Kansas
Predicting Which Kansas Basketball Players Will Stay or Transfer
With the offseason quickly ramping up, several Kansas basketball players will have a pivotal decision to make in the coming weeks. Those with remaining collegiate eligibility will have to determine whether they are returning to Lawrence or exploring other opportunities on the open market.
The Jayhawks are no strangers to losing talent to the transfer portal, as five players departed to other schools last year (six if you include Flory Bidunga’s brief stint in the portal).
Although KU has the ability to retool its roster with transfers across the country, there are some guys whom the program would certainly like to retain. But which players will end up leaving the university for more favorable options, and how many will there be?
Flory Bidunga: Declare for NBA Draft
Bidunga took the biggest leap of any player on the roster this offseason, seeing his scoring average nearly triple in addition to winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He is one of the most dominant rim protectors in the country and proved that by averaging 2.6 blocks per game.
After spending two years in Lawrence, Bidunga now has another critical decision to make after he nearly left last offseason. There have even been rumors of him transferring to another school, even with the NBA Draft on the radar.
Most mock drafts place him in the early-to-mid second round range, leaving some potential for his stock to rise if he returned to college. However, as an undersized center who likely won’t develop a perimeter game anytime soon, it’s difficult to see where he could improve his draft position.
Going to the NBA feels like the smartest and most logical decision for Bidunga. He would complete his lifelong dream of playing in the pros and could develop at his own pace with a team willing to invest in him.
Bryson Tiller: Stay at Kansas
A redshirt freshman who joined the team late last season, Tiller defied the odds and earned a spot in the starting rotation despite recovering from foot surgery. He was one of Bill Self’s most trusted options and formed a double-big pairing with Bidunga.
His final month or so of the season was quite abysmal, as he saw his averages plummet and his production take a massive hit. However, it is far too early to give up on the Overtime Elite product just yet.
Tiller has a smooth post game and a lot of good attributes to his skill set. Bringing him back should be one of the biggest priorities for the coaching staff this offseason, and if he’s promised a starting spot at power forward next year, it is reasonable to assume he returns.
Elmarko Jackson: Transfer from Kansas
Jackson has endured a rough ride in Lawrence since committing to the Jayhawks as a McDonald’s All-American three years ago. Following an underwhelming freshman season, he missed the entire 2024-25 campaign due to a torn patellar tendon before returning this season, where he didn’t fare much better than two years ago.
Coming out of high school, Jackson was viewed as a player with immense potential. But after three years at the school with virtually no improvement, it might be best for him to spend his final two years of eligibility elsewhere.
Unfortunately, allowing the game-winning basket to St. John’s that ultimately ended the season embodied what his tenure at KU has been like. That might be the last memory fans have of Jackson in the crimson and blue.
Kohl Rosario: Transfer from Kansas
Rosario had high expectations going into the year, starting as a member of the starting five before eventually being phased out of the rotation. The Miami native was touted as a strong 3-point shooter coming into college, but massively struggled from beyond the arc for most of the year, leading to a difficult path to playing time.
Even when Rosario wasn’t hitting his shots, though, he contributed with his athleticism and on the glass as a hustle player. Rosario is absolutely someone the coaching staff should prioritize this offseason. However, it may be best for him to leave the program to look for other opportunities.
He showed flashes throughout the year yet was never trusted heavily by Coach Self. He proved he belonged in the rotation in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, where he made an immediate impact when he entered and outplayed other bench options.
Ultimately, Rosario will already be competing with freshman wings Trent Perry and Luke Barnett for playing time next year. If the coaches are not going to give him minutes, there is little reason to believe he will stay another year at KU as such a high-potential player.
Paul Mbiya: Stay at Kansas
After riding the pine for the majority of the regular season, Mbiya showed real promise in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a season-high eight points in the Round of 64 and playing strong minutes in place of Bidunga against St. John’s in the first half as he battled foul trouble.
With his otherworldly wingspan and frame, Mbiya feels like someone who could blossom into a star long-term. Even with his raw offensive game, he has traits that should allow him to improve once he refines his skill set.
