Trey Kaufman-Renn didn’t need much time to make his presence felt at Kansas.
After coming off the bench in the season opener, the former Purdue standout jumped into the starting lineup for KU’s second game of the year against Middle Tennessee State and wasted no time showing what he can do. In 18 minutes, Kaufman-Renn led the Jayhawks with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while also adding four rebounds and two assists.
Bill Self came away impressed, especially with how naturally Kaufman-Renn sees the floor.
“I do think he’s a damn good player. He’s like a point-five man, isn’t he?”
Self said. “He can pass; the game is in slow motion to him.
A couple of those passes he made tonight, those are hard plays. And we don’t know how to play with him yet.”
That last part matters. Kansas is still figuring out how to unlock him, and Self made it clear the learning curve goes both ways.
Kaufman-Renn has only been practicing with the team for under a month, and the coaches have said he arrived on campus out of shape and still needs to build his conditioning. Even so, he’s already shown enough to suggest the adjustment period could be short.
Self said Kaufman-Renn already has a solid grasp of the system, including a good portion of the playbook and defensive concepts. The bigger challenge right now is getting the rest of the roster comfortable playing through him.
What stands out most is the variety in his game. Self pointed to the different ways Kaufman-Renn can score and create offense, whether he’s backing a defender down, operating in the short roll or initiating action himself.
“He scored tonight by backing a guy down. He didn’t really score on the post,” Self continued.
“He’s really good in the short roll. He’s a really good passer out of the short roll.
He’s a good initiator. I don’t think we got the full package tonight, but I think he’s just an all-around good basketball player.”
For Kansas, that’s the real promise here. However the acquisition was viewed when it happened, the Jayhawks look at their best when Kaufman-Renn is on the floor. Once the offense catches up to his skill set, he gives KU a different kind of weapon.
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Kansas heads into the meeting coming off a close loss to UCF, while West Virginia also enters with fresh disappointment after falling to Texas Tech. For the Jayhawks, it is another chance to steady themselves and keep building in conference play, and the timing only sharpens the importance of a game that could carry plenty of weight by mid-November. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Suddenly Faces A Backcourt Problem Bill Self Didnt Need
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The Jayhawks now have to get through the nonconference portion without one of their most experienced perimeter pieces, and the ripple effect goes beyond one lineup spot. Council is hopeful to be back around the start of conference play, but until then Kansas will have to sort out who absorbs his minutes, who handles the ball, and how the backcourt holds together without him. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Just Kept BYUs Most Frustrating Loss In The Spotlight
Kansas had already turned a messy afternoon into something resembling a comeback, clawing back into a tight game that had swung on big plays at both ends, only to watch UCF answer when it mattered most. The Jayhawks were in position to leave with a dramatic road win after a wild final stretch, but the Knights found just enough late to flip the outcome and keep the game in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons from Kansas side.
Alonza Barnett III, back after an injury, led the decisive drive for UCF and helped set up the finish, which came on a touchdown catch by Caden Piening that survived replay review. Will Stone then delivered the extra point that made the difference in a 33-32 result, leaving Kansas with another frustrating reminder of how thin the margin can be in a game full of momentum swings. [Read more 🡒]