HEARINGS: The Transfer KU Wanted

This would've helped... a lot

EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

I don’t want this to be a panic type of newsletter. It’s only meant to inform you that the staff seemed to be aware there was a potential issue with KU this summer. Say it with me: We are the National Champs. We are the National Champs. We are the National Champs.

OK, onto The Hearings. I saw this tweet on Saturday and thought it was worth addressing here. Shout out to subscriber dcocker275 for the question. The answer may explain why KU's roster feels incomplete this year.

It's been a while since I talked to anyone about this, but I'll share as I can best recall.

D Coke @dcoker275

@M_Vernon How are talented big man transfers not lining up outside Bill's office every offseason?

Bill Self and the KU staff quietly worked to land a coveted transfer portal big in Pete Nance. I remember hearing KU was legitimately in the running for the 6'11" center from Northwestern. Nance was always assumed to be North Carolina bound, but I recall (at least) one source thinking KU would land him. Lack of offensive fit and freedom seemed to be one of the deal breakers keeping Nance from Lawrence.¹

Not adding a big man in the portal this year was a miss by the staff, and the Jayhawks are stumbling in Big 12 play as a result. This isn’t to knock KJ Adams, either. We forget, he’s only a sophomore playing major minutes for the first time through the Big 12.

Nance wouldn't have solved all of KU's problems, and it’s not like he’s having a great year. He’s averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds for a struggling UNC team. Still, starting a 6'11" center would be season-changing with this lineup.

Of course, there are other problems, as there are with every college basketball team. But you must have a confident center to win in the Big 12. The Jayhawks don't have that right now, and they have to hope find a solution by March.

We’ll get to that later this week. For now: We are the National Champs.

1. Self has a system for bigs at KU. It was suggested he may have been scared off by it.