There are homecomings, after which there are callings. For Jacque Vaughn, this isn’t only a return—it’s a reconnection. The previous Kansas star, whose fingerprints stay on this system’s proud custom, is headed again to Lawrence, this time as an assistant coach.
The transfer comes at a second of reflection for the Jayhawks, a blueblood trying to find the spark that after felt so computerized. For Invoice Self, it’s not nearly including expertise—it’s about including coronary heart. And for Vaughn, after years on the NBA’s grandest phases, it’s a return to the place his basketball journey was as soon as simply starting.
Kansas nice Jacque Vaughn returns to Lawrence 🙌
The previous Kansas guard will function an assistant to Invoice Self subsequent season 👏 pic.twitter.com/0DDMymYxwn
— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) Might 21, 2025
The Participant Turns into the Mentor
Jacque Vaughn’s identify nonetheless echoes within the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse—not only for what he did, however how he did it. From 1993 to 1997, he wasn’t simply the engine of Roy Williams’ Kansas groups; he was their conscience. A two-time All-American. A Massive 8 Participant of the Yr. A degree guard who outlined poise and preparation. He led Kansas to 3 Candy 16s and one Elite Eight, and alongside the best way, turned a beloved determine on campus.
Now, he returns with the load of expertise and the calm of perspective.
Welcome residence, Jacque Vaughn 🔴🔵
The Kansas nice returns to Lawrence as an assistant coach
🔗→ https://t.co/gzenBGLGyQ pic.twitter.com/r0ub4eIXwj
— Kansas Males’s Basketball (@KUHoops) Might 21, 2025
Vaughn’s post-playing résumé is wealthy. An NBA champion with the Spurs. A training disciple of Gregg Popovich. A head coach in each Orlando and Brooklyn. The wins and losses inform a part of the story. The mentors he realized from—and those he now mentors—inform extra.
Invoice Self didn’t simply rent a coach. He introduced residence a regular bearer.
As Kansas works to rediscover its id, Vaughn’s presence shall be felt in movie rooms, apply courts, and late-night talks. And if his previous is any indication, he’ll remind the following era that greatness isn’t simply achieved on recreation evening—however in the way you carry your self each single day.
A Program Looking for Its Pulse
Because the confetti fell in 2022, Kansas has been chasing the rhythm it as soon as knew. Again-to-back seasons with high preseason rankings have ended with early exits and quiet locker rooms. Final 12 months, a 21–13 marketing campaign resulted in heartbreak—a first-round stumble to Arkansas that minimize deep.
This isn’t nearly losses. It’s about expectations.
Kansas has all the time carried them like a crown and a burden. The banners above don’t enable for mediocrity. And but, one thing has felt barely off. The chemistry. The sting. The idea.
Jacque Vaughn received’t repair that alone. However he understands it in a method few can. He’s been the underclassman and the senior chief. He’s been the professional and the coach. He’s worn the strain, and the privilege, of being a Jayhawk.
His addition to Self’s employees comes with the hope that tradition might be recalibrated—not via slogans or schemes, however by presence. The type that walks right into a room and reminds you what Kansas basketball is meant to really feel like.
A Homecoming Etched in Goal
When Jacque Vaughn walks again into Allen Fieldhouse, it received’t be as a starry-eyed recruit or a coach chasing alternative. It will likely be as a person returning to serve the place that formed him.
This isn’t a nostalgia rent. It’s a values rent.
Invoice Self known as Vaughn a “mentor, coach, and consultant of Kansas basketball.” That order feels intentional. As a result of at a time when the game typically shifts with developments and transactions, Kansas is betting on one thing deeper—connection, continuity, and dedication.
Jacque Vaughn
2/22/1997#RockChalk
— Nostalgic Jayhawks (@nostalgic_ku) Might 21, 2025
Vaughn’s teaching journey has taken him throughout franchises, locker rooms, and coastlines. But it surely’s right here, in Lawrence, the place he now returns to offer again what he as soon as acquired: perception, construction, and a way of belonging.
The expectations stay sky excessive. However now, the sideline appears to be like a little bit extra acquainted. A little bit extra grounded.
And for a program looking for renewal, Jacque Vaughn’s return may simply really feel like the start of one thing as soon as misplaced—and now rediscovered.
