SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Devon Dotson #11 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives to the basket during the first half against the Northeastern Huskies in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)Kansas basketball made history last season. It wasn’t the good kind.
After taking over the program in 2003-04, it took Bill Self just one year before his Jayhawks were Big 12 champions. The 2005 conference title began a streak that didn’t end until this season.
That obviously doesn’t sit well with the Jayhawks stars returning to the team this fall. No one wants to be known for failure to do what 14 previous teams all accomplished.
One of those returning Kansas basketball stars is guard Devon Dotson, who withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to the Jayhawks.
Dotson had a very promising freshman season, during which he averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
He returns to a team that will likely be the preseason Big 12 favorite, and is getting some decent national title hype, even after a down 2018-19, thanks to a number of important returnees and solid additions.
Dotson spoke to the NCAA’s Andy Katz about his personal and team goals for the season.
“We fell short of some team goals we had last season. I want to try to win a #NationalChampionship.”
Devon Dotson tells @TheAndyKatz why he came back to @KUHoops! pic.twitter.com/7t0FYTOYqY
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) July 22, 2019
During the interview, Dotson admitted that the Big 12 loss last season drives the team, and the national title is a bigger goal for the squad as well. Via KUSports:
“I felt like, from a team perspective, I had unfinished business. We fell short of some team goals that we had last season,” Dotson said.
[…]
“We don’t want to be the players that didn’t win anything to come through here in the past 14 years,” Dotson said. “For the bigger picture, which is the national championship, I feel like we have a great chance of coming close or achieving that goal.”
Personally, if Dotson takes a step forward he could become one of the more dangerous perimeter players in the country. Last season, he shot better than 48-percent from the floor and a respectable 36-percent from three. If he brings up that second number, he can really pay off the potential he’s shown thus far. It is something that he is focusing on after going through the NBA Draft process a few months ago.
“Getting more consistent on my outside shot,” Dotson said. “Just leading out there, talking more out there on the court. Just improving all aspects of the game — IQ wise, passing. I felt like it has helped out a lot. I heard they think really highly of me. If I decide to come out next year, it will be a great spot.”
The Big 12 has seen some other teams take big steps forward, especially with Texas Tech’s unexpected run to the national title game last year. It is hard not to see Kansas as the team to beat in 2020, though.
