Kansas basketball: What could freshman Rakease Passmore’s role be? He has an idea

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self signed the transfers who joined the program during the offseason for a reason.

Just take a look at senior guard David Coit (Northern Illinois) and graduate guard Shakeel Moore (Mississippi State). Last season, Self realized the team needed more playmaking guards besides Dajuan Harris Jr., now a graduate guard himself. These new additions fill that gap.

Just take a look at junior guard AJ Storr (Wisconsin) and junior guard Rylan Griffen (Alabama). From Self’s perspective, both provide the team with scoring. Self explained Storr is a good shooter and terrific scorer, while Griffen is a really good shooter.

The Jayhawks had spots to address, given the talent it they lost from last season, and had a lot of success filling them.

But just because Kansas has so many veterans, doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities for younger players to earn roles this season. Freshman guard Rakease Passmore is one of those who could end up being a factor for the Jayhawks — and he has a clear idea of what his role would be should that happen.

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“I’ll just be a dog, play defense, rebound, hit open shots on the floor,” Passmore said last week, ahead of Late Night in the Phog. “Just stuff like that.”

Passmore joined Kansas as a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. He was one of a pair of high-profile freshmen to sign and join the Jayhawks, alongside five-star freshman forward Flory Bidunga. At the moment, Bidunga’s path to playing time and not redshirting appears more clear.

Passmore explained the two teammates he’s gravitated toward most are Harris and senior forward KJ Adams Jr. both members of Kansas’ national championship team in 2022. Harris is someone Passmore gets a lot of shots up with. Adams is someone Passmore dedicates a lot of time with toward the defensive end of the court.

When Passmore spoke, he’d yet to experience Late Night in the Phog, an exhibition or a regular season game inside Allen Fieldhouse. However, that didn’t mean he hadn’t enjoyed any memorable moments so far — such as talking trash with Harris or Adams. It’s all part of an offseason that could set him up for success during his freshman year.

“I feel like it’s been going pretty good,” Passmore said. “I’ve been going out there, playing defense, knocking down open shots, rebounding, learning from older guys, taking everything in.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What could Rakease Passmore’s role be with Kansas basketball?