Freshman guard Anrio Adams didn’t have the easiest first year at Kansas. Upset with a lack of playing time (3.5 MPG), he took to Twitter in February to voice his displeasure: “There’s no question that I would of been getting mad minutes anywhere else in America people it’s a FACT..” Bill Self responded saying that Adams needed to mature, calling it a “teaching moment.” There were a few other similar posts throughout the season — thinly veiled comments about his frustration. And with the #2 recruiting class in the country coming in this summer, it wasn’t surprising when Adams announced he was transferring away from Lawrence last week. He was granted his release by the school and it initially seemed that he would return closer to his home in Seattle. Then on Friday, he had this to say on Twitter: “I can’t go I love my team too much…#KUCMB” Adams and Self were set to have a one-on-one today to discuss his future, a meeting which obviously ended with both sides (or just Self) deciding it would be better for everyone if Adams finishes his career elsewhere. There’s a difference between thinking about transferring after a tough season and making an official announcement before changing your mind. One is a common thought by a freshmen who can get stuck behind upperclassmen for a season or two. The official announcement, however, is harder to go back on.
It would have made Self and the coaching staff look bad, for one. It couldn’t have been great for team chemistry heading into the offseason, either, even though Adams was usually the biggest cheerleader on the bench this season. It’s easy to question a teammate’s dedication when he seeks a release after his first season. Then there is the theory that won’t be confirmed by any sitting head coach in America — that schools sometimes recruit over players and room needs to be made. That doesn’t look to be the case here as Kansas still has a few open scholarships next season. But Self has picked up recruits late in the process a number of times, and if his five-man class of freshmen next year all stick around for their sophomore seasons, Adams’ scholarship could be used to find a missing piece for the 2014-15 team. Whatever the reasons, Adams’ propensity for social media rants and his commitment issues never matched his on-court production, making it an easy decision for the coaching staff to let him move on.