Kansas has spent the years since its 2022 national title chasing the kind of bench production Remy Martin delivered, and it hasn’t really found it. That could be about to change with Dennis Parker Jr.
The Jayhawks haven’t had a reserve scorer make that kind of impact since Martin, who started that championship season before moving to the bench in 17 of 30 games. He averaged 8.6 points in 21.1 minutes, shot 46.2% from the field and 38.2% from three, then capped it with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep in the title game against North Carolina.
Since then, Kansas’ top bench scorer has dipped year by year. Joseph Yesefu put up 4.1 points per game in 2022-2023.
Nicolas Timberlake followed with 5.2 in 2023-2024. AJ Storr reached 6.1 in 2024-2025.
Elmarko Jackson then posted 4.8 in 2025-2026.
Parker Jr. brings a different kind of hope to that spot. The 6-foot-6 wing just finished his junior year at Radford, where he averaged 18.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and dropped 53 in a 107-77 win over Coppin State.
The usual concern with a small-school transfer is level of competition, but Parker Jr. isn’t arriving as some under-the-radar gamble. He was a highly regarded four-star recruit out of high school, and he also showed he could produce against strong opponents last season, scoring 18 at SMU and 23 at North Carolina, both on the road.
The easiest way to think about Parker Jr. is not as a direct Remy Martin clone - the size and style don’t line up that way - but as a player who could flash some of the traits Kansas fans remember from other bench weapons. One comparison is Lagerald Vick’s sophomore season in 2016-2017.
Vick came off the bench in 30 of 36 games and averaged 7.4 points in 24.2 minutes, while shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.0% from three. Parker Jr. last season shot 48.4% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc, and while Vick was the better shooter, Parker Jr. brings more rebounding and defense.
Another name that fits part of the picture is Marcus Garrett from 2018-2019. Garrett was more advanced defensively, but Parker Jr. is the better offensive player, especially as a floor spacer. Garrett started only 13 of 30 games that season but still averaged 7.3 points in 27.9 minutes, showing the kind of role Parker Jr. could grow into if everything clicks.
That’s the range Kansas is looking at here: a hybrid of those two former Jayhawks, with the realistic possibility of landing in that 7.3-to-7.4 points per game neighborhood if he starts fast. He is expected to back up both shooting guard and small forward, with some small-ball power forward minutes possible if needed. Depending on how Kohl Rosario looks and whether one of the backup bigs wins Bill Self over, Parker Jr. could even be the first man off the bench.
Kansas has been waiting a long time for a reserve scorer who can tilt a game. Parker Jr. has a real shot to be the first one since Martin to clear 7 points per game.
In Other News...
Kansas Added A Wave Of Newcomers As One Familiar Name Vanished
Kansas footballs roster finally got its first update since spring ball, and the refresh brought a sizable influx of new faces into the program. The latest change added 15 newcomers in all, a mix of scholarship freshmen, projected preferred walk-ons and a junior college transfer, giving a clearer picture of how the depth chart is beginning to take shape ahead of the next phase of the offseason.
The update also underscores how fluid this part of the calendar can be for Kansas, where the roster is still being sorted out before camp. The newcomers include six players from the 2026 high school class, eight projected preferred walk-ons and one JUCO arrival, and the full picture may not settle until the teams more complete roster refresh comes in August. [Read more 🡒]
Two Key Jayhawks From The Title Team Suddenly Face Uncertain Futures
Two familiar names from Kansas title run are suddenly looking at a different kind of offseason. Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson, both now with the Brooklyn Nets, spent last season trying to carve out roles in the NBA after leaving the Jayhawks, and each had a different type of path in Brooklyn. Agbaji, a guard-forward who arrived in a trade from Toronto, appeared in 20 games, while Wilson, a small forward, got into 54 games and showed enough to stay on the radar for another contract discussion.
Brooklyn decided to let both situations move forward without bringing them back under the teams current terms, leaving each player in a more open market as the league turns toward free agency. For Kansas fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the next chapter can change for players from that championship group, especially when a roster is trying to sort out value, development and long-term fit all at once. What happens next for Agbaji and Wilson now depends on whether another team sees a clearer role than the Nets did. [Read more 🡒]
Jayhawks Fans Wont Love How This Top Five Pick Slipped Away
Keaton Waglers rise has a way of making old recruiting boards look a little silly. The Shawnee Mission Northwest product went from being a lightly recruited local prospect to the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with the Clippers taking him after one year at Illinois. For fans around Lawrence, the path he took only adds to the intrigue, because Wagler was never operating with the kind of national spotlight that usually alerts the biggest programs early.
A lot of the explanation starts with how little visibility he had when the recruiting race was forming. Wagler entered high school at 5-foot-8, did not come up through a major prep pipeline, and lacked the shoe-sponsored AAU exposure that can put a player on every power-conference radar. His rankings reflected that uncertainty, and Kansas was among the schools that let the moment pass before his profile caught up to his talent, leaving a local story that now looks very different in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]