"We don't have that excuse this year": Bill Self reflects on plans to keep Kansas elite after Hunter Dickinson and co graduate

After an early exit from the NCAA tournament, Bill Self will be without Hunter Dickinson next season. The 6-foot-11 star center, a two-time Wooden Award winner and 3x All-Big Ten recipient, has exhausted his college eligibility and will enter the NBA draft in June.

Apart from the void left by KU's scoring and rebounding leader, the school has six more seniors on its roster. The coach was asked about the same after a 79-72 loss to Arkansas.

"Last season you had taken the most losses you ever had at Kansas, it was even more as the senior class exits ... coming in from a roster-building standpoint, what adjustments do you anticipate with you and your staff making to get KU back to the (elite) level?" the reporter asked.

Self expressed that the school needs to re-evaluate its strategy and approach to sustain the Jayhawks' standards. He reasoned by stating that his latest roster had enough assets to compete but failed to do it against other elite teams.

"No matter what you do in life, there's going to be some ups and downs and we just haven't had very many downs," he said (at 2:58). "The last two years, we were such a beat up team at the end (of the season), we probably didn't have much of a chance with our injuries ... we don't have that excuse this year.

"Our roster was good enough to be competitive, but it probably wasn't the roster it needed to be talked about in a way that the best teams in America are talked about. So we've got to reevaluate on how we do things."

Bill Self's team faced eight ranked opponents in the regular season this year, winning four of those contests. They punched it home in early matchups against Duke and UNC but lost all games against top-7 ranked programs.

While Kansas will not hit a complete rebuild, the program will need to make significant changes to remain competitive in the current college ball landscape. With that, Self emphasized finding talented players that can fit seamlessly into Kansas' culture.

"You can go after the kids that you get a great bargain on ... but it doesn't really matter unless they fit in and can help you win."

---

Bill Self has already signed two top recruits in the 2025 class

Bill Self has garnered commitments from shooting guard Darryn Peterson and small forward Samis Calderon in the 2025 class. Peterson, a 5-star recruit, is ranked second in the nation by 247 Sports. He averaged 33.0 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in his latest HS season and will bring leadership to Kansas.

Calderon is a four-star recruit ranked 73rd overall and 17th in his position. He will add length and athleticism to the Jayhawks' new-look squad.

Bill Self's 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked 25th in the nation. However, it can change significantly as players like Najai Hines, Deondrea Lindsey, Marcus Jackson and Chance Mallory remain uncommitted.