Early-enrolling freshman forward Bryson Tiller has arrived on campus and could begin participating in activities soon, head coach Bill Self said on Tuesday.
Tiller made his way to Lawrence on Monday, actually beating the Kansas men’s basketball team back home as it returned to campus following a rare overnight stay in Orlando, Florida. When Self spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, he hadn’t yet met with Tiller, who had been undergoing “physicals, getting fitted, and all the things you need to do to be an actual student here.”
“He won’t do anything today because he can’t, but hopefully starting tomorrow he can do some things,” Self said on Tuesday. “I don’t know if he’ll participate in full practice yet starting tomorrow — we’ll wait and see how he’s feeling with his foot — but all indications are that’s just a little time away, if any.”
A high-four-star prospect from Atlanta who played for Overtime Elite, the 6-foot-10 Tiller has long been sidelined due to an ankle injury. It had already been six months since the injury when he signed with KU as a freshman for the class of 2025 in mid-November. Instead of waiting to join next year’s team during the summer, he has joined the current squad during the semester break and will redshirt, a move Self previously said would give Tiller a chance to get acquainted with the program, its schemes, its play style and plenty more.
His involvement over the course of the spring will be in practice, but how thoroughly he becomes integrated in the early going will depend on his physical preparedness.
“I don’t know if they’re going to turn him fully loose (in practice) until they get a chance to evaluate him on how he does with some things,” Self said. “But no, we’re anticipating him being able to do individuals, some competitive things, but probably not up and down, at least until we’re able to evaluate him.”
Tiller averaged 12.2 points and 9.4 rebounds at OTE during the 2023-24 season. Self has said he felt Tiller was a top-10 player in the 2025 class but was hampered by the injury.
“His upside is undeniable, and he’s been well trained,” he said in a press release announcing Tiller’s signing. “Bryson provides a versatility for us that he can play some five, but he can also play the four, very similar to the way KJ (Adams) has in his KU career.”
Bryson Tiller
Overtime Elite