Kansas Jayhawks basketball had hectic spring & summer: what you may have missed

Actively involved in the NCAA transfer portal, Kansas’ men’s basketball program continued to make news thisspring and summer leading up to Monday’s official start of the 2024-25 school year.

To refresh, here’s a rundown of all that has happened since the Jayhawks’ season-ending 89-68 loss to Gonzaga in a second-round NCAA Tournament game March 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah:

March 31: Riley Kugel became the first portal player to announce plans to transfer to KU, just two weeks after the Jayhawks’ loss to the Bulldogs. Kugel, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior guard from the University of Florida — he entered the portal March 27 — chose KU over Arizona, Houston and UConn.

He wasn’t a Jayhawk for long, announcing on May 8 he’d be reopening his recruitment. He ultimately chose Mississippi State on May 16. Kugel averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as a sophomore for the Gators.

April 2: KJ Adams announced plans to return to KU for his senior season, expressing no desire to test the NBA Draft waters.

“Never was leaving. #rockchalk,” Adams, a 6-7, 235-pound native of Austin, Texas, wrote on social media site X. He added two heart emojis to his brief statement.

Adams, a member of KU’s 2022 NCAA title team, averaged 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 2023-24 for the Jayhawks (23-11). He hit 60.1% of his shots and 60.0% of his free throws.

Selected as All-Big 12 honorable mention, Adams scored 22 points in a first-round conference-tournament loss to Cincinnati and 20 points in a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Samford. On April 12, he was recognized as the Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk at the team’s awards banquet.

April 2: The Big 12 Conference announced plans to delay the launch of Big 12 Mexico, with a new target date set for the 2025-26 school year.

In June 2023 it was announced Big 12 Mexico’s first contest would be men’s and women’s basketball games between KU and Houston, held at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, likely in November 2024. The league had stated then that, following the launch of Big 12 basketball in Mexico, Big 12 women’s soccer and baseball would participate in exhibitions against clubs from the region.

“Since Big 12 Mexico was announced, a variety of major initiatives have been added to the conference’s agenda, headlined by the onboarding of four new member institutions. The Big 12 will continue to build its brand in Mexico through its broadcast partners and remains enthusiastic about bringing the Big 12 to Mexico,” the league said in a statement on X.

KU coach Bill Self and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson expressed relief at the Big 12’s decision, not wanting to play that game at this time.

April 2: On a busy April 2, former Lawrence High basketball standout Zeke Mayo, who averaged 18.8 points a game as a junior and 18.2 in his sophomore campaign at South Dakota State, announced plans to transfer to Kansas.

Mayo, a 6-4, 185-pound senior combo guard and reigning Summit League Player of the Year, chose the Jayhawks over Creighton, Oklahoma and Texas.

He removed his name from the NBA Draft pool after committing to KU.

Mayo hit 46.6% of his shots as a junior after hitting 42.6% in 2022-23. He went 92-of-235 from 3-point range last season (39.1%). He dished 123 assists to 40 turnovers while averaging 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Mayo scored 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting (4-of-6 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 from line) with four assists in an 82-65 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State in Omaha, Nebraska. Earlier, in the finals of the Summit League tournament, he had 16 points and six rebounds in an 86-68 title-game victory over Denver.

He scored 41 points in a game against North Dakota State during his junior season.

Mayo, who graduated from Lawrence High in May of 2021, was co-recipient of the 2021 DiRenna Award, which recognizes the top boys basketball player in the Kansas City area. He shared the award with Mark Mitchell of Bishop Miege.

April 16: Freshman guard Johnny Furphy announced that he placed his name in the 2024 NBA Draft, with the possibility of returning to school. On May 29 he elected to remain in the draft and begin his pro career.

“What I have learned at Kansas has changed the way I think about basketball, and no matter what happens from here, I’ll always be a Jayhawk. Thank you and Rock Chalk!” Furphy said in announcing his plan to attend the NBA Combine and teams’ individual workouts.

A 2023-24 Big 12 all-freshman and all-Big 12 honorable mention selection, Furphy averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The 6-9, 202 pound native of Melbourne, Australia started 19 games, including 18 of the team’s last 19 contests. He averaged 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in Big 12 competition and led KU with 44 made 3-pointers.

