Kansas wing Kohl Rosario was getting accustomed to his teammates referring to him as “the senior” or “the old man of the group” — a bit of a stretch for a sophomore, not to mention one who had reclassified to join the Jayhawks in the summer of 2025 in the first place.
But it made at least a little bit of sense given that until recently, Rosario and center Paul Mbiya were the only returning players from the 2025-26 KU roster.
Rosario described what it was like watching much of last year’s team opt for the transfer portal in the offseason: “Yeah, I mean, it was kind of crazy, I just kept looking on my phone and seeing, ‘Oh, he’s gone. Him too. Oh shoot, I didn’t think he was gone, but he’s gone too.’ But I think (staying at KU) was just a factor of who’s coming in next year and the kind of team that Coach is going to build.”
That team, as it turned out, now includes two more returning leaders than was initially believed, both of whom will certainly usurp Rosario’s senior status: sixth-year guard Melvin Council Jr. and fifth-year forward Tre White.
Both are eligible after receiving injunctions against the NCAA — White in Indiana among 96 other plaintiffs, Council on his own in New York — and it sounds like Rosario, for his part, expects them to be able to stick around for the long haul.
“Doesn’t it take a year to appeal it?” he said. “I think I heard that somewhere, that it takes a year, so I mean, basketball’s done by then!”
KU will certainly be hoping to get as much production as possible out of the two newcomers (such as they are), both of whom were key starters who outperformed expectations as part of last year’s team.
They then proceeded to briefly pursue potential professional careers, taking part in the Portsmouth Invitational, going undrafted and joining the NBA Summer League — Council with the New Orleans Pelicans, White with the Miami Heat.
However, months later, when their legal efforts bore fruit like those of so many other players in recent months, they went back to school, with KU announcing their respective returns to Lawrence on Sept. 25 (White) and Oct. 4 (Council).
“It’s definitely different,” said forward Keanu Dawes, a Utah transfer who played against them both last year and is now getting to know them as teammates, “but I think just in this day and age, you kind of got to be a pro about everything, so just be prepared with everything, no matter what comes with it.”
Dawes said that the two new players bring experience that “helps us get through certain times.”
“You know, obviously, you go to the NBA, so you come back to college and it’s like a little bit different, so you know how to maneuver,” Dawes said. “They’ve been really good leaders.”
It hasn’t been long since Council and White rejoined the fold. On the day the rest of the Jayhawks found out, Rosario said, they learned right before a practice began and consequently had “a different energy boost” during the training that followed. Rosario didn’t really have to educate his younger teammates about what the pair brought to the table because they saw them play last season.
“They’re such good people,” Rosario said. “They didn’t come back expecting anything. Even Melvin came back, he went right away and he played defense with the scout team by his choice, which just shows the type of person he is. And even Tre too, like they didn’t expect anything, they know they’re here to work it and work hard to earn their spot.”
By adding both players, Rosario said, KU is also “adding experience, adding culture and adding a new level of talent to our team that’s really going to help us push us really far.”
