Kansas spent the majority of its season without premier NBA Draft prospect Darryn Peterson on the floor due to a hamstring injury and quad discomfort. While coach Bill Self expressed optimism that the former No. 1 overall recruit would return to the floor soon, he noted that Peterson’s family is involved in the decision, too.
It is a mutual agreement, Self said, between Kansas and the Peterson family to hold the prized freshman out until he is at full strength.
“I think he’s doing well,” Self said after Monday’s 90-61 win over Davidson. “They made a decision, which I don’t disagree with it at all, that they want him to be as close to 100% as possible when he comes back. He’s just not quite there yet. It’s a day-to-day deal. He will be. I wish he could have played tonight, but the fact of the matter is guys got some run and they did well, so hopefully giving some other guys some opportunities will hopefully make us deeper as we get into conference play.”
Peterson last played Dec. 13 and has missed the Jayhawks’ past two games. Kansas is set to take a near two-week break before it embarks on Big 12 play, so he will have an extended period of time to complete his recovery without missing more action.
Getting Peterson back in advance of the conference season is critical for Kansas if it is to compete at the top of the league. Two of its three losses this year came with Peterson on the bench.
“We are in agreement with the family that he should not play until he feels good,” Self said. “We’re in agreement. I’m not inside his head or his body that I can determine if he feels good enough or not. That’s up to him. He wants to be out there. He’s just not quite ready.”
Peterson’s freshman season has been a stop-and-start affair. He played the first two games of the campaign, missed the following seven, returned for two contests earlier this month and has been back on the shelf since. When he is on the floor, though, he appears as advertised with his 16 points per game and impact throughout the box score.
Self said in November that Peterson’s hamstring issue was one that bothered him dating back to the start of the year and that he played through it in the early going. His most recent absence is tied to what Kansas described as cramping in one of his quads. Peterson also missed part of a preseason exhibition game due to cramps.