Mbiya could technically transfer this offseason without it being a massive surprise, but that stretch at the end of the year may have been enough to earn Coach Self’s trust. At the very least, he could be playing double-digit minutes per game next year as the backup five.
Jamari McDowell: Stay at Kansas
McDowell committed to Kansas as a member of the Class of 2023, making him and Jackson the longest-tenured players on the roster. He has been a steady bench piece who plays sparingly but offers defensive intensity and outside shooting when he enters the game.
Unlike Jackson, McDowell didn’t have the same level of hype coming out of high school and was never viewed as much more than a role player. He is best suited to play short spurts off the bench to provide an offensive spark when needed.
Given his clear love for Kansas, his situation is far different from Jackson’s. McDowell feels like someone who is content with limited minutes and simply wearing a Jayhawk uniform with pride.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Colorado-based chicken restaurant Birdcall is expanding into Kansas.
The company announced Friday its plans to expand into Kansas and five other Midwestern states over the next five years. Birdcall plans to add six to eight fast-casual restaurants in Wichita and Topeka.
“The Midwest represents a tremendous opportunity for Birdcall,” CEO Mark Lohmann said. “From our award-winning chicken sandwiches and other handcrafted menu offerings to our commitment to innovation and community, we believe Birdcall offers an experience that resonates with today’s guests and is a natural fit for the region.”
Other locations announced are:
- Indiana – 10 to 15 restaurants across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne
- Missouri – Up to 18 restaurants across St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
- Nebraska – Seven to 10 restaurants across Omaha and Lincoln
- Ohio – Up to 20 restaurants across Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo
- Wisconsin – 10 to 15 restaurants across Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton
Birdcall’s menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and nuggets, salads, tater tots, fries, and more. The restaurant also makes its own in-house sauces and serves up draft beer and house-made margaritas, with happy hour specials.
The company said each restaurant will use self-service kiosks and occupy about 2,300 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating that can serve up to 150 people.
Birdcall currently operates 17 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona and Texas.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A video shared by a viewer, shows a resident speaking at the Osawatomie, Kansas City Council meeting being escorted out by police on Thursday evening.
The video shows a man holding a “Hell No Alcove” sign, while commenting about a blighted property, which according to public records is owned by Pacific Apartments, LLC, operating out of the same address as Alcove Development in Lawrence, Kansas.
KSHB 41
Alcove Development is behind the effort to build a $1 billion, 283-acre data center development in Osawatomie’s northland property.
The video, shared by a viewer, goes on the show two law enforcement officers approaching the individual, who is Lee Brewer, at the podium, after he begins to yell, while the crowd joins in behind him. Lee Brewer reached out to KSHB 41 late Thursday night, identifying himself as the person who was escorted out.
Osawatomie, Kansas Police Chief Dave Stutteville is seen in the video also approaching the man.
Fabian Rosales/KSHB
KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa reached out to the Police Chief, City Manager, and Mayor Nick Hampson for comment late on Thursday night and is waiting on a response.
Residents in contact with Gamboa attending the meeting shared the meeting was still in session after 9:30 p.m.
Thursday night’s meeting was the city and Alcove Development’s attempt at sharing potential benefits of a data center for the community.
Gamboa has long covered the data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas — and neighbors to the project have voiced their opposition to the proposed development.
Brian Luton/KSHB
This is the first time Alcove Development has approached the public, but not the first time it has worked with the city of Osawatomie.
In late 2025, Alcove Development approached the city with the project and weeks later, a pre-development agreement was signed giving Alcove exclusive rights to the development for three years.
But city council meeting records from 2023 show, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development to redevelop a property known as Old Swenson School.
Alcove Development had six months to asses the condition of the property and determine a course of action for redevelopment, and the overall agreement would last 18 months, according to public records.
Will Shaw/KSHB
The pre-development agreements states, Alcove would consider asking for tax breaks on the project, including utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
At the time, the property had sat in disrepair since 2016, according to the records, and was frequently found in violation of city code.
