Kansas HC Bill Self Upset About Tre White’s ‘Disappointing’ All-Big 12 Snub

Bill Self and the Kansas basketball program have missed on a lot of transfer portal additions in the NIL era. However, the 2025-26 campaign has been an exception.

In addition to landing a fan-favorite point guard in Melvin Council Jr., the Jayhawks also acquired senior guard Tre White following his departure from Illinois. The 6-foot-7 wing has done more than anyone could have asked of him this season, averaging the second-highest scoring average on the team at 14.3, along with 6.9 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from 3-point range.

White was undoubtedly one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference during the regular season, yet he did not receive a nod on the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention list. Coach Self was not happy about this fact and voiced his displeasure during a press conference on Tuesday.

Bill Self Thinks Tre White Is Underrated by Big 12 Coaches

Between getting to the line at a high rate, playing terrific point-of-attack defense, and being a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc, White has been a revelation for the Jayhawks this season. It is not surprising that Self believes he deserved at least one All-Big 12 Third Team vote from one of the other 15 head coaches in the conference.

"There had to be a coach in our league who thinks that he was a top 20 player in our league, and it's disappointing to me that nobody did," Self said. "Because to me, he for sure is. Somebody is going to get left off. I think it's unfortunate that it was Tre, because I thought he deserved better. But the reality of it is, when you have outside observers that don't see it through the same lens that we do, it would be hard not to have one coach out of 15 not believe he's a top 20 player in the league."

White was a very good player at his previous stops at USC, Louisville, and Illinois, but he has clearly found his niche in Lawrence. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3-point percentage, and free throw percentage at his fourth stop in as many years.

Although White was stuck in a rut toward the latter stages of conference play, he has begun to get back on track in recent weeks. Over his past four contests, he is averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 56.0% from long range. That stretch includes a pair of double-doubles and two 23-point outings in victories over Houston and Kansas State.

Kansas did receive some recognition on the All-Big 12 teams, with Bidunga earning a first-team pick, Darryn Peterson being named to the second team, and Council Jr. serving as the school's lone honorable mention. Given that White's numbers are arguably a bit better than Council's, there is little question that he was more deserving than some other players who earned honorable mention honors.