This Kansas Freshman Is Contributing in New Ways Amid Struggles

Entering the season, Kansas freshman Kohl Rosario was widely considered a breakout candidate for the Jayhawks. The Overtime Elite product reclassified up one year to join the team, and offseason speculation during early practices made it clear that he quickly earned the coaching staff's trust.

In fact, Rosario earned so much confidence from Bill Self that he secured the final spot in the starting five for the first scrimmage, a role he has remained in ever since.

His top strength was expected to be his 3-point shooting, but he has only shot 2-for-14 from beyond the arc combined between KU's scrimmages against Louisville and Fort Hays State and the season opener against Green Bay.

While Rosario hasn't performed quite how he would have liked to early on, he is still finding ways to contribute. All offseason, he was praised for his high motor and willingness to never give up on a play, even earning the nickname 'Steve Rogers' from his teammates.

Rather than letting his early shooting struggles affect him, Rosario has continued to shoot and, more importantly, found other ways to make an impact.

His relentless motor, one of his best attributes, was on full display in the opener. In the first half alone, Rosario grabbed three offensive rebounds, including a second-chance tip-in basket off a missed Darryn Peterson 3-pointer.

These are the exact traits Self had in mind when assembling this roster. He has learned over the past couple of years that success in recruiting and the transfer portal is not just about landing the player with the highest price tag.

"I like his aggressiveness," Self said about Rosario during his Wednesday press conference. "I love him as a player. I think he tries really hard. He competes, he wants to get better. The ball's not going in the hole like it was earlier, in large part, because I think he's too amped up and too excited. He probably needs to slow down a little bit. I think he's playing sped up. And when you play sped up, obviously you don't shoot it as well, but he will."

Self still has the utmost confidence in the 18-year-old from Miami, Florida. That means Jayhawk fans should as well as he continues to get acclimated to the college game.

Rosario and his gritty play style are not something that can be taught, but rather a testament to the work he is putting in to tap into his potential. Here's a video of him getting up some shots postgame after a poor shooting night during last week's exhibition vs. Fort Hays State:

Kohl Rosario is getting some shots up postgame. #kubball pic.twitter.com/WtL9gP3NLT
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) October 29, 2025

This isn't to say the Jayhawks can afford Rosario to be a poor 3-point threat throughout the entire season. The roster was constructed around him being one of the few reliable outside shooters whom KU can depend on.

However, as long as he keeps vigorously competing and making hustle plays that don’t show up in the box score, he will continue to see significant playing time while he sorts out the kinks with his jump shot.