Former KU forwards Mitch Lightfoot, Jamari Traylor, others comment on new era of hoops

Kansas freshman center Ernest Udeh’s entry into the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal caught the attention of some former Jayhawk players on Thursday — ones who posted on Twitter their takes on roster formation during the era of NIL and immediate eligibility of transfers.

“It’s a new era in college basketball. Yearly roster overhauls are going to become more of the norm,” former KU forward Mitch Lightfoot, who won a national title in his sixth and final season at KU, wrote on Twitter.

“The key to success is going to be how do you get a team with 13 new guys to gel like they have been together for the past three to four years? High level coaches will be able to make it work,” Lightfoot added.

Udeh’s decision to leave KU after one season means the Jayhawks have just two returning scholarship players from the 2022-23 team on the 2023-24 roster. They are: Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams, a pair of projected starters.

Udeh will depart KU via the transfer portal with seven other scholarship Jayhawks. Transfers Bobby Pettiford (East Carolina), Cam Martin (Boise State), Zach Clemence (Santa Barbara), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State) and MJ Rice (North Carolina State) have already picked new schools. Kyle Cuffe and Zuby Ejiofor, like Udeh, are in the process of being recruited again.

KU, which has three scholarships left to give in recruiting entering decision day for the No. 8-ranked high school player in the country (Mackenzie Mgbako, who will announce for KU or Indiana at 5 p.m. Central on Friday), has added three players from the portal: Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Nick Timberlake (Towson) and Arterio Morris (Texas).

KU has four incoming freshmen (Marcus Adams, Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell) for a total of nine scholarship players on the team.

“The days of having our ‘fan favorite’ collegiate player for four years are pretty much over,” former KU forward Jamari Traylor wrote on Twitter.

He played at KU four seasons (2013-16) after redshirting in 2011-12.

“KU is gonna be a revolving door for players I think. Might have to get used to the window for having your favorite player on the team being only 1 or 2 years now,” Traylor wrote in another Twitter post.

Traylor’s third Tweet read: “So do we consider college hoopers professionals now? … Gotta be right?”

It’s been a week of roller coaster highs and lows involving emotions of fans at KU.

KU nation celebrated the transfer addition of two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick Hunter Dickinson, formerly of Michigan, on Thursday, May 4. However, the acquisition of the 7-footer has directly led to the decisions of promising players Zuby Ejiofor (one week ago) and Udeh (Thursday) to transfer.

“Kansas reeling in an alpha like No. 1 (rated) transfer Hunter Dickinson has way more pros than cons, but it has forced some painful roster movement for Bill Self,” wrote Isaac Trotter of 247sports.com.

“The crunch for minutes just didn’t add up. Dickinson averaged 32.7 minutes per game last season at Michigan. A similar number is expected at Kansas. With KJ Adams already in the fold and Kansas a major player for five-star forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Udeh was staring at the reality that double-digit minutes in 2023-24 was not a guarantee.”

He continued.

“If Mgbako hops on board, Kansas can split 80 frontcourt minutes effortlessly between Dickinson, Adams and the five-star freshman (Mgbako). Thirty-two minutes for Dickinson leaves 48 minutes for Bill Self to divvy up between Mbgako and Adams,” Trotter added.

“Welcome to the new reality of college basketball. Waiting one year for a big role is a tough sell. Waiting two years? Good luck. Losing Udeh and Ejiofor (who are coveted assets in the portal right now) is Kansas’ cost of doing business for paying up for Dickinson.”

Braun thinks Dickinson will thrive at KU

The addition of Dickinson drew a thumbs up from former KU guard Christian Braun, currently excelling in the playoffs for the Denver Nuggets.

“20 & 10 easy if he commits to Kansas.. Ball is getting thrown to corner of backboard every possession,” Braun wrote on Twitter on May 3.

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com Tweeted: “Kansas added big man Hunter Dickinson and could land Mackenzie a Mgbako on Friday so this (Udeh transfer) makes sense.”

Of Dickinson becoming a Jayhawk, ESPN’s Dick Vitale said: “What a get for Bill Self and the Jayhawks! He could be one of the premier big guys in America again and he’s really such an asset to his team. You double up on him it leaves people open. Kansas has got people who can make shots. It’s great news for Rock Chalk Jayhawk as many people thought he was headed to Kentucky but Kansas comes out and gets Hunter Dickinson ... You better believe they move up big time in the rankings. Kansas (is) rolling again; Rock Chalk Jayhawk.”

Analyst Doug Gottlieb wrote: “Hunter Dickinson chose the best true point guard in the country (Harris) and guaranteed high level college success over two young talented shot hungry guards at Kentucky. Best league in the country, best program in the country, best coach in the country. Pretty sound decision.”

ESPN.com analyst Joe Lunardi awarded KU a projected No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after the addition of Dickinson:

“We should have known all along it would be Kansas to break into the club of preseason No. 1 seeds. After all, the Jayhawks have been a top seed a staggering 10 times under Self. All it took was the nation’s top transfer — Hunter Dickinson — for KU to leapfrog defending national champion UConn (among others) to reach the first line in our latest update,” Lunardi wrote. “The initial numbers after Dickinson’s commitment had Kansas as a 2-seed, but a deeper look elevates the Jayhawks to third overall, behind Duke and Michigan State. The other big news: Bronny James declaring for USC lifts the Trojans all the way to a No. 6 seed in the West. Not too shabby.”