April 17: Former KU center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers was named to the 2024 USA Basketball men’s national team.

Embiid made his USA Basketball debut at the 2024 Olympics, where the U.S. went 6-0 and won gold. In October 2023, the Yaounde, Cameroon native had stated his goal of representing the U.S., and not France or his birthplace of Cameroon. Embiid became a U.S. citizen in September 2022.

Embiid became the first Kansas player since Sasha Kaun to participate in the Olympics. Kaun won a bronze medal while representing Russia at the 2012 Olympics in London. The last KU player to play for the U.S. national team was Danny Manning in 1988. Embiid became the first Jayhawk to win a gold medal in basketball since Jo Jo White in 1968.

April 18: Former Wisconsin combo guard AJ Storr, who earned second-team all-Big Ten honors in 2023-24 — one year after being Big East freshman of the year at St. John’s — announced plans to transfer to Kansas.

Storr, a 6-7, 205-pound junior from Rockford, Illinois who entered the portal on March 28, removed his name from the 2024 NBA Draft pool after committing to KU.

He also considered Illinois, UNLV, Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia and other schools.

Storr started all 36 games for the 22-14 Badgers in 2023-24, averaging 28.8 minutes. He averaged a team-leading 16.8 points on 43.4% shooting. He was 48 of 150 from 3-point range (32.0%). He made 125 of 154 free throws for 81.2%. And he dished 32 assists against 57 turnovers with 22 steals while grabbing 3.9 rebounds per contest.

April 23: Labaron Philon, a 6-4, 175-pound senior point guard from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri who signed a national letter of intent with KU on Nov. 8, decided to decommit and reopen his recruiting.

Philon — a native of Mobile, Alabama who initially chose KU over Cincinnati, Alabama and Mississippi — committed to Auburn on Feb. 3, 2023, then reopened his recruitment on April 21, 2023. He committed to KU on Sept. 25, 2023.

As a senior at Link, Philon averaged 14.0 points while playing in two games at the season-ending Chipotle Nationals in Brownsburg, Indiana. He scored a team-leading 24 points with four assists and four rebounds in a 80-76 double overtime victory over Prolific Prep in the event’s quarterfinals. He hit five 3-pointers in that game.

Philon announced for Alabama five days after decommitting from KU — on April 28.

April 25: It was revealed that KU would travel to Creighton to play the Bluejays in the Big East/Big 12 Battle on Dec. 4 in Omaha. Kansas leads the overall series with Creighton 11-6 and has won the past six meetings. The two teams last met March 19, 2022 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. KU claimed a 79-72 victory en route to the 2022 NCAA title.

April 26: Hunter Dickinson announced that he would return to KU for a super-senior season. The first-team all-Big 12 big man resisted the temptation to turn pro and instead will play for the Jayhawks for a second straight campaign. The 7-2 native of Alexandria, Virginia played three seasons at Michigan before transferring to KU.

April 26: Rylan Griffen, a 6-6, 190-pound junior guard, announced plans to transfer from Alabama to KU. The Dallas native averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest at Alabama in 2023-24. Griffen went 74-of-189 from 3-point range for 39.2%

“Rylan’s won everywhere he’s been,” Self said. “He’s a solid shooter, making 39% from 3-point range on last season’s Final Four team at Alabama. He’s also a solid defender, often guarding the best perimeter player on the opposing team. Rylan fits our system well.”

Griffen scored a career-high 21 points twice last season, against Missouri and again at Kentucky. He had 19 games of 10 or more points and 10 with three or more 3-pointers. As a freshman, he averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game at Alabama in 2022-23.

May 7: Former KU great Danny Manning, the leading scorer and rebounder in school history, was named an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado. CU’s head coach is Tad Boyle, a teammate of Manning’s at KU.

“I’m very excited to join coach Boyle’s staff,” Manning said. “This staff has been together for quite some time and has had quite a bit of success, so I want to come in and be a sponge — learn from them, the things they’ve been doing to be successful and just try and add little nuggets that I can along the way in terms of my experience as a player and a coach. I’d like to thank (athletic director) Rick George and the administration for giving me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to being part of the Buffalo culture.”

