KU’s Bill Self says Jayhawks filled a ‘need’ in signing transfer Leroy Blyden Jr.
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- Bill Self announced KU signed MAC freshman of the year Leroy Blyden Jr.
- Blyden averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a freshman.
- Blyden shot 46.1% overall and 40.7% from three on 189 3-point attempts.
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self on Wednesday night announced the signing of Leroy Blyden Jr., the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year, to a financial aid agreement.
Blyden, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound combo guard originally from Detroit, averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game his freshman season at University of Toledo.
“We felt Leroy was one of the very best guard prospects in the portal, period,” Self said Wednesday in a release. “He had a great year at Toledo and was the freshman of the year in his league. He can score. He shoots it with range and he’s efficient. He can be the lead guard and a scoring guard. His ability to make plays and get his shoulders past you is something we really need.”
Blyden, who scored 20 or more points in five of the Rockets’ last six games, scored a season-high 36 points versus Western Michigan on Dec. 30.
For the year he hit 46.1% of his shots including 40.7% from 3 (on 189 attempts). He made 84.6% of his free throws.
He dished 13 assists to go with 20 points in the regular-season finale against Buffalo. He had four steals in a game on five occasions.
For the year he had 153 assists to 63 turnovers with 61 steals. He had six or more assists in eight games.
He became a fan favorite after hitting a game-winning 3 in a 73-72 victory over rival Bowling Green before a season-high 6,850 fans who stormed the court at Toledo’s Savage Arena.
Overall he started 32 of 34 games for the Rockets, who went 19-15 overall and 11-7 in the MAC.
Blyden was named to the 2026 MAC all-tournament team upon averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals in three games as Toledo finished second in the event.
Blyden played high school basketball at the University of Detroit Jesuit. He was a Michigan Mr. Basketball runner-up after averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals per game as a senior.
His mom, Markita, was a standout high school basketball player in Detroit and at Lansing Community College.
“It’s kind of a mix. I’m trying still to this day to match Russell Westbrook’s athleticism, John Wall’s speed with the ball, Steph Curry’s shooting, and Kyrie Irving’s handle. That’s mainly it for offense,” Blyden said of players he admires in an interview on the Toledo athletic department website. “For defense I would say I’m trying to get to the level of Jrue Holiday.”
He realizes he needs to gain some weight prior to the start of the 2026-27 season.
“I think I’ve adjusted well (to college ball), but there have been some games and sometimes in practice where I realized that I do have to get stronger,” said Blyden, who was not ranked in the recruiting class of 2025.
He said his goals include “making it to the NBA and then stay there for a while.”
KU has added incoming freshmen Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett, Taylen Kinney and Trent Perry as well as Blyden and former Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes.
Several Jayhawks on the 2025-26 roster have entered the portal and chosen new schools: Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Elmarko Jackson (Georgetown), Bryson Tiller (Missouri), Jamari McDowell (Wake Forest), Samis Calderon (Butler) and Corbin Allen (has yet to pick school at this time).
Sophomores-to-be Kohl Rosario and Paul Mbiya have said they will return to KU.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 7:16 PM with the headline "KU’s Bill Self says Jayhawks filled a ‘need’ in signing transfer Leroy Blyden Jr.."
