In the past few years, Kansas Basketball has lagged behind other programs when it comes to building out support staff to optimize the NIL and transfer portal era. This is not new information.

Duke has had a GM role for their basketball operation since 2022. UNC hired Jim Tanner last year for a similar role. Mid major programs like Memphis filled that seat, and superstars like Steph Curry and Trae Young have stepped into assistant GM roles at their alma maters, even if those appointments are more ceremonial than anything.

As high school recruiting is slightly de-prioritized in modern roster construction, it’s increasingly important to have staff that can focus on budgets, logistics, administration, the details that matter most right now.

KU finally got with the program. And it’s about time!

I know almost nothing about Sam Strantz, and there’s not a ton of background readily available on the dude. So let’s parse his profile on the world’s greatest website.

His background is in the legal field, as as you rock through the bullet points on his work experience with the Rockets, I think you’ll get an idea of what his role could be at Kansas.

I’m of the mind that what KU needs in a “front office” leadership role isn’t necessarily former player, or a prominent personality from within our far-reaching basketball network. I was surprised that the candidate, Strantz, didn’t come from the Spurs, our closest NBA associate, where the Jayhawks ties are numerous.

What KU needs is someone doing the detail work on NIL, department budgets, facility upgrades, brand partnerships, all of the nitty gritty. Strantz appears to fit the bill there. I’m choosing to ignore the hard-to-place aura of his headshot… for now. There’s a lot of incentive here for Strantz, as well, and I like that. If he cooks for two years and heads back to the NBA, KU will be better off for that cooking.

In the past few years, Self’s health issues have been a concern, to understate it greatly. He did not coach the team in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, a distressing storyline when considering the rigor of Self’s approach and dedication to coaching the Jayhawks throughout his 23 seasons.

It became clear that Travis Goff and his staff needed to take some logistics off Self’s plate so he could focus on coaching, especially as the college coaching profession demands constant evolution right now. Giving Self space to lock in is a wonderful idea.

Hiring someone to be an intermediary between the leaders of Kansas’s programs — including football — feels like a no-brainer, a move that’s overdue. Even if Strantz is just another guy to CC on department communications, that’s a win, honestly. Whatever happens beyond that low baseline will be extraordinarily useful — that’s just how great the need is.

So, what took so long?

I get the sense that Self, the greatest coach in KU’s history, has had issues ceding power to anyone outside his inner circle. But this move isn’t really about Self’s standing within the greater AD — if anything, I see it as a sign of respect for his ability to coach and continue to lead one of college basketball’s legacy programs. Let Self go to work, and let someone else track portal valuations, lucrative partnerships and legalese.

PORTAL MADNESS

Woof. What a mess.

A quick recap: last week, a Colorado judge granted a “class-wide preliminary injunction” that allowed all players who started their eligibility clock during the 2022-2023 season to pursue a fifth year of eligibility.

Days later, the same judge modified their ruling, declaring that that group of athletes could not enter the portal. I’ll acknowledge what’s on everyone’s minds… Melvin Council Jr¹ back? We don’t know, and might not know for a while, as Council’s situation is a separate case that is being litigated outside of this particular ruling.

KU could stand to add a couple big men, very least — their current roster is not exactly blowing the media’s minds. Though some names have entered the discourse — namely experienced Michigan St big man Jaxon Kohler, who posted 12 and 9 for a 3-seed in the tourney and gosh I like those other slashes from last season — it’s now merely something to keep an eye on, rather that something that’s fully in motion. That could change by the time I post this, as this is the chaos chamber we’ve chosen to engage with as fans.

In the new era, it’s pretty weird to write about college basketball. Every Jayhawks season in the portal era has been extremely confusing to think about. The narratives move faster than anyone is able to cover or track them, and don’t involve the historic inputs of the sport pre-portal. The NCAA itself is in a real pickle.

For whatever reason, I’m cautiously optimistic about what this year’s group brings to the table. It’s a bummer we can’t have relationships with these players for longer than six months, however this situation seems to be rapidly evolving from the players’ side across the Division.

Hang in there Hawks fans. You never know what weird thing will happen next!