Kansas Jayhawks Basketball

Kansas Jayhawks freshman guard Bryce Thompson will not return to the school for his sophomore season and will enter the transfer portal, he announced Tuesday.

"I just want to say thank you to the Kansas coaching staff, the team doctors, all the staff and the fans for supporting me since I got to Lawrence," he told Eric Bossi of 247Sports. "I appreciate everybody supporting me from day one, but after careful consideration with my family, I feel that it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal."

Thompson, a 5-star recruit in the class of 2020, averaged 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20 games (four starts) for the Jayhawks. He dealt with a back injury and broken hand, limiting his production.

"After talking to his family, Bryce let us that he was going to enter the transfer portal," Kansas head coach Bill Self said in a press release. "I know Bryce had a tough freshman season with injuries, but I enjoyed coaching him this year through the ups and downs. We wish nothing but the best for the entire Thompson family moving forward."

Thompson has major talent despite a tough freshman season and will arguably be the crown jewel of this year's crop of transfers.

He joins Tristan Enaruna, Gethro Muscadin, Latrell Jossell and Tyon Grant-Foster as players who'll depart Kansas via the transfer portal this offseason, per Gary Bedore of the Wichita Eagle. Missouri Southern State's Cam Martin and Drake's Joseph Yesufu have joined the school via the portal.

The Jayhawks finished the 2020-21 season 21-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to USC.

The University of Kansas and head men's basketball coach Bill Self agreed to a lifetime contract Friday.

According to the announcement on KUAthletics.com, the contract replaces Self's current deal, which was set to expire next year. The new contract is a five-year rolling agreement that will add one year on at the end of each season for the rest of Self's career.

With regard to the new contract, the 58-year-old said:

"I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Chancellor Girod, [interim athletic director] Kurt Watson, and the rest of the leadership at KU for their belief and faith in me to provide this lifetime contract. Every day, I am reminded just how fortunate I am to lead this storied program and there truly is no place else I would rather be.

"As we continue to work through the challenges facing our program, we look forward to moving ahead and focusing on our bright future. I would also like to express my gratitude to our alumni and donors, as well as the best fans and students in the nation, that have supported my family and me for the past 18 seasons. I'm excited to remain your basketball coach and compete for many championships in the future."

Self, who is 522-118 in 18 seasons at Kansas, led the Jayhawks to a 21-9 record this season and a spot in the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they fell to USC.

During his 18 years at Kansas, Self has led the Jayhawks to the NCAA tournament 17 times with the only exception being the 2019-20 season when there was no tourney held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oklahoma native has guided Kansas to 15 regular-season Big 12 titles and eight Big 12 tournament titles, netting him six Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.

He has also taken KU to the Final Four on three occasions and led it to a national championship in 2008 when it defeated Memphis.

Watson commented on the contract that will keep Self at Kansas for the rest of his coaching career:

"Bill Self has meant a tremendous amount to the University of Kansas and our entire Lawrence community throughout his 18 seasons. He has changed the lives of so many young men that have played for him throughout his nearly 30 years as a head coach.

"I have known Bill for many years, but working closely with him over the past few weeks in my current role has shown me even more so on a daily basis how deeply he cares about this program. We are certainly proud that he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at KU in 1985 and that this new contract will ensure he finishes his coaching career here as well."

The two-time Associated Press College Coach of the Year is set to enter his 29th season as a collegiate head coach overall in 2021-22, as he previously spent time at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois.

All told, Self has taken his team to the NCAA tournament 22 times during his career, which speaks to the fact that they are always in the mix and competing for a national title.

This past season was something of a disappointment since Baylor established itself as the dominant force in the Big 12, but Kansas finished as the regular-season runner-up and was still a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

One potential area of concern, however, is that Self was charged with head coach responsibility violations and the University of Kansas was charged with lack of institutional control by the NCAA in 2019 after allegations that the coaching staff was working with Adidas to funnel recruits to Kansas.

Kansas has denied that the coaching staff had knowledge of Adidas' dealings, and it remains unclear what punishments the program may face, if any.

Kansas has withdrawn from the Big 12 men's basketball tournament after a player tested positive for COVID-19.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports first reported the news.

The Jayhawks were scheduled to face Texas in the tournament semifinals Friday, but the game has been canceled.

Per Norlander, the player who tested positive competed in Thursday's quarterfinals win over Oklahoma.

Kansas was already without David McCormack and Tristan Enaruna for the Big 12 tournament because of COVID-19 protocols.

