Why KU Jayhawks coach Bill Self sees value in Bryson Tiller enrolling early, redshirting
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self believes high school basketball big man Bryson Tiller will gain valuable experience spending second semester of the 2024-25 season as a redshirt member of KU’s team.
“Things, schemes style, what our expectations are. Playing against Hunter (Dickinson) and KJ (Adams) and Flory (Bidunga) every day will also be good for him,” Self said Thursday at a news conference held in advance of Sunday’s nonconference finale against Brown.
“I think there’s a lot of things that go into it. Probably getting a comfort level with me, maybe seeing the value of what it’s like for when we go on the road, because he’ll travel with us when we go on the road, and how other people react to the Kansas jersey, things like that,” Self added.
Tiller, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior power forward out of the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, will practice but not play in games the rest of this season. He’s expected to arrive on KU’s campus on Jan. 6.
“We have a plan. He’s going to redshirt. He’s been nicked up from his (foot) surgery, so he’ll be cleared, but really not to the point where he can really impact his high school season, probably in the manner in which he hoped he would his senior year and the fact that he hadn’t played,” Self said.
“So McDonald’s All Americans, stuff like that means so much to these kids and families, which it should, but he’s probably put himself in a situation where that would be a lot more difficult to do if you’re not competing. So get him here and he’ll be healthy hopefully by the time he arrives or soon after, and then he’ll be more prepared to have an impact, I think, to start his freshman year knowing he’s going to be here a semester with us.”
Tiller is ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, No. 21 by Rivals, No. 23 by On3 and No. 26 by ESPN. He chose KU over Auburn, Indiana and Georgia Tech and signed with KU in the week-long November signing period.
“Bryson is ultra talented,” Self said upon receipt of Tiller’s financial aid agreement on Nov. 16.
“If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he would be a top-5, top-7 kid in the class. He hasn’t been able to do much in the last six or eight months, but he’s talented. He’s 6-10 and can play anywhere on the floor.”
Tiller, who is from Atlanta, home of Overtime Elite, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He plays for the City Reapers and was named to the all-Overtime Elite second team in 2023-24 after averaging nearly a double-double at 12.2 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. He blocked 1.6 shots per contest.
In the 2024 playoffs, Tiller averaged 15.6 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 50% from the field. He recorded seven double-doubles during the 2023-24 season. In 2022-23, the City Reapers won the OTE championship and Tiller averaged 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds with five double-doubles during the regular season.
Tiller played AAU basketball for Atlanta Xpress.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Why KU Jayhawks coach Bill Self sees value in Bryson Tiller enrolling early, redshirting."
