Kansas basketball may have another path to shore up its frontcourt if Mihailo Musikic ultimately can’t get on the floor.
Musikic committed to the Jayhawks in July, but under the NCAA’s new five-in-five rule, his college future looks cloudy. He is 24, has played multiple seasons professionally overseas, and appears unlikely to be eligible to suit up for Kansas despite the commitment.
That has pushed attention toward Jaxson Kohler, the former Michigan State big man who is now a candidate for Kansas’ final roster spot. BYU and Kentucky are also in the mix for Kohler, and Michigan State would like to bring him back as well.
Kansas has a clear need if it wants to reinforce the front line. Christian Reeves’ availability for the entire season is in doubt because of injury, and the Jayhawks are trying to protect themselves against a thin rotation inside.
Kohler would give Bill Self’s team something it needs right now: experience. He is one of the players who received a fifth year of eligibility through the court system after the NCAA’s five-in-five rule left the class of 2022 out in the cold. That legal win opened the door for Kohler to keep playing college basketball.
His résumé is a strong one. Kohler has appeared in 127 games and made 69 starts.
He was never asked to carry a huge scoring load, but he averaged 12.5 points last season for the Spartans. He also established himself as a steady rebounder, pulling down 8.2 boards per game over the last two seasons and 8.9 last year.
That kind of production would matter for a Kansas team that is still sorting out its interior depth. Paul Mbiya is back at center, but he played just 21 games last season and averaged five minutes per contest. The staff expects him to take a step forward, but he still doesn’t bring much experience.
Behind him is freshman Davion Adkins, who will have plenty on his plate. Adkins is expected to back up Keanu Dawes at the four spot as well, and freshman project Grant Mordini is the only other center on the roster.
Adkins could turn into a real weapon for Kansas, but freshmen usually come with growing pains. Kohler would take some of that pressure off immediately and give the Jayhawks a dependable option if Reeves is not available.
Kansas would still be deep and athletic either way. But with Kohler in the fold, the front line would look a lot more secure.
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