Darryn Peterson injury update: Bill Self reveals latest on Kansas star's potential return

Kansas basketball was still without Darryn Peterson as it defeated Notre Dame on Monday. The freshman guard has not played since Nov. 7 and has already been ruled out for the entirety of the Players Era Festival this week in Las Vegas.

Speaking after the 71-61 victory, Jayhawks coach Bill Self offered an update on Peterson’s progress toward getting back on the court. It sounds like Peterson has been able to get some work in but hasn’t full returned to practice just yet.

“I’m hopeful [he’ll return] soon,” Self said. “He’s doing more every day. He’s working out here. He’s running, he’s cutting, he’s doing some things. He’s just got to test out of some things, which we’ll test him again when we get back. So week to week, maybe too long. It’s more of every three or four days, we’ll re-evaluate and see where he’s at.”

Self previously revealed that Peterson is dealing with a slight hamstring strain but that the team didn’t anticipated him being out long. However, the timeline later changed as the coach revealed Nov. 15 that Peterson was expected to be out for “the immediate future.”

Monday’s victory marked the fourth straight game that Kansas has been without Peterson. He also will not play Tuesday when the Jayhawks take on Syracuse.

Peterson was a five-star recruit this offseason out of Prolific Prep in Canton, Ohio. He ranked as the No. 2 overall player and No. 1 combo guard in the 2025 cycle according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Through two games so far, Peterson has looked the part of a five-star prospect. He scored over 20 points in each contest, averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the limited sample size.

With Darryn Peterson ruled out for the remainder of the Players Era Festival, his next opportunity to play will come Dec. 2 against No. 3 UConn. After that, the Jayhawks take on Missouri (Dec. 7) and No. 23 NC State (Dec. 13).

All that in mind, KU will surely be hopeful it can get Peterson back soon with those challenging upcoming games on its schedule. For now, they’ll look to keep winning with him sidelined as they tip off against Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.