Most recently, Manning spent two seasons as the associate head coach at Louisville (2022-24).

May 8: It was reported that Florida transfer Kugel would be reopening his recruitment and not be attending KU. Kugel ultimately chose Mississippi State.

May 14: Will Thengvall, a 6-4, 185-pound senior combo guard out of Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in Wichita, accepted an offer to walk on to KU’s team.

Thengvall averaged 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while hitting 42% of his 3s in 2023-24 for the Class 5A state champs. He was a top-five overall player in Kansas, the 5A player of the year, a Wichita Eagle all-metro selection and first-team all-league pick in Wichita’s City League.

Thengvall scored 73 points over three-state tournament games, 12 more than any other 5A player. His twin brother, Nathan, is headed to KU also and will compete for the Jayhawks’ track team in 2024-25.

May 20: Noah Shelby, a 6-3, 180-pound junior point guard from Dallas who played basketball at Rice University last season, announced plans to transfer to Kansas. Shelby — he attended Vanderbilt in 2022-23 before heading to Rice — averaged 3.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24 for the Owls (11-21).

Self has said he will redshirt his first season at KU.

As a reserve last season, Shelby hit 39 of 111 shots for 35.1%. He was 23-of-69 from 3-point range for 33.3%. He hit 17 of 20 free throws for 85.0%. He had 24 assists to 19 turnovers while averaging 11.9 minutes in 30 games (one start).

Shelby, who entered the transfer portal on April 9, had seven points and two steals against Texas on Nov. 15. He made his only career start against New Mexico on Nov. 22, scoring five points and grabbing a personal-best four rebounds. He hit three 3s and finished with 10 points versus Tulsa.

Shelby was recruited by KU, Baylor, Memphis, Stanford, Texas, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Arizona State and other programs during his senior year at Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. He was ranked No. 82 nationally by Rivals.com and No. 99 by 247Sports.com.

“I have family in Kansas, (so) I went to some games and Late Night when I was younger,” he said. “I was able to visit there before (as a recruit in the class of 2022). I know a lot about the team and Coach Self is there. I wanted to go somewhere I can get better, win games, win a national championship.”

May 23: KU, Duke and ESPN Events announced a Vegas Showdown matchup had been scheduled between KU and the Blue Devils, set for Nov. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Jayhawks will also play Furman on Nov. 30 at Allen Fieldhouse as part of the Vegas Showdown. Since the 1997-98 season, no Division I men’s basketball programs have amassed more victories than Duke (783) and Kansas (779).

May 29: Furphy announced plans to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft and pursue a professional career. He declared for the draft on April 16 and attended the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in early May.

“Playing in the NBA has always been a lifetime goal of mine,” Furphy said. “With that, I’ve decided that now is the time to pursue that dream.”

Self said: “We understand and support Johnny’s decision. We appreciate his contributions in the year that we had him. He has matured and accelerated at a very quick pace during the past year. We should all be excited for him and look forward to following his progress as an NBA player.”

May 29: KU athletic director Travis Goff signed a seven-year contract extension to remain at KU through 2031. The agreement extended Goff’s contract — originally a five-year deal worth $700,000 annually — through May 31, 2031, and increased his base salary to $1.3 million.

His title was elevated to director of athletics/vice chancellor for athletics. Goff has led two major projects — the $450 million renovation of the east and north ends of Booth Memorial Stadium and $55 million renovation project at Allen Fieldhouse, which is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2024-25 season.

June 4: KU sophomore combo guard Elmarko Jackson landed awkwardly while driving to the basket and suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during a scrimmage at Self’s basketball camp for youths.

Self said, “We are devastated for him,” in announcing Jackson would sit out the entire 2024-25 season.

Self said Jackson, a 6-3 native of Marlton, New Jersey, “planted and his knee gave away” on a play : He was driving with the basketball and then collapsed underneath the goal.

“Elmarko will be able to assume noncontact basketball in the next several months, but the full rehab process will take approximately 12 months,” Self said, adding, “We are all crushed by this … He will return as good as ever.”

June 11: Shakeel Moore, a a fifth-year senior transfer from Mississippi State, signed a financial aid agreement with KU.

