Top 3 transfer portal targets for Bill Self, Kansas basketball

03/27/2025 04:28 PM

The college basketball season isn’t over yet, but the transfer portal is already open. This happens in college football as well, and it tends to create some issues with both players and coaches. That is also the case with basketball, but that’s just the way that it works right now. One team that has hit the transfer portal aggressively in recent years is the Kansas basketball team. The Jayhawks have picked up some big-name transfers, but the program hasn’t been as strong in this new transfer portal era.

Kansas has made big splashes in the transfer portal recently with additions like Hunter Dickinson and AJ Storr. Because of the talent that was acquired, the Jayhawks came into this season ranked #1 country. Expectations were high for the program, but they ended up losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after earning a seven-seed. The season did not go to plan for Kansas.

The Jayhawks have now had a few disappointing seasons in a row after winning the national championship back in 2022. This year was especially rough after the #1 ranking to begin the year. Kansas ended up finishing in sixth place in the Big 12 as they went 21-13 overall and 11-9 in conference play.

Kansas ended up playing 10-seed Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and it didn’t go well. The Jayhawks were favored over the Razorbacks, but they couldn’t find a way to get the win. Arkansas advanced, and they ended up upsetting two-seed St. John’s in the round of 32 to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.

Now, the season is over for the Kansas basketball team, and they are starting to take a look at some transfer portal prospects. It’s going to be interesting to see how all of this goes for the Jayhawks as their method of loading up with elite transfer talent hasn’t worked in recent years. That could be a turn off for players in the portal, and it could make the coaching staff hesistant to pursue a lot of options.

Still, the transfer portal is an integral part of today’s college basketball landscape. You have to find a way to make it work, or you will get left behind. Kansas is going to have to bring in some transfers, and here are a few of their top targets:

Donovan Dent, PG, New Mexico

Right now, Donovan Dent is the biggest fish in the pond that is the college basketball transfer portal. Dent’s season just ended over the weekend as New Mexico lost in the round of 32 against Michigan State, but he led the Lobos to a very successful year. Dent is getting attention from a lot of top programs, and Kansas is one of them.

Dent finished this season averaging over 20 points per game while shooting 49% from the floor. He also shot over 40% from three this season. The Jayhawks could use a player who can shoot the deep ball with that kind of efficiency.

There have been some reports that Kansas is in the mix for Donovan Dent, but there is a lot of stiff competition here. There are loud rumors about UCLA at the moment, and Kentucky seems to be pushing hard, too. New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino was just hired by Xavier, so that is obviously a team to watch as well.

Pryce Sandfort, F, Iowa

Pryce Sandfort is another player that would be a good fit at Kansas. Not only does he bring that shooting ability that the Jayhawks are looking for, but he also has good size as he stands at 6’7″. Sandfort is transferring away from Iowa after Fran McCaffery was fired at the conclusion of the season. He just finished up his sophomore year and averaged 8.8 PPG. He shot 48.8% from the field and 40% from three.

Iowa ended up hiring Ben McCollum is their new head coach, and he will be trying to keep some of these players around. It will be interesting to see if Sandfort ends up staying in the portal, or if he decides to return to Iowa for another season.

Malik Reneau, F, Indiana

Indiana is another Big Ten team that will be breaking in a new head coach next year, and because of that, they have seen a lot of transfer portal departures following the conclusion of their season. One player that has entered the portal is forward Malik Reneau. Kansas is losing some elite size this offseason as Hunter Dickinson will be gone, and they need to find a replacement. Reneau could be a good option.

Malik Reneau finished this season averaging 13.3 PPG and 5.5 rebounds per game. He shot 55.2% from the floor.

The Kansas basketball team has had a lot of success in the transfer portal in recent years, and they are hoping for more this offseason. They just need to find a way to get the most out of their talent when the new season rolls around.

Transfer portal overview

The college basketball transfer portal opened up on March 24th, and it will be open for about a month as it closes on April 22nd. The final game of the season will take place on April 7th, and the portal opening up before then does create issues for teams that are still dancing.

First of all, players that want to transfer have to make a difficult decision. They can either finish up their season with their current team and miss out on potential opportunities, or they can skip the NCAA Tournament so they can find their next home. We saw this happen already as Michigan freshman Justin Pippen left the program before the Sweet 16.

This also creates an issue for coaches as they are trying to devote 100% of their time to tournament preparation. A lot of coaches want to wait until their season is over before they explore the transfer portal. All in all, the opening date creates some issues.

The college basketball tranfer portal is only open during this initial window, unlike football. The football portal has two different windows.

From now until the portal close in late April, there will be a lot of transfer portal news in the college basketball world.

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