By JAMES MADDEN
Kansas head coach Bill Self was asked about the narrative surrounding star freshman Darryn Peterson on Friday, and said that Peterson has time to “change the narrative” about his season.
“He hasn’t finished games. The reasons they say why he hasn’t finished games, around 100% false,” Self said Friday. “The bottom line is, there is a way to change the narrative: Play. Finish. That’s the way to get people to quit talking.”
Bill Self on Darryn Peterson:
“He hasn’t finished games… The bottom line is, there is a way to change the narrative: Play. Finish. That’s the way to get people to quit talking.”
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: @KUsports) pic.twitter.com/71bbB7sD7q
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 20, 2026
There has been national outcry around the ongoing Peterson situation, as he has dealt with lingering cramping, hamstring and quad issues throughout the season for the Jayhawks. He has notoriously played for the majority of the first half in most games, before missing extended periods of time in second halves due to the cramping, including in Kansas’s win against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Self recently called Peterson’s ongoing health issues “disappointing” and said that the team thought they were past the cramping concerns.
“I didn’t anticipate that tonight at all. I thought he was good to go,” Self said after Wednesday’s win over Oklahoma State. “But we only got 18 minutes out of him. That’s disappointing because he could have had a really good night,”
The Jayhawks are currently 20-6 and 10-3 in the Big 12, as they get ready to host Cincinnati on Saturday. Peterson has not appeared on the Big 12 availability report, so he is expected to be active again, however his cramping issues has been something to monitor in all of his games this season.
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