Bill Self happy to have Kansas team back together for summer workouts

Kansas put in a lot of work when it came to roster construction to make what may arguably end up as the preseason number one team for the next college basketball season. However, that was just the start as the Jayhawks really get things going with offseason workouts.

Bill Self commented on having his team back again in Lawrence to end last week. He said it’s been good to have all of the players back to help out, study, and prepare for the ’23-’24 campaign.

“Camp is good. All of our guys are working camp. They’ve all been in school for two weeks now, almost two weeks,” Self said. “So it’s good to have everybody back and working out. It’s good.”

Kansas lost a ton to the pros and to the transfer portal this offseason. As for the NBA, Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson are just days away from finding out their futures in the draft. When it comes to the portal, the Jayhawks lost eight more players, namely Bobby Pettiford, MJ Rice, Joseph Yesufu, Zuby Ejiofor, and Ernest Udeh Jr..

Even so, for all that KU lost through various outlets, they gained as much as anyone to add to their core of Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar, and KJ Adams. In the portal, they added one of the best groups in the nation with Hunter Dickinson, Nick Timberlake, Arterio Morris, and Parker Braun coming in to play in Allen Fieldhouse. From there, a pair of four-stars in Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell will also be joining Self’s squad.

Chemistry is a natural concern considering all of the new faces in the Jayhawk’s locker room. Still, for now, Self is just happy to have them all back on campus, especially considering the potential that they’ll have for next season.

Kansas schedules game with Wichita State in Kansas City

Kansas and Wichita State will face off on the hardwood for their first regular season game in more than three decades this upcoming season. A non-conference bout between the two teams is slated for Dec. 30, 2023, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Both programs played each other somewhat regularly through the 1980s and early 1990s, but the series fell off after 1993. The last time the two teams met was a 2015 NCAA Tournament game, where No. 2 seed Kansas fell to No. 7 seed Wichita State.

“We always enjoy playing in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center and look forward to facing Wichita State,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in a release announcing the game. “Paul Mills did a great job rebuilding Oral Roberts and is no stranger to our program from his time as an assistant at Baylor. This will be a great opportunity for fans in the Kansas City area to watch our team over the holidays and it will be a great game for us preparing for Big 12 play.”

The Kansas City Sports Commission set up the non-conference, neutral site matchup between Kansas and Wichita State.

“Creating unique sporting experiences for the Kansas City region is an integral part of our mission,” commissioner president Kathy Nelson said in the release. “Bringing these two teams together at the world-class T-Mobile Center creates a compelling basketball event not just for KU and WSU fans, but fans of the sport itself.”