In this Hearings newsletter:

1. Chris Johnson’s curious timing 🧐 

2. Get extra entries to win the Father’s Day Bill Self basketball 🏀

3. An unofficial visitor and the final roster spot 🤔

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

Chris Johnson’s Timing 🧐 

The following is my opinion on a curious moment in KU’s offseason.

Chris Johnson's late decommitment put Kansas basketball in a bad spot — and I think the timing from Johnson was intentional. Here's why:

• Johnson informed the Kansas staff of his decision on a Thursday, a mere 48 hours before the team started moving in (as was publicly acknowledged by Bill Self).

• I’d been hearing Johnson was loose in his commitment for months. This picked up steam when the Jayhawks signed Arterio Morris in the transfer portal.

• Since Johnson committed to Kansas in August, the Jayhawks brought in substantial roster competition with Jamari McDowell, Nick Timberlake, and Morris. He wouldn’t have gotten playing time this year.

• From my perspective, it's hard not to interpret these moves as Kansas recruiting over Johnson.

  • I’ve Heard staff still wanted Johnson to come. I don’t think they’re devastated to lose him, but they genuinely wanted him in Lawrence.

• Ultimately, I think Johnson was unhappy with being recruited over and his camp returned the favor with his unusually late decommitment.

• Now Kansas finds itself in a mid-June scramble to replace him while the rest of the team settles in together.

I don’t think Johnson did some awful thing here, and I don’t think KU did anything wrong in recruiting over him. But I DO think they’re connected.

If I’m right, this starkly illustrates the evolving dynamics in college basketball recruiting. Until there are regulations to manage the portal effectively, we can expect teams to keep loading their rosters with transfer players and high school recruits to respond accordingly.

I don’t blame the Jayhawks if they’re agitated with Johnson’s timing. But they should probably get used to it.

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An Unofficial Visitor and the Final Roster Spot 🤷‍♂️

A local standout is pushing for KU’s last roster spot, but I’m Hearing it’s unlikely to work out.

Three-star guard, Ketraleus “Bo” Aldridge, a Topeka-native and 2024 recruit with potential to reclassify to 2023, made unofficial visits to Kansas the last two days. I’m Hearing KU is Aldridge's “dream school,” and he'd willingly join the team this year.

Yet, I’m Hearing Kansas isn’t so sure with Aldridge. I think the Jayhawks will continue to cast a wide net in recruiting its final player for this season.

As it stands, there aren't any other clear candidates on KU's radar. Most players are on rosters already, so the staff has to wait and see if someone hits the market as a grad transfer. They have a plan, and it’ll be revealed soon.

Kansas self-imposed a scholarship reduction of three scholarships over three years. They are currently three scholarship players short of a full roster. By adding only one more player this year, they'll significantly mitigate the impact of their penalty and put themselves in good shape for the future.

Yup, This is Scoopsmafia 😂