Trey Kaufman-Renn finally got on the floor for Kansas, and the Jayhawks looked plenty comfortable with him in the mix.
After missing the exhibition games while he rounded into shape, the Purdue transfer made his KU debut Monday night in a 95-65 win over Fordham at Allen Fieldhouse. Kaufman-Renn, cleared to play through a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the NCAA, came off the bench and delivered nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a block in 23 minutes.
He didn’t waste time making an impression. Kaufman-Renn checked in at 16:18 with Kansas up 10-8, scored his first points as a Jayhawk on a hook shot in the lane 12 seconds later, and later buried a wide-open 3 from the top of the key with 6:11 left in the first half. He finished the opening half with five points and four rebounds in 13 minutes, then started the second half.
Kansas got big scoring nights from Tre White, who led the way with 22 points, and Tyran Stokes and Leroy Blyden, who each added 15. Melvin Council Jr. contributed 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds, though he also had four turnovers. Fordham’s Akira Jacobs paced the Rams with 20 points.
The Jayhawks also kept two streaks rolling. They opened the season with a win for the sixth straight year and extended their home-opening winning streak to 54 games, a run that dates to 1973-74.
Bill Self’s starting five featured Tre White, Melvin Council Jr., Christian Reeves, Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney. In the second half, Kaufman-Renn joined White, Council, Kinney and Stokes in the opening group.
One of KU’s best stretches came during a 16-1 run that pushed the lead to 30-16 with 7:36 left in the first half. Blyden scored six points in that burst, including a corner 3 after a sharp extra pass from Council.
The half didn’t close nearly as cleanly. Kansas led by 16 with 1:01 remaining, but Keanu Dawes missed two free throws after being fouled intentionally, Stokes went 1 for 2 at the line, then fouled Jacobs on a 3-point attempt.
Jacobs converted the free throw, and Kinney turned it over on KU’s final possession. That left the Jayhawks up 43-31 at the break, and Fordham trimmed the margin to six early in the second half at 52-46.
Kansas shot 9-of-25 from 3-point range, while Fordham went 13-of-33 from deep.
Kohl Rosario remained out after suffering a concussion in practice on Friday, Oct. 23, and missing the Duke exhibition on the 25th. He also took an elbow to the mouth that required oral surgery and 14 stitches. Rosario watched from the bench alongside Grant Mordini, who is out for the season with a patellar tendon injury.
There was some buzz before tip, too. Kaufman-Renn’s mom, Lara, wrote on X an hour before the game, “Heard from a really good source … Trey has been cleared to play tonight,” and Stokes was already getting extra shots up on the court an hour and a half before tip with a manager rebounding.
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Kansas Already Has One Early Issue Fans Wont Ignore
Kansas opened its regular season at home with a comfortable 95-65 win over Fordham, extending a remarkable run of 54 straight home opener victories. The Jayhawks got contributions from all 15 players on the roster, with White leading the way in scoring and Kaufman-Renn making his debut in the rotation, giving the night plenty of early-season positives to build on.
Still, the box score also pointed to a familiar concern that cant be brushed aside just because the final margin was so lopsided. Kansas committed more turnovers than Fordham, an issue that stood out even in a game the Jayhawks controlled from start to finish, and it gives the staff something concrete to clean up before the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Kaufman-Renn Is Already Forcing His Way Into Kansas Plans
Trey Kaufman-Renn wasted little time making himself part of the conversation in his Kansas debut, giving the Jayhawks a useful lift in a victory over Fordham. In 23 minutes, he scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds, the kind of steady production that can matter quickly for a team still sorting out roles early in the season.
Bill Self already sounds ready to make the fit more permanent. After Kaufman-Renn became eligible following an injunction in Indiana that opened the door to a fifth season of college basketball, the Kansas coach confirmed he will be a starter and pointed to the way he affects the Jayhawks beyond the box score. For a team looking to build chemistry and depth, that kind of immediate buy-in can change the shape of the rotation in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Got An Encouraging Answer From Its New Faces
Kansas opened its season at Allen Fieldhouse the way Kansas usually likes to, with another home-opener win and enough early signs from the newcomers to make the night feel more than routine. The Jayhawks beat Fordham 95-65 for their 54th straight home opener, and the box score was headlined by Tre Whites 22 points, but the more encouraging development was the immediate impact from the new faces around him.
Leroy Blyden Jr. and Tyran Stokes each scored 15 points in their first games as Jayhawks, helping Kansas navigate a competitive first half before pulling away after the break. Bill Self had plenty to like about Blydens performance, and for a team trying to blend established pieces with fresh arrivals, the opener offered a useful early answer about how quickly some of those additions can matter. [Read more 🡒]