Kansas
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self addresses Johnny Furphy’s future, and Riley Kugel’s
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self reflects on season, Gonzaga loss
Check out what Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had to say recently after the Jayhawks’ season ended with a NCAA tournament loss against Gonzaga.
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self provided an offseason update Monday, in an interview with Andy Katz.
The interview, which ran on the NCAA March Madness account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, addressed a number of topics. Self once again highlighted how good the Jayhawks were this past season when healthy, especially during non-conference play. He once again highlighted how they just didn’t perform well enough in Big 12 Conference play, especially due to a lack of depth and the injury to Kevin McCullar Jr.
But Self also looked to his team’s future. He talked about the roster outlook, both who’s returning and who’s coming in. He talked about what he thinks about his team’s schedule.
How Kansas basketball’s roster looks next season after transfer portal, recruiting
NBA draft combine has invited Kansas basketball’s Johnny Furphy, Kevin McCullar Jr.
Here are some takeaways from what he had to say:
Bill Self outlines Johnny Furphy is likely to remain in NBA draft
Self has three of his starters back in Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Hunter Dickinson. He also has some other players set to return who he expects jumps from, including Elmarko Jackson, Jamari McDowell and Zach Clemence. But Self noted chances are Johnny Furphy is going to remain in the NBA draft.
Furphy was just a freshman this past season, but he enjoyed a campaign that exceeded expectations. It propelled him into the NBA draft discussion. He eventually earned an invite to the NBA combine.
It’s unclear if Riley Kugel will come to Kansas
Kansas has a transfer class that, as of Monday, has signed three players. Those are Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State), Rylan Griffen (Alabama) and AJ Storr (Wisconsin). But it also has Riley Kugel (Florida) committed.
Self noted it’s unclear if Kugel will make it to Kansas. Self didn’t explain why, but if it comes to fruition that would leave a spot open to fill. Kugel would provide the Jayhawks with a talented guard who would compete for minutes.
Here’s how Hunter Dickinson can take the next step
Dickinson was Kansas’ All-American center this past season, but Self does think there’s room for growth. Self highlighted doing more athletically and guarding ball screens better. Self mentioned he thinks Dickinson can be a more consistent 3-point shooter.
Here’s where AJ Storr can improve
Storr was a highly sought-after player in the transfer portal, and is someone Self believes can score and be someone late in the shot clock who can go get a basket. The latter is something Self thinks Kansas missed this past season. But Self also thinks Storr can be more engaged defensively, and added there’s no reason Storr can’t be a great defender and rebounder.
Kansas’ Big 12 schedule will include 20 games
The Big 12 schedule is increasing from 18 games last season to 20 this upcoming season, according to Self, as the league is also set to add Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado to the conference. It’s something Self believes will be challenging. Self acknowledged he could be missing someone, but he mentioned Kansas, Houston, Iowa State and Baylor all have a case to be top-five teams in the preseason.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Kansas
City Hall intruder fatally shot by employee in Lawrence, Kansas, officials say
An intruder was fatally shot by an armed city employee inside Lawrence City Hall in Kansas on Monday morning, officials said.
The 28-year-old man “forced his way into the building then broke through a door” on the fourth floor and into a secured area about 8 a.m., according to a police statement.
This led to an altercation with an armed city employee, Police Chief Rich Lockhart told reporters outside City Hall, about two miles north of the University of Kansas campus.
“During that altercation, the 28-year-old subject was shot and killed by the city employee,” the chief added.
The intruder wasn’t immediately identified, and it wasn’t clear if he was armed.
Authorities didn’t immediately name the city employee or his job. But police did characterize the civil servant as “trained and authorized to carry a firearm.”
The fourth floor is home to the city manager, city attorney and budget manager.
Officials said they did not know why the man went to the fourth floor, and “it’s not someone that’s known to us,” Lockhart said.
City Hall was closed and should reopen Tuesday. A municipal court in the building won’t open again until Thursday.
City Manager Craig Owens said he was grateful no city employees were hurt.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department work during the disturbing incident,” he said.
Kansas
IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi
Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.
Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Most of that production came over the last two seasons. He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.
In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He suffered a season-ending injury in October.
He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.
In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams. He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.
He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.
The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.
The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.
Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.
More transfer portal information:
For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.
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LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.
The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.
Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.
Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.
Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.
Kansas football transfer portal additions
Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle
Kansas football transfer portal departures
Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)
Jacoby Davis (cornerback)
Dylan Brooks (defensive end)
Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)
Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)
Trey Lathan (linebacker)
Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)
Harry Stewart III (running back)
Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end
Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)
David McComb (3-star quarterback)
Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman
Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)
Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)
Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)
Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman
Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)
Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)
Damani Maxson (3-star safety)
Jaden Hamm (tight end)
Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)
JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)
Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)
Efren Jasso (punter)
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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