LAWRENCE Kansas basketball coach Bill Self shared Friday that its been multiple weeks since Darryn Peterson first mentioned he was dealing with a hamstring issue.
Peterson, who started the first two regular-season games before missing this past Tuesdays game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, has been playing through it. According to Self, the medical staff and more see it as something thats healing and getting better. But Self noted as well that Peterson is still sore, despite all the effort thats been put into rehabbing it, and thatll keep him out of Saturdays game for No. 24 KU (2-1) against Princeton (2-1) inside Allen Fieldhouse.
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He will not play tomorrow, Self said about Peterson. He is still sore, and for whatever reason, its still sore. Trying to figure it out, but we dont think its a long-term deal at all. But, as long as its still this sore, he says, and limits him at all, theres no reason to put him out there yet. So, thats where were at.
Self described it as a day-to-day situation, and mentioned Peterson has not practiced the past two days. If the situation prolongs, Self admitted his worry about it would grow, but he was also quick to point out Peterson did practice as recently as Tuesday. The hope remains that Peterson will be available for next Tuesdays game in the Champions Classic against No. 4 Duke in New York City.
To date, through two starts, Peterson has averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block per game. Hes been a prolific shooter, including a 6-for-12 (50%) mark on 3s. Without him, the Jayhawks will have to further rely upon the likes of sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, freshman guard Kohl Rosario and more to produce as scorers more than they would have otherwise.
Not having Peterson shouldnt put KU in jeopardy of losing Saturday at home against Princeton, just as that reality didnt days earlier against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The problem grows if Peterson starts to miss high-profile matchups like the one against Duke, when hes needed most. When Bidunga discussed not having Peterson for Saturdays game against Princeton, he reiterated a thought that Self also brought up recently.
Obviously, hes a great player, Bidunga said about Peterson. But I feel like, who knows, in the future, maybe he will get in foul trouble, and then we need to learn to play without him. So, I think its a great opportunity for us to just play without him and just grow as well.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Associations sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball guard Darryn Peterson injury update coach Bill Self