By LAWRENCE — Neither Trey Kaufman-Renn nor Kohl Rosario participated in Kansas basketball’s final preseason exhibition game in October against Duke.
Kaufman-Renn, a fifth-year forward, was continuing to progress through his process of acclimating to the team after his late arrival and had recently gotten nicked up in practice. Rosario, a sophomore guard, had recently suffered a concussion in practice. Both have the capability to contribute this season for KU, and there’s a lot of attention around how Kaufman-Renn — a transfer from Purdue — can raise the ceiling of the Jayhawks’ expectations.
But ahead of Monday’s regular season opener for Kansas, tied for No. 18 in the coaches poll, what are coach Bill Self’s expectations either of those two would play against Fordham? Last week, as Self spoke with reporters, did he have an idea of their availability statuses? One thing to note with Kaufman-Renn is he is currently eligible due to a court case that’s ongoing in the state of Indiana.
“I have a better feel for Trey, even though I’m going to wait to say anything for sure publicly, just because there’s still some unknowns that I need to visit with to make sure that the way I see it is right,” Self said Oct. 28. “But, Kohl, I’m hopeful. But he still has symptoms. So, with that being said, he won’t get a chance to get out there until he’s passed all those tests. And hopefully, by the end of this week maybe, he can be out there — is what we’re hopeful for.”
Self, asked to clarify if the unknowns with Kaufman-Renn have to deal with conditioning or eligibility, added: “Well, conditioning, injury, and — I think that it will be fine, but I’m not going to say positively on his availability on Monday. But I’m planning on playing him.”
Here are a couple of more takeaways from what Self had to say, ahead of Monday’s tip-off that’s set for 7 p.m. (CT) inside Allen Fieldhouse:
How does Bill Self feel about his rotation, starting lineup?
During the early games this season, Self would like to play with a rotation of at least 10 guys, and in some games 11. However, anyone who’s that 11th man or later in the rotation is only going to be playing limited minutes. So, 10 is a fair number to start off with.
When it comes to a starting lineup for Fordham, or games moving forward, Self noted they’ll pick whoever is practicing best together. He’s not going to be experimenting with starting lineups or moving pieces around like he did during the preseason exhibition slate. They’ll go with a starting five, and if it doesn’t work out, they’ll change it.
Keep an eye on freshman guard Trent Perry, as someone who’s making a case to be a part of the rotation. Self has been impressed with how active Perry is, as well as Perry’s athleticism and ability to not let big moments — like some of KU’s high-profile exhibition slate — overwhelm him. If there’s a game where big bodies and athleticism are paramount, Perry fits.
How much did playing a challenging preseason exhibition schedule help Kansas?
Self wouldn’t say that playing No. 2 Duke and No. 11 Louisville in preseason exhibitions, after an earlier one against Pittsburg State, means this is the most KU’s been prepared for a regular season. He thinks having a group with a lot of returners would do that. But he acknowledged the challenging slate does help, and in the practices leading up to the regular season they’d look at what they could correct to be more prepared.
Self thought one promising thing was how other players stepped up to produce against Duke, when senior guards Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White didn’t score as much as they had against Louisville. However, there is a need to figure out how senior forward Keanu Dawes fits in offensively, especially if he’s on the floor with White and freshman guard Tyran Stokes at the same time — more practice can help with that.
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@usatodayco.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Will Trey Kaufman-Renn, Kohl Rosario play in KU basketball vs Fordham?
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/trey-kaufman-renn-kohl-rosario-174315327.html
