KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Most of the questions lobbed at Kansas coach Bill Self at the Big 12's annual media day summit Tuesday had nothing to do with one of the three Jayhawks players he brought with him to the T-Mobile Center.
They had to do with someone who wasn't even on the team a couple of days ago.
Heads turned across college basketball Monday when Kansas announced that All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who had starred at Purdue and was drafted by the Timberwolves, had not only signed with the Jayhawks but already was practicing.
Kaufman-Renn played for Minnesota in the NBA's summer league but never signed a contract. So when the NCAA passed a rule giving student-athletes five seasons of eligibility over a five-year span, he joined a wave of lawsuits seeking another year for himself.
The 6-foot-9 forward was granted a preliminary injunction earlier this month, making him eligible — for now.
“He's been in the picture for a while,” Self said.
Yet it didn't become a reality until Saturday, when Self told his team a new player could be arriving. Freshman forward Grant Mordini hurt his knee earlier this month, sidelining him for the season, and Kaufman-Renn was able to take his place on the roster.
“I mean, in this day and age, that's how it is," Kansas guard Kohl Rosario said. "As a team and program you have to pivot.”
The Jayhawks already had welcomed back Tre White and Melvin Council Jr., who thought they had exhausted their college eligibility and, like Kaufman-Renn, played in the NBA's summer league. But in court rulings in separate states, White and Council were cleared — again, for now — to play another season, and they've been back with the program for a while.
There is still the possibility that NCAA appeals and new court orders could ultimately render all three players ineligible. But for now, the Jayhawks have filled out a roster that they think can push Arizona and Houston for the Big 12 Conference championship.
"I'm going to coach the same whether we have them or not,” Self said. “I'm coaching like they're here today, and preparing that way. If they're not, I'm going to hate it, but I'm going to deal with it like it's a season-ending injury and we go on.”
With the College Football Playoff moving closer to expanding to 24 teams next year, conference title games could go by the wayside to make room for the new bracket. And some wonder whether the expansion of the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams, with some hoping for even more down the line, could someday put an end to conference basketball tournaments, too.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the league would try to “backstop” any lost championships with other events, though he did not provide any examples or specifics, pointing out that even the CFP expansion has not yet been finalized.
“Tentpole events for us matter,” Yormark said. “Our championship game has been very valuable. The basketball tournaments, both men and women, have been very valuable. If and when there's a change made, we will look to backstop those events."
The Big 12 decided several years ago to play its men's and women's basketball tournaments in the same arena, an idea designed to provide the women the same high-level treatment as the men. This year, the league changed its media day schedule that dedicated one day to the women and another to the men by hosting eight schools — and both of their teams — each day.
Baylor, Texas Tech, Colorado, Arizona State, Iowa State, Utah, Cincinnati and Kansas were at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday. The rest are scheduled for Wednesday, the day before the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductions in Kansas City.
Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly announced earlier this month that he would retire after 32 seasons, a run that includes 656 victories, 24 trips to the women's NCAA Tournament and one offseason that could make his finale a challenging one.
Two-time All-American forward Audi Crooks announced in April that she planned to transfer to conference rival Oklahoma State this season. Three days later, Addy Brown revealed that she would be joining reigning national champion UCLA.
“This is the kind of team you want to go out with. They remind me of the teams we've had in the past,” Fennelly said of a squad that will be led by La Salle transfer Ashleigh Connor and holdovers Arianna Jackson and Evangelia Paulk. “We have to do it a different way than we've ever done at Iowa State, but if our players embrace it, we'll be OK.”
Two-time All-American forward JT Toppin was part of the Texas Tech contingent on Tuesday, a good sign for the Red Raiders. He tore knee ligaments during a game against Arizona State in February, and the initial fear was that the 6-foot-9 forward would miss the coming season. But Toppin said he's on track with his rehab and hopes to be playing sooner rather than later.
“I feel like I'm great right now," Toppin said. “(My trainer) said I'm right on schedule and right where I need to be.”
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