Kansas basketball may have found a freshman wing who makes it tough for Bill Self to keep him on the bench.
With the 2026-27 roster loaded at every spot, Self has already signaled he could lean into a 10-man rotation instead of his usual seven- or eight-man group by the middle of the season. That kind of depth has opened the door for multiple newcomers to get a look during KU’s three-game exhibition slate, but few helped themselves more than Trent Perry.
The Link Academy product stood out in the Jayhawks’ loss to Duke over the weekend, even in a limited role. Perry logged just 14 minutes, but he finished with a team-high plus-minus of +11 and chipped in four points, three rebounds and an assist.
The numbers told part of the story. The bigger takeaway was the juice he brought every time he hit the floor.
Coach Self made it clear earlier this week that Perry’s effort caught his attention.
"I thought he played great. I think he's going to be hard to not play more minutes just because of his activity," Self said.
"He plays so hard and he's athletic enough and keeps balls alive. I've been really happy with him.
I thought in a big moment where you can get swallowed up if you're a young guy, he played with reckless abandon the other day."
At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Perry looks like the kind of player who can fill the glue-guy role coaches love: rebound, pressure the ball, chase loose possessions and do the work that doesn’t always jump off the stat sheet. His game is built on grit and energy first, polish second.
As a senior at Link Academy, Perry averaged 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He has shown a knack for cleaning up misses on the offensive glass and brings real pop when he goes at the rim.
The shooting side of the equation is still a work in progress, though. His 3-point and free-throw percentages are expected to be rough early, and the staff is hoping he can develop a dependable jumper over time.
Perry got his opportunity against Duke because wing Kohl Rosario was out with a concussion, and he took full advantage of the opening. He played with nonstop energy and never appeared to coast on a single possession.
Even so, the path to steady minutes remains crowded. Perry is battling for time with Rosario, Dennis Parker Jr. and Luke Barnett, and whether he gets a real foothold will depend partly on how far Self is willing to extend his rotation.
There’s no guarantee he’ll be part of the group by conference play, but his showing against Duke was enough to earn him a longer look. If the same motor keeps showing up, Perry could carve out a role as a short-burst spark off the bench.
In Other News...
Kansas Got A Painful Answer In Cole Ballards First Start
Isaiah Marshalls lower-leg injury left Kansas without much of a choice against TCU, and Lance Leipold said the quarterback was not close to being available. That opened the door for Cole Ballard to make his first start, and the young passer showed enough to keep the Jayhawks moving, throwing for 285 yards and a touchdown while giving the offense a spark in a tough spot.
The problem was the other side of the ledger. Ballard also turned the ball over, and those mistakes helped swing the game against Kansas in a loss that left both quarterback and coach focused on the same theme afterward: missed chances. Leipold and Ballard both acknowledged the errors, and Ballard made clear how much the turnovers bothered him, leaving the Jayhawks with a painful but revealing answer at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got Another Reminder Of How Loaded This Roster Is
Kansas got another reminder this week that the roster Bill Self is putting together has real conference weight to it. Freshman Tyran Stokes and transfer forward Trey Kaufman-Renn both landed among the top 10 players in the Big 12 on Ariel Petermans preseason list, a nod that underscores how much attention this group is drawing before the season even tips off. Stokes, already named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, comes in with the kind of buzz that usually follows a cant-miss newcomer, while Kaufman-Renn brings a proven frontcourt presence from Purdue.
For Kansas, the appeal is in the balance. Stokes gives the Jayhawks a high-end freshman centerpiece, and Kaufman-Renn adds older, established production to a roster that is expected to be one of the leagues most talented. Having two players recognized that highly in the same preseason ranking is a strong sign of the ceiling here, and it also hints at how much pressure opponents will face trying to account for both ends of the Kansas front line. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Blew A 13-0 Lead In A Brutal Home Collapse
Kansas had the kind of first half that can make a home crowd start thinking big, controlling the game early and taking a 13-0 lead into halftime against TCU. Cole Ballard was sharp enough to keep the offense moving, and Nazhee Cox gave the passing game a real spark with a big afternoon as the Jayhawks looked in command for much of the opening two quarters.
The second half told a much different story. Turnovers and missed chances opened the door for TCU, which steadily chipped away before finishing off a 22-16 comeback win, leaving Kansas to sort through a collapse that felt especially painful on its own field. Ballard finished with 285 passing yards, but the Jayhawks could not turn that production into enough points after halftime. [Read more 🡒]