A Family Matter? Bill Self Reveals Darryn Peterson’s Long-Term Health Plan

Kansas basketball has officially wrapped up its nonconference slate, yet freshman guard Darryn Peterson appeared in just four of the Jayhawks' first 13 games.

He has battled hamstring and quad tightness for several months now, dating back to KU's scrimmage against Louisville in October. Despite a brief two-game stretch in which he returned, the cramping issues lingered and forced him to miss the past two contests.

While the Jayhawks have been adamant about not bringing him back until he is fully healthy, concerns have grown about whether Peterson could be sitting out in preparation for the NBA Draft. That uncertainty has left fans uneasy about his long-term status with the program.

However, head coach Bill Self revealed a new reason why Peterson might be sidelined. Following KU's win over Davidson on Monday night, Self explained that Peterson’s family does not want him back on the court until he is 100% healthy.

"We're in agreement with the family that he should not play until he feels good," Self told reporters. "We're in agreement. I'm not inside his head or his body, that I can determine if he feels good enough or not. That's up to him. But he wants to be out there. He's just not quite ready."

"They made a decision, which I don't disagree with at all, that they want him to be as close to 100% as possible when he comes back," he previously added. "And he's just not quite there yet, but it's a day-to-day deal."

Bill Self said Darryn Peterson’s family made a decision that he needs to be close to 100% before he plays again. Self said he agrees.

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The comment adds more confusion to an already troubling situation in Lawrence. It is not often that a player's family becomes publicly involved in on-court decision-making, especially at this level.

There has clearly been some disconnect between Peterson, Self, and the rest of the program, as this injury was never expected to linger this long. On multiple occasions in November, Self mentioned that he believed Peterson would return within days or weeks — that has obviously not been the case.

Peterson has reportedly yet to play a game this season without experiencing leg cramping at some point. In his most recent appearance in Lenovo Center against NC State, he exited the game with just over two minutes remaining in crunch time after signaling to the training staff that he had to come out. He has not returned to the court since.

With conference play set to begin on Jan. 3 against UCF in Orlando, Peterson's status remains as uncertain as ever. If decisions about his availability are being influenced by family wishes and other outside factors, the chances of him playing many more games as a Jayhawk may be slimmer than initially expected.