The longer Darryn Peterson sits out, the more clear it becomes to guys like Melvin Council Jr., Tre White and Flory Bidunga that this is their team.
For more than a year, the expectation — spoken and otherwise — was that the 2025-26 Jayhawks would be DP’s team and that the cast of characters surrounding him would do just that — play with him, while letting the future NBA lottery pick run the show.
But Peterson’s time as a Jayhawk has been short-lived thus far.
He’s played just 104 minutes during the Jayhawks' 10-3 start, despite seemingly remaining engaged and a true part of the team.
KU coach Bill Self confirmed on Monday night, after the Jayhawks’ 90-61 win over Davidson, what many had suspected all along — that it's essentially Peterson’s camp who wants him to sit until he feels 100% again.
“We’re in agreement with the family that he should not play until he feels good,” Self told reporters after the 90-61 home win. “We’re in agreement. But I’m not inside his head or his body that I can determine if he feels good enough or not. That’s up to him. But he wants to be out there, he’s just not quite ready.”
Not is 100%. Not close to 100%. Actually feels it. Mentally, physically, you name it.
So, with Peterson out for another game — the 9 he’s missed in 13 games so far this season — the rest of the team went out and threw up one of the more balanced efforts we’ve seen in a while, top to bottom.
It was against Davidson. So, take it with a grain of salt. But, remember, the more this group gets used to carrying the load and having to deliver, the more comfortable they’ll be when asked to do it.
Don’t get it twisted; this is in no way a situation where these guys are thinking, ‘Screw it. We don’t need him anyway. We’ll show you.’
Far from it. This team, which, wild as it may seem, is incredibly close, and the Jayhawks would love nothing more than to have Peterson back out there with them, battling, defending, scoring and winning.
So, if there’s a chance he can be 100% again this season and get back out there — for 2 games, 10 games, whatever it may be — they’ll absolutely take it. And so will Self. In a heartbeat.
KU coach Bill Self (top left), forward Tre White (top right) shown during the Davidson win, with White and Melvin Council Jr. (below) celebrating on the bench late in the victory. [Kansas Athletics photos]
Until then, they’ll keep running out there ready to represent the Kansas brand the best they can. No matter who’s suited up and ready to rumble.
Truth be told, that very mindset and the adversity that this whole DP saga has created has led to this team looking a lot more like a classic Bill Self basketball team than we might’ve expected.
They’re tough. They compete. They scrap. They’re not afraid to play ugly. And they’re willing to defend.
That’s pretty cool, really. KU fans spent a lot of hours/seasons/years fully embracing Self’s style and, for a lot of reasons, we haven’t seen a ton of it played in recent years.
But this group seems to get it. And they like it.
The games will get tougher. The Big 12 Conference schedule is a nightmare. And there will be no Davidsons and Towsons the rest of the way.
But this team has seen its share of that already, too. In the likes of Duke, UConn, North Carolina and even NC State and Tennessee. They didn’t win all of those. But they also didn’t back down in any of them.
Another common trait of Self’s best teams.
Usually by this time of the season, we kind of know how things look and can make a pretty good guess about how it’s all going to play out.
But this season, nobody knows. And that’s kind of cool.
The Jayhawks could just keep getting better — with or without DP — and play their way into being one of the tougher teams in the country.
Or, the Big 12 slate could prove to be too much, and Self’s squad could get exposed for not having that one dude like Peterson who can make a good roster great and compete with the best players and go right at the best teams in all of college basketball.
It also could wind up landing anywhere in between those two extremes, too.
No matter the case, the uncertainty surrounding all of it sure sets the stage for a pretty fun few months, win, lose or Darryn.
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