If the re-development were to fall through, the city would be on the hook to purchase the property from the developer for $25,000, with unclear total costs for infrastructure improvements.
KSHB 41
KSHB 41 will follow up on the status on this project at a later date.
Earlier this week, Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, sat down with Donna Ingram who doesn’t live far from the data center site.
Ingram expressed her concerns about the amount of infrastructure that would be built to operate a data center, and how it might overtake the land around her home.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
She expressed concerns because the City of Osawtomie changed the public comment guidelines of a promise town hall with the developer.
“Watching this process play out is disheartening,” Ingram said in an interview on Monday. “A town hall was promised that didn’t come to fruition… I don’t believe it’s the definition. This is a city council meeting. We’re the ones that are gonna live next to it. We’re the ones that live in the path of the infrastructure.”
The city told KSHB 41 on Monday in a statement, they changed the format to prioritize the voices of city taxpayers, as county taxpayers have dominated the public comment periods over the past couple of months.
Brian Luton/KSHB
Mayor Nick Hampson also told Gamboa in an earlier interview he was hoping to have a productive “town hall” — instead, the first meeting with the public and the developer of the project was during a formal and regularly scheduled city council meeting.
The city also required residents to submit questions ahead of time, and the city would filter questions to the developer, while limiting public comment to three minutes.
“We have been and will continue to hear from the residents that are in the county and closest to this project,” Hampson told KSHB 41 in an email on Monday.
Miami County, Kansas
Residents shared a record to KSHB 41, submitted to the city for a formal investigation into 1009 Pacific Avenue in Osawatomie, which is owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.
The dilapidated property is the a former school house, that sits with broken windows, and other parts of the building breaking down.
The Miami County Republic reporting on Thursday, the city launched an investigation into the building.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Residents cite the buildings deteriorating condition and potential danger to the public, and lack of property maintenance.
Lee Brewer issued a comment regarding the incident at Thursday night’s meeting, stating he was escorted out after the Mayor closed public comment, and he was not on the list.
Brewer told KSHB 41, he has a time -stamped email of pre-submitted questions ahead of the meeting. KSHB 41 asked Brewer to review the email, and is waiting for an answer.
I am severely disappointed in our Mayor and the city council. They told us we were required to send in an email with our questions and our address to prove we were citizens of the town by Wednesday the 24th at noon. I have my email which is timestamped at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday the 24th. They shut me down and first told me I didn’t put the email in and then once I was kicked out of there I was told by people coming out that they were told I turned in my email too late. I’m not a math teacher but last time I looked at my clock 10:26 a.m. falls just over an hour and a half before noon. I mean correct me if I’m wrong. I thought because the mayor and I were having decent conversations on Facebook Messenger, whereas I would ask him questions and he would answer to the best of his ability. And I would thank him I thought we were pretty cordial. So to basically call me a liar in front of the entire town on video recording, take away my freedom of speech My first amendment right, and have me removed from a public building was completely wrong I am very disappointed in our city council and mayor. When I approached the podium all I was trying to do was point out that resolution number 1169 in Osawatomie Kansas refers to Alcove development LLC being the owner of the old Swenson School at 1009 Pacific. As I pointed out in these earlier messages to you Alcove has left this building dilapidated in ruins and a danger to our community. Our great city council and mayor seem to have other plans for me being able to speak though.
Lee Brew, via Facebook to KSHB 41 News
KSHB 41 reached out to Alcove Development late on Thursday night, and is waiting on a response.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify information about cleanup information.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A tanker transporting 8,000 gallons of ethanol crashed in El Dorado on Thursday.
It happened at the intersection of Kansas Avenue and South Main Street.
According to dispatch, the vehicle overturned, causing the fluid to leak out and spill into the storm sewer system.
City Manager David Dillner said traffic is being diverted in the area while crews work to clean up the ethanol.
Nearby residents have been evacuated to the El Dorado Civic Center due to the pungent smell of the fuel, Dillner said.
No injuries have been reported.
This is a developing story.
For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.
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