The one issue slowing Darryn Peterson — and why Bill Self called it a ‘big deal’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Peterson missed Monday practice after severe leg cramps limited his second-half minutes.
- Self said staff must solve the cramping issue to ensure Peterson finishes games.
- KU will play Fort Hays State in its final exhibition before Nov. 3 season opener.
Darryn Peterson’s cramping problem, which limited him to 10 minutes in the second half of Friday’s 90-82 exhibition victory over Louisville, kept him from practicing Monday morning, KU coach Bill Self said at a news conference in advance of Tuesday’s exhibition against Fort Hays State.
Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse with a live telecast on ESPN+.
“I don’t want to say he’s perfectly fine yet,” Self said of the 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman point guard from Canton, Ohio. He scored 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting (6-of-9 from 3) in 15 minutes the first half; two points on 1-of-4 marksmanship in 10 minutes the final half at Louisville.
“It’s been something that’s been bothering him off and on for a while. The way he played the first half, you definitely want him out there the second,” Self added.
Self after Friday’s game said Peterson could not move after a severe case of leg cramps overcame him in the locker room at halftime.
“I don’t think that we have quite remedied the situation yet, and that’s going to be a big deal if your best player can’t finish games because of cramping or whatever it would be,” Self said. “So we’ve got to figure that out.”
Peterson was able to practice Sunday, but was held out Monday “because you know (you are) sore and all that stuff. When you’re cramping, I guess it creates soreness and all that stuff in your muscles, but we’ve got to get it figured out,” Self added.
Self was asked Monday if the fact Peterson is a projected one-and-done player would increase his competitive drive in pursuit of that college crown during the 2025-26 season.
“I think that’s probably the case with Darryn, without question,” Self said. “But I would say this: ... Competitive people like to compete, regardless of situations. So whether or not if he was going to be here more than one year, I think he would approach it the same way.
“... But I do think there is something to the reality that more than likely it’s going to go down as how you described (trying to win it all in one season in Lawrence). So you’ve got to make the most of it in the short time that you actually are doing it.”
Peterson was one of several high-profile freshmen to put up huge stat lines in their college exhibition debuts.
Duke’s Cameron Boozer had 33 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the Blue Devils’ win over UCF on Oct. 21 in Durham, North Carolina. He had 24 points and 23 rebounds in the Blue Devils’ win over Tennessee on Sunday.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa had 30 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a loss to Nebraska on Oct. 18 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He had 18 points and eight rebounds in a home win over North Carolina on Oct. 24.
“I actually noticed those three,” Self said of Peterson, Boozer and Dybantsa, all vying for the No. 1 spot in the next draft. “And if I’m not mistaken, the youngster from Carolina had a monster game too, Caleb.”
Caleb Wilson had 22 points and 10 rebounds vs. BYU.
“I mean, there’s a lot of good freshmen out there,” Self continued. “It’s a unique freshman class. And they all did it against real guys, real competition. So it’s going to be a competitive year, that’s for sure.”
Self said senior guard Jayden Dawson, who played just three minutes against Louisville, has recovered from his sore knee issues.
“He’s healthy,” Self said, “so that didn’t have much to do with him not playing a lot, but him being hurt probably put him behind where he probably wasn’t as ready to play the other day. It’s nothing negative that he’s done or anything, but his health is fine. So I anticipate him definitely being able to be out there a lot more, because he’d be more in the groove.”
The Fort Hays State exhibition will be KU’s second and final practice game before the season opener against Green Bay on Nov. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM with the headline "The one issue slowing Darryn Peterson — and why Bill Self called it a ‘big deal’."
