Zach Clemence returning to Kansas basketball, will redshirt in 2023-24 season
Zach Clemence is coming back to the Kansas Jayhawks just a few months after entering the transfer portal and announcing a his transfer destination.
According to KU coach Bill Self, who confirmed the new roster addition on Tuesday, Clemence will redshirt this season.
“I had a conversation last week with Zach, he contacted me and we were discussing all the things going on with him, future transferring and all this stuff,” Self said. “He asked me would it be a possibility if he could return, and we discussed what we both thought would be best for his future basketball wise.”
Clemence is already on campus in Lawrence and is taking summer classes. He never officially transferred and had been home in San Antonio for the summer before summer classes began, per Self.
“I think it’s a good decision if he wasn’t totally content with the decision he made and I know he feels good about it,” Self said.
Clemence was the third of eight Jayhawks from last year’s roster to enter the transfer portal this offseason, making that announcement on March 22. Six weeks later, he announced he was joining the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. 247Sports ranked him as the 190th best available player in the transfer portal this year, one spot ahead of his former teammate, Bobby Pettiford Jr..
As a sophomore, Clemence made 20 appearances and averaged 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in just 5.6 minutes per game for the Jayhawks, an increase in playing time but drop in production from his freshman season.
He’s now the fourth player returning to Kansas from last year’s roster, joining senior guard Kevin McCullar, senior guard Dajuan Harris and junior forward K.J. Adams. While the Jayhawks still saw seven players depart via the transfer portal, they’re also bringing in the top-ranked transfer class in the country this year.
