By SAM LANCE
Last time Bill Self lost by 20+ points in the NCAA Tournament, he hit the portal hard in the offseason and ended up winning the national championship the following year. And already, the Jayhawks’ head coach is on the right track to rebuilding the roster.
Florida sophomore transfer guard Riley Kugel committed to the Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon, knocking over the first domino of what is likely to be an eventful offseason for Kansas.
Across two seasons as a college player, Kugel has averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.2 minutes per game. He’s also shot 69-of-202 (34.2%) from 3-point range over his career. He started 11 total games for the Gators last season. The 6-foot-5 guard from Orlando was a four-star prospect and the No. 56 overall player in the country per 247Sports coming out of high school. Kansas has a lot of interesting roster decisions upcoming. All-American center Hunter Dickinson and standout freshman guard Johnny Furphy will have to decide whether to stay or go to the NBA, and there are several Jayhawks who could possibly hit the portal. The 2024-25 roster for Kansas will likely look a lot different than its shaping up to be now. Kugel will be a Kansas newcomer next season with high school prospects Flory Bidunga, Labaron Philon and Rakease Passmore. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook#KUbball has a portal commitment. Florida sophomore guard Riley Kugel will be a Jayhawk next season. pic.twitter.com/EfpSz1zb80
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) March 31, 2024