Will KU’s McDowell redshirt this year? Here’s what Bill Self said after Late Night

No decision has been made regarding the possibility that Kansas Jayhawks sophomore men’s basketball guard Jamari McDowell will redshirt this season, KU coach Bill Self said after Friday’s Late Night in the Phog festivities at Allen Fieldhouse.

Looking comfortable on the court, McDowell, a 6-foot-4 Houston native, scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting during Friday’s 15-minute intrasquad scrimmage . He also had three assists and three rebounds,

“I talked to Jamari and his family today,” Self said. “He’s done great.

“I don’t know what the expectations (are). I said (to Jamari and his family), ‘Let’s just roll the dice and see it how plays out.’ Because the reality of it is, he has an advantage over (transfers) Rylan (Griffen) and AJ (Storr) right now that may not be quite as clear two or three weeks from now, when they get more comfortable, because they are newcomers.

“We’ll take it all the way to the start of the season and see what we think about that,” Self continued. “If he (McDowell) is a major contributor, great. If he is a guy that plays spot minutes, like he did last year, personally I think he’s going to be too good a player to waste a year like that. We’ll just wait and see.”

Self has learned that all KU players, not just the newcomers, will be able to play in the team’s upcoming exhibition games against Arkansas (Oct. 25) and Washburn (Oct. 29) and still be able to redshirt.

Thus, if McDowell plays Friday versus the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark., that does not necessarily mean he’ll be playing in regular-season games during the 2024-25 season.

Dickinson aggravates foot sprain

Self said Friday that senior center Hunter Dickinson (two points, one rebound) sprained his foot during the scrimmage at Late Night .

The injury is not believed to be serious.

“It’s been bothering him for about a week,” Self said. “He aggravated it (Friday). They tested it and did all the stuff. They think he’ll be day-to-day.

“Even if he’s out a couple days, he’s out a couple days. I’m hopeful that’s the case. Preliminary examination was he should be OK in a couple days.”

Self still having ‘fun’

After Friday evening’s Late night inside the newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse , Self addressed the recent decision by Virginia’s Tony Bennett to retire from his coaching post at age 55 — right before the start of the 2024-25 season.

Self, 61, was asked if he still enjoys coaching in the age of NIL and the transfer portal — facts of life now in college athletics that are apparently making some coaches, such as Villanova’s Jay Wright and Alabama’s Nick Saban, leave the profession.

“I’m still having fun. It beats work,” Self said. “There’s some things about it ... he (Bennett) has got a point on a lot of that stuff (which Bennett mentioned during his retirement news conference).

“I didn’t hear him say anything that wasn’t on point. But I do think it will balance out. I do think there’s going to be a balance at some point in time. I don’t know if a year or two down the road it looks different than today.

“Right now to me, and my administration is basically responsible for this, to me coaching right now today isn’t any different than it was five years ago — that is today through the end of the season. It’s the recruiting. It’s the other things involving the guys that aren’t here yet (recruits).

“Of the guys that are here we won’t have any issues. The issue will be jealousy in the locker room, things like that. From my vantage point, it’s still coaching guys.”