LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas men’s basketball trio of Keanu Dawes, Kohl Rosario, and Tyran Stokes will join head coach Bill Self at the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball Media Day, which will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
New for this year, each institution’s men’s and women’s basketball programs will participate on the same day. Eight institutions will be featured each day, creating a unified platform to highlight the depth and strength of the league. Kansas will be joined by Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Utah on Oct. 20, while the other eight league schools will wrap up the event on Oct. 21.
Coverage from the main set will air on ESPNU from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT each day. Matt Schick, Brooke Weisbrod, King McClure, Sydney Jones and Alex Glover Jemison will help preview both the men’s and women’s seasons. On Tuesday, both Kansas teams will be on the TV main stage beginning at 11:40 a.m. From 3:40-3:50 p.m., Self and the three men’s players take their turn on the main stage. Both days will also be simulcast on Big 12 Studios and BYUtv.
A 6-foot-8 guard from Louisville, Kentucky, Stokes is Kansas’ second-consecutive No. 1 national recruit joining Darryn Peterson from last year’s class. A 2026 McDonald’s All-American, Stokes averaged 31.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 steals in leading Rainier Beach to a 29-1 record and the Washington 3A state title. Stokes is the fourth No. 1 national recruit to play for Self at Kansas, joining Peterson, Andrew Wiggins (2013) and Josh Jackson (2016).
Dawes is a senior transfer from Utah who will be playing his first season at KU in 2026-27. The 6-foot-9 Houston forward started every game for Utah last season and averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, which ranked fourth in the Big 12. His 6.81 defensive rebounds per contest ranked 12th nationally. For his three-year career, Dawes has played in 95 games with 57 starts.
A freshman in 2025-26, Rosario started six of 29 games played for Kansas last season. The 6-foot-6 Miami guard averaged 11.6 minutes and 3.4 points per contest. Included was a career-high 16 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi where he made a career-best six three-point field goals. He also had eight points and four rebounds, while going 2-for-2 from deep against Houston in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinal.
A 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, entering his 24th season at KU, Self is Kansas’ and the Big 12’s all-time winningest coach with a 633-167 record. In his time at Kansas, Self has guided the Jayhawks to an unprecedented 16 regular season Big 12 titles, eight Big 12 Tournament championships, four Final Fours and two NCAA National Championships. Self is entering his 34th season overall with a 840-272 record. His 840 wins are third on the NCAA active list and 15th all time entering the 2026-27 season.