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Kansas Basketball: Sam Cunliffe’s decision to transfer good for both sides

By Tristan Freeman

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Kansas Basketball and Sam Cunliffe have part ways. What does this mean for both the team and now ex-player for the upcoming season?

When it comes to the 2018-19 NCAA Basketball season, no team might be in a better position than the Kansas Jayhawks. They’re considered by some to be the preseason No. 1 team in the country, having some of the best depth up and down the roster.

The Jayhawks won’t be as deep now after one of their players made a decision to leave the program.

It’s been an unfortunate couple of years for the former top-50 recruit out of high school. He averaged 9.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg as a freshman starter for Arizona State before transferring just 10 games into the season. The 6’6 guard instantly became a sought-after target with a number of suitors calling.

He ultimately chooses Kansas, which at the time made sense. There were several departures that were going to occur and even if he had to wait a semester the following season, there surely was going to be a role for Cunliffe.

That never ended up happening. Coach Bill Self opted to go with a 6-7 man rotation, giving all of the minutes to Devonte’ Graham, Malik Newman, Marcus Garrett and Lagerald Vick. The former Sun Devil had to watch on the bench some more for Kansas’ Final Four run, hoping to get on the court.

What made matters worse for Cunliffe this past season was that he wasn’t the only transfer who came on board. Cal guard Charlie Moore and Memphis stars KJ and Dedric Lawson all joined the program after him. And with another expected top-tier recruiting class coming in, finding minutes became very hard for him to find. The final nail in the coffin was Vick’s return from the NBA Draft, putting Cunliffe in an impossible position.

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As tough as a personal decision as this had to have been, this was the right move for Cunliffe. By transferring now after all the other transfers and class of 2018 recruits have picked new homes, he’ll have a much better view of each potential suitor in terms of the roster and role with the team. A number of teams still have open scholarships and will have room for Cunliffe to sit out. He still has tremendous potential and with the right team and coach could excel in college like he did early on at Arizona State.

For Kansas, they get another scholarship themselves to throw at another quality four or five-star class of 2019 recruit. The reality is that the Cunliffe experiment didn’t work and the Jayhawks could go after another potential transfer that fits the system better.

Next: Analyzing Kansas' rotation for 2018-19

In late July, the hottest topic in NCAA Basketball will be concerning Cunliffe’s new home. With him originally from Seattle, Washington, look for the guard to possibly go back out west. We’ll see which programs emerge as frontrunners for his services in the coming days.

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