The team expected both players to be available to return for the NCAA tournament, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Kansas still has "optimism" it can compete in March Madness.

The 20-8 Jayhawks are projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.

Kansas becomes the third major conference team to drop out of its tournament this week because of COVID-19 protocols after Virginia and Duke both withdrew from the ACC tournament.

Texas will advance to the finals of the Big 12 tournament to face either Baylor or Oklahoma State.

Kansas expects both David McCormack and Tristan Enaruna to be available for the NCAA tournament, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Head coach Bill Self announced Tuesday the two players were ruled out of the Big 12 tournament because of COVID-19 safety protocols, but it seems they should both return in time for March Madness.

McCormack averages 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, both second-most on the team, while he leads the Jayhawks with 1.0 blocks per game. Enaruna averages just 2.8 points in 9.4 minutes per game but appeared in 25 of the team's first 27 games as a versatile reserve.

Losing depth in the post hurts any team, although McCormack especially showed his value in Kansas' upset win over Baylor with 20 points and three blocks. 

Self explained losing McCormack for the Big 12 tournament will help his team develop more flexibility going forward:

"On a plus side, though, if we're going to go into the NCAA tournament thinking we're going to have to play just one way, and then that one way is taken from us—we haven't really had a chance to prepare or practice it. So, I'm looking at it as, we're going to be better playing small in the NCAA tournament ... because it's forced us to change our game plan going into this one."

A projected return for the NCAA tournament should then give the Jayhawks a boost with the season on the line.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller projects Kansas to be a No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Kansas Jayhawks forward David McCormack and guard/forward Tristan Enaruna will miss this week's Big 12 tournament due to COVID-19 protocols, head coach Bill Self announced on Tuesday. 

The school did not explain if either or both players have tested positive for the virus, but the coach noted McCormack and Enaruna are roommates and the rest of the team remains on track to play Thursday. 

Self said he expects both players will be back by the start of the NCAA tournament next week. 

McCormack was named the Big 12's Most Improved Player for 2020-21 after averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists this season while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. Yet that hardly begins to explain how the junior from Virginia has integrated himself into Self's offense. 

Few players in college basketball have developed as rapidly as McCormack has this season. A liability in the post earlier in December, McCormack has become the top option in Kansas' system, averaging 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last 10 games. 

Self told reporters losing the forward will change how the Jayhawks approach the Big 12 tournament and he'll adjust the playbook accordingly.

Enaruna, a sophomore, has seen limited time off the bench this season and is averaging just 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds. His 6'8", 200-pound frame has allowed Self to use him defensively on the wing for stretches to create a mismatch, but he hasn't played more than eight minutes in a game since early February. 

Now the Jayhawks will be without both players, giving Kansas an opportunity to prove it can win with its smallest margin for error this season. 

A recorded phone call heard by Judge Gerald E. Lynch of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals allegedly involved an unnamed Kansas men's basketball assistant coach discussing paying the family of a prospective recruit.

According to Dana O'Neil and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Lynch mentioned the call in a court opinion two weeks ago regarding the convictions of former Adidas employee James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and business manager Christian Dawkins. 

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, the trio was found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October 2018 for their involvement in providing recruits with improper benefits to play at Kansas, Louisville and NC State.

The University of Kansas has denied any wrongdoing, instead insisting that the Adidas representatives acted on their own.

With regard to the phone call, Lynch wrote:

"In the call the coach admitted that he knew that paying for a recruit's brother to visit the school violated the NCAA rules, yet he planned to ask 'Jimmy' for help in routing funds to the family through an amateur team, all in the hopes of getting the recruit to eventually commit to Kansas because 'it's [his] job' to do so."

According to O'Neil and Feldman, the "Jimmy" mentioned was Gatto.

Lynch, who agreed with two of the charges against the Adidas representatives and disagreed with a third, added: "Had the jury heard this call, it may have believed that the coach did call Gatto to ask him to provide the money. In turn, that would make it more likely that Gatto genuinely did not intend to defraud Kansas by his actions at issue in the case."

In September 2019, the NCAA charged Kansas with lack of institutional control and head coach Bill Self with head coach responsibility.

Per Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, testimony and court documents show that former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola played a role in funneling money to relatives of Kansas recruits Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa.

While the assistant coach in the phone call presented to Lynch was not named, longtime Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend has been charged by the NCAA along with Self with Level 1 violations and a lack of institutional control. According to O'Neil and Feldman, the NCAA said Self and Townsend "embraced, welcomed and encouraged" Adidas to connect with recruits and convince them to commit to Kansas.

