Kansas HC Bill Self Believes Jayden Dawson Could Be March Madness Hero

Bill Self and Kansas basketball have had several transfer portal misses over the past few years in the NIL era. The Hall of Fame head coach has often struggled to identify players on the open market who fit his system and philosophy, which has at times led to them landing in the doghouse.

The most recent example of that is Loyola Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson, who has struggled to find his niche as a Jayhawk. The sharpshooting wing was expected to compete for significant minutes this year, yet has nearly fallen out of the rotation entirely heading into postseason play.

While Dawson's senior year has not gone as expected, Coach Self still believes in his ability and is confident he can be a difference maker for this team. As he introduced Dawson to the Allen Fieldhouse crowd for his Senior Day speech on Saturday, Self provided some encouraging words and delivered a promise to the KU faithful.

"He hasn't played as much as I know that he had hoped to, and you've seen glimpses of what he can do," Self said. "He's got good defensive instincts, he can shoot the ball, and he's going to win a game for us moving forward, I guarantee it."

Why Jayden Dawson Could Still Be Crucial to Kansas’ Tournament Run

Dawson possesses a skill set that KU’s roster severely lacks. He is a respectable point-of-attack defender and one of the best catch-and-shoot snipers from beyond the arc.

Across three years at Loyola, Dawson shot 36.7% from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per night. But since arriving in Lawrence, he has shot them at a 28.6% clip in limited action.

Despite his shaky percentages, part of Dawson's drop in efficiency can be attributed to his inconsistent playing time. He has shown in the past that he is capable of hitting threes at a much higher rate than he is right now.

One thing that is encouraging about Dawson is that his confidence has never wavered. He is never shy to pull the trigger from deep and has a repeatable shooting motion that looks like it should eventually work out.

Dawson Is No Remy Martin, but He Can Be Similar

Whenever the program has missed on a transfer in recent years — something that has occurred quite often — the immediate reaction of KU fans is that they can become a Remy Martin-type player in March Madness.

Martin had an injury-riddled, rocky regular season before becoming a hero in the NCAA Tournament. But ultimately, only a few players will ever be able to live up to a status like that at Kansas, and not everyone can flip a switch for a few games to transform into a different player when it matters most.

Dawson does not need to have a Martin-esque impact on the game to be useful for the Jayhawks. He could help the Jayhawks clinch a victory simply by hitting a couple of momentum threes or getting a timely defensive stop.

Kansas operates with a top-heavy starting lineup, with the starting five combining to average 152.8 minutes per game. Dawson has been the co-eighth man off the bench, sharing that role with Kohl Rosario depending on the game.

Given his performance in the regular season, Dawson likely won't see more than 8-10 meaningful minutes in a tournament game. But if he can make a few winning plays in that stretch, there is no question he can help the Jayhawks win a game like Self believes he can.