Sports

Kansas Basketball Star’s Injury Resurfaces As Bill Self Fumbles Family’s Load Management Plan

#Kansas Jayhawks
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Darryn Peterson / Kansas Jayhawks

© Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


Darryn Peterson played just 23 minutes of Kansas’s latest basketball loss to Big 12 rival UCF. The guard was electric when on the floor but was unavailable for much of the second half.

Bill Self was unable to follow the Peterson family’s load management plan. It might’ve played a role in the freshman’s status.

The Jayhawks fell to the Knights on Saturday, 81-75. Peterson led all scorers with 26 points.

The rookie was 8-for-17 from the field, connecting on five of his 10 three-pointers. He also hit 5-of-6 free throws to completely take over the first half.

Peterson was unstoppable in the 18 minutes played before halftime. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue after the break.

Darryn Peterson was hurt.

He’s been dealing with a nagging leg injury dating back to the start of the season. He’d played in just four of the team’s first 13 games before the Christmas holiday.

It was hoped that a two-week winter break would allow the guard to get closer to 100%. He’s clearly not fully healthy.

Peterson played 18 of 20 minutes in the first half. He was available for just five minutes after halftime. The Kansas offense took a step back in his absence.

The Jayhawks’ scoring total dipped from 41 to 34 across respective halves. They were outscored 11-5 in crunch time after tying the game at 70-70 with under three minutes left to play.

Peterson was on the bench. Bill Self addressed the situation after the game.

“That’s been a concern, that his legs feel differently in the second half, and a lot of that I think today was just based on if I could have played him less in the first half, would he have been more available the second half? And I think the answer is probably yes.

“It was hard to do when Melvin (Council)’s got fouls and Elmarko (Jackson)’s knee is hurt. We didn’t really have anybody to put in there. Obviously, he kept us in there the first half, getting 23 in a half, and the second half I thought he started out fine. And then it started bothering him, obviously…

“We were hoping that it would be a situation in which I could control it a little bit better by minimizing his minutes in the first half.

“I wanted to put him on a minutes restriction… We really couldn’t do it the first half and ended up paying. We paid for it the second half because obviously his leg started bothering him again, so that was disappointing.”

Bill Self fumbled the family’s plan.

In December, the coach shared that Darryn Peterson’s family is playing a role in his on-court availability. They do not want him on the court at less than 100%.

“(His family) made a decision, which I don’t disagree with it at all, that they want him to be as close to 100% as possible when he comes back,” he said after a win over Davidson.

“We’re in agreement with the family that he should not play until he feels good. We’re in agreement, but I’m not inside his head or his body. I can’t determine if he feels good enough or not. That’s up to him, but he wants to be out there.”

Peterson’s family wants his workload to be managed to ensure optimal health. They are thinking not only of the 2025-26 season with the Jayhawks, but also of the guard’s NBA future.

Peterson is a potential No. 1 overall pick. He’s shown why when on the floor, averaging 20.6 points per game in limited minutes.

Self intended to follow the family’s plan when tipping off against UCF. Peterson was on a minutes restriction against the Knights.

Unfortunately, nearly all of those minutes came in the first half. It potentially impacted the guard’s availability in crunch time.

Kansas fell to 10-4 with the loss in their conference opener. Peterson’s health and playing status will continue to be under the spotlight as the season wears on.