The 6-1, 190-pound Moore played three seasons at Mississippi State after starting his college career at North Carolina State in 2020-21. The Greensboro, North Carolina native has played in 124 games during his college career.

“Shakeel is a combo guard who can play on and off the ball,” Self said. “He’s a terrific athlete, and we feel like he will be a nice complement to the personnel already on the roster. His experience and maturity should allow him to be a good fit here. He’s a tremendous young man that will graduate from Mississippi State this summer.”

As a senior in 2023-24, Moore started 22 games and averaged 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33 contests at Mississippi State. He shot 46.8% from the floor, including 36.3% from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in 13 games, with a season-high 16 points against Murray State on Dec. 13, 2023.

June 14: Chase Buford, a member of the Jayhawks’ 2008 NCAA title team, joined Self’s coaching staff as an analyst. Buford, 35, played three seasons at Kansas from 2007-08 to 2009-10 and competed in 35 games, including 13 during KU’s 2007-08 run to the national championship.

Following Kansas, Buford worked as an NBA regional scout and in the video department for the Atlanta Hawks. In 2015, he was the coordinator of player development for the Chicago Bulls before becoming an assistant coach for the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA G League in 2017. The following year, he was named an assistant coach for the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats.

June 17: Former KU guard Svi Mykhailiuk became the 16th Jayhawk to win an NBA title when the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the Finals. Boston took the series four games to one.

A rookie in 2018-19, Mykhailiuk was a second-round selection, the 47th overall pick, in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cherkasy, Ukraine native completed his sixth season in the NBA in 2023-24, and his first with the Celtics.

Before joining the Celtics, Mykhailiuk had stops with the Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. This past season, he played in 41 regular-season games and averaged 10.1 minutes and 4.0 points. He appeared in eight playoff games in 2024, including three in the Finals against Dallas.

On Aug. 9 it was announced he’d signed a four-year, $15 million deal with the Utah Jazz, with just the first year guaranteed.

June 27: The Big 12 indicated KU would play host to Arizona, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia in Allen Fieldhouse, travel to BYU, Utah, TCU, Baylor and Cincinnati and play home-and-home games with Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Houston and UCF during the 2024-25 Big 12 season.

June 28: Furphy was the 35th overall selection and Kevin McCullar the 56th in the 2024 NBA Draft. Furphy was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and his pick was later part of a trade with the Indiana Pacers. McCullar was selected by the Phoenix Suns and was then part of a trade to the New York Knicks.

With the pair of selections, KU has now produced 89 all-time NBA Draft picks, including 31 in the Self era. Since the NBA adopted a two-round draft in 1989, Kansas has had 29 first-round selections and 44 total draft picks.

July 22: Brooklyn Nets forward and former Jayhawks starter Jalen Wilson was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA 2K25 Summer League.

Wilson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games. He averaged 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 29.4 minutes per game. He shot 47.3% from the field, 55.0% from 3-point range (on eight attempts per game) and 89.5% from the free-throw line.

The 23-year-old native of Denton, Texas hit more 3-pointers than any other player in Las Vegas (22), finished second in total points (109) and ranked third in 3-point percentage among players who attempted five or more 3s per game. Wilson also earned all-summer league second-team honors.

July 23: Three-time Grammy Award-winning rap star Nelly was announced as the featured performer at the 40th annual Late Night in the Phog, which will take place Friday, Oct. 18 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Aug. 12: KU announced the signing of former Northern Illinois guard David Coit to a financial aid agreement. Coit, a 5-11, 175-pound senior, was third-team all-Mid-American Conference and second team all-NABC District 14 the last two seasons.

A 40.7% shooter who hit 94 of his 279 three-point attempts (33.7%), he was the 24th-leading scorer in Division I hoops last season. He went for a career-high 37 points vs. Buffalo on March 8, 35 against Akron, 34 against DePaul and 32 against Western Michigan. He converted a career-high eight 3s versus DePaul and six of seven attempts against Iowa.

“David can shoot. He has range,” Self said. “He’s a player who can score the basketball. He averaged 21 points this past year at Northern Illinois. I see him as a guy that gives us a whole different dimension that we may not have had he not signed with us.”

A native of Columbus, New Jersey, Coit has one year of college eligibility remaining.