and shooting struggles derailed that season. Last offseason, Self tried to load up on shooting and wing scorers to build around Dickinson and veteran point guard Dajuan Harris. The Jayhawks started atop the AP poll again, then finished with their most Big 12 losses (nine) and lowest NCAA Tournament seed (No. 7) under Self.

This spring was a chance to hit reset and consider a different approach to the portal.

“Recruit fits rather than talent,” Self told The Athletic last week. “I think on paper, there’s been some things that have been done that were more popular in the short term, but did they actually fit as well on how you wanted to play?”

The answer is obvious now. The past two portal classes were filled with highly ranked players, but the on-court product at times looked like it was straining to match Self’s style.

While Dickinson averaged a double-double in each of his two seasons and thrived as a low-post threat, his defensive limitations changed how KU had to play on that end. Guard AJ Storr was the marquee signing of the 2024 offseason after leading Wisconsin in scoring, but within Kansas’ offense he proved to be a ball stopper who could never really find his role.

Self has built his next roster to look more like his three most recent success stories: the 2019-20 team that was the title favorite before the NCAA Tournament was canceled, the 2022 national champs and the 2023 team that earned a No. 1 seed.

“Interchangeable parts, versatility,” Self said. “We want guys that can shoot, but guys that could beat their man off the bounce, that can touch the paint off the dribble, that don’t need a ball screen all the time to get there. That’s what I thought we obviously didn’t have last year.”

Another thing Kansas didn’t have last year: NBA talent.

It’s highly likely that this June will mark only the sixth time in Self’s 22 seasons that KU will not have a single player drafted. In those other five years (2004, 2006, 2009, 2019 and 2021), the Jayhawks had at least four players who would go on to play in the NBA.

Last season’s roster showed the dangers of chasing older players who had produced at the college level but were not the next-level talents needed to contend for national titles. It was also light on sophomores and juniors who had developed in the program.

The hope is big man Flory Bidunga, who showed flashes in his first year, becomes one of those homegrown stars. And this winter Self signed arguably the top freshman in the 2025 class in guard Darryn Peterson. Every roster decision this spring was made with those two players in mindCJ MooreSource