LAWRENCE — KJ Adams Jr. put an end to speculation about his future Tuesday.

Adams, coming off his junior season with Kansas basketball, is remaining with the Jayhawks. The forward will be back for his senior campaign in Lawrence. And in doing so, he gives head coach Bill Self one of the team’s regular starters across the past two seasons.

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“Never was leaving,” Adams said in part in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Some may have thought Adams might consider entering the transfer portal, considering how Kansas’ roster is shaping up for next season. Some may have thought Adams might consider trying his chances at a professional career, given the skillset he has improved. But he’ll return to the Jayhawks in search of more Big 12 Conference success, and possibly the second national championship of his KU career.

One of the best freshmen in the Big 12 his freshman year, Adams became the conference’s most improved player as a sophomore. He’s been an honorable mention honoree the past two seasons as well. His average of 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game over the course of his career might not jump off the stat sheet, across his 107 games played and 69 starts. But over the past two seasons he’s averaged in double figures scoring and more than four rebounds per game.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Will KJ Adams Jr. be back with Kansas basketball next season?