Transfer portal season is in full swing for college basketball — and has been for a few weeks now. Programs like Michigan, Louisville, Kentucky, and Indiana are absolutely crushing it in the portal, but others are just a few pieces away from assembling a strong class of their own. The offseason has already been wild, and it’s only going to get crazier until the portal officially closes.
The Kansas Jayhawks had a rough year. At one point, they went from being the best team in the country to earning a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The drop-off was steep — and frankly, unexpected.
Things got so bad during the season that head coach Bill Self suggested the team take a break from one another. This came after a brutal road loss to BYU. The collapse was so complete that even Self admitted he wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“I’m talked out. We need to get away from each other, I’ll tell you that point blank. I thought this would be a great opportunity to do some team bonding. But it hasn’t been,” Self said.
Amid the team’s struggles, rumors started to swirl that Self was considering retirement — though those reports never materialized into anything concrete.
On April 1, Rylan Griffen entered the transfer portal. Griffen was considered a major addition, but he didn’t have the breakout season many expected. According to Fran Fraschilla, that may have been due to how he was used.
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“I’m seeing where Rylan Griffin was ‘misused’ by KUHoops and that he’ll be great next year at ——. Bill Self has ‘misused’ very few players in 22 years. Jayhawks were desperate for outside shooting last year. Seemed like a good kid. Wish him well,” Fraschilla wrote.
Griffen is a talented three-point shooter who simply struggled last season. He’s currently taking a visit to Kentucky and looks to return to the SEC after previously playing for Alabama.