Kansas has declined to comment amid the ongoing investigation, but Townsend's lawyer Stu Brown, said, per O'Neil and Feldman:

"The dissenting opinion mischaracterizes Kurtis' phone call and provides only selectively edited parts of the call without context. Kurtis vigorously denies that he discussed breaking NCAA rules. Kurtis has a record of NCAA compliance throughout his almost thirty years as a college coach. Kurtis has cooperated fully with the NCAA investigation, and he will continue to do so."

Townsend has been on Kansas' staff since 2004 and remains with the program, and the same is true of Self, who has been with the Jayhawks since 2003.

Kansas, which won a national championship under Self and Townsend in 2008, is currently the No. 15 team in the nation with a record of 11-5 in 2020-21.

With fans other than family members in the stands for the first time this season, No. 5 Kansas defeated No. 8 Creighton 73-72 on Tuesday, improving to 5-1 on the season.

Marcus Zegarowski had a chance to tie the game when he was fouled on a three-point attempt with the Blue Jays down 73-70 with two seconds left, but he missed the last free throw to seal the deal for the Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks, coming off a four-point victory against North Dakota State (whom Creighton defeated by 11 points in its season-opener), were led to their fourth straight win by Jalen Wilson, who tied his career-high 23 points while adding 10 rebounds.

Kansas dropped its first game of the year to No. 1 Gonzaga, the only other ranked opponent it has faced this season, 102-90.

Denzel Mahoney added 19 points and five rebounds for Creighton, which had not faced a ranked opponent in its 3-0 start to the season but had a 5-0 streak against teams slotted in the AP Top 25 poll dating back to Feb. 1, 2019. The Blue Jays ended the 2019-20 season ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the Amway Coaches Poll.

Notable Performers

• Jalen Wilson, F, Jayhawks: 23 PTS, 10 REB
• Denzel Mahoney, G, Blue Jays: 19 PTS, 5 REB
• Marcus Zegarowski, G, Blue Jays: 16 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST
• Christian Braun, G, Jayhawks: 14 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL

Jalen Wilson Has Arrived

Kansas forward Jalen Wilson lost his freshman season after two games when he was injured, but he's making up for lost time with the Jayhawks so far this year.

Through five games, Wilson averaged 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 46.4 percent shooting from the field (30.0 percent from three), with a career-high 23 points in 31 minutes played in the team's win over then-No. 20 Kentucky.

On Tuesday, he led the team with his third double-double of the season, going 8-of-12 from the field and continuing to collect double-digit scoring through each of the Jayhawks games.

A Tale of Two Marcuses

In a battle of two stars named to the preseason Wooden Award watch list, it was Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski who came out on top over Kansas star Marcus Garrett—though it didn't seem as though it would be that way through the first half of Tuesday's game.

As Kansas held a 39-35 lead at the break, Zegarowski had just three points for the Blue Jays, coupled with four rebounds and a pair of assists, while Garrett, who was a major force in limiting the Creighton junior in the first half, had five points, two rebounds and an assist for Kansas.

Something shifted in the second half, as Zegarowski added 13 points after the half and pick up his season high in points.

Garrett ended the night with nine points, four assists and three defensive rebounds.

What's Next?

Kansas will host 3-4 Omaha on Friday, with the Mavericks entering off a tight 65-63 victory against SIU Edwardsville on Saturday. Omaha took on Creighton Dec. 1, falling 94-67.

Creighton will head home to host 3-1 Nebraska on Friday. The Cornhuskers will come to Creighton on short rest after taking on a tough Georgia Tech team that upended then-No. 20 Kentucky on Wednesday.

Former Kansas basketball player Silvio De Sousa has been charged with one count of aggravated battery in relation to events that allegedly took place on New Year's Eve.

According to charging documents filed Monday, De Sousa "unlawfully, feloniously and recklessly (caused) great bodily harm or disfigurement to another person."

De Sousa opted out of the 2020-21 college basketball season October 16, citing "personal issues." 

"Earlier this fall, Silvio told me that he had been contacted by local authorities regarding his alleged involvement in an incident on New Year's Eve," Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement to the Topeka Capital-Journal. "He was not aware of the details from that incident until a couple weeks ago, which he then shared with me. These allegations were surprising to Silvio, as they were to us. Once we discussed the details, he decided it was in his best interest to opt out and focus on this matter. We mutually agreed that was the best course of action."

Further details regarding the allegations have not been made public.

De Sousa was heading into his senior season